Courting Darkness (3 page)

“She’s not a drug, Balen. They can’t detox her out of my system. I love her—”

“I know you do,” his friend replied sadly, “and I’m sorry it came to this.”

“How is she?” Liam hated to ask, but needed to know—even though the answer was going to kill him. He broke Balen’s gaze, attempting to hide the inevitable jade flare in his eyes. It was bad enough he couldn’t keep the venom from his voice at the mere thought of another Ronnin taking his place. Jealousy burned through his veins like poison, turning them to ash.

No doubt, this was another reason for the T.O. For if Liam were free, he couldn’t guarantee the angel’s safety. The High Court hoped that a little cooling-off period without the bond that allowed him to feel Olivia’s emotions, and the separation of time and space, would eventually quell his love for the female. Not fucking likely...

“She’s…well. She doesn’t remember who you are. In fact, she doesn’t remember the last four years of her life. Naturally, she’s struggling to make sense of it all.”

“That’s better than the alternative,” he grumbled, refusing to regret, or second guess, the most difficult decision he’d ever made in his life. If he’d known he was going to lose her in the end… “And her guardian?”

Balen hissed a sharp oath. “You really are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you? Just let it go, Liam. Nothing good will come of your knowing.”

“Who is he?” The harsh demand echoed off the walls, booming down the prison corridor.

“For crissake!” Balen snapped, “Keep it down. You want them to think you’ve lost it?”

“Who is he?” A feral snarl rumbled in his throat. His head snapped up, eyes locking on his friend, daring Balen to deny him, no longer caring to hide the truth reflected in his amethyst-hued glare.

Sighing, the angel dragged a hand through his tawny cropped hair, making it stand on end. His friend looked as strung-out as Liam felt. Regret filled Balen’s eyes, and Liam held his gaze in an uncompromising grip of determination, waiting for the answer to what would no doubt shred his last threads of self-control, yet unable to stop himself from demanding the truth.

“Tate.”

“Son of a bitch!” The growl tore from his throat.

“He said to tell you he isn’t any happier about this than you are.”

With blinding speed, Liam grabbed the cell bars, giving them a fierce yank. “Get me out of here, Balen!”

Slowly shaking his head, Balen stepped back, turned, and walked away. “I can’t—even if I wanted to. Let her go, Liam. She isn’t yours anymore.”

Olivia was late. Every Tuesday for the last eight weeks, she met her friend, Ashley, for coffee after her doctor’s appointment—same time, same place. Not today. Ashley’s comely face was pinched into a worried frown as she frequently checked her watch. The snit wasn’t big on patience, but as it turned out, neither was he. Unease slowly started to churn in Haden’s gut and the feeling was most unwelcomed. More so was the consideration for its cause.

Two months had passed since Olivia had returned to Evercrest. In the days following her arrival, Haden had taken care to keep his distance, mindful not to spook the female as he lie in wait for Liam’s return. The bastard hadn’t shown—a most baffling turn of events.

The last time they’d crossed paths, Olivia was dying in the angel’s arms and Haden was fighting like hell to keep a bar full of demons at bay. He needed Olivia alive. She was his only link to the stone. If Liam had been telling the truth and she truly didn’t know where it was hidden, she was still the leverage he needed to force Liam’s hand. That’s why he’d saved the female’s life in Duluth, why he was watching her now… At least that was the lie he told himself.

Haden glanced at his own watch, tapping his booted foot impatiently against the grass. It wasn’t like her to be late. In the last couple of months, he’d learned a great deal from watching the female. Olivia was a creature of habit, which made this whole stalker gig a cinch. She liked routine and was always punctual. Health and fitness were important to her—her killer ass was testament to that, even if he hadn’t watched her come and go from the gym five days a week where she worked as a nutritionist and yoga instructor.

