Of Water and Madness (14 page)

“How dare you bring her here?” Blythe shrieked, furiously kicking her legs to try and free herself from Jax’s iron grip.

“Stop bucking like a bronco and maybe I’ll let you go.” Jax grunted as he fought to maintain his hold on her. For a little thing, she was unbelievably strong.

For a moment Blythe wanted nothing more than to fight her way free, but she wore herself out and ended up collapsing against him, her eyes glued to Stella, full of bitterness and hate.

“Blythe, you remember Stella.” Liam kept his arm around Stella protectively, the voice in his head urging him to keep Blythe at a safe distance.

Blythe let out a strained laugh as she straightened, fury coursing through her. “How could you do this? Huh? How could you bring her here when you know how upset everyone is right now?”

“I…” Liam froze, his heart thudding painfully hard in his chest at the look of disgust in his sister’s eyes. “I don’t know.”

He turned to look at Stella, momentarily lost again. But once his eyes met hers, his face cleared and his mind was filled with the little voice, instructing him on what to say.

“I wanted you guys to see that she’s a nice girl,” he told them, glancing back down at Capri and Rian as well, who were still sitting apprehensively beneath the tree. “You’re going to have to give her a chance, because she means something to me.”

“You’ve only known her for one day, Liam,” Blythe spat, furious tears burning in her eyes. “And you knew Rhiannon forever. Goddamnit, I never even liked her, but I was still happier to see you with her than I am to see you with this bitch.”

“Blythe,” Liam growled defensively, a warning in his tone. “It’s not up to you to decide who’s right for me and who isn’t.”

“Clearly.” She crossed her arms over her chest haughtily and scowled down her nose at him. “You know what, I need to see something for myself.”

She spun around and reached into Jax’s pocket, unearthing the sensor and swiftly setting it to demon. She then aimed it right at Stella and glared down at the screen, her eyes hardened and ruthless. When the sensor picked up nothing, she growled and shoved it back at Jax.

“Fine, whatever. So she’s a human. I still don’t trust her.”

“I don’t think any of us trust her just yet, darlin’,” Jax drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets and frowning at the girl from Louisiana. He knew the state well, knew the people from it…and this girl didn’t fit the mold. She had an upper-class refinement to her that was carefully disguised as home grown, but he wasn’t buying it. “C’mon, let’s get away for awhile.”

He reached out and wrapped an arm around Blythe and led her away, leaving the others behind. He wanted to go down to New Orleans to check up on this girl himself, before it was too late. Blythe would appreciate the gesture once they were far away enough to discuss it.

Because he was certain of one thing, and one thing only: Liam was not acting on his own accord.

The first thing Capri did once Liam and Stella disappeared inside the castle was to go see Rhiannon.

Rian let her go, troubled over what they had witnessed. It was because of this that while his fiancé went to comfort her friend, he headed straight to the Furies chambers and went to work, researching possible reasons for Liam’s bizarre behavior. He went through all of his father’s old books on demons, on the Underworld, and everything related in any way to evil.

On the outside, Stella had appeared to be a polite, healthy young woman. But there had been something in her eyes that had irked him, and he was determined to find out what was behind it.

So he dove headfirst into research, knowing he had to do something about what was happening to Liam, if only for Capri’s sake. He’d seen the worry cloud her eyes, and the strain it took for her to try and see Liam’s point of view. It was, after all, one of the things he loved most about her. She had the biggest heart, and was always the last to judge anyone, including himself. And if it hadn’t been for her…he might have never had anyone to call his own.

While Rian searched for answers in books, Capri knocked quietly on Rhiannon’s door, hoping she could provide some kind of comfort.

When she heard only silence, she knocked again, her fingers aching over the doorknob, wondering if she should just open it. Because she knew it was rude, she tried calling out Rhiannon’s name. When she still didn’t get an answer, she sucked in a quick breath of air and, her mouth set in a grim line, pushed the door open just enough so she could peek inside.

She spotted Rhiannon sitting at an old fashioned writing desk in the corner, ferociously scribbling in a notebook. The shades were drawn, but a single lamp shone brightly over the desk, pointed directly at the work surface and casting a shadow of her hand as it swiped efficiently across the paper.

Capri’s heart broke when she noticed Rhiannon’s bridesmaid dress, covered carefully in plastic and hanging on the door of the armoire, unopened. She’d been happy that day, Capri thought painfully as she fought back tears and focused on her friend. Surely she’d be happy again someday…

“Rhiannon?” Capri left the door open behind her and stepped into the room, her hands clutched together anxiously.

Rhiannon continued to write, her eyes hard and cold behind her glasses and her back rigidly straight. When she spoke, Capri wasn’t sure it was even Rhiannon speaking.

