Page 38 of Stalked

My face paled, and I jerked back enough to look him in the eye. “Can you read minds?”

Please say no. Please say no.

He shook his head. “No, but I can feel your energy, and you’re not as scared of me as you pretend to be. I know you can feel the magic inside of you, and I know it gets stronger and stronger the closer we are to each other. And, more importantly, I know youlikeit.”

I gulped. My stomach felt like it was in freefall. Caleb was right, of course. But he was too much of a wild card. Since I took my powers back from my mom, they called out to him. I felt it before, both with Caleb and Leah. The pull wasn’t as keen with Leah, but that might have been because of the ritual Caleb used to bring my soul back into a living body. I realized I was probably just beginning to understand the ways in which we were bound to each other.

I felt empty when he wasn’t near me. The closer he got, the more I craved his presence. My body felt hollow, a brittle container that I wanted to pour him into and keep inside myself forever. And that was terrifying.

Caleb released his hold on my chin, and for a split second, I could have sworn his eyes were wet with tears.

I had really lived another life … with him. Though I couldn’t remember it, I was curious if those feelings would ever come back. Not just the lust-filled ones, but the kind where I no longer feared what he would do.

“Mercy,” Riley called from behind Caleb, prompting me to look up. “Sorry to interrupt, but Cami texted me to meet you all here. She sounded freaked out about something.”

My heart stilled as Caleb looked down at me, and Riley’s eyes wouldn’t leave the back of Caleb’s head.

Riley saw me with another guy’s arms around me.

Shit!

“Caleb, I have to go.”

I wrenched myself away from Caleb, leaving him on the dance floor, only glancing back once to see him glaring at Riley with naked fury. Like he’d already decided that I belonged to him.

When Riley and I stepped onto the curb, taking in a breath of fresh air, I turned to him and searched for the right words to apologize.

“I don’t even care,” Riley interrupted, turning to me with a smile. “If you want to dance with a random dude from a bar, and that makes you happy, then I’m cool with it.”

I swallowed. “Uh, thanks, but he isn’t a random guy.”

Riley’s eyes grew wide as the realization dawned on him.

“Oh. Um—”

“Oh, God. Not that! Riley, I need to tell you something,” I said. No, Shannon and Cami’s personalities couldn’t handle this shit, but I had to tell someone. I had to tell my best friend.

My heart stammered, my breath coming faster as my palms began to sweat, and the thought of telling him my secret felt like a lead weight on my chest.

It wasn’t that I was ashamed of who I was, but instead, I feared his reaction. I searched his eyes for a moment longer, gladly taking in the comfort they gave me, before sighing. “I need to tell you something. Something only a few people know.”

Riley’s brows pulled together. I could see the concern running through him as he focused on me. “You know you can tell me anything, right? Is everything okay?”

I glanced at the bar’s front door, hoping Caleb would stay inside and leave me alone for a moment to speak with Riley.

I gestured to a wooden bench leaning against the brick wall.

Once we sat, I reached into my purse and grabbed my defense knife, pulling it out of the holster. I placed the blade on my skin, then slowly dragged it across to leave a minor cut in the center of my palm.

“What are you doing? Mercy, stop!” Riley reached out to grab me.

“Wait,” I said, holding up my hand.

After a few seconds, the wound sealed shut.

His eyes widened. “What the fuck?”

“I—”Steady breath, Mercy. “—I was born with the ability to heal faster than any normal human. Caleb, the man inside, uses the term ‘witch,’ but you don’t have to. All of this is so new to me, that I don’t expect you to understand.”I waited for a response, but he just stared at me. “Riley, I know Caleb from my past. He’s teaching me about my magic, and I need you to stay away from him. As far away as you can until I can figure this all out.”

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