Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) (46 page)

Olivia let out an indignant gasp. “Go to Hell, you evil bastard!” She leapt up, accidentally knocking the chair back. It crashed to the floor with an attention-grabbing
bang.
Suddenly, every malicious eye in the bar locked on her. Shit… Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that here.

Haden muttered a foul oath under his breath, following her gaze first left, then right, and growled, “How fast can you run?”

***

Everyone had their breaking point, and Liam had finally reached his. Olivia’s emotions were tearing his heart out. Combined with his own, well… that was a recipe for disaster. If he hadn’t left her world when he did, without a doubt, Mitch would be dead. He’d told Olivia she didn’t owe him any explanations—and she didn’t. The fact that he could speak those words confirmed it was truth, but that couldn’t stop the possessive rage burning inside him. His instinct roared
mine
over and over inside his head, even though he knew it wasn’t so. Guess he could lie, after all—to himself.

He knew she loved him—could feel she loved him, but that was little comfort, considering she also had loved him when she was about to walk down the aisle and marry another man. It was entirely conceivable that she was confused and quite possibly overwhelmed by Mitch’s “surprise” visit. Maybe she had more feelings for him than she’d been willing to admit.

Out of sight, out of mind—of course it’d been easy to say she’d decided not to marry Mitch when Liam had her pinned against the elevator, his hands twisted in her black silken hair, his mouth locked on hers, taking her breath and giving his own in return.

The memory of kissing her, the thought of her honey-sweet taste, made his mouth water and his body tense, tightening with desire. The hold this female had on him was staggering. If he didn’t do something to stop it, undoubtedly Olivia would become his undoing. Regret twisted inside his gut, sharp as a knife, and his pained groan of frustration quickly morphed into a possessive snarl.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t warned Liam it was coming. When he’d tried to discuss taking her memories, she’d rebelled against him, threatening to turn back to Mitch if he did it. This had to end—now. He couldn’t walk this tightrope with her anymore—wanting what he could never have. At least if she didn’t remember him, it wouldn’t feel like such a betrayal when she moved on.

Except if he wiped her memories, then
he
would be the one betraying
her
, and he’d have to live with that knowledge every day for the rest of her life. An impossible situation, which would, no doubt, come to an impossible conclusion—neither path was viable and each one carried their own set of heartbreaking consequences.

What to do… He had to decide—honor her free will and leave them both to suffer, or take her memories, ending her guilt and heartache by violating Universal Law. Above all, a mortal’s free will was held most honored and sacred. To violate that would be worse than taking her virginity—not that he didn’t want that, too—the most precious gift a female could give to her male. The thought of her giving that to another man stirred a primal rage so deep inside him, he physically had to resist the impulse to return to Olivia and lay a claim on her he had no business making.

Desperate to separate from her agonizing pull on him, he put up blocks, thinning their connection so he could focus his energy on finding Cale and Rhen. With the stone hidden, Haden was no longer a threat to her. He’d yet to discover Haden’s motivation to possess it, but the one thing he was certain of—the Neph didn’t want to die, so he’d keep his distance from Olivia.

No angel had ever entered Sheol and lived, that’s what Haden had said, which made this the perfect hiding place for those two bastards. They were biding their time, waiting to see what kind of damage Mitch could inflict before making their play for Olivia. What they wouldn’t be expecting was for Liam to come after them here.

Standing outside the gate of Sheol, home of the Dark Court, Liam prowled the broken path, searching for an entrance. The tip of his extended wing brushed against the rusty bars, rattling the caged steel. Still, no one came to the gate. Channeling his energy, Liam’s preternatural senses came online as his warrior’s instinct stirred, drawing a heightened awareness of his surroundings.

The slight breeze ruffling his feathers wasn’t enough to soothe the unrelenting heat that seemed to boil up from the ground. The sulfur-laden air burned his lungs. Liam automatically adjusted the rate and depth of his respirations to accommodate the sudden change. Smoke stung his eyes, and his normally acute vision blurred. Looking to where the sun should have been, there was only darkness.

“Liam the Lionhearted… Don’t tell me you’ve come to join the dark side.”

