As it stepped from the shadows, a startled cry of recognition tore from her throat. It was him—the demon that had come for her when she’d been caught in between life and death. Only then, he’d been cloaked as an angel, luring her to come to him. As she’d gotten closer, his glamour had fallen away to reveal the beast he truly was—it was a face she’d never forget. At the last second, she’d drawn back before he could grab her and tear her through the chasm separating life and death.
Pat’s approach faltered as he whipped his head around to face his master. Any chance of hope Olivia had of surviving this night vanished as the sardonic chuckle rumbled deep in the demon’s chest. “I see you’ve done as instructed.” The note of satisfaction in his voice seemed to offer Pat a shred of reassurance. Olivia didn’t miss the wicked glimmer in the demon’s eyes as he strolled forward, putting his arm around Pat’s shoulders.
“You’ve done good work. You may go now—” As Gahn steered Pat toward the door, a glint of silver reflected in the candle light. “—straight to hell, that is.”
Olivia didn’t even have time to call out a warning before Gahn plunged his dagger into Pat’s back. With a vengeful twist, he drove the blade to the hilt before ripping it free. Pat’s startled cry abruptly cut off to a muted gurgle as he fell to the floor. Blood pooled beneath his lifeless body, flowing black in the candlelight. The coppery tang of death permeated the air around her. Olivia watched in horror as the bloody pool slowly ran toward her. It wasn’t until it reached the salt that the blood took up its crimson color.
She couldn’t contain the sob that tore from her throat in a horrific cry for help. Screaming, she flailed against her bonds, all the while Gahn stood there watching her. His wicked amusement quickly turned to rapt fascination and, God help her, something else she refused to consider. Her efforts renewed at his lusty gaze and she jerked her arms, praying the frayed rope would slit her wrists—anything to take her life and spare her the evil degradation she would surely suffer at the hands of this monster.
“Fight all you want, little lamb, ‘twill only make it all the more enjoyable for me.”
Bile surged up the back of her throat, making her gag. Gritting her teeth against the burning pain, she worked at her bonds, feeling the ropes grow slick with her blood.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. If not for that lust-filled warrior of yours, this day might not ever have come. I can’t say that I blame him, though. You are a tempting little morsel, aren’t you?”
Gahn stepped into the circle and knelt beside her hip. He pressed the tip of his blade to the inside of her calf, and she stopped struggling, biding her time for the knife to near a vital area. Slowly, he drew the dagger up her leg, leaving a trail of Pat’s blood behind. Or perhaps it was her own, for the sharp sting rent through her cotton pajamas, biting into the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh.
A sadistic chuckle chortled in his throat, a satisfied grin tugging at his top lip, revealing a row of shark-like teeth. “I do believe I shall partake in the lusts of the flesh, myself. It would be an upset Liam would never recover from—spending eternity knowing that the last thing you experienced right before death’s final blow was my seed spilling into you. I think that might possibly plunge him straight into the darkest depths of eternal hell.”
She had no doubt Gahn was feeding off her fear. By the wicked glint in his soulless eyes, there was no question he intended to carry through with his threat. Resolved to die, Olivia closed her eyes and prayed for courage, steeling herself against the terror pounding through her veins. She could only hope that he laid his blade against her throat before it was too late.
As he leaned over her, the biting scent of sulfur burned her lungs. She cranked her head to the side, desperate for air, revulsion choking her. She did not speak, for fear she would beg him not to do this, fear she would cry and plead for a life she knew he had no intention of sparing—she may be resolved, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified.
She felt the breeze of Gahn’s inhale drawing past her neck and sensed him tensing. He moved lower, his breath burning hot against her breasts, hovering over her stomach and stopping between her legs. Shuddering with revulsion, she bit the inside of her lip to keep from sobbing, tremors of disgust racking her body.
Slowly, Gahn came to his feet, his repulsive face, a mixture of surprise and sadistic glee. “Well, well, well…are you just full of surprises? It seems you’ve just become more valuable to me alive than dead.”
