The Awakening: Liam (Entangled Covet) (19 page)

“Why are you protecting him?” Jimmy shouted, trying to go around her.

Ava grabbed him by the shoulders, making him look her in the eyes. “He didn’t do this!”

“Then who did? And don’t give me some bullshit lie about falling. Someone choked you.”

“Fine. Some guy attacked me the other night. I’m going with the ravine thing to keep Emma from

knowing.” She spilled out what detail she could, feeling Liam’s warmth as he stood right behind her.

“They said you were gone for two days, Ava. Where were you?” He sent Liam a fierce scowl. “Unless

you’re trying to protect this asshole.”

God, the lies, they just kept adding up
. To Emma, to Liam, and now Jimmy. Would there be anyone

she wouldn’t have to look in the eye and lie to?

“Listen to me. He grabbed me, this
other
guy. He took me somewhere, and I— I had to escape.”

Jimmy’s anger left him in one shocked exhale as he gaped at her. “Y-you were
kidnapped
? Did they get

the guy?” His gaze shot to Liam again. “Oh my God, is that why he’s here? They haven’t caught him?”

“They caught him,” she lied.

“Then why is he here?”

“He heard about the incident and came to see me.”

Jimmy’s eyes narrowed even more. “Then why was he acting like a rabid guard dog?”

“Liam was
mad
. Like I told you inside, I’d just asked him to leave, that I didn’t want him here.”

The sharp inhale from behind her had her closing her eyes. Would she ever stop hurting him?

“But they caught the guy that hurt you?”

“Yes.”

The tension left Jimmy and he sent Liam an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about the punch.” He wrapped

his arm around Ava and turned her around. “This woman means the world to me.”

She forced herself to look up at Liam, and her blood turned to ice at the way he stared straight ahead

unseeing. She stepped closer to him. “Liam?”

He didn’t move.

Didn’t flinch.

Showed no emotion. None whatsoever.

Her throat closed.
What was happening to him?
Never had she seen anyone so devoid of emotion. So

detached. As if he was no longer standing before her, but somewhere else entirely.

“L-Liam?” His name cracked as it came out a bare whisper.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jimmy asked.

“I— I don’t know.”

She touched Liam’s arms. They were locked rigid at his sides, his fingers curled into tight fists. “Liam!”

she yelled, grabbing hold of his biceps, shaking him. He didn’t budge, his muscles locked down, stiff as a

statue. Panic clawed inside her. “Liam! Look at me!”

His eyes never focused, just stared straight ahead.

“I think he’s having a stroke or something,” Jimmy said. “I’m calling 911.”

“No!” When Jimmy froze, staring at her as if she lost her mind, she frantically shook her hands, trying

to find a reason why. “Uh…er—”

She pressed the heel of her palms to her forehead. Her mind spun, but the only thing she could

concentrate on was getting Jimmy away from this. He couldn’t witness this, whatever this was. “Do me a

favor and go to my bedroom and—”
what?
“—grab my bathrobe off the back of the door.”

“What the hell, Ava? A bathrobe?”

She spun on him. “Just do it!”

He shook his head but left. As soon as he was gone, she shoved her hand in Liam’s front pocket and

yanked out his phone. The cell trembled in her hands as she scrolled down the list until she found a familiar

name. Brit.

She hit call.

“Yo! Liam, what’s up?”

“B-Britton?”

There was a pause. “Who is this?”

“It’s Ava. Something’s the matter with Liam. He’s here…at my place…standing right in front of me…

but he’s unresponsive.”

“Goddammit!”

He didn’t say anything more, just disconnected the line in her ear. As her body shook with fear, she

stared up at Liam, fighting to remain calm and not completely lose it. He looked dead. No life at all shone in

his usually expressive eyes.

Your death will ruin me.

But she wasn’t dead! Not yet...

She placed a trembling hand against his cheek. “Liam…” She had to swallow back the sob that

threatened to explode from her mouth. “Please, baby. L-look at me.”

