She didn’t want to give him false hope, nor did she want to be the Grim Reaper, slashing all his hopes and dreams. “Here’s the thing, Mitch. She’s probably going to be upset to see you. She wouldn’t tell you where she was because she wanted to protect you from this, and you’ve gone and thrown yourself into the middle of it. I still don’t think you get how dangerous this is.”
“I can take care of myself, Ashley. I’m not a little child that needs protecting.”
“We’re all children, Mitch. That’s the problem… This is so much bigger than just Olivia. Only you don’t see that, because you’re too close. If you think, for one minute, that Cale and Rhen aren’t going to turn on you, then you’re a fool.”
His scowl darkened another degree. She knew he didn’t want to hear this, but hoped if she kept force-feeding him the truth, eventually he’d swallow it, even though it tasted like shit. “All right. Well, on that note, thanks for the pick me up, Ash,” he grumbled, turning back to stare out the passenger window. “If I ever feel like jumping off a cliff, I’ll remember not to call you to talk me down.”
“Stop it!” She playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Listen, I just want you to be prepared, that’s all. Because I can guarantee you when we show up there, shit’s going to hit the fan. It’s not too late to change your mind, you know. We can take the next exit and go back. There’s nothing they can do to stop us. Please, Mitch, just think about it.”
He looked back at her. The expression in his ice blue, determined eyes said “Why are you wasting your breath?”
Ashley sighed heavily and muttered, “Never mind.”
***
While Liam was gone, Olivia had nothing but time on her hands, nothing but time to think and ponder, then brood and sulk. She wasn’t pleased by the “new rules” he’d placed upon their relationship. Not that she should be surprised he’d done it. He’d withdrawn from her like this before, back when they’d gotten too close, when he’d come back the first time to win her heart away from Max. How quickly she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him, how much more she loved him now. The injustice of it all broke her heart.
Back then, he’d said she wasn’t his to have, that she was his job and he couldn’t do it like this. It’d hurt like hell to hear him say that then, and it felt no better now—in fact, it was worse, because she now knew firsthand what she was missing. It didn’t matter that he spoke the truth, and knowing that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him didn’t help, either. It only made the forbidden that much more tempting.
When Liam came back, Olivia had her bags waiting by the door as she paced restlessly. He seemed sullen as he walked in, dragging a hand through his unruly hair. Pieces of grass rained down like confetti. She noticed the hem of his maroon v-neck t-shirt was torn, and there were fresh grass stains on the knees of his dark blue jeans. Other than his clothing, he didn’t appear too worse for the wear.
Still, she wanted to go to him, to throw her arms around his neck and ask if he was all right. Of course he would be, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to touch him, to comfort him, and resisting the impulse frustrated her.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, glancing from the bags to her.
“I’m ready.” She crossed her arms over her chest to keep from reaching up and pulling a blade of dried grass from his hair.
His gaze dropped to her stubborn stance, more specifically her boosted cleavage. He tensed, the dark violet color of his eyes quickly smoldering to sapphire. Innocently, she arched her brow and asked, “Are you all right? I see you found Haden.”
Liam didn’t answer her at first. The muscle in his jaw twitched as he ground his teeth together in obvious frustration. “I found him. Not sure I’m glad I did, though,” he grumbled.
“Why is that?”
“Because there’s a chance I’ve just saved that miserable bastard’s soul.”
“What? How did you do that? Why would you do that? I thought you weren’t going to tell him.”
“I didn’t. But it was either repent or die, and unfortunately, he picked the first.”
“I see…” Really she didn’t, but he didn’t exactly look like he wanted to talk about it. “Do you need some time to shower and get changed before we go? You’ve a…still got grass in your hair.” I will not go to him. I will not cave… I am done throwing myself at this male, only to be pushed away time and time again.
Liam muttered something under his breath in a language she didn’t understand. It sounded foul, whatever it was, and he rifled his fingers through his hair one more time. More grass littered the floor at his feet. “I’m fine. I don’t need a shower. We need to get moving. I don’t think Haden’s little ‘Come to Jesus’ experience is going to change his black heart. He still wants you, or the stone—or both. I won’t know for sure until you and the stone are separated. I sure as hell would like to figure out why he wants it so bad. I doubt he will try to pursue us without Rhen and Cale, so this is a good opportunity to put some miles between us and them, especially since we need to stop at the Grotto on our way.”
She reached up and touched the stone she didn’t want to part with. She’d sacrificed so much already. When was it ever going to stop? The thought of giving up her necklace nearly brought tears to her eyes. She turned away before he could see them and walked over to the table to get her purse. Grabbing the strap, she straightened her shoulders, cleared her throat, and said, “Fine. I’m ready to go, then.” I will not cry… I will not cry…
Holding her head high, she turned around and marched toward the door. Stopping at her luggage, she pulled the strap of one duffle bag over her shoulder and picked up the handle of the other. Before she could take a step, Liam grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” she snapped, hurting so much, all she could do was lash out in a poor attempt at self-preservation. “I’m leaving. You want to go, we’ll go. You want to stay, we’ll stay. Just make up your damn mind what you want, Liam, because I’m not a yo-yo. Now, let go of me.” Or I’m going to have a breakdown right here and now, I swear to God I will!
