by T. A. White
“Because she let something slip. Something that made me question whether Dad was my real father.” My gaze lifted to him. He stared at me with sad eyes, the understanding there confirming what I suspected. It hurt worse than a knife to the chest.
“You’re lying,” my mom said, her voice ugly with repressed emotion.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lena,” Jenna said. “I have photos of him holding me when I was born.”
“Yes, you do. Funny how all my photos have disappeared,” I said, looking at the two people who’d raised me, the man who had kissed my skinned elbows and knees and then put me back onto my bike to try again.
“There was a fire,” my mom said.
Jenna looked like she might buy into the lie, even as I read the small signs that shouted the deception for what it was. The increased respiration, the sped-up heartbeat and the small changes to her pupil.
My first time being able to sense a lie and it came at the worst possible time. I almost wished I still believed in my fairy tale, that my dad was my dad and we were one big happy family.
“It’s true,” my dad said, his voice hoarse, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Patrick,” my mom said, sounding betrayed.
“You should go,” he told me.
I didn’t respond, his words feeling like a wound. I’d known it in my head. Having him confirm it was just that much worse.
“Aileen,” Jenna said, her voice thin and reedy, an apology already in her eyes.
I held up a hand. “No, not this time. You gave me a pretty song and dance in there, then the first time she whispered in your ear, it was the same old thing. Stay away from me until you learn how to separate her opinions from your own.”
I didn’t wait for a response, walking slowly down the hall. I had no idea if I was going the right way. I just needed to leave, to not be around the people who shared my blood, who were supposed to love me unconditionally and have my back against the world.
I guess those things only applied when you weren’t a vampire.
Liam didn’t say anything as we made our way out of the hospital, letting me lean on him when I got too tired to stand straight, eventually taking me into his arms when it became clear I wasn’t going to make it out of there under my own steam.
His handsome face above me was the last thing I saw before I let my exhaustion and grief carry me off.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I woke facedown in a strange bed, my legs pinned and a warm weight against my back.
Awareness returned in spurts. Gradual, as I drifted out of slumber-land only to fall back into it again. Eventually I forced myself awake, the unfamiliar feeling of another person wrapped around me tugging me from sleep.
A leg pushed between mine from behind as I became aware the firm shape under my head wasn’t a pillow but was in fact a nicely muscled arm. One I recognized.
I lifted myself up, or tried to anyway. The arm around my waist tightened, flattening me down again.
Unable to escape, I twisted my head and stared blearily at a sleeping Liam.
His face was relaxed, peaceful even. It was the first time I’d seen him so unguarded. I wouldn’t go so far to call him innocent or childlike, there was too much masculinity, too much potential for sin even when sleeping, but he looked softer.
I allowed myself to stare, my eyes running over him as I lay my head back down. Like this, his beauty was even more evident. For once, I didn’t immediately want to punch him in the throat.
The events of last night came back to me. The trip to the hospital had changed things between us, but I still couldn’t determine the extent.
He’d been an unwavering support at my back, doing what even my family seemed incapable of. I still didn’t know if I trusted him, not entirely, but in certain things, I knew he wouldn’t let me down.
It was enough. For now.
His eyes blinked open. He stared at me, desire in his gaze, his arms tightening.
Intent was there. Passion too. He looked like a man who was about to take what he wanted. He dragged me over him and hesitated, giving me a chance to say no for one endless slice of time.
The denial hovered on my lips. This was a bad idea on so many levels. We argued as easily as we breathed. He had secrets wrapped in secrets. I doubted I’d ever know the real Liam. This would likely be a brief interlude that flamed out as fast as it burned.
Somehow, I couldn’t voice the word that would end all this as he put slight pressure on my neck, his eyes never leaving mine.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. Warm and safe. I couldn’t explain it, and I didn’t want to question it. The normally banked fire that flared to life anytime we got within feet of each other turned into an inferno.
For just one night, I wanted to forget the differences between us. I wanted to forget we were on two sides of a divide, forget all of the reasons this wouldn’t work.
Instead, I wanted to feel, to throw myself over the edge and not come up until I had sated myself.
It was a purely selfish desire. I was okay with that if it meant getting what I wanted.
He seemed to sense the change in me, one hand coming up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes questioning.
We didn’t speak, each of us afraid to break the moment for fear of it disappearing, of it turning as ephemeral and fleeting as a ghost light.
His hand tightened on the back of my neck as he drew me down, his eyes never leaving mine.
Our lips touched and thought disappeared. The desire we’d been denying rose up, swamping any remaining semblance of thought.
We became two creatures intent on glutting ourselves on the other. It was raw and violent, as if we didn’t consume the other right this second, we would die from the lack.
He was a cool spring lake, stealing my breath and stopping my heart.
I gasped as his fangs sank into my breast, piercing the flesh around my nipple. My hands clutched his back as fire raced from the bite.
