Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) (39 page)

As doors slammed, the hallway grew silent again. When the energy in the air shifted, Balen tensed, cracking open an eye. Haden stood across from him, leaning against the railing. His arms were crossed over his chest, an amused smirk tugging at his lips while a brow cocked arrogantly over those confounding pale green eyes. What in the hell was he?

“What’d you do, kill her?” Haden asked, taking a sweeping glance over Balen’s blood-stained clothes.

“Funny,” Balen replied, shooting him a thin-ice glare. “What are you, anyway?”

Haden readjusted his stance, balancing his weight, bracing his feet. He was dangerous, that’s what he was. “What do you think I am?”

“Lookin’ for a fight.”

“Well, maybe, that. The night is still young. I gotta admit, you sure got your hands full with that one in there. Can’t say I envy you—‘course that’s not entirely true. If that little spice drop was mine, I’d be hittin’ that shit so hard—”

A growl tore from Balen’s throat as he flew off the chair, driving into Haden with his shoulder. The impact toppled them both over the railing. Haden spun them mid-air, and Balen took the impact as they landed, momentarily knocking the air from his lungs. Asphalt crumbled beneath him, grinding into his back, and he cursed his faltering strength.

Summoning his last reserve of power, he rolled to full-guard, pinning Haden beneath him, and drove his fist into his jaw. Haden took the blow and bucked up, knocking Balen off him. He leapt to his feet. Haden was fast, but even wounded, Balen was still faster. Coming up behind Haden, he wrapped his forearm around his throat, locking it in place, and shoved his palm against the back of Haden’s head, cutting off his air and leveraging to snap his neck.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Balen growled in his ear.

“I’ll give you two,” Haden wheezed. “One, I’m not what you think I am. And two, you owe me a boon for saving Ashley’s life!”

Haden didn’t wait to be released before lifting his arm and driving his elbow deep into Balen’s ribs. Air left his lungs in an exhaled grunt of pain as bones gave way to Haden’s blow. Each breath sent searing pain through his chest, weakening his grip as Haden wrenched himself free from Balen’s grasp.

He wasn’t coming through this unscathed. The green-eyed bastard stumbled back several steps, leaning forward to draw gulps of air himself—winded. Balen pressed his hand against his side, splinting his rib as he stepped forward, tensing to lunge for Haden again. But he stepped back in counterpoint to Balen’s advance.

“Damn, you bastards just don’t quit, do ya? You know, next time a simple ‘thank you’ would do quite nicely,” Haden snapped, reaching up to wipe the blood off his lip with the back of his hand.

Balen noticed the streak was crimson instead of black, proving without a doubt that the otherworldly creature facing off with him wasn’t demonic, after all. Then what in the hell was he? The power Haden exuded was definitely of the dark arts and he was stronger than any fallen Balen had ever tangled with before.

 “I’m warning you right now, you hit me like that again, and I’m gonna quit playin’ nice.”

This was nice? Balen had asphalt ground into his back and at least three busted ribs. That son of a bitch could give as good as he got! “You going to tell me what you are? And why you saved Ashley from that Incubus?”

Haden spit a mouthful of blood on the ground and gave him a crimson-toothed grin. “Let’s just say I’m earning my wings.”

Before Balen could reply, the cocky bastard turned around and walked away.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The faintest hint of dawn was breaking across the midnight sky when Liam pulled into the parking lot of the Grotto. Hours of silence had given him time to think—too much time. He now knew what he must do to keep Olivia safe. And he’d enjoy deceiving her about as much as he’d enjoy having his heart torn from his chest. The pain certainly would be no less.

He glanced down at her curled up on the passenger seat, sleeping soundly. She was exhausted, and in her slumber, she’d gravitated to him, using his arm as a pillow. She hadn’t complained once about the unrelenting pace they’d traveled. Then again, she hadn’t said a word to him since getting back in the car after their fight, and neither had he. They’d both lost their tempers—both felt bad about it, and he knew the toll this trip was taking on her.

