Loving Merritt Forever

Loving Merritt After 27

Merritt stilled at Levi's words "No one is safe." Merritt took several, deep breaths into lungs that no longer needed air. Body still following learned, muscle memories of how a body should react to things. Scenting and tasting the air around her. Levi. Levi was beside her. In an unfamiliar car. There was nothing wrapping around her body, whatever dark magic she had encountered was behind her now. She was free. The awful, oppressive, hateful feeling she had in the woods was gone. Merritt heard Levi's words and a spell was broken. 

She had escaped. "There is something awful there." Merritt finally said. Looking towards the window. Seeing her own reflection in the glass. "I'm sorry I ran away." Levi could feel her broken heart. She was full of terror and shame and blame that she did not deserve to feel. Merritt looked down at her hands. Feeling like she should still be able to see or feel the darkness that had nearly crushed her before she ran into Levi's rental car.

"Little dove, I am so sorry I gave you a reason to want to be apart. The fault is mine." Levi told Merritt. She could feel that he did sincerely mean every word. "I didn't give you space. If I had not come after you, you would have stayed at Black Forest Church. Indulged, enjoyed and been protected. I ruined everything. It is my fault you ran." Pausing, his heavy gaze focused on Merritt as the car raced down the road. "You have suffered, and it was my actions that caused it." She knew, he was being honest with her. Could feel his guilt harmonizing with her own. Compounding each other's emotional suffering.

"Asher?" Merritt was barely able to whisper his name. Levi looked at her.

"I allowed my demon to convince me that it was time to test Asher. I knew better, but I was selfish; Either Asher was ready for more, or I got more of you to myself without your body healing from constant broken bones." Levi had burned with rage each and every time that Asher had broken a bone in Merritt's body. She could easily endure the pain, and would heal quickly but she still felt it. Was left debilitated until healed. Merritt had suffered enough already. She did not need to prove her endurance.

"I will inform the Back Corporation of your findings in this area. For now we will return to where I took my rest last night to escape the sun. We will plan our next move from there." Merritt was quiet. Sensing her surroundings. Trying to settle her still racing mind. Grateful that every second brought her farther and farther from what had tried to hunt her this evening.

"I am still mad at you." Merritt said quietly. "And so glad to see you." She turned to look at him. Briefly. Before turning to doing everything to prove and remind herself that she was safe now. "I felt a barrier. In the woods. There is something bad there, but it can't leave." Merritt's demon was certain that was true. She had almost been ensnared in a dark trap but had managed to escape. The minions apparently could leave. Mary had lured Merritt in, completely and easily.

Merritt did not want to rest, still feeling like they were too close to the demon still. Levi had already assured her that it had to have been a real demon. Nothing else could affect a vampire as she was. As she tried to tell him everything she could remember. Levi had packed the slim electronic tablet with an antique styled stylus and sketched the various symbol people Merritt had seen, they were human she was certain, so they should be easy to track down real identities for.

Then Merritt tried to describe Mary to Levi. Merritt kept stumbling over her words, everything was so plain about her, her face symmetric, everything appropriated sized, her face had balance. Mary had been attractive, but Merritt couldn't think of a way to describe her. She felt like she had not said anything useful when Levi began to draw, a far more detailed start than for any of the humans. His hand moving with smooth confidence over the glass of the drawing tablet, sketching out a face.

Merritt watched in awe as Levi drew Mary, he even got the hat mostly right, and set at the correct angle on her head. "That's the best one you've done all night, that looks exactly like her." Merritt said. Looking at the eyes, a sparkle that Merritt had seen in her eyes while they had ridden horses along a manicured trail with trained horses.

Then Merritt remembered the first deranged than dead eyed stare she had seen as everything in the entire house changed. "The demon wasn't there the whole time I was there, and it can't cross some kind of ward here when it is here. Mary could, others might as well." Merritt was worried, looking at the time and feeling there was still too much daylight left to endure without getting even more distance between them and the demon.

Levi and Merritt continued to try and record and document anything that Merritt could remember, every single detail possible. A gift for the Black Corporation and the Council to deal with. Perhaps through Joy should her former employer have suspicions of her involvement in anything untoward or criminal of late.

Levi, having learned no lessons. Already confident that his plan to simply inform The Council and Damon Black himself in due time was sufficient. Content to have Merritt beside him again. His little dove too scared to run away, glad to be near him, even if she was still vexed. It was enough for Levi to grant himself time to enjoy his victories.

However, when he had told his assistant that he was unreachable, for absolutely any reason until further notice, which he was not planning to revoke until he and Merritt were back on his block. Had zero exceptions allowed. Absolutely no one would be able to contact Levi until he revoked the order. In issuing the command, Levi had neglected one very important detail.

When Merritt had realized something  in the woods was far more wrong than she had even first suspected, her true fear had sent a spark to Asher. A brief flash of knowledge that Merritt felt like she was truly in danger of meeting the true and endless death. An impossible thing considering he had willingly severed their bond.

Far away from Merritt, Asher knew it all the same. Turning him into a near feral beast as he broke from his confines. Managing to escape his personal casket and then the entire prison wing of The Council Headquarters. Killing only two guards, quickly, without turning or drinking from them. Asher was on the loose, and knew Merritt had been trouble, and a vague sense of where to go to find her.

Like an arrow fired from a bow Asher made his way over land. Through the night, and day. Using methods he knew that Merritt would not approve of. No longer caring, as long as he could make sure she was still safe. Asher had just wanted a chance to enjoy his new life. Believing Levi would keep Merritt safe. That they would meet again.

As Asher used brutal, inelegant mind control to take away another human's self, to drive him closer to Merritt as he hid under a tarp in the back seat. Directing the human where to go while trying to follow a map on his stolen phone. A severed thumb in a plastic bag allowed Asher to use the now dead humans credit card and bank information, along with ensuring the lock screen would open. 

Asher felt himself grow more and more angry as he worked his way across highways. Levi was supposed to just keep Merritt safe. That was his job. Asher felt almost as though an unseen force was helping him and his demon as they traveled, every turn seemed to end up working out. Asher knew he was getting closer.

Merritt was still on this plane of existance, she was ok. Asher was certain that she had not met the true death. That was the only thing he knew after the sharp flash of her certain doom approaching. Asher was counting on the light that was Merritt staying lit. He regretted separating himself from her. His humanity knew he shouldn't have done it. The demon, felt there would be delights more pleasing than just Merritt in the mortal world for them to enjoy. Assuming Merritt would always be available to them later. 

**Is anyone enjoying this story? I am unsure how to end it, and losing motivation. If people want me to keep working to get an ending I'll keep writing.. But I might sideline this project for now if  no one is enjoying Merritt's second act.**