The Redemption Series

by Melynda Price

  Ashley flipped through a couple more pictures. “Jeez, Liv, your boobs look great in every one. That’s so not fair.” They scrolled through the pictures, and Ashley pointed out what she did and didn’t like about each dress. She had a keener eye for detail, and Olivia wondered if perhaps she should just let her pick the dress. When they got to the last gown, Olivia’s heart stuttered, her breath halting in her lungs. By the time she found her voice, Ashley had already flipped back to a previous dress.

  “I still think I like this one the best. The beadwork and tooling are amazing—.”

  “Wait. Let me see your phone.” Olivia didn’t wait for a response before taking it from her friend and scrolling forward a couple of pictures. When she found the one she was looking for, she tapped the screen to shift the focus off her and to the right. Drawing her fingers apart, she enlarged the background past a sour-faced Haden to the storefront window behind him.

  Olivia’s pulse leapt as a shot of adrenaline hit her veins. She couldn’t hear what Ashley was saying over the pounding of her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Her mouth went ash dry, her throat instantly tight from that sudden lump of dread wedged inside it. Her voice was a strangled wheeze as she struggled to force the words past her lips. “Oh my God… Ashley, go get Haden!”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Olivia’s panic hit Haden like a sucker punch to the gut. He’d never felt the like of it before. Pure, raw terror gripped his heart, threatening to squeeze the very life out of him. With a burst of preternatural speed, he raced back to the bridal shop and nearly plowed into Ashley as she ran out the door. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her and demanded, “Where’s Olivia?”

  Ashley had that deer in the headlights look. It seemed to take her a second to understand the words coming out of his mouth and then another to form an appropriate response. To help her along, he shook her. “Where the fuck is she?”

  Ashley pointed over her shoulder toward the fitting rooms. “I don’t know what happened. We were looking at pictures and then she just lost it. She told me to go get you and ran into the dressing room.”

  Haden shoved past her, sliding through the doorway, and charged into the fitting room. He didn’t need their bond to tell him which one was hers. He could hear her hitching breaths between broken sobs as she chanted, “No, no, no… It can’t be… This can’t be happening.”

  Haden didn’t bother knocking, pausing only long enough to put his shoulder into the door and pop the lock. Taking a step inside, he froze at the sight before him. His lungs refused to draw air, the blood rushing through his veins seeming to crystallize as his heart struggled to beat against the crushing weight of his chest—the onslaught of emotions rioting inside him was near paralyzing. Haden could handle his own feelings well enough. He’d had centuries of experience in secreting them away, in pushing through the pain and heartache to do what needed to be done.

  But Olivia’s emotions…that was an entirely different story. Her terror ran rampant through his veins, unleashing a tidal wave of panic unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. The emotion was so foreign, he couldn’t process it. The sensation wreaking havoc on his body was crippling.

  She sat on the bench seat, nearly swallowed up by the reams of taffeta billowing around her. Shoulders hunched, her face was buried in her hands, elbows propped against her knees. He angled his head to the side, trying to glimpse her face between the gaps of her hair that had fallen forward and nearly touched the floor. Her delicate shoulders shook uncontrollably with shuddering breaths.

  Olivia’s head snapped up, a moment delayed from his barreling entrance. Her wide-eyed terror dealt him a blow to the balls that knocked out whatever air remained in his lungs. As her tear-filled gaze locked on his and recognition dawned in those emerald jewels, a flitter of relief, soft as butterfly wings, glanced through his chest. Hers or his?—fuck if he knew, but seeing her, knowing she was safe, did wonders for his heart that was kicking along, struggling to keep the blood pumping through his veins.

  Before he could go to her, Olivia leapt up and threw herself into his arms, and the sobbing started all over again. “I can’t believe this is happening! It can’t be true!” Her voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest. Haden wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders, pulling her closer into the refuge of his body.

