Page 10 of Bold Mercy

“Um.” Max held up a finger. “You’re a witch?”

She glanced at me, then nodded. “I am.”

Joe pointed his chin at the wand. “What can you do with that thing?” He grinned, because he was just slightly mocking, and not even a little bit ready to believe her wand was for anything but show.

Lennon knew I wouldn’t have asked her here if anyone present were not to be trusted with her secret, so she went ahead and gave Joe a preview of what she could do with her wand.

“Please don’t destroy my kitchen,” I said, right before she traced a delicate, intricate design in the air and the lower cabinet doors slammed open and half a dozen pots and pans flew out and right at Joe’s head.

He pulled his gun.

“Joe,” I yelled, then fell into helpless laughter with the rest of them.

“Did you know she could do that?” he yelled.

“No,” I said, to Lennon’s surprise. I shrugged. “I didn’t know I had pots and pans.”

Lucy shook her head. “What do you think I use to cook for you?”

“I didn’t think about the preparing,” I answered, lifting a forkful of steak to my lips. “Just the devouring.” Then I looked at Lennon. “I really would like to have that wand.”

She stood, preening only a little. “I will get to work. As you were, everyone. There’s no need to pay me the slightest attention.”

“You shouldn’t have come alone,” I told her. “You need to be careful too, Lennon.”

“Eli is waiting outside,” she murmured. “He’s lurking in the shadows. Now hush so I can concentrate on warding the place.”

I should have known Jared’s beta wouldn’t have let Lennon venture into the city without him. I’d seen Eli’s love for Lennon the first time I’d met him.

Max grabbed the small computer he’d been working on, slid his phone into his pocket, and stood. “I need to leave. Does she want to…” He bulged his eyes and swirled his hand through the air. “Hit me with some sparkles before I go?”

“Already done,” Lennon called from somewhere out in the hallway.

“Damn,” Joe muttered. “That’s some good hearing.”

“Hang on, Max,” I said. “I asked you and Joe to bring your vests so Lennon could spell them.”

“Can’t get him to put one on,” Joe said. “I’m wearing mine.”

“If a vampire comes for me,” Max said, “a vest isn’t going to stop him or her from taking me. Besides, it’s uncomfortable.”

“It’s another layer of protection,” I told him, knowing there was no way in hell I could force him to wear a vest if he didn’t want to. “Lennon can weave a spell into the fabric, and it could save your life. Being uncomfortable is better than being dead.”

Joe strode toward him, his hand out. “Give me your keys. I’ll get it from your car.”

“Oh my God.” Max held his computer case up as though that would stop Joe. “I am not going to—”

“Hey.” Zach’s voice wasn’t loud, but it got the attention of everyone in the kitchen. Joe turned to face the hunter, subtly putting himself between Zach and Max. Joe didn’t trust Zach, not yet. Max shut his mouth and peered around Joe’s shoulder, and Lucy stopped loading the dishwasher and turned to watch. Even Lennon came in from the hallway and stood in the kitchen doorway, gazing at Zach.

For a few seconds, Zach hesitated, his stare flitting from one of us to the other. Then he put his attention back on Max. “I once saw a vampire shove his claws through a man’s back and rip out his heart. That’s uncomfortable. Wear the vest, man.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. Joe held out his hand without taking his stare from Zach, and Max dropped the keys into his palm.

“I’ll be right back,” Joe said, and went to get Max’s vest.

Zach didn’t talk a lot, but when he did, he was pretty damn convincing.

“And then we need to work on protecting everyone from the human threat,” Lucy said, and I saw her shudder. She was more afraid of what she’d seen in her dreams than any vampire, but that was because the vampires were only a slight risk to her. Jakeston’s serial killer was a sure thing.

“Um, only you are at risk from the killer?” Max sauntered to her and put his arm around her. “And if he wants you, he’ll have to take the rest of us as well, because we aren’t leaving your side.”

When Joe came back inside, Ray Christian was with him. Lucy squealed and threw herself at him, ignoring Max when he called her a traitor. As far as I knew, Lucy and Ray hadn’t developed into anything serious, but she was genuinely glad to see him. Perhaps he’d convinced her that commitment wasn’t so bad.

Joe brought me the box he’d carried in—the vests I’d ordered from Sixten. “This was on your porch,” he said. “Someone opened it.”

“Eli,” Lennon said. “Never mind. Everybody put their vests on. I’ll do everything I can to make them repel any vampire who gets close to you.” She sat down beside me. “All this activity and you right in the center of it. You love it, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my legs. “I kinda do.”

We were quiet for a few seconds as we watched the others, then she shivered. “"Something bad is coming, Kait. I guess you know that.”

“Let it come,” I murmured. “Worse things will be waiting when it gets here.”