Chapter 9
It is done. They are coming for me. Mistress Briggs accused me of witchcraft. Because of my refusal to make her a potion, the very thing that would confirm my ability to do magick, she accused me in court.
My life is just beginning. But now it will end because I have no defense against such wicked lies.
My chest has a hole of despair that cannot be filled, for I will be leaving my beloved. I fear this news, all of it, will tear him asunder.
Present Day
Mercy hovered over the steaming tub of water, needing to cleanse her body and mind.
She dropped lavender in the hot water and murmured the words to calm her body, so her mind could speak.
Bay laurel, “please bring me purpose.” Lemon peel to cut through her confusion.
Finally black salt, “please banish his unwanted energy.”
Except her heart clenched at the idea of banishing Zane.
Chanting her intention, she slipped into the herbal water and completely submerged. Mercy waited for the clarity and relief to hit her.
But she kept returning to his confession.
She had trusted him. With her memories. She’d told him things about her past that she didn’t share. She’d opened up to the descendant of the family who’d destroyed her family. She’d felt safe with him.
She’d kissed him!
All she remembered was the absolute desire on his face before they kissed. Not the betrayal.
Why was she attracted to a man who could destroy her, her self-acceptance, all over again? Had she learned nothing from therapy?
As the water cooled, she was no closer to achieving peace or clarity. It was time for a girlfriend intervention.
Half an hour later, Mercy rushed into the Tidal Inn.
“What’s wrong?”
Trust Tasha to know immediately that life had kicked her in the stomach one more time.
Like the original Mercy, she had a hollow in her chest that couldn’t be filled.
Of course, she wasn’t about to be sent to the gallows.
But her throat tightened with a loss that seemed out of proportion for the time she’d spent with Zane.
Tears filled her vision.
“What did he do?”
“He broke my trust.”
“How bad?”
“It’s bad.” Although maybe she’d broken her own trust, betraying herself by getting involved with a man who could hurt her.
“You want to go to the Hex?”
“No! I need to get out of town.”
“What about The Sandbar?”
The Sandbar was in a beach town a few miles away. The odds of running into someone she knew were small. She just needed a night out with her girlfriends and a glass of wine.
“Perfect.”
“Let me call Genesis, and we’ll go now.”
An hour later, the three of them were installed at a table at the little dive bar. Mercy clutched a glass of rosé wine to her chest. “I know this is nuts, but I feel totally betrayed.”
“How long have you known this guy?” Genesis had been out of town yesterday sourcing some new essential oils for her handmade candles.
“It’s ridiculous. I’ve known him for two days.”
“Oh well, with all the time you’ve invested in him, no wonder you’re devastated,” she said drily.
“His family killed Mercy.”
“Excuse me.” Tash thumped her beer down on the scarred tabletop. “They what?”
“He’s a descendant of Ruth Briggs.”
“He said his last name was Bridges.”
“They changed their last name when they moved away.”
“That son of a biscuit.”
“He didn’t expect to find Mercy’s descendent.”
“He could have asked someone else to help him.”
“Eleanor said I had to do it.”
“Eleanor?” Tash shuddered. They were all a bit afraid of Eleanor, even tough-as-nails Tasha.
“Oh, my goddess.” Mercy sunk lower in her chair.
Her therapist was here. She did not want to deal with another I told you so; even if Dr. P. wouldn’t be super obvious, the message would be layered underneath something more caring.
Dr. P. was with a bald guy and another woman. They all appeared quite upset. A striking Black man came through the doorway from the back room, and Dr. P. rushed out with the stunning man chasing after her.
Phew. Mercy was off the hook.
“What’s going on now?”
“My therapist,” Mercy whispered.
“Let’s get back to your problem. What did he do exactly?” Tash asked.
“He lied,” Mercy explained. Okay, that was a little dramatic.
“He omitted telling you that his ancestor’s family was responsible for Mercy’s death.” Genesis swirled her paper straw around in her mocktail. She was designated driver tonight.
“Yes!”
“Could we be overreacting a bit?” Genesis asked hesitantly.
“Think, Mercy,” Tash said. “I mean, really, would you lead with that?”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Yours. Always,” her friends replied.
Tash brushed her hand over her hair like her mother used to comfort her when she’d been a girl. “But he told you pretty quick.”
“Have you thought about the fact that you are more upset about a guy you just met than when Jason left?” Trust Genesis to cut to the heart of the problem.
She drew up. “That’s not true.” She was upset because she’d shown him parts of herself she kept private. He’d listened like it mattered. He’d seen her.
“Pretty sure we went drinking to celebrate when Jason took off.”
Mercy tilted her head.
Damn.
Her friends were right. But she wanted to hold on to her anger because it was a much easier emotion to express than the one she wanted to wallow in. And that was wistful denial.
“I liked him,” she whispered.
Her whole body shook. Something precious was gone, and she absorbed the absence in her bones.
Her lungs tightened, her heart hurt, her fingers trembling as she clenched them tight.
“We know.” Tash and Genesis pulled her in for a hug. But she hung her arms limply, the effort to lift them more than she could handle.
“This was a waste of time.” Mercy shook her head. “I should have honored my first instinct and crawled under the covers.”
Genesis stuck up for Zane. “He only wants to protect his sister.”
“It’s admirable.” Mercy’s stomach churned. He needed to find the hex bag. To help him help his sister, she knew what she needed to do.
She was hesitating because once she did the spell, whatever possibility she might hold out for a different outcome of the future would be lost.