  She felt so small against him, so fragile in his arms. So…perfect. “Shh…” he crooned. “Tell me what’s wrong, Olivia. What can’t be true?” Whatever had spooked this woman rattled her good. Olivia wasn’t a female prone to dramatics. That she was this panicked boded ill, causing a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Haden stretched his senses, struggling to push past his awareness of her and her emotional assault, searching the area for imminent danger—nothing.

  “He’s dead! I saw him die!”

  Haden tensed, alarm arrowing through him like the bolt of a crossbow. He released his hold on her and reached up, taking Olivia’s face in his hands and meeting her frightened eyes. The end of her nose was reddened, tears stained her cheeks, and smudges of mascara rimmed her emerald orbs.

  Fuck, she even cried beautifully... It took all his self-control to steel himself against the temptation to lift his thumbs and wipe away her tears, to lower his lips and taste her briny kiss…

  “Who’s dead, Olivia? What did you see?” Urgency made his tone harsher than he intended.

  In his hands, her head shook in denial. “This can’t be happening…” She spoke to herself, rambling some inaudible denial, her vacant gaze no longer meeting his.

  “Olivia, who did you see?” he demanded harshly, giving her a small shake to get her attention.

  It must have worked because her eyes snapped back to his, coming sharply into focus. “Max. I saw Max.”

  “Olivia, that’s impossible. Max is dead.”

  This is unreal. He doesn’t believe me… Olivia’s panic banked in the wake of her ire. “I know he’s dead! I saw him die, for crissake! But I’m telling you it was him, Haden. I saw Max.”

  Haden relaxed his hold on her. The severe scowl that drew his tawny brows together eased, as did the harsh worry lines bracketing his mouth. As if placating a child, his tone softened. “You’re mistaken. You must have seen someone that looks like him, but it wasn’t Max. No one gets out of the Abyss. And besides, I would have sensed him if he were here.”

  Perhaps he didn’t intend to sound so condescending, but that’s exactly how she took it and barely resisted the impulse to kick him in the shin. Unbelievable… Haden’s doubt left a tell-tale sting of betrayal and Olivia verbally retaliated. “You don’t believe me,” she accused. “If Liam were here, he’d believe me.”

  It was a low blow and she knew it, but Olivia was desperate to make Haden believe her. She wrenched from his grasp and turned toward the bench where Ashley’s phone lay. Before she could take a step, Haden snagged a fistful of her gown and yanked her back around. The muscle twitching in his jaw told her he didn’t appreciate her snarky comparison.

  “I’ve got news for you, sweetheart, you’re not the only one who wishes he were here.”

  She deserved that, but it stung all the same.

  “It’s not that I don’t believe you, Olivia. I know you think you saw him. I can feel your fear. But I’m telling you it could not have been Max.”

  “Let go of me and I’ll prove to you I’m not crazy.” She grabbed a fistful of her gown and tugged it from his grasp.

  Haden exhaled an exasperated sigh and released her. “I never said you were crazy, Olivia. There’s no need to be putting offending words in my mouth. I’ve no short supply of them on my own.”

  Wasn’t that the truth. The rasp of silken fabric rustled loudly as she stomped to the bench and snatched the phone off the seat. She opened the pictures and quickly swiped her finger across the screen until she found the one she was looking for and zoomed in on the face in the picture window. “Here!”

  She turned toward Haden and shoved the phone in his
face. He tipped his head back as if to focus on the screen better. As his scowl darkened ominously, she couldn’t deny she felt a measure of satisfaction. Abruptly, he snatched the phone from her hand to get a better look.

  When a nasty curse tore from his throat, part of her felt spitefully vindicated while the other part was just plain scared as hell. Max was back… How was that even possible? How did he get here? What did he want? Well, that was a stupid question. She knew what he wanted—her dead. But how was he able to get past Haden’s supernatural radar?

  Haden pressed a few buttons and handed her Ashley’s phone back. “Come on, Olivia. Let’s go. I need to get you home. Now.”

  He grabbed her wrist and was pulling her toward the door when she started tugging back. “Haden, wait! I have to get dressed first.”

