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

“Go on…”

“I will do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m serious about controlling my powers, and this retreat is the perfect opportunity. Once I come back from this place, you’ll be able to sleep easier at night, knowing I have everything under much better control,” I continued. “Imogene Whitehall recommended it. While I was out at lunch with her, I told her that I’d been researching ways to get better control, and she mentioned this place. I looked it up straight after, and, well, here it is.”

“Imogene Whitehall recommended it, eh?” He pursed his lips in an approving manner. “And she thought it would be useful to you?”

I nodded. “She’d heard good things about it, and the results speak for themselves. Did you check the last page with all the testimonies?”

“I did.” He smiled with a secret smugness. “And how long would you be thinking of leaving us for?”

“A week at most, and I can check in with you as often as you need me to. There are specific phone hours, but I’ll make sure I have mine on me at all times so you can get in touch.” I could feel him getting closer to saying yes. His whole body was emitting pulses of contentment, as if the idea of sending me away filled him with the same joy as petting a puppy.

He looked to Wade. “And what do you make of all this, Crowley?”

“I think it’s a good idea. It’s no secret that she’s been having a hard time getting a grip on her abilities, and I know my mom and dad send their troubled magicals to the same retreat. They’ve never had any problems with the magicals afterward, as far as I know.”

“I have also heard excellent things about this retreat, though I didn’t think you would ever suggest it yourself, Harley,” Levi said. “I had been looking at such places to send you to if things got out of hand. However, it would appear you’ve done my job for me, which is always a welcome state of affairs.”

Why, because you’re a lazy toad?

“I really think it will benefit me in the long run. It’ll be easier if I have guidance.” I added the cherry to the top of the sundae.

He nodded thoughtfully. “Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to sign off on this trip for you. If you make the necessary arrangements, I will add my signature and consent to the paperwork. And I hope that you don’t squander this opportunity, because I will want to see some payoff for my generosity in letting you go. I trust that you will return an entirely different magical.”

“I hope that I will, Director Levi.” A free one, no longer having to worry about Katherine Shipton. Inside, I was dancing around like a maniac, feeling pleased to pull the wool over Levi’s eyes once again. He’d fallen for it, just as I’d hoped he would.

Still, a cautious part of myself warned me to be careful. I’d jumped a hurdle, but I hadn’t crossed any kind of finish line yet. Remember, if you get found out, they’ll toss you and Finch back into Purgatory. There’d be no Avarice, no Alaska, no softer sentence. Not for this kind of betrayal.

“Thank you, Director Levi.” I kept my reaction small but grateful as I took the brochure back.

“Don’t let me down again, Merlin,” he replied. “You may go.”

As I got up to leave, one thought kept playing in my head: This is going to work. This is really going to work.





Eleven





Finch





“Woof, woof.” I grinned at Raffe. The guy didn’t like me one bit. I wished I could’ve said the feeling was mutual, but I didn’t care enough about him to hold any judgment.

Plus, I didn’t want to rile him up so much it brought out the djinn. If there was one thing that scared me, it was a pissed-off djinn. Katherine had made me face one when I was sixteen, and the memory hadn’t gone away. The beast had been inside an old woman, and my mother had urged the djinn to come out as part of an experiment. That thing had come running at me, mouth opening wide, eyes flashing red, black smoke billowing out of it. I remembered its hot breath and its leering voice telling me how much it was going to enjoy peeling me like an orange. Impulse had made me throw a wave of Telekinesis at it, but it had been touch and go for a moment. It was a lesson in courage, apparently. Now, I realized it was probably to amuse Katherine.

“Quit it, Finch,” Santana snapped.

“You don’t like it? I thought you did.” I’d shifted into Raffe’s form just to mess with her. There wasn’t much else to do in this storage room, and I was close to losing it. PTSD, anyone?

“You’re an idiot.” I got the feeling she wanted to call me far worse.

“How about this one?” I shifted into Harley’s form and smiled at them.

Santana narrowed her eyes. “Seriously, pack it in!”

“No, I don’t think I will.” I needed to get out of his damned room before it tipped me over the edge. I hadn’t breathed fresh air in months. Even if it was filtered through the interdimensional bubble, I wanted to taste it. The dragon garden, maybe? Or one of the outer balconies? Anywhere but here.

“Finch…” Her tone held a warning, and Raffe had moved to her side to back her up. The loyal lapdog.

“Can’t a guy have a little fun?” I toyed with the cap of my lighter Esprit. I’d gone so long without it that it felt strange to have it back in my grasp. “You know what, I think I might take a little walk. This baby needs a refill.” The lighter had probably run out of neurotoxin by now, and I’d need a refill before we headed into the cult. When it shifted into a blade, I always made sure it was laced with a neurotoxic chemical that would temporarily paralyze an enemy. We’d probably be doing a lot of that where we were going.

Santana stepped forward. “That won’t be necessary. You shouldn’t even be allowed to carry that thing on you to begin with. A foam sword, maybe, or something made of balloons, but not that. Maybe, if you’re very good, Wade will give you a water gun.”

“Who’re you to lecture me on dangerous things? You’ve got a ticking time bomb for a boyfriend.”

Raffe’s hackles rose. “Don’t push it.”

“Push what? You? How do you think your friends would feel if they found out your djinn had done me in? I bet they’d find a nice little cage for you and lock you up for good.” I flipped the cap of my lighter up and down. The clink of it was riling Santana and Raffe up. I could see it in their pinched expressions. “At least I wouldn’t accidentally tear you to shreds in the night.” I flashed a wink at Santana. She grabbed Raffe before he could lunge at me.

“You’re out of line, asshole!” Raffe roared.

I simply chuckled. “Nice to see that leash is real tight. Who’s a good boy?”

“Stop it, Finch. This won’t do any of us any favors,” Santana replied. Her hands tugged at Raffe.

“Why don’t I just get out of your hair? You two lovebirds are probably dying to rip each other’s clothes off. Raffe looks ready to rip something off, at any rate.” He could flash his red eyes at me as much as he wanted to. I was immune while I had Harley’s trust.

Santana crossed her arms. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Is that so? See, I thought that door was unlocked.” I walked toward it. Santana and Raffe darted toward me and got between me and the door. Idiots. My Esprit glowed as I forged two powerful blasts of Telekinesis and sent the two of them flying to opposite sides of the room. I thought about using my Air to trap them on the ceiling, but it wasn’t my strong suit. Still, I guessed they’d forgotten what I could do.