Mercy for the Damned (18 page)

“I am?” Daphne blinked.  “I don’t think I said…”

“I don’t know what I was so worried about.  People move in with each other every day, right?  Here I’ve been so miserable without him, and now I have the chance to see him every day.  How could I possibly pass that up?”

“He does have a place here in town though, right?”

That brought me up short.  “I think so. He didn’t talk like it was too far away.  Plus, he always got here pretty quickly whenever I called, it has to be around here somewhere.  I’ll take you for the tour once this Midian stuff is all over.”  Then I well and truly hoped it would be over, but I couldn’t help but think about Adam’s warning in Midian.  There was
always
a prophecy or threat of great evil.  Would I be tangled up in it for the rest of my life? 

“I hope it’s not too far.  We’ll still do totally awesome Tuesdays, won’t we?”

Every Tuesday night, come rain or shine we got together at one of our places for a double feature of movies, usually with dinner, but sometimes just with munchies.  The past few weeks we’d done it at either my place or Sam’s.  Daphne’s was too cozy with the three of us, and Nelo liked to be included, but still didn’t like to venture out of my apartment.  “Of course we will.”

“What if Adam doesn’t like having company over?  Does he even like to hang around and watch cheesy movies?”

I had to admit, I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it, but he’d have to learn to alter his lifestyle a bit if I was going to move in.  “I’m sure it’ll be fine, it’s gonna be my place too, right?  I can invite people over if I want to.  Besides, we’re not talking about a raging party, just a couple of our closest friends.  What could be better than that?”

“Who would have thought we’d end up with a couple of angels?” She dimpled into a smile.  “Even Fallen ones.  It sounds like a fairy tale.”

“Just shows you should be careful what you wish for,” I smiled back, wishing her version had a happier ending.  “I should really get going.  I have a couple of stops to make before I head for home, and I wanted to be plenty well rested up for tonight.  I’ve been so tired lately. I think it’s the stress finally catching up to me.”

“Don’t push it too hard, you might be coming down with something.  Do you want me to do anything?  I can still drive the getaway car like we planned before.”

“No, no I’m sure it’ll be fine.  I’d hate to have you waiting around all alone, I have no idea how long it’ll take.”  Though with the time difference, it likely wouldn’t take long at all in reality.  Still, the last thing I wanted was her waiting alone in the dark without Sam or Matty around for protection anymore.  I could have called Parker, but something kept me from involving him. I think we needed a little space for a while. 

“Alright, then call me the instant you make it back safely.” Daphne leaned in and I wrapped my arms around her for a long hug. 

“I promise.” 

* * *

Errands done, the apartment was quiet when I got home, and I took the opportunity to do all those girly things I liked to do when I got some time to myself.  Soaking in a hot bubble bath with a trashy romance novel involving time travel and guys in kilts, painting my toenails a pretty pink color, finally getting to the crossword puzzle in the back of my magazine… I took a guilty pleasure day, just in case. 

Even though Adam didn’t need to eat, I took the time to make a special dinner for us.  Roasted chicken with balsamic vinegar, rosemary and olive oil and baby red potatoes, with fresh crusty French bread and salad on the side.  I even got a baby chocolate mousse cake for two.  On the off chance we never got to take that date to the non-Muppet movie, I wanted to have a special night with him. 

Just in case. 

I seemed to be repeating that in my head an awful lot that day, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was at something of a crossroads.  Once we stepped back into Midian, it was anybody’s guess what would happen.  It made me stop and appreciate all the things I had to be thankful for. 

I even finished writing that email to my mother, sending it before I put it off too much longer.  Deciding not to mention Matty’s disappearance or the new love interest, I kept to as much of the truth as I could reveal.  My boyfriend was back in town, and we were talking about moving in together.  Things were serious and I was happy.  That was all she needed to know. 

Around dusk, Nelo emerged from his closet, and I decided to have a little heart to heart with him before Adam showed up.  He was surprisingly hesitant over the idea of moving, but I guess I could understand his reluctance to leave the security blanket that was my apartment.  Apart from our trip back to Midian, he hadn’t set foot outside the building to my knowledge. 

“Will I have a closet of my own?” he asked, amber eyes blinking wide.

