The Secret Trinity Unearth (20 page)

Liam released one hand from the wheel and pressed it to the window. All of a sudden pipes along the passing buildings started to burst, spraying water everywhere, creating a man-made Niagara Falls behind us on the street. I saw a sharp line of water punch the Eartha in the side, causing his fast pace to falter. Liam hit the petal to the floor and took a hard turn. My head slammed against the window and everything went dark.

*****

The first thing I felt when I woke up was my pulse throbbing on the side of my head, and I moaned. I slowly blinked my eyes open. It felt like déjà vu. This was the second time I had been unconscious tonight. Although this time when my vision focused, I did not recognize a single item in the room. I had no idea where I was. A four poster, white frame bed dominated the space, and I was instantly alert.

I was in an unknown stranger’s bedroom. It made me quiver with fear. I tried to stand but my wrists and ankles were tied down to the chair I sat in. I squirmed trying to wriggle free but the ties wouldn’t budge. The door opened. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Adam and Chad walked in. Adam’s face looked like a punching bag.

“Go tell Liam she’s up,” he directed to Chad who shuffled back out of the room.

“Adam, what is going on? Where are Morgan and Kayla?” I asked completely confused.

“Don’t worry, they are safe,” was all he replied in a meek deflated voice. Something in his eyes told me I could trust it was true, so I let out a breath, taking a moment of solace that they were alright. Right then the door creaked back open, and Liam glided through with Chad on his heels.

“Ah my love, you’re awake,” he said, and a huge smile spread over his face. Usually when he smiled it warmed my insides, but something was different this time and it made me shrink.

“Liam, what are you doing? Untie me!” My voice sounded shrill, and I searched his eyes for a glimmer of hope that this was not what it looked like. His smile turned into a sadistic smirk, instantly stomping that hope.

“I would, but Adam here already failed in his mission tonight and I cannot risk losing you too. You Fae are pathetic,” Liam scoffed. He looked over at Adam who put his eyes to the floor and retreated toward the wall.

“I don’t know if I will bother with any more of you.” He continued, turning back to face me, “your kind’s compassion makes you so weak. Lucky for him,
you
were all I really wanted.”

Liam came to stand directly in front of me and brushed my cheek. I turned my face in disgust. I instantly realized that everything the Eartha Fae had said was true. Liam was the enemy, and I had been played for a fool.

“Why are you doing this?” I could not hide the shaking in my voice as the tears started to fall.

“Because I need you Aria. I was hoping to keep things civil until it was time, and I certainly preferred kissing you than imprisoning you.” He smirked fiercely scanning over my body. I thought I was going to be sick.

He tilted his gaze to one side, “How is your head my dear? I am sorry about the bump. That is why you should always wear a seatbelt. We have to keep all of that precious Fae blood inside of you or you are useless to me.” He reached out, touching the side of my head with his index finger. I winced from the pain. When he removed his finger it was covered in my blood. To my horror he brought it to his mouth and licked his finger.

The cold pleasure in his eyes was too much. In that moment a piece of my heart was ripped from my body. I was alone, hopelessly and eternally torn, never to be whole again.

I couldn’t swallow it down this time. I bent over my forearm puking down the side of the chair. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. When I finally sat up my hair stuck to my mouth, and Liam gently tucked it behind my ear. He was completely unfazed by my reaction which made me throw up again.

“Have Shannon fetch a wet washcloth,” Liam said without turning from me, and behind him Chad quickly scurried out the door to grant his request. A minute later Chad reappeared with Shannon at his side. Her gold cocktail dress glimmered in the dimly lit room as she approached. She handed Liam a washcloth. He dabbed my forehead first, and then wiped my mouth clean. He threw the cloth over the spot on the floor where I had been sick, and turned to face Shannon.

He struck her across the face with the back of his hand, and I gasped with surprise. She fell to the ground with a thud, breathing heavily, clearly rattled from the sudden blow. She took a few seconds before she stood up, wiping the blood from her lip with the back of her wrist. I didn’t recognize this new vicious Liam.

