Until Darkness Comes (17 page)

***

They pulled up to the fitness center, and Olivia grabbed the door handle, getting ready to launch herself out of the car the second it stopped. She was upset, not that he could blame her. What the hell was he thinking, taking advantage of her like that? She was scared—vulnerable. How could she understand that it really wasn’t him she wanted, rather it was the soothing, comfort his gifted touch provided. Yeah, well, he’d touched her all right.

She hadn’t said more than two words to him since she’d flown off the couch like a bat out of hell. She almost refused to let him drive her, but that would involve speaking to him, so she opted to sit there, silently, torturing him with her brooding emotions that made him feel like a real piece of shit for what he’d done to her. With his hands twisted in her hair, his lips devouring her neck, and his need pressing… Oh shit, he couldn’t believe he’d lost it like that, and to make matters worse, he’d almost told her he loved her. Now, if that wasn’t taking a difficult situation and turning it totally FUBAR. The words had been so close to the tip of his tongue. If her bold touch hadn’t jolted him back to his senses, who in the hell knows what he would have said or done.

Right on cue, the car stopped, and Olivia flung the door open, bolting out of the car. He grabbed her wrist and caught her before she could get away. She turned back to look at him, her emerald green eyes mirroring her anger and confusion. He didn’t want her to leave like this, but he didn’t know what else to say. So he sat there, looking like a complete fool, staring at her.

“What?”
“I’m sorry.” God, was he sorry…on so many levels. “What are you apologizing to me for? I’m the idiot

who threw herself at you. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I shouldn’t have assumed the feeling was mutual. I misunderstood your interest.”

“You can’t be serious! Olivia, is that really what you think? That I don’t want you?”
“It’s pretty obvious you don’t. You know what? I don’t have time for this right now. I’m going to be late.”
“I’ll pick you up at four.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll catch a ride home with Clay.”
Jealousy flooded his veins and he looked away before she could see the certain color change in his eyes. If she looked at him now, his eyes would shine as green as hers.
Olivia took the opportunity to pull her hand out of his grasp. He let her go. Maybe it was better this way, better to let her believe she was just an assignment, when nothing could be farther from the truth. She slammed the door closed and ran up to the building. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair, a mortal-like habit of frustration he found himself doing a lot lately.
Balen opened the passenger door and climbed inside. He didn’t wait for an invitation, and in the mood Liam was in, he wouldn’t have gotten one either. “You’re going to be bald if you keep doing that, you know.” He shot Balen a “don’t even start with me” glare.
“She knows.”
“And…”
“And there’s a chance she may love me.”
“Of course she does! That’s like saying there may be a chance it may rain in the Rain Forest. You’re angelic! Humans are drawn to us, they can’t help it! I know you don’t need me to remind you of the consequences here, Liam, but the girl isn’t worth losing your wings. Eternity is a long damn time!”
“I know! Don’t you think I remind myself of that a hundred times a day?”
“If you cross the line with her, you know she’ll die. If your energy doesn’t kill her first, Max surely will. You’ll be pulled as her guardian and you can bet they won’t be assigning another Ronnin to protect her. All of this will have been for nothing. How long do you think a normal guardian will be able to keep her alive?”
“Balen, you’re my best friend, but I am NOT having this discussion with you. Now I’d like to be alone, please— if you don’t mind.”
“You’re heading down a bad road here, and things are going to get bumpy—fast. Let’s just deal with Max and be done with it. Then things can go back to the way they were, the way they’re supposed to be. She’ll be safer now that she knows the truth. They won’t be able to manipulate her free will so easily anymore.”
“I’d like to be alone now, if you don’t mind. Please…” Liam repeated the words slow and clear, enunciating the word “please.” He sent Balen a warning glare, telling him if he didn’t leave soon, he’d see a side of Liam he wouldn’t appreciate very much.
Balen gave his friend one last concerned glance before sighing heavily. He climbed out of the car and shut the door. Liam watched him walk around to the side of the building and then disappear in thin air.
He couldn’t deny the truth behind Balen’s words, and hearing them coming from his best friend’s mouth didn’t make them any easier to swallow. Olivia thought she knew the truth, but in reality, she didn’t even know the half of it. She had no idea how much he loved her, how much it killed him to resist touching her, being with her…How could she think he didn’t want her? She was the only thing he’d ever really wanted in his entire existence. The thought of being with her tempted him to walk away from everything he’d ever been or ever known, just to have the chance at a life with her. But he couldn’t, no matter how much he wanted to, because he was the only thing standing between her and death.
If he followed his heart, he’d fail her, and there would be no second chances. Balen was right, he had to end this. The sooner he found Max, the sooner he could kill him, and the sooner he could go home. The only problem was, his heart belonged here, to the woman he’d given everything to protect.

