Passion (13 page)

“Look
Liam.  I think we have to go forward together, maybe not as a couple, but as a
team.  I was swept away by the memories that struck me even before we came into
this house.  Do you really think I’ve forgotten all the times you brought me
here?  You even carried me up the stairs once, remember?  We laughed and
imagined what it’d be like once…”  I choked as I remembered those happy
moments.  Our lives were so easy.

“Once
we were married,” Liam finished for me.

I
shook the image from my head.  “I just don’t want you to think that I’ve
callously forgotten all that.  I don’t want you to think that the changes that
have come into my life – into our lives – are easy.”

We
heard movement and whispered voices coming from downstairs.

“I
think Denia and her crew have come back.  Everything is clear here.”  He walked
out the room and headed for the stairs.

Still
lost in the cherished memories, it took me a moment to snap out of it and
follow him.  Torrid met us at the top of the stairs. 

“Everything
looked good,” Torrid said.

Liam
nodded.  “I’m just not sure if that’s a good thing.  I can’t say I’m looking
forward to the battle that we’ll face when we do find Catchers or Magical Ones,
but the sooner we get it over with, the better.”

“I
agree,” Torrid said.

We
made our way downstairs just as Denia entered.

“Good,”
she said.  “I’m glad we found you so easily.  We swept through the cellar,
cleared the attic and made sure no one was in the kitchen and other utility
rooms.”

“Nothing?”
Liam said with a hint of skepticism.

“Were
you really expecting to find something here?” I asked.

“I
guess I was.”

“Well,
actually, we did find something, but not what you anticipated.”  She gestured
to her small army who broke apart, allowing a tall and strong warrior to come
forward.

“Rowan,”
Torrid exclaimed.  He rushed to his brother and clapped his shoulders.  “I
thought we’d never find you.”

“I’m
happy to see you, brother.  This war is turning out to be uglier than anyone
had anticipated.” 

He
glanced at me and I immediately shuffled with discomfort under his oddly
mournful gaze.

Torrid
caught the exchange.  “What is it?”

“I
was able to go into battle with General Adar,” he said.

We
all waited expectantly.

“We
stormed many districts.  Rogue Magical Ones were everywhere and a sudden uproar
by an army of Catchers almost toppled us.”

He
avoided my questioning gaze and I felt an overwhelming sense of dread.  “You
went to the Amethyst District?”

“We
did,” he confirmed.

I
reached back to the banister and hugged it.  “Did you see my mother?”

“When
we first arrived, we found her.  She was full of fight, much of it probably
stemming from the loss of her home.”

“My
house?”

“I’m
so sorry, but the devastation in many districts is beyond anything we’d ever
seen.  The Amethyst District is no different.  Few homes remain standing, and
those that are still upright are uninhabitable.”

I
looked around the grand Governor’s Manor with irritation.  Though several
windows were cracked and we’d come across some light damage as we’d crossed the
front foyer, the house was otherwise untouched by this war.

Liam,
so in tuned to my thoughts and emotions, put his hand to my shoulder.  “Once
this is all over, I’ll make every district is rebuilt.  It’ll be even better
than before.”

“What
happened to my mother?” I asked, ignoring Liam’s promise of a bright future.

“We
don’t know.  Everything went so fast.  There were hundreds of djinns and just
as many Rogues and Catchers.  General Adar did everything to stay close to her,
but the battle got fierce.  I’m sure she’s okay.”

“What
happened to her?  How can you say she’s okay when you don’t know?” I tried to
control my emotions, but my voice showed the anger and pain I felt.

“We
lost sight of her, Kama.  That doesn’t mean anything happened to her.  We just
lost her in the melee.”

“Kama,”
Liam said.  “We’ll find her.  As soon as we’re through here we’ll go out and
find her.”

I
stared at Rowan’s feet, my vision blurred by my tears.  Though I’d allowed
myself a few fleeting moments of worry and concern, I’d somehow, in a naïve and
childish way, assumed my mother was safe – in our district – in our house.

“Don’t
worry,” Torrid said.  “We will find her, Kama.”

