Until Darkness Comes (29 page)

Balen spent the night on the hill outside Ashley’s house. It was doubtful Max would show up, but he wouldn’t put anything past the ruthless bastard. Instead of going home, he resigned himself to spend yet another night watching over her, alone with his thoughts, and pondering the impossible situation he’d gotten himself into.

Ashley was awake. He could feel her pull toward him. It was always stronger when she was awake. He resisted the urge to go see her. She was still upset about what happened to Nate and Olivia yesterday, and her inner turmoil gnawed at his nerves. He wanted to sooth her fears, to promise her that Max would never hurt her or any of her friends again, but it was a promise he couldn’t make without telling her the truth.

“Balen?” Ashley’s voice carried over to him light as the breeze itself.
She startled him. He was immediately irritated he’d allowed her to sneak up on him, further proving the point that he was distracted—this wasn’t good. He didn’t make mistakes, and this…this was just plain sloppy, completely amateur style.
“Ashley.”
“I saw you from my bedroom window. What are you doing out here?”
The questioning look on her beautiful face made him pause. He didn’t want to tell her he was afraid Max would come back again. She was already worried enough. He patted the soft grass, inviting her to join him, fruitlessly hoping she wouldn’t press the issue any further.
“Look,” Ashley said, sitting down beside him. “You’re either the sweetest, most incredible guy ever to sit out here and watch over me, or you’re a huge creeper. So tell me, why are you out here?”
“I’d never do anything to hurt you, Ashley. You know that,” he said pointedly.
“I know,” she answered softly. “So, it’s Max, isn’t it? You think he’ll come back, and after what he did yesterday—”
“Max won’t harm you. I won’t allow it.”
“That’s really sweet,” she said, lifting her hand to touch the side of his face, “but you can’t be with me every second of every day.”
Wanna bet?
H resisted the urge to pull Ashley into his arms. If she only knew he belonged to her more than she’d ever know. They shared a connection that made them inseparable.
“Spring break will be over soon. I have to go back to school—with Max,” she added, biting her lower lip. She did that when she was nervous. He’d seen her do it a lot over the last few days. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. He hated to see her so worried. The truth hovered on the tip of his tongue, forbidden to speak the words that would ease her fear.
He turned to face her, taking her hand in his protectively. “You trust me?”
She nodded.
“Good. Max’s time here is short, and until he’s gone, I won’t leave you.”
Ashley wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. “This isn’t fair to you, Balen. I can’t expect you to put your life on hold for me.”
“You’re worth the inconvenience, trust me.”
He watched her for what seemed like forever before she finally spoke again. “Your eyes…they’re amazing,” she whispered, leaning toward him to get a closer look.
At least that’s what he thought she’d been doing. She closed the distance between them and gently brushed her lips against his. “Thank you,” she whispered against his mouth.
The second Ashley’s lips touched his, he froze, suddenly overwhelmed with a flood of emotions and forbidden desires he ought not have and had no idea how to deal with. He wanted to pull her closer to him, to taste the fullness of her lips, to swallow the words she brushed against them. But he refused to allow himself to move, afraid he’d frighten her if he gave into his desires, and afraid he’d betray the Father’s trust—betray himself. He didn’t have a lot of experience with human contact, so not only was he unprepared for it, he was honestly quite overwhelmed by it.
“Balen?” Ashley whispered his name, and he knew she was confused when he didn’t kiss her back. He felt like a stone statue sitting there next to her, but frankly, he was too afraid to move. If he did, he may do something he’d regret.
“This isn’t why I’m here, Ashley.”
“I know that,” she said softly. “I didn’t think it was. It’s okay. I
want
you to kiss me.” She moved closer, and gently circled her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her. She brushed her lips against his again. The soft moist tip of her tongue he’d watched wet her own lips a hundred times, now brushed teasingly over his top lip. She tasted amazing, and he wanted nothing more at this moment than to reciprocate her offer.
His restraint cracked with that slow gentle glide. Unable to resist her another moment, he pulled her into his arms and crushed his lips against hers. Ashley gasped, shocked by the speed and forcefulness in which his mouth claimed hers. Her surprise glanced over him but he couldn’t find the strength to care enough to stop.
His energy soared. He could feel her heart racing as his own sped with overwhelming desire. He kissed her so deeply, so completely, he could taste the essence of her mortality, and instantly knew he’d found the drug Max coveted. She was absolutely intoxicating.
Recovering from her startled shock, Ashley returned his kiss with a fever that matched his own. She moaned softly, leaning back into lush green grass, pulling him on top of her.
“Liam and Olivia will be here any minute,” he whispered, kissing the delicate angle of her jaw. “This is highly inappropriate.” He warred with himself, unable to pull away. “Liam asked me to protect you, not seduce you.” He moved to capture her lips in another kiss. This time it was gentle, searching, exploring…
“Maybe
I
seduced
you
,” she whispered as his tongue traced the soft hollow of her throat.

