Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) (26 page)

***

“Holy shit, Ashley! Did you just see that?” Mitch exclaimed, scooting out of his seat to follow them.

“Yeah,” she said, staring in open-mouthed shock at the door. “It looks like Cale just called Balen’s bluff…and lost.”

“Aren’t you going to do something?” he cried, looking at her in disbelief.

“Why would I want to? They’re demons, Mitch. If Balen kills them, then good riddance.”

“Come on, Ashley! They’re the only chance I have of finding Olivia. If you don’t stop him, then I will!”

Ashley looked at him and wondered if he’d completely lost his ever-loving mind. “Are you crazy? You can’t stop him, but you sure as hell can get hurt trying.”

“I know,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s why
you’re
going to do it.”

Ashley glared at Mitch. “You’re using me and you’re manipulating me. I don’t like it!” she snapped.

“But you’ll forgive me,” he assured her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the booth. As they burst through the door, Ashley heard the sickening
thud
of fist against flesh. She looked over to see Balen slamming his fist into Cale’s jaw, the impact launching him onto the gravel. As Cale leapt to his feet, Rhen took Balen’s back, his forearm braced against his throat in some choke-hold move. Balen easily got out of it as he swung his elbow back, connecting with Rhen’s side as he bent forward, flipping the demon off his back. Cale lunged for Balen, and it was clear they intended to tag team him, but by the beating those two were taking, it didn’t look like he was in any danger of losing this fight.

Balen spun on Cale so fast, his movements were a blur, and he drove a side kick into Cale’s stomach, knocking him back as he shot forward, catching him in the jaw with an upper cut that split his lip and sent blood, dark as tar, spraying across the ground. Rhen went at him again. His lip was bleeding and he had another cut above his cheek. He dove for Balen, catching him in the chest with his shoulder, knocking them both to the ground. They landed with a hard
thud
. Ashley cringed and Mitch stared, frozen in shock, watching Balen fight with fierce skill and fluid power. He threw his knee up, knocking Rhen off him and Balen leapt to his feet so fast, it looked as if he’d flown—maybe he had. Cale and Rhen were still both on the ground when Balen moved toward them with no intention of ending this fight anytime soon.

Mitch stepped toward Balen, no doubt, to break up the fight. Fear for her friend instigated her to react. “Balen, stop!” she cried, running over to him. She stepped in between Balen and the two demons, throwing her arms around him. “Please,” she whispered, burying her face into his chest. He wrapped a protective arm around her, guiding her away from violence.

With a final warning glare shot at the two demons, he ushered Ashley to her car. As they walked past Mitch, she heard Balen growl, “I blame
you
for this.”

Mitch always had a short temper, but she’d never considered him stupid—until now. Footsteps pounded behind them, and as Balen opened the car door for her, Mitch got in his face.

“And how do you suppose this is my fault?” he demanded.

“Ashley’s here because of you! I told you not to go, but you wouldn’t listen to me! She’s in danger. You’re in danger, only you’re too stupid to see it! And what’s even more pathetic is that your little stunt will put Olivia in even greater danger—the woman you claim to love… Except, I think it’s your own ego you love so damn much!”  Balen stepped closer, closing what little distance there was between them, and lowered his voice to a growl. Ashley had to strain to hear what he said, but as his words carried over to her, goose bumps prickled up her arms. “Because you’re a mortal, I can’t kill you, or believe me, I’d have saved Liam the misery of you a long time ago. Because you’re Ashley’s friend, I won’t beat the shit out of you—this time—but if you ever pit her between me and a demon again, I will make you regret it. Are we clear?”

“Crystal—”

“Good, now get in the damn car before I change my mind and run your ass over.”

Mitch muttered something under his breath she couldn’t quite hear and sulked over to the passenger side of the car.

“Hey, Mitch,” Balen called over the hood of the car, banging his hand on it to get his attention. “I also have excellent hearing. You’ll probably want to keep that in mind the next time you want to curse me.”

A sullen Mitch climbed in the car and slammed the door shut. When Ashley looked back at Balen, he was gone. Wisely, Mitch didn’t say another word as she backed out of the parking spot, all thoughts of supper forgone—she’d lost her appetite. If Mitch was hungry, he’d just have to eat out of the vending machine at the motel.

