Harley Merlin 12 by Bella Forrest (story books to read TXT) 📗

“Whoa, easy there!” I put up my hands in surrender. Clearly, this wasn’t entirely about my lies.

“Yes, I suggest you rein in your ire, madam.” Mary released the bubble, the forcefield falling back into place as the doorway disappeared. She put herself between me and Santana.

Santana’s jaw dropped. “Are you a—”

“A spirit, a specter, an echo of the living. Yes, I am,” Mary replied, her tone hard. “And you are not permitted to enter this sanctuary and speak to a dear friend of mine in so brash a manner. I do not care what you think he may have done, and I care little that he is a friend of yours, if you continue to insult him. You will be courteous, or I shall see you tossed from this house like a rag doll.”

Raffe stifled a snort. “Do you have a name?”

“Miss Foster. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, as you seem to have less difficulty with courtesy.” Mary sketched a dainty curtsey before returning her glare to Santana, who’d turned a troubling shade of red.

“Well, I’m Raffe, and please don’t mind Santana. She’s had a long day.” Raffe took Santana’s hand and held it tight, soothing the beast.

“And I have had a lengthy afterlife, but I do not throw my weight about,” Mary shot back.

I stepped in before things got ugly. “What’s the crazy you mentioned before, Santana?”

“Don’t go turning this on me.” She shot a dirty look at Mary. “We can talk about all of that later. I want to hear what you’ve got to say for yourself first.”

“Look, I know you don’t agree with me bringing Raffe into this. If there’d been another way, I would’ve. In fact, I was ready to tell Nash that I needed his blood to escape Erebus’s servitude. But Melody persuaded me that it’d be a bad idea. Nash has some kind of history with Erebus, and any mention of that name would make him shut down. So, she went with the Raffe charade, and I went along with it.”

“And here I was, thinking you were the most exquisite wretch of them all.” Kadar flickered to the surface, making Mary shoot back as if stung. “Are you telling me that Melody is the brains behind this outfit? Melody—the tiny mouse of a human, who’d barely make a mouthful for me?”

I met his eye. “That brain of hers would probably choke you.”

“I thought you and I had a glorious friendship, built on corruption and deception, ahead of us. Now, I am disappointed.” Kadar tutted, while Mary stared. He turned toward her. “You ought to count yourself lucky, Miss Foster, that you are a specter. I am ravenous, and I imagine you would’ve been quite the tasty morsel in your day.”

Santana cut in. “You wouldn’t so much as nibble on her, Kadar. You know that, so quiet down with the threats before I shove Lullaby Weeds down Raffe’s throat.” She turned back to me. “Look, I’m peeved you used Raffe. Why not Levi and Zalaam? Raffe isn’t your pawn, Finch.”

“Neither are Levi and Zalaam, but it doesn’t sound like you’d mind throwing them under the bus. At least I’m letting Raffe know now, before we proceed. Anyway, a djinn needs to remove the curse, and Kadar is a djinn, so I guess you could say that Melody’s lie created a djinn-djinn situation.” I tried to laugh, but Santana’s withering look killed it.

“Without even asking him first?” Santana replied. “And why do you think this Nash guy would run if you told him the truth? If he has issues with Erebus, then wouldn’t that put you on equal footing? He’d more likely sympathize with you than sprint in the opposite direction.”

“But I need his blood for Erebus, and I doubt Nash would like helping him,” I said softly.

Raffe raised a hand. “For what it’s worth, I don’t mind.”

“Neither do I,” Kadar chimed in. “I may be weakened, but my djinn muscles could use a bit of flexing. And I do so enjoy unraveling the masterpieces of other djinn. There’s something satisfying about destroying their handiwork.”

Santana looked upward in exasperation. “That’s not the point!”

“Then what, pray tell, is the point?” Mary recovered enough to muster some pointed inquisitiveness.

“You just went ahead without sending so much as a text to Raffe,” Santana replied. “Is it really that hard to say, ‘Hey, by the way, we need to lie to get some blood off a dude. Is it okay if I say it’s about you?’ and then he could choose to agree or disagree? You took that choice away, and now you’re backpedaling like mad to keep this going.”

“I was in CANADA! The ass-end of it! I had no signal!” I blurted. “Raffe knows that, because he said he tried to call me and couldn’t get thr—”

A blinding white flash enveloped me before I finished, overwhelming everything with raw energy. I collapsed and heard the distant cries of Santana and Raffe. But I wasn’t in the bathroom anymore…

My grip on reality slipped, and I faded into glowing oblivion, not knowing where I was headed, or what had pulled me in.

I blinked awake to bright light glaring into my eyes. I lay on an altar in a pillared temple of pristine white marble, with winged statues and lemon trees standing guard. Well, this isn’t at all ominous… Was I trussed up for sacrifice? I wiggled my arms, but I didn’t seem to be tied down. Confused, I sat up and took in my surroundings.

The temple rested on an expanse of diamond grass, glinting with beauty and menace. One bare foot on those blades, and my tootsies would be shredded to ribbons. Azure sky stretched overhead, but no sun. The light came from inside the temple and all around, glinting off every diamond blade of grass, and it was painful to endure. I’d landed in an otherworld.

“Welcome.” An apparition shimmered, her limbs solidifying into a slender female form. Of course, who else’s otherworld would I have landed in?