Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,89
told me she’d explain everything back at the Institute when we had Genie with us. And now that we were all caught up, I had no idea what had come over her. I glanced at Genie to gauge her reaction, but she was busily slurping down noodles like there was no tomorrow.
“Genie?” I prompted. We’d somehow gone from being sworn enemies with this Reid character to flat out allying ourselves with him in one conversation. It was quite a leap, and quite a demand that Persie was making of us.
Genie pursed her lips, sucking up a slippery noodle. Her eyes stayed wide with surprise as she gulped it down. “Uh… well… he said it was an accident. People make mistakes, right? I don’t usually die after them, sure, but I’d rather give him a hand than have to deal with a swarm of Fear Deargs. You know, preventing the problem before it becomes one.” She dove right back into her munching. “I’ll tell you what, getting resurrected gives you a heck of an appetite. I could eat a whole Grendel and I wouldn’t be full. No offense, buddy.” She winked over at the Grendel’s enclosure, and he snorted as if he were laughing. It was an unusual response for one of Persie’s newly birthed monsters, but perhaps not for a sensitive Grendel—this one was already attuned to her, and the people closest to her. I made a mental note to add it to my files later. Either that, or he was beginning to understand social cues.
“Speaking of resurrecting…” Persie raised up cautious eyes. “Reid knows what you did for Genie, but I made it part of the deal that he doesn’t breathe a word of it.”
My stomach sank, my appetite gone. “And you believe he’ll keep it to himself?” I had fought so hard to keep that secret, and to think of it running wild in the hands of witch hunters… That was going to keep me up at night in a cold sweat.
She nodded. “He needs us, so yes. Plus, he doesn’t know you can’t resurrect yourself, so I don’t think it’d put you in any kind of firing line.”
“Forgive me if I’m not so eager to put him in such a cozy light,” I muttered, already thinking of ways I could protect my ability. Even if it meant making the temporary Suppressor I’d used to trick Readings in the past a little more permanent. My secret could not fall into enemy hands, under any circumstances.
“This doesn’t mean we’re going to become best pals,” Persie continued. “I told him about fifty times how much I hate him for what he did to Genie. But then I sort of… felt sorry for him. He’s in the same situation as me, only I can control my problem to a degree. He can’t, as we saw. The curse turned him into the Fear Dearg, and he hurt Genie because of that. He’s desperate, Nathan. And who knows how many people this thing has already infected, giving them the same issue. If we can fix it, we should, because…” She turned toward the window, fidgeting. “We should help because not everyone has a Necromancer up their sleeve, to stop their loved ones from dying. I don’t want blood on my hands, knowing I could have done something but chose not to out of bitterness.”
I heaved a sigh. “I suppose I haven’t got much right to argue, if you and Genie are on board. You’re the ones who suffered the most because of him.” I paused to collect my thoughts, trying to view matters from the perspective of these two women. I couldn’t allow myself to be driven by a personal vendetta if they weren’t. “And there is little use in cutting off our noses to spite our faces. You’re right… we should do what we can, so we don’t risk this situation escalating. But you’ll have to forgive me if I’m not ecstatic about aiding that cretin.”
Persie smiled. “Noted.”
“Oh my sainted Chaos!” Genie clutched one of the bottles of soda that I’d brought back for her. “What is this?! I don’t know if getting a second shot at life has screwed with my taste buds, but this stuff is incredible!” She downed half the bottle in one go, before letting out a satisfied, “Aaaah.”
“I hoped you’d like it,” I said. “It’s moon-melon flavor.”
She grinned, wiping her mouth. “I want more! Holy crap, I could drink a gallon of it.”