I returned the favor seconds later, my eyes fluttering at the first sweet taste of his blood, my head dizzy as we fought for dominance, turning the bed into a tangled nest of blankets.
His skin slid against mine, hard and warm as one hand glided up the inside of my leg, blazing a trail of ice and fire that sank deep.
A husky laugh reached me as I writhed, unable to keep still as he teased and played. “I’ve been waiting to do this since the first time I saw you, a chuisle.”
“Then stop messing around, or I’ll find someone more willing to get things done,” I hissed, my fangs fully extended and my vampire nature engaged.
I regarded him with an obsessive possessiveness, one matched by the dark need in his eyes. It should have scared me, should have sent me running, but somehow it fed the deepest parts of me, ramping up my desire until I felt like I’d do considerable violence if I didn’t get what I wanted right the fuck now.
His smile turned wicked as he read the need in me. It was all the warning I got before he pinned me in bed, his face hovering over mine. “Oh no, macushla. I’ve waited long enough. We’re doing this my way.”
His lips descended as his hands played along my side. Soon my moans filled the air as he left bites along my body, each one sending me higher and higher until I felt like I might spontaneously combust from the feelings running rampant in me.
I arched up, rubbing myself against him, my lips skating over his neck and collarbone as my fangs left another mark. The decadence of his blood made me wild.
His hands found my hips, his fingers tightening and then he was sinking home, filling me up as my neck arched and I lost myself in him.
His eyes shut and he murmured in his native language, words I didn’t understand even as I caught the meaning behind them.
Together, we ignited, each touch sending us higher as he moved within me. His pace quickened, every muscle in my body drawing tight in anticipation, pleasure biting deep. My climax swamp
ed me, sending wave after wave of sensation quaking through me. Liam gave a guttural groan as he followed seconds later.
It was a long time later when we came back to ourselves. I was plastered against his side, he on his back, one hand drawing random patterns on my skin. Shivers skated down my back at each touch as my body rested, resplendent and replete, against his in the aftermath.
I didn’t know if it was because we were both vampires or if it was us, but the intensity of what we’d just experienced was almost scary. It made me want to do it again and again while at the same time I wanted to run fast and far, for fear of losing myself.
I sighed and rolled onto my back. Liam moved beside me, coming to hover over me, his weight supported on one elbow as his hand moved, caressing my side and playing with my hair.
His eyes were wondering, his focus intent, as if he was committing this moment to memory so he might never forget.
“Is it true my apartment was your first stop upon returning?” I asked, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden.
What we’d just done felt momentous. At least for me. For him, who knew? Given his lifespan, he’d probably had lots of lovers. The perfect-looking Niamh being one of them.
I remembered his face the night he’d returned. Expectant and anticipatory, like a starved man seeing food for the first time. He’d hummed with energy, almost desperate, when we kissed.
He made a small sound and dropped a kiss on my collarbone. “Yes, though I’d hoped for a better welcome than the one I got.”
I snorted. “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you. Again.”
“A chuisle, you’re so violent.” His smile deepened. The look in his eyes grew wicked as he nipped my chin. “I find I like it.”
“That’s good. Because I’m not likely to change.”
He lifted his head, his expression turning serious. “Nor would I want you to. I am fascinated by your stubbornness.”
I gave him a flat look. Fascinated. Right. That’s why he sometimes looked like he wanted to murder me when I challenged him.
His smile turned playful. “It makes me want to break it down and turn it to better uses.”
That sounded more realistic.
“How is it that I awoke before you?” I asked. He was centuries older than me. He should have been awake hours before me.
“My day was more active than yours,” Liam said, his gaze steady on mine, his hands tightening just slightly. “And the sun isn’t quite down yet.”
I nodded. Now that he’d said something, I could feel the sun in my chest, its presence waning but still very much there. No wonder my waking had been so slow and disjointed, similar to the way a human would wake.
This was the point where I normally drew back, put distance between the two of us. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to do that just yet.
He rolled onto his back, pulling me with him and arranging me on his chest. I let my chin rest on him.
“Why did you leave?” I asked, almost wincing at the vulnerability the question hinted at.
It wasn’t like I was some insecure teenager unable to cope with someone I was interested in being gone, but for some reason the manner of his leaving bugged me. Much as I hated to admit it, it had hurt he could head out without even a word.
Over three months without communication. It was hard to let that go. Especially given the direction we’d been heading in.
“I got word that someone I’ve been searching for a very long time had been spotted. I didn’t think I had time to delay.”
I rested my chin on his chest as I considered him. “And did you find this friend?”
He stared up at the ceiling, his face pensive. “Yes and no.”
I lifted myself up so I could see his face better. “It’s a pretty straightforward question.”
His eyes turned me. “I found this person, but he is trapped. I’m not even sure he recognizes me. I don’t know how to free him. Yet.”
“This person is why you left?”
