by Fall, Carly
Liam rocked Adela in his arms, once again recalling the night they made love. The gentle caresses, her soft skin, and the way she smiled at him, as well as the shine in her eyes as she gazed up at him.
There had been something there. Adela did have feelings for him, or she could have simply been caught up in the moment.
“Fifteen seconds,” the Angel of Innocence said.
He’d been such a shit when he’d told her that their night together had been a mistake and he wished he could apologize for that, or better yet, take back his cruel words all together. He was such a bastard for making her cry, and knowing he had done so felt like a weight in his chest.
That one tear he had seen when she left the room indicated that his words hurt. If she didn’t care about him, she would have agreed with his “mistake” assessment.
“Five seconds.”
He couldn’t do it—he couldn’t let her go. He had to believe that one tear indicated that she had feelings for him as well. Yes, he was a selfish bastard, and right now, he wasn’t about to change that. He wanted Adela.
“It’s time.”
“No!” he yelled.
Chapter 37
Liam threw his body over Adela’s, knowing that it was an exercise in futility. If her spirit was to go, it wouldn’t matter if a tank were sitting on top of her.
Glancing up at the Angel of Innocence, she smiled serenely at him. He slowly looked around for Adela’s spirit, but didn’t see her anywhere. It wasn’t a surprise as he’d become human again. He pushed himself off her. Laying a hand over her chest, he felt her heart beating. She was alive and relief washed through him.
“Gunnar, please call an ambulance,” Evangeline ordered.
Liam glanced up at Evangeline, who smiled brightly.
“Is she going to be okay?”
Evangeline nodded. “Yes. She’ll get proper medical care and she’ll be fine.”
Liam scooped Adela up in his arms and carefully made his way up the steps to the deck, getting inside as Gunnar hung up the phone. He laid Adela down on the couch and looked down at his soaked leathers. “I’m going to run in and change really quick before the ambulance comes.”
Walking down the hall, he realized he was shaking and he didn’t know if it was from the cold or because of what he’d just done.
He got to his room, stripped his clothes off, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Glancing over at the mirror, he stared at himself for a beat. He ran his hand through his hair and then crossed his arms over his chest. “What have you just done?” he whispered. He’d denied someone their place in the Inner Circle of Heaven, their place of eternal happiness. “You are such a greedy prick.”
Liam pulled on his boots as he heard the sirens in the distance. After Adela was well, he needed to tell her about Annie, the fact that he had chosen his own selfish needs over Adela’s shot at the Inner Circle, and explain to her why he had done so. He sighed, feeling exhausted just thinking about it.
Chapter 38
Adela came to consciousness slowly, her head aching like nothing she had ever felt before. People were talking in low voices somewhere in the distance and there was a distinct beeping noise that reminded her of hospitals.
Why did her head hurt so badly?
She moaned, and her hand was instantly engulfed in a much larger, warm one.
“Adela?” Liam whispered. She smiled at the thick Australian accent and opened her eyes.
Liam sat next to the bed and grinned. “Hey,” he said, relief washing over his features.
“Hi,” she whispered, her throat parched. Glancing around, she realized her initial assessment had been correct—she was in a hospital. “What happened? Why am I here?” She had no recollection of any events beyond Liam disappearing after the shooting.
“You took a spill down the stairs at the cabin and hit your head,” Liam replied. “I’m so sorry I didn’t shovel the snow. I feel like this is my fault that you’re in here.”
Adela tried to remember the fall, but she couldn’t. “Don’t be silly,” she said.
“Would you like some water?” Liam asked.
She nodded and he got up and crossed the room. As he poured water into a plastic cup, she recalled their time in bed together.
Nausea swept over her as she tried to sit up, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the injury to her head or the injury to her heart that Liam had inflicted. She pushed the thoughts and hurt aside because beyond all of that, she was happy Liam was there with her.
“Take it easy,” Liam instructed, rushing over to help her. He set down the cup and adjusted the pillows. “Just a little bit at a time, Adela. I’ve had a concussion before, and if you move too fast, you’ll end up getting sick.”
When she was settled back against the pillows, he held the cup to her mouth. “Little sips,” he said, and she did as she was told.
“How long have I been here?” she asked.
“They brought you in yesterday,” he murmured, looking at the clock on the wall. “You’ve been here about twenty-four hours.”
Liam sat back down and placed the cup back on the table. “You needed some stitches,” he said, pointing at her head.
She brought her hand to the back of her head and felt the little knots of thread in her scalp. The water felt nice on her throat, so she reached for the cup, wishing she could remember her fall. “Where did you go when you disappeared after the shooting?” she asked. Maybe it would all come back to her eventually if she talked about the events leading up to it.
Liam sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I visited Michael.”
“And? Did you get into trouble for hitting Evangeline?”
Liam nodded. “You could say that. He sent me to Eternity.”
“What in the world is that, Liam? Where is it?”
She listened as Liam told her it was an area off of Michael’s chambers, and she tried to picture it. A place with no beginning and no end? She imagined going in one direction and never getting anywhere, never reaching your intended destination. It was truly mind-boggling to think about.
