Liam

Chapter 10

He stood meeting her gaze. "You already know who I am, Rayne. My name is Liam Andersen, and I deal in antiques. I just opened your door when I heard you screaming and tried to wake you up," his eyes dropped for a moment, and his voice softened, "as for what I want, I want to know you. I want to be with you." Rayne could tell he was struggling to give answers that were honest, but not completely honest. He finally raised his eyes to meet hers, and his mouth twitched, slowly making a small O shape. "Your eyes are changing again...what is happening?"

"Answer my questions first," Rayne demanded. "How did you break the protective wards in my room? Describe what happened when you came in - in detail." She motioned for him to sit back down. When Liam finally sat, she took her seat across from him.

He drew in a deep breath, never looking away from her eyes, and recounted the night's events. He explained about the candles, the feeling of walking through quicksand, and finding her on the bed screaming and thrashing about. His response was relaxed and she knew he wasn't lying when he said he didn't know she had protective wards on the room before he walked in, but had realized that something magical was happening. "I didn't know if it was you or something trying to hurt you. You sounded like you were in pain, so I just kept pushing until I reached you." Rayne could feel the desperation in his voice when he spoke of her pain. At least now she knew his motives for entering the room were pure.

"Thank you. I believe you. But you still need to answer my other questions. I know you aren't just a simple antiques dealer. Why the ruse?" Rayne wasn't sure why this mattered, but she heard that soft voice telling her to ask. As usual, the voice was spot on. Liam shifted in his seat and looked away from her. His hand tugged at Aletheia's cuff. "It won't come off until I release the spell, no matter how much you pull at it," she said softly. Rayne could see the cuff was causing him discomfort. She really didn't want to cause him pain, but she needed answers.

"Why does it matter? Obviously, I'm not that good at it. I didn't even recognize this cuff! By the Gods how can I be so stupid?" Liam shouted. "Fine. I deal in mystical antiques, much like this one. I find what people need and deliver it. To be honest, most of the time I have a don't ask, don't tell approach with my clients. I simply enjoy the mischief of it all. Until you came with me to the meeting with Mr. Klen, I didn't realize just how much you knew about mystical objects. It isn't your average dinner conversation. I just didn't know how to explain anything to you before then." He looked at her with a hint of defiance running his hands through his hair as he slumped back into the chair. "What more do you want from me? I'll leave if that's what you want."

Rayne paused, sitting back down in the chair near him. She could see he was hurting, and not just from the cuff. She wanted to take his face in her hands and tell him it was okay. She wanted to soothe and kiss him the way he had comforted her last night, but she needed to finish this. "What do you want from me? What did you mean that night in the club when you said our first time?" She didn't even realize she had remembered his question until the words left her mouth.

Liam snapped forward, her words stinging him much more than the cuff on his wrist. In one smooth motion, he was out of his chair and on the floor in front of her, hands on her legs, looking up at her. His expression was pained yet intense. "My darling girl, I knew you the moment I saw you across that dance floor. You have been a part of me since I can remember. I had almost given up hope that I would ever find you. I'm sorry I allowed my desire to get the better of me that night. I should have waited, should have taken this slow, but you don't know how long I've waited." His tone was pleading and sad. He leaned up, his mouth just inches away from hers. "Your eyes have changed again, Rayne," he breathed as he pressed his lips to hers. She leaned into his kiss, feeling drawn in by a force of nature. She didn't pull away until she heard a metallic clang as the cuff fell to the floor.

Rayne stared, wide-eyed at the cuff now laying near her feet. When she looked at Liam, his expression mirrored her own. How? She didn't release the spell. "I didn't do that," she said. Liam looked at the cuff and back at her again, "I didn't either. I wouldn't even know how, I'm not Greek." A quick laugh slipped from her gaping mouth at his off-handed remark and she watched a hopeful smile spread across his face. Rayne placed the cuff back in the small box and closed the lid. She didn't know what to say.

"I think I have some questions of my own now, please," Liam said, standing up and taking her hands to lead her to the couch. She nodded as she sat down pulling her legs up under her. "What are you really? You aren't just a witch. I've never encountered a witch with your depth of knowledge and powers in my lifetime. Oh, and what do purple eyes mean, darling?" Liam started.

She sucked in a deep breath, and slowly released it. "Well, that isn't a simple answer. By basic definition, I'm a witch of Celtic descent, but I left my clan years ago. My grandmother raised me as I told you the first night you came over. I didn't really know my parents. I have no memories of my father and only a few of my mother. I remember her smell - it was like the ground smells after rain, and her hair was soft and black. I can remember sitting in her lap and listening to her sing, but I can't even remember the words to her song. I've tried for years to find it or remember it, but I can't. I even asked my grandmother once, but she only shook her head and changed the subject." Rayne pulled a blanket across her lap nervously. She felt chilled when she thought about her mother's song.

"After my mother left, Grandma brought me to the states and raised me in a small cabin near a lake in Missouri. She taught me how to use my craft and powers, but encouraged me to stay a solitary practitioner. She would tell stories about our family being descended from The Morrigan and tell me stories from the old clans. She taught me how to listen to the trees and nature. She also helped me understand that death isn't final, time is fluid, and there are far more worlds than just the one we see before us." Liam sat patiently listening to all she said. He had moved a bit closer to her and now held her hands again. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and continued.

"Grandmother was a truly powerful witch and she always seemed so fearless to me. I can remember one time when I was about twelve, I was playing in the garden next to the house. I was singing and dancing, absorbed in my own thoughts when I saw something near the fence row. I remember being drawn to it. I don't remember it touching me, I just remember a hollow and cold feeling spreading through me. I must have screamed, because the next thing I knew, Grandma was next to me, chanting in Gaelic, and I remember thinking she looked like she was a hundred feet tall before I passed out. When I woke, she explained that somehow, I had been touched by a wraith - specifically a revenant. Its touch had changed me and given me a new ability. That's when I gained the ability to see the dead and creatures that live in the in-between realms. That's how I knew someone was there in the park. I could sense him." Rayne shook her head for a moment, remembering the creature in her dream last night. "He isn't human, Liam. I'm not sure Klen is either." Rayne trembled at her revelation.

Liam, pulled her in closer, "Shh..you're safe now. We will figure this out, together." He looked down at her now deep brown eyes, and said, "You still haven't explained what your purple eyes meant."

"As I explained yesterday," has it only been a day, she thought. It seemed like a lifetime, "they change color based on my emotions and the power I'm using. You saw the blue for fear and ice at your penthouse and the red for fire in the park. Just now, I was channeling the magic in the cuff so they turned purple for the Goddess. My power magnified its magic so that you couldn't remove the cuff. In a way, I compelled you to tell me what I needed to know. I'm so sorry, I know I should have trusted you. It's just the timing of you and my dream, and..." Liam cut her off by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him.

"Shhh, it's okay. You don't have to explain. You had every right to doubt me. I was just so afraid to tell you." He pulled back a little and looked into her eyes. "I will admit there is more to know about me, but I can't tell you yet. I promise I am not going to hurt you or lie to you, but I can't tell you everything yet. Can you please trust me? If not, I understand, and I'll go." He seemed to withdraw into himself as if he expected her to scream and tell him to never return. Maybe she should. This was madness. How had a few dates turned into a maze of secrets, mysterious attackers, and history?  

Author's Notes: Cliffhanger....