Fear coursed through me as Liam raised his hand to hit her again. I pressed my back so hard into the chair I thought it was going to tip over. Instead, he tightened his hand into an angry ball, and his face turned red with rage as his fist shook. He slowly composed himself and lowered his hand back to his side. I let out a lung full of air. Shannon had just stood there, staring at him, waiting for his next strike. Liam then gently tilted her chin up to inspect the split he had made on her lip.

“You should get some ice on that. I apologize for losing my temper, forgive me?” He cocked his head to one side, and she immediately nodded yes.

“I won’t disappoint you again,” she said without a shred of doubt, and he leaned in giving her a light kiss. Their lips connected for only a second, but when he tried to pull away she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him madly.

Liam pushed her off, “Now that is not polite behavior in front of our guest,” he ticked his head in my direction, and she glared at me before turning to exit the room. I was having trouble breathing. My mouth was agape, but the air would not come. Liam kissing another women right in front of me was a horrible nightmare.

“My apologies, it has been hard on her seeing us together.” He mused. “She could have done more than leave you drugged and alone on the street.” There was deep anger in his voice.

“So…is she…are you…” I was unable to form a sentence.

“To think of how close I came to having all of you. If that Eartha had not interrupted us…” his eyes scanned me suggestively, and I gulped again, choking back the bile in my throat.

I thought I could actually feel the pain in my heart, pounding against my chest, trying to rip its way out. No wonder Shannon scowled when Adam touched her. They were never really together. She was Liam’s, and this was all a part of his twisted game. He smiled, pleased at my displeasure of that revolting display, which only made it all the more twisted.

“Oh my love, do not be jealous. I am simply a man with certain needs, and Shannon fills that role with pleasure. Sweet thing thinks she’s in love with me but she knows that I only have eyes for you.” He pulled my chin up to look at him. I tried to pull away, to do anything but look in those stormy gray eyes, but his firm stare held until I caved. He looked in my eyes, and the playful grin I had loved now made a mockery of me now.

“Why didn’t you just kidnap me months ago? Why all of these games?!” I shouted in his face, and he released his grip on my chin to cross his arms.

“I thought about it, but I did not want to end up like my father. Six years ago when he discovered you, he tried to kidnap you. But look what happened then. He almost drowned you and got himself killed in the process.” He looked at me with amusement as it registered, watching shock replace my angry expression.

“When I got word of his death, it became my duty to fulfill his mission, as the heir to the Famorii throne. You may not have known, Aria, but you have fallen in love with a King.” The cocky pride in his voice was disgraceful.

“I am not in love with you,” I spewed. “You repulse me!” and I tried to spit in his face but did not even come close.

He took one step back from my chair, “Come now, that is not lady-like behavior. You will have to learn to control yourself,” he said while shaking his head in a disapproving manner.

Liam had become a completely different person. His eyes held an evil gleam I had never seen or could even have imagined. There was a cold darkness behind them that signaled
alert, warning, danger!

This must be the Fae instincts he had tried to explain because I could feel it in my bones now. Everything in my heart was telling me to get away from him; the nervous butterflies he gave me had actually been a warning to stay away from this monster. The sweet natured man I fell in love with had all been an act, and I snapped.

Liam’s mouth curled with pleasure as he watched me thrash and twist wildly, tethered by my tied wrists. The Eartha was right. I had fallen in love with the closest thing to hell. Confusion swirled in my head as I struggled to get free and he saw it on my face.

“My father was extremely powerful, but he was arrogant and naive, like you,” he smiled, and I gritted my teeth. “His greed for you overcame him. If he had planned better instead of going after you as if you were some menial, ordinary Aira, well then, he would have known that you had an Eartha protecting you. The error of the unknown cost him his life, and I was not going to make the same mistake. I decided I had to approach you from a different angle, so I infiltrated your life looking for an opportunity. Once I knew without a doubt that you still had no clue about Fae, your Keeper, or our kind, I waited patiently for years as my magic developed. Then I lured you to Ireland.” He smirked, pleased with himself.

