Of Water and Madness (15 page)

But the last thing Thea wanted to do was compare Stella to someone as loving as the late Heidi, who had been such a blessing to all of their lives. Because she knew, deep down, that Stella was nothing like Heidi. There was something darker there that she couldn’t place, but she certainly found she did not trust. There had never been trust issues with Heidi. Not once.

Rohan was edgier than usual, which wasn’t surprising. He’d just come down from bringing his daughter a plate of food with Capri, and what he had seen had devastated him.

Rhiannon wouldn’t smile, though he could understand that. She seemed to have drawn in upon herself, just as she had for most of her life, and was carefully reconstructing the wall that Liam had so ardently torn down only months before. Brick by brick, she was shielding herself from the reality of what had happened, and dismissing it without any emotion. His daughter, who recently had blossomed so beautifully, was shutting down and encasing herself in a cocoon made of steel.

It broke his heart to see it, to know that the pain she had inside would never release itself. It was in her practical nature to simply bury it deep and ignore it, and move on without a word or a care.

Other than the moment she had returned from discovering Liam in New Orleans, Rohan had not heard or seen her cry. And he knew that if what was happening with Liam became permanent, his daughter was likely to never open her heart again.

She’d thought it was safe to venture down to the Greenhouse the next morning and resume her work. Certainly she’d gotten a lot done the night before at her writing desk in her room, but there was always more to do, and she knew it was impractical to stay away for long, despite the circumstances.

Rhiannon had convinced herself that she was over it, and that she was ready to move on with her life as it had been planned before Liam had pried open her carefully protected heart and convinced her to love him. She had come to terms with the notion that she simply had to act as if those months had never happened, and that she was the same person she had been before.

She was strong, capable, intelligent, and an excellent Earth Dryad. She had grace, class, and ambition enough to power her through anything. Work was all she needed, after all, and in a few years when it became prudent to marry, perhaps she would have her father choose an Enforcer for her.

Because she had to admit, following her heart had been foolish, and look where it had gotten her. She would never, ever make that same mistake again.

And so she got out of bed as she did every morning, got ready and dressed in pressed slacks the color of walnuts and a floral print blouse in shades of pink, and slipped on heels and her glasses and gathered her notebooks and charts. She neatly packed her bag with her calculator, pencils, and every other item she’d used while working the night before.

With a deep, calming breath, she checked her watch and noted that it was still very early. With a tiny prayer that she would not run into anyone else, she opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway, cautiously looking around. It was empty.

She shut the door as quietly as she could and proceeded toward the stairs, clutching her books to her chest and keeping her chin held high. She was strong, very strong. Nothing and no one could reach her now.

She made her way down the steps and out into the corridor, which she was also pleased to note was empty.

But as she continued along toward the Greenhouse, thinking she was home free, Liam and Stella appeared out of the dining hall, arms wrapped around each other with giddy smiles on their faces.

Rhiannon felt a sharp jolt shake her heart, but she didn’t falter. Instead she just averted her eyes and prayed they ignored her as she walked past them.

But she wasn’t so lucky.

“Good morning,” Liam called out, grinning at Rhiannon cheerfully.

Rhiannon nodded politely to him, avoiding looking at Stella, who’s lips had curved into a cruel smirk as she tilted her face up to Liam’s.

Despite herself, Rhiannon was mortified to see Liam lean in to kiss the girl, as if she wasn’t even there to see it. Offended by his callousness, she turned and walked as quickly away as she could.

But as she left, she heard Stella’s southern lilt echo off the stone walls of the corridor, as if the girl purposely wanted Rhiannon to hear.

“What in the world did you ever like about that nerd in the glasses? She’s awful cold, don’t you think?” Stella chimed, laughter in her voice.

Liam’s own laughter resounded through the corridor as he responded. “You’re right! She is pretty cold.”

Rhiannon felt the insult rise in her even as tears sprang hot into her eyes. She disappeared inside the Greenhouse and slammed the door as hard as she could.

“This is where I work,” Liam said cheerfully as he led Stella into Water Tower, motioning with his arm to showcase the vast room. The sound of water dribbling down the walls and into the pool below echoed off the stone as light poured in through the skylights at the ceiling.

“My, my, handsome. It’s beautiful.” Stella wandered forward, her head tilting as she looked skyward and marveled at the room.

Liam watched her, feeling his mouth curve into a smile. But being in this most familiar of surroundings had something passing through him, some kind of rekindling of his true self, that had him feeling dizzy and disoriented. What was happening to him? Why was he smiling?

And looking at Stella, his hands started to shake as her image blended with that of Rhiannon, blonde curls morphing into straight bark brown, and when she turned to look at him, her face flickered once into Rhiannon’s face, and he felt a shudder race down his spine at the sight of it. Good God…what was going on?

But even as the question surfaced somewhere deep inside of him, it was immediately squashed into nothingness, and then gone. He felt his body release a whoosh of breath, as if he had been stunned into holding it. His mind cleared into blissful nothingness as he smiled again.

