Mitch stopped pacing long enough to growl, “I’m going upstairs to check out her room.” He spoke to no one in particular, charging toward them as he stormed down the silken aisle runner. Red rose petals lay crushed beneath his feet, leaving behind bright red streaks across the pristine maiden’s path. “Maybe she left a note or something…”
***
Haden stood inside Olivia’s dressing room. Her light vanilla-jasmine scent clung in the air, teasing his nostrils. So close…he fumed. Maybe it’s still here. He walked over to the little desk where Olivia’s jewelry box sat tucked in the corner of the make-shift dressing room and opened each of the drawers, rifling through them—frustration quickly building with each empty drawer. As Haden pulled open the last one, it snagged on something. Forcing it open a little farther, he could see a pearl necklace wedged deep inside.
Footsteps echoed down the hall, falling at a determined pace and growing closer with each step. Out of time, he reached inside and grabbed the pearls, pulling them loose to dislodge the drawer. The necklace suddenly snapped, sending a cascade of iridescent balls bouncing across the hardwood floor. Hearing the click of the door knob, Haden stepped across dimensions a second before a tuxedoed man burst into the small room.
Pearls still ticked against the floor, rolling every direction as the guy took two steps inside and stopped. Looking down, he lifted his foot and bent to pick up the small white ball trapped between the sole of his shoe and the hardwood floor. Fear filled the groom’s eyes as he looked around the room. Spotting Olivia’s cell phone, Haden watched as he charged the desk and snatched up the mobile device sitting beside her jewelry box.
Turning abruptly, the guy ran out of the room yelling, “Call the police! I think someone took Olivia!”
“You think?” Haden chuckled darkly as he stepped back over to the earthly realm. Stretching his senses, he tried to get a bead on the female, but as the minutes passed, so had her scent, leaving him with a nose full of the warrior’s spicy fragrance. One was just as good as the other, though… Where the angel was, sure as shit that’s where his female would be.
Chapter Two
“Where are we going?” Olivia asked, staring into the lap of her tear-stained dress.
Glancing over at her, Liam turned down a side street. The Camaro’s engine growled as he punched the accelerator. “Back to your apartment to get some of your things packed.”
“I’m already packed. For my honeymoon,” she replied coolly.
“Olivia, believe me, if there had been any other way—”
“I need to call Mitch,” she interrupted. “I have to explain to him what happened. He’s got to be worried sick.”
“What are you going to tell him?” Liam challenged, arching his brow. “That an angel abducted you in order to keep you safe from demons that are trying to kill you because you can see them?”
She was taken aback by his bluntness. Funny, she didn’t remember him being this…crass. “Of course not!” she snapped, her own temper kicking up. “But I have to tell him something! I’m sure everyone’s panicked. So unless you want to see my face plastered across the ten o’clock news, you’d better let me use your damn phone!”
Sighing, Liam reached into his pocket, dug out his cell, and handed it over to her.
“Thank you,” she replied sarcastically, snatching it from his hand.
“It will be safer for Mitch if you don’t tell him anything,” he advised. “Safer for your parents, too.”
Olivia paused halfway through dialing Mitch’s number and pinned him with a hard glare. “Are they going to hurt him? Are my parents in danger, Liam?” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “What if they come here? Ashley lives here! God knows, she’s been hurt enough because of this!”
Panic climbed up Olivia’s throat, choking off her air until all she could manage was to take guppy-sized breaths between fresh waves of tears. She couldn’t bear it if anyone else got hurt because of her—not again. Max, her fallen-angel ex-boyfriend, had nearly killed her, Ashley, and Nate three years ago. That they survived the living hell was nothing short of a miracle—literally.
A shiver of dread ran through her as memories of Max came flooding back like it was yesterday. Sometimes in her sleep, she could still feel that vice-like grip latched on her ankle, pulling her beneath the water’s surface as her lungs screamed for air. It had literally taken years to bury the memories of Max and the torment he’d put her through, but apparently not deep enough, because just the thought of that evil bastard sent her heart racing.
