Love is a Merciless God - An 8th Dimension Novel

Chapter One - The Joys of Being Heard

He doesn't mean it—not really. But between my nudge and his own pain, he's too afraid to lose.

Rachel's dark eyes narrow into slits and she juts out her chin.

"Fine," she spits, twisting on her heel and heading for the door.

I can't tell whether or not she means it, but she sure looks like she does. She's not my charge, so I can't sense her internal battle, but if I were him, I'd take her declaration at face value and breathe a sigh of relief. She's been nothing but difficult and harsh to him from the first month together. She has her own demons to face and she brings out the worst in Liam. I've found when a human shows you who they really are, you should believe them. Actions very rarely lie.

Liam's back stiffens and his insides recoil. He's fighting with his decision—battling with the desire to hold firm and the desire to chase after her.

"Babe—wait," Liam says, dropping his arms and rushing out behind her.

I slide off the back of the couch and slump into the seat, unable to watch. Instead, I pull my legs up and wrap my arms around them.

Gods—what I wouldn't do to be human. I'd help him forget all about her—and the stream of women just like her left in his wake. I thump my head against my knees and close my eyes.

Being a Guardian—operating outside the dimension humans can see and interact with is a special kind of torture. At least, it is for me. Taking a deep breath, I look up, waiting for the unavoidable end.

"No—" Rachel says, spinning in front of the door. Her bleach blonde hair spirals around her in a dance of fury and she practically growls at him. "We're over, Liam. I'm done. I can't keep doing this. You clearly don't get me and it's obvious you never will."

"That's not true—" he says, reaching for her. "Rach—come on. We're good together. Aren't we?"

"No, Liam. We're not. You're off in your own little imaginary world all the time and I can't take it anymore," she fires back. "All you care about is technology and whatever the hell it is you do at work."

"My own little world? I bend over backward trying to show you—"

"And yet, you never listen to what it is I want. You keep doing the same things over and over, thinking it will have a different result. I don't like being smothered, Liam. And that's what you do. You smother me with the crappy kind of attention that only scratches at the surface—and I can't take it," she says, puffing up her chest.

"Smother you? By bringing you flowers? Texting you to see how you're doing?" he says, his chin dropping to his chest.

I feel the wheels start turning in his head as he tries to make sense of her words.

"Look, I've... Ah, hell, I may as well just spit it out. I've met someone else. This thing between us just isn't for me. Daniel satisfies me in a way—"

"Satisfies you?" Liam gapes.

I feel his heart shatter into pieces at this revelation and I let out a soft sigh. In the blink of an eye, I'm behind him, placing my hand on his shoulder as I offer my own strength to help him make it through these next few moments. This blow will hit him hard—it's more validation to his greatest fear.

He's unlovable.

His abandonment issues rise out of the depths of his despair. While he doesn't know it, these battles will ultimately lead him to his destiny. I've been shown this as his Guardian. All this sorrow and loss is fueling his life's purpose, even if he doesn't know it yet. He's developing something—something that marries science and technology. It will change the world.