She didn’t know what to say. For the first time, she was finally seeing Haden as he could have been, as he could be—without his cloak of hostility, his mask of hatred. It was easy to see how he’d captured his woman’s heart all those years ago. How different he could have been, had it all not been ripped away from him.
His gaze stayed fixed on her, searching…waiting. With his free hand, he reached for her, fingers gently brushing her cheek before sliding to her neck. Cupping her nape, he pulled her closer. She should have resisted more. “Haden—” her protest died on her lips as he tugged her mouth to his. Haden’s lips brushed against hers in the softest meeting. It was a kiss so unlike any he’d ever given her before.
He kissed her with a gentleness she’d thought him incapable of. She could have pulled away, for his touch was so light, and she intended to do just that. But then his tongue brushed the seam of her lips, asking, not demanding, a taste of her, and her mouth seemed to part on its own accord. Appalled at her proclivity, Olivia’s heart clamored inside her chest, rebelling against her weakness as her mind screamed, stop. She tensed to pull away. Maybe Haden sensed the subtle shift in her weight, because at that same moment his fingers pressed into her nape, holding her fast as he whispered against her mouth, “I love you, Olivia.”
She inhaled a startled breath at his confession, and he claimed her lips fully in a searing kiss that made her cheeks burn with indecency. In that moment, she didn’t know who she hated more, herself for allowing this to happen, and God forgive her, for enjoying the heat of his touch, or Haden for doing this to her. Damn him! He knew she loved Liam, how dare he try to claim a piece of her heart. Shame consumed her, tears burning her eyes as they flowed down her cheeks, dripping off her face in a heavy rain of remorse.
A moment later, Haden’s mouth stilled against hers and he abruptly broke their kiss. He pulled her head back just far enough to see her face in the light of the inferno blazing behind them. She defiantly held his stare with a bravado she did not feel. She wanted him to get a good look at what he was doing to her, hoping he would see how much this was tearing her apart.
He studied her a moment, watching her with an intensity that turned to utter disbelief. As if struck by a sudden realization, a flicker of surprise, and then something darker heated his gaze. A muttered curse tore from his lips at the same time approaching footsteps rustled in the swampy grass behind him. She couldn’t know whether it was regret or anger that summoned the oath, or perhaps Liam’s impending presence, but Haden reached up and wiped her tears off his face as if they’d scalded his flesh. As quick as a flipped switch, he donned that callous mantel of hostility and turned it full-strength on her. Haden released her so abruptly, she fell back.
“Go,” he commanded, his voice a low growl of contempt and frustration, betrayal and heartache. When she didn’t move, frozen in shock by the abrupt change in him, he barked, “Goddammit! I said go, Olivia!”
She scrambled to her feet and bolted like a frightened deer through the thicket. Her feet pounded the marshy ground as she raced toward Liam. The moment she was within reach, she threw herself into his arms, buried her face into his chest, and broke down into gut-wrenching sobs.
He caught her in his welcoming embrace, one arm wrapped around her back, and the other hand cradling the back of her head, pressing her cheek against his chest as he crooned softly, “Shh... It’s all right. Everything’s going to be fine.”
But she wasn’t so sure that it was. “Take me home,” she begged between hitching breaths. When he didn’t answer, she leaned back, looking up to see his keen gaze focused over her head. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched in the brilliant glow of the blaze as Haden stood, like a phoenix rising from the ashes and walked into the thick grassy brush before disappearing into the night.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Olivia awoke to the feeling of being watched. It was a niggling sensation she was quickly growing accustomed to. Her eyes fluttered open to find Liam lying beside her, head propped up on a bent elbow, his violet gaze drinking her in as if he were memorizing every last detail of her face.
He was returning to court today—with Haden—and to keep herself occupied in his absence, she planned to employ Tate’s services in helping her move into Liam’s home. Even now, lying in his bed, the whole thing still felt so surreal. For years, this was all she’d dreamed of—having a life with him. That it was finally happening filled her with a sense of unfathomable joy. But before they could embark on the next chapter of their life together, she knew he had obligations and commitments he must see through first—as hard as it was going to be to let him go today.
“Good morning,” she whispered, giving Liam a bittersweet smile and rolling toward him. Tucking her face against his neck, she slipped her arm beneath his and hugged him close, vowing for the one-hundredth time since last night, she would not cry this day. She’d done more than her share of it in the last few weeks and vowed she would remain strong.
Liam was honor-bound to bring Haden before the elders, and she knew in her heart that if he didn’t do this now, there was a chance Haden could be lost forever. Despite how badly things were left between them, she worried for him and made Liam promise to champion Haden when they got to court.
His agreement came reluctantly and with much persuasion on her part. He never did ask what happened between her and Haden that night in the bayou, and for that she was glad. Already now, a week had passed, and yet, it still felt like yesterday. She hadn’t seen Haden since then, but knew Liam had been in contact with the Nephilim, making the necessary arrangements to bring him in. Perhaps Haden was finally coming to terms that he couldn’t continue on like this. But either way, she would continue to pray for him, hoping he would one day find the healing that could only be found in his salvation. Perhaps with time, he would see they were not meant for each other.
“How much time do we have left?” she whispered against his throat, her tongue teasing a path to his collarbone, nipping the indent of flesh. His arousal grew swift and ready against her stomach. A low growl of failing restraint rumbled in his chest as he rolled over, pinning her beneath him.
“Not long. Haden will be here soon.”
“Are you up to the challenge?” she teased, refusing to spend their few final moments together bemoaning his departure. This time wasn’t like the last, she reminded herself. It wasn’t goodbye, it was the beginning—the beginning of their new life together and she understood that for those doors to open, others had to close. Liam had responsibilities he had to see through.
