Courting Darkness Read Free Page B

give you time to clear your head, time to heal. Think this through—don’t fuck this up.”
    Think this through? He’d done nothing but, since leaving her. It was all he could think about. And fuck this up? Well, clearly that ship had already sailed. He’d been prepared to do the right thing here, resolved to loving her from afar and finding his consolation in the knowledge that although she would no longer remember him, no longer love him, he at least had her guardianship. He’d wiped himself from Olivia’s mind—her heart—and honestly, knowing she wasn’t suffering the same heartbreak as him, was the only thing keeping him sane right now.
    With a burst of simmering fury, he leapt up, facing his best friend. Liam met Balen’s gaze through the bars and wanted to lash out at him for the sympathy he saw in those violet eyes. Dammit…he didn’t want his pity. He wanted Balen to get him the fuck out of here.
    “I can’t feel her anymore, Balen. They’ve severed our connection. I don’t know if she’s safe, if she’s happy… She could be dead for all I know,” he cut off with a vivid curse. “I had no choice. I did what I had to do to keep her safe, to protect her from Haden. If the court can’t see that—”
    “You violated her free will, Liam. You broke Universal Law by erasing her memory. Right or wrong, justified or not, you had to know there would be consequences. I’m not even going to mention the other charges. Just be glad they couldn’t prove them, or you’d be in a hell of a lot worse place than cooling your heels here for a little while. Three squares and a room with a view ain’t bad, considering the alternative.”
    “She’s not a drug, Balen. They can’t detox her out of my system. I love her—”
    “I know you do,” his friend replied sadly, “and I’m sorry it came to this.”
    “How is she?” Liam hated to ask, but needed to know—even though the answer was going to kill him. He broke Balen’s gaze, attempting to hide the inevitable jade flare in his eyes. It was bad enough he couldn’t keep the venom from his voice at the mere thought of another Ronnin taking his place. Jealousy burned through his veins like poison, turning them to ash.
    No doubt, this was another reason for the T.O. For if Liam were free, he couldn’t guarantee the angel’s safety. The High Court hoped that a little cooling-off period without the bond that allowed him to feel Olivia’s emotions, and the separation of time and space, would eventually quell his love for the female. Not fucking likely...
    “She’s…well. She doesn’t remember who you are. In fact, she doesn’t remember the last four years of her life. Naturally, she’s struggling to make sense of it all.”
    “That’s better than the alternative,” he grumbled, refusing to regret, or second guess, the most difficult decision he’d ever made in his life. If he’d known he was going to lose her in the end… “And her guardian?”
    Balen hissed a sharp oath. “You really are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you? Just let it go, Liam. Nothing good will come of your knowing.”
    “Who is he?” The harsh demand echoed off the walls, booming down the prison corridor.
    “For crissake!” Balen snapped, “Keep it down. You want them to think you’ve lost it?”
    “Who is he?” A feral snarl rumbled in his throat. His head snapped up, eyes locking on his friend, daring Balen to deny him, no longer caring to hide the truth reflected in his amethyst-hued glare.
    Sighing, the angel dragged a hand through his tawny cropped hair, making it stand on end. His friend looked as strung-out as Liam felt. Regret filled Balen’s eyes, and Liam held his gaze in an uncompromising grip of determination, waiting for the answer to what would no doubt shred his last threads of self-control, yet unable to stop himself from demanding the truth.
    “Tate.”
    “Son of a bitch!” The growl tore from his throat.
    “He said to tell you he isn’t