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Melissa pulled her hands over her mouth and gasped. She didn’t get up and run. She must have been too terrified to move.

“You’ve betrayed this coven,” I told my father. “We could have protected Mercy and found another way because there is always another way. You just never take a moment to consider that. It’s always the fucking extreme decision with you.” I dropped the fire in my palms, but only enough for me to clench my fists, flame wreathing through my fingers. “You’re a traitor, Roland, and no longer my father. Get the fuck out of this house.”

I couldn’t stop those words, even if I wanted to. I had to protect our coven, and Roland couldn’t be trusted. I ached at the thought of losing my dad, but we had no other choice. It was up to us to get Mercy back.

The coward didn’t even try to defend himself. He had fucked up, and now we had to pick up the pieces and do it all on our own. Roland gripped his phone and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

When he reached the courtyard, he lifted his phone to his ear and spoke to someone on the other line. He turned to me one last time before leaving the property grounds.

Everyone lowered their powers, and I turned to Melissa. “Oh, God. Melissa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that was going to happen.” I inched toward her, but she lifted her hands, putting her palms out in front of her to stop me.

“I … Caleb, I can’t do this,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. She grabbed her purse from the back of her chair and hurried out the door.

Fuck!

CHAPTER 35

Mercy

“WHAT TIME IS your meeting?” I asked Maurice, who was adjusting the buckle to his suit pants. “You look sexy in that suit, by the way.”

Maurice smiled and leaned forward, kissing me softly on the lips. His long finger trailed down my chest and between my breasts.Damn. I wanted to be caressed all day by those hands, but he had already told me what a busy week he was going to have, and once again, I’d be left in this home … alone.

“How did I get so lucky to have someone as beautiful as you?” Maurice said as he pulled back from our kiss and dropped his hand. My cheeks warmed, but my body ached at the loss of his touch.

After he adjusted his tie, he grabbed his keys and wallet from the dresser and inched toward me again. “The meeting is in two hours, but Los Angeles traffic is a nightmare.” A playful smile flitted across his lips. “We can continue what we started the other night when I get back, okay?” His hand touched me one last time, wrapping around the back of my neck in a tight grip and pulling me toward him. His forehead pressed against mine. “I’ll miss you today.”

I gave him a tiny smile. “I’ll miss you, too.”

He brushed his lips against mine again, then dragged his lips under my ear, trailing his tongue up to my earlobe and nibbling slightly. “And I’ll miss this,” he whispered.

I smiled back and bit my lower lip. “I’ll be sure to be naked when you return.”

Maurice sucked in his bottom lip and a low growl buzzed in my ear before he pulled back. “See you tonight, darling.”

After he left, I hurried to the shower, taking my time as the warm water hit my skin. This week had been exciting but also exhausting. Julian had given me a tour of the city, and I’d spent most days and nights hanging out by the beach, and each night when I stood under the moonlight, I was drawn to the light that shined down on the ocean. It was as if the moon was pulling me in, but it was just out of reach.

I had thought I’d be alone today with my thoughts. I was mistaken.

At least Jade kept her distance from me. I wasn’t sure what her problem was. It was as if she hated me, but I couldn’t figure out why. She watched me sometimes from the other side of the room, and every time Maurice put his hands on me, she’d scrunch up her nose and walk out of the room. Did she not want me to be happy, or were her feelings more personal regarding Maurice? Had she loved him?

After a day at the beach, I met up with Julian for a smoothie on Main, and he took a call once we sat down at the outdoor tables.

“Yes, I have her,” he told the caller on the other end, then paused. “Are you sure?” He pulled the phone away from his ear and muffled the bottom of his phone. “Will you be okay if I take you to Santa Monica with me? You can see the city on the drive and sit in the lobby while I take care of some business with Maurice.”

This sounded exciting. I mean, not sitting in a lobby, but since I had been here, I hadn’t been to any other city. Los Angeles was where Hollywood stars lived, and maybe they’d take me to all the tourist stops.

“I’d love to, actually,” I said, trying to hide my excitement. It always seemed like I annoyed Julian, so I didn’t want to do anything that could set him off. So, I appeared more neutral about the situation.

“Okay, see you in about an hour or so,” he said to the caller on the other end.

“Was that Maurice?”

He shook his head. “No.”

No?

No other explanation, just …no.

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