She had a few close friends. Otherwise, she preferred to stay to herself. For some reason, since coming back from Minnesota, she was seeing a shrink every Tuesday. Aside from nearly getting herself killed in Duluth, he’d known the female to be intelligent and level-headed. She was methodical by nature and basically the exact opposite of her impetuous best friend, Ashley. Now, that one was a head-case. Easy on the eyes, but it was a wonder that female hadn’t gotten herself killed by now.

Olivia’s ex-fiancé was a complete douche, but then, he already knew that from the displeasure of meeting him before. The little shit had gotten physical with her when she’d tried to dump his sorry ass in Duluth. Too bad Liam hadn’t taken Haden up on his offer to whack the fucker. If the prick didn’t start leaving her alone, he might still do it.

Ashley grabbed her cell and made a call, no doubt checking up on her MIA BFF. A moment later, she shoved her phone into her purse, anxiety knitting her arched brows. Olivia wasn’t coming. Standing up from the bench where he’d casually lounged for the last hour, Haden left, irritated by his own disappointment in not seeing the female, while trying to ignore the needling concern that something was wrong. Thirty minutes later, he found himself standing on the sidewalk outside Olivia’s house.

The driveway sat empty except for her jet-black Camaro. Why had she come home from her doctor’s appointment instead of meeting Ashley for coffee? The answer came in the soft hiccupping sobs wafting out through the crack in the kitchen window.

He told himself it was curiosity that propelled his feet forward. It definitely wasn’t the knot of tension fisting in his gut. Since he hadn’t taken corporeal form, there was no need to knock on the door before helping himself inside her parents’ house. Why had she moved back home? One of his many question still left unanswered.

As he walked through the living room, the crying grew louder. Reluctance warred with the urgency to see her—to make sure she was all right. When he entered the kitchen, Haden’s feet abruptly stopped. His chest constricted, squeezing his heart when he saw Olivia sitting at the table. Her face was buried in her folded arms, her fragile shoulders shook, racked with grief.

“Olivia…?” Her name left his throat in a parched whisper before he even realized he’d spoken her name.

Her startled gasp rent the air as her head shot up. The bitter almond tang of her fear teased his senses, courting his predatory instincts to life. A rush of adrenaline flooded his veins, heading south. His exhaled groan sounded more like a growl, and her eyes grew wide with fright.

Aw hell…
Her fear was going to bring Liam running faster than Pavlov’s dog. As much as he wanted the angel to return so he could get about his business, some remote part of him craved a few minutes alone with her before all hell broke loose.

The seconds ticked by in a wordless stand-off. He didn’t know what to say as he stood there, watching her curiously, and waiting for her warrior to appear. So beautiful…her jet-black hair hung in wild disarray. Red-rimmed eyes returned his stare, vibrant green, glistening like emeralds through her unshed tears.

“Who are you?”

Wait, what?
His top lip curled arrogantly. “Seriously, Olivia? You’re breaking my heart. Is that any way to talk to the guy who saved your life?”

She gave him a questioning look one might perceive as hopeful. “Liam?”

“What? Fuck no! Olivia, what in the hell is wrong with you?”

Fear flashed in her eyes, yet it was clear something wasn’t right with her. An act?—possibly…and a wise one, at that.

“How stupid do you think I am?”

“I don’t think you’re stupid. I don’t even know who you are.”

Oh, give this girl an Emmy… Okay, I’ll play…

“The name Haden isn’t ringing any bells?” He watched her closely for that flicker of recognition to light her verdant eyes. Nothing.
Huh…
“You really don’t know who I am?”

Her brows scrunched hard in concentration. Head to toe, her gaze swept over him as if she were trying hard to remember. Unexpectedly, the blood in his veins slowly heated at her unabashed stare. What the fuck was that all about?

“I’ve seen you—watching me. But my family, my friends, they can’t see you. Are you an angel?”

A bitter laugh tore from his throat before he could hold it back. Oh, she was good… “First time anyone’s ever asked me that. No, I’m not an angel. Guess again, sweetheart.”

She watched him closely, pretending to puzzle him out, and then feigned a startled gasp. “Oh Lord! You’re a demon!”

