Chapter 649: Love Renewed
Liam's arms welcomed me as I appeared in the Sidhe cavern. I don't know if he expected me or if he was just that happy to see me. But the moment I showed up he rushed to me and hugged me tight.
Kissed me. And I kissed him back, the thrum of earth magic vibrating the ground beneath us.
When I finally pulled away, I giggled a little. "Forgot what that was like."
Wow, Syd. Way to prod a guy for being a pathetic Momma's boy.
Liam blushed, ducked his head. "We can see where it takes us," he said, hope in his face as his hands slid into my back pockets, tucking my hips against his. "If you want?"
Hmmm. "Where's your mother?" Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her once since this whole thing started.
Liam's jaw tightened. "I sent her away."
Wow. He what?
"She was driving me nuts." He pulled free of me, turned to stare at the Gate. "I understood she felt guilty, that she was trying to protect me. But I couldn't take it anymore, Syd. So I made her leave."
"How?" Not that he wasn't persuasive if he wanted to be, but she was hard-core helicopter mom.
Liam turned to me, biting his lower lip, eyes full of guilt. "Magic," he said.
I choked on a laugh even though it really wasn't funny. "You did what?"
He tossed his hands in the air before running both of them through his strawberry blonde hair. "I know it was wrong." Liam clenched his fists at his sides, face compressing into a frown. "But she didn't give me a choice. She wanted me to seal the Gate, Syd. To give up my responsibility." He hesitated. "To give you up."
Way to find a backbone, Liam.
"I used my power," he said, starting to pace, clearly agitated by his choice. "She pushed me too far. Galleytrot was here." The big dog huffed a breath, tongue lolling out. He clearly found this whole situation amusing. "She yelled at me, talked about how dangerous the Gate was, how it killed Dad." Liam stopped moving, turned to me. "I snapped."
Venner, the Unseelie lordling we'd returned to the Sidhe realm killed Liam's father. But I still believed his mother had something to do with it.
Speaking of Venner, I hadn't seen him once during the crisis in the realm. I wondered if Odhran had done something nasty to him.
I could hope.
"I ordered her to go." Liam slumped. "With all of the power of the Gate behind me. And she did."
"Where?" I went to him, hugged him gently, rested my head on his chest while his arms rose and embraced me.
"I don't know," he whispered. "But I made sure she was safe. And happy. Told her to be. That was part of the order."
Of course it was. This was Liam, after all.
"When was this?" I looked up into his eyes.
"Two weeks ago." He stroked my hair back from my face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Silly boy.
"Because," he said, clearly miserable, "you didn't want me anymore."
For a brief flash of time, Gram's face appeared in my mind. Her words. That he was weak, too weak for me.
But he'd kicked his own mother to the curb. For me. Well, for the Gate, too. But I was part of the package. That wasn't weak. Liam was stronger than anyone-including me-gave him credit for. He just needed incentive to show his power.
I kissed him, let it linger. Felt his magic twine through mine. Remembered, in a tight knot of guilt, who I'd just kissed only a few hours ago.
Sighed internally as I stepped away from him.
"Well," I said. "Maybe we can try again."
Liam's beaming smile was all the answer I needed.
I stepped out of the veil into the yard not long after, leaving Liam to his research, not ready to rekindle things just yet, but feeling more hopeful. After all, I now had the power and permission to do what I needed to save the world, my one-time boyfriend proved he cared about me and his own responsibilities enough to act and Gram was going to be fine.
She was.
I just had to keep telling myself that.
I didn't get to walk into the house, not when the flare of power behind me turned me around. Quaid stepped out of the flash of blue light, chocolate eyes smiling at me.
And I ran right to his open arms.
Of course I did.
The moment he hugged me, face buried in my hair, he stiffened. Jerked back. Glared.
"I can smell him on you," Quaid said.
Freaking seriously? He was going to go into this now?
Quaid backed away, turned to leave.
How could I just let him go?
"Thank you," I said. "For being willing to throw everything away to save me."
He stopped, shoulders tight, body rigid. His head turned, profile nodding once. I stood there, willing him to just beat it. No, to turn around and get over here.
No. Wait.
Damn it all to the bowels of-
He spun, stomped to me, engulfed me in his arms and crushed me against him.
While my demon howled and pulled him closer.
Sparks raced through me, magic bursting in snaps of color, heat rising from the depths of my stomach, passion burning me, the pain too much and I wanted more, more, as much as I could get.
His lips lifted from mine and I whimpered, begging him not to stop. To never let me go.
Please, never.
"I'd die for you," he whispered over my mouth.
Released me. Backed away while the power tying us together fought for control.
And vanished in a flare of blue fire.
"Damn you," I whispered back. "Same here."
***