Liam
clapped his hands together and turned to Denia.  “I want to continue in here. 
Can you take your crew and have them search the grounds.”

Denia
turned to the distant window that opened onto the immense grounds.  “This isn’t
just your run of the mill back yard.”

“Yes,”
Liam said.  “I know.  There are three gardens, two of which have high stone
walls to protect from the downhill winds.  Beyond that is a small but heavily
wooded area.”

“There’s
also the pond, the tennis courts and the pool house,” I added.

“All
perfect hiding places,” Liam finished.

“It
could take a while,” Denia said.  “Five minutes at the very least.”

Liam
grinned.  “Good to hear.  I was beginning to think you’d need an hour or so.”

The
small army took to the task of searching the grounds.

“Can
I speak to you in private, brother?” Rowan said.

Torrid
looked at me. 

“It’s
okay, Torrid.  I’ll finish up here with Liam.  We can meet up after and…”

His
eyes darted to Liam with unveiled suspicion.  For a moment I thought he didn’t
trust Liam to be alone with me, but then I caught the same look of distrust in
Rowan’s eyes.

They
didn’t want to discuss whatever they needed to discuss in front of Liam.  While
I could understand their need to talk in private, I was personally offended by
their mistrust of Liam.

Hadn’t
he proved himself enough?  Hadn’t he shown what side he was on?  I’d known Liam
all my life and knew he was a good and trustworthy man and it hurt to see him
so misunderstood.

I
shot a quick sidelong glance at Liam to see if he was as offended as I was. 
All I could see in his eyes, however, was his eagerness to see the two brothers
leave.

A
blast of thrilling chills and heated dread passed through me.

He
was looking forward to being alone with me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about
it.

Chapter 14

I
t took a moment for me to react as Liam turned
to head into the hall that led to the west wing of the manor.  I didn’t know if
I had anticipated too much or if I had misread his expression.

Either
way, I was profoundly aware of him.

Unable
to catch up to him, I saw him enter his father’s study; the sacred hallows of
his father’s nasty deeds.  I reached the door to find Liam leaning over the
large glass top desk.

So
many times we’d peek inside as his father worked.  I’d always been intrigued by
the goings on in this private and mysterious room.  Important men and women
often congregated to this room of power, but, as young children, we never
really understood what they did.  They just seemed to talk about dull
happenings and dreary plans for replacing an inspector with a verifier or a
trimming down of the number of workers at a rescue operation only to install an
automated dispatch system.

“Do
you remember when we sneaked in here and pretended to be Governor?” I asked.

Intent
on the pages in front of him, Liam didn’t respond.  Instead, he sat down and
leaned his head on the desk.

“Liam? 
Are you all right?”

Hurrying
to his side, I wanted to kick myself for once again bringing up the past.  It
was selfish of me to think back and look at those moments with joy and innocent
wonder, while he obviously suffered at the thought.

“All
of this strain… I can’t imagine how you're able to handle it all.”

He’d
been so strong just moments ago; his stride sure and confident.

As
he sat up I wrapped my arms around him and wanted to apologize for my
insensitivity, but he picked up a sheet of paper from the desk and I realized
his outburst had nothing to do with me.

His
shoulders shook and my heart went out to him as he wept.

“Liam,
tell me what you found.  Why are you so upset?”

A
gentle chuckle sounded in the office.

“Are
you laughing or crying?” I asked as I stepped back and gazed at him.

Seeing
the tight smirk on his face was my answer.

“Okay.” 
I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms in front of me.  “Now you’ve
really got me confused.  I thought you wanted to be alone with me, then I
thought you were upset because I’d gone down memory lane again, then I thought
you were simply upset at… what…? finding your father’s devious plans?  And now
you're laughing.  Are you going insane Liam Seer?”

“I
hardly think so, though I’ll admit; lately I’m not so sure what sane is.”  His
eyes twinkled with something I hadn’t seen in a long time; pleasure.  He stood
and pulled me into his arms.  “No,” he said, his voice now low and husky. 
“These days I do know what sane means.”

Before
I could protest, before I could even anticipate his next move, he kissed me. 
Hard and possessive, his lips covered mine while his arms tightened around me,
fitting me into his arms and onto his lap the way we had always been.

