“Nope,” she said. “I’m not suffering in the middle of this.”
She stood up and marched toward Mercer, cutting through the crowd surrounding him. Mercer blinked, and the sound of his voice traveled back into the viewing room, but his words were lost. Sheridan’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung agape as Serenity grabbed Mercer’s arm and yanked him away from everyone else.
I gripped the back of the pew as my heart pounded in my chest. She wasn’t going to bring him over here, was she? They disappeared beyond the door and farther into the foyer. I let out a long sigh with my shoulders slumping.
I stood and walked to James’s casket. The polished wood gleamed under the overhead lamps, and the lid remained closed. The aftermath of his fall hadn’t left his remains pretty. It’d left scars on all of us. I laid a shaking hand on the casket and wiped the tears away from my cheeks. At this point, I didn’t know who I was crying for anymore.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
With my head bowed, I turned and headed into the foyer. Sheridan stood next to a small table with an array of lilies, her arms crossed and one foot tapping on the cream carpet. She glanced from her watch to the darkened hallway to her left and sighed.
“Are they still talking?” I asked.
She blinked at me in surprise. “Yeah. We need to get going if we’re going to make it to the cemetery.”
I nodded to the door. “Go ahead. I’ll get them.”
“Well, I was supposed to be riding with Mercer.”
“Find another ride,” I said.
A small annoyed hrmph followed me down the hall. I trailed their voices to a closed sliding wood that led to another viewing room. The only light came from a small window. I leaned back against the wall with my arms crossed and my eyes closed. I was making a habit of eavesdropping on Mercer.
Serenity gave a bitter laugh. “Why should I avoid her? Because you fucked things up?”
Mercer sighed. “She could be a danger to the both of us, especially if it’s true that she has an aunt here.”
“That didn’t stop you from sleeping with her; then again, nothing does stop you from doing what you want.”
They were talking about me. Unless he’d been a busy god.
“I didn’t know what she was at the time. She somehow hid her true nature.”
“Like you’re hiding yours?”
“And you,” he said. “You need to continue. You can’t let her know what we are.”
I slid open the door and glared at both of them “It’s a little late for that.”
Mercer’s jaw set, and his eyes narrowed, while Serenity turned my direction with wide surprised eyes. I stepped into the dim room and shut the door behind me. Sheridan didn’t need to hear this if she decided to come searching instead of listening to me.
My chest tightened as the words danced on my lips. I had so many questions trying to get out at once. My gazed darted between the two of them as I debated which to ask first.
I settled on the big one burning in my mind. “Did either of you kill James?”
Serenity stepped back in a jerky motion and clenched her fists. “How could you even ask that?”
I stared at Mercer.
“I’d have more grace than to come to his funeral if I did.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not your enemy, Cassi.”
“All of you are enemies.” My voice trembled slightly.
“Serious, that’s how you feel after all these years?” Serenity asked. “None of it matters?”
“You hid what you were,” I said.
“I thought my roommate was a human. Who would believe all of it? I was wrong.” She shoved past me and slid the door open with a slam. “You’re just as much of a liar as I am.”
Her footsteps echoed down the carpeted hall and the faint slamming of the front door reverted. Mercer’s suit jacket brushed against my arms as he stepped past me. The tingling in my wrist intensified, but it held nothing on the fluttering in my stomach. I stepped back and pressed my thumb in my wrist as heat suffused my body.
“Not all of us are the same,” he said.
I raised my eyes to his emerald ones, almost black in the gloom. “Who are you?”
He gave me a sad smile as he stepped in the hall. “More than you’re capable of dealing with.”
Chapter 18
The words on the screen of the laptop began to blur together. The list of possible gods continued for ten pages with long paragraphs describing each. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes with a long sigh.
“You want another Frappuccino?” Katy, the barista, asked from behind the counter.
I gave her a weak smile. “That would be great.”