It was something I could understand. I had people I would drop everything to find if they ever went missing. From the way he spoke, whoever this person was, they were extremely important to him. I could hear the yearning in his voice when he spoke of them, sense his frustration that he didn’t know how to help them.
He made a wordless sound of assent. “It was supposed to be a quick mission, there and back. Unfortunately, complications delayed my return,” he said.
“Complications that followed you back here?”
The look on his face was all the answer I needed.
An irrational surge of jealousy rose. I already knew Niamh and he had had a relationship, now I had to consider whether that relationship was a little more recent than I’d previously thought.
“I’ve lived a long life, not all of it good. There are things in my past that I’m not proud of. I would prefer those things not touch you,” he said, his voice serious.
He wasn’t the sort of man who explained. You took him as he was or you walked away. There would be no changing Liam, no softening him or using feminine wiles to civilize him. The fact that he’d bent to explain that much said he took this thing between us seriously.
I didn’t react for a long moment, letting his words sink in. It was enough that I didn’t get up and walk away, though it was tempting. He had heartache written all over him.
“Niamh is one such thing?” I asked, giving in.
His nod was small. “Yes.”
“She wants you back,” I said. Liam was a fine specimen of manhood. The way she’d looked at him had been possessive, not the sort of look a woman gave an ex-lover.
“She is a collector,” he said. “She sees me as a challenge, someone who got away, something that she can possess. However, she will not let that desire interfere with their purpose here.”
I drummed my fingers on his chest. “You had me look over you and Eric to see if either of you were under her influence.”
“Yes.”
“And if I’d found her fingerprints all over you two?” I asked, lifting up, alarm finally taking hold.
“I would have had to take drastic action,” Liam said in a calm voice.
I didn’t have to ask what kind of drastic action that would be. I remembered the screams of the woman when the geas had taken hold.
If I’d found evidence of influence, Liam could very well have gone the same way.
The knowledge I might have come close to losing him struck deep. In all our back and forth, I had never considered a world without him in it. It was a much-needed reminder that despite the fact we were both immortal, life was still short. You had to grab it while you could or else be left standing battered and beaten in its wake.
His hands stroked my back, the touch drugging. I put my head back on his chest. The faintest trace of a heartbeat fluttered against my ear as he went back to playing with my hair, picking it up and letting it fall with a fascinated expression on his face.
“Speaking of our Fae friends, what did they get up to today?” I asked, needing a change of subject. I assumed he knew since he’d evidently been up most of the day.
His hand stroked along my back as he shifted under me, trying to get comfortable.
“They met with the witch’s hag,” he said.
Not good. I couldn’t think of a worse partnership than Niamh and Sarah. The two apart were forces in their own right, both as tricky and devious as the other. Together they would be a nightmare to deal with.
“I’m still surprised Sarah agreed to an alliance with them,” I said. “She doesn’t strike me as the type to work well with others.”
“She’s not,” Liam said. “But she hates Thomas. She’d do anything to bring him down.”
That was a depth of hatred I just couldn’t understand. Whatever had caused the enmity between them had happened centuries ago. To still be plotting and scheming to get back at Thomas, took a dangerous amount of persistence.
I sighed as the sun sank fully below the horizon, the
tight feeling in my chest loosening for the first time since I’d awoken.
Liam’s knowing gaze was on me when I looked back up. “It’ll get better with time.”
I sure hoped so. Being this conscious of the sun’s movements was disconcerting.
“There’s still one thing that’s bugging me,” I said.
His chest moved under me as he chuckled. He ran his fingers through my hair, smoothing it out. “Just one?”
“That first attack, how did the person know I would head for the troll?” I said thinking out loud.
His fingers paused as he gave consideration to my observation. “You assume the troll’s sleep was because of you.”
“You don’t?”
“I had the enforcers check on a few other of the known Fae in the city, especially the powerful ones. Two others were in a deep slumber like your friend,” he said.
Which meant Hector and the butterfly might have been a coincidence. I could almost see that.
“I don’t think the attack on us was on purpose,” I said, thinking out loud.
He shifted his head so he could see me better. “What makes you say that?”
“It was sloppy, and it doesn’t fit with everything else going on. I think whoever did it saw an opportunity and took it.”
It would explain a lot. My bet was the witches at the bar. Whether it was revenge for getting them kicked out or because of my connection with Angela, they made the most sense.
Once you took Hector out of the equation, the attack pointed directly at the witches.
“We should get going,” I said. “I’m sure whatever Niamh and her companions are after won’t wait much longer.”
I still had to get to the bottom of Niamh’s role in my niece’s sickness, and Liam probably had to make a plan of action with his people.
Liam’s face was regretful as he stood, stretching that long expanse of fine skin over glorious muscles. He pointed to a door to my left. “You can take a shower in there.”
I nodded, getting a good look around the bedroom for the first time since I’d woken. It was surprisingly sparse, just a big wooden bed with a dark coverlet and strong, dark pieces interspersed throughout the room.
