Passion (5 page)

“The
who?  Crowned Prince?  Of the djinns.”

“Yes.” 
I hooked my arm into Rowan’s.  “Liam, this is Rowan, the Crowned Prince of the
Nethers, of the djinns.”

They
stared at each other for a tense moment.

“You're
a Catcher,” Rowan stated simply.

Liam
nodded.

“So
you must know where they’re keeping my brother, right?”

A
sure and confident smile came to Liam’s lips and in that moment I saw a
maturity in him that had never been there before.  There was a strength in his
shoulders that had not been there before, a gleam of wisdom in his eyes.

A
sense of pride in Liam rose in me, and my faith he’d become a strong and
empathetic leader, was strengthen. This was a Liam I’ve caught glimpses of
throughout the time we’ve grown up together, but now looking at him, he had
become more confident and bold.

“I
have an idea where Catchers would bring such a coveted prize such as Torrid.  I
doubt they…”

“So
that means you’ll help me… us.”

“As
strange as it may sound, I want to see Kama happy, and if that means bringing
her to Torrid, then yes, I’ll help… her.”

“I…
I really appreciate it,” I said, touching his shoulder.

His
eyes bore into mine then. “Just because we’re no longer a couple doesn’t mean I
no longer care for you.  I’ll admit it hurts, a little more than I would have
ever thought, but I accept your decision.  I still want to consider you a close
friend and I hope you’ll always think of me as a good friend.”

“Of
course I will, Liam.  You're such a huge part of my life.  I’d miss you
terribly if I lost you.”

.

Chapter 5

“
L
ead the way, Catcher. The sooner we find
Torrid the better,” Rowan said.

“Not
so fast,” Liam said, crossing his arms over his chest with finality.

“Liam,
you said you’d help.”

“I
can’t take him.  It’s too dangerous.”

“I
think I can take care of myself,” Rowan said with a mocking grin.  “I’m not
only the Crowned Prince, but I am a competent warrior.”

“I
have no doubt that you are, and I mean no disrespect, but a djinn in a place
where Catchers run rampant, you’d stick out in a far too obvious way.”

Rowan
looked at me and I saw his desire to argue, but I interceded.  “Liam, if a
djinn is so easily detected in this secret place of yours, then how do you plan
on protecting me?  How will I survive so many Catchers?”

Liam
kept his eyes on Rowan, taking in his agitation and angry stance.  “This secret
place of mine is a veritable fortress, protected, guarded and patrolled by the
best Catchers in Arcadia.  Nothing moves in or out of there without their
detection, especially a djinn.”  He turned to me.  “As for you, you’ll be okay
because you're your mother’s daughter.”

“What
does that mean?”

“You're
part human; just enough to keep the Catchers from detecting the djinn in you.”

I
glanced at Rowan.  “It makes sense.  There’s no point taking such a huge risk.”

“It’s
more than just a huge risk.  It’s guaranteed suicide. These Catchers can smell
a djinn miles away.  They’ll be on him… on us in seconds.”  He cocked a brow at
Rowan.  “Just think of the celebration they’d have if they had both Torrid and
you, both princes from the Nethers.”

“He’s
right,” I said.  At least I hoped he was right, not only about the danger of
Rowan coming, but that I’d be safe.  “Since when do Catchers use scent to track
down djinns?”

“These
Catchers are different. They’re mongrels.  They have just a few drops of djinn
in them, enough to make them incredibly precise in their hunt.”

“I’ll
accept that it’d be suicide for me to go, but how can you be so sure she’ll be
safe… what with their precise hunting skills and all.”

“Because
she’ll be with me.”

“Fine. 
Can we stop arguing about it and just get on with it.” I rolled my eyes at the
two. “Rowan, you stay here.  Liam, lead the way.”

“And
what am I supposed to do while you guys go off to save my brother?”

“Sit
tight and wait.”

The
straight line of his lips didn’t even begin to express how unhappy he was with
the situation.  Narrowing his eyes, he glared at Liam.  “I’m not comfortable
with that, but I’m ready to compromise.  I’ll follow you as far as I can safely
do so.  I’ll give you an hour to find Torrid and bring him back.  If you’re not
back in an hour I’ll come after you.”