Olivia had no idea what he was talking about and couldn’t have asked, even if she’d wanted to. At that moment, the front door burst open and all hell broke loose.
“Liam!” His name left her lips on a broken sob of relief. Before she could draw her next breath, he was at her side, holding her face gently in his hands as he bent to press a quick kiss to her trembling lips.
“Shhh…” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “You’re going to be all right.”
The crash behind him begged to differ, but Liam didn’t bother to spare a glance at the chaos erupting around them. His only concern was getting her free. A livid curse tore from his throat when he bent over her wrist. She hissed an inhale through clenched teeth as he worked to free the blood-soaked knot. Feral growls erupted behind him, accompanied by the thuds of fists against flesh. The scrambling of feet pounding the floorboards reverberated throughout the cabin, bodies slamming against the walls, shaking the very foundation.
As her first binding came loose, a whoosh erupted beside her. The blast of light was blinding, heat scalding her face as she lifted her head to look over Liam’s shoulder. Panic cut off what little breath the smoke did not as her gaze locked on Haden going toe to toe with the demon.
As her second wrist came free, she sat up, unable to look away from the horror as Gahn vaulted forward, a blur of head to toe black against the fire licking up the wall behind them. He crashed into Haden, driving them closer to the flames. Steps before colliding with the wall of fire, Haden gained his footing and laid his shoulder into Gahn’s chest, driving him to the ground. But Gahn was down only an instant before he was back on his feet and lunging for Haden.
The smoke flooding the cabin seared her lungs when she drew breath to cry out a warning. She barely noticed her ankle coming free. As Liam hastily moved to her last binding, the wall behind her exploded into flame. Glass shattered, tinder cracked and popped, but the near-deafening sound still didn’t drown out the feral snarls and sharp curses echoing across the room.
“You traitorous little bastard!” Gahn snarled, grabbing the dagger and ripping it free of his cloak. “I should have killed you the moment your father laid you at my feet and begged me to spare your miserable life!”
Olivia couldn’t tell if Haden saw the knife brandished in the demon’s hand, but the warning froze in her throat when Haden growled back, “I already died the moment you murdered Anya and my child!”
“And surely you will join them today,” the demon sneered, leveling Haden with a murderous glare and lunging with his blade.
Haden pivoted, but Gahn anticipated the move as if he’d known exactly the path Haden would take—every step, every punch, countered in perfect choreography. It was as if Haden were fighting himself.
He sent a swinging back-fist aimed perfectly at Gahn’s face. At the last moment, the demon ducked and drove his blade deep into Haden’s chest.
“Nooo…!”
With a savage twist, Gahn ripped his dagger free, and Haden dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. At the sound of her scream, his eyes sought and locked on hers, holding them for a breathless moment where it seemed time stood still. And then, just as quickly, it was over. Haden’s soulful stare lost focus and he fell forward, engulfed in the wall of rising smoke.
“Nooo!” she screamed again, the wailed protest so raw, so foreign, Olivia didn’t realize it was coming from her until she drew a breath that broke into sobs. The second her ankle was free, she leapt to her feet and ran
toward Haden, but before she could reach him, a strong arm caught her around her waist, lifting her into the air. “No!” she screamed, hammering her fists against Liam’s forearm, trying to pry herself loose from the unrelenting grip. “Let me go!”
But he wouldn’t put her down, each determined step taking her farther and farther from Haden until they burst into the crisp night air. Irrationally, she struggled against his banding arm as his resolute stride carried her away from the cabin. It wasn’t until she could barely feel the heat against her face that he finally set her down.
Her knees buckled and she fell into the cool, marshy grass. Her breaths came in hitching sobs that burned all the way to her lungs. Desperate, she looked up to Liam’s impassive face, unreadable, except for his hard-set jaw.
“Please…” she begged, grabbing his hand in both of hers. “Please, I beg you, you have to save him! It might not be too late!”
His amethyst gaze flickered to the cabin that was soon to be consumed by flame, then back to her.