“I’m pretty sure we can manage that.”

“Will Mimsy come too?”

“Yes, wherever I go, Mimsy goes too.”

“And Nelo too, Mistress?”

I heard the fear in his voice and I was quick to reply.  “Yes, wherever I go, you go too… if you want to, that is.”

“Of course I wish to, I owe my life to you.”

“No, you don’t owe me anything, Nelo.  You’ve been a really great friend.  In fact, you don’t have to do half the things you do around here for me.  You spoil me.”  I felt bad sometimes about the cleaning, but at the same time, he seemed happy to do it and my bathtub had never been so sparkly clean.

“No, Mistress.  It is you who spoil me by sharing your Grace.”

“Okay, we spoil each other,” I cut him off before he started in about how unworthy he felt.  “So, I can count you in on the great move?”

“If that is your wish and Master Adam’s as well.”

“Don’t let him hear you call him Master, he’ll start to expect it and his head’ll swell so big we won’t be able to get it through the door.”

“What else should I call him?”

“Adam is fine.” 

“Talking about me, I hear,” Adam called out from the hallway, a paper bag in one arm.

“Just making some plans,” I replied, dropping a quick wink to Nelo.

“Good ones, I hope.”

“I think so.” I leaned up to be kissed, which he happily took advantage of.  “We were talking about moving in with you if the offer still stands.”

Adam’s smile broadened. “Of course it does.  Whenever you’re ready to.”

“Nelo here was wondering if you had a closet to spare, or if he’d need to find some other place to sleep.  I told him I’m sure we can rustle up something for him.”

“Yeah, in fact, I have just the place in mind for you.  How would you like your very own walk in closet?”

“I walk in to the closet I dwell in now,” Nelo frowned, not understanding.

“No, I’m talking about a closet big enough for you to make a little home in.  Bed, little chair, hell, even a TV in there if you want one.”

Nelo looked around my living room, obviously picturing something similar.  “Would it still protect me from the daylight?”

“Yes, it’d still be completely dark during the day, you’d just have more room to stretch out in.”

“Thank you, Mas… Adam,” Nelo beamed, darting a worried look at me when he nearly slipped up.  “I would like that very much.”  With a happy bounce, he disappeared to go do whatever he did when he wasn’t cleaning something or playing with Mimsy. 

“Great,” Adam clapped his hands together.  “Now that’s settled, what smells so good?”

“Roasted chicken, potatoes, the whole shebang,” I reported with a smile, more than a little surprised with how Adam had been with Nelo.

“I was talking about you,” Adam kissed my neck noisily.  “You must have been reading my mind though,” he produced a bottle of wine from the paper bag.

“You were very sweet with him.” 

“He might be the closest thing we ever come to having kids of our own, why shouldn’t I spoil him with his own room?”

I hadn’t thought of it in those terms before.  I guess I always thought I’d have kids of my own some day, but Adam’s prejudices in that area weren’t without merit.  Still, that was something to worry about in the far future, I wasn’t remotely ready to settle down and have kids.  Especially with the danger of the week script my life had been following. 

“Besides, I have tons of space at my place.  He could also have his pick of the spare bedrooms or the pool house if he wanted.”

“You have a pool house?”

“Where else would I keep the pool stuff?” he shrugged. 

“That makes sense,” I nodded, bringing our plates to the table. 

“This looks fantastic, I see I’ll be well fed,” Adam grinned.  “You’re not doing this as like a last supper kind of thing though, are you, babe?”

I considered denying it, but in the end, I sat down with a half shrug.  “Maybe a little.  You never know what might happen, I thought it would be nice for us to have a good meal and savor this time, just in case.”  There is was again, that phrase.  I had to watch it, or I’d start to freak myself out. 

Adam reached across the table to cover my hand with his.  “It’s gonna be fine, Mercy.  Trust me.” 

“Did you get the… blood?”

“I did,” he said shortly, letting go of my hand to pour us each a glass of wine.  “Are you still set on coming with?”

“I am,” I nodded, bracing myself for another argument, but he just offered me the glass of wine. 

“Well then, what shall we drink to?”

“To getting in and out easily?”

