“Never mind. We’re just talking.”
Rosa just smiled. The word ‘right’ emanated from every fiber of her being. She withdrew in silence. When she was about to close the door, a big orange furry thing shot past her, knocking the door wide open.
“Woof!”
It was a big goofy golden retriever. His ears flopped as he braked to a halt in front of them.
“Eva,” said Liam. “I want you to meet Hades.”
Chapter Four
Cod had said Eva Walker had worked as a librarian in Brighton Beach. She was orphaned at eleven and moved from foster home to foster home until she was eighteen. Her parents died in a house fire when she only ten months old. Her aunt took care of her until she had a heart attack ten years later. Eva didn’t have any family.
Cod had planned to fly to New York to dig up more information about Eva. Liam was interested in Eva’s social life, to see if she had been romantically involved in the past. Liam wanted her. And he needed to know if she had someone special in her past life. The last thing he wanted to do was take someone’s girl.
On second thought, it was kind of late for that.
He had given her the blood rite. Whether she wanted it or not, she was bonded to him.
Liam opened Eva’s dairy and started to read it. Anderson Cod had returned to the house with his findings. Cod had scoured Eva’s apartment in Lincoln Park and came back with a few items. Some photos and the diary. Cod reported that Eva didn’t have many belongings. Furniture and clothes were newly purchased and non-descript, which wasn’t surprising considering Eva’s life had been practically uprooted after she witnessed what shouldn’t have been seen. Liam fingered the diary. It was newly purchased and didn’t contain many entries. He felt like a peeping tom reading someone’s diary, but he was curious. He needed to know if it contained anything that gave away Eva’s predicament before he gave it back to her. He didn’t want Eva scrambled when confronting her dire past.
May 23
Dear Diary,
Today I started my first day in the Arcana Foundation. My supervisor Flores gave me a crash course about restoring old documents. This job is interesting. Too bad I can’t read Latin. Maybe I should take a course. My co-workers seemed nice, but they were all geeks though. *heavy sigh* I think it would be too much to ask for someone interesting in this line of work. I think I’ll fit right in. Even though I’m surrounded with people, I feel so lonely…
Liam paused. Lonely. He knew the feeling. He enjoyed his reclusiveness, but sometimes he longed for someone to talk to. Someone special he could share his personal thoughts and emotions with. Someone who should be his bonded, unlike Natalie, who preferred an asshole human lawyer who used to be his best friend. The world had gone to hell in a hand-basket these days. A dragon betrayed her husband over a human lover. Those things were unheard of in the old days.
Liam read the next entry.
June 15
Dear Diary,
Ms. Jones gave me a bank card for three month’s advancements and a tidy sum to buy new furniture and stuff I need. From now on, our meetings will be limited. She gave me a number to contact her if I‘m in trouble. She told me to only call her if it’s really important. She said I should be safe now. No one would know what I did before. I am a new person. Reborn.
Crap, Liam thought. Now he couldn’t give the diary to her. He was hoping she wouldn’t mention any of the witness protection program experience.
June 26
I feel like someone is following me from work. I tried to call Ms. Jones. The number she gave me was no longer in service. I fear for my safety.
What? Liam straightened up in his seat. Jones just dumped her after Eva testified and practically gave up her life to win the case? He leafed through pages to read more of Eva’s diary, but there were no more entries. He found Eva on the 28th. She must have been attacked the day after she wrote her last entry. Anger bubbled in Liam’s chest. How could they discard one’s life after she no longer served their purpose?
Liam hated injustice. With his connections and money, he could make inquiries and make the people who deserted Eva pay. This would mean he would have to step out of his hermitic life and into the spotlight.
For Eva…he would do anything for her.
Liam slammed the diary closed and gathered the photos sprawled on his desk and piled them into a neat stack.
If he wanted to make war with the state department, that meant he must confess to Eva about everything. His heart felt heavy. Not because he had to come clean. He was worried how Eva was going to take it. He couldn’t keep lying forever. He loved her too much to do that.
Rosa once said the truth would set you free.
Would the truth set her free if it meant destroying her first?
* * *
Liam was about to jump into bed when he heard someone knock on his bedroom door. He opened it. His heart leapt. Eva was by his door, wearing a pink nightgown. She had ditched his boxers and undershirt. She looked so beautiful. Heat slowly rose within him. His cock twitched just by watching her like that. Damn.
“Yes?”
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Liam couldn’t figure out what she meant.
“Why do we sleep in separate rooms if we are married? Are you mad at me?”
Duh. He hadn’t thought about this. He didn’t mind sleeping in the same bed. But if he did, he would take advantage of her. That felt dickish.
“I’m not mad at you. Come in.” Liam stepped aside.
Now she hesitated. “I…”
“I’m not gonna bite you.”
She cringed. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you do.”
His turn to cringe.
“Too forward?”
“I like blunt women.” Liam offered his hand. “Come.”
“Have we…” she faltered.
“Yes?”
“Consummated our wedding?”
“No.”
She looked stricken. “Why not?”
“Because of your amnesia. I… we wanted to wait until you got better.”
“Sex isn’t rocket science. I know how to have sex.”
“Do you? Then what are we waiting for?” he teased.
“Well. Maybe, you’re right. Maybe we’d better wait…”
“Eva.” Liam held her hand and tugged her into his room gently. “Doesn’t mean we can’t share a bed.” He wanted to kick himself after he said that. He promised himself he didn’t want to take advantage of her, but he couldn’t help it. It had been a while since he was with a woman. A long while.