They sat in silence for a moment, and then she had a thought. “Why am I here in the hospital?” Adela asked. “If I was hurt, why didn’t Evangeline just heal me? Or is this all part of the grand-master plan that she can’t tell us about? Do you suppose our assignment is here? Perhaps one of the nurses?”
Liam shifted in his chair looking very uncomfortable. “Adela—”
A nurse came into the room, interrupting him. “Well, look who is up!” she chirped.
Adela smiled weakly. The nurse was short and wide and donned scrubs with pictures of princesses on them. Her blue eyes were kind and she wore her blonde hair short. She smiled at Adela, which made her face appear rounder, and it seemed the whole room became much more cheerful with her presence.
“I’m Lucy,” she said. “I’ll be your nurse for about . . .” she checked her watch, “three more hours. Then I get to go home to my family for the night.”
She bustled around, checking Adela’s monitoring equipment and making notes on a piece of paper. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I have a headache,” Adela complained.
The nurse nodded. “To be expected. I’ll see if it’s okay with the doctor to up your pain meds. What about the rest of you? Everything feeling okay?”
Adela flexed her legs and looked at her hands. “Yes.”
“You were lucky, honey,” Lucy said, patting Adela’s leg. “People can freeze out there in this weather in no time. Your body temperature was pretty low when they brought you in. In my opinion, we got you in here just in time.”
Adela listened as Lucy explained how to call for a nurse if she needed anything, and demonstrated how to turn on the TV and the volume buttons. Lucy also explained the lighting controls, and then told Adela she would be sending in some chicken broth for her to try to stomach.
The click of the door at Lucy’s exit brought her a
ttention back to Liam. “Lucy seems happy. I don’t think she’s our target.”
Liam nodded.
“What were you saying before she interrupted us?”
Sighing, Liam leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. Adela noticed how tired he looked. Deep, purple shadows lined under his hooded eyes, and as he ran his hand through his hair, she noticed that it looked a little dirty.
“Adela, I did something,” he said, not meeting her gaze. “I-I don’t know how you’re going to feel about it.”
“What did you do?” she asked, her stomach churning with curiosity, and she had to admit, a little bit of fear. She couldn’t recall a time when she’d seen Liam so serious, except when they were in bed together. That, she reminded herself, was something to be forgotten. That was a mistake.
Usually Liam was mostly smiles and teasing. It seemed that as he sat next to her, he appeared so grim and somber. What was wrong? What had he done?
“After you fell, I was released from Eternity,” he said quietly, not meeting her eyes.
“And?”
“And I had a lot of time to think while I was there.”
Adela felt dizzy again and she slumped further down in the pillows. “That’s nice, Liam, but what did you do?”
He stared at the pillow just to the right of her face. She would have known if he were looking directly at her—she would have felt it in her bones.
“After you fell, you were hurt very badly. You were at death’s door. There was an Angel of Innocence there when I arrived, and I was given a choice,” he blurted.
“I was hurt that badly? An Angel of Innocence was there? What choice did you have to make?” she asked, feeling sick, but she couldn’t tell if it was from her injury or this conversation with Liam.
“I was forced to decide whether you should go to the Inner Circle or whether you should remain human.”
Adela fought the need to vomit. Glancing around the room, she had a pretty good idea of what Liam had chosen.
Closing her eyes, she said, “And you chose . . .”
“I chose for you to remain human.”
Adela’s anger flared and the headache was forgotten. “How dare you!” she yelled.
She couldn’t believe that Liam would think that she would want to be human. She had told him that she didn’t belong in this time period and that she would rather be an Angel of Death again instead of living as a human.
“Adela, I—”
“You had no right to make that decision for me!” she screamed, sitting upright.
The door opened and Lucy came in, the smile gone. “What’s going on in here?”
The sobs scraped at Adela’s throat. “You had no right, Liam! Get out of here! You had no right to make that decision for me!”
“But Adela, please just listen—”
“You need to go,” Lucy demanded, pointing at the doorway. “I can’t have my patient upset like this.”
“Adela—”
“Leave, Liam!” Adela sobbed, her voice choked and barely audible with the tears streaming down her face. “And don’t come back! I never want to see you again! I hate you! Do you understand me? I hate you for doing this to me!”
Liam winced as if she’d struck him, hung his head, and walked to the door. He turned to her as if he wanted to say something else, but Lucy gave him a gentle push. “Go on, now,” she urged, obviously angry.
Adela watched the door shut after Liam left, the click a loud sound of finality. She wanted to scream and hit something, but the sobs wracking her body were taking all her energy.
“Honey, what did he say?” Lucy asked. “What did he do?”
Adela shook her head, unable to talk. Why had he made that decision? She had been an Angel of Death for over three hundred years, doing nothing but delivering souls to the Fringe. She had the opportunity to go to the Inner Circle and Liam had denied her.
“What can I do for you?” Lucy asked.
Adela shook her head again. There was nothing that could be done. She was a twenty year-old woman, stuck in a time period she didn’t belong in. How was she going to survive? Where was she going to live? Why had Liam done this to her? Her frustration and panic collided, producing a deep fear. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and turned onto her side.