“Let me take your bags.”
Her grip on the handles tightened. “I can do it myself. It’s not like I’m always going to have you here to carry my bags for me.”
“That’s not fair, Olivia.”
“No, it isn’t. But you know what else isn’t fair?—jerking me out of my life after I finally made peace with your absence! Even if it was nothing more than a pathetic façade of a life, it was all I had. And when you leave, guess what? I won’t even have that left anymore. You want to hear something pathetic? I hope Haden never stops hunting me, because I know the minute he does, you’ll be gone! Back to that little puff cloud in the sky—”
“Is that what you think my life is like?” he yelled. “Do you honestly think that one second of my life goes by that I don’t think of you? That I don’t ache for you? Fuck!” He spat the curse in frustration and spun away, pacing the stretch of carpet running from the kitchen to the living room.
Dragging his hands through his hair, he exhaled a growl that sounded as defeated as she felt. When he passed her on his prowl, he abruptly stopped and took her bags, setting them beside his feet. Grabbing ahold of her arms, he pulled her into his embrace. One steel-strong arm wrapped around her rigid back, locking her close as his hand threaded into her hair, cupping her head and pressing her cheek against his chest.
The sure, steady beat of his heart soothed her raw nerves and, despite herself, she felt her body melt into his. His cheek rested against the top of her head, engulfing her small body with his.
“Olivia, believe me, if there were a way I could figure out how to stay with you and remain your guardian, I would do it. I don’t want to leave you—not again—not ever. It nearly killed me the last time, and I don’t know how I’ll find the strength to do it again. This could consume me, if I let it. And the threat here is far from over. Cale and
Rhen have to be stopped. I need to stay focused, and I need you to stay strong. I can’t separate from your emotions, and I can’t afford the distraction. Too much is at risk here. After all this is over, we will sit down together and figure it out. We’ll make the decision together, all right?”
Olivia nodded and reluctantly pulled back. She’d long lost the battle to contain her tears. When Liam cupped her face and tilted it up, the pain she saw etched in his amber-hued gaze mirrored the pain wracking her heart. He hiked up his shirt and used the torn hem to dry her tears. Bending down, he kissed each of her damp cheeks and whispered, “I love you, Olivia. We’ll get through this, I promise.”
***
Haden didn’t know how he’d made it back to the House of Night. His head felt fogged, no doubt an after-effect from the hypoxia. His throat was raw and his bones ached everywhere the mist had touched him. In all his very long life, he’d never come so close to looking death in the eye. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t rattle him. Seeing the shadows coming for him, knowing where they intended to take him… He’d witnessed it too many times to count, except it had always been his victims the mist had come for. It was a completely different experience being on the receiving end of it, and he sure as hell didn’t want to ever be there again.
The warrior wanted him dead—there was zero doubt about that. He wasn’t sure what had stayed his hand, but it certainly wasn’t any desire to give Haden a second chance at life. They both knew this could prove to be a fatal error, and if Haden had his way, it most certainly would be. Payback was a bitch, and he was taking that bastard out the first chance he got.
Ronnin warriors were known to be merciless in battle. The Dark Court feared them above all angels. Before he’d decided to retrieve the stone, even before Anya, he’d known of Liam, called The Lionhearted, and heard stories told of the Great Fall. He wasn’t a fool. Of course he’d taken the time to learn of his enemy before hunting the warrior’s female.
Growing up, he’d heard stories of these warriors whispered through the halls. Time and time again, tales were told of a war so great, it rocked the very foundation of Heaven. It was the darkest time in history. Brother rose up against brother. The deception was great and it ran deep. Many were deceived. When it was all said and done, one third of the angels rose up against their creator—all fell from grace.
Haden had never understood why their God would let it go on so long. He could have stopped it. No doubt, the Creator knew what was happening, but for some reason, He valued free will.
If you asked Haden, it was overrated. Of course, he’d never gotten to enjoy the benefit of such a gift himself. From his first drawn breath, he’d been owned—first by Gahn and then by hatred. Freedom was as foreign a concept to him as forgiveness.
The warriors had been furious when they’d learned of the faction orchestrated by the Morning Star. Haden often wondered how the fallen could have ever thought this would end well. They’d been deceived to follow an archangel who, above all things, loved himself. He took pride in his beauty, in his power, and sought to exalt himself by setting his throne above his creator’s.
Liam’s claim to fame was born when The Morning Star and his army of angels stormed the gates of the High Court, attempting to overthrow the throne. This was where the Ronnin stood against them. The battle was short, but it had been brutal and bloody. It was there that a sword had been thrust into Liam’s side. That he didn’t die was a testament to his immortal strength. That he went on to slay countless numbers of his enemies earned him his badass reputation.
Yet still, Haden had wanted to dip his toes in the waters of the warrior’s wrath and find out for himself if the rumors were true. Now he was questioning his wisdom in tangling with the angel. Perhaps he should have played this out low key, but that had never been Haden’s style. He wanted his enemies to know who was killing them.