As the Mustang’s headlights panned the parking lot, she also noticed Cale and Rhen had disappeared. For good, she hoped, but something told her they weren’t going to get that lucky. Those two wanted Mitch for a reason, and she wasn’t naïve enough to think they were going to give him up that easily.

Ashley and Mitch checked into the motel and, per her request, they were given rooms side by side. She didn’t want Mitch getting the bright idea of sneaking off with Cale and Rhen, and ditching her in the middle of the night just because he and Balen didn’t see eye to eye.

 “Here, Ash, let me get your bags.” It was the first thing he’d said to her since he’d gotten in the car.

“Sure, thanks.”

He grabbed the bags out of the trunk and followed her to the room. She swiped the card through the key fob and pushed it open for Mitch to walk in.

“Jesus!” he barked. “You want me to die of a heart attack?”

She looked past Mitch to find Balen sitting in a chair, cocked back on two legs. His feet were propped negligently on the table in the corner of the room. Shooting Mitch a scowl, Balen arched his tawny brow thoughtfully and said, “Well…it technically wouldn’t be me killing you, now would it?”

To Ashley’s surprise, he looked as if he were actually contemplating the idea.

“And in the future, I’d appreciate it if you used that name with a little more reverence.” The tone of Balen’s voice warned this wasn’t a request.

“Balen?” Ashley cried in surprise, pushing past Mitch to rush into the room.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, swinging his legs down to stand up to his full imposing height. He held his arms out toward her, and she rushed into his embrace.

“Where did you go?” she asked, leaning back just far enough to look up at him, all the while feeling the heat of Mitch’s watchful stare.

“I had to petition the court to come back. It wasn’t too difficult, once I explained to them the mess Mitch had gotten you into.” Balen shot Mitch a contemptuous glare.

“Oh, that’s really great,” Mitch grumbled, dumping Ashley’s bags on the floor. “Road tripping with Liam’s best friend… I do believe all my dreams have finally come true!”

Ashley pulled out of Balen’s embrace and walked over to Mitch, cuffing him in the shoulder. “Stop being such an ass!” she snapped. “I told you before, the only thing standing between you and certain death is this angel, so start showing a little appreciation, huh?”

“You mean the angel who said he wants to kill me? I’m sorry, Ash, but that doesn’t exactly fill me with awe-inspiring gratitude.”

“Listen,” she said, poking him in the chest just to make sure he was really paying attention. “These next couple of days are going to be hard enough without you two snapping at each other’s throats. Now get some rest, Mitch, and I’ll see you in the morning.” With her palm planted firmly in the center of his chest, she pushed him and marched him out the door.

She turned around in time to see Balen roll his eyes and she laughed. “Stop it,” she chided, trying to sound serious but she was having trouble containing her joy at having him here. “Now, you need to be nice, too.”

She walked up to him and fisted her hands in his shirt, tugging him a step closer. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said, hugging him tight. “Thank you,” she murmured into his chest. “For everything… I know you must be upset with me.”

Balen’s arms folded around her and pulled her close. His hand cupped the back of her head, pressing her cheek into his beating heart. “I’m not mad, Ashley. Even though I don’t agree with what you’re doing, I understand why you’re doing it.”

“Do you think they’ll be back? Maybe after tonight, they’ll forget about Mitch, figure he’s not worth the trouble, you know?”

“I doubt it. They’ll be back. They need Mitch to get to Liam.”

“You mean Olivia?”

Balen shook his head. “No, I mean Liam. If they can distract him with Mitch, it’ll give them the advantage they’re looking for to kill him. Then with Liam out of the way, they’ll kill Olivia, and probably Mitch, too. He’ll be of no use to them anymore.”

“This is crazy. We have to stop Mitch from going!”

“Like I could stop you?” he asked, cocking a brow.

Obviously, this was still a sore spot for him. She looked away. “You know why I did this, Balen.”

“Just because I know your motive doesn’t mean I have to agree with it. That’s the thing about free will, Ashley. Cale and Rhen can manipulate it, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.” He sighed as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “You look tired. You should try to get some sleep yourself.”

