Marcus seemed to pale. "When Rhiannon came here last year, Caleb was with her. She created him and thus had a magical hold over him. She controlled him and used him, much as she used you. He didn't want to do the things that he did any more than you."
Betrayal spiked through my abdomen, straight into my heart.
"You know him?" I asked.
Marcus didn't answer, so I asked again. "You know him?" This time my voice was louder and it attracted the attention of everyone standing by the door.
Marcus reached for my hand but I jerked away. "Do not touch me," I snapped. "I poured my heart out to you. I told you about my past and my...my time with Rhiannon. I told you what he did to me!" I was yelling now, my voice cracking with anxiety and anger. "And this entire time, he's been here. You know him and he's yourfriend. And you never said anything to me about it!"
"Merry," Marcus began. "Please, just listen to—"
"No! You had a chance to tell me about this for the last week and you didn't say a word. You kept him a secret from me."
I tore myself away from the counter, putting space between us. "You lied to me."
Ava appeared next to Marcus. "Merry, what's wrong?"
"Did you know?" I asked her.
I had to give it to Ava, she didn't try to pretend that she had no clue what was going on.
"Yes, but I thought Marcus would have told you about Caleb by now." She shot Marcus a sidelong glance.
I shook my head, backing away from them all. "You all lied to me."
Savannah approached me. "Merry, what are you talking about?" She came up beside me, ignoring the way I tried to sidestep her. I had nowhere to go because Marcus was standing right there. "Here, let's go back to Ava's office. You can tell me what's going on."
I realized that she didn't know. I wanted to leave. To escape. But I knew I couldn't run. My legs wouldn't support me, even if I wanted them to. My body was trembling and my breath came in pants.
"Come with me," she said, her voice gentle. Savannah put a hand on my forearm. "Please. Let's go sit down and you can talk to me."
She didn't wait for my reply, merely slid her hand down to mine and led me through the swinging door that led to the back of the store.
I let her guide me to Ava's office.
Once we were inside, she urged me toward the couch and went to the small fridge behind Ava's desk. I sat down, rested my elbows on my knees, and dropped my forehead in my hands.
"Here," Savannah said, holding the water bottle in front of my downturned face.
"Thanks," I said, taking the bottle from her.
Savannah sat on the coffee table, her knees in my line of sight. "Take a sip and tell me what's going on."
I leaned back on the couch and took the lid off the water bottle. After a small sip, I set it to the side and folded my hands in front of me.
"I've met Caleb before. When he was with Rhiannon."
Savannah nodded. "Okay."
I stared at her but she didn't seem to understand, so I explained, "She sicced him on me like a damn attack dog, Savannah. Any time I displeased her, which was nearly every day, she would let him feed from me. Just enough to terrify me and enough for him to fight against her when she held him back." Tears welled in my eyes. "I thought that she would let him kill me eventually."
Savannah leaned forward and took both my hands in hers. "I'm so sorry, Merry. I didn't realize."
"I know."
"And this is the first time you've seen him since then?" she asked.
I nodded.
