Forgiven

by Fall, Carly

  No.

  Instead he stepped aside and took another pull of beer.

  She turned to him as he shut the door.

  “Liam, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he snapped.

  She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Liam, you’re lying to me. Tell me what’s going on. You’ve been unbearable since Gunnar arrived.”

  Liam walked over to her, setting his beer bottle down on the dresser on the way. He stopped directly in front of her so that there were just a few inches separating them.

  “I want you to be careful around Gunnar,” Liam said quietly.

  “Careful of what?”

  “Of Gunnar. He was a Viking, you know.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of that, Liam.”

  “Well, the Vikings used to go into villages and kill the men, rape the women, and burn everything they didn’t steal to the ground, Adela. You heard him talk about slaves. He might have enslaved people. I don’t want Gunnar to hurt you.”

  He honestly doubted Gunnar would hurt Adela, but he didn’t like the way they were getting along so well. Maybe if he instilled a little fear in Adela, she wouldn’t be as comfortable around Gunnar. And really, what did they know about the Viking? How did they know he wasn’t a rapist or a slave master? He wasn’t sure how the powers that be that ran Heaven decided on who got into the Fringe and who didn’t, but he doubted they would let in a rapist, no matter how he lived the rest of his life.

  Liam knew he was grasping at straws, but he needed something . . . anything . . . to distance them, or he was going to go absolutely mad with jealousy.

  “Gunnar isn’t going to hurt me, Liam,” Adela scoffed, shifting her weight. She obviously didn’t believe what Liam had said, but based on her body language, perhaps he had planted a small seed that would grow and flourish. He didn’t really want to scare her, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell her the truth of why his mood had been in the crapper since Gunnar’s arrival.

  The beer had settled into his brain, calming him down and numbing his body. “Just be careful,” he said. He knew he shouldn’t be reaching out and softly grasping a lock of her hair, letting it run through his fingers. “I would hate to see anything happen to you.”

  Actually, he would kill Gunnar if he hurt Adela.

  “I don’t want to see anything but a smile on this beautiful face,” he whispered as he stroked her cheek.

  Adela’s eyes widened and her lips parted slightly.

  The smell of her wildflower lotion engulfed him and his heart pounded madly. Was he really thinking about kissing her? Did he really want to go there? No, he didn’t, but at the same time, he really, really did. His desire for Adela was different than any he had felt for another woman, and that included Annie.

  With Adela, it was something almost primal and he wondered if the longing was so strong because it was something that he told himself he couldn’t have, something he shouldn’t have. Or maybe it was just Adela herself.

  He liked that she relied on him as a human, and he liked the way she pitched in to help whenever she could with things like the dishes or cleaning. She was so different as a human than she was as an Angel of Death. He couldn’t believe that at one time he had referred to her as the cold, three hundred year-old witch. Now when he looked at her, he saw a soft, yet strong, decent woman, who at her core was an excellent human being. Her life had ended way too early, and he could only imagine the good she could have accomplished with her herbs and potions if the men of her era hadn’t been so damn ignorant.

  It was wrong of him to want her, wrong on so many levels. She was an innocent—good and pure, while he was a dirty tramp who had been around the block so many times he had lost count. They didn’t know what their futures held. They could go back to being Angels of Death tomorrow. He didn’t want to be Adela’s first—she deserved better.

  Besides, sex would only complicate their relationship, and they didn’t need any more complications. They needed to remain focused on their assignment so they didn’t end up burning in the pits of Hell. That was the thing he had to keep forefront in his mind.

  He leaned down, wanting to kiss her so badly his whole body shook, but at the last moment, he stopped. Instead he lightly brushed his lips against her cheek, inhaled her scent deeply, closed his eyes and whispered, “You need to leave.”

  Then he stepped back.

  Adela stared at him for a moment, then touched her cheek where his lips had been. She didn’t move.

  “Please,” he said. “Go.”

  Adela nodded once, blinked as though she had been under some type of spell, and went to the door.

  She opened it, then turned to look at him over her shoulder. The silence in the room was heavy. Liam hoped that the longing he felt for her wasn’t written all over his face, but he could clearly see the surprise and confusion in hers.

  “Go, Adela,” he snapped. He walked over to the dresser and opened another beer. The loss and regret he felt, of what never could be when he heard the door shut, hurt him deeply.

  Chapter 15

  Adela shut her bedroom door, unable to face anyone. What had just happened?

  She flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Did Liam really believe that Gunnar could, or would, hurt her? Or was there another reason for what he said?

  Liam didn’t understand how different the world was now compared to when her and Gunnar were alive. They had grown their own crops, killed their own food. Societal structures were much different. Not that she approved of, or condoned rape, killing, or enslaving people, but that was just the way it used to be. Certainly, generations in the future would look back on the way society was today and find some practices they didn’t understand or approve of. It was the way of the evolution of the human race, and the way it would continue to be. At some point in the future, people would look back on this time period and scratch their heads at some of the human practices of today.

  He had to understand and grasp some of that, and appreciate that Gunner and Adela would form a quick bond. She believed that that perhaps there was something else bothering Liam.