“I’ll drink to in and out,” he smirked, taking a long sip.  “But we should probably drink to surviving the trip to Midian too, don’t you think?”

It was going to be a long night. 

Chapter Fourteen

There was quite a bit of discussion as to where we should open the portal.  The only requirement we had was that we needed moonlight.  That meant we could open the drapes to my sliding glass door and open the portal from the comfort of my living room.  There was something to be said for the privacy and convenience of that plan.  At the same time, we had no idea what to expect from the portal itself.  It could open with a ring of fire and there was no way I’d get my cleaning deposit back if I scorched the carpet or worse. 

Wherever we did it had to be nearby too.  If things went according to plan, we’d have Ben with us, and the less time we spent with him out in the open the better, especially since he’d still be trussed up with the blessed ropes to keep Azazael bound to him. 

In the end we decided to do it at Sam’s apartment.  No one would be there, and with the big windows on the side of the building we’d have plenty of moonlight.  Besides, Adam was still too ticked off at Sam to care whether or not we singed his floors.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Adam produced a glass vial, carefully pouring a single drop of blood into the ring’s recess and snapping it closed.  As we watched, the green stone turned ruby red, and I felt a thrum of energy go through my hand as the ring felt almost alive. 

Taking a deep breath, I spoke aloud in the moonlight, holding tight to Nelo with my other hand in case the portal swept me away.  “Goddess Hecate, please open the portal to Midian.”

Nothing happened.

“She likes a little bit of the dramatic.  Try something like ‘Mighty Hecate, I beseech thee to open the portal to Midian in your divine wisdom’, or something.”

Was he kidding?  “Remiel said it was simpler than that.”

“
For him
.  She’s always had a soft spot for him. 
You
might have to beg a little.  Unless you want to give me the ring and let me take a shot at it?  She always did have a smile for me too,” he grinned and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.  I did not want to get into a conversation about his connections to various goddesses at that point in time.

“Divine Hecate, though we are unworthy, I beseech thee to heed our humble request,” I tried again without further comment.  “Please open this portal to Midian in your celestial wisdom, so that we may rescue a friend, and contain a great evil.”

“Wow, I’m impressed.  Have you done this before?”

“Appeal to a pagan goddess?  Not so much.  But if it’ll help I’ll dance naked on a sacrificial altar.”

“Now that I’d like to see.” 

“We might have to if she doesn’t hear me,” I frowned, as a big, fat nothing happened.  “How long should this take to work?”

“Maybe she’s busy,” he shrugged.  “They get a lot of random petitions, especially at night.”

“Are you sure the blood you used was from an actual virgin?”

“Of course I am.  At least, I’m pretty sure it is,” he frowned. 

We’d both seen the stone turn from green to red, that had to count for something.  Deciding to try again, I left all the flowery speech by the wayside, opting for a more heartfelt appeal.  “Hecate?  I know you’re busy, but we really need your help.  If you could please open the portal to Midian for us, we have to get our friend out, and we’re running out of time.  I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Please, please help us.” 

Looking up into the empty room, my shoulders sagged in disappointment, but then a crackle of red lightning split the air in front of us.  A fissure opened up, revealing a darkened hallway, surrounded by red, sparking energy, large enough for us to step through. 

“Thank you so much, I won’t forget this!” I cried out happily, stepping through without wasting another moment, trusting Adam to move quickly.  The portal closed up with a shower of red sparks the instant Adam came through, and the stone on my ring finger turned back to the original peridot color. 

The first thing I noticed, besides the cooler air, was that it didn’t smell very nice in the passageway.  Maybe that had something to do with being near the “slave pens” Remiel mentioned.  “Ugh, does it always smell like this?” I tried to take shallow breaths through my mouth.

“Not everyone gets held in the lap of luxury in the penthouse suites,” Adam replied, his voice pitched low.  “Let’s get this over with.  The sooner we’re in and out, the better.”

“Do you think he’s being held in this level or somewhere more secured?”

“He’s tied up, so it’s anybody’s guess what level of security Raum thought was needed.  I suggest we check out the lower dungeons first though, I doubt he’d be kept with the slaves since he’s not at liberty to sell him.”