Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Harley Merlin, #6)

“Levi would love to have me out from under his feet for a while…”

“I should warn you, magic is banned in such places, unless you’re in the controlled rooms and within the given times.” She gave me a knowing look. “What’s more, contact with anyone outside the retreat is limited so that you can concentrate on meditation. I’ve heard it works wonders.”

Do you know what I plan to do? Are you really on to me? If she knew something was up, she wasn’t trying to dissuade me. Maybe things really had gotten dire in the National Council, and now she needed all the help she could get to take Katherine down. Help beyond what the National Council could offer, with all their red tape and bureaucracy. Garrett had said it himself—they were all talk and no action. Plus, we’d never let her down in the past, and even though the SDC members were persona-non-grata, Imogene had always had a soft spot for the scrappy little underdogs.

“Can I ask one thing?” Imogene’s tone had a worried edge.

“Sure.”

“You’re not planning on going to Europe anytime soon, are you? For non-related purposes, of course.” Her eyes held that same knowing glint. Why would I be going to Europe?

I frowned. “No, of course not.”

“I just wanted to check. You see—and, again, this may be the G&T talking—the National Council has recently sent agents to follow Katherine’s trail there, and I know you have a high stake in her capture. You have likely already heard about some of the recent robberies?”

I nodded. So she thinks I’m going to try and follow Katherine to Europe? I’d recently seen reports on the magical news channels that some of the central repositories across Europe had been broken into. Maybe Imogene thought I was going to try and apprehend Katherine on one of these robberies or capture one of her people to interrogate. It worked in my favor, as I didn’t think Imogene would be too keen on the idea of me infiltrating Katherine’s cult outright.

“I understand the personal nature of your vendetta against her, as it’s one we all share in some small way. Global chaos is not something any of us want to see.” She sighed. “I just feel I ought to warn you, though I’m certain you wouldn’t entertain the idea of flying solo.” She gave me a pointed look. “I know you’re headstrong, but I would hate for you to get tangled up in any ensuing mess, or for anyone to misunderstand your intentions. It’s hard, I know, but you must let the National Council do its work.”

“Thank you, Imogene. And no, I don’t have any plans to go to Europe. Anchorage sounds like exactly what I need right now. Peace and quiet. I’ll definitely look into it.”

Imogene downed the last of her drink like the elegant lady she was. “Well then, let me know how it goes if you do decide to go.”

“For sure,” I replied, my mind already racing with the undeniable hope she’d laid out for me. I wondered what I’d actually tell her when we met here again in a few weeks’ time and she hadn’t known my true intentions. Oh, by the way, I didn’t go to Anchorage or Europe. I killed Katherine Shipton instead, on her home turf. Hope you don’t mind. Would you like another G&T?

Yeah, I could live with that.





Nine





Finch





Being stuck in a storage room with the Muppet Babies wasn’t exactly how I’d planned to spend my post-Purgatory days. I could have handled Wade on his own, but Raffe and Santana had decided to keep me company too. Nice of them. Not. Watching them fawn over each other was worse than being marched to the showers by Grimshaw and Chalmers. But I supposed they were growing on me. Like barnacles, or a nasty rash, or ticks.

I had to appreciate their abilities, at least. It took guts to control a djinn, and Santana had this one on a leash. Raffe probably thought I didn’t know, but the flash of red in his eyes every so often—usually when I made one of my perfectly timed comments—was a dead giveaway. I’d known since day one what he was. I had to give him props, though. Djinn tended to cling to stronger people.

“So, what’s the cult like?” Santana asked. We’d all been silent for too long. Clearly, she didn’t like the quiet. I happened to prefer it over trivial small talk, but I figured I’d humor her.

I shrugged. “A lot like a coven. Only, the risk of random death is higher. Then again, you all live here, so you’re probably used to that by now.”

“You used to live here, too. Or have you forgotten that?” Raffe replied.

“No, I remember.” I smiled at him to save face. I remembered everything I did here. I remembered stealing down the hallways to get to Adley’s office. The same office Krieger now had. I remembered laughing along with Garrett and the others: Rowena Sparks, Lincoln Mont-Noir, Poe Dexter, Ruby Presley, Niklas Jones. Those few moments in the day where I’d been able to forget my true purpose, the one on which Katherine had set me. I half wondered what those guys were up to these days. They didn’t seem to have crossed over to the dark side of the Muppet Babies. Only Garrett had made that switch. Then again, he’d once been close with Wade. I supposed that had given him the leeway to change sides.

“You’re going to keep our girl safe, right?” Santana pressed. “If not, I should warn you, I’ve already got a design in the works for turning your balls into earrings. I can add them to my collection.”

I laughed. “Ah, so that’s where Raffe’s have gone, eh?”

“I mean it, Finch.” Judging by her scowl, she wasn’t messing around.

“Relax, I’ll take real good care of her. It’s my neck on the line, too, in case you’d all forgotten. If she dies or anything happens to her, I’m in trouble too. And I’m really not ready to die yet.”

They don’t trust you. They had no reason to. Even before my arrest, I’d been foul to the Muppet Babies. The Rag Team and my team of antagonists in endless competition. Well, more like Garrett’s team, though I was the mastermind for the most part.

I didn’t know whether it was the company of new people after so long with no one to talk to except burly officers, but I was starting to see them through slightly different eyes. Not too different, but there was a marked shift. Harley, you’ve got a lot to answer for. My half-sister’s appearance in my life had changed so much, without me even realizing it. I didn’t know if I liked it, but this was my reality now. I was a temporary member of Team Muppet, whether I wanted to be or not. After everything I’d done to them, it was no wonder they were glowering at me with obvious suspicion. Still, they could’ve cut me some slack. I was helping them take down Katherine Shipton, not running an errand to Waterfront Park.

“We’ve got to remember that he’s one of us, now,” Wade said suddenly. “His life and Harley’s life are in his hands. He knows that. He’s not going to screw up.”

I eyed him curiously. “Uh… yeah, what he said.” I hadn’t expected support from Harley’s uppity dreamboat. If anything, I’d have expected him to be the one preparing my balls for jewelry. I’d almost killed his girlfriend, once upon a time. Deep down, he was probably boiling with hatred, but the guy was an expert at keeping it off his face.

“How do we know this isn’t all some ploy to hand Harley over like a prize turkey?” Santana replied. She had a point. I was smart… but likely not that smart. That would’ve taken months of planning, and I would’ve had to rely on Harley’s desperate desire for family. Man, that would’ve been a good play if I were still on Katherine’s side. But I wasn’t. Katherine could rot in hell for all I cared. We were taking her down, whether Santana believed me or not.

“I guess you don’t,” I said, keeping my tone blasé. They didn’t need to know how much I loathed my mother. That was my private hatred. It wasn’t for them to share.