Feathers beat against my face. Talons ripped into my shirt.
“Callie!” Liam’s voice burst through the whooshing of my ears.
My limbs flailed against the inevitable.
“Callie.”
Green lightning illuminated the earth and I fell. Tears poured from my eyes in a deluge of terror and thankfulness. My lungs sucked in hungry breaths. Liam fell to the ground beside me and pulled me into his lap. He kissed my face and rocked me like a child in his arms.
“I’m so sorry, Callie. My love is toxic.” His quiet words tore the fabric of my heart. Would he never stop blaming himself? Would loving me be his misery? I hated myself instantly for being his cross to bear. Why couldn’t love be peaceful and sweet? Why was love always made of embers and ashes? Dirty. Painful. Tainted.
I opened aching eyes. Two dozen Vikings gathered around us, staring silently.
The ravens waddled in the grass at my side, wings half extended, ready for flight. They ogled us with beady eyes. Blood dripped from their beaks and talons.
I whimpered and pulled myself closer to Liam’s chest. Sobs thundered from my body, shaking me violently and knocking the wind from my lungs.
Liam lifted me in his arms, rising with ease, despite my weight. I pressed my cheek to his chest. A guy I’d never seen lay at Liam’s feet, drizzled in blood. Thin claw marks scarred his face, neck, and arms. His eyes were pecked out. I buried my face in the curve of Liam’s neck. Another rough shudder jolted through me and my teeth chattered dangerously.
Liam strode through Viking onlookers toward his home, and I blocked everything out. He carried me up winding stairs and through a doorway before setting me gently down.
I opened my eyes to the dim light of candles around a stately bed with four posters stretching to the ceiling. Liam had brought me to his bed. I pressed a palm over my aching head. My shoulders stung. Quiet tears rolled down my cheeks and my teeth chattered violently. I sniffled and pressed the heels of both hands against my eyes.
Liam stroked my head. “Lie back.”
Soft satin sheets caressed my face. Liam walked away.
He ran water in the next room where light spilled from a half-open doorway.
“Liam?”
He stepped into the room with a cloth in his hand.
“How are you?” Pain dripped from his words.
“Freaked.” A very large understatement. I took mental inventory of my faculties. “Sore.”
“You should rest. I won’t let you oversleep. I’ll get you home before your mom arrives from work.”
“I’m not going to sleep.” We were alone in what I assumed was Liam’s room for the first time. I’d nearly been killed by an enemy Viking outside my home. I couldn’t fall asleep if I tried.
“Here.” Liam sat on the edge of the bed and laid a cool, wet cloth over my forehead. He lifted a pair of capsules from the nightstand and cracked open a bottle of water. “I have something for your pain.”
I leaned forward, careful to catch the cloth as it fell from my eyes. The water burned a path down my hot, aching throat. “Thanks.”
“I need to take a look.” He pointed to my shoulder. Blood soaked the fabric of my shirt.
“Oh, your bed.” I wiggled to my elbows. “This is your bed?”
He smiled. “Yes. I don’t care about the bed. I do care if you get an infection or if those blasted birds gave you some kind of transmittable disease by mixing his damnable blood with yours.”
“Oh, barf.”
“Precisely.”
I pulled my arms in through my sleeves and worked the sweater over my shoulders. Liam angled his face away. I kicked off my shoes and socks before I got dirt from the cornfield on his bed. “I bit him. I bit Tony, too. Could I really get sick from their blood?”
He ran his thumb across my bottom lip. “Let’s hope not.”
“He could’ve killed me. I guess I’m tougher than I think.” I tossed my shirt onto the edge of his bed. “Okay, you can look.”
He didn’t.
“Liam.”
He peeked in my direction.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen my bra before.” A few select memories rushed past and a blush burned my cheeks.
A very boyish smile graced his usually troubled face. “I can look?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “You can look. Will I live?”
He frowned.
“Liam.” I kissed his cheek. “Either take a look at these claw marks or hand me the stuff to do it myself. I know you have a bandage somewhere in this room.”
He retrieved a first aid kit from the nightstand.
“What if I decided to sleep like you told me? At some point you had to take a look at this.”
“I don’t know. I thought of calling your mom, but how could I explain I let you get strangled and attacked by birds all at the same time?”
“Stop moping and help me.”
He turned to examine the cuts on my shoulders. “Do they hurt?”
“Not as much as my head. I think that jerk gave me brain damage.”
“Mason slayed him.” He touched my cuts with a wet cloth.
“Really? It looked like the birds got him.”
Liam dabbed a cotton ball to my shoulder. “They did good work, but we weren’t sure if the death would stick, so…” He ran a finger across his throat. Beheaded. Right.
I swallowed a growing lump in my throat. “He said he wanted me to call out Tony’s name.”
Liam growled. “Stians.”
“Yeah. At least it wasn’t someone staying here.”
His eyes flashed green. “Yes. That’s certainly a relief.” He pressed a bandage over my shoulder and ground his teeth together. “You fear and trust the wrong things.”
“I don’t.”
“When I next see Odin, I’ll do it with one raven drumstick in either hand.”