She’d never liked to travel and had never done it due to her tendency to get motion sickness since her accident. Before yesterday, they’d never spoken of the attack that had nearly taken Olivia’s life and he wished to God they hadn’t now. Some memories were better left dead and buried, and this now forced him to consider that perhaps the past weren’t the only memories of Olivia’s that needed to go.

She’d always known about the car accident—her parents had told her that much, and she still had a few faded scars that even time couldn’t erase. But she had no memory of the events surrounding it, or of her painful recovery. Her parents had always thought it a blessing that she didn’t remember and were careful to avoid discussing things that could trigger her memories to return. Of course, they didn’t know that would never happen, because he held the thread that kept that veil in place.

He’d be lying to himself if he said it didn’t bother him that Olivia didn’t remember him, or the time they’d spent together when she was young. But he’d been willing to do anything to ease her pain back then, even if it meant taking himself out of her life. He’d been selfless then, so what was preventing him from doing so now? Had he changed so much? Perhaps he didn’t want to dig too deep for that answer.

He couldn’t stay once this was over, and leaving her again would only bring more pain and suffering, especially after the intimacy they’d shared. Without a doubt, she’d be better off if she could just forget him. If he did this for her, she’d finally have a real shot at a normal life. But could he convince her to let him go, to let him erase himself from her life again? Could
he
finally let
her
go? What would it take for her to agree? And would he have the strength to do it if she did?

Perhaps when he left her three years ago, he should have just taken her memories with him that night. Yes, he would have been violating her free will and there would have been hell to pay for it with the High Court, but he’d weathered the storm of their wrath before. Problem was, he’d rather the court not get involved when it came to him and Olivia. The less they knew about their relationship, the better off they’d both be.

The court held Universal Law sacred above all things, and the decision to disregard it should and would not be made lightly. And who knows, perhaps when this was all over, she’d be asking to forget about him.

The thought of hurting her made his heart physically ache, but better she hurt for a few days than a lifetime. Bottom line: he’d never willingly recant his guardianship of her, and if it meant taking her memories to keep her safe, then he’d do it—with or without her consent.

He’d never be strong enough to leave her any other way. He couldn’t bear her pain and suffering along with his own—not again. This was the only way.

If he had second thoughts about going through with it, he’d only have to remind himself this was for her own safety, too. Once she lost all memory of the stone and its location, Haden would have no use for her anymore and he’d finally stop hunting her. That would buy him precious time while he worked through the court to get past the mortality clause, so he could finally deal justice to that evil bastard.

Best guess, he figured he had no more than twenty-four hours to hide the stone and convince Olivia to forget about him before taking matters into his own hands. Haden was coming…

***

“Olivia…”

She startled awake, jerking her head up from Liam’s arm. Sucking in a deep breath, she ran her hands over her face, trying to wake up and reorient herself. Her heart was still pounding from her dream—her lips tingled with the memory of Liam’s searing kiss. She’d been dreaming of their night together in Vegas. They were in the shower again…

“Where are we?” she asked, pulling the hair tie off her wrist and wrapping the binder around her hair to get it out of her face.

“The Grotto. Do you want to get out and stretch your legs while I go inside?”

It wasn’t what he said that gave her pause for concern, it was the lack of emotion in his voice—reserved, detached, resolved. Was he still angry with her about earlier? “Liam, I—”

“We need to keep moving, Olivia. There isn’t a lot of time. I still need to backtrack so, hopefully, Haden doesn’t pick up that we’ve been here. If you need a few minutes to freshen up, I suggest you take them now.”

Yeah, he was definitely still pissed, and why wouldn’t he be? She’d insulted him and accused him of stealing from her. They needed to talk. She wanted to tell him she was sorry for ever doubting him and that there was no one in the world she trusted more than him. She knew he’d never do anything to violate her free will. Liam would never hurt or deceive her.

Tension radiated from his powerful body, muscles stiff and composed. Judging by the hard set of his square jaw and the determined pinch of his dark brows, now was not the time to have this conversation.

She nodded. “All right. Yeah, I’d like to stretch my legs a bit.”

“There’s a restroom at the entrance.” He pointed off to the left.