“Fair
enough.”

“And,
let me warn you, Liam.  If anything should happen to her.”  He pointed at me. 
“If you harm her in any way, or let any harm come to her… you’ll learn just how
precise my hunting skills are.”

I
silently gasped and held my breath, taken aback by the ferocity of his
statement.  He’s eyes had turned deadly as he stared Liam down.

“I
have no intention of letting anything happen to her.  I know where you can sit
tight and wait for us.  It’s just outside the perimeter controlled by their
power of scent and you’ll be safe… and relatively close.”  Liam turned to me. 
“I’ll just let my group know I went off to a special mission.  They were
expecting me on a hunt for a small band of Sanz’s Magical Ones.  I’ll let them
know they can proceed without me.”

“Okay,”
I mumbled, hearing the lack of conviction in my voice.  Despite his
reassurance, the idea of walking right into a fortress fortified by Catchers,
Catchers dead set on catching all djinns and turning them into slaves or
Magical Ones as they are known in Arcadia as, with the acute ability of
smelling out djinns didn’t sit well with me.  With all my heart I wanted to go
out and find Torrid, but the prospect seemed unbelievably dangerous with just
Liam and me against them all.

Liam’s
eyes filled with concern and love, he came to me and took a hold of my hands. 
“I’ll protect you with my life, Kama.  I won’t let you out of my sight. My
greatest regret was to ever let you go.”

I
smiled and nodded.

When
he left to contact his group and get his car keys, I was left staring at
Rowan.  The creases on his forehead had deepened and his eyes were filled with
suspicion.  Our thoughts, doubts and fears remained silent as we waited Liam’s
return.

And
when we finally got in the car and drove off to the outer limits of Arcadia, I
heard the message Rowan continually and silently sent out.

Don’t
turn your back… on anyone. If things get dire, send word to me immediately.

Chapter 6

“
H
ow far do we have to go?” I asked ten minutes
after dropping Rowan off at a nearby shelter.  His insistence to be brought as
close as possible to where Torrid was being kept has jostled Liam’s nerves and
I now wondered if Liam hadn’t lied about the distance of our ultimate
destination.

“It’s
clear on the other side of town.”

“But
you told Rowan…”

“I
know, but he wouldn’t listen to reason.  We can’t afford to have him that close
to the Catchers’ Headquarters.”

“Clear
on the other side of town, huh?  Is that a deliberate and strategic attempt to
keep the Coliseum as far as possible from these headquarters?”

“I’d
never really looked at it that way.  Then again, I’d never really known about
the existence of either, so I couldn’t give it much thought, could I?”

His
driving was slow and steady, unhurried and careful, methodical and well thought
out.  It was also excruciating as we inched toward our destination.  I didn’t
want to push him, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was deliberately taking
as much time as he could.

“Then
you were caught in the Coliseum? All this time, I thought you were safe with
Torrid…”

I
didn’t want to dwell on what I’d been through, but I let him in on what the
past days had truly been like.  As I told the story, his eyes narrowed and
darkened and I saw the tension grow and intensify in his tightening jaw.

As
he turned a corner, he glanced at me, his eyes filled with determination and
something I’d never seen before; a degree of fear that mingle with intense
love. And there was the passion; passion that had always been boyish, pubescent
and adolescent.  That passion had matured into a man’s passion, which now
smoldered in his eyes and in the parting of his lips. Liam had become the man I
had always hope he would.

“Liam,”
I whispered, my voice husky with uncertainty.

He
pulled the car over and silenced the engine.  For a long moment he stared at
his hands that still gripped the steering wheel.  “I thought I’d die of worry
when I didn’t hear from you.  No one could give me any news about you.”

As
he turned to me, he reached out to take my hand.  “You know, I remember hearing
this story when I was a kid; the old man down the street from us had died
suddenly, and though his wife was perfectly healthy and could have lived on for
many years, she died six months later.  Everyone said she died of a broken
heart.”

I
swallowed the ball of emotion that had gathered in my throat.

