Page 32 of Stalked

I wanted to take it back. Take everything back. As the next few hours went by, tears still would not come as I clung to my mom’s body.

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LILY AND Ididn’t want to prolong my mother’s cremation, so we made all the arrangements the following afternoon. We decided against a memorial service, as she had no friends in our community anymore. They all knew what she had done. Everyone who had met my mom now feared and rejected her. And those who didn’t—only knew her as the monster who tried to kill her only daughter.

Joel flew in the following night, and on Thursday, we spread her ashes over Salem Harbor. Joel was filled in on the details of the past week. He and Lily helped me learn to harness my powers as much as they could. Joel was apracticingwitch, but he had different skills than I did. Lily hadn’t used her abilities since she was seventeen. Even when she went through her Awakening at twenty-one, she kept them hidden. We both saw Lily’s excitement in using her elemental powers for the first time in years. She had missed them.

“So, you can also turn a car on with your hands?” I asked, remembering the first time I saw what my magic could do.

“I may or may not have stolen my dad’s car a few times as a kid,” she confessed.

Joel and I laughed at her story while he stood up and walked over to the center of the family room. After tucking his long brown strands behind his ears to keep them out of his face, he put his hands up.

“This spell usually takes every ounce of energy I have, but it’s my favorite,” Joel explained. “A vortex is so complex. The slightest inconsistency or error can collapse the entire thing. William showed me how to do this when I was five.” He turned to Mercy. “His magic was the strongest when he could conjure Spirit, pulling out powers that most were too afraid to use … like teleportation.” Joel’s smile turned to a frown. “He disagreed with what your mother did by hiding your identity, but he respected it.

He moved his hands around from left to right and from right to left. Yellow energy grew brighter and brighter until it formed a large vertical ring.

“Holy shit,” I gasped. “That’s insane, but beautiful.”

I walked up to it and placed my hand on the outer ring, my fingers lingering near the black hole at the center. My hand went inside when I moved it forward. I quickly retracted it back up against my body. “Well, that’s wild!”

The portal shut down in front of me. “Another day, Mercy.”

The things I missed out on growing up?—were unreal?.

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BY THAT FRIDAY, I was exhausted beyond belief. I had just woken up from a restless night again, filled with haunting images of what I now understood to be memories. I secretly hoped the man in my dreams would return, but he hadn’t, and that left an empty feeling in my heart. A part of me wanted to ask Caleb about him but given how it was clear Caleb still cared for me, I didn’t want it to get weird.

Opening only one eye, I noticed the time was eight. I quickly climbed out of bed, showered, and ran out the door with plans to meet Shannon at Krista’s donut shop for coffee and pastries.

As I walked toward my car, I saw Caleb leaning against the bumper wearing a leather jacket and dark blue jeans, his hair blown wild from the wind. My heart leaped out of my chest. Part of the reason was because that man was incredibly sexy, but the other part was because the guy terrified me to the core, regardless of his charming looks.

After my mom had died, I stormed out of the asylum and spotted Caleb leaning against his car. My blood burned at the sight of him, but I had turned away and drove off without a word. I was angry because he had betrayed me. However, I was more irritated at myself because I still felt a strange pull toward him again, like we were connected in some soul-bonding way.

Seeing him outside my house reminded me of the betrayal, and I scowled at his presence.

“What the hell are you doing here, Caleb?” I snapped, wanting to slap that pretty face of his.

His shoulders slouched, and his expression changed.

Was it sadness? Guilt?

“I only wanted to say, in person, how sorry I am about your mom,” he said. “But I’m glad it was her and not you. You have your powers now, and she can’t ever hurt you again.”

“You don’t get to pretend like you care. You knew from the very beginning my mother would die.” I took a step forward, putting myself in his face. My jaw clenched, causing my ears to pop. “You tricked me, Caleb. You used me because you’re so hung up on my past life. Well, I hate to break it to you, but that girl is dead. What we did in my room was a mistake. And honestly, did you really think we’d be repeating ourselves after this?”

“Whoa, Mercy. Nothing I have done was to hurt you. Sorry if you disagree with how we handled it, but if she had hurt or killed you, I would never have forgiven myself. I’m sorry you had to watch her die like that. I truly am.” He ran his hand through his long hair and added, “but ?the moment she drove a knife through your chest was the moment I saw her as an enemy and not your mom.”

I blinked. Those thoughts used to be mine too, but that was before I was lied to and took my mother’s life. “Move,” I demanded. I wasn’t going to be swayed by Caleb’s pleading eyes. I quickly stepped around him. “Stay the fuck away from me.”

Caleb drew in a sharp breath and reached out. “Here.”

I slapped his hand away and warned, “Don’t you dare touch me again!”

His brow pulled together as he held up his hand, dangling my jet stone necklace by one finger. “I just wanted to give you this.”

My eyes widened, and my hand flew to my chest. “Were you in my room just now?”

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