Olivia grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car.  She started walking across the empty parking lot toward the brick building when the door behind her slammed shut.

“Olivia, wait,” he called.

She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Liam striding toward her. He moved with a preternatural ease that always took her breath away. She turned to him, instinctively tensing as he approached, her pulse quickening as she prepared for him to sweep her into his arms and claim her lips in a passionate “Let’s not fight. I forgive you” kiss.

Her lips parted, she moistened the bottom one with the tip of her tongue. Mercy, did he realize how stunning he was? His scent reached her before he did, and she was tempted to close the gap of his last few approaching steps and throw herself into his arms. She resisted the impulse, needing him to claim her.

He stopped—reached for her, but his eyes weren’t right. Where was that beguiling sapphire that heated her blood? Instead, flecks of golden amber marbled the deep violet backdrop. His hands circled her neck, but not to cup her face and draw her to his lips as she’d thought. His fingers rustled at her nape and when he pulled them away, her necklace was in his hands. She bit her bottom lip, swallowing back the cry of protest.

Why did this feel like he was breaking up with her? She knew she was being ridiculous. It was just a necklace, for crissake. But for years this necklace, particularly the heart-shaped stone he’d carved for her, had been an icon, a symbol of Liam’s love for her, and just like that, he was taking it back.

Couldn’t he have at least hesitated? Or said something to ease the heartache? She closed her eyes and turned away so he wouldn’t see the tears come. Just because she understood
why
he was doing it, didn’t make this pill any easier to swallow.

“Olivia, please. This is hard enough already.” His voice was uncharacteristically harsh.

She spun back around and angrily swiped a tear from her cheek. “Just because you’re still mad at me doesn’t give you the right to act like an asshole!”

Surprise lit his schooled features. “I’m not mad at you.”

“Then what is it? Huh? I may not be angelic, but I can sure as hell feel your distance. You’re pulling away from me. Don’t deny it. Oh, that’s right. You can’t, because you can’t lie!”

He took a deep breath, as if praying for patience, and scrubbed his hand over his mouth. “Listen, Olivia, do you trust me?”

“Yes—” Why did this feel like a loaded question?

“With your life?”

“Of course.”

“With your free will?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat. “Why do you want it, Liam?”

When he didn’t respond, the little hairs at the nape of her neck prickled to attention, warning her where this conversation was headed. But still she didn’t want to believe it. He wouldn’t do that to her. “I said ‘why do you want it, Liam’? That’s like me asking you for your wings. I’d never do that.”

His brow arched over cold, calculating eyes she no longer recognized. “Oh, wouldn’t you? What do you think you’re doing every time you tell me you don’t want me to leave?”

That couldn’t have stung more if he’d reached out and slapped her. Her emotional reverb must have slammed into him, because a muscle in his cheek twitched and his eyes flashed with guilt. The golden amber glow proved he was hurting himself as much as he was her. Why was he doing this?

“Do you
want
to leave?” she asked pointedly.

“Of course not, but since when was this ever about what I want?”

The bitterness in his voice rang through loud and clear. “So how is me giving you my free will going to help anything? What’s—” She gasped, taking a wary step back. “You want access to my memories, don’t you?” she accused.

He didn’t deny it. Instead, he met her glare with unapologetic determination. “I
want
what’s best for you, Olivia. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Oh, and you think mind-fucking me is what’s
best
for me? Is that it?”

“Dammit, Olivia, that’s not what this is!” Her necklace was clenched tightly in his fist, the heart-shaped stone dangling a taunting farewell.

“Well, it sure as hell feels like it!”

“I have to go back, Olivia! I won’t give you up! Think about how simple your life would be if you didn’t remember me. Three years ago, you were a happy, healthy, well-adjusted young woman with her whole life ahead of her—”

“Three years ago I was stupid and naïve! For crissake, I was dating a fallen angel who tried to kill me!”

“Before that—”

“Stop it, Liam! Just…don’t. I don’t want to forget you and I won’t give you up any more than you’ll give me up. That’s just not the way this works.”