Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) (2 page)

Liam stood in the corner of the small room, statue still, arms crossed over his broad chest. He was just as beautiful as she’d remembered—perhaps a little leaner, which only enhanced the muscular sculpting of his magnificent body. The errant waves of his dark burgundy hair hung in layers, nearly touching his shoulders, framing his strong, square jaw. A muscle ticked in his cheek as he stood there watching her. He seemed different somehow… His eyes, the change was in his eyes that now held a depth born of pain, sorrow, and regret.

The prelude to the Wedding March carried up through the vents. The soft serenade filled the room, pulling Olivia from her trance. A rush of pain, masked by anger, surged anew, tearing open a wound of heartache that had never completely healed. “Why are you here?” she demanded.

Liam didn’t respond. For the longest time, he just stood there staring at her with an odd emotionless determination. Olivia started to question her sanity. Perhaps he hadn’t come back at all, and her mind was caught up in some sick, twisted quest for self-fulfilling prophecy.

“I had to see you.” His words came out in an aching rasp that stung all the way to her soul. Oh, he was real. No figment of her imagination could hurt this much.

“Why now, Liam? Why today? This is my wedding day!” Her voice escalated with every word until she reached hysteria. “It’s been three years! Do you know how many nights I’ve cried myself to sleep over you? Oh, that’s right, of course you do! And yet,
you
still didn’t come back to me. All those times I begged and pleaded just to let me see you again.”

His mask of apathy shattered, revealing a haunted look in his amber-colored eyes that took her breath away—unspoken evidence of his grief, proving the depth of pain and suffering hadn’t just been her cross to bear. “Dammit! Don’t you think I wanted to, Olivia? God knows, I wanted to! But I knew if I came back, even for a moment, you’d never move on. It’s killed me to sit by and watch you mourn over what can never be. Night after night, I begged the Father to give me the strength to stay away from you.”

Liam’s eyes fell on the pearl necklace clinging to her throat that was slowly choking the life out of her. “This is the first time you’ve taken that off in three years.” His voice was so raw, she winced.

Reaching up, she touched her throat, fingering the smooth, cool beads. “I had to,” she whispered. “How can I get married to the man I’m trying to love while wearing a necklace from the angel that holds my heart?” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she stopped even trying to contain them.

“Do you love him, Olivia?”

Liam’s questioning eyes raked over her. She ached to reach out and touch his beautiful face, just one more time, to feel whole in his embrace once again and let him wash away the years of pain and suffering she’d endured in his absence—to taste that delicious kiss she longed for…

“Look at me!” she cried, grabbing fists full of her wedding dress, holding them out in exasperation. “I’m getting married!” A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. By now, her make-up would be completely ruined, not that she really cared. It was symbolic of the last three years of her life.

“Trust me, I am well aware, and that’s not what I asked you.”

“I love him as much as I’m capable of loving someone else. I’ve been broken for so long. I just want to feel normal again.”

The Wedding March echoed throughout the tiny room, and she looked nervously over her shoulder. “That’s my cue,” she whispered, unwilling to walk away from him.

“I wish it was me waiting down there for you.”

Oh please, don’t say that to me!
Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as a broken sob escaped her throat. “I do, too,” she breathed the barely audible confession.

A soft knock sounded at the door. “Olivia? We’re ready for you, honey.”

She tore her eyes away from him long enough to cast an anxious glance over her shoulder and called, “I’ll be right there, Mom.” But when she turned back, Liam was gone.

***

Mitch stood in front of the altar, restlessly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The pastor stood in front of him, his best man and groomsmen lining his right side, while a row of maroon-clad bridesmaids faced him. Their cheerful smiles now lacked that excited, confident luster as the Wedding March continued to play on for the third time. There was still no sign of Olivia. The rustle of stiff suits and silken fabric echoed the guests’ impatience as they turned and shifted in their seats, looking and no doubt wondering, just as he was…Where in the fuck was his bride?

Those soft whispers and murmurs throughout the sanctuary suddenly weren’t so quiet anymore. Kim had left to check on Olivia just as the song ended for the second time. She still hadn’t returned, further adding to the guests’ speculation of a runaway bride. His cheeks burned with humiliation, sparking his temper.

