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One thing was for certain. Whoever it was had known Mercy was at his house, and they were coming after her.

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THE LIGHTS WEREdim in the family room when I entered.

Mercy had helped herself to the fireplace, and sitting next to her on the table was a cup of hot cocoa. She must have just made it as I eyed the steam hovering over the mug. I could smell the cocoa as I neared her lying on the couch. Her eyes were closed, and I could see that she had fallen asleep while waiting for me to come back.

“Mercy.” I gave her a gentle nudge. She opened her eyes and looked up at my wall clock.

“Hey, sorry. I was having a hard time sleeping, so I thought a warm cup of hot chocolate would help me sleep,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s okay.” I watched her yawn and stretch her legs, still coming out of her slumber.

“Truthfully, this house is a bit large and haunting to be upstairs alone.”

I smiled. “Yeah, it can be kind of creepy.”

I grabbed the blanket that had slithered off the couch and pulled it over Mercy. I sat with her, and she snuggled closer to me, laying her head on my chest. My fingers stroked her arm, trying not to push too hard on her boundaries. I tested the waters by kissing her on top of the head. Her response was only looking up with a warm smile.

Thank God.

This right here, this was perfect. I knew where her heart was at this point, and I was okay with it. But fuck, I couldn’t lose her as a friend.

Maybe she kept her distance this entire time, knowing I still loved her, but now that I had told her I was moving on, she was comfortable with me touching her.

“How was your date?” she asked, her eyes sizing me up. “You don’t ever dress up like this.”

I only smiled at her. Mercy loved to call me out, but I wasn’t ready to tell her who I had been with.

Not yet.

“Tell me what happened,” I asked, ignoring her question.

She pushed herself up so she was sitting upright, and sighed. “We had just returned from visiting a few of my father’s old clan members. They respected him, so they welcomed us with no trouble. No one knows who would do this. They have kicked a few members out of the clan in the last decade for being traitors, so the only conclusion he thought of was that they’re trying to frame him. The other theory is that it might be a vampire who joined them last year whom I have a history with.”

My eyebrows rose a notch. “Dorian?”

“No, Caleb. Dorian wouldneverdo this. He’s not a member of the Black Horse Clan, either.”

I huffed, realizing she was right, but I still hated the guy. “Then who?”

She swallowed before saying, “Maurice.”

My blood instantly boiled, and my hand clenched into a fist. If Maurice were after Mercy, he would torture her to make her pay for bringing down everything he created.

“He joined that clan?” I asked incredulously.

“In February, right after the treaty. They were civil with each other until Maurice found out that Alexander was my father. He became enraged and told Alexander he wanted to kill me and wouldn’t stop until he found a way. Then he took off, and they hadn’t seen him since. My guess is that he’s trying to frame my father, then use me in my broken state to torture or kill me.” She shifted in her seat. “I know we don’t have the dagger, but the fear that Maurice would find it is always in the back of my mind. Ever since he threatened he would.”

I looked away, trying not to make eye contact with her. I knew the truth would eventually come out, but I didn’t want to ruin this moment with her.

Mercy’s eyes narrowed, and her brows creased. I knew that look well.

“What is it?” she asked.

Shit.

I can’t hide this from her. “Mercy, I have to tell you something.”

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