Page 92 of The Price of Mercy
It takes a while for me to find my mother’s grave. It’s unmarked, so while I’m researching equipment to survey the land, Kane digs until he hits her bones. She wasn’t even buried in a coffin but laid to rest in the dirt. Grandma Star assures me that it’s holy ground and that my mother is better off to have joined the earth than be kept from it.
I just wish that she hadn’t been kept from me.
Mercy and I sit in front of my mom’s grave for a long while, the snow melting beneath our butts and soaking into the blanket. “I think I want to move her,” she murmurs, nodding towards an empty space beside my mother. “Right here. I think our moms could be friends.”
I hold her hand and play with her ring finger. “I’m sure they already are. Star tells me that she can see them dancing sometimes. At sunset, usually.”
“My mom used to love the sunset.” Mercy holds up her hand to grasp the setting sun. “Do you think she knew, Sam? That she was selling us to your dad.”
I lean into Mercy’s side. “I doubt it. My dad was conniving. I’m sure he would have found a way even without the contract.”
Mercy thinks about this for a moment. “What happens to her contract now that he’s gone?”
I’ve avoided this topic so not to overwhelm her, but she deserves to know. “It passes down to his heir.”
She tilts her head back and stares into my eyes. “So you own me now.”
A gust of wind kicks up, knocking powdered snow from bare tree limbs and dusting Mercy’s hair. I watch her eyelashes sparkle as she blinks. “I can tear it up.” That won’t break the agreement, but the physical evidence will be gone. With no oneto enforce it, it’ll fade like the rest of my father’s toxic past, slowly forgotten over time.
“Do you want to?”
Closing my eyes, I allow the winter chill to seep into my bones. I should want to throw that contract as far away as I can and stomp it into the ground, but… “No,” I answer honestly, curling my arm around Mercy’s waist. “No, I don’t.”
Marriages can be dissolved, but a document like this lies deeper, settling into flesh and blood. Ingrid signed the contract in blood, too—a trick of my father’s or whoever came before him, pricking her finger with the pen tip before having her sign. It’s an archaic, somewhat occult practice that somehow still exists in certain circles.
“What are you going to do with it?” Mercy asks, handling this information much calmer than I anticipated her to. I haven’t told her father or anyone else, really, other than Zane and Kane. It’s a secret I’d rather not make public knowledge.
“Nothing,” I answer honestly. “But it makes me feel…” I struggle to find the right word. “At ease, I guess. Knowing that you’re mine in a way that no one else can have.” I bring her knuckles to my lips and kiss each one. “Plus, it makes me feel closer to her.” I nod towards my mother’s grave. “I can keep you both safe.”
Mercy brushes her fingertips across my thigh. “You don’t have to keep protecting her, Sam, or me.”
A wry smile touches my lips. I’ll never stop protecting her as long as I live. I’ve even considered digging into my father’s contracts to ensure that no one canevertouch her in the off chance that I die sooner than expected. I could hire a full-time shadow ops team to monitor her and her family’s safety at all times. Eventhatidea helps put me more at ease, and I relax into Mercy’s touch.
I’ll definitely look into it soon.
“I’m okay with it,” she says resolutely, offering a small smile. “So long as you keep me forever, Sam.”
Lowering my head, I ghost my lips over hers. “I wouldn’t dream of anything else.” She tastes like starlight. The subtle warmth of her body pours into mine, and I lean into the kiss. “I’ve missed you,” I admit softly, stroking her cheek with the pad of my thumb. The last few weeks apart have been hell, and I never want to experience that again. “Zane told me that you haven’t been sleeping. I’m so sorry, baby; I should have been here.”
“You’re here now,” she whispers, nudging the tip of my nose with hers. “So kiss me, Sam.” Clutching the lapels of my coat, she sighs against my lips. “And don’t stop.”
We lie down together and she steals my heart for the thousandth time, with a thousand and one tender kisses, wrapping her body around mine and breathing life into my soul. It glows brighter with the heat of her skin on mine and her breath in my lungs, the taste of her as addicting as it was the first time I ever kissed her. I shouldn’t have ever let her go then, and I won’t ever make that mistake again.
Sliding my hand beneath her shirt, I palm her breast and love the way she whines, her back arching into my touch. “Sam,” she breathes, her face flushing, “don’t stop;pleasedon’t stop.”
I can’t deny her anything, and I would never want to.
Kissing the curve of her jaw, I nip the delicate skin along her throat and draw blood to the surface, sucking hard enough to leave a bruise. She gasps, her eyes fluttering shut, and weaves her fingers through my hair.
Fuck, I’ve missed this.
Lifting her shirt, I catch the goosebumps prickling her skin and kiss each and every one, smiling as she pulls my hair to move my mouth where she wants it. Flicking my tongue over her tight nipple, I hum in delight as she moans, making my dicktwitch in anticipation. I’ve been too strung out to jerk off. My balls are heavy and full, my cock aching to slip inside of her.
I take my time and lavish her tits with open-mouthed kisses before grinding my palm against her clit, enjoying the way she gasps and grinds right back, just as eager as I am.
“I want you,” she breathes, opening her eyes to stare into my soul. “Right now, Sam, hurry.”
I pop up to undo my belt and glance around the cemetery to make sure we don’t have an audience. From this angle, no one should be able to see us unless I’m on my knees, so I quickly tug down my pants and free my cock. The cold bite of winter does nothing to dampen my desire; if anything, I burn hotter because of it. I pull Mercy’s leggings and panties below her hips and notch myself at her entrance, gently rocking against her clit to build friction—or remove it.