Liam backed the Mustang out of the parking lot and drove over to Karen’s Bagels. It was close enough to lunch, they’d be serving up soup and sandwiches by now. He bought a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a whole grain turkey bagel with tomato and sprouts. The woman behind the counter bagged the items and gave him a polite smile, thanking him for coming by. Her eyes were burdened with sadness. Flyers for the missing girl sat piled on the counter beside the cash register.

Liam took the bag from her outstretched hand and left the little bagel shop. He drove over to Ashley’s house. When he pulled into the driveway, the center seam of the living room curtains parted, and then fell shut again. He climbed out of the car, and with bag in hand, knocked on her kitchen door.

“Ashley?” he called when she didn’t answer. A few more minutes passed before he saw her walk into the kitchen through the sheer lace window cover. She opened the door, looking surprised to see him standing there. He held up the bag and offered it to her.

“Liam?”
“Olivia was worried about you,” he said, handing her the soup and bagel sandwich. “She said you cancelled your plans with her today. You told her you were ill?” His questioning gaze roamed over her, taking in the bruises and marks on her neck. Ashley turned away from him, setting the food on the counter.
“I’m fine,” she said coolly, keeping her back to him. “I’m just not feeling well, that’s all. You didn’t have to stop by.”
He took a hesitant step inside the kitchen. “You don’t look fine.”
“I just don’t want to talk to anyone right now, okay?” she snapped.
His heart ached with pity for the poor girl. He reached out his hand to touch her shoulder, but stopped. “It’s not your fault, Ashley.”
“You know???”
“I do.”
“…Olivia?”
“No.” He turned to walk out the door, and froze midstep when Ashley’s sob filled the small kitchen. He turned back to see the girl hunched over with her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Liam walked back over to her. “Come here,” he said, gently pulling her into his arms. He’d never touched another human before, other than Olivia, and he wasn’t prepared for the emptiness and grief that flooded into him. Her sorrow was nearly enough to make him pull away. He physically forced himself to hold on to her.
Ashley buried her face into his chest and sobbed. Her tears burned his flesh—her heartache was almost more than he could bear this close.
“Ashley, you have to talk to Olivia.”
“I can’t.” Her words came out in a muffled cry.
“She won’t blame you. It wasn’t your fault.”
“How can she not?
I
blame
myself
!”
“That’s the thing about guilt and blame, it’s often misguided. We’re always the hardest on ourselves.” He let Ashley go and took a step back, relieved to put some distance between them.
“I’ll bring Olivia by tonight. It’s never too late for a second chance, Ashley. We all make mistakes, and you’re not ever going to heal unless you forgive yourself for this one.”
Liam turned to leave and pulled the kitchen door closed behind him. He could hear her sobbing all the way back to his car. As he drove home, he couldn’t shake the overwhelming ache in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was from touching Ashley or if it was his own conflicted conscience gnawing at him.
Liam walked into the old Victorian house and tossed his keys on the counter. Balen was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee. He didn’t bother to look up. If the scowl he wore was any indication of his mood, this wasn’t going to go well.
“I need your help,” Liam stated matter-of-factly, sitting down at the kitchen table across from his friend.
Balen shot Liam a spiteful glare. “I hate to break it to you, Buddy, but you need more than my help.”
“Come on, I’m serious. I wouldn’t ask unless there wasn’t any other option.”
Balen watched him silently. He was obviously still upset over their conversation this afternoon in the car. Liam pointedly returned his stare, waiting for him to speak. They’d been through too much together—spilt too much blood together, for either one of them to let an argument drive a wedge between them. Liam owed Balen his life, and vice versa.
The heat in his glare dimmed slightly as he spoke. “What do you want?”
“I need you to guard Ashley Collins…”
“What? No way. You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m here to help
you
, not to be some rebellious woman’s babysitter.”
Liam weathered the outburst before saying anything more. He knew Balen would have no more interest in becoming a guardian than Liam had. Balen was a warrior through and through. He was playing dirty, using their friendship to get him to agree to Ashley’s guardianship. But at the moment, Liam didn’t feel he had any other alternative.
“This
is
helping me. The girl is in danger. Max is up to something, and I
can’t
protect them both.”
“Assign the girl a guardian—a real one,” Balen stated flatly. “Just don’t ask me to play
Mary Poppins
.”
“I can’t, or I would have. The girl’s not saved.”
Balen sighed heavily in defeat. “I can’t be with her all the time, you know. I have other responsibilities in addition to watching over your love-sick ass.”
“Thanks, Balen. The girl’s a mess. Max is using her in a bad way. I’m not sure how he’s planning to play this out, but I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well.” Liam stood up from the table and started to walk away. “Oh yeah, and whatever you do, don’t touch her.” He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Balen said dryly.
Liam glanced up at the clock that hung on the wall. He had just enough time to jump in the shower before picking Olivia up. Ashley’s grief still clung to him, and he couldn’t get it washed off soon enough. He walked into the living room and turned back, staring at Balen expectantly.
“Now? You want me to go right now?”
“Yeah, Max is going to go back there, it’s just a matter of when.”
Balen muttered a curse and stood up from the table. “You owe me one, you know that.”
“I owe you more than one,” Liam replied, shooting his friend a grateful smile.