***

“It’s pretty early. Do you think Balen is here yet?” Olivia asked, as they turned down the road to Ashley’s house.

“He’s here,” Liam said flatly.

She looked over and shot him a questioning frown. “Is that a bad thing?”
“That depends on the reference to which the question is being asked, I guess.”
“I’m not a big fan of word games, Liam. If you’re concerned about something, I want you to tell me,” she demanded.
“Balen is in a difficult situation, much as I, with you. His feelings for Ashley grow stronger every day he’s with her. Even though it’s only been a few days, they’re developing a very strong bond very quickly. If he could have stayed in our dimension, it would have helped maintain a degree of separation, but Max made that impossible. She touched him yesterday, so now their bond is solidified. That will make it all the more difficult for him to leave her when this is over.”
“When do you expect that will be?” The weight of Liam’s words sunk in with dread. She was worried about Ashley, especially after everything she’d been through. But more than anything, she just didn’t want to see her friend get hurt.
“Soon. Max’s crimes will not go unpunished.”
“And will you be the one to see to that?” she asked softly.
“Yes.”
His voice was devoid of all emotion. Despite everything Max had done, she had a hard time picturing Liam taking a life, even if it was Max’s. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Max deserved die, but the idea of it left her with a certain unease. She knew there was another side to him, a very vicious side she’d glimpsed on occasion, that’d left her with a mixture of fear and awe.
He glanced over at her, scowling. “This bothers you?”
“I don’t know. I just have a hard time picturing you taking someone’s life, that’s all.”
Liam pulled into Ashley’s driveway and parked the car. He turned in his seat to look at her. “First of all, Max isn’t a ‘someone’, he’s a ‘something.’ There’s a difference. Second of all, I was created a warrior, Olivia, and that’s what I’ll always be. I will not apologize for who or what I am. Every life I’ve taken, and believe me there have been many, have all been justifiable deaths. Nothing I do is beyond the power and authority that has been given to me. My conscience is clear, but I need you to understand that war is in my blood. It’s a part of what I am.”
Olivia was a little taken aback by his frankness. He spoke with an intensity and air of confidence that left her wondering if she’d angered him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” It was times like this that she realized just how different she and Liam were. His world really was nothing like hers.
“It’s all right. I don’t expect you to understand what’s beyond your knowledge. But please, refrain from judging what you do not know.”
Beyond her knowledge? Well, that was certainly…honest.
His candidness struck a nerve. “First of all, I’m not judging you. Second of all, don’t speak to me like I’m a fourth grader riding the short bus!” The corner of his lips twitched up in a smile. “Oh, do you find something amusing?” she snapped. Now he laughed!
“Really, Olivia? The short bus? Don’t you think that’s a bit politically incorrect?”
He was still laughing when Ashley and Balen came around the side of the house. He must have noticed Ashley’s flushed cheeks and suspicious glow, at the same time she did, because his laughter abruptly ceased.
“I see what you mean,” she grouched. “Is that…grass in her hair?” She walked over to the couple and forced a smile on her face. “Good morning.” Ashley stepped forward and gave her a hug. “I thought we could grab some breakfast and call the hospital to see if Nate can have visitors yet. I don’t have yoga class till later this morning.”
“Sure.”
“You want to drive, or should I?” Liam asked Balen.
She glanced over at Liam and could see he and Balen were having an unspoken conversation that had nothing to do with driving.
“Hey, Ash, do you have a sweater I can borrow? It’s cooler this morning than I thought.”
“Of course.” Ashley turned to walk back up to the house, Olivia followed her.
“So,” she said, once they got out of ear shot, “you and Balen, huh?”
“What?” Ashley glanced over her shoulder, looking surprised. “How did you know?”
“You have grass in your hair, and you’re practically glowing.” Olivia replied flatly.
Ashley laughed. “Do I really?” She reached up, running her fingers through her hair as they walked into her bedroom.
“Here, let me get it,” Olivia offered, standing behind her friend, pulling blades of green grass from her bouncy curls.
“You don’t sound pleased to hear this.”
She hesitated before answering—trying to come up with the right words, but there simply weren’t any. “It’s not that I don’t want you to be happy, Ash, I do. I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all. Balen isn’t here to stay. He came as a favor to Liam. I think he should have told you that.”
“He did, and he told me that his being here was complicated, but I didn’t press him for details. I know he likes me, Liv. I’m just hoping that he’ll change his mind about going.”
“Just don’t bet on it, Ash. I don’t want to be the downer here, but Balen has other obligations that he can’t just walk away from—obligations that won’t
allow
him to stay here.”
“How do you know that?” Ashley snapped. “Tell me then, what ‘commitments’ and ‘obligations’ does he have that are
sooo
important that he can’t stay here if he wants to?”
All right, maybe his secret wasn’t hers to tell, but her best friend’s heart was her business. If Balen was going to cross the line, then it was her responsibility to draw a new one.
“Balen isn’t who you think he is, Ashley. He’s an angel.”
“What? Oh, come on! That’s ridiculous! Why the hell would you say something like that?”
“Cuz it’s true,” she said calmly.
“He’s here to protect you from Max, who is
not
an angel.”
“You’re shitting me right? You don’t actually expect me to believe this good versus evil crap actually exists, do you? You know what I think? I think you’ve lost your mind. I think a few too many of your brain cells drowned in that lake yesterday!”
“Hey,” Olivia snapped, “I realize that this is less than ideal news for you to hear, but you don’t need to be a bitch about it. This ‘crap’ does exist and we’re both stuck right in the middle of it! Come on, Ash! You gotta know there’s something different about him. What reason would I possibly have to lie to you?”
Ashley looked out the window at Balen, and didn’t answer her. Apparently she’d made a convincing argument. “Why didn’t
he
tell me himself?”
“Because he can’t. There’s some code of silence they’re sworn to. The only reason I’m even telling you this is because I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“They…you said ‘they.’ Who are
they,
Liv, and how do you know all this stuff?
***

