Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
Is this what it was like on the other side? Warm and soft. Except she couldn’t see anything.
I thought the afterlife was supposed to be full of light? What a rip. Wait a minute, I can’t be dead. I don’t feel like I’m dead.
“Mercedes!”
She could hear her name being called, but couldn’t open her eyes.
Well, at least I’m not dead.
“Mercedes, wake up. Don’t make me do mouth-to-mouth.”
“Sure, you can kiss me,” she mumbled, and then she opened her eyes to see a very confused and upset Magnus leaning over her.
Oh Hecate. I hope I didn’t say that out loud.
“What?” he asked, his red eyes wide.
“Uh, I don’t know.” Her head was pounding and she realized she was lying on a little cot, the sound of rain pattering against a tin roof above her. “Where am I?”
“The cabin in the clearing. It started to rain and you didn’t seem like you had any injuries after the explosion.”
“Explosion?” She tried to sit up too quickly and her head pounded harder.
“Lie back down,” Magnus insisted. “You were thrown far.”
She didn’t argue. Thunder rumbled and the sound of rain on the metal roof intensified. “I guess Finn and I were right about that storm.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty bad out there, but I called Finn and he said it’s not supposed to last long. When it clears, we’ll head back to Harmony Glen. Hopefully, before bits of me start falling off.”
“Are we outside your protection zone?”
Magnus nodded. “Yeah, but we needed shelter.”
As she studied him, she could tell he was a bit more solid than usual. The white was kind of grey. “How long before…”
“I rot?” he teased. “A while yet. Remember, I was in Tallowfield. It was the walk home after my truck broke down that kind of kept me away too long.”
“You can’t blame me for the truck thing,” she said gently.
“I don’t.” He grinned, baring his fangs. “Well, I did at the time, but then again, I thought it was some kind of weird revenge plot, so I was pretty much going to blame you for everything.”
She chuckled. “Thanks for that.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Her head stopped pounding and she slowly sat up, her eyes adjusting to the dim light in the cabin. “I guess this place has no electricity.”
“You’re correct.” Magnus glanced over his shoulder and then up at the ceiling.
“I don’t know who owns it, but it sits just on the border of Harmony Glen and it’s sort of maintained as a basic shelter.
Anyone is welcome to use it if needed. There are emergency rations, but if you use the rations, you have to return and replace them. ”
“It seems like a smart idea.”
He nodded. “The rations look kind of old, by the way, so I really hope you’re not hungry. I’m a pretty good cook, but I’m not sure even I can save us from questionable canned peaches and beans.”
Mercedes’ stomach turned at the thought and she touched it. “I’m good.”
“I mean, I probably could…”
“No! There’s no need to experiment. I don’t want to acquaint myself with a rickety outhouse or a bush out back.”
He grinned again. “You don’t trust my cooking?”
“I didn’t say that, but even you said you didn’t want to experiment.” Another rumble of thunder seemed to shake the cabin. “I am curious about your cooking, though. Hetty keeps insisting on packing me a lunch, but I have to admit, the sandwich you made for Phineas looked kind of amazing.”
“Are you a vegetarian too?” Magnus asked.
“No, I ate roast beef that night at Hetty’s, but I like dill and vegetarian stuff too.”
“Right. So you did. And so do I. I’m an eclectic eater. I like…all things.”
The way he said all things made her body thrum.
Change the subject.
“Well, that’s good, seeing how you’re a chef.”
“True.”
“I find it funny that Phineas is vegetarian.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
“I don’t know, he has pretty sharp teeth for a vegetarian.”
“He thinks of fish as friends and not food.”
Mercedes chuckled. “Oh? Can he talk to them?”
“So he says, but as I don’t, I can’t ask the fish their opinion.” He leaned back against the wall where he was sitting on a bench. “What else do you find strange about Harmony Glen?”
“Well, you being a cook. Although Sven said you sort of always took on that role, just that you’re no longer cooking your meat on a spit.”
“Hey, I have a spit. But we won’t often have people looking for a suckling pig or rotisserie chicken at a bed-and-breakfast. Maybe I could use the spit if Sven and I do more catering. We’ve talked about it.”
“That would be a good idea. So, you do enjoy cooking dainty things and breakfasts?”
Magnus nodded. “I do. I like breakfast and cooking relaxes me.”
“I hate cooking, but then again…I did melt a cauldron or two in my time.”
He frowned. “Stay away from my kitchen.”
