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“I shouldn’t have run off. It was reckless.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes to the window next to us. Stars twinkled in the dark sky. The tops of the trees waved like shadowy clouds just under it. I used to be afraid of the dark. Now that I knew what lurked in the darkness, I wasn’t scared anymore.
Liam drew a line to my chin, guiding my gaze back to him. Twin halos of gorgeous brown stared back at me, sleepiness enhanced by his dreamy expression. Serenity lived in that smile. Bliss was evident in his touch.
I licked my lips nervously. “I should stop being so much trouble to you.”
“You’ve never been trouble to me.”
“I keep running. I can’t stop.”
He tapped my chin twice. “You don’t have to beat yourself up as penance, Ani. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I just didn’t want anything to get in the way of us anymore.”
His eyes lit up. “Yeah?”
“You keep doing these amazing things for me. You keep saving me.” Quiet tears sneaked out of my eyes and soaked the pillow under my face. “I wasn’t doing anything.”
“You were doing more than you think.”
I tried to shake my head but couldn’t move. A hot wave of grief slammed over me, forcing me to turn my face into the pillow. I almost felt like I didn’t deserve his caring gaze, his sweet touch, his understanding.
Yet the more I fought it, the more I wanted it. My body yearned to be comforted by his big hands, the calloused palms coasting my arms and rubbing away my sadness. Within minutes, the crying had ceased, but I still felt like I needed to hide. Steam heated my face. I surfaced enough for my nose to get some air.
Liam pushed my hair from my face. “Take your time.”
“I don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
I sniffled. “Why are you dedicating all this time to protecting me? Why are you saving me?”
“Because I lost a family once, and I refuse to experience that ever again.”
I lifted my head from the pillow. “You’ve never told me about that.”
His smile was brief as he rested his hand on my arm. His eyes grew distant as he sifted through what appeared to be a horrible memory.
His throat clenched. He took a sharp breath. “I used to be in the black ops.”
I gaped at him. That explained the soldier experience and the defense training.
“I was just seventeen when my parents were killed. Kylie was fifteen. I knew I had to protect her because we didn’t have anyone to protect us,” he went on. “Vampires killed our parents.”
“Vampires.”
My vision went white for a second. I was trying to remember something. But I wasn’t sure what exactly.
He rubbed my arm. “Yeah, vampires. Kylie and I went to Fred. From there, we joined the black ops. We were on our own for a while until we came here.”
“Three months ago?”
“I got here three months ago, but Kylie has been here for over a year.”
I nodded. “That must have been hard.”