I gasped. “You’d better not even think about it. Those stupid birds saved my life.”
“They hurt you. Do you see what I mean about getting things twisted in your head?” Anger roared from his chest. His features shifted in anger and frustration. “Look at your hair. They ripped out your hair.”
I pressed both hands to my head, probing with shaky fingers and found several bald patches. “Oh, no.”
Liam fell back against the pillows. His chest rose and fell in deep, measured movements. I recognized the process. He regained control in a few more breaths. I curled up beside him and pressed my skin against his arm.
“Are you testing my composure?” He became motionless under my touch.
I brushed my fingers over his cheek. He stared at the ceiling. I nuzzled against the crook of his neck, and dotted his skin with kisses.
“Callie, you trust me with too much.”
I ignored him and trailed my lips over his chin. I slid a hand beneath his shirt. When he protested again, I pressed my lips to his. His warm wet tongue swept out to meet mine and tangled in a deep kiss. Our mouths fit together, joining us in ways that ignited cravings in other parts of me as well.
Liam gripped my back and moved me onto the pillow. Taking position above me, he stared into my eyes until I squirmed in frustration beneath him. He threw his shirt onto the floor and my heart raced. When his skin touched mine, sparks raced over me like an electric current.
“I love you,” I whispered, arching my back to bring me closer.
“You should not.”
I grasped his ridiculously toned back and pulled myself up to meet him. I kissed his neck and shoulder, tracing the muscles in his arms and chest. I poured every ounce of emotion into each kiss. I channeled my worry for Justin and hate for the one who hurt me, the frustration at Liam, yet another man who wanted to leave me, and the all-consuming love that burned in my heart for him. I gathered it all and sent it out to him in every touch. “I’m scared. You make me feel safe.”
I dropped my hands to his waistband and work
ed the button loose on his jeans with shaking fingers. “I love you,” I whispered and tugged the zipper down. “Make me feel safe.”
Liam balanced on one arm and shackled my wrists in his free hand. “What are you doing? If you trust me this much, you’ve lost your mind completely.”
“I trust you completely.”
He raised my arms over my head and pinned them to the pillow. His lips found mine. “I don’t want to be your first, Callie.”
My heart shattered into a million jagged pieces. Rejected again. I wiggled my hands free of his grip and glared at him.
He moved away and stood at the bedside, watching me. I blinked back selfish tears. Why should he want the job? He had the fate of all Vikings on his shoulders.
Liam shoved his jeans over his hips and climbed back into bed without them.
“B-But you don’t want to be my first.” I stuttered. “Am I supposed to call someone else in here first?”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “Is there someone else you want to see without their head tonight?”
“But you said—”
Liam stopped me with a gentle kiss.
He laced our fingers together and pulled me to him. Our legs intertwined beneath the sheets and heat from his skin burned through the fabric of my jeans. His strong heart beat against my chest in a heavy rhythm.
“If you choose me as your first, I want to be your last as well.”
My heart unfurled at the most beautiful words I’d ever heard, and I melted into him. Hope for the impossible rose in my chest.
Liam moved slowly with me, gauging my reaction to every new touch between us. Clothing came off slowly. Liam exuded unbelievable calm while adrenaline overran my body. His lips caressed every exposed inch of me, reassuring me. He meant what he said. This was my choice. He loved me. I could change my mind at any time without explanation. I wouldn’t change my mind. I wanted Liam.
“Do you have a condom?” I felt slightly insecure. Kissing I understood, the rest, not so much. I could do a million things wrong.
He stilled. “Are you sure?” There was no flash of green in his eyes.
“Yes.”
Confliction and desire burned through his words. “You only get this first time once.” He traced my eyebrows with his fingertips and outlined my face with his thumb. Nothing separated us now. Pale green eyes of the boy next door pierced mine, pleading with me. “I can wait forever.” An impish grin lifted his cheek.
“Not me. I want you. Now.”
How he could doubt that, I didn’t know.
Worry churned my tummy. Bad things happened outside Liam’s reach. In his arms, I feared nothing, not even his abandonment. Something in his touch, his kiss, his eyes, said he would stay as long as I allowed him. Forever, if he could.
I pressed my fingertips into his back. “Please.”
His chest rumbled and his lips fell on mine. With tender touches, the man holding my heart showed me what people sacrificed their lives for. As our bodies moved together, the rush of love and power and lust combined inside me to an explosive end.
If sex was like this for everyone, all the time, I didn’t see how anyone ever walked away from the one they loved. How could they share this with anyone besides the one who owned their heart the way Liam owned mine?
Chapter 20
Liam’s body curved against my back, warming me under the cool satin sheet. He kissed my shoulder and stroked my hair.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Good.” Loved. Peaceful. Strong. My mind couldn’t settle on one emotion before another overwhelming rush of feelings swooped in and replaced the previous.
“The men are probably looking for the Stians now. They took your attack personally. To come so near our home was a slap in the face. To allow an attack on you, knowing Odin watches over you, was a failure on our part. We all failed and he is aware. The ravens followed the body to the cemetery. I don’t think they were finished.”
“I wish he wasn’t in the cemetery. I love that place.” I wouldn’t go there again.
