Page 13 of The Devil's Mercy

“I know.”

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

“I know.” Titus tapped at the center of Aodhan’s chest. “It’s because of the bond. You can feel his energy frequency.”

“Other people feel fuzzy or itchy whenever I channel your Connect sixth sense. But not him. He feels like cool, running water against my skin on a scorching summer day. He feels like bliss.”

“It’s because he matches both of us so perfectly.” He’d explained all of this before, but Titus found himself saying it again, mostly to keep Aodhan from getting too distractedand changing his mind about leaving without touching Calix beforehand. “Once we’re all connected, there will be less chaos within all three of us.”

Aodhan hadn’t liked that part at first, was fine with his dark urges and how frequently they sprang up on him, but he’d come around. If he could limit the number of kills he made in a year, they’d have a better chance of escaping notice, after all.

“If he doesn’t like his darkness, we’ll offer him a way to lighten it,” Aodhan hummed. “We get him to confront his true nature, and then we become the balm to lessen the sting. I get it. I get that we need to lead him to water to get him to drink. But how do we find our way to the stream, Mercy?”

“That’s the part we’re going to have to work on while we wait for him to tire out,” he confided. “Think we can manage?”

Aodhan snorted. “Between the two of us? Yeah. Yeah, I think we can come up with something.”

Chapter 4:

“If this was what you really wanted, why did you bother keeping up with the act for so long?” Calix winced as Aodhan rotated his shoulder, checking for any damage after leaving him strung up for three days straight.

“What exactly is the ‘this’ you’re referring to, baby?” the doctor asked, though it was clear by his tone he was merely humoring him, more focused on checking the rest of his body than in what was being said between them.

“I’m fine,” Cal snapped, yanking himself free from Aodhan’s hold, even though there wasn’t anywhere for him to go. He was back on the chair, his ankles cuffed to the legs to keep him from kicking the doctor who was crouched at his side with a medical kit open on the ground next to him.

“You’ve got anal lacerations, and we’ve restricted blood flow to your hands for too long,” Aodhan corrected. “Don’t worry. After an hour's rest, you’ll be ready to be put back on the hook. You Emergents are made of tough stuff.”

“Wait.” Calix grabbed onto Aodhan’s sleeve. “No. I can’t do that again.”

The doctor stood but didn’t shake him off. “Let’s talk, Detective. How does that sound?”

Better than the hook.

“You have questions. Ask them.” Aodan’s free hand brushed a strand of damp hair off of Cal’s forehead before he pressed against him, testing his temperature. “You aren’t getting sick. We can keep going.”

“No.” Calix couldn’t get up because his ankles were attached to the chair, and his wrists were still bound together with handcuffs. The most he could do was cling to the doctor and try to get through to him. “Just tell me what you really want from me. If you aren’t going to eventually let me go—”

“I’ll never let you go,” Aodhan said. “You’re mine.”

“And Titus?”

“Mercy is mine, too.”

“You approached me because of him. Because you were jealous over nothing. There’s nothing between him and me.”

“Did he tell you that?” Aodhan snorted. “Sometimes he’s a real pain in the ass, you know? And I don’t mean in the fun way, FYI. Are you doubting me, baby? Because of a little thing like that? Does it really matter why we met?”

“You hurt me,” he reminded, voice more a growl than anything. This time, he did push Aodhan’s arm away, dropping his hands into his lap.

“But I didn’t kill you, did I? I fell for you instead. Isn’t that worth something?”

“No.”

“Because you don’t believe me?”

“Because it can’t.”

Aodhan was quiet for a second and then stepped behind him, resting both hands on Cal’s shoulders. “I know you’re afraid, but there’s no reason for you to be. We’re preparing you for something greater. You didn’t even have a plan, Calix. You quit your job, and then what?”

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