“Oh, I’m most definitely up for it,” he chuckled, his dark brow arching wickedly as he gave her a roguish grin. He captured her mouth in a searing kiss that took her breath away, and Olivia spent the next half-hour at the mercy of her angel.
Lying in his bed, numbed out in a state of utter bliss, Liam left her with a lingering kiss against her sweat-dampened brow. She listened as his footsteps padded down the hall. Before he reached the bathroom, the shower kicked on, an invitation she restrained herself from partaking in lest he never be ready to go before Haden arrived.
The door closed a moment later, and with a groan of sheer laziness, she forced herself out of bed and reluctantly dressed. It was hard to leave the soft sheets still warm from his lovemaking, to pull herself away from the scent of muted spices that clung to his pillow.
Her foot had just reached the landing when a soft knock sounded at their door. Olivia’s pulse quickened at the thought of seeing Haden again, at the memory of his scornful gaze boring into her with startling contempt. Taking a courageous breath, she went downstairs and crossed the foyer to open the door.
At seeing him filling her doorway, she forced a smile he didn’t return, his impassive gaze raking over her with no less disdain than the night at the bayou. Although she was dressed in a fitted t-shirt and capris, he still somehow managed to make her feel completely naked and vulnerable.
“Good morning, Haden,” she offered lightly, ch
oosing to ignore the tension crackling in the air. She stepped aside, allowing him to enter. “Would you like a cup of coffee? I was just about to make some. Liam’s in the shower. He should be down shortly.”
Haden stepped inside just far enough for her to close the door, stopped, and glanced up at the ceiling. “S’pose he is. He’s gotta get your scent off him before he walks into court.”
Her temper flared at his spiteful remark, adding accelerant to the flame already burning between them. Olivia slammed the door shut and spun on him, leveling him with a glare that would have cowed most men. “That’s quite enough!” she snapped, earning her an arched brow of mild amusement. An arrogant grin tugged at Haden’s top lip, as if he found it humorous she had the nerve to stand up to him. Well, he hadn’t seen anything yet. This guy was about to get a whole lot of honesty crammed down his throat, and she hoped he had plenty of time in court to choke on it.
She stepped up to him and poked him in the chest for good measure. “Just because you’re pissed at me doesn’t give you the right to behave like an ass. If you really want to know the truth, you’re absolutely right, Haden. I do have feelings for you.”
The cocky quirk of his brow fell so fast she nearly laughed, his amusement chased away by her confession.
“In fact, there’s a part of me that probably even loves you. But you’re broken, Haden, and I can’t fix you. Even if I wasn’t with Liam, even if my heart didn’t belong to him, I’d never give it to you because you’d only break it.”
Impassivity quickly replaced any and all emotion on his handsome face. His jaw locked down tight with quartered aggression. Tension crept into every muscle of his impressively large body that now stood much too close for comfort. His face hardened to granite as his piercing gaze bore into hers without apology. Still, she forged on, needing to get this off her chest, needing for Haden to hear the truth. “How can you tell me you love me one minute and then treat me so callously the next? I can’t believe—”
“You’re pregnant, Olivia.”
What? Breathless seconds passed as she waited for her heart to start beating again.
He didn’t even attempt to mask his anger as he laid that bit of truth on her, effectively rendering her speechless. With another quick glance at the ceiling, he grabbed her arm and marched her away from the stairwell, leading them into the privacy of the hall. “You want to know why I’m so pissed off at you?” he growled. “I think it’s utterly stupid that you’d be so selfish, so careless, as to get yourself knocked up by an angel you have no business fucking with in the first place! As if the Dark Court needed another reason to target you. You don’t have any idea what it’s like to be a half-breed—what it’s like to not belong in either world, rejected by the angels, a misfit among the humans, and wanted by hell only to be exploited and forced into slavery for your gifts. You have no idea what you’ve done or how much danger you’ll be in if they discover you’re pregnant.”
Olivia’s blood ran cold as he railed her with the truth. She had no idea the depth of pain and suffering he’d endured in his lifetime. And there was no doubt if she hadn’t snapped the tether of his patience she wouldn’t be privy to these things even now. Haden wasn’t opening up to her out of the goodness of his heart—he was truly angry with her and…scared. It was an emotion she’d never seen in him before, one he didn’t wear well. A weight of dread sunk into her bones at hearing the genuine concern in his snarling voice.
“Why in the hell do you think I’m returning to court with Liam? Because he said I have to?” Haden gave a derisive snort of contempt. “Hardly. I’ve kept my presence hidden for thousands of years. You don’t think I could escape him? But I know that relentless bastard, and he’d search for me. He’d leave you here, vulnerable, to hunt me down…because just as I’ve said before, first and foremost, his loyalty is to his Creator.”
Haden’s grip on her arm tightened and he yanked her close. The heat from his body burned against her chest as his glare seared her soul. “So don’t you dare ever accuse me of not loving you,” he growled. “I’m giving myself over to the High Court of a God who never wanted me—for you!”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. When had the shower stopped? Before she could utter any form of a response, Haden hissed a sharp curse and turned away. Olivia watched in stunned silence as he marched down the hall, shot a glance at the stairwell, and barked with annoyed disgust, “Hurry up. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Without so much as a backward glance in her direction, Haden stormed out the front door and perhaps out of her life forever.
Message from the author:
I hope you enjoyed Courting Darkness. Will Olivia and Liam finally get their happily ever after? Will Haden find his redemption, and if so, at what cost? Join me for the conclusion of my Redemption Series with Braving the Darkness, coming in 2014.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements:
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Message from the author:
Courting Darkness Page 33
