She’s not his.
Sure, maybe their DNA is the same, but she will never belong to that rapist sonofabitch.
“Don’t be cruel, Casti,” he gripes back. “I’m trying to right my wrongs so we can be a family. I’m older. I’m not a selfish bastard anymore. I just want there to be an us.”
“What did you tell Mercy?” I demand.
“That’s our little secret.” He grins, his handsome, All-American boyish face hiding the predator beneath the surface.
“Get out.” I’m no longer playing games with him. “Now.”
He steps closer, his nostrils flaring. “What private security firm did you say you work for again?”
“Leave.”
“Whatever, Casti,” he growls. “I’m trying to be a nice guy here, trying to get to know you and our daughter, and you’re being a total bitch.”
“You’re not to pick up my daughter ever again. Don’t speak to her. Don’t look at her. Don’t touch her. Understood?”
“This conversation isn’t over,” he warns. “I’m going to be in Mercy’s life no matter what because I’m her father. You’re going to have to get the hell over it.”
He storms out of the apartment and I snap the lock closed as soon as he leaves. Tears threaten and I feel like I might suffocate. I rush over to the window, gasping for air. The rain has softened. I’m teased with the musical sound it makes, but that reminds me of when my family was murdered, so I ignore it. I sit down on the window seat and stare down at the dark shadows in the alley.
Someone’s watching me.
I feel it again.
Eyes on me. Probing me. Penetrating me. It’s almost as unnerving as finding Griffin in my living room. Quickly, I shut the window, lock it, and then go to Mercy’s room to check in on her.
All terror and unease and stress melt away the moment I lay eyes on Mercy. Tiny, pale, dark-haired. She’s my little angel. So sweet and perfect despite the monstrous blood running in her veins. I hate Griffin with every fiber of my being, but I will always be grateful on some level for him giving me her.
She’s my everything.
My reason.
I still remember walking into E.V.I.E. when I was fourteen, not long after Griff showed up at the group home. My body was weak from giving birth and I had a baby to look after. I told Jude I’d help him in any way I could if he would just teach me how to defend myself. When I eventually learned he was involved in a group that slays vampires, my desire to help increased tenfold because I knew I could also get vengeance on the pale-haired twins.
A noise from a box near her bed has me pausing. The bat is still alive. Slowly, I walk over to it and peek inside. It’s moving, which is more than it did last night. She’s made the bat a nice home with fruit and veggies and water. I’m not sure if it can eat those things or if it has, but the fact she’s trying warms my heart.
Mercy is good to the marrow of her bones.
I sit down on the edge of her bed and run my fingers through her dark hair that matches mine exactly. Everything about her is just like me. I’m thankful Griffin didn’t give her anything of his.
“I love you, Mercy Rye.”
I pull out the bracelet Loey gave me and slide it on Mercy’s dainty wrist. I hope like hell the bracelet works. Mercy has transfusion dependent thalassemia. The genetic blood disorder was passed down from me, which I feel immensely guilty for. She requires monthly transfusions and we’re in a continual war to keep the excess iron from the transfusions from overloading her organs. This disorder leaves my baby girl in a constant weak state and always out of breath. Her internal organs need to be watched over and monitored because they could fail at any time.
Again, if it weren’t for Jude and his resources, I would’ve lost my baby girl a long time ago.
I leave her room to take a much needed shower. After I’ve changed into my white gown, I make my way back over to the window. I’m exhausted from the evening’s activities, but my mind won’t shut off. I crack open the window and breathe in the rainy air.
The rain patters in a way that is soothing to my soul. It makes me think of Laurent and my purpose with E.V.I.E. One day, I will find him and end it once and for all. I start to nod off, but snap awake when my phone buzzes with a text from Jude.
Jude: That’s solid info, kid.
Me: Don’t be coy. What do you have for me?
Jude: There’s been word on an illness plaguing vampires in the city. Just like you described that one you killed this evening. White, murky eyes. Madness. I only heard reports here and there, but I didn’t have much to go on yet.