Blood Moon (Blood Rain Book 2) Page 12

  “That, I can do! I hope that you’re right – that I’ll have adjusted to being on the ship by then.”

  “You will. In fact, I could be wrong, but you’re looking much better. You haven’t complained of being ill once since we started this conversation.”

  “You’re right! Of course, the boat did stop trying to capsize.”

  He refilled her glass and handed it to her. The water was starting to taste much better, and she was starting to be able to drink it without feeling sick. Mercy thought it was more from the distraction of Pyron’s story than from her body adjusting. She decided it would be better not to mention that.

  He took the empty glass from her and asked, “What are you going to do after we find the source of the rain? Are you really going to go back and lead your tribe? After Mirilee’s vision, I’m kind of concerned that...”

  Mercy said darkly, “That if we’re too late, there might not be a tribe to lead?”

  “I wasn’t going to say that.”

  She shrugged. “You were thinking it. It’s okay. I’m thinking about that, too. I guess if I’m too late, I’ll settle down in Concord with whatever remains of my people. Concord seemed like a diverse and neutral city. I would probably be safe there.”

  “I can’t just quit being a spy, but I can run away. Once I’m sure my business is over with Nicomedes, I’m leaving Crevane. I gave up my childhood, my wife, and my freedom; I think my debt to my people is repaid. I want to live in Concord, too. I liked tending the lighthouse.”

  “It’s a good idea, but even Concord might not be safe if the beast men go to war. How can just a few people stop something like this?”

  “From everything you’ve done, you should know the difference that just one exceptional person can make. We have a group of remarkable people. There’s a great deal that we can do if we just put our minds to it.”

  Mercy sighed. “If we can keep from tearing each other apart.”

  Pyron glanced at a dark corner of the room and said, “You know that I have nothing personal against Erebus. We don’t like one another because we both feel strongly about you. It’s more like a rivalry than anything. I’ll try to get along with him though. We need to all work together if we want to make a real difference.”

  “Well, honestly, this whole thing is confusing me. I was starting to think that Erebus and I were meant to be together, but after everything we’ve talked about, and everything that’s happened, I just don’t…”

  Pyron sighed an interrupted with, “It was wrong of me to tell you all of that, but you did want to know. I don’t want you to feel rushed to make any sort of decision. We still have an arduous task ahead of us, and right now our responsibilities are too crucial.”

  “Like hell I’m just going to be able to put this totally out of my mind!”

  “Well, we might have prevented Mirilee’s vision from coming true by sending one of Beryl’s people to contact the beast men. If that’s the case, your people will need you. There won’t be a decision to make. I’m sorry that I confused you.”

  She shook her head. “No. Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry that despite my ability to read emotion, I never even realized how you felt.”

  Pyron chuckled. “You’re good at reading emotion, but you don’t know every motivation that a person has for their feelings. And, to be fair, if there’s something I really wanted to hide from someone, I could do it. Masking my emotions was something I was trained to do.”

  With that, Pyron smiled at her and picked up the bucket in front of her, sliding it in the corner of the room next to a mop. Then he gathered up the pitchers and cups and walked out of the room. Mercy sighed and closed her eyes, still fighting against the occasional wave of nausea. He was right about one thing, the gentle roll of the waves in comparison to what she had just been through felt like someone rocking her to sleep. Whenever she thought she was going to finally be able to rest, conflicting thoughts and feelings made her eyes open again and she found herself staring at the ceiling, trying to think but unable to piece together everything on her mind.

  Just as she was about to give up and try to get out of bed to talk to the others, she heard a familiar voice say, “It’s just like him, to leave me to clean up the mess.”

  11

  Mercy glared at the shadowy corner of the room where Pyron had pushed her bucket and Erebus was leaning against the wall with a mop and bucket in his hand.

  She scowled. “How long have you been there, spying on me?”

  He said flatly, “Long enough. I’m going to start cleaning the floor. You might want to change clothes.”

  Mercy muttered something impolite under her breath and rolled out of the hammock. The moment her feet touched the floor, she became dizzy and felt as though she was about to faint. She began to stumble, but Erebus caught her before she could fall. Mercy wasn’t sure why, but at the look of concern on his face, she began to cry and she couldn’t seem to stop. Of course he had been there the entire time. He didn’t trust Pyron, and Pyron had made her some unknown concoction to drink. Erebus was still under a blood pact to protect her. He could have slipped in through the shadows and used his natural ability to camouflage himself to hide.

  “You eavesdropped on that entire conversation! I should be furious at you! So why do I feel like I’m the one who did something wrong? You deserve to have seen what you did.”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it, but I didn’t want to leave you alone with him.”

  “If I turn away and change, can I trust that you won’t spy on me?”

  “I have to fill this bucket up with fresh water anyway. I’ll be back soon. Do you think you can stand up long enough to change?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  She stumbled slightly on her way to her bag and Erebus shot her an infuriating grin, and ducked out of the room and shut the door. She looked at the ground and groaned. Erebus was right. The place definitely needed to be cleaned up. She didn’t realize how gross the floor was or how disgusting her clothes were. She quickly changed into a long, loose tunic and some baggy men’s trousers. They were comfortable and clean, and that was exactly what she wanted.

