Mercy for the Wicked by Lisa Olsen Read Free Book Online Page A

that question…
     
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Daphne took the worry out of having to decide whether or not to fill her in by demanding I tell her all the juicy details from the moment I stepped into her apartment.  I have to admit it felt good to have someone to talk to who wouldn’t try and pressure me into going to live with him, judge me for letting Adam get to me when I had Ben in my back pocket or push me to find a way to make a little bit of money off of my ordeal.  
    Her apartment was even smaller than mine, more of a studio, with a curtain closing off the bedroom.  The apartment was decorated in flea market and second hand store cast offs, in a jumble of different styles.  The result of Daphne’s tendency to impulse buy.  That meant when I took a seat on the loveseat that served as a couch, I fought for space with a soft, leopard print throw blanket and a Hello Kitty pillow.
    “What happened to you guys?  The party barely started and you slipped off together.  Wanted a little bit of romantic alone time?”  Daphne’s eyes were bright and ready for gossip, and I did my best to return her smile. 
    “No, Sam showing up was a bit of a buzzkill.”
    “Oh, right, I almost forgot about that.  Did you tell Ben about it all?”
    “Yep,” I sighed, hugging the pillow to my middle. 
    “How did he take it?”  She sat beside me, leaning forward expectantly.
    “Pretty well I guess, all things considered.” I waved my hand back and forth.  “He didn’t believe me until I proved it to him though.”  I launched into a description of my trick with the knife and I noticed a wistful look come over her face.  Though I’d healed her minor aches and pains plenty of times, I could tell she wished she’d gotten to see something a bit more dramatic like healing a cut before her eyes.  Well, she could be wistful all she wanted, I wasn’t about to cut into my arm to satisfy her curiosity. 
    “See, I told you, you had nothing to worry about!  You should have told him a long time ago.  Don’t you feel better getting it off your chest?  Maybe you’ll finally let him in all the way without having to keep so many secrets from him.”  Her observation that I hadn’t completely let myself fall for Ben caught me by surprise, and she pressed on as she noticed it.  “You know you’ve been holding back with him, Mercy, admit it.  Normally you’re the type to jump first without making sure there’s water beneath you.”
    It was true, I did tend to jump into relationships before I had all the facts.  Not that I’m a slut or anything.  I meant in the sense that I had a history of risking my heart (not my body) without thinking about the consequences.  “That’s not what’s been holding me back with Ben,” I admitted aloud. 
    “Then what… oh, Mercy, I recognize that look,” she sighed as realization dawned on her.  “Not the stuff with Adam again?  I thought you finally had him out of your system?”
    “So did I.”  But even before he gifted me with his Grace I’d felt the same pull towards him.  And the connection had grown even stronger. 
    Daphne’s eyes narrowed.  “What else happened last night?”
    For the next fifteen minutes I talked nonstop, filling her in on everything Sam told me in the club and at his place, the ‘dream’ in the Ether, and, after a moment’s hesitation, what Adam shared with me before we parted. 
    “Wow.” She blinked, leaning back against the couch.  “You don’t mess around, huh?  When you step into trouble you really go for it.”
    “I didn’t step into anything,” I protested. “I was minding my own business, trying to make a life with Ben, remember?”
    “Sorry.”  She fell silent for a few seconds.  “So, what’s the plan?”
    “Plan?”  I looked back at her in surprise.  “I’m still reeling from all of this, I have no plan.”
    “Come on, Mercy, without a plan there’s no attack.  Or defense, as the case may