Frustrated, Haden spun away from the window that overlooked the half-mile drive leading up to the House of Night. Where in the hell were Cale and Rhen? They should have been here hours ago. He grabbed his cell and called in. On the sixth ring, the bastard finally answered.
“Yeah?”
Irreverent, cocky prick! “Yeah, where are ya? You two takin’ the scenic tour, or what?”
“We’ve a…had a few setbacks. But when we get there, I think you’ll find our little surprise well worth the wait.”
Surprise? Shit… “I hate surprises, Cale. Tell me what you’ve done. You should have been here by now. While you’ve been auditioning for Driving Miss Daisy, the warrior is running with her again. They’re leaving Vegas as we speak, so whatever you’ve done, it better be worth this ‘setback.’”
“We’ve got Mitch.”
“What?” The possibilities immediately began flooding Haden’s mind. He could use Cale and Rhen to draw Liam out, keeping him busy while he sent Mitch to get the stone from Olivia. Liam would never suspect Mitch’s involvement. He was nothing more than a scorned lover. Olivia wouldn’t fear Mitch, making him the perfect pawn to slip past Liam’s guard.
Haden had no doubt that Mitch would agree to help him, especially when he found out his cooperation was the only thing keeping his precious Olivia alive. Damn, this was going to be too easy. He was done playing around with this warrior.
“How much longer before you get here?”
“Couple hours.”
“Fine. Meet me at the House of Night. Just follow the signs when you get into town. I’ll be waiting, so hurry the hell up.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Camaro raced down the freeway at breakneck speed. They’d been traveling like a bat out of Hell for the last several hours. The sun was setting and it was getting dark—fast. Ever since leaving Vegas, Liam had been unusually quiet, not that he was ever particularly chatty, but gone was that charming grin that sent her heart fluttering and the heated look that made her weak in the knees. It was as if he’d flipped a switch, emotionally disconnecting from her—now all business.
She wished she had one of those and could just shut her emotions off. Sitting here, silently watching him, she couldn’t help but notice the way the last rays of sun reflected off his hair, turning the dark mahogany color to rich burgundy. The layered ends flipped in an unruly disarray that made her fingers ache to reach out and brush them away from his immortally twenty-something face. His square jaw clenched, making the muscles tighten and his naturally full lips were pressed into a grim, determined frown. From where she sat, she couldn’t quite see the color of his eyes. Not that she needed to. She knew him well enough now to discern the mood he was in—broody.
“You’re staring.” He flicked a glance at her and then turned his attention back to the road.
“Am I?” she asked off-handedly. “I didn’t realize.” It was hard not to stare, especially when images of last night kept flashing through her mind like a torturous slideshow of pleasure. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe this was the same male who’d taken her to his bed—so rigid, controlled, and disciplined. She missed the passionate, reckless version of her warrior. And after this morning, she feared it was a side of him she’d never see again.
Making no attempt to look away, she turned in her seat, resting her back against the door to settle in for a more comfortable gaze. She propped her elbow on the door and rested her cheek in the palm of her hand. “You hardly ever talk about yourself. There’s a lot I’d like to know about you.”
“Like what?” he asked conversationally.
She lifted her shoulder in a nonchalant shrug and said, “Oh, I don’t know… Like, exactly how old are you?”
Liam’s brow shot up as he cast a questioning glance at her, an amused grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “How old do you think I am?”
“Old. Hard to say for sure, but I’m guessing at least Jurassic Parkish.”
He chuckled. The change in his demeanor was encouraging. Everything weighing in on them right now was life or death serious, and she desperately needed t
he distraction. They still had a long way to go, and she didn’t want to spend the trip fretting about what tomorrow was going to bring.
“If you added a few more millennia to that, you might be getting a bit closer.”
Holy crap! “Jeez, it’s a miracle you didn’t break a hip last night,” she teased, cocking her brow flirtatiously. He laughed, and it felt good to join him. “But for real, it really is amazing. You don’t look a day over twenty-five. Were you ever…younger? Were you ever a child?”
“No. I was created, not born. I’ve always been at this physical development.”
“Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to be a child?—to run and play and do things kids do?”
He shrugged. “Not really, and we played—when you were younger.”
“What? We did? I don’t remember that.”
“Well, you were pretty little, about three or four, I guess. You had this tiara you wore all the time, and a pink lacy princess dress. You had big dangling clip-on earrings and these clear plastic Cinderella slippers—”
Olivia started laughing. “You’re joking, right?”
When he glanced over at her, the love she saw reflected in his eyes took her breath away. There was nothing wanton or heated in his gaze. It was just total, selfless adoration. “You were adorable, Olivia, and I loved you the first moment I laid eyes on you. You were innocent and precious, and everything that was right in this world. All I ever wanted to do was protect you.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Without a doubt, that was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her. Talking to him like this gave her a glimpse at the depth and complexity of his feelings for her that somehow, over the years, had evolved into a relationship of adult bonds and physical attraction.
She was starting to see how impossible this situation truly was for him. As her guardian, he was bonded to her in a way no physical relationship could touch, and to lose her in that way would be devastating for him. He was only supposed to love her, he wasn’t supposed to be in love with her, and therein lay the problem. He could never have her without losing her.
Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) Page 26