He spun around to find Gahn standing behind the gate. Arms that were once thick and powerful were crossed over his chest in a bony tangle of frailty. He hadn’t seen the archangel since the Great Fall, and time certainly hadn’t done him any favors. What had been smooth bronze flesh was now pocked with scars, a melted roadmap of disfigurement—must be the sulfur. Even in the short time Liam had been here, his skin was already starting to burn. That Gahn hadn’t regenerated told him the fallen angel never left the confines of this sulfuric prison.

“You know why I’m here.”

Gahn sighed, unfolded his arms, and wrapped his gnarled finger around the bars of the gate. His claws scraped the metal, flecking off rust like sparks. “And you know I can’t let you in.”

“Then send them out.”

Gahn’s brow arched questioningly and the corner of his lip tugged in amusement. “Send who out? I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”

Liam approached the gate, his own hands gripping the bars above Gahn’s. His amethyst glare bore into his enemy’s, lighting the demon’s face like a nimbus is the darkness. Holding an unspoken conversation, Liam finally asked, “I don’t think you really want me coming in there, do you?”

Gahn recanted. “Cale and Rhen aren’t here.”

“Haden says otherwise.”

“You can’t trust a word my son says.”

His son? Holy shit, no wonder he was so fucked up!

 
“He’d stab you in the back just as easily as he’d smile to your face,” Gahn added.

“So you’ve taught him well, then.”

“Apparently, not well enough. You’re still breathing.”

Liam dropped his arms to his sides, palms up, and challenged, “You’re more than welcome to open this gate and try to rectify that.”

Gahn chuckled, letting go of the bars and taking a step back. “As tempting as that offer may be, I think I’ll pass for now. But don’t worry, Liam the Lionhearted. Our time will come.”

“You know, considering you have no ability to regenerate your ranks, I’d think you’d want to use them a bit more judiciously. By sending them after my mortal, you’re signing their death warrant.”

Shrugging, Gahn quipped, “Collateral damage.”

“And your
son…
Is
he
collateral damage, as well?”

For the briefest moment, Gahn looked pensive. If Liam didn’t know better, he’d swear that he glimpsed regret in that fallen angel’s eyes.

“My son is dead to me,” Gahn murmured, turning and walking away. He paused, and then added in afterthought, “Oh, and since he sent you here to kill Cale and Rhen, which by the way, I wasn’t lying when I said they’re not here—anymore, did he bother to mention that no angel has ever left Sheol alive?”

***

“Take my hand.”

Haden stretched his arm across the table, palm up, looking as if he actually expected her to do it.

Her heart thundered in her chest, panic twisting like a knife inside her gut. Suddenly, Olivia’s “big plan” to bring Liam back didn’t seem like such a great idea. She hesitated, and Haden’s waiting hand clenched into a fist. The bell above the door chimed, and he glanced over his shoulder as two more demons walked in. One had a white puckered scar running from the corner of his eye that disappeared into his blond goatee. The other had black shoulder-length hair that failed to cover the tattoos running down the side of his neck. Even without the silver stud running through his septum, or the steel bars piercing his brow and lip, Olivia would have recognized them anywhere. Haden muttered another curse under his breath.

Cale and Rhen approached with the lithe grace of deadly predators stalking their prey. As if expertly choreographed, they split off, each flanking one of her sides. The bar fell silent, all except for the occasional hushed whisper confirming what she already knew—she was going to die. Panic climbed up her throat, choking off her air, and her heart slammed inside her chest.

“Call your guardian, Olivia,” Haden snapped in a hushed whisper, and then barked something at the two demons in a language she didn’t understand. They abruptly stopped, looked at each other, and confusion briefly wrinkled Rhen’s brows.

Where was Liam? After all these years, after everything they’d been through together, surely he wouldn’t forsake her now. Fighting back the bitter sting of tears and swallowing past the lump in her throat, she croaked out, “I can’t! It doesn’t work that way!”

“Aw…fuck it,” Haden snarled. With binding speed, he leapt up, grabbed her wrist, and jerked her behind him. Olivia stumbled around the end of the table and crashed into his back. It felt like she’d hit a brick wall, the impact momentarily stunning her.