  Her cheek burned where his lips grazed her skin. Had he kissed her, or had it been an accident as he whispered to her? But why whisper to her at all? The moment had seemed terribly intimate to her, and she had thought he was going to kiss her on the mouth, but changed his mind at the last second.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach, and she realized that she had wanted Liam to kiss her. She wanted to press her body up against his and feel his hands travel up her ribcage, to have his fingers thread through her hair at the nape of her neck, to feel his strong arms around her. Her stomach fluttered at the thoughts.

  It had been so long since she’d been with a man. Her husband hadn’t exactly been a firecracker in bed, and sex was something that they were supposed to do as man and wife in an effort to bring children into the world and carry on his family name. She thought back again to the romance novels she had read. Could sex really be like that between a man and a woman? Could there truly be that much passion? Could the physical sensations be that strong? Her desire to find out was strong and she wanted it to be with Liam.

  There was a knock on the door. “Everything okay, Adela?” Gunnar asked.

  “Yes,” she called. “Fine.”

  “Okay, just checking.”

  Adela considered Liam’s words about Gunnar. She really didn’t think he would hurt her, but Liam had put a bit of doubt in her mind. Perhaps it would be best if she distanced herself and not be as friendly toward him as she had been. She could still be polite, but she would make sure that she wasn’t alone with him for very long. Adela would keep her physical distance in case he took her being near him in a sexual way.

  Sighing, she sat up. The last thing on her mind should be sexual relations with Liam, or anyone for that matter. She should be concentrating on their mission and doing everything in her power to make sure tha
t they succeeded in helping humans fall in love. From what Liam had told her about his death, he was familiar with the fires of Hell, and she didn’t want any part of it.

  Chapter 16

  Thump.

  Liam rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head.

  A few minutes later, he heard it again.

  Thump.

  What the hell was that?

  Thump.

  Liam sat up in bed, pissed off beyond belief that his nap had been interrupted. Sunlight streamed into his room, hurting his eyes. Apparently Mother Nature had given them a reprieve of gray skies and allowed the sun to shine for a while.

  Thump.

  Whatever was making that damn sound was coming from outside. Liam got out of bed and went to the window, and jumped backward when a snowball hit the pane.

  Thump.

  Adela stood outside in the small clearing between the houses, wrapped up in a red parka and a matching red hat. She was bent over, packing another snowball, laughing and smiling like she was a child, not an angel with a serious mission to complete. Suddenly, she turned her back, and a puff of white exploded around her. Liam looked over into the forest to see Gunnar standing behind a tree, winding up to pelt her with another snowball. Adela laughed again and turned to his window, bringing her arm back to throw another ball.

  “Help me, Liam! He can throw farther than I can!”

  So much for Adela staying away from Gunnar—she obviously hadn’t heeded his pseudo-warning.

  Gunnar pelted her again and Liam couldn’t help but laugh. Adela was getting her butt kicked in the snowball fight, and for a brief second, the jealousy and anger brewing within him settled, and he felt a bit of happiness. Adela threw a snowball in Gunnar’s direction and missed him by at least ten feet.

  “Jesus, Adela. You really suck,” he mumbled to himself, chuckling. Watching her made his heart feel light.

  “Hello, Liam.”

  Liam startled and turned around. Evangeline stood in the middle of his room, the sunlight reflecting off the crystals in her wings and the long, white robe she wore, her perfect mouth in a semi-smile. Evangeline’s holiness never failed to surprise him. Yes, he’d been angry with her in the past, and he’d probably spoken too harshly to her, but overall, he respected and admired her.

  Then he realized he didn’t have a shirt on.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching for his turtleneck.

  “You do not need to dress on my accord, Liam. As one of the universes first creations, I have seen the male form many, many times.”

  Liam let that sink in for a minute. One of the first creations? As in ever? And he thought Adela and Gunnar had seen a lot in their time! He wanted to question her about it, but it didn’t seem like Evangeline was in the mood for chitchat. Whether or not she had seen naked men ten million times, he felt the need to cover up out of sheer respect for her.

  “What’s up, Evangeline?” he asked, pulling the turtleneck over his head.

  “I came to check on your progress.”

  Liam nodded. He really didn’t have much to tell her. “Well, we think we’ve found our assignments.”

  “And they are?”

  Liam hitched a thumb over his shoulders at the cabin in the distance. “We think it’s them.”

  “Based on what, exactly?” Evangeline asked. She threaded her fingers behind her back and began to pace the small room.

  “Well, two things. First and foremost, they are the only ones around. All the other cabins are closed up. Second, Adela saw them having a fight on their deck. We went over and met the woman, and she seemed nice enough, but she was definitely sad. The guy has disappeared.”

  “That doesn’t seem like much to go on,” Evangeline challenged.

  Liam shrugged. “You said the assignment would present itself, and Adela saw them arguing, so we figured it was them.”

  Evangeline stopped pacing and stared at Liam for a beat. Her serious blue gaze bore into him. “You can’t be too sure. I have looked into the History Scrolls and I see that you three haven’t ventured out beyond this cabin. Perhaps it is time for you to do so.”