“Please!” she cried when he made no attempt to move.
A snarled oath was her only answer as Liam abruptly spun away and marched back to the cabin. He entered the inferno without so much as a backward glance in her direction.
Chapter Thirty-Four
He was taking too long. They should have been out by now. Each passing second felt like an eternity. Oh God, what if he didn’t come out? What if she’d sent Liam to his death, trying to save Haden? Had she really chosen one over the other? Surely it must seem like that to Liam. A wave of nausea clutched her gut and Olivia bent forward, holding her hand against her stomach, swallowing back her retching grief.
“Liam!” she screamed at the inferno, terror stealing her breath, her heart hammering in her chest so hard, surely it would shatter.
Wailing his name a second time, she watched as he broke through the smoke billowing out the front door with Haden tossed carelessly over his shoulder. Looking every bit the fierce angel, the fleeting thought crossed her mind that Niall had nothing on her warrior as Liam strode toward her and dumped Haden at her knees.
“Is he alive?” She struggled to roll him onto his back, and then pressed two fingers against his neck.
“He’s alive,” Liam replied. “Although I do not know how long he’ll stay that way. His injury is grave, Olivia. Gahn spared him no mercy with his blade. It was a strike intended to kill.”
“You’ve got to help him!” she pleaded, staring up at Liam, who watched her with the dispassionate gaze of a seasoned warrior who’d seen far too much death in his lifetime.
“At your request, I’ve already risked my life for him,” he snapped. “What more do you want from me?”
She could hear the frustration in the deep growl of Liam’s voice. She knew his interpretation of her concern for Haden was misplaced. Yet, now was not the time to discuss such matters. Jerking up his shirt, she found the knife wound in the left side of his chest. Blood ran freely into the mossy ground beneath him. Trying to stanch the flow of blood, she pressed her hands over the wound, but not even that could stop Haden’s life blood from seeping through her fingers. Looking up at Liam, her vision blurred with tears as she cried, “I want you to save him! I know you can!”
He exhaled a deep sigh and knelt beside her. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he whispered regretfully, “You give me too much credit, Olivia. I am not a healer. Please do not put the male’s life on my shoulders.”
“But you can try,” she pleaded. “I believe you can heal him! Please…just try.”
“Why do you care so much?” There was no accusation in his voice, no jealousy, just…sad resignation.
“I don’t expect you to understand, because I don’t even understand it myself. All I know is that he can’t die like this, Liam. Not now…not lost…”
Her answer must have been convincing enough, because he acquiesced with a curt nod of his head and turned to Haden. “I’ll do what I can, Olivia. But truly, I tell you, it will be God’s will if he lives, for I do not have the ability to heal.”
Liam pulled something from his pocket and pressed it into the center of Haden’s limp palm. Folding his fingers around the object, Liam wrapped his hands over Haden’s and bent his head, resting his forehead against the knot of fists. He spoke in the language she did not understand, the tongue she’d heard very few times, but loved so dearly.
It wasn’t long before the flow of blood oozing between her fingers began to slow as a liquid heat filled Haden’s body. She could feel the supernatural energy flowing through his veins. “It’s working!”
When Liam finished his prayer, he laid Haden’s hand across his stomach and slipped his own back into his pocket. “I’ve done all I can,” he murmured, rising to his feet. “I’m going to go search for Gahn. If he’s here, I aim to end this, once and for all.”
“Please be careful.”
He gave her a curt nod and turned to walk away, but she grabbed his hand, halting his retreat. “Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything. If he is healed, it is your faith that has made him well, not mine.”
Pulling his hand from her grasp, he turned and walked away. To go search for Gahn, he claimed, but Olivia suspected it was more than that. No doubt, Liam believed there was a small part of her that loved Haden, and after nearly losing him tonight, she had to wonder if maybe he wasn’t right.
Oh, she loved Liam. There was never any doubt about that. She loved him to the very core of her being, and he knew it, but he also knew this thing between her and Haden wasn’t as simple as she’d have him believe. And she knew Liam was a male who would never stand for sharing her affection—nor should he have to.