Using his free arm, Haden grabbed the back of his chair and swung it like a Louisville slugger, slamming it into the side of Rhen’s head. The wood splintered, pieces of shrapnel imbedding into his neck. Blood, black as ink, sprayed from the gash in his throat.

Olivia must have screamed, because her terrified wail rent the air like the blast of a starter gun, sending the bar into a feeding frenzy. Without breaking momentum, Haden dashed for the back exit, dragging her along. “Dammit, where’s your guardian, Olivia?”

“I…I don’t know!” she cried, stumbling behind him.

Behind them, demons were fighting other demons, all of them jockeying to get to her like a horde of vicious animals. Cale and a severely injured Rhen were nearly through the melee. Any second, they’d be on her.

“He’s right here.” Liam’s answering growl blasted through the chaos.

Haden abruptly stopped, and again she slammed into his back. Blocking the exit was Liam—in angelic form. The tops of his white wings arched above his shoulders, his eyes glowing brilliant amethyst. Black ink marred his torn clothes, and blood oozed from a cut on his bottom lip. He’d been fighting—but whom? Cale and Rhen were here.

“It’s about damn time!” Haden snarled. “Where in the hell have you been?” He swung Olivia in front of him and released her arm with a shove, sending her stumbling toward Liam.

“Hell!” Liam shot back, catching her as she crashed into his chest. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist, squeezing her tight. He reached up, protectively cupping the back of her head, pressing her cheek against his chest. The rapid beat of his heart echoed against her ear. The relief of being in his arms nearly buckled her knees. She inhaled a deep, shuddering breath and froze—he smelled like smoke. The sulfurous stench clinging to him burned her nostrils. Oh my God! He’d truly been in Hell!

That explained his absence, but why would he go there? The roar behind them grew louder. Glass shattered, tables crashed, as snarls and growls drew closer. Olivia pulled back far enough to glance over her shoulder in time to see Haden diving into the fray of fist and elbows. The mob’s progression slowed as he held the bulk of them back. Fighting free of the scrimmage, Cale broke loose and charged toward them like a linebacker. It was too late to run.

Shoving her behind him, Liam tensed, tucked his wings tightly against his back, and surged forward, hooking Cale around the waist as they crashed to the floor. Olivia covered her mouth, muffling a scream, as she watched in horror as angel and demon grappled for position. Somewhere during the punches, elbows and rolls, Liam pulled out a dagger and plunged the black opal blade into Cale’s heart.

With Cale lying beneath him, dark shadows began swirling around them, licking toward Liam and then shrinking back as if burned, only to advance once again, seeking to claim their dead. Olivia was so shocked, watching the horrific scene before her, she didn’t see Rhen coming up behind her until it was too late.

When Liam looked back at her, something flashed in his amethyst eyes she’d never seen before—fear. Her name tore from his lips as she caught the briefest glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye. Before she could react, Rhen’s sticky, blood-coated hand seized her throat as something crashed against the side of her temple.

Sharp, stabbing pain tore through Olivia’s head. Her ears rang from the riotous roar of denial tearing from Liam’s throat. Her vision blurred, tunneling into darkness. Her legs buckled and she crumpled to the floor, right before the black hole of unconsciousness sucked her into oblivion.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Noooo!” Liam’s roar tore from his throat, his vision narrowed as panic seized his heart. He watched in slow motion as Rhen followed Olivia’s unconscious body to the ground. The moment she hit the floor, he mounted her waist and ripped a knife from his boot cuff. Raising his arms over his head, hand over hand, he fisted the knife, preparing to drive it into Olivia’s heart.

Liam leapt off Cale’s lifeless body and dove for Rhen as the knife plunged into Olivia’s chest—too late... Wrapping his forearm around the demon’s bloody throat, he ripped Rhen off Olivia. As they flew back, Liam twisted in mid-air, bringing his hand around Rhen’s head, and jerked savagely, ringing out a bone-splintering
crunch
. By the time they hit the floor, Rhen was dead and Olivia was lying three feet away in a pool of blood.

Praying he wasn’t too late, Liam dove for her. Kneeling at her side, he briefly glanced up at the encroaching brawl and locked eyes with a stunned Haden.

“What the fuck!” Haden yelled from the fray, dropping his steely gaze to Olivia.