Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) (25 page)

As the heat of Haden’s breath blasted against her face, a tidal wave of panic flooded her veins. She tried to wrench herself free from his grasp, but his hold was too strong. She couldn’t breathe. Haden’s grip on her throat was choking off her air.

As her vision began to fill with black spots, a ferocious growl tore through the room. Air flooded her lungs as Haden’s hand was ripped from her throat. Her eyes refocused just in time to see Liam and Haden crash into the table across the room. Glass shattered as the lamp fell to the ground with them.

Liam landed on top of Haden and slammed his fist into his jaw.  There was no way something didn’t break by the sound of those two sickening
cracks
echoing among a mixture of snarls and growls. As Haden grappled for positioning, he nailed Liam in the ribs with his knee, knocking him back. Liam let out an enraged roar and leapt to his feet, diving for Haden again. A second before reaching him, Haden disappeared. It was too late for Liam to pull his punch and his fist slammed into the floor with a bone-crushing
thud
.

“Fuck!” he growled. Flying up with preternatural speed, he moved with stunning agility. It wasn’t until he faced her and took a few steps, that she noticed he was favoring his left side.

“Liam?” Olivia cried, running over to him. He held out his arms and in a rush of relief, she threw herself against him. The air left his lungs in a pained grunt. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She tried to jerk back, but he wouldn’t let her go. His arms tightened, holding her even closer.

“Are you all right?” His hand cupped the back of her head and pressed her cheek into his chest.

“Yeah, I’m okay. What about you? Your side—”

“I’m fine. It’ll heal. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I had to take care of some things—.”

She drew in a deep, calming breath. It felt so good, so safe, to be in his— Olivia stiffened and pulled back far enough to get a good look at him. Her brows pulled together as she sniffed his chest again. “Where were you?” she asked. When her eyes fell on his neck, she scowled.

“Why do you ask?” His guarded tone suddenly made her nervous and suspicious as hell.

It gave her no comfort that he answered her question with one of his own. He couldn’t lie, so he often answered her this way when he didn’t want to tell her the truth. What was he hiding? “Oh, no reason, other than you smell like smoke and reek like a cheap whore. Oh yeah, and there’s lipstick on your neck!”

She tried to pull out of his arms, but he wouldn’t let her go. Tears threatened to come and she struggled to hold them back. She’d be damned if she was going to let him see her cry. Hours… He’d been gone for hours! And to come back to her looking and smelling like this! “Let me go,” she said, casting her eyes to the floor.

Liam sighed. “Olivia, look at me.” When she refused, he took ahold of her chin and gently tipped her face up to meet his. “I am not like men. Just because we share similarities in appearance does not mean we are compositionally the same. I have no attraction to mortals, other than you. I never have and I never will. I am inherently loyal and would never forsake you. If you really want me to tell you where I was and what I was doing, I will. But I’d prefer that you trusted me and I’d rather spare you the violent details of my job—of my nature—you’d be better off not knowing.”

The sincerity in his violet eyes and the raw honesty of his words melted her heart. Despite the damning evidence of his infidelity, she knew in her soul there must be a reasonable explanation. She did trust him, totally and unconditionally, and it filled her with remorse to think that how she felt three minutes ago must be how Liam must have felt for the last three years, watching her with Mitch.

Olivia wound her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. His lips instantly parted to accept hers. “I do trust you,” she whispered against his mouth. “And it thrills me to know I am the only woman who’s ever felt the kiss of your mouth, or knows the taste of your tongue, or the heat of your embrace. You’re mine, Liam—always and forever.” She gave him one last kiss and reached up to wipe the lipstick smudge from his neck. “But right now, you stink like another woman, so please go shower.”

Liam let her go with a reluctant groan. When he stepped back, his brows furrowed, his eyes taking on that preternatural amethyst sheen. With both hands, he cupped her neck, his thumbs gently brushing over what could only be bruises for as tender as they felt.