“I’m busy, Capri. Now is not a good time.”

Capri glanced around and spotted a side chair by Rhiannon’s bed. She walked over and pulled the chair up beside the desk and took a seat, trying to put as much stern resolve into her expression as possible. She didn’t want to be pushed away, not now. She wanted to help Rhiannon, no matter how badly she fought back.

“I wanted to let you know something…I didn’t want you to stumble in on it, I wanted you to prepare yourself…” Capri began, her gray eyes soft with sympathy and sorrow.

When Rhiannon said nothing and only continued to write, Capri took a deep, steadying breath and continued. “Liam has brought that girl here. They’re downstairs.”

She saw Rhiannon’s hand falter and freeze, and her breath hitch in her lungs in a startled gasp. For a flickering moment, unbridled misery flashed in her eyes.

“I don’t have any desire to meet her,” Rhiannon whispered, her eyes lifting from the page to stare unseeingly straight ahead. “Please let me know when they leave again.”

Capri felt tears spring into her eyes as she nodded, and on instinct she rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around Rhiannon.

“I wish I knew why this was happening,” Capri murmured, pressing her face into her friend’s dark hair. “I just don’t understand it.”

Rhiannon inhaled slowly and deeply, forcing back the feelings that threatened to consume her. Because she knew Capri was only trying to help, she patted her friend’s arms and tried to stay neutral. Anything else and she’d surely give in to the pain.

“He said last night that he was unhappy,” Rhiannon said quietly, tilting her head up to meet her friend’s eyes. “I’m not going to hold him back.”

“But he loves you, I know he does,” Capri countered, kneeling down and cupping Rhiannon’s hands in her own. “You have to fight for him, tell him you want to talk things over. I know he’ll listen to you.”

Rhiannon shook her head slowly, averting her eyes in an effort to avoid the anguish on Capri’s face. “I won’t do that to him. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want me, and that’s the end of the story.”

“Rhiannon?” Brogan appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, visibly distressed. It was the first time he’d seen her since she’d returned from New Orleans, and it was clear on his face that he was deeply troubled by the news.

“Brogan,” Rhiannon managed, feeling a single tear escape and slide down her cheek as she stared up at him, her chest clenching painfully.

When he started toward her, she rose to her feet and went straight to his arms, not even realizing until that moment just how badly she needed to be comforted by someone who would only give her solidity and not outrage.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, holding her close and suffering as she suffered. He hated knowing she had been fooled, had been used…and he especially hated knowing there was so little he could do to help her.

Except, of course, confront the bastard himself and give him a piece of his mind. But because he knew that it would only hurt Rhiannon more if he did so, he knew he’d have to refrain and keep his opinion to himself.

For now, at least.

At dinner that
evening, no one questioned why Rhiannon was not present. Instead, tension hung heavy in the air like an impending storm, hovering low enough to darken everyone’s mood.

No one could grasp what was going on with Liam, but he continued to reassure those around him that this was his decision and that Stella was going to be a part of his life now. He insisted that they would all be happier just to accept it.

Stella sat beside him at the dining table, smiling sweetly and playing the role of the curious human embarking on unfamiliar and exciting territory. To all she spoke, Stella appeared to be charming, beautiful, and well mannered. But to those who could sense such things, there was something behind her eyes that indicated a calculating and careful mind, one that had honed in on Liam and appeared committed to not letting go.

Thea was one of those who could sense it, and it did not please her at all. Nor did it please her to sense something more about the girl, something oddly familiar that she couldn’t for the life of her place. Stella did not look physically familiar, nor did she behave quite like anyone that Thea had known. But there was just something there, something residing deep inside the girl that struck a hauntingly familiar chord with Mother Earth, and it made her even more apprehensive.

Blythe and Jax had come and gone, ignoring the others while they quickly ate before leaving without a word. Thea didn’t blame them, nor did she fault Rian for his probing questions disguised as polite inquiries, or Brogan’s constant vigilance of the girl’s every movement, as if waiting for some kind of sign that would explain everything. Though from the look in his eyes, he deemed Liam just as guilty as the girl in terms of hurting Rhiannon, a fact which Thea found hard to disagree with.

But from what she could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the girl except this odd feeling she had. Stella appeared to be very nice, open and smart without being overly opinionated. She smiled at everyone and seemed to genuinely fit in despite how most humans would have reacted to Euphora. It bothered Thea that the first thing she had thought of when noticing this about Stella was that Heidi had been the same way. Heidi had accepted Euphora and Clynn as easily as she accepted the color of the sky or the scent of a rose. It came naturally to her, and had made her transition to marrying Clynn all the more appropriate.