Close enough…
“Winner, winner, chicken dinner.”

Genuine panic suddenly filled her eyes. Instead of that satisfied rush he always felt when his prey realized they were trapped, a niggling of guilt constricted his chest, crushing his high and pissing him off.

“You’re here to kill me!”

“I’m not going to kill you, Olivia. Not unless I have to. So stop fucking with me, and tell me where the goddamn stone is!”

She tensed in her chair, getting ready to bolt. Where was her guardian? He should have been here by now.

“What stone?”

“Do you really want to push me?” he snapped, his patience wearing thin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she denied with artful deception.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m afraid we’re going to have to test that claim.” His voice dropped to a low warning growl. “If you’re lying, I will break you, Olivia.”

Like a shot, she bolted from the chair and tore down the hall. She was a fast little thing, but he was faster. Darting around the corner, she raced for the stairs.

“Help me!” she cried.

The fact Liam had yet to do just that, made him wonder if, by some chance in hell, Olivia was telling him the truth. Either way, he couldn’t have her screaming like this and attracting attention from the neighbors.

“Somebody hel—”

He lunged for her, catching Olivia around the waist as her foot hit the stairs. His other hand clamped tightly over her mouth, cutting off her desperate plea as they hit the ground—hard. He didn’t have time to roll and take the hit to the hardwood floor. The best he could manage was to brace the bulk of his weight on his forearm as they came down. Air rushed from her lungs, blasting hot against his hand. His hard body connected with her soft one, wringing a strangled groan from his throat. She felt so fragile beneath him, caged in his arms—

Olivia cried out in pain. Haden winced, wondering just how badly he’d hurt her. He hadn’t intended on coming into this close of contact with the female and hoped like hell she couldn’t feel his erection digging into her ass.

His body’s response to her was swift and unforgiving. His lack of self-control infuriated him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down. Over the centuries, he’d taken many women, all of them willing, but never did his body betray him as it did now—not even with Anya…

Recalling the precious memory of the only female he’d ever loved blessedly cooled his heels. His body’s involuntary response to Olivia ceased, his mind sharpened, objectives cleared—get the stone and claim his revenge. Anya deserved justice for the crimes committed against her, and Gahn deserved to die. Right now, the only thing standing between him and his long-awaited vengeance was this female trapped on the floor, squirming beneath him.

“Now, that was stupid,” he growled beside her ear. “Did you really think you could outrun me?”

Olivia whipped her head back and forth, trying to knock free the hand muffling her scream. She
began to thrash beneath him, wiggling and bucking in a futile attempt to displace his weight. She only succeeded in grinding her backside against his hips—stirring his body back to life.

“Stop moving!” he hissed.

Perhaps she got the gist of what she was doing to him, because her paltry efforts abruptly ceased.

“Where’s Liam?” he demanded. If the female didn’t know where the stone was, then that angel certainly did—either way, she was the key.

She tried to speak, but couldn’t. He lifted two fingers from her mouth, preparing to slam them back down if she tried to scream again.

“I don’t know,” she wheezed beneath him. “I lost my memory two months ago.”

He shifted his weight so she could draw a deeper breath.

“Well, that’s mighty damn inconvenient,” he heard himself growl.

“So sorry for you,” she snapped.

In spite of himself, his top lip tugged into a grin. Despite everything she’d been through, clearly her strong spirit had come through unscathed.

“I hardly remember the last four years of my life!”

Moisture stung his fingers like acid. The briny burn of her tears arrowed into his chest. Snatching his hand away, Haden wiped his palm dry on the leg of his jeans and flipped the female onto her back so he could see her face—see the truth. Was it possible? Were her memories really gone?

He used his body to pin her down. She tensed, as if preparing to flail again, and then as if remembering his earlier warning, thought better of it and held perfectly still. The heavy sawing of her breath crushed her chest against his, the friction sparking a burn of desire that quickly coiled deep in his loins.