“I know what he wants,” she whispered, her throat raw and scratchy. “It’s the necklace, he wants my necklace. He tried to take it from me, but it…it burned him. When he couldn’t take it, he tried to get me to give it to him. When I refused, he…he choked me.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” Liam bent down and kissed her neck. Once…twice…three times. The last time, his lips lingered at the base of her throat and she tipped her head, giving him better access. She hoped he’d slide the spaghetti strap of her tank top off her shoulder and continue his kisses lower. Her pulse quickened with desire. Even his innocent touch ignited cravings deep inside her, coming to life on the tips of the butterflies’ wings scattering in the pit of her stomach.

“I want to heal these,” he growled in frustration, “but I don’t dare until my energy is replenished. I doubt Haden will be back so soon, but I can’t risk it.”

She wasn’t worried about her bruises—they’d heal on their own. Right now, she was too preoccupied by the need Liam’s kiss stirred in her. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just fine. I promise,” she assured him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him closer. Her breasts pressed against the hard muscles of his chest and he let out a strangled groan.

Olivia tensed, not sure if it was passion or pain pulling the throaty response past his lips. She leaned back, but he only let her go so far before caging her in his arms. “How badly are you hurt?” Without waiting for an answer, she hiked his shirt up, pulling it over his head to get a better look at his side. A grimace furrowed his brow when he pulled his arm free of the sleeve. She dropped the sickly sweet perfume-tainted shirt on the floor and gasped when she saw his side. The entire area over the left side of his ribs was covered in bruises. She could tell by his guarded breaths he was hurting, not that he’d ever admit as much.

Olivia’s gaze raked over his chest, her fingers following the path of her eyes as she looked him over for other injuries. Her hands skated over the rippled muscles on his stomach, and when her thumbs dipped to the twin muscled indentions near his hips, he hissed in a breath through clenched teeth.

She looked up to find the corded muscles of his neck strung tight, his head tipped back just far enough that she couldn’t see his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you—”

“You aren’t hurting me, Olivia. You’re killing me,” he groaned.

“But your side—”

“Isn’t as bad as it looks. It’ll be healed by tomorrow.”

When he tipped his head down to look at her, she gasped in surprise at the sapphire blaze raging in his dark eyes. No, he definitely wasn’t in pain, at least not the kind of pain she was worried about. A smile touched her lips and she tentatively traced her fingers along the waistband of his low-slung jeans. He was an absolutely magnificent sight to behold, and she wanted to see him—all of him. She wanted to learn his body, just like she’d memorized every muscled curve of his chest, every scar marring his torso. She wanted to explore him in the same way he’d become intimately familiar with her last night.

But she wasn’t surprised when he stayed her hand, just as she was about to unfasten his jeans. He always stopped her, and it frustrated her the way he kept himself hands-off. “I should go shower.” His husky whisper betrayed his rigid self-control.

Olivia had hoped that after last night, perhaps this time he wouldn’t resist her. When he caught her wrists, halting her fingers from dipping beneath his waistband, she expected to feel the familiar sizzle of his energy burning into her flesh, but it wasn’t there. She could tell by the color change and the possessive look in his eyes that he wanted her. Yet, where was the heat? Where was the energy that always threatened to scorch her whenever they reached this point?

And then the answer dawned on her… He was injured. Was it possible his body’s healing was channeling his energy inward instead of outward? Was this moment a temporary reprieve from the barrier that kept them apart?—and how long would it last? Could she touch him without the fear of getting hurt? How much resistance would he put up if she refused to take “no” for an answer?

She intended to find out—right after his shower, because he smelled like a bar and she could still see the red lipstick sparkles on his neck. The thought of another woman touching him fueled her with a reckless desire to claim him for her own—to touch him, to taste him, to know him as intimately as he knew her… This was her chance, now that he was healing, and who knew if she’d ever get another one.

“Go ahead,” she told him, stepping out of his embrace and turning away before he could see the knowing smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’ll be waiting right here when you get out.”

Chapter Twenty-One

“No answer,” Cale said, closing the phone and tossing it into the cup holder. This was the fifth and last time he’d try to call Rowen. Knowing that bastard, he was probably up to his eyeballs in tits and booze, and couldn’t be bothered long enough to answer his damn phone.

“Well, if we don’t hear from Rowen soon, we’re going to have to stop for the night,” Rhen grumbled.