Haden’s head lolled toward her as he exhaled a soft groan. It wasn’t until her hands rose and fell with the increasing strength of his breaths that she realized she still clutched his chest. As his eyes slowly opened, they locked on her—intense and unwavering. Their sharp clarity surprised her. There was no confusion or disorientation, and had there been, she would write off his confession as near-death delusions.
When Olivia made a move to lift her hands from his chest, Haden caught her wrist, holding her palm tightly to his side. Her fingers rested just below the crease of his solid peck. She could feel the strong beat of his heart quicken beneath the corded muscles covering his ribs. At first he didn’t speak, he just laid there looking up at her with an unreadable expression on his handsome, soot-smudged face.
“You were stabbed,” she said in way of explanation as to why her hands were up his shirt, clutching his chest.
His top lip quirked with the faintest hint of a grin. “I know. I was there.”
“Liam saved your life,” she offered, not sure why she felt the need to say so—perhaps to cast the focus off of her, because Haden had yet to release her wrist, or her gaze.
His thumb brushed over the underside of her wrist and her pulse quickened. Being this close to him while conscious made her anxious. Maybe it was because Haden was so unpredictable, so boldly aggressive. She never knew where she stood with him. One minute he could be saving her life and then threatening to take it the next.
“I suspect it had a little more to do with you than Liam. I doubt he was any more thrilled to rush into a burning building to save my life than I would be to save his.”
She couldn’t deny it. Liam’s only concern had been getting her to safety. Haden hadn’t even been an afterthought in his mind. She didn’t fault Liam for his apathy toward Haden. After everything that had happened, it was a wonder he hadn’t killed Haden himself. That they had come here—together—to save her—was nothing short of a miracle.
“Yes, well…” She didn’t know what else to say. Clearing her throat, she leaned back to dislodge herself from Haden’s grip that so tightly held her hand against his heart. His fingers tightened. Not enough to hurt her, but unyielding nonetheless. Why did he always feel at liberty to impose his will on her?
She exhaled a frustrated sigh. �
��Let me go, Haden.”
He moved her hand, slowly dragging it over his chest. Olivia’s breath caught in her throat as her palm slid over the muscular plane of his pecks. Her fingers tingled from the forbidden caress. It felt wrong…scandalous, to have her hands on him, yet for some unknown reason, she didn’t pull away. “I...I love Liam,” she whispered.
Haden’s eyes didn’t waver, holding her in that smoldering sea-green gaze. “I know you do.” It was difficult to hear his soft husky voice over the crackling of the fire raging behind them. “But I also think there’s a part of you that loves me, too. You just don’t want to admit it. I can see it in the way you look at me, Olivia. I can feel it in your touch. I’ve tasted it in your kiss. Liam will always belong to his Creator. You deserve someone who will love you above all else. You deserve someone who will give you children, a family.”
Gone was the guarded arrogance he wore like a suit of armor. There was an unmistakable vulnerability in him she’d never seen before, an openness that would have surely stolen her heart if it wasn’t already sworn to Liam. More than anything, she didn’t want to hurt him. Choosing her words carefully, she whispered the challenge, “And you want these things?” She could hardly wrap her mind around what he was telling her.
An eclectic smile touched his mouth—sad—wistful. “More than you could possibly know.”
“You say that now, Haden, but you and I both know you belong to your vengeance. Would you have me believe you’d forsake your vow of revenge for me? Gahn still lives, and after tonight, I suspect your hatred for him burns even greater than before.”
He slid her hand over his heart as if in pledge. “I would try…for you.”
And she believed he would. In that moment, her heart broke for him. Broke for his loss, for the pain and suffering he kept guarded so close to his heart, broke for the long journey ahead that would either spell his salvation or his destruction—she knew not which. But she did know she could not be the anchor that saved him, that kept him grounded and on the right path. As much as she wanted to help him, she could not be what he needed and have Liam, too.
Courting Darkness Page 32