Harley Merlin 12

nodding toward a few ghosts I hadn’t noticed. They floated around, one sweeping without a broom and the other making the motions of dusting off the mantelpiece. As if they were stuck on servitude loops from their previous lives.
“Oh, they never pay me any attention anyway. I’m not the one with Winchester blood.” Cecily rolled her eyes. “That Mary Foster never listens, at any rate.”
I attempted a smirk. “I’ve been hearing about her.”
“Don’t tell me she’s gooey-eyed over you, too.” Cecily swirled her wine like a pro.
“I wouldn’t say gooey-eyed, but it’s hard to tell with ghosts.”
“Would you like me to have a word?” she offered.
I shook my head. “No, that’s okay. She’s been pretty helpful.”
“I will, if you want me to. She’s scared enough young men out of this house.” Cecily tapped her elegant fingernails on the stem of her glass. Clearly, Mary had pissed her off one too many times.
“Easy, tiger,” Richard soothed. “You know I never entertain her flirtations.”
Cecily arched a perfect eyebrow. “You say that, but I’ve seen you blush when she tells you she likes your suit.”
“Compliments are embarrassin’!” he protested.
“And when I compliment you, where are your blushes then?” she replied.
“When do you ever give me a compliment?” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
Cecily shrugged. “On special occasions.”
“You’ll have to refresh my memory. There was Christmas in 1998, but that was a long time ago,” Richard said.
“Don’t give our guest the wrong idea. I compliment you plenty,” Cecily muttered. I guessed they did this a lot, judging by Melody’s face. She looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and stay there.
“What’s it like, Richard, being non-magical in a place like this?” I felt antsy and needed to change the subject.
“I’m used to it. It’s all I’ve ever known, so it’s not too shockin’ to the old system.”
“So, you must be a magical, Cecily. Is that right?” I stared into my drink, trying to center myself. I didn’t feel right. I’m tired, that’s all.
Cecily nodded. “That’s right.”
“Is that how Melody ended up magical?” My hand trembled on the stem of my glass, and I couldn’t get it to stop. I’d been fine until a few minutes ago, but it was like someone had flipped a switch and now I struggled to act normal. I hoped that if I kept talking, I’d be okay. This was probably just the residual effects of the map-making kicking me in the caboose. I’d been out for ten hours—that was bound to leave an impression.
“Actually, that came as a surprise,” Cecily explained, casting a warm glance at her daughter. “The Winchester line has been without magic for generations. It may have been caused by the Kolduny spell put on this house; we don’t know for sure. Anyway, the Winchesters only had sons until our Melody was born. None of those sons had magical abilities. And then, along came Melody, complete with Chaos—a true cause for celebration. I was convinced she’d be a boy, but Richard kept saying we’d have a girl. I suppose he won that one.”
Richard smiled. “Yup, that I did. And I haven’t let her forget I was right, just that once. Got to take my wins where I can get ‘em.”
“You must be proud of her.” I took a deep gulp from my glass, praying it’d help.
“Very proud,” they chorused in unison.
“Light of our lives, ain’t that right?” Richard blew an air kiss at Melody, who blushed furiously.
“Dad!”
He chuckled. “What? I can’t tell my little girl I’m proud of her?”
My hand tremors eased slightly. I wasn’t sure if it was the wine kicking in, but I could breathe again, and the weird feeling dissipated. See, it was just the map-making messing with you. Every time my brain gave its input, I thought of Puffball—that cute yet terrifying manifestation of my mind gremlins.
I should’ve been grinning like an idiot right now, joining in the fun, but I’d been double-crossed and stabbed in the back one too many times. I had a hard time trusting anyone these days, even Melody’s parents. But I made an effort to be charming, nonetheless. I wouldn’t ruin our little get-together.

Three


Finch
I sat in the shower, my knees tucked up to my chin, my eyes closed. The hot water cascaded over me, and I liked the way it drowned out everything else.
I hadn’t slept a wink last night, and my stomach gnawed with hunger. I’d thought the wine had helped for a short time, but it only ended up making me vomit. So, after that little trip to the bathroom, I cut out early from dinner with Melody’s parents, claiming illness before I even touched a bite. But it wasn’t the food I had no stomach for. It made me sound bitter and twisted, but I couldn’t stand to sit there and watch all that fluffy love and happiness. They had nothing to worry about. They had each other.
But me? I had a horrible, growing fear that this wouldn’t end well for me. I couldn’t trust anybody, not even myself. Erebus had eyes and ears everywhere, even in his human form. And my paranoia led to darker questions. Would he leave me alive at the end of all this? Why wouldn’t he just tie up that loose end? But it wasn’t as if I could just throw in the towel on Atlantis, because that’d end the same way, only sooner.
You’re tired. You haven’t slept. Your mind has been working overtime for two days.
But given how Erebus had found his way to Kenzie, and how he’d fooled me into getting him a body, and how he’d strung me along with his friggin’ breadcrumbs… the paranoia might not have been in my head. And now Ryann was involved, which just added a truckload of terror to my overextended brain. What if Kenzie couldn’t wipe her mind? What if Erebus didn’t let her? Or… what if something happened, and she couldn’t get her memories back from wherever Kenzie wanted to store