  He stopped and turned his head, his verdant gaze sweeping over her as if, just now, realizing she still wore a wedding dress. “Well then, get changed,” he barked, “and be quick about it.”

  That Haden was motivated with a sudden sense of urgency did nothing to calm her fears. “I’m not getting undressed in front of you—.”

  “Then I’ll turn around,” he offered, facing the door.

  “You’ll step outside and let me get dressed.”

  “You’ll quit your yapping and take that damn dress off right now or I’ll do it for you.”

  His growled threat sent a shiver of goose bumps racing up her arms. She had no doubt Haden meant what he said. He’d never been one to cast an idle threat, nor had he ever been overly concerned with propriety or her modesty.

  “Don’t turnaround,” she warned him with a huff. Olivia reached behind her to tug down the zipper of that strapless grown. It only slid down an inch or two before stopping. Oh no… She tried to zip it backup, but the thing wouldn’t budge.

  “Dammit!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My zipper, it’s stuck. I need you to go get Ashley.”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight, Olivia. We don’t have time for this shit.” Without warning, Haden turned and strode over to her. Placing his hands firmly at her waist, he none-too-gently spun her to face the wall. She felt his hands at her back, shoving her hair to the side. “Your hair’s caught in the zipper.”

  There was some tugging and a bit more cursing. Sharp pain bit at her scalp as she felt several hairs rip loose. “Ouch!” She turned her head and looked over her shoulder. Haden was scowling in concentration as he knelt behind her, working to free her hair. “Maybe if you—.”

  His eyes darted up to hers—a sharp warning for her to zip her lip. “This isn’t my first rodeo, sweetheart. I think I can manage to undress a woman without your direction. If you want to help, you can pull the rest of your hair out of the way.”

  She let go of the bodice she held in place to gather her hair and pile it on top of her head.

  There was more tugging and the ping of breaking hairs, or maybe it was threads. “Be careful with this dress, Haden. It costs two thousand dollars—” Before she could finish griping, the rip of the zipper rent the air and her dress fell to her ankles, leaving her clad in nothing but a shell pink thong. Olivia gasped and dropped her hair, her hands flying down to cover her breasts, but there was no hope for her rear.

  She whipped her head around to see a surprised Haden staring unabashedly at her backside. He clearly hadn’t been expecting that to happen either, but that didn’t prevent him from taking in the view. “Haden!” she cried, accusation ripe in her voice.

  His darkening gaze flickered to hers. “What?” he snapped back defensively. “I thought you were holding onto your dress.”

  “I was until you told me to lift my hair!”

  “Not with both hands, I didn’t.”

  True. The reality of her mistake hit her with the stinging slap of embarrassment—right across her bare, string-clad ass. Her face flushed, heating with mortification. “Well…turn around!” she snapped indignantly when Haden made no move to do so on his own accord.

  With an exhaled sigh that sounded more like a pained growl, he rose to his feet and cast a fleeting glance over her shoulder and into the mirror. Her splayed hands couldn’t completely cover her bare breasts, leaving them spilling out and revealing a feast of flesh for his feral gaze.

  “Now, Haden!” She stomped her foot impatiently to show him she was serious, but any movement at all proved a bad idea.

  “For crissake, Olivia!” He snarled another ripe curse and dragged his hand across his mouth before spinning away. He faced the corner, reminding her of a child in time out. The rise and fall of his wide shoulders evidenced his quickened breaths as he grappled for flagging control.

  Olivia knew that look. She’d seen the longing, the desire, in that hungry gaze many times. She scrambled to get dressed, praying all the while that Haden would do the honorable thing and not turnaround.

  “Hurry up,” he growled, his strained voice brittle as a sheet of ice.

  “Trust me, I’m not dallying. You shouldn’t be in here,” she scolded, shooting him a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure he hadn’t turned around. “It isn’t proper.”

