Until Darkness Comes (4 page)

***

Max shut off the bike and walked it into Olivia’s driveway. The last thing he needed was the neighbors complaining to her parents about the late night wake-up calls from the Harley’s engine. He let out the kickstand, climbed off the bike, and reached over to pick up Olivia. He held her against him, arms circled loosely around the small of her back.

“You gonna invite me inside?” he whispered against the side of her cheek, pressing his lips against the soft fragrant skin in front of her ear. The slight catch in her breath brought a smile to his lips. She liked it when he kissed her there. She’d like his kisses in a lot of other places too if he could only get the female to let her guard down for even a few minutes.

“I can’t, Max, it’s late.”

He sighed heavily, pent up and frustrated to be put off yet again. How much longer could he keep up the “good guy” act? What did he know about being a “good boyfriend” anyway? The girl was lucky he restrained himself around her as much as he did.

Olivia was fresh—pure—innocent. Honestly, that was part of her appeal. And she’d stay that way, at least until he got done with her. He’d have to try harder to win the girl’s heart. If he scared her off, or if she lost interest in him, there would be hell to pay—literally.

Max bent his head and brushed his lips against hers one last time before forcing himself to let her go. “Good night, Liv.” He turned away and climbed back on the bike. Unfortunately, he had another appointment he was late for anyway. Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, Max drove home and parked the Harley inside his garage, cursing to himself how much he hated Sheol.

The moment he stepped across dimensions into the realm of the Dark Court, the stench of smoke and sulfur assaulted his nose. Three elders sat on a platform overlooking the broken, eroded walkway. The only light came from a wall of flames that burned behind them, casting eerie shadows across the room.

The smell never bothered Max this much before. He’d gotten used to it over the years, but now that he walked the earth and smelled the clean, fresh air and the scent of thriving life, the putrid stench of this world beyond made him nauseous. His thoughts immediately turned to Olivia, remembering the mouthwatering scent of vanilla and jasmine, a pleasant and much needed distraction. Would she taste as delicious as she smelled? Every touch so far promised she would.

The heavy stench grew stronger the closer he got to the three. The bitter tang of bile burned the back of his throat. It would take at least an hour to scrub the stink off of him when he got home. As hard as he tried, he could never entirely remove the smell. It clung to him, lingering like a bad rash.

“Well?” Lorca demanded. His low-pitched hiss felt like sandpaper scraping against his skin. His black oversized weepy eyes bore into Max, making him shuddered with disgust.

“Well,” Max snapped back sarcastically, trying to hide his unease. “Where were they? It’s not my fault they didn’t show. Did you expect me to keep the girl there all night?”

“What we
expect
is for you to do your job. And that doesn’t include you starting fights with a Ronnin warrior!” Gahn, the second in command, yelled.

Max froze.
Shit…so that explains it.
Guardians weren’t typically that aggressive, and there weren’t many angels who could walk into a den of demons and live to tell about. Obviously he’d underestimated the stranger.

“You’re lucky the girl was with you or you probably would have been killed. And then where would we be?” Gahn growled. “It won’t be long before the girl discovers she has the sight. She’ll be harder to manipulate once she figures out the truth. You’re running out of time!”

The third creature sat silently in between the two demons, a long black cloak covering him from head to toe. His once beautiful face was now hidden by a hood, concealing his contorted disfigurements. All Max could see of him were two red eyes glowing back at him. They penetrated his soul, burning every inch of the way. He shifted uncomfortably, anxious to get out from under the probing stare.