Liam stiffened in the seat beside her, shoulders rigid. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, the muscle at his jaw clenched as he ground his teeth together. Olivia suspected he was responding to her anxiety. As her guardian, they were bonded, which meant he felt her emotions. Every single last one of her betraying emotions was an open book to him. And didn’t that just suck ass.
She wished he would reach over and take her hand, giving her that calming strength he so freely offered her three years ago. But he didn’t move—not even an inch. Things were different now, weren’t they? She was engaged to marry another man. For all intent and purposes, she no longer belonged to him, and just the thought of that sad reality left her with a giant-sized hole in her heart.
She should thank him—really—for his distance, because the last thing she needed was to go down that road with him again. Why should she think, for even one minute, that things would end differently this time? What they shared three years ago had nearly destroyed them both. Obviously, they both still carried the scars of that forbidden love, and seeing him again, being this close to him, raked those wounds open and left her completely raw and bleeding.
“Balen is with Ashley. She’ll be fine.” Liam’s tight, strained voice offered little comfort.
Balen was Liam’s best friend and a fellow Ronnin warrior who’d had zero interest in serving as anyone’s guardian—until he met Ashley. Initially agreeing to guard her from Max as a favor to Liam, Balen had quickly formed an attachment to the young woman and had chosen to remain as her protector, even after the threat of Max had been neutralized.
Casting Liam a sideways glance, she was tempted to inquire about his friend—her friend—oh, how she’d missed them. Sighing, she dialed Mitch’s number and waited silently for him to answer. Shit, she had no idea what she was going to say. She didn’t have long to figure it out, either, because he picked up after the first ring.
“Hello?”
Lord, she could practically feel his fear reaching out and touching her through the phone. “Mitch?”
“Olivia! Thank God! Where are you? Everyone’s panicking here—”
Unshed tears clogged in her throat. “I’m so sorry, Mitch.” She reached up and swiped her palm across her damp cheeks. “I can’t tell you where I am right now, but I want you to know that I’m okay. I never wanted to hurt you, you have to believe that, and I’m doing this for your safety, too.”
“Doing what? What the hell are you talking about, Olivia? Are you in some kind of trouble? Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”
Liam shifted restlessly, and she resisted the urge to look at her guardian. It was bad enough having this conversation right beside him. No doubt, he could hear every word Mitch said to her.
“I can’t, Mitch. I just need you to trust me. I’ll explain everything when I can. I have to go…” her voice cracked. “Tell everyone…tell them I’m so sorry.”
“Olivia! Wait! Don’t hang up! Sweetheart, I love you! Just tell me what’s going on!”
“I love you, too,” she whispered before hanging up the phone. The words tasted like bitter acid on her tongue. Did she really?—love him? Maybe she did, in her own way. Perhaps, after all these years, she’d managed to carve out a small part of herself to give to another. But Liam still and always would possess the untouchable part of her heart, the part where her spirit and soul fused. Forcing those words past her lips had been agony. She felt like she’d
betrayed Liam and knew, without a doubt, that her heart had already betrayed Mitch.
The creak of leather and protest of stressed steel forced her attention back to the angel sitting beside her. Liam’s hands tightly clenched the steering wheel. His knuckles blanched, corded muscles straining his forearms. Rigid and stoic, he kept his face turned away from her.
Tension between them swelled until the air crackled with electricity. “Liam,” she whispered softly.
He didn’t reply.
“Liam,” she said again, trying to get him to look at her—to acknowledge her. He pulled into her driveway and slammed the gearshift into park. In one fluid motion, the door was open and he was halfway out the car before she could stop him. Olivia reached over and placed her hand on his arm. He froze. His flesh leapt beneath her touch.
“Look at me,” she pleaded. Letting go of his arm, she gently grasped his jaw, turning his face toward her. Slowly, his head came around, and when his eyes reluctantly locked on hers, her breath caught in her throat.
