Harley Merlin 18: Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2020-05-06T18:30:00+00:00

Eighteen

Persie

“You’ll get a stomach ache.” My mom eyeballed me across the table as I devoured half a loaf of toast. Crumbs and butter formed a grainy paste around my lips, which I hastily wiped away to get back to shoving food into my mouth.

“Who knew that Purging monsters burned so many calories?” I joked, attempting to look innocent before hastily finishing another piece.

She folded up her newspaper and set it down on the counter. “Are you going somewhere?” She nodded to my athleisure fashion statement: an old gray t-shirt with a worn-out slogan for some bar that didn’t exist anymore, and a stolen pair of my mom’s high-performance, breathable, expensive sports leggings.

“I said I’d meet Genie.” I kept the rest vague.

“Do you think that’s a good idea? Now that we know what Leviathan… uh… wants, perhaps it’d be better if she came to you instead.” She didn’t sound forbidding, just maternally concerned. Last night had given everyone a shock, especially since that particular monster had revealed he had romantic intentions toward me. Ugh. I’d anticipated nightmares filled with that slimeball trying to woo me in a thousand rose-tinted dreamscapes in a thousand sleazy ways, but I’d slept surprisingly well after we got back from the Bestiary. No nightmares, no dreams whatsoever. It was the first good sleep I’d had since my birthday.

I flashed her a crumby smile. “You suspect a surprise coronation? He’ll jump out of the shadows and slap a crown on my head? Or were you thinking something more along the lines of a dozen roses and a box of chocolates he picked up from the gas station?” I rubbed my tummy. “Actually, chocolate doesn’t sound so bad.” I obviously didn’t mean it, but she looked so jumpy and weirded out. I just wanted to soften those hard edges a little bit.

“While I appreciate the comedy show, this is serious… and seriously disturbing.” She clenched her coffee mug so tight I worried it might shatter.

“Preaching to the choir, Mom. But if I spend another minute in that bedroom, I might paint myself and become a living mural.” I put on what I hoped was a casual smile. “And I don’t want to risk napping, in case I end up back at Leviathan’s hall, where he actually might try to lay on some flirtation. If I keep busy, I’m lessening the chance that he’ll slither back into my head.”

My mom sighed. “Okay, but don’t be gone too long. And make sure you keep your phone on so you can call if you need me. I’ve got some things to do, but I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Where’s Dad?” I hadn’t seen him all morning.

“He went out on some business, but he should be back this afternoon.” She stared intently into her coffee, her forehead creased.

Some things… some business. The usual party line when it came to work stuff. The vaguer, the better. Her work took her on all kinds of missions, and I barely knew any of the details, but her frazzled expression piqued my interest.

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