“What can you tell me about the warrior?”
“He’s served in Michael’s legion, and he’s there for the girl, to win her heart away from you.” Unease settled in the pit of Max’s stomach. The mention of Michael’s name drudged up bad memories, memories he’d thought were long since buried, apparently not deep enough.
“Are you certain he’s served under Michael?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Lorca snapped. “You think I’m just pulling this out of my ass? Amos recognized him tonight. They served together before The Segregation.”
So that’s what you’re calling it now? “The Segregation?”
“That took a lot of balls, you know, breaking Amos’ wrist. We had plans for him, I’ll have you know!”
“Yeah, well, I warned him to back off. Olivia is mine. Maybe next time, he’ll listen.”
“She won’t be yours for long if that warrior gets a hold of her. Your only chance to win against him is through the girl’s free will. She must choose you!” Gahn reiterated. “You can’t kill a Ronnin warrior without Immanuel’s Stone.”
We’ll see about that.
“I’ll get the job done,” he promised, not hesitating to take his leave. He shuddered in disgust as he walked past the hounds stationed by the door. Froth foamed from their snouts and dripped from giant fangs. Their eyes shifted wildly back and forth as the dogs paced restlessly, standing guard before the entrance. Why they had guards here was beyond him, it wasn’t like anyone would
want
to come here. They certainly weren’t here for crowd control. Max walked past the hounds, pushed through the double doors, and stepped into the hallway. He didn’t take another breath until he heard the doors behind him close.
“This is just great,” he growled, stepping back over to walk through his front door. The first hint of dawn was already breaking through the morning sky. He glanced up at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall—5 a.m. Olivia would leave for work in less than two hours, and he’d need a good portion of that time to get the stink off of him. He turned his head and sniffed his shoulder in hopes the smell wasn’t as bad as he thought—it was worse. “Dammit,” he snarled, pulling off his clothes. He threw them straight into the trash, double bagged them, and tossed the garbage sack out the front door. It landed with a thud and rolled clumsily down the front steps, resting on the sidewalk.
Max stepped into the shower and turned the water on as hot as he could stand it. He scrubbed at his skin, using the entire bottle of liquid soap. He ran the loofa over his shoulder and winced. Son of a bitch, that was tender. He’d been surprised at the speed and strength in which the angel had hit him. To learn he’d tangled with a Ronnin warrior had been less than stellar news.
Max hadn’t anticipated the swift retaliation, didn’t have time to dodge the blow. He rubbed his aching shoulder and slowly rotated it, testing the “Damn, this hurts.”
He turned off the water limited range of motion.

and stepped out of the shower, cranking his head around to look in the mirror. A large red hand print glowed back at him, burned into his shoulder blade. “Son of a bitch!” he cursed, grabbing a towel off the rack and wrapping it around his hips. He left a trail of soggy footsteps behind as he marched into his bedroom and pulled on a fresh change of clothes.

Max ran his fingers through his hair as he jogged down the stairs. He grabbed his sunglasses and keys off the counter, stepped into a pair of combat boots, and walked out the door. His scowl deepened as the stench from the garbage bag assaulted him. A swarm of black flies hovered around the plastic, searching frantically for an opening at the tied knot. He walked over to the large oak tree in his yard and broke off a branch with the flick of his wrist. Using it to pick up the bag, he dropped it into the trash can at the end of his driveway.

He was running late. He still needed to stop at the bagel shop and get over to Olivia’s before she left for work. Hopefully the thoughtful gesture would show her what a kind and considerate boyfriend he was. He needed to score a few points with her after yesterday.
Maybe I should read a book or something
.
A book on how to be the perfect boyfriend
…
Hell knows I need it
.

Max pulled into the parking lot of the bagel shop and cursed under his breath. He edged the bike into a “no parking” area and strode into the store. The bell clanged overhead as he swung the door open and scowled impatiently at the long line of people waiting to order their morning coffee and bagel. He walked past the crowd like he owned the place, and cut into the empty place at the counter.

Max rested his hands on top of the glass case as he looked at the bagels, trying to remember which one was Olivia’s favorite.

“Good Morning. Welcome to Karen’s Bagels. What can I get you this morning?” asked the much too cheerful girl behind the counter.

He didn’t bother to look up at the girl. “I’ll take a twelve grain.”
She slid the glass case open, took out a twelve-grain bagel, and placed it in the bag. “Can I get you anything else?” Her light flirtatious voice caught Max’s attention.
“No, thank you.” He glanced up at the beautiful young woman, and flashed her a charming smile, never growing tired of the attention it attracted. What a shame he had to waste it all on Olivia. He could tap a lot of ass with these looks.
The female turned her back to him, shoved a napkin into the bag, and handed him the sack. “That’ll be $2.12.”
Max gave her a ten and winked at her, taking the bag. “Keep the change.” He strode out of the shop past a line of angry scowls, he couldn’t care less. Shoving the sack into his saddlebag, he sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
As he turned down Olivia’s street, he saw her come flying out of the house wearing a tank top and yoga pants. She was obviously running late for work, big surprise there. He watched her disappear around the driver’s side of the Jeep. Just as he pulled into her drive way, the SUV roared to life and began backing toward him.
Max stood there a moment wondering why they ever allowed women to drive. She must have seen his movement when he stepped out of the way because the Jeep ground to a screeching halt and she leapt out of the car a second later.
“What are you doing here? I almost hit you!”
He grabbed the sack from his saddlebag and handed it to her. “I brought you breakfast. I figured you wouldn’t have eaten yet cuz you’re always in too much of a hurry.” He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.
“Thanks, Max. That’s really sweet, but I gotta go. I’m going to be late for class.” She frowned regretfully as she returned his kiss. He could taste the mint from her toothpaste, smell the hint of Jasmine in her damp hair… Damn, he wanted her beneath him.
Max stepped back and took an appraising look at her standing there in her skin-tight yoga pants. Every shape, every beautiful curve perfectly outlined in spandex. “Maybe I should join yoga,” he teased, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, but publically groping her probably wasn’t what a “good boyfriend” would do, and he didn’t want to lose his bagel points.
Olivia laughed. “Oh please, you and yoga?”
He gave her a flirtatious smile. “I’d only be going for the view. Oh well, maybe some other time. I’m headed out today anyway, gonna meet up with some friends to go riding.”
“Well, have fun, and be careful.” She kissed him one last time before climbing back into the Jeep.

