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

spend the rest of his hunted life thinking I was the pinnacle of jerk-dom.

I stood over him, holding his furious gaze. “I should have told you that I wanted your blood to free myself. Erebus told me not to mention his name, and now I see why. But I’m not a bad guy. Making a deal with Erebus was the only way to kill Katherine. Since then, I’ve been in his service, and he won’t let me go.”

“And that’s my problem how?” Nash hissed. “Katherine Shipton was another hunter. Good for you for killing her, but the consequences have nothing to do with me.”

“I’m just trying to explain myself.” I steeled my resolve. “The thing is, I recently learned that Davin was the only servant of Erebus to ever survive. I don’t have his playbook, which means I’m going to die soon. I’m on borrowed time, like you were. But you aren’t anymore. You deserve to live without one eye on the clock—and lifting the curse will help you do that. Melody will find a way to ensure you’re not a target. Erebus won’t make you disappear.”

“What does Erebus even want with my blood? I take it you can’t use it to free yourself, if you’re so sure you’re a goner?” Nash’s tone softened slightly. Barely perceptible, but enough to give me hope.

I sighed. “Erebus needs your blood to open the Gateway to Atlantis. You’re the key, Nash. I’d have told him where to shove it, but that would’ve meant seeing everyone I care about strung up like puppets and gutted six ways to Sunday. I lied because of my fear. That doesn’t make it right, but I hope you can understand my motivation. What would you do, in my position?”

Nash frowned and said nothing, but he cast a small, worried look at Huntress.

“Anyway, I won’t survive long past this Atlantis business. All I can look forward to is another mission or death, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be death,” I went on. “The only way out is using Davin’s djinn amulet to resurrect myself. Even then, I’ve got zero assurances. I’m no Necromancer, after all. But once I have that amulet, I want Davin’s head to roll… for good, this time.”

Nash relaxed beneath Santana and Luke’s grip. “So… you hate Erebus and Davin as much as I do?”

“I’d say I hate them more, but that’s a game of one-upmanship I don’t want to enter with you.” I managed a faint smile and watched him relent.

“I’d win that game. But you should’ve been honest,” he replied tersely. “I want to get back at them for everything they’ve put me through, and so do you. That should’ve made us allies from the get-go.”

I bit my cheek. “I know, but can you see why I felt I had to lie? I couldn’t risk you vamoosing, and you had every reason to fear for your life. Self-preservation makes us do weird things, even give up the chance for revenge.”

A smirk twitched at the corner of Nash’s mouth. “Well, assuming you stop lying to me, I might consider helping your sorry ass.”

Forty

Finch

Through my little heart-to-heart with the plaid wonder, everyone had been brought up to speed on my progress with Erebus. No stone unturned, no lies lingering in the atmosphere. Well, there was one. Despite Ryann’s insistence that I stop resorting to fibs, I kept my encounters with Lux firmly to myself. I was already in deep crap with Erebus. I didn’t want to wade through another layer of crap with his friggin’ goddess wife by spilling her secrets to people.

“I have to keep at it with this Atlantis ruse, but I’m not rolling over for Erebus,” I said.

Nash shrugged, rising to his feet. “You’ve come this far, might as well see what the hell Erebus wants from Atlantis. It’s got me curious, for sure.”

Ryann stepped into the now-calmer gathering. “I can get in touch with a couple of magicals I know who’ve studied ancient Chaos, to see if they can give us any pointers on Erebus’s plans.”

“Not a chance, Ryann,” Santana interjected. “If Harley finds out you’re here, cavorting with these deranged lunatics, she’ll lock you in the basement for life! You mean well, and kudos for your enthusiasm, but you’re coming back to the coven with Raffe and me.”

Ryann looked ready to make her case for staying, but Santana had moved on to me, leaving no room for protests. “And you need to tell your sister everything—more than she already knows, especially since it involves Dingleberry Doncaster. Put your Merlin heads together and come up with some kind of contingency plan, in case things with Erebus go south or Davin slithers his way in again.”

“Don’t you worry about us Merlins,” I replied. “I already spoke to Harley. For the time being, she knows everything she needs to so she can prepare for what comes next.”

Ryann joined Santana in the “tell all” brigade. “Seriously, Finch? Did you not listen to a word I said before?”

“I did, and I will endeavor to be the picture of honesty going forward, but for now, I’ve got to keep some of this under wraps a while longer,” I said. “You know Harley. She’ll start meddling. Usually, that’s fine—she’s a great meddler—but Erebus will take her out of the equation if he thinks she’s trying to stop him. I told her as much.”

Raffe put his arm around Santana’s waist, Kadar having retreated. “He knows the threat better than anyone. If he thinks this is the way things have to go, then we go with it. Harley does get a bit gung-ho about Finch, and we don’t want Erebus getting the wrong idea and putting her in danger.”

Santana gazed into his eyes. “As long as he keeps his word, if the worst-case scenario happens, I can live with that.”

“He is right here,” I mumbled. “What happened to the two of you? When you shipped off to the UAE, you could’ve cut the tension