“You think she bailed?” Mitch heard Nate whisper to Tom, his best man. Nate was one of Olivia’s best friends, and therefore, Mitch’s friend by default—very default. In fact, he’d like to default the guy one right in the mouth.

“Shh,” Tom hissed, throwing an elbow into Nate’s side.

A pained grunt and
whoosh
of air left Mitch smiling and wishing he’d been the one to deliver the shut-the-hell-up blow.
Serves you right, asshole…
Now, that’s a best man
.  Mitch glanced over at Tom, who gave him a wink. “She’ll be here,” he whispered confidently. Yeah, Tom had always been a fantastic liar.

The Wedding March was in its fourth I’m-going-to-kill-myself-if-I-have-to-stand-here-and-listen-to-this-damn-song-one-more-time cycle when the music abruptly ended with an off-key
ker-plunk
. Kim stood in the aisle, confusion filling her tear-stained face as she stood there shaking her head sadly.

All the air rushed from Mitch’s lungs like he’d just been nailed in the solarplex, leaving him fighting for breath as his hopes and dreams came crashing in around him. Running over to Kim, he grabbed her shoulders. She grimaced, trying to pull herself free from his biting grip. “Where is she?” he demanded, giving the woman a stern shake. “Something must be wrong!”

It had taken him so long to get Olivia here. So many wasted days, hours, months…hell, years… She’d just turned nineteen and was in her second year of college when they’d met. He and Ashley had been friends. She was dating Nate at the time, and was unfortunately off-limits, so she’d set him up with Olivia. He’d never done that sort of thing before, gone on a blind date, that is. Mostly, he’d agreed as a favor to Ashley, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to invest a few friendship chips he could hopefully cash in later. Puntang had never been in short supply, and he hadn’t been looking for anything long-term. But then he’d met Olivia…and holy shit, he’d never seen a more beautiful woman. She’d literally taken his breath away. Quiet, reserved, and clearly on their date under duress, she’d intrigued the hell out of him.

He was used to females throwing themselves at him, still was, but not this one. She was different—she’d made him work for it, and he just loved a challenge. He still hadn’t crossed the finish line, and with her pulling a
Julia Roberts
in a bad remake of
Runaway Bride
, it didn’t look like that was going to happen anytime soon, either.

Where in the hell was she?—that’s what he’d like to know. No one walked out on him—leaving him standing there at the altar like some pussy-whipped chump. Olivia was his, and he’d find her, if it was the last thing he did.

“I don’t know where she is!” Kim cried.

“Maybe something’s happened to her.” That would explain the sudden disappearing act. Digging his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed Olivia’s number. Her phone rang several times before rolling over to voicemail.  “Dammit!” he yelled, slamming his phone shut. “Where in the hell could she be!”

***

“Liam! Put me down!” Olivia cried as he carried her over his shoulder, the train of her wedding dress dragging along behind them. “Liam! I’m serious! Put me down!”

He crossed the street and toted her several blocks east before stopping in the parking lot of the city park. The wedding party had all parked their cars here, planning to hold an outside reception. Musicians gathered in the bandstand, setting up their instruments, while caterers unloaded trays of food in the gazebo.

Liam stopped abruptly and tipped Olivia back, catching her in the cradle of his arms. He stared down at her with his penetrating violet gaze holding an intensity that robbed her of all rational thought. “Do you really want me to?” he asked her, his voice wrought with emotion. “Do you want me to let you go?”

Olivia knew he wasn’t talking about her Cinderella slippers touching the asphalt.  There were times over the last three years she’d thought it, times when she was sure of it. But now, after seeing him again, being held in his arms, she was sure she’d go through every agonizing minute all over again if it meant she could have this one moment with him.

She stopped struggling. Her heart raced as the memory of his touch lit her veins with liquid fire. “No,” she whispered softly as Liam slowly lowered her to the ground, letting her slide down the front of his impossibly tall, chiseled body. When her feet connected with the sidewalk, she stood there staring up at him. Her arms clung to the corded muscles of his neck, his wrapped loosely around her lower back. “Don’t let me go…” she begged, fighting back tears that threatened to overtake her.