As he silently congratulated himself, I thought, he must be just like his father then, because arrogance poured from every ounce of his being. I looked away in disgust and he laughed.

“You were a damsel-in-distress just waiting for a Prince Charming, and I happily portrayed the part. A few sweet sentiments, one romantic date, and you were putty in my hands. You really made it too easy.” He smiled wider, mentally patting himself on the back. I felt like a hollow, burnt-out shell of my former self.

The Eartha was trying to protect me from Liam. He saved me from Liam’s father on the river six years ago, from Doug a few months ago, and I had turned my back on him. I had turned my back on the truth. I ignored every red flag, every warning, blinded by love. Liam’s plan had worked perfectly, and I hated myself for it, for believing I had met someone who did not want anything from me, who loved me.

“What will you do with me?” I asked gravely. Liam stroked his chin thinking before he answered.

“Nothing for now, it is much too early, you see. I was hoping to keep you in the dark until the time was right, but I had to improvise once the Eartha discovered who I was and where I live. Originally, I was told that your Eartha Keeper had died alongside my father,” he shot a glare at Chad, and he obediently looked at the floor. “But after the quake at my house I knew he was still lurking around. When you confessed that you knew of his presence, I had to act fast. When you told me what you knew, which was very little, I saw a golden opportunity to make him the bad guy.”

He threw his hands up in triumph, “God it was brilliant. Without that move he would have held the cards tonight.” His eyes danced with twisted pleasure, making my insides churn.

“However...” he continued, finally coming off his throne, “after Shannon failed to kidnap you tonight as planned, I decided the ruse was up and it would be easier if I held you prisoner myself.”

The word prisoner had sparked something in my memory, “Where are my parents!” I screamed and flailed in my chair trying to break free, but it was no use. Liam started to laugh.

“Oh Aria, my love, you are so naive. I would find it endearing if you weren’t so wretchedly pathetic,” he said with a smirk.

“I am not your love! Where are my parents you bastard? I want to see them now!” I shrieked, pulling against my restraints. The rope burned against my wrists, but I didn’t care.

“They are not my prisoners Aria. I only made that up when your friends suggested you leave Ireland. I could not let that happen.”

He bent down until his lifeless eyes were level with mine, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” but his smile suggested otherwise, “your parents are dead.”

The way he said it, so cold, paired with an undercurrent of pleasure made my stomach retch again. I bent over my forearm to the side of the chair, but there was nothing left. I dry heaved uncontrollably until my stomach muscles cramped with pain. Adam was in my peripheral vision, and I could see him coming toward me. I collapsed over my forearm shaking, when Adam reached out to touch my shoulder.

“Don’t touch her! No one touches her but me! She is mine!” Liam’s voice boomed through the room causing the chandelier above us to clink its crystals, and Adam retracted his hand before it even brushed my shoulder. I caught my breath and slowly sat upright, careful not to look at Liam.

Now I understood. He wasn’t protective of me because he was concerned with my feelings or my safety. He was possessive of me because I was an object that he wanted, an object that he believed was rightfully his, not to be touched or spoiled in his eyes. Liam didn’t think of me as a living breathing being with a soul, and now I felt the same about him. His eyes were on me burning a gaping hole of pain in my chest.

“You will have to excuse my temper. It is a difficult thing for Famorii to control,” he said softly, as if I would still play into his manipulative game.

“I think it is time that you clean yourself up. I can barely look at you in this state.” His face scrunched up as he scanned me… like I would care how I looked to him now.

He sounded nothing like the person I thought I knew. The way he spoke now, proper and serious, all traces of humor had vanished. He commanded the room like an evil King. I had been tricked by the greatest actor of all time.

“How did you know I would fall for you?” I did not want to ask or know the answer, but it spilled out. He bent down again until his face was level to mine. His eyes smoldered.

“Because you were desperate for me to be the one you’ve been searching for, and I made sure you believed you had found it.” His mouth curled up on one side and without warning he pressed his lips to mine. I tried to bite down but he pulled away too quickly and shook his head.