  Liam’s gut clenched. He hadn’t been completely certain that the neighbors were their targets, but they had been the only ones with obvious difficulties.

  He sighed, put his hands on his hips and stared at the floor. “So you’re saying we’re wrong.”

  “No, I’m not. But I’m not inferring you’re correct either, Liam. I’m just saying make sure to study all the possibilities.”

  Liam looked at her. “Do you have any idea how frustrating you are? I don’t understand why it’s so bloody hard to get a simple yes or no answer out of you.”

  “As you are aware, those are the rules. I cannot meddle, I can only oversee.”

  He realized that his brief glimpse of happiness had left and his mood had landed back in the crapper. Adela yelled something from outside and there was another thump against the window. He turned to watch her.

  “I also noticed that the deck needs to be shoveled, Liam,” Evangeline said.

  “Not my job anymore, sweets. I handed it over to Gunnar.”

  “Are you certain you should do that?”

  Liam nodded. “I’m tired of doing the shoveling, the cooking, and everything else. Adela helps around here a little bit, but Gunnar hasn’t done a damn thing. He can take over the shoveling.”

  There was a long beat of silence, and Liam turned, thinking she had left. No such luck.

  “It’s almost dinner time,” she said. “May I suggest a meal outside of the house? Perhaps your assignment is waiting beyond this small area.”

  Liam’s frustration boiled. “And what restaurant would you suggest?” he snapped, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, but failing miserably. “Up the street is Highway 89. I can go left and end up in Tahoe City, or I can go right and end up in Incline Village. There are also a bunch of little towns in between those two, as well as a lot of restaurants. Where would you suggest we go to dinner, Evangeline? Can you at least give me a little hint on that?”

  Evangeline stared at him for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I can’t, Liam.”

  “I figured you’d say that.”

  “Just go to whatever restaurant sounds appealing to you.”

  Liam turned and looked out the window again just as Adela was hit with another snowball. He wanted that little ray of happiness to return. He waited for it, but it didn’t.

  “You know, Evangeline, I think you are part of the problem in this whole mess,” he murmured. “You say you are only supposed to oversee, but it seems to me that with your non-answers, half-assed answers, and suggestions, not only do you not help us, you muddy the waters, so to speak.”

  He waited for an answer as he watched Adela and Gunnar walk back to the house. Liam noted she kept a good five feet of space between them. Good.

  Turning, he half-expected to be sent to Hell for his mini-tirade on Evangeline, but she wasn’t there.

  Sighing, he thought about what she said. Maybe they had jumped the gun a little too early on picking out their targets. He realized he was suffering from a bit of cabin fever, so it would do him good to get out for a bit. Perhaps their assignment would present themselves at a restaurant, or maybe they’d see something on the way there that drew their attention, but he couldn’t imagine what that would be. A couple fighting on the side of the road? He so didn’t want to get in the middle of anything like that.

  He fell to the floor and pumped out fifty push-ups, hoping the burst of exercise would make his mood better. Afterward, he stood and decided it hadn’t helped at all, but maybe a big, fat steak would.

  Chapter 17

  Adela came in from the snowball fight feeling frozen to the bone, but her soul was lighter. She hadn’t realized how much Liam’s demeanor had weighed her down.

  She had been outside enjoying the rainbows cast by the sun-kissed snow crystals, and was startled when she felt something hit her back. Gunnar threw his head
back and laughed, then tossed another one at her.

  Never one to back down from a challenge, Adela made a snowball and threw it at Gunnar as he ran for the trees. When she realized what a bad shot she was, she had thrown a snowball at Liam’s window, hoping to wake him and bring him out to the fun, and maybe, just maybe, lift his mood a little.

  She had seen him at the window for a brief while, and she realized he wasn’t going to leave the warmth of the house, so she called for the conclusion of the game. The ends of her hair were soaked, as were her jeans.

  Liam stood in the kitchen. “I had a visit from Evangeline today while you two were out in the snow.”

  Adela took off her parka. “What did she say?”

  “She said we need to expand our boundaries while looking for our target.”

  “So she doesn’t think the people across the way from us are who we are supposed to be concentrating on?” Gunnar asked while removing his boots.

  “She wouldn’t say either way. She told me we needed to get out more, so we’re going out to dinner tonight. I’ll find a place online while Gunnar shovels the deck.”

  “But I just came in, Liam,” Gunnar said, hanging up his parka.

  “Don’t care, Gunnar. That deck needs to be shoveled.”

  He then went over to the small desk in the corner and began his search for the restaurant on the computer.

  Adela went into her room and took a quick, hot shower, making sure her hair was piled up high on her head so that she wouldn’t have to dry it anymore than it already needed to be.

  As she stepped out, there was a knock on her door.

  “Adela?” Liam called.

  “Yes?”

  “We’re leaving in thirty. Are you going to be ready?”

  “Yes, Liam.”

  She heard him retreat down the hallway to the kitchen, and she leaned her head on the door to see if she could hear any conversation between Gunnar and Liam.

  “There’s supposed to be more snow tonight, Gunnar,” Liam snarled.

  “Then I’ll shovel tomorrow, Liam. You need to relax. I don’t remember you being this worked up as an Angel of Death.”