There was nothing Lucy could do for her. There was nothing anyone could for her. Her place in Heaven had been taken away from her by a selfish, egocentric, bastard.
As she swiped at her tears, she felt nothing but utter contempt and hate for Liam.
Chapter 39
Liam sat on the couch in front of the fire, the blanket pulled up around him, sucking down his third beer. The blanket still smelled like Adela’s wildflower lotion. He brought it up to his nose again and inhaled deeply.
Man, he’d really fucked things up.
Thanks to the beer his body felt numb, but his brain churned away. Adela had told him not to come back, that she never wanted to see him again. He never should have said that he wanted her to stay human—he knew damn well she didn’t want to be alive in today’s day and age.
“Hell,” he whispered, the ache in his chest growing. He should have let her go. Now she would be human and would never want to see him again.
“Hey,” Gunnar said from behind Liam.
Liam shut his eyes. He didn’t even know Gunnar was still around, but supposed he would be as the assignment still hadn’t been completed. He really just wanted to be left alone.
“Hey, Gunnar,” Liam grumbled, staring into the fire, hoping he would go away.
Instead, Gunnar sat down on the other couch and put his feet up on the table. “How’s Adela?”
“Fine,” Liam said, not wanting to admit that she’d kicked him out of the hospital room and said she never wanted to see him again.
“So, I’ve been thinking about this assignment,” Gunnar said.
Liam held up his hand. “Don’t want to hear about it, Gunnar. I’m living as a human now, remember?”
Yes, he was human again, but he was alone. Not that it was a bad thing. He could simply go back to the way he lived his life before, but frankly, the thought curled his stomach. Living hard and fast seemed like such an empty proposition, almost like being caught up in Eternity but as a living, breathing human being. Living like that for him was like there was no beginning and no end. There was nothing to look forward to, no one to come home to; there wasn’t anything special in his life. He had been granted a “do over,” and he wanted a life with meaning. If he had been able to live it with Adela, he was certain that their lives together would be good. He had to now figure out where he was going to go and what he was going to do. He thought about going back to his family, but how in the hell would he explain that one? It was probably best to remain dead as far as they were concerned.
Gunnar sighed, leaned forward, and put his elbows on his knees. “Liam, can you please just talk me through this assignment? I get that you’re done, but help a guy out. I’ve still got to figure it out. I’ve still got to help two people fall in love.”
Liam nodded. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do, and he had a feeling Gunnar would simply nag him until he wore him down. “Go ahead.”
“So, you and Adela were sent to this cabin with very few people around except the neighbors. Adela saw them fighting and assumed they were the assignment.”
Liam took a long swallow of his beer. “Yep.”
“Then I showed up.”
Unfortunately.
“That seemed to really irritate you. Your mood was vile.”
That’s because you were hitting on the woman I love.
“In fact, you almost seemed jealous of the time I spent with Adela.”
Liam shrugged. He wasn’t going to let Gunnar know just how deep his jealousy went.
“Then you went off to who-knows-where, Adela got hurt, and then you came back.”
He still hadn’t told Gunnar about Eternity, simply because Liam just wished he would go
away and let him wallow in his misery in peace.
“You decided that you and Adela would live as humans. My guess the reason you did that is because you like her and want to be with her.”
Liam winced. He also hadn’t told Gunnar about how upset Adela became when she heard she was human again—for good.
“I guess my question is, why aren’t you with her now? Why are you sitting on this couch looking as though your world just came to an end?”
He really didn’t want to go there, especially with Gunnar, so he remained silent.
“If you had plans for the two of you to go off into the sunset and live happily ever after, what’s the deal?”
“She doesn’t want to be human, all right?” Liam yelled, tossing aside the blanket in frustration. “She said she hates me and she never wants to see me again.”
Gunnar sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. After a deep sigh and a moment of silence, he asked, “Liam, who do you think my assignment was? Who is supposed to fall in love?”
Liam stared at the flames in the fireplace.
“Who did fall in love, Liam?”
Was it actually possible that Adela and he were the assignment? He took another long pull from his bottle.
There was a stretch of silence in the room as the weight of what Gunnar had said settled. He was supposed to fall in love with Adela? They were supposed to be together? “You’re kidding, right?”
Gunnar shook his head. “The first night I arrived, I had no idea I was becoming an Angel of Affection. I was told to come to this house and that was it. Later that night, after I went to bed, Evangeline visited me and told me what the assignment was.”
Liam sat stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“I had to act quickly, and as I tossed and turned thinking about how I was going to go about making one of the most stubborn men I’d ever met fall in love, it occurred to me that there is one thing that always makes a man go crazy, and that’s having another man pursue the one he loves.”
“So you were acting like a jackass on purpose?” Liam asked, thinking back to all the events that had almost sent him into a rage: the way Gunnar had pretended to be Adela’s husband when they went to the neighbors’ house, the shave, how polite and interested Gunnar had been in Adela, then the snide comments before the shooting . . .