The deep jade green color of Liam’s eyes, marbled with rich golden amber, reflected back at her, filling Olivia with shame and sorrow. Now she knew why he’d been hiding his face from her, and it only confirmed what she knew in her heart—he was jealous and filled with grief. She’d learned in the past exactly what colors correlated with his emotions, and she also knew he hated having his emotional grid displayed in his eyes for the whole world to see.
Her hand burned against his cheek, her chest aching with gut-wrenching regret. He was so beautiful…even more beautiful than she remembered. Olivia sat there, speechless, transfixed by piercing eyes she swore could see into her soul. Try as she might, she just couldn’t get the words she needed to say past her lips. What could she say? I’m sorry… I’m engaged to another man while I’m still desperately in love with you? Hardly… That conversation would produce nothing but sour grapes.
“I’ll go get your bags,” he finally said, breaking contact and letting her off the hook. Liam climbed out of the car with lithe grace. A pang of disappointment speared her heart at the loss of contact with him. Oh Lord, help me… she prayed.
***
Walking into Olivia’s apartment, Liam was immediately hit with the scent he’d been spared when guarding her from his dimension, and had failed to escape since the moment he tossed that female over his shoulder, stealing her away from her intended groom.
It was an asshole move—no doubt about it. He wasn’t denying it, and sure as hell wasn’t going to apologize for it. He’d sat by long enough, letting Olivia flounder in her free will. Thank God, Rowen and his band of bastards had shown up when they did, wiping free his conscience and giving him the excuse to do what needed to be done—what in truth, would have been done whether they’d shown up or not.
Rowen had just been the loophole he needed. There was no damn way he was going to stand by and watch Olivia walk down the aisle with that POS. Yeah, there’d be hell to pay, and a shitload of red tape to get the Council of the High Court off his ass when they discovered what he’d done, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
Liam paused, drawing in a slow, deep breath—allowing himself a moment to enjoy the rush as his senses came back online, solidifying his bond with the woman, an indulgence he’d been too distracted to partake in while abducting her. Olivia’s bags were sitting by the door, a painful kick in the balls, reminding him that she’d intended to spend this night with another man. He snarled a ripe curse and grabbed the damn bags, jerking the door shut behind him.
What in the hell was he thinking?—coming back here. If he’d had a brain in his head, he would have sent someone else—anyone else—to get Olivia out of here while he dealt with Rowen’s legion. Shit, Tate would have done it, and the brother owed him one. But the temptation to see her again, even if for a little while, had been too great to resist.
So many things were different about her, and yet other things were exactly the same. Her scent, for example, was precisely how he remembered it. But her touch…it burned with a new fire that nearly snapped what little thread of self-control he had. Hell, he’d fled the car to keep himself from doing something they’d both regret. Things just weren’t that simple anymore… Ah hell, who was he kidding? They’d never been simple, only now they’d moved into a whole other realm of complicated. There was someone else. He’d known the day would come, thought he’d prepared himself for it even. But then again, that’s the thing with denial, it doesn’t matter how much you lie to yourself, eventually reality was bound to sneak up and bite you in the ass. And damn if he wasn’t missing a chunk of flesh.
There was no denying it, Olivia had changed. Oh, how he missed those days when she’d been the little girl dressed in her tiara and costume jewelry, having afternoon tea with him, believing he was nothing more than her imaginary friend. He missed the unjaded young woman who’d given him her heart three years ago, that might as well have been three lifetimes, for all the suffering they’d endured since then. How he wished things could have been different between them. What he wouldn’t give to make it so.
As Liam walked out the front door, he was suddenly hit with a sense of evil foreboding. Every muscle in his body tensed as his warrior instincts snapped to attention. Rowen was close. He could sense the dark undercurrent in the air. Shit, they were already searching for her.