“We had to work quickly. The cemetery seemed the obvious choice for body disposal. Oliver is with Justin, making a nuisance of himself, finding excuses to never leave. Justin’s too polite to insist he go.” He chuckled against my skin.
“Thank you for keeping him safe.”
Liam rolled me onto my back. “I will do anything for you.”
His words settled in my heart. My skin tingled and the sensation of weightlessness overcame me. Liam played with my hair. His pale green eyes softened me.
“Your eyes never went all glow in the dark Viking on me. Why?” Instinct said I didn’t excite him enough to elicit the response. Logic doused the idea. So many things about him confused me.
“For Vikings, the glow is a warning that says we’re provoked, excited or ready for action. I’m changing, I think.”
“Justin’s eyes are blue. Will they change?”
“No. The green glow is universal regardless of human eye color.”
“Okay.” Noted. Nerves itched through my chest. “You said you think you’re changing? How?”
“I feel the power tingling my skin, but I’m in control.” He placed a fist against his stomach. “The power is part of me, instead of in charge of me, when I’m with you.”
“Victoria said love strengthens you.” I smiled. “Maybe I make some things better.”
He ran his fingers through my wild hair. “You make me better. There’s so much to learn about you. I think we should spend an excessive amount of time together.”
I laughed. “Don’t pressure me.”
Something he’d said earlier came to mind. “Downstairs, you told the others you were the original three. Why do they think you’re stronger than them, even without indulging in combat and women?” I smiled. How much stronger was Liam tonight?
He shifted his weight. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
“This is not a surprise. I’ll be mad later.” I forced my mind to stay open, but the urge to get dressed and never look back itched in my limbs.
“Oliver, Mason, and I are Nike’s nephews. We are the firstborn sons of her brothers.”
“Of course you are.” I rolled my eyes. He was something more than any other guy I’d ever met. That was evident the moment I saw him. I had no idea how much more until recently, but from the start, I’d known. Watching the Vikings downstairs and on their lawn, it was evident Liam was something more than them, too. The others looked at him with reverence. I’d assumed the difference was Liam’s status as Guardian or Watcher.
“That’s why you guys are saddled with keeping the balance?”
“Yes. I am Bia’s son. Mason is Kratos’s son and Oliver is of Zelus. What we do as Watchers is staggering. The world is big. Watching for new Vikings is an impossible task, especially with only three Hales left. The balance is skewed, and I don’t know how to right it. Maybe the leader will emerge soon and aid us in our role in the hierarchy.”
“How much more don’t I know about you? I changed my mind. How old are you? Be specific.”
“We are eternal.”
“Oldie.”
“Yes. There’s plenty I don’t know about you, too. See this?” He stretched a long wavy piece of hair between us. “I thought your hair was straight.”
“My hair is ridiculous.” I raked my fingers through my hair, assessing the size of missing patches. “I hope a ponytail can cover the missing pieces. I can’t explain those to Mom without sounding like I’m on drugs.”
“Let me see.” He shoved masses of swollen hair around my head. I hadn’t ironed it since before school. Humidity from the pool, the rubber swim cap, and a roll in the sheets had set the crazy free.
“Callie.” Liam shot upright, taking the sheets with him.
“Hey!” Cold air smacked my bare skin.
He jumped out of bed and shoved his legs into jeans before leaving the ro
om.
“Where are you going? Jeez. Is my hair that bad?” I rubbed my head and pulled strands into view. If this scared him, he should see it after it air dried.
“What are you doing?” I snagged his shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head. Liam returned with a mirror taller and wider than him. The dark frame and gilded edges looked heavy. “That thing has to weigh two hundred pounds.”
“Never mind that. Come here.” He leaned the giant mirror against his wall and darted into the bathroom. This time he returned with a hand mirror. “Look.”
I examined our reflections in the mirror. Liam without a shirt, pants undone. Me in his shirt and nothing more. “We look like the cover of a romance novel.”
He smacked a kiss on the top of my head. Excitement lit his face. “Thank you.”
I slapped his crazy distracting abs.
“Look at your hair.”
“It’s hideous. I look like those goofy nymphs out back.” Those girls loved the tight jeans and windblown look. I gagged.
He gripped my waist and moved behind me, resting his chin on my head. “Look again.”
I sighed. He looked like a giant. I looked like the happiest girl on the planet.
“Here.” He pushed a mass of hair over the top of my head. “Look right here.” I pushed the hair apart with my fingers. Liam repositioned the smaller mirror until I had a clear view of the bald spot.
A gasp tore through me. I walked closer to the big mirror and dug into my hair, trying to get a better look at the place where Odin’s ravens had yanked my hair out when they’d saved my behind. Thin white lines curled on the skin beneath my hair.
“Where did it come from? Is it because we….” I shot Liam a meaningful look.
“You think I did this? Our bodies joined and my runes spread?” He smiled.
“I don’t know. I’m confused on a twenty-four/seven basis. Do you know how that feels? I was the smart kid before you came along. Why are you happy? What does this mean? Please explain it to me as if I’m a child so I have a prayer of understanding.”
Prophecy Page 24