  Erebus knocked just outside of the door and Mercy said, “I’m decent.”

  He opened the door and looked her up and down, raising an eyebrow, “If you say so.”

  “Well, sorry that I wasn’t wearing a silken negligee, but since we’re going to the North where it will be cold, I packed accordingly.”

  Erebus grinned. “I wasn’t being sarcastic. It’s just that tunic is pretty transparent, not that I’m complaining.”

  Mercy blushed. She had forgotten that the tunic was made of very light, breathable material. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared petulantly at him. She wasn’t in the mood for his jokes or for his flirtatious smile. Erebus shrugged and began to clean the floor. Mercy couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and disgusted by the mess she had made.

  “Do you need any help?”

  Erebus said in an irritated voice. “No. Pyron is right about one thing. This is the least I can do for you especially after eavesdropping on the two of you.”

  “What are you talking about? Pyron couldn’t have known you were there.”

  “I’m afraid he did. He somehow knew exactly where I was hiding, despite the precautions I took not to be seen.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Erebus slammed the mop into the bucket hard enough to make the water slosh out. “He was looking right at me when he said he had nothing against me and that he would work with me. Then, as he was leaving, he tossed that bucket at me. It was like he was trying to say, ‘It’s your turn to talk to her. Make the place smell a little less like vomit while you’re at it.’ The smug bastard!”

  “I’m surprised he didn’t call you out on it sooner to get you into trouble. I would’ve been more upset if you hadn’t come out and admitted you were there.”

  He sighed and shrugged. “There was no need to
hide it. He knows I can’t compete with that sob story of his or with the fact that if you don’t become the new chieftain of your tribe, he’ll be living there in Concord with you.”

  “Well, you’re a councilman for your people now. You have to go back to your colony, don’t you? As he said, we have responsibilities to our people.”

  Erebus said in a frustrated growl, “I think a better term would be obligations.”

  “What do you want me to do, Erebus? You’re the one who told me that we couldn’t be together. You’re also the one who pulled away when we were kissing in the desert because you didn’t want me addicted to your venom. I’d love to be with you, but you won’t let me. You’re the one forcing me away.”

  “I don’t want to force you away, but I don’t want something like what happened to my Father’s wife happening to you.”

  Mercy snapped, “Twirl didn’t exactly look like she was suffering!”

  “If you were addicted to my venom, how could I be sure that you loved me? I don’t want to find out that I was lying to myself when I thought you might be interested in one of my kind.”

  Erebus slammed the mop into the water again and cut his eyes away from hers, continuing to mop.

  After grabbing the mop away from him and tossing it aside, Mercy said, “You would know because, despite the risks, I would kiss you. Despite the fact that I could become addicted, I would risk it because I would want to be with you.”

  “What are you playing at, Mercy? I saw the look on your face when Pyron told you that story. I also saw you kiss him. I understand. I know how you are. He needs you more, so he’s the one you’re going to choose.”

  Mercy took an aggressive step towards him, “Pyron is a lonely man, and I do feel sorry for him. However, I don’t want someone to love me because I remind them of someone else.”

  Erebus didn’t back down an inch, staring defiantly into her eyes. “That isn’t the only reason that he cares about you. You know that.”

  “Even if I chose to be with him, I would always be worried that he was going to compare me to her, even if it was unintentional. I could never measure up.”

  “He wouldn’t do that, and you know it. Pyron is a good man underneath that mask he likes to wear. Comparing someone to a dead lover isn’t right. Do you really think he would do that to you?”

  “I guess not, but I’m surprised that you think he’s a good man. If you do, then why are you so suspicious of him? Why spy on us in the first place.”

  Erebus glanced away from her for the first time. “I wasn’t worried that he was going to hurt you.”

  “Then why did you spy on us?”

  “I was afraid he would finally win you over. I didn’t know about his wife. I probably should’ve realized that I was outclassed and just left after you kissed.”

  Mercy smiled and took a step back as her anger melted away. “Did it occur to you that maybe I’m just making excuses not to be with Pyron because there’s someone else I want to be with more? I told you that night on the beach that I wasn’t going to let where I ended up determine who I was allowed to care about.”

  “But we still have the same problem, unless you’ve figured out how to grow those wings.”

  Mercy looked deeply into his eyes. “Not yet, but Pyron did tell me one thing this evening that I strongly believe. One person can make a difference, but a group can make a bigger one.”

  “I somehow don’t want to involve everyone else in this discussion.”

  “I’m not talking about everyone, Erebus. I’m talking about us. I’ve made a decision. I don’t need to grow wings. We can find a way to make this work together, but we both have to want to. Do you want to try?”

  He stepped a little closer. “Yes.”

  “Then, that’s all I need to know,” She leaned in and kissed him deeply.

  Erebus moaned softly, but instead of pulling away, he returned the kiss with more passion and fervor than she expected. She responded by running her fingers through his hair, gripping clumps of black wavy strands between her fingers so that he couldn’t pull away. Erebus pulled her into a firm embrace. He spun her around and gently pushed her into her hammock and she reached up, grabbing his shoulder and running her other hand through his hair as she pulled him onto her. He began sliding his fingers beneath her shirt, gently caressing her sides and working his way up towards her chest.

