Page 86 of Vampire's Choice
“I’m not prepared for that.”
“You have a place here, Merc,” Marcellus said seriously. “It will be different, because you are different. But it does not make it any less true. We can continue to develop that connection, if you wish it.”
“I think I do, but I’m not sure if I’m ready now.”
“It is not an official visit. I won at cards, and am going to collect the debt. The debt is small; the joy is in ribbing Bartolomew about the win. We will be there only a few minutes.” Marcellus put a hand on Merc’s shoulder. Merc wasn’t used to physical contact from another male that wasn’t a threat, so Marcellus didn’t keep his hand there long.
“If I have earned a measure of your trust, let me provide a bridge to a place you might one day feel more comfortable calling home.” A slight smile touched his lips. “In addition to the one you might find in the arms of your vampire.”
Merc considered, his gaze resting on the hand Marcellus had returned to brace on his own thigh. “You said you thought as long as the incubus held the upper hand, that my angel abilities held themselves outside my reach, to ensure balance. But you told me of a time when Jonah was taken over by darkness, and it almost destroyed everything.”
“Yes. But there were other forces at work then, and he was emotionally compromised when it happened. He missed the warning signs.”
“Have you ever worried an angel will turn rogue from within? No sorcery involved?” Merc asked.
“No. That connection to the Goddess you feel growing as you accept your angel side? It is a constant for all of us. Deep within you is a love for your Mother. For creation. For female energy. For its strengths and vulnerabilities. It is what draws you to Ruth.”
Marcellus paused. “There were times, early on, when Yvette would make you submit to her in key ways, to learn obedience and control. Though you resisted and it is not your core nature, there were moments of yearning where you recognized what you are feeling now. When your heart is right, your mind, it all makes a great deal of sense, even as it is the most profound of mysteries. Like love itself.”
Merc’s eyes narrowed. “You’re trying to freak me out by bringing up love again.”
Marcellus smiled, neither confirming nor denying. Merc snorted. “Fine. But tell me the truth. I’m not going to wake up one morning and forget how to use contractions, am I?”
“Wiseass.” Marcellus spread his wings, batting Merc smartly as he prepared to head for Machanon. With satisfaction, he could tell Merc was going to follow him. No matter how uncertain he felt about it.
Merc exploring his feelings with Ruth was opening up key pathways that had reached the right time to be traveled. The Goddess made herself known in such ways.
And truth? Over the past few years, Marcellus had transitioned from championing Merc as the debt owed for his earlier behavior toward Mina, and moved into territory he was sure would unsettle the male even more.
Marcellus had begun to care for him, protect him as he did his younger brethren in the Legion. If Merc allowed himself to become part of their world, he would find he had the family he should always have had. Then his journey forward would expand into places he never thought possible.
Just like letting Ruth into his heart and soul would do.
Which meant it was time to broach the other idea percolating in Marcellus’s mind. And really “freak out” his angel incubus companion.
He needed to meet with Yvette and Adan.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Yvette hadn’t said what Marcellus wanted, but when a Legion angel asked for a meeting, it was wise to respond. When Adan entered Yvette’s tent, the male was waiting on him. And sitting. Marcellus hardly ever sat. But there he was, perched on a sturdy wooden stool, his back straight, wings brushing the ground on either side, like a dark green cloak elegantly swirled around him. His head was dipped down, as if he were in deep contemplation.
Yvette sat in the carved wooden chair she preferred. She was doing the eerie motionless vampire thing, as Kohana used to call it, with the exception of two fingers. Her wicked long nails were tapping the wood in a rhythm like uneven footsteps. Click, clock. Click, clock.
Their stillness was permeated by the powerful energies they were both capable of unleashing.
“I feel like I should back out and hope you didn’t notice me. What’s going on?”
Marcellus raised his head, those dark eyes with no whites focusing on Adan. “Your sister should third mark Merc.”
Adan was trained for the unexpected. He could regroup fast when what was thrown at him changed radically. If an army of demons had erupted from the floor of Yvette’s yurt, armed with water balloons and maniacal clown masks, he would have taken it in stride. This?
“Have you lost your fucking minds?”
When Marcellus’s brows lifted, he added, “Respectfully.”
Yvette’s lips twitched, but she said nothing. For the moment, she was letting Marcellus take the lead.
“Guardian training plumbs the depths of the souls of its students. Uncovers everything, leaves no fault, no mistake, no weakness of character hidden. Is that not correct?”