She waited, prayed to see a flicker…anything that showed life still existed inside him, and saw nothing

but an empty void. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she brushed back his hair, touching, trying to

stimulate, to bring him back to her. “W-what is happening? Oh, God, what is this?”

Nothing worked.

Out of desperation, she rose up on her tip-toes and placed her lips to his, “
Please
, Liam, come back to

me,” she whispered against his mouth.

Instantly, his body relaxed and jerked backward. Dismay rounded his eyes as they refocused, and he

stumbled across the garage, away from her.

At the sudden change, she gave a shocked gasp and swiped the tears off her cheek with her palms. He

was back, as if he hadn’t just been standing there like a statue, completely unaware of her. Of anything.

“What just happened, Liam?” Alarm and fear saturated her voice. She pressed a shaking hand to her

mouth, unable to fight another wave of tears. “What…just happened to you?”

He didn’t say anything. Just stared at her. Horrified. Then he shook his head, rounded the tool bench,

keeping a wide distance between them, and walked out.

She swallowed.

Nothing
about that had been human.

Never compare my instinct to yours. You have no fucking clue what mine does to me
.

As those other words replayed in her mind, she pressed both hands to her mouth. Was this what he’d

been talking about? Was this why he wouldn’t confide in her what deserted meant?

As a terrible realization came to her, her entire body shook from grief, shame…and horror.

She’d
done this to him.

…

Liam stalked across the front yard, having no destination in mind. As long as it was far away from Ava.

He scrubbed his fingers across his mouth, wanting to wipe away the feel of her lips pressed against his. The

desperation,
Dea
, the horror.

He could still taste the saltiness of the tears she’d left behind. The ones that had streaked down her face

as she gazed up at him, stunned, aghast.

It had happened
. The one thing he feared most besides her death.

She’d seen him at his weakest, most pathetic.

He’d rather have been shocked a thousand times with the
Splycer
than have Ava ever witness him in the

throes of
Bahrraj
.

But she’d made him believe. Made his beast believe. That she really didn’t love him. Would never want

him back. Leaving him defenseless.

Jaylin had been right. The episode had come on instantly. He hadn’t even felt a spike in her emotions.

All it had taken was that man wrapping his arm around her so naturally, easily, as if she was his, not

Liam’s. And he’d been lost, suffocated by her regret.

Regret for what, he wasn’t sure. But as he’d been drowning in that awful emotion, another had come

over him. Fear. Panic.
For him
. He’d heard her distorted voice calling his name, begging him to return.

For all the good that had done.

A cement block might as well have been strapped to his ankle, so quickly he’d sunk into
Bahrraj’s

depths, chained to its mercy.

While his mate watched.

Fuck!

He stormed onto the road and kept going. Not looking back. Wanting to forget.

Knowing he never would.

Never forget her trembling lips pressing against his while she begged him to come back to her. Or the

way the episode had lifted, as instantly as it’d come on.

From a kiss
. By his mate.

Like a fucking fairy tale.

Only, for him there would never be a happily-ever-after.

Chapter 10

Ava stumbled out of the garage, seeing only Liam’s emotionless expression before her, the deathly

stiffness of his body…the certainty that she’d done that to him…somehow.

Deserted
.

Had she just witnessed what he’d meant by that word?

Needing to understand, she glanced around the yard, searching for him, and spotted him storming down

the road. Away from her. Back rigid, his steps stiff.

She wanted to chase after him, demand answers, but decided to let him go for now. He’d been horrified

when he’d come to, had skirted around her as if she had a contagious disease that he might catch.

The door to her house yanked open and Jimmy came sprinting outside. “Got it.”

Got what? She slowly blinked at the fabric he waved above his head. Her bathrobe. God, she’d

forgotten he was even here, and that she’d sent him after such a ridiculous item. She had to pull herself

together. Jimmy couldn’t know anything about what had just happened. What he’d already seen was bad

enough, and damage control wouldn’t be easy. Dashing the back of her hand across her cheeks, she walked

up to him as he hurried onto the lawn.