Liam looked like he was in physical pain when he reached up and gently tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. His gaze fell to her parted lips and for the briefest moment, she thought he was going to kiss her—Lord help her, she wished he would. But instead, he pulled back his hand, fisting it tightly against his side.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, watching him struggle for control, trying to honor the physical boundaries of a guardian. It was obvious being here wasn’t any easier for him than it was for her.

“I have to get you out of here. Evercrest isn’t safe right now. A legion has been sent—”

“What! You’re kidding me,” Olivia exclaimed, her hope shattering like blown glass. Had she really expected him to return because he loved her?—because he couldn’t stand the thought of her marrying another man?—yes, sadly, she had. What she hadn’t expected, however, was this. “Why today? You couldn’t have waited. Really…?”

“Would you have preferred I waited until you were Mrs. Mathis?” he growled. “Marriage is a sacred covenant, Olivia, one which not even I can negate.”

His flare of anger caught her by surprise. Looking into his eyes was like staring into a kaleidoscope—green, amethyst, and amber flecks nearly drowned out his dark violet glare. She knew him well enough by now to know each color represented an emotion she’s just triggered in him. He was jealous and grieving, but mostly, he was just pissed off. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember a time she’d ever triggered that amethyst glare. Looking up at him, she began to feel like she was staring into the eyes of a stranger. What happened to her patient, loving guardian angel?

“You have more guests at your wedding than were invited, Olivia. Believe it or not, this was the least conspicuous way to get you out of there, or would you have preferred an all-out battle in the wedding aisle?”

Tears filled her eyes and began spilling down her cheeks, again. Apparently, she was destined to become a slobbering mess. The scowl on his face softened a touch, and she wondered if he regretted the harshness of his tone.

“I just want a chance at a normal life!” she sobbed. “I can’t keep living for what will never be, Liam, and now I’ve hurt Mitch, and I’ve frightened my family! No one even knows where I am!”

Olivia knew she was making a scene. She was already starting to draw the attention of the reception attendants. Several of them cast her worried glances, and a few of the men looked like they were getting ready to come over. Apparently, a woman sobbing in a wedding dress was a drama magnet.

Liam sighed heavily, dragging his hand through his hair before reaching out to take Olivia’s arm, gently steering her toward the black Camaro and out of the view of watchful eyes. “Look, I’m not saying this is easy for you.” He opened the passenger door and helped her inside, stuffing her dress and train in around her. “But I’d rather have you pissed off and alive than happily married and dead.”

***

Three uninvited guests sat in the back pew of the old church, attempting to blend in and doing a piss-poor job of it. All dressed in similar dark suits, the starched Gumby getup only added to Rowen’s irritation. Sliding his finger alongside his collar, he tugged at the choking tie that felt more like a noose. He wasn’t happy about having to grow his hair back for the “big day,” but a bald guy with tribal tattoos trekking his scalp wouldn’t blend in very well, now would it? His six-two muscular build and four-inch goatee were conspicuous enough. As the drama and chaos unfolded, it wouldn’t be too difficult to slip out the back unnoticed once they got what they came for.

Rowen sat quiet as a church mouse, watching as Roger, Olivia’s father, tried to comfort his wife, while Mitch paced the aisle like a caged tiger. Now, that one had a temper. Rowen wondered if that sight-seeing bitch had any idea what she was getting ready to say “I do” to. Not that she’d have the chance to partake in such nuptials.

The guests congregated like lost sheep milling around, speculating as to where, oh where could their little bride be? Hopefully, someone would pull their head out of their ass soon and call the police. Typically, Rowen didn’t have much use for the boys in blue, but anything to put some extra heat on Liam right now would be fine with him.

“I can’t believe he took her, that underhanded son of a bitch. How did he know we were here?” the lanky demon, Rhen, asked. At least his black shoulder-length hair helped cover the tats running down the side of his neck. Rowen had insisted he remove the silver stud in his septum, along with the steel bars that pierced his brow and lip, before they got out of the car this afternoon.