Awakened (Vampire Awakenings) (13 page)

He lifted his head to meet Mike’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Liam looked quickly away from him. He didn’t want Mike to see how close the demon in him was to breaking free. He looked out at the night. It was eerily quiet. There was no moon, or stars, but he could clearly see the trees. A cold hardness stole its way through his body. He wanted to kill Michelle. He wanted to kill everyone, and everything, that had ever caused Sera harm. He continued to stroke her hair as he tried to keep himself grounded with her.

He glanced at the clock. “I have to go,” he said. “I’ll be back soon, will you be all right?”

“Yes.”

He took off his jacket and lifted her head to slide it underneath her. “I love you,” he whispered. She nodded and curled into a ball as he opened the door and stepped out. “Come on,” he said to Mike.

Mike looked at him in surprise before he thrust his door open and stepped out. “You don’t want me to stay with her?”

Liam glanced back at Sera. She looked incredibly small, tiny, and so wounded that it tore at his heart. He hated to leave her alone here, but he couldn’t leave Mike behind. He shut his door and waited for Mike to do the same. “No, I need you with me.” Mike blinked in surprise and looked warily back in the car. It was obvious that he didn’t want to leave her alone either. “I’ll kill her Mike. I need you there to stop me.”

Mike’s eyes were wide with shock as he nodded slowly.

***

A pair of headlights swept over the interior of the car. Sera listened as another car pulled up and turned off. A door opened and shut. She rose slowly to watch Michelle hurry down the path toward the gazebo with a case of beer in hand.

For the first time Sera felt some emotion penetrate her numbness. She had to fight the urge to get out of the car and confront her. She didn’t know how, but she knew that Michelle had something to do with Jacob showing up tonight. She looked at the keys in the ignition and was half tempted to start the car up and run her over with it.

Instead, she sat back in the seat and watched her disappear.

***

Liam watched as Michelle walked toward him with her hips swaying seductively. “Hello sexy,” she purred as she placed the beer on the gazebo step.

“Hello, Michelle.”

She smiled as she hurried up the steps. She froze just inches before him as fear spread quickly over her features and she gaped at him in surprise.

***

Sera grabbed the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the car. She was freezing and she needed something to do in order to take her mind off of what was going on in the park. She walked around to the back of the car and slid the keys into the trunk. Pulling Liam’s jacket tighter, she inhaled his pleasant, reassuring scent as she flung the trunk open.

She reached in to look for a blanket, or clothes, and froze. Jacob stared back at her. He was wrapped in her clean, white sheets, his head turned toward the side and his eyes wide in unseeing horror. Sera stumbled backward in revulsion as a scream caught in her throat. She tripped and fell to the ground. A guttural cry ripped out of her as she scrambled backward like a crab.

Her breath came in heavy, lurching gasps, and she couldn’t stop the rolling horror that raced through her. She turned onto her knees and vomited, her whole body heaved as she knelt upon the cool ground. When her stomach was completely empty she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t find the strength to stand.

Liam was a murderer. He had killed Jacob. Jacob was dead. Her mind spun, one thought would not stay for more than a second or two. Nothing made sense. Everything was wrong.

Finally, when she was able to breathe normally again, and move without feeling nauseous, she shoved herself to her feet. Stumbling to the car she slammed the trunk closed without looking in it again. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle that horror once more. The keys fell to the ground, but she didn’t notice as she took a trembling step back.

Her gaze drifted to the path that Liam, Mike, and Michelle had gone down. She didn’t want to go, but she knew she had to. She had to see Liam; she had to know what was going on. Stumbling forward she headed toward the path. Her heart lurched with every step, and her breath came in heavy pants as she broke into a run.

Tree branches slapped her face and hands as she stumbled blindly through the dark. She tripped over a log and fell to the ground. Her hands and knees stung from the impact but she hardly noticed through the fear constricting her heart. She climbed back to her feet and started running again. The gazebo loomed before her as she finally reached the park.

She froze as something inside told her not to go any further. She could see Liam and Michelle in the gazebo. Michelle was gesturing wildly, her voice drifted through the night, but the words were indiscernible. Liam’s voice was angry and insensible.

Sera started to move slowly forward. A part of her told her to run, to leave, and to never look back. Another part of her, the bigger part, told her to keep going. This was Liam, he loved her; he would never hurt her.

Liam looked up and spotted Sera standing at the edge of the woods. He froze as his eyes latched onto her. Michelle turned toward Sera, Michelle’s body stiffened, and then relaxed. Liam’s arms remained locked on the banister behind her as Sera approached.

Sera looked like a ghost, pale and ethereal as she moved slowly toward the steps of the gazebo. Her long hair billowed like a banner behind her as it whipped in the wind. Michelle turned back to Liam, her eyes were still filled with fear, but there was a glimmer of hope in them now. Sera climbed the steps, her eyes were dark and wild as they met Liam’s before going slowly toward Michelle.

Liam watched her for a moment longer, puzzled by the deep fear in her shadowed gaze. Sweat beaded her brow and matted her hair to her face. Her breath was coming fast and hard, and he knew that she had run all the way here. He just didn’t know why. He turned his attention away from her and back to Michelle.

“I think you have something to tell her,” he said softly.

“I called Jacob,” Michelle said softly.

Sera’s eyes widened as her jaw stiffened. “How did you know?” she grated.

Michelle looked at the ground as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I knew that something had to have happened to you,” she whispered hesitantly. “You never spoke of your home, you never go back there; you were always so skittish around men...”

Her voice trailed off. Sera stood silently, waiting, her breath frozen in her lungs. Liam’s face was cold and hard as he stared at Michelle. It was completely inhuman, deadly. A shiver racked through Sera, she hugged her arms tighter around herself in an effort to ward it off. She bit down on her bottom lip, willing him to look at her, willing him to show some sign that he was still the man that she knew and loved. But his gaze never traveled to her as he kept Michelle pinned in.

