Collecting the Sword of Amara (Completed)

Chapter 25- Anne Marie

I walked back into the safe house, followed by Zoë, scowling, my whole body tense. I did not like that I was being followed by Hunters because it meant that we were going to have to make a new safe house. And, that meant that I was going to have to find another place that would be safe in Los Angeles for the people that lived here.

My whole body screamed from the pain that I was in because I had tried to get away from the Enforcer and the people that were following her. I had almost gotten away, but the burliest one was somehow able to overpower me and started the process that would have made me a Shell.

A scowl was on my face when I opened the door of the safe house to see that it was empty. I held up a hand, silencing someone that was about to comment about how this place was empty. "It's me," I called out, sensing the panic and helplessness from the group. "He sent me a letter, telling me that they are here to "help,"" I grumbled.

The Demons let the spell down to show that the room wasn't empty. Almost everyone was there except for Lilly and Matt. Annoyance and anger filled the room, and it wasn't helping the mood that I was in.

"He did?" Damion asked, glaring at the Enforcer that had Hunters behind her. He looked at me, studying to see what I meant. A scowl was on his face, and I knew that he didn't like them being here as much as me.

I tossed the note to Damion before starting to walk to the back room. My whole body screamed out in pain, and I kept my face a mask. I knew that Mercer knew what to do, and I was grateful that he did. "Mercer," I called, not looking at him.

"An-"

"I'll be fine, Gabriel," I said, looking at him. I stepped out of his grasp, not wanting to be touched by him. Archangels, even those that were Fallen could speed up the process. I had heard this, but I did not want to try it out myself.

"Bu-"

I shook my head and held up my hand, stopping him from talking. "I will be fine." I offered him a small smile, even though I knew that it looked more like a grimace because of his look. After that, I left the room followed by Mercer, wanting to get rid of this pain that I was in.

***

"Almost again?" Mercer asked as he locked the door behind me. Worry filled his eyes as he studied me, trying to see if it had reached my face just yet.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and took off my clothing, leaving my undergarments. I wasn't going to have sex with him, but my clothes needed to be removed when I did this process. If I didn't have most of my clothes off, then the process wouldn't work, and it would speed up the reaction.

Mercer sucked in a deep breath while he took in the blackened veins. His eyes trailed over them, trying to see where they ended and began. "Fuck, Mary," he said. "How did you survive, again, and not be turned into a Shell?" His voice cracked, and I could tell that he was in as much pain as I was by looking at me.

I shrugged my shoulder and grabbed the handcuffs and towel from the spot that we had placed it in. "Don't know," I replied as he came over and took the stuff from me. "Do we still have some of the medication?"

I knew of a way to reverse the holds of becoming a Shell. However, I didn't have that many supplies, and I did try it on Analise, but she was too far gone. Somehow, trying to turn me into a Shell took longer than normal Fallens, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was because I was "special."

"Yes," Mercer said. He gently laid me on the table in the room and cuffed me as a precautionary. "I don't like..."

"I know," I said, knowing how much pain I would be in. "But, it has to be done." I paused and sighed. "I don't like it either."

"Tell me when to stop," he muttered, putting the towel in my mouth to silence the screaming. After he made sure that I wouldn't be able to move, he started the process.

Tears filled my eyes as he injected me with the mixture of Fallen's blood, Demon's blood, and Dragon's blood. All of them were needed to help stop and reverse the process, and it was very painful, to say the least.

Sweat glistened off my face as I clutched the steel legs of the table. My whole body shook as it felt like my soul was being pieced back together, painfully piece by piece at a time.

What felt like ages that had passed, but only a few minutes, the pain stopped and that left me laying on the table, exhausted. It usually took my body three days to heal from the process, but we didn't have three days. And, I knew that we didn't have a day either. Today was the day that I had to defeat whomever I needed to face.

"I don't like this," Mercer said, uncuffing me from the table. He helped me sit up and took the towel out of my mouth before giving me a sip of water. His cool hands took off the cuffs and rubbed the healing wounds that were caused by it.

"I know, and I don't either," I replied. I moved a hand over my face and huffed. "But, we have to do it."

Mercer grunted and gave me a potion that a witch had given me all those years ago. "This seems about the right time to use it. Wonder what it does." He helped me drink from the potion bottle.

I shuddered as this wave of energy, coursed through me. It felt exhilarating, and I felt as if I could take on the whole world. "Gives me energy, I guess," I said. I stood and started to get ready to leave, making sure that I had different types of weapons on me. I looked at the scythe that almost all Hunters used and flicked my wrist, causing the silver blade to spin. Power hummed from it, and I could feel the darkness that it possessed. "And, that is a good thing."