  Mercy could feel his satisfaction and overwhelming emotion clinging to him like the flower-like scent of his skin. She didn’t realize how lonely he actually was until she felt that loneliness melting away in her embrace. Mercy realized that she felt the same way. She never really thought about how long it had been since she had felt a man’s touch on her skin, or someone caressing her with their lips. She felt light headed with longing and euphorically happy.

  Mercy thought, “It’s probably the venom, but I don’t care!”

  Erebus kissed his way down her chin, towards her neck, running his tongue along her jaw. It sent shivers down her spine. She felt a slight pressure, and wondered if he was biting her. She almost wanted him to, and she didn’t know why.

  Erebus kissed back up her neck and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to bite you. But, I enjoy seeing you shiver.”

  “I like it when you bite me, you know.”

  “It makes the venom go straight to your head. Do you want to be addicted to my venom, to crave something only I can give you? There wouldn’t be any going back.”

  Mercy grinned seductively. “I think you know what I’m craving.”

  From the doorway, Garnet said, “Erebus, didn’t you ever learn that it isn’t polite to play with your food?”

  Mercy felt Erebus’ muscles tense in fury at the sound of her voice. “Go away, Garnet! I’m a little busy right now.”

  “So I see. Well, as much as I hate to spoil your fun, the storm is over, and I would like to get some sleep.”

  Erebus slowly got out of the hammock. Mercy blushed and straightened out her clothes. She hated the smug look on Garnet’s face.

  “Well, Mercy, it seems you finally took my advice about taking advantage of your situation. Erebus might be interested to know about your long chat with Pyron before he came in here. Or maybe Pyron would like to know about your tumble with Erebus.”

  “Mind your own business and go to hell, Garnet!”

  Erebus grinned. “Well said, Mercy! I’m afraid that your threats are useless right now, Garnet. I knew about her conversation with Pyron since I was there, and Pyron knows about me and Mercy.”

  She snarled, “This doesn’t change the fact that you’re in my room. This is the women’s quarters, and if you don’t leave, I’ll turn you over to the captain for having your man while all of us were busy working.”

  Mercy chuckled. “If I go down on that one, I’m taking you with me. I don’t know who you’ve been with, but I know that you’re the ship’s resident slut.”

  Before Garnet could respond, Erebus interrupted her, “Damn it, Garnet, just being close to you kills the mood!” He turned to Mercy and whispered, “Still, I’d love to finish our conversation later.”

  “Before you go, I have something for you.”

  Mercy rummaged through her bag and pulled out the necklace she had made for Erebus.

  “I know it isn’t worth much, but that was shed from my pet glider that I had to release the day of the blood rain. Since it meant the most to me, I wanted you to have it.”

  “That reminds me a little of home. Thank you, Mercy. I’ll wear it every day.”

  He bent down and gently kissed Mercy on the mouth, holding her chin and stroking her cheek so softly she felt an ache as he left her.

  He bowed to her slightly. “Goodnight, Lady.”

  Mirilee and Incenda were standing in the hallway. They exchanged a look that embarrassed Mercy but at the same time made her somehow feel proud. Garnet glared at Erebus as he brushed passed her, but she simply sulked to the closest hammock as soon as he was out o
f sight.

  “You got to ‘play’ down here while all of us risking our lives to survive that storm, and you wonder why I don’t like you.”

  Incenda rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to her, Mercy. None of us are mad at you for being seasick. We’re just glad that you’re okay.” She winked and said, “But there’s nothing like the attention of an attractive man to make you forget all about it.”

  Mirilee put her hands on her hips. “It’s about time you two finally got together. Ever since that night in the desert, I knew you would.”

  Garnet spat, “Yes, we all know that you and the rest of the dirty vagrant people have such accurate fortune telling abilities! Funny though, that you still got wiped out in the war. Just shut up, and let me sleep.”

  “What did you just say? Did you just insult my people?”

  Incenda frowned and looked up at Garnet as she rummaged through her backpack. “That wasn’t called for, Garnet. By insulting the desert nomads, you’ve just insulted half the crew on this ship. What is your problem lately?”

  Garnet turned her back to them. Mercy glanced at Mirilee, afraid that she was going to take the opportunity to actually stab her in the back, but instead, Mirilee took the hammock nearest to Mercy and turned away as well. Incenda just sighed and shrugged and began getting ready for bed. Mercy could tell they were all too exhausted to continue fighting, and it made her silently curse herself for not being able to help them.

  Despite the fact she wasn’t able to help them prepare for the storm, she was completely drained from the events of the evening and soon found herself drifting off to sleep, dreaming of Erebus and continuing their “conversation.”

  12

  The smell of rot and blood was thick on the waves by the time Mercy got to the deck, and everyone had a cloth covering their nose or, at the very least, covered their noses with their hands and gasped for breath from their mouths. The whale carcass was longer than the boat and she still wasn’t sure why they were trying to pull it closer to the side. Apparently there was some sort of valuable oil that could be salvaged from the head, but that hardly made up for the smell.