“He’s fine. Just upset.” She pointed behind him. “See for yourself.”

Jimmy glanced toward the road, where Liam was getting smaller and smaller, and made a surprised

noise. He turned back toward her, cocking his head to the side. “He’s not the only one who’s upset. You’ve

been crying. What happened?”

“I’m fine. I’ve just never seen him that upset before.”

“I’ve never seen
anyone
that upset before. You sure he’s okay?”

“Yeah, he was—” she cleared her throat “—in deep thought. The minute you left, we had it out.”

Jimmy held up the bathrobe. “What was the deal with this?”

“Panic.” She forced a smile.

“I’ll say. Thought you’d lost your mind there for a minute.” He sighed. “Ava, you love him. From what

I saw, he feels the same. Why can’t you really be together?”

“There is a lot of past there, Jimmy. A lot of hurt I’ve inflicted on him.” And she was just now realizing

the true extent of it. “I don’t know if it’s something we can ever work past.”

“Okay.” He kissed her cheek, and handed her the robe. “But, I think you two need to have a very long

heart-to-heart, so I’m going to skedaddle.”

“I’ll call you later.”

“You better,” he said, then hurried to his car and drove off. As she turned toward the house, a female

voice from behind her said, “You handled that well.”

She spun back around to find a very attractive dark-haired woman standing there.

Ava narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Handled what?”

“The human’s confusion about Liam’s condition.”

Liam’s condition? How did this woman know Liam, much less know things about him Ava didn’t?

“Who are you?”

She stepped forward, offering her hand. Ava eyed it, but didn’t take it. The woman flushed.

“Distrustful, I see. Considering what you’ve been through, it’s understandable. I’m Dr. Jaylin Avgar. I’m

Aidan’s mate. After you called Britton, he called me for help.”

Some of the tension eased out of Ava’s shoulders. She knew Aidan, had heard he’d recently gotten

involved with someone. “What kind of doctor?”

“A therapist…for shifters.”

Ava’s breath caught. “Please, I have so many questions that no one is willing to answer. Would you

answer them for me?”

“Being surrounded by a world you don’t understand must be frustrating. You’re filled with all kind of

emotions, aren’t you? Some that contradict themselves and only confuse you further.”

“So you’ve dealt with a lot of human patients, as well, huh?”

The woman smiled. “I’ve had my fair share. I’m willing to listen and answer what I can.”

Finally, someone who would answer the questions Liam refused to. She took a careful step forward.

“Liam was completely unresponsive. What was wrong with him?”

The woman
tsked
. “I see he didn’t take my advice and talk to you about his condition.”

There is it was again.
His condition
. As if he had a disease.

“Is he sick?”

The woman studied her for a moment before inhaling deeply. “He should’ve told you himself, but since

he refuses, and his silence is detrimental to his well-being, I get the honor of explaining it to you. Why

don’t we go inside and sit down?”

Detrimental? Oh, God it
was
bad news
.

“Ava—”

She shot Dr. Avgar a glance, brows lifted in surprise. “How do you know my name?”

“Liam’s therapist, remember?”

Her face heated. “And he talked about me?” Ava walked into the living room, the woman at her side.

“You are the reason he had to have therapy.”

The words weren’t said harshly, but they might as well have been, from the way they cleaved straight

through her heart.

“He’s not sick, is he?” She sat on the edge of the couch, not needing confirmation, knowing deep down

he wasn’t, at least not in a human sense. “I did that to him, didn’t I? When I…deserted him?”

“Ah, he has used the word in front of you. Yes, Ava, your
Dsershon
caused this.”

Ava closed her eyes, pain erupting inside her. The unfamiliar word didn’t matter. She had made this

terrible thing happen to him. “And if I hadn’t left him?”