Olivia accelerated once she hit the main road, trying to make up some time. She turned too sharp into the parking lot, and her front tire rode up over the curb. The Jeep came to a jerking halt and she scrambled out, rushing inside with her bagel sack and gym bag in each hand.

“Hey, Clay,” she called to one of the trainers as she jogged past, turning into the aerobics room.
“Hey, Liv, running late again I see.”
“Shut up!” She poked her head back out of the door. “And don’t you tell Ronnie either, or he’ll have my ass.”
“I’d sure like to have some of that ass,” he murmured.
“What was that?” she asked innocently, pretending not to hear him.
“Nothing, I said your secret is safe with me.”
“That’s what I thought. Thanks, C. You’re the best!”
Olivia opened the closet door and flipped on the lights. She grabbed a handful of mats and walked backward, dragging them out. She let out a surprised yelp and spun around when her butt backed into something big and hard. “Clay! Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t even see you there. What are you doing?”
“My next appointment isn’t for another fifteen minutes.” He glanced up at the clock, walking into the closet and grabbing an armful of mats. “Where do you want these?”
She smiled thankfully. “Put them in a row of six long, four deep.”
“Geeze, that’s a pretty big class.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m glad it’s finally taking off. I was worried when I started this that no one would come.” The bell of the front door clanged. “I’ll get it. You just keep pulling mats.” Olivia’s bright smile fell as she walked out of the aerobics room and saw the two customers standing at the front counter. “Can I help you?” she asked with polite distain.
Liam gave her a dazzling smile and her heart unexpectedly skipped a beat. She scolded herself for letting this guy have any effect on her, especially after that asshole stunt he pulled at the bar last night. She’d forgotten to ask Max about his shoulder this morning. It probably still hurt like hell. She returned his smile with a pissed-off glare, just to be clear she hadn’t forgotten about last night.
“My friend Balen and I joined the membership here,” Liam explained, appearing oblivious to her ire. Maybe he was that dense, or maybe he just didn’t care. “We have an appointment with Clay to show us around.”
“Clay,” Olivia called, turning her back to him and walking away, “your eight o’clock is here.” She fought the urge to look back and steal another glance. It wasn’t like her to be rude, but after the way he attacked Max, she didn’t particularly feel obligated to give him the time of day.
Clay walked out, smiled warmly at the two, and extended his hand. “Welcome. My name’s Clay. I’ll be your fitness instructor. So, you guys look like you’re in pretty great shape. What are your goals?” He escorted Liam and Balen past the aerobics room.
“What’s going on in there?” She heard Liam ask. When they stopped in front of the picture window, she tried to pretend they weren’t there, continuing with her warn-up stretches.
“Yoga,” Clay answered. “Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.”
“She’s beautiful,” Balen leaned over to Liam and whispered, but not quietly enough. So obviously Liam had talked about her to his friend.
They came back around an hour later, passing by the picture window again.
Must be the end of the tour.
She looked up to see Liam standing in front of the glass, watching her. Her eyes locked on his violet gaze and a rush of heat ran through her, head to toe. She couldn’t seem to look away, the intensity of his gaze kept her eyes glued to his. The longer she stared at him, the more he took her breath away.
The others walked on, leaving Liam standing there. A few seconds later, Balen stepped back into view and grabbed a hold of his sleeve, giving it a hard jerk, pulling him off balance. He stumbled once, and quickly recovered, but not before breaking her gaze.
Surprisingly, she felt disappointed when he walked away, and equally disturbed that he could affect her so strongly. A few groans of protest pulled her attention back to her class. “And…rest,” she said, as if it had been her intention to hold the position for so long. On that note, she ended the class a few minutes early. Her stomach was growling and that bagel sounded pretty good right about now.
Olivia sat down in the break room and pulled her bagel out of the sack. How sweet and thoughtful of Max to do this for her. He could really melt her heart sometimes. She pulled out the napkin, and her eyes immediately fell on bright blue ink.
Call me if you ever want to get together and have a good time!
Amanda 555-245-2542
Olivia’s stomach turned, her appetite instantly gone. She wadded the napkin up and threw it in the trash. On second thought, she picked up the napkin out of the garbage, shoved it back into the bag, and threw the bagel away.
***