***

Stepping into Ashley’s house was like crossing into another world. The air was thick and balmy—heavy with grief. Even from his dimension, the suffocating oppression was tactile. Balen sat down at the kitchen table and looked over at the shell of a young woman sitting in the living room.

A cream chenille blanket wrapped over her hunched shoulders. She sat statue still, curled up on the recliner, staring out the picture window. Her hazel-colored eyes shone like prisms through her tears.

He stood up and walked into the living room, curious to get a closer look at the female he was now charged with protecting. He towered over her, no farther than an arm’s length away. She was very beautiful. Her delicate features reminded him of a porcelain doll, fragile and easily broken. And by the looks of her, Max had done a pretty good job of it already.

Ashley resituated herself in the recliner and a lock of her hair fell away from the side of her neck. Red marks and bruises trailed below the neckline of her sweatshirt.

His hands tingled with the energy stirring inside him, and he clenched them into tight fists as he imagined wrapping them around Max’s throat, choking the life out of him. That bastard needed to be put down like the rabid dog he was—like yesterday. A sudden streak of protectiveness shot through him at the mere thought of what Max had done to this beautiful girl.

Ashley sighed heavily. His frown softened as he looked down at her, the ache of compassion swelling inside his chest. He raised his hand to touch her golden curls, seemingly unable to help himself, he was so mesmerized by this beauty. Liam’s words suddenly echoed in his head and he caught himself before his hand grazed the silky curls. Balen snatched his hand away as if he were about to get burned. He turned abruptly and sat down on the couch across from her, anxious to put some distance between them.

What in the hell did he almost do? Good Lord, had he lost his mind? He could see right now this was a mistake. Warriors should not be guardians. It was just that simple.

Clay was standing at the register when Olivia walked out of the aerobics room. Her last class finished a few minutes late, and she was headed for the showers. Clay didn’t get off until five, so she had almost an hour to kill. As she walked past the large picture window, she didn’t even stop to look for Liam in the parking lot. She’d told him not to come, and why would he after the way she’d made a complete jackass of herself.

“Hey, Liv, your boyfriend’s waiting for you in the parking lot,” clay called when she turned down the hall, about ready to step into the women’s locker room.

Despite herself, a rush of excitement woke the butterflies in her stomach. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Olivia called back, not sure if she was telling Clay or reminding herself of that unfortunate little technicality.