“I
thought it was so bogus; a broken heart.  You can’t actually die of a broken
heart.”  He squeezed my hand.  “But these past weeks of knowing I no longer had
a place in your heart, it was pretty rough.  And these past days, not even
knowing if you were alive or dead… well, I began to understand how that old
woman felt.”

“This
was never part of the plan, Liam.  I didn’t mean for things to turn out like
this.”  I felt an overwhelming need to explain and justify.

“I
know, Kama, and I don’t blame you. Stuff happens and a lot has been happening
to you.  I get that.  Look, it hasn’t been all bad.  I think your leaving me
gave me the push I needed to really come out from under my dad’s wing.  As hard
as these past days have been, I’ve learned a lot about myself; what I’m capable
of, what I want and who I want to be with.”

The
heat of his fingers bore through my skin, coursed through my veins and touched
my heart.  The love I’d always had for him bubbled up and the sense of comfort
I’d come to take for granted returned, filling me with emotions I couldn’t even
describe.

When
he leaned into me, I felt my body pull toward him.  I knew I loved Torrid and I
knew these past days had been concentrated on him, yet… The pull Liam now had
on me, lured me closer.

“You’ve
changed,” I suddenly said in a voice that had also changed.

“You
changed me.”  He cupped my cheeks, not with the boyish fingers that could
sometimes be clumsy and unsure, but with fingers that knew of love and desire. 
He gripped me and pulled me closer, kissing my lips with an intensity that left
me breathless.

I’d
never been so lost in a kiss.

“I
love you, Kama.  If there’s anything I learned these past days, it’s just how
much you mean to me.  This isn’t just the puppy love that we grew up with. 
It’s so much more than that.”  His fingers raked through my hair as he pulled
me in for another smoldering kiss.  It was blissful, sweet, powerful and I was
helpless to fight it.

When
he pulled back, I leaned into him, hungry for more. 

“I’ve
always known that I love you, and I’ve never doubted how much I desire you, but
I recently realized just how much I need you.  I need you, Kama, not just in my
life, not just as the woman I love, but I need you if we’re ever to rebuild
Arcadia like it deserved to be rebuilt.”

“What
about what I am?  I’m part djinn, Liam.  Can you really live with someone, run
Arcadia with someone who is part djinn?”

His
fingers ran down the back of my neck, rubbing the tender spot that always made me
sigh.  A smile came to his eyes, curled his lips and as he touched his nose to
mine, he let out a light and loving chuckle.  “I wouldn’t want it any other
way.”

Surprised
and taken aback by my own feelings, my brain went numb as I tried to juggle my
feelings for Torrid with these re-emerging emotions for Liam.  I pulled back
and pressed my head into the headrest.

“I
don’t want to push you, Kama.  I know these past days have been rough, but…” 
Biting his lip, he shook his head. “Though it killed me, I was ready to accept
your decision.  You're in love with another and I couldn’t imagine myself
standing in the way of your happiness. But…”  He looked pointedly at me, almost
stern.  “I trusted Torrid to take care of you, to be there for you.”

“Liam,
it’s not his fault.  He was captured.”

He
smashed the palm of his hand on the dashboard and I jumped.

“He
was supposed to protect you,” he shouted.  “Where was he when you were being
thrown to the dogs?”

“Liam. 
You're not being fair.”  I heard how feeble my argument was.  “You weren’t
there either.”

Glaring
at me, he drummed his fingers along the dash.  “That’s because I had entrusted
you to him.”

“You
can think what you want, but I refuse to blame Torrid for my misadventure.”

“Really?”
he said with a cock of his brow.  “Is that what you're calling it?  You were
just inches from being torn to shreds.”

I
stiffened and sat up straight.  “Regardless of what I’m calling it, I want to
put an end to this argument.  We have to move if we’re going to make it to the
headquarters.”

Liam
turned to the steering wheel, started the car and put it into drive.  “Right. 
Let’s go save your hapless new boyfriend,” he snarled.

He
took to the dark streets, strewn with debris, swerving left and right with less
care than he had earlier.  With his foot heavier on the pedal we finally
arrived at the headquarters.

The
moment he stopped the car, I pulled back the door handle, but Liam was quick to
reach out and stop me.