“Noted.” She tucked her legs under her. There was a flash of lightning through the dirty, taped-up window, followed by another rumble of thunder. “Maybe one day I can sneak out of Hetty’s and try one of your sandwiches or maybe come early for breakfast?”
He smiled at her warmly. “I would like that. What’s your favorite breakfast?”
“Hmm, that’s a tough one. I think eggs Benedict. Though I’m kind of picky about them. Sometimes the Hollandaise sauce can be a bit…not right.”
“I get that, but I can assure you I make the best around here. Nice generous slice of ham or bacon, some people prefer back bacon over ham. And I’ve even made it with regular bacon.”
“Okay, now you’re making me hungry enough that I’m actually contemplating the questionable peaches.”
“Change the subject?”
“Maybe.” Her stomach growled loudly. “Probably would be safe.”
“Well, when this storm lets up, we’ll go back to the dead-and-breakfast and I’ll make you an omelet before you go home to Hetty’s.”
“Deal.”
Although, once they got back to the marina, she’d probably just go straight to bed. But it was nice of him to offer.
“You have to do me a favor.”
“Oh?” she said.
“Tell me what you saw when you placed your hands on the earth, before the explosion. If you can remember.”
Mercedes sighed. “Yeah, I suppose we need to talk about that.”
Only, she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him everything she saw.
Some of it she was still processing herself.
How she’d seen the whole attack from Magnus, except she was in Yrsa’s body.
If she remembered her teachings right, the fact that she was in Yrsa’s body at that time, instead of viewing the memories from above, meant that she was actually supposed to grow up to be the vessel for Yrsa.
Something hadn’t been quite right. As if her soul didn’t want to be the vessel for Yrsa or become like her.
Because I’m me. That’s why.
And honestly, Mercedes wondered if that’s why she wasn’t the best witch, why all her spells went spectacularly wrong, and why she could communicate with the dead. Her soul wasn’t supposed to be in her body, but Yrsa wasn’t here. It was almost as if the souls were mixed up.
Maybe that’s why I don’t really feel like I belong.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Magnus all this. He’d already acted weird when he saw how she looked. What would he think if he found out she was supposed to be Yrsa reborn?
I’m not though.
“Well?” Magnus asked. “Was it me? Am I causing all these problems?”
“No,” Mercedes said, shaking her head, which was the truth. “No, there’s no curse upon this land. Whatever you did, didn’t work.”
He was visibly relieved and scrubbed a hand over his face and down his beard. “I was worried…when that explosion happened and you were lying there…”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You were worried about me?”
His expression softened. “Of course I was.” Magnus reached out and took her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs across her dirty knuckles. “The explosion shocked me, and then I was so worried you’d die and that it was my fault.”
“No,” she said gently. “No. It’s not your fault. I’m okay.”
Their gazes locked and her pulse hummed. He moved to sit next to her, touching her face, tucking back a strand of her hair. “I’m glad.”
She closed her eyes, her stomach exploding with butterflies, which was generally better than the usual explosions that happened around her.
His arm slid around her, pulling her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
She felt safe in his arms, which was strange, because if you had asked her that a couple of weeks ago, there was no way she’d feel this close with him.
This is what she wanted before their disastrous date. This kind of intimacy. This is what she thought she was going to get after messaging him for so long on that MONZTR dating app.
She moved her hand to his chest and found it utterly still.
“I don’t have a heartbeat.” He chuckled quietly. “But I want you to know I like your touch just as much as if I had one.”
She laughed softly. “And I like you holding me.”
He touched her chin, tilting her head so she was looking at him. His red eyes had turned black. “I think I’d very much like to kiss you. The problem is, I don’t think I should.”
“I think…” She wanted to agree with him, only she couldn’t. “I think just this once, right here, it’ll be okay.”
And before he had a chance to argue, she pressed her lips against his, kissing him gently at first, her hand sneaking up into his long hair. His arms moved down her back, pulling her flush against him as their kiss deepened. His fangs grazed her lips, but she didn’t care.
This is what she wanted that night of their first date.
This was something she kept dreaming about.
Her body was thrumming with arousal.
There was a hiss of static.
“Magnus, it’s Finn. Are you okay? Over.”
Magnus growled and broke off the kiss, glaring at the radio from the boat that sat on the table.
“You better answer that,” she sighed with disappointment.
“I suppose. And it sounds like the storm has stopped. He’s probably wondering where his boat is.”
“Probably.” She tucked her legs up, hugging her knees, trying to quell the trembling in her body. She couldn’t let herself get carried away with her boss.
Why?