Page 56 of Stalked

Caleb turned the ignition off and leaned back, his face contorting in pain, or at least, it appeared that way. He had to know from my tone that I was pissed.

I looked down at my phone, which Caleb thankfully hadn’t taken from me, and I had six missed phone calls between Riley, Lily, and Joel.

At least Riley’s alive.

I hissed, “Am I allowed to use my phone? Or are you going to take that away from me as well?”

He rolled his eyes. “You aren’t my prisoner, Mercy.” He gestured to my door with his finger. “You can leave if you want.”

This had to be a trick.

I didn’t understand him. Now he regrets it? He knocked out my friend, stole me from my home, and what? He was giving me choices?

My hand hovered on the door handle, but I didn’t get out. Slowly dropping my hand to my side, I took hold of my phone again and opened my text messaging app.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Mercy.” He gestured to my phone. “Let them know you’re safe and follow me inside when you’re done. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

Thinking about the situation, that was what I wanted. No more secrets or lies. Just the truth. If I ran now, I’d be alone during my Awakening, and I wasn’t sure if I’d survive that. But if Caleb really was a threat—

His hand touched mine, and I turned to look into his pleading eyes. “I would never hurt you. Please, for the first time since we met again, trust me.”

His expression was unreadable, but the longer his hand was placed against mine, the stronger I could read him through the link between us. The unspoken bond was unlike anything I had ever felt, and I wanted to hold on to the hope that what I was feeling was real.

Caleb removed his hand, placing it back on the steering wheel. I unlocked my phone’s screen and created a group text between Lily and Joel.

Me:I’m with Caleb. I think I’m safe.

My hands felt clammy as I scanned my messages again, looking for Riley’s name.

Me:Hey, Riley, I’m sorry Caleb did what he did. I’m safe. Stay with Lily and Joel.

I kept it simple. Any extra detail about what Caleb had planned would set off an alarm of worry between the three of them, though I’m sure Riley had already called the cops.

After I texted everyone, I decided I wassafewith Caleb. I had to get information from him, and I reasoned that maybe it would be good to have a member of my coven guide me through my Awakening after all.

But if forces me to do anything against my will, I’d fight him at every chance I can.

I powered my phone down and put it in my pocket.I got out of the car with Caleb and followed him inside the home through the front door. There was a log in the fireplace and the scent of the recently burned wood lingered in the air. The cottage felt warm and inviting and was filled with old furniture and antique sculptures. A collection of artifacts looked centuries old, covering the dusty shelves against the walls and paintings that reached from the floor to the ceiling.

“Whose place is this? It looks like a museum,” I asked as we walked over to the couch.

“Mine,” Caleb answered before disappearing into a small room.

I sat down on a black leather couch and looked around the room. The cottage wasn’t what I expected. The truth was, I didn’t really know what I had expected. I might picture it as a family home, parents and children laughing and playing games, not as the dwelling place of a powerful flame-throwing witch.

Caleb returned to the family room, stepped toward me, and kneeled down. He looked into my eyes and took my hand. “I know you disagree with my methods, plus I’ve kept things from you, but I did it to help you learn who you are. We grew up learning about our powers from childhood. You didn’t have that luxury. I had to tread lightly with you, so you could use your powers as you’re supposed to. We don’t use spell books, Mercy. We act on instinct, and with you not understanding what’s happening to you, it’s shielding you from your gift.”

He watched me as I sank deeper into the cushions. “I know what I am, Caleb.” I reached out and wrapped my arms around one of the soft pillows. “I know I’m a vampire hunter. Or at least, I used to be.”

His eyebrows rose a notch. “I’ve wanted to just flat out tell you, but—”

“One secret at a time?”

He smirked. “How did you find out?”

“I saw it, actually. Through a vision.” I rose and turned toward the fireplace, sauntering across the room to a bookshelf, and placed my hand on one of the books. “You speak of spell books like they’re a bad thing, but the truth is, there are answers on paper orcardsthat hold power, just like what we do with our magic,” I said and then withdrew my hand from the book. “A psychic from a witch shop in Providence showed me a symbol from a tarot card, and it triggered every memory up until I was maybe thirteen or so.” I smiled, proud of myself for being able to figure it all out on my own, at least part of it.

“Mercy, you went to a psychic?” he asked incredulously.

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