When she nodded, he cupped the back of her neck and placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head. He started to walk away, and she grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Wait, you’re not staying in here with me?” She could feel the hard definition of his muscles leap beneath her touch, his body tensed at her question.

 “I shouldn’t,” he told her, sounding a little pained. “It wouldn’t be proper.”

She took a step closer and stood on her tip toes, placing a soft, not so chaste kiss against the side of his neck. She smiled when she heard the audible catch of his breath. “What if I told you that I wanted you to stay?”

“I’d still have to refuse.”

She could hear the strain in his husky voice and smiled.

“You’ll be safer if I stay out there, trust me. The demons aren’t the only thing I’m protecting you from.”

Ashley sighed in resignation and reluctantly released him. “Promise me you’ll be here when I wake up?” Truthfully, she was afraid if she closed her eyes, she’d wake up in the morning to find him gone—it all just a dream.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Liam stood beneath the shower’s spray, his hands splayed against the tile wall as the hot water beat upon his shoulders, sluicing down his back and between his legs. It felt good against his sore, aching muscles. He took in a deep, sighing breath and his ribs cried in protest. Damn, Haden had really nailed him—not once, but twice—in the same spot. He could feel his energy focusing internally as his body worked to repair itself.

Rowen hadn’t given up his life easily. They’d gone a couple rounds, and Liam had taken some wear and tear before he’d finally broken his neck. As much as he would have enjoyed making the bastard suffer, he’d chosen to keep it clean and make it quick.

Immediately after the demon’s death, the shadows of darkness had begun to ooze from his pores, swirling around him in a cloud of blackness until his body disappeared into the Abyss. Just like the hundreds of thousands before him, it awaited the day of Final Judgment. Sheol was a residence for the fallen, the Abyss…that was eternal damnation.

A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door, a hesitant rap that made him tense, jerking him back to the here and now.

“Liam?”

He turned his head, watching through the tempered glass as the door slowly opened, and Olivia poked her head inside. “I, uh…used all the towels earlier, so I brought you one.” She took a tentative step inside, and he bit his bottom lip to stifle a groan at the sight of her.

Even through the steam-hazed glass, he could see she wore nothing but a towel—his presumed towel. Liam’s already tense muscles jerked tighter, and other relaxed parts of his body were no longer at ease.

Aw hell…
He cranked the faucet to the right and tipped his head back, letting the freezing cold water pelt his overheated anatomy in a desperate attempt to quell the need burning inside him. Once was bad enough. He’d crossed the line last night and had since drawn a new one. By the looks of it, Olivia intended to cross this one, as well. And by the way his body ached for her, he’d be hard-pressed to stop her.

Liam bent his face into the cold spray and dragged his hand through his hair, pushing the overgrown strands out of his face. “That my towel?” he asked, his husky voice barely more than a gravely rasp.

“Uh-huh…” She let it fall to the floor. One glimpse at her pale skin and the sketchy outline of her feminine curves had him tucking his chin to his chest, letting the cold water beat against his back as he grappled for control.

Where his energy should have been soaring, humming through his veins and threatening to escape through his hands, arching into the tile—there was nothing. All his power was centered internally. At his body’s instant response to the sight of Olivia, his energy didn’t waver from the task of mending his ribs. Bloody hell, if he’d known this was the way to control his power and circumvent the barrier to his touching her, he’d have nailed himself with a Louisville Slugger a long damn time ago.

The slow scrape of metal against metal ushered in a draft of cool air biting at his backside. “Mind if I join you?”

He could feel her tentative emotions rocketing through him. She was nervous, uncertain—not of being with him, he realized, but of him rejecting her. She’d come to him now with intentions, specifically what he didn’t know, but damn if he didn’t want to find out. And after discovering this morning that this was all new, uncharted territory for her, it fueled his desire even more to be the male that imprinted himself on her virgin flesh.

Selfishly, he wanted her for his own, and if that meant ruining her for any other mere mortal male, then so be it. He was quickly tiring of abating his own needs and, at this moment, he didn’t care that it made him a despicable bastard. He may not be able to make love to her, but there were plenty of other ways he could possess this woman. Even now she was climbing in the shower behind him. He was afraid to turn around to face her for fear he’d scare her with—