  “Get used to it, sweetheart, because until Liam gets back, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  Oh great…

  Chapter Thirty

  Jesse’s nicker alerted Liam he wasn’t alone. The brier had permeated the southern wall again, and Liam was ankle deep in the poisonous thorns, cutting them back with his broadsword when Niall road up on him. By the grim scowl on his face, Liam knew this wasn’t a social call that had the angel hauling ass toward him.

  He knew a brief moment of alarm, fearing something might have happened to Rebecca, and she’d taken a turn for the worse, but quickly dismissed the thought. Although her recovery was taking longer than he would have liked, she was improving daily, and he’d just seen her a few hours ago when they had breakfast together out on the veranda. Niall usually enjoyed the pleasure, but he’d left to meet with Connor, a Rogue, who’d just returned from delivering a Correan to the Abyss.

  The repairs to Landaketa were nearly complete. The only area left was this southern wall and that should be done today. Once the brier was cut back, he’d reseal the wall, and all would be set back to rights again. Liam was anxious to get home to Olivia. In less than two weeks, they’d be married and she’d be coming back with him here, to Landaketa—their new home. It didn’t give her a lot of time to say goodbye to her current life, and he wanted to be there for her during what would surely be a difficult time. Unfortunately, by the look on Niall’s face, he was pretty certain the Rogue leader may have something to say about that.

  “Niall,” he acknowledged then returned to his task.

  The angel watched him work, waiting for him to finish. As he hacked through the brier, the severed ends fell to the ground and immediately shriveled, disintegrating to dust at his feet.

  “Hard to believe something so fragile could be so deadly.”

  “That often is the way of it. Looks can be very deceiving.”

  “You nearly lost Olivia over it.”

  Liam grunted. A memory he didn’t need reminded of—not now—not ever. He remembered all too well the helplessness of sitting vigil at her bedside and applying cool cloths to her fevered brow while praying to his Creator she be spared. With a violent swipe of his blade, the poisoned vines shrunk back behind the wall and Liam hastily sheathed his sword. Using the stir of restless energy the unpleasant memories roused, he pressed his palms against the pearlescent wall and sent forth a blast of supernatural power into the semi-permeable barrier.

  Niall was waiting for him to finish, which meant whatever he had to say must need his concentration, which didn’t bode well. As the minutes passed in stretching silence, Liam’s tension increased. The moment he finished, he turned around and faced the angel. “What’s on your mind, Niall?”

  The Rogue didn’t mince words, something Liam had always appreciated about him—until now.r />
  “I know where Gahn is.”

  Rage exploded inside him like a giant clap of thunder. Every muscle in his body instantly strung ripcord tight. Sensing the energy shift in the air, Jesse’s ears shot forward, and the warhorse took a cautions step back from his master.

  “Where? Where is he?” Liam growled.

  “The Abyss.”

  “What? Why the fuck would he go there?”

  Niall shrugged. “No good reason I can think of.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “Connor came to see me. He delivered a Correan to the Abyss last week and saw Gahn speaking with Hades. He was too far away to hear what they were discussing, but in light of what Olivia’s guardian discovered, it’s entirely reasonable to assume it involves her.”

  He cringed at hearing Haden referred to such, the title of Guardian grated against his nerves already raw with fury. “How long have you known this?” Liam swore if Niall had sat on this information while he repaired Landaketa, he was going to commit his first murder. A fucking week had passed since he’d last been sighted. A lot can bloody happen in a week. He knew the chances of that bastard still being in the Abyss were nil. But still, he had to go. He had to follow every lead, no matter how unlikely.

  “I just learned of it this morning.”

  The slightest measure of tension eased from his strained muscles. At least he wouldn’t have to kill his friend now. “I have to go.” Liam turned toward Jesse, and the destrier flinched as he grabbed the pommel of the saddle and leapt upon the warhorse’s back. Taking up his reins, he pressed his knee into Jesse’s side, guiding him around.

  “I’ve already sent a legion to the Abyss to question Hades. Return to Olivia and wrap up your loose ends. Bring her here. This is the safest place for her right now. Who bloody knows what the hell those two are planning. But you can be certain that whatever it is, it doesn’t bode well for any of us.”