“We’re going to have to stop, anyway, because the humans have to rest.” Cale glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure the yellow Mustang was still there. Over the last few hours, the car had started falling farther and farther back. “I’m pulling over at this next exit. We’ll get a room for the night. I’m sure Rowen will call back soon, and then we’ll have a better idea of where we’re going in the morning.”

Rhen grunted in agreement, looking none too pleased about stopping. Not that he blamed him. Neither one of them wanted this dragging out any longer than it had to. They took the next exit and pulled into the truck stop a stone’s throw from the freeway. Across the street was a Super 8. They could rest there for the night and wait to hear from Rowen.

 The Mustang pulled in behind them and parked across the lot. Mitch leapt from the car as soon as it stopped, calling, “I’ll see you inside,” over his shoulder as he rushed through the door.

The girl climbed out and strode toward the door, refusing to even glance their way. If she had, she would have noticed they were approaching the entrance at the same time, and no doubt would have hung back to let them get inside and seated so she could make sure she kept her distance.

Rhen reached the door a few steps before Ashley and pulled it open, holding it for her to pass through. Cale halted a couple of feet back, cutting Ashley a wide berth to enter. When she reached the entrance, she glanced up at Rhen warily and then shot Cale a seething glare before going inside.

“Ma’am,” Rhen said, dipping his head respectfully as she walked past him.

“Thank you,” Ashley murmured coolly.

“No doubt about it, she remembers,” Cale muttered under his breath after she was out of earshot.

“I’m sure she does,” Rhen snapped. “That’s not likely to be something a female’s going to forget. Schmoozing isn’t exactly my forte, in case you didn’t know. So, fuck you very much for putting this on me.”

Cale barked out a laugh that lacked genuine humor and gave Rhen a solid slap on the back. “Anytime, my friend.”

Mitch was sliding into a booth, and Ashley was joining him when they walked inside the quaint mom and pop café. “Remind me to lighten up on the coffee tomorrow,” Mitch told her as she sat down.

“Lighten up on the booze and you won’t need the coffee to kill your hangover,” she retorted with a bit of snark.

Damn, this female was a crabby bitch. Cale was wondering why in the hell Mitch would ever have agreed to bring her along, when Rhen cut in front of him and walked up to the two.

“I hope you don’t mind if we join you,” Rhen said, sitting down next to Ashley before she had the opportunity to object.

Cale didn’t miss the disdainful glare she shot his way, and it pissed him off. Thirty seconds with this little snit and already he wanted to strangle her. Mitch cast her a questioning look as Cale sat down next to him. “Look,” he said to Ashley from across the booth, “I’m sorry I assaulted you, okay? I doubt it will happen again, so how about you just get over it.”

Mitch turned to look at him with a shocked expression on his face. Rhen glared at him, warning him to shut the hell up, and gave him a swift kick under the table, connecting boot to shin. That did nothing to temper his current state of pissed off, but he did briefly enjoy the shocked look on Ashley’s face, right up until a low, warning growl echoed to the right of him.
Shit…
He should have known. A look of smug malice settled on her face, and he just knew he was gonna regret letting his temper get the better of him.

“You’re an idiot if you think Balen isn’t going to kill you for that,” she spat. “I never told him, but you just did. I don’t think it’s
my
forgiveness you should be seeking. And you’re right, it
won’t
happen again!”

Ashley’s boldness surprised him. Hell, the sick and twisted part of him was even a little turned-on by it, and with Rhen backing him up, he couldn’t think of a better time to take Balen out. “You’re right, it won’t, at least not with Balen breathing down my neck,” he replied apathetically, boldly meeting her glare. “What, you think just because you can’t see him that I can’t?” A genuine smile spread across Cale’s face when Ashley’s arrogant grin faltered. “He’s standing right here, looking as pissed off as usual. Why don’t you come across, Balen?” Cale taunted. “You can join the party.”

It took less than a second for Balen to take corporeal form, and even less for him to snatch Cale by the throat and rip him out of his seat. The thought briefly crossed his mind, as Balen dragged him out of the café and Rhen hissed a curse while barreling after them, that perhaps he shouldn’t have been so hasty to push the warrior’s buttons.