“Tell her everything!” he hissed.

Michelle jumped and tensed. Sera shivered harder and buried herself deeper into Liam’s jacket. Her gaze flew to the back of the gazebo as Mike took a step forward. She hadn’t seen him standing there. Relief washed through her as she realized that there was at least someone else here to help. Nothing bad was going to happen.

“I… I did some investigating,” Michelle stammered, drawing Sera’s attention again. “I called your old high school and got in touch with your parents. At first no one would tell me anything. But, a couple of weeks ago I got a hold of one of your yearbooks, and I managed to get in touch with someone from your class...”

Michelle’s voice broke off. “Who?” Sera asked quietly.

“Lisa Evans.”

Sera closed her eyes against the wave of pain that crashed through her. Lisa had been her best friend, it had been Lisa’s party they were at that night. Lisa had seen her leave with Jacob. Yet, she had never said a word, and she had been one of the first to accuse Sera of lying. Betrayal, fresh and new, tore through her, wrung tears from her eyes, and shook her body.

Liam turned his head to gaze at Sera. She stood stiffly, her eyes closed, as tears slid silently down her pale cheeks. She looked so small, vulnerable, lost, and hurt. The impotence he felt caused his hands to clench upon the rail as a killing fury suffused him. It took everything he had not to rip Michelle’s throat out. Michelle stiffened; a soft gasp escaped her as she gazed at him in wide eyed horror. Her body began to tremble.

“Please don’t kill me,” she whispered pleadingly. “Please.”

Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was enough blood on his hands tonight, and no matter how much he wanted to, he could not kill her. Not with Sera there. She would not see that side of him. As far as he was concerned she would never know it existed.

“What did Lisa say?” Sera asked softly.

Michelle nervously licked her lips as she stared pleadingly up at Liam. Her heart was racing so frantically that he could see it leaping in her throat. “Answer her,” he grated.

Michelle jumped and nodded quickly. “She told me that you had accused Jacob of trying to rape you, and that it had been a lie. She said that once everyone learned about the lie, you took off to live with your grandmother, and no one heard from you again. She put me in touch with one of Jacob’s friends, who gave me his number.”

“So you called him?”

“Yes.”

“You told him where I was. You told him about Liam and I. Why would you do that?”

The pain in Sera’s voice ripped through Liam. His hands clenched so tightly on the wood that he was sure he would rip it free. Michelle’s eyes darted wildly back to him. She swallowed convulsively as she tried to find the words to speak.

“She said it was a lie. He said it was a lie. I thought that he should confront you on it. Make you face up to the fact that you had lied.”

“I didn’t lie!” Sera yelled.

Michelle jumped again, she glanced hopefully at Mike. Liam’s rage was reaching a dangerous boiling point. Michelle had become suffused in a reddish haze of fury. He knew that if he didn’t get away from her soon, he would kill her.

“I know that now,” she whispered. Her head bent as her body was racked with sobs. “Please just don’t hurt me, I’m sorry. I really am sorry.”

“No one’s going to hurt you,” Sera assured her.

She wasn’t so sure that no one was going to hurt her though. Jacob was dead. Liam had killed him. The deadly look on his face, and the rage emanating from him sent a shiver of terror down her spine. She didn’t know this man before her, she reminded herself. She had no idea what this man was capable of. And at the moment he seemed fully capable of anything.

“Please,” Michelle whimpered.

“Why?” Liam demanded. His voice was a whiplash of malice and fury that sent waves of fear crashing through Sera.

“I just thought... I just thought that if you saw what a liar she was that you wouldn’t want her anymore. I didn’t know it was true! I swear I didn’t!”

“That makes it all right?” he hissed.

“Liam,” Sera whispered.

For a moment her words didn’t penetrate his mind, didn’t penetrate the killing frenzy that was enshrouding him. Then, he felt Sera’s touch on his arm. He turned to her, his eyes spitting fury, as a snarl curved his mouth. Her hand fell away as she took a trembling step back. Mike stepped in between her and Liam. The utter terror suffusing Sera’s face finally reached him.

Sera’s heart hammered painfully. For a moment Liam’s eyes had been a blood red that sent instinctive terror ripping through her. She wanted to turn and flee from him, wanted to bolt in fear from what she had glimpsed. What was he? Tremors racked her body, adrenaline raced through her, but her legs refused to move.

She knew what she had seen, what she had glimpsed, and yet her heart, and soul, would not allow her to run from him. She loved him, no matter what, but at that moment she was utterly petrified of him. She glanced quickly at Mike but he must not have seen it. Otherwise he would have fled by now. Wouldn’t he?

She looked quickly back at Liam. His eyes seemed to clear, and the coldness left them as he gazed at her. His body sagged slightly as he shoved himself away from the banister. “Get out of here!” he spat at Michelle.

Michelle looked fearfully at him for a moment before turning and stumbling away. She glanced quickly at Sera, but didn’t stop as she lurched down the steps and ran into the woods. Sera’s legs threatened to give out as she was left alone with Liam and Mike. Liam could do anything that he wanted to her; he could kill her, like he had killed Jacob. And yet, something inside her said that he wouldn’t. That no matter what, he wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her. Plus, Mike was there, he would help her if she needed it.

Liam took a step toward her, but she held up a hand to stop him as she shook her head. “Are you all right?” he asked softly.

“No.”

“Let’s get you out of here.”

“No.”

He stared at her in confusion and took another step toward her. Mike took a small step away; his eyes watchful as he glanced between her and Liam. “What’s wrong?”

Sera took a deep breath, her shoulders shook slightly but she was determined to know everything. “Where is Jacob?”