The girl’s voices carried out Ashley’s bedroom window. Liam and Balen both glanced up to the second story. “What are you doing?” he asked Balen, sighing with exasperation.

“Going to get breakfast, and heading to the hospital with you,” he replied ignorantly.
“Dammit, that isn’t what I meant, and you know it!”
“I thought we had this conversation yesterday, and we agreed you’d mind your own business,” Balen growled.
“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure Olivia isn’t going to. She’s pretty pissed off right now.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound good up there.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“What do you think Olivia is saying to her?”
“How should I know? I can’t read her mind,” he snapped curtly. “But I wouldn’t put it past her if she told Ashley the truth.”
Balen frowned. “Well, that could get ugly,” he said, looking a little worried.
“I don’t know. It’s better than letting her get her heart broken.”
“Hey, I agree. It’s not like I wouldn’t have told her myself if I could.”
“I know you would have. I guess we should probably just give them a little time to get this all hashed out.”
Balen nodded and they walked up the grassy hill overlooking her bedroom. They could see the glimpses of the girls through the window. An occasional arm would rise in the air, and the breeze would carry a hint of their voices toward them.
After a long silence, the front door opened and Olivia stepped out. She was alone. “Come on, let’s go see how bad it is.” He gave Balen a pat on the shoulder as he stood up. If Olivia’s emotions were any clue, then that whole thing could have gone a whole hell of a lot better.
“Well?” Liam asked, walking up to her.
“She’s having a little trouble processing it all. Sorry, Balen, I had to tell her the truth.”
“Hey, I’m glad you did. The last thing I want is to mislead her. I tried telling her myself,
but there’s only so much I can say.”
“I know you don’t.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “I think she’s struggling with her unbelief more than anything right now. It’s kind of a shocker to find out that you’ve been wrong about everything you’ve believed your whole life.”
“I understand,” Balen said. “Maybe you guys should go ahead and we’ll catch up with you later.”
Olivia walked over to Balen and gave him a hug. “I know you care about her, and it’s hard for you to see her upset, but she’s not mad at you. Have Ash give me a call. We can go to the hospital later.”
The worry lines on Olivia’s beautiful face concerned him. It couldn’t have been easy to tell your best friend she’d fallen for angel. She’d been through so much over the last few days he was starting to wonder just how much more she could take.