“Isn’t it great?” he heard himself say, his voice echoing dully inside the shell of his body.

“Yes, it is.” Stella sauntered toward him, holding his eyes with hers, penetrating into them with every step. He felt himself lean into her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. “You are mine now, Liam,” she murmured, a humming purr in her throat as she enjoyed the feel of his hands running over her body. “You have no idea just how important you are.”

The real Liam crouched inside the shadowy recesses of his own heart, rocking back and forth and revolting against what was happening to him. This was wrong, oh so incredibly wrong…but while his heart knew it was wrong, his mind couldn’t wrap around the concept, so clouded was it with Stella’s face and her voice…the voice that in his head sounded so very much like his own…

“Ahem.” Lucian cleared his throat noisily behind them as he came into the room, his eyes narrowing at the sight of his son kissing Stella. His disapproval was obvious.

Liam whirled around and grinned, looking embarrassed. “Good morning.”

“Indeed,” Lucian returned coldly, eyeing the girl.

“I was just showing Stella around,” Liam explained, pulling her closer. “But we’ll get out of your way if you want.”

Letting out a huff of breath, Lucian stepped across the little bridge and onto the main wooden platform, his footsteps thudding over the planks. He stared into his son’s eyes carefully, as if trying to see if it was really Liam he was looking at. But those eyes were the same, vividly blue and cheerful, and he felt the guilt creep in to mix with the uncertainty. Perhaps he was being cruel to his son by being so cold this way, by not accepting what was clear on the surface. Liam had chosen this girl over Rhiannon, and so there must be a valid reason. Maybe she wasn’t really as bad as they all wanted to believe…

Attempting a smile, he turned to look at Stella, who smiled sweetly in return.

“My dear, I hope you are not too overwhelmed by all of this.” He held his arms out to emphasize his point, warmth returning to his eyes. “It is a lot to take in.”

“It is, but I’ve always been open to new things,” Stella replied, tilting her head to smile up at Liam, who was staring at her intently, his lips fixed into a permanent grin. Lucian noticed this, and a part of him darkly questioned it. His son seemed utterly captivated by this girl…but why?

“I apologize for the less than gracious reception you have received from all of us,” Lucian said, focusing back on Stella. “But I hope you can understand that this is quite a surprise.”

“I do. And I’m sorry for intruding this way…I didn’t mean to get in the middle of things like this. It’s just that…well, when I saw Liam, I knew I had to have him.” Her lips curved into a wickedly feminine grin that should have sent warning signals off in his brain. But he was distracted by the door bursting open behind him, and Rohan’s jolting presence.

“I can’t hold this in any longer,” Rohan declared, surging toward Liam and getting directly in the younger man’s face, his mellow green eyes hardened with hate. “You’ve destroyed my daughter. Have you nothing to say for yourself?”

“Rohan–” Lucian started forward, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder only to be shoved off.

“Back off, Lucian, this doesn’t involve you,” Rohan growled, glaring at his old friend before turning back to Liam, his fists tightly clenched at his sides. Lucian’s eyes widened with the realization that Rohan could very well choose to use them.

Liam stared into Rohan’s eyes, and his entire body trembled as the memory of that same man standing before him, beaming with pride and joy and thanking him for being so good to his daughter, flashed through his mind. And when the look of pleasure faded in a snap to reveal Rohan’s current expression of misery and hate, Liam subconsciously backed away, fear circling viciously with the guilt in his stomach.

“I…” His mouth fell open as he shook his head, his heart screaming for justice and for release, while his mind suddenly fought back and cleared. The image of Rohan’s pride vanished and calm emptiness replaced it. The little voice spoke once more on his behalf. “Rhiannon is not my problem now.”

Rohan’s eyes widened with rage as he shot an incredulous glance at Lucian, who looked equally as taken aback. Liam never used her full name, and both of them knew it. Suspicion crept through both men like a dark, cagey spider.

They both looked to Stella then, who was standing calmly beside Liam. Her hand was resting on his shoulder in what should have been viewed as a sign of support. Instead both men felt it represented her complete control.

“Who are you?” Rohan demanded, fighting for understanding. The Liam his daughter had loved would have never dismissed her so coldly…

Stella’s eyebrows rose innocently, and she looked back and forth at the two older men. “I’m just a girl from New Orleans. Nothing more.”

“So it seems.” Lucian frowned, crossing his arms over his chest to stifle the cold feeling haunting him. He shook his head as he eyed her, pain creeping into his heart. “I really hope that is all you are, dear.”

With that, he whirled around and left the room, needing time to himself. Rohan watched him go, his earlier anger dwindled into embers amongst nothing but ash.

“My daughter suffers because of your cruelty,” he said in a low, deadly voice as he turned, his eyes searching Liam’s. “I cannot believe I ever trusted you with her.”

Disgusted and defeated, he turned and left as well, shutting the door behind him with a loud bang.