“I
remember all the times we came in here,” he whispered between kisses. “I
remember, in excruciating detail, every single time you came to this house;
every moment we shared; every word we exchanged.  I remember every feeling I
ever harbored for you; the growing love I felt for you; the intensifying need
to be with you.  I remember the first time you came here, not as a girl, but as
a young woman.  You were no longer just cute and perky and fun.  You were
beautiful and desirable and mysterious. You made my body ache for you. You made
my every being want you, all of you. I remember falling hopelessly in love with
you, Kama.”

Pulling
back, I looked into his eyes.  “And you were no longer a rambunctious and
mischievous boy; you were a handsome, intelligent and kind man.”

He
smirked.  “You could also add confused.”

I
tilted my head quizzically to the side.

“You
had always been my friend,” he explained.  “You were the one I had fun with,
and even gotten into trouble with.  As a boy my love for you was innocent and naïve,
but as you blossomed...”  He cocked a devilish brow.  “I wasn’t really sure
what to do with all the emotions and feelings and…”

“Desire?”
I said with a teasing grin.

“Yeah,”
he said sheepishly.  “That.”

I
brushed my hand over his cheek.  “You’ve grown so much, Liam.  I can’t even
begin to tell you how proud of the man you're becoming.”

We
stared at each other, our eyes full of promises and wishes, our lips hungry for
one another.

Before
we lost each other in another embrace, I pulled away.  “So why are you so happy?” 
I shuffled through the pages on the desk looking for any sign of good news.

After
a quick grunt of resignation, Liam picked up a small map.  “This.”

“What
is it?”  It looked like a map of Arcadia, but I couldn’t find anything that
could make him so happy about it.  “It’s just a city map.”

“Not
just a city map, Kama.  Look.  This…”  He traced his finger around the
perimeter of the city.  “These are the outskirts of Arcadia.”

I
looked more closely at the map.  While Arcadia was printed in black bold lines,
the outskirts were thin and pale.

“Kama,
I think this is where all banished citizens of Arcadia were sent.”  He pointed
to a small circle that had been hand drawn on the map.  “These are the rebel
camps just outside Arcadia.  Remember Jocelyn’s brother and all the others who
didn’t get their Life’s Plan?  They were banished and sent here.  They’ve
grouped together in these camps.”

“I
know all about the hardships faced on the outside, Liam, but I still don’t
understand how this is good news.  Why are you smiling?  Why are you pleased at
finding this?”

“I’m
smiling because I realize now the lie we were raised with.  We were led to
believe that the original town your mom and my dad grew up in had been
destroyed.”

“Yeah,
I remember that.  My mother was devastated and she always had tears in her eyes
whenever she spoke of her childhood.”

“I
think this is the town Arcadia was patterned after, but in the outskirts.  I
think we’ll find my father there, and, if I know him as well as I think I do,
he’ll be training new Catchers there.”

 “Do
you think he’ll have my mom with him?”

“There’s
a good chance my father is keeping her close.  He knows about your father. 
With General Adar in town my father isn’t going to want to let your mother out
of his sight.  But don’t worry about her.  He cares very much about her and for
all his faults, I know he’ll do everything he can to make sure she’s safe.  I
think the only reason he brought her out of Arcadia is to keep your father from
finding her.”

“It’s
silly, you know.  If my mother and father love each other and want to be
together, there’s nothing Pim Seer can do about it.  He may be Governor, but he
doesn’t have the power to control my mother’s emotions.”

A
strange look came to Liam’s eyes.  “Yeah,” he grunted with emotion.  “I know
what you mean.”  His lips pressed into a tight smile and shrugged.  “We better
get going if we want to reach the outskirts before nightfall.

Chapter 15

“
K
ama!”

I
heard the loud exclaim and knew I’d found a friend as Liam, Torrid, Rowan, and
I made our way down to the Districts, heading towards the outskirts of Arcadia.
Melanie rushed up to me and squeezed me in a bear hug that pressed her big,
pregnant belly into mine and left me struggling to get a breath.