***
Olivia sat in the car, watching the front door of her apartment from the rearview mirror, waiting as the seconds ticked by for Liam to reappear. He burst out the door and descended the steps when suddenly his sure, determined stride faltered. Tensing, he stopped to crane his neck, looking behind him. After a brief moment, he swung back around. The glower on his handsome face darkened another degree, making him look downright lethal. His amethyst-colored eyes verily glowed with anger—not that she blamed him. It couldn’t be easy for him to see her wearing this wedding dress or hear her tell another man she loved him.
As he strode toward her, she was taken aback by the sheer size of him, the fluid grace of his well-defined, powerful body. After all these years, she’d never gotten used to his beauty, and didn’t think she ever would.
The rear door opened and her bags made an abrupt appearance in the back seat. Good thing she hadn’t packed anything breakable. Wordlessly, he hopped into the driver’s seat, slammed the door shut, and peeled out of the driveway. The sudden change in him set her nerves on edge. Combined with a healthy dose of guilt, she teetered on the edge of another breakdown.
When she’d woken up this morning and laid there staring at the ceiling, she’d prayed for closure to this painful chapter of her life. She was prepared to put the past, aka Liam, behind her and start over as Olivia Mathis. The last thing she’d expected was to have the angel show up mere minutes before she’d be saying “I do” and steal her away.
Honestly, she didn’t think she’d ever see Liam again. After three miserable years of hoping and waiting, begging and sobbing, she’d finally given up. How long was I supposed to live my life mourning for you? She wanted to scream, hating him for doing this to her, and hating herself for hurting him and for letting those old emotions come flooding back like it was yesterday.
Liam turned onto I-75 and headed north. He still hadn’t said a word to her—his posture tense as he frequently glanced into the rearview mirror.
“Where are we going?”
He looked at her a moment before answering. “I’m not sure yet. I haven’t thought things out that far. I didn’t exactly plan for this to happen.”
“Why now, Liam? It’s been three years and nothing. All of a sudden, why am I so important to them again?”
“You never stopped being important. Just because you think these last three years have been quiet doesn’t make it so. I’ve been busy, very busy…”
“Oh.” Olivia didn’t know what to say. She’d just assumed the Dark Court had left her alone. She’d been too caught up in her own grief to pay any mind, or even care about the otherworldl
y dynamics at play.
“I don’t want you to be afraid. I just want to keep you safe, like I promised I would, but I didn’t promise it would always be convenient for you. I am sorry about your wedding.”
“So am I...” she replied softly.
Liam didn’t respond, but then, there wasn’t anything he could say.
Chapter Three
“The warrior’s been here,” Haden announced as they stepped into the female’s apartment.
No shit. As if Rowen couldn’t figure that out for himself. The warrior’s presence permeated the small room, leaving behind a dominant spicy scent that even he couldn’t mistake.
Cale shifted restlessly near the doorway. The fallen angel’s “fight or flight” response clearly edged toward flight—pussy. He and Rhen hung back, neither of them looked too happy about being here. Perhaps the problem was Haden. That surly bastard seemed to bring out the worst in everyone.
“How long ago?” Rowen asked, walking farther into the living room. Who knows, maybe the tracker could be good for something, after all. He knew Liam had been here, but his senses weren’t acute enough to timeline events.
Haden drew in a slow, deep breath and exhaled the air, his face crinkling in disgust. “Fifteen, twenty at the most.”
“Dammit!” Rowen growled. “He’s running with her!” He turned to leave, ready to rally his crew and haul ass, when he noticed Haden walking the other way. Where in the hell was he going? Following a few paces behind, he watched from the crack in the bedroom door as Haden stood at Olivia’s dresser, digging through her jewelry box, pulling open drawer after drawer.
What is that crazy bastard looking for? Whatever it was, he didn’t find it, because a snarled curse tore from his lips as he slammed the last drawer shut. Spinning around, he marched over to the woman’s bed and picked up her nightgown draped across the mattress. Burying his face into the black silk, a low, throaty growl rumbled in Haden’s throat.
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