Liam

Chapter 10

Rayne awoke to see Liam staring at her, smiling. "Good morning, beautiful. No more nightmares?"

"None, thanks to my knight and shining armor," she giggled as she put her hand against his cheek and leaned in to kiss him gently. The remnants of her nightmare still lingered in her head.

"Perhaps I should go make us some coffee and let you get dressed?" he said. She blushed remembering she was only wearing a tiny nightgown.

"That sounds simply divine," Rayne answered as she yawned. Using her stretch as a pretense, she made a quick sigil in the air to remove the wards so that Liam wouldn't trigger them again when he got out of the bed. As Liam headed back to the kitchen, Rayne did a quick scan of the room to see if anything was amiss. Nothing seemed to be moved or tampered with. How did he get through the wards, she wondered again. Who was this guy? "I think it's about time to find out," she said to herself softly.

She quickly threw on a button-up shirt and some jean shorts. She ran a comb through her hair as the apartment began to fill with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pastries. As Rayne walked around the corner into the kitchen she saw Liam in a pair of jeans with a towel draped over his shoulder putting the icing on two warm pastries. His light auburn hair was just a touch disheveled. She had to admit he was quite attractive. His lanky torso and chiseled chest caught in the sunlight. She wanted to press herself close against his chest and just stay there. Damn it, Rayne, she thought to herself. Stay focused. You need answers!

He looked up as she approached. "I found these in the fridge, I hope you don't mind." Did his eyes always have to look as if he was peering into her soul?

He brought the pastries to the table and pulled out a chair for her. She thanked him, taking the coffee mug he held out to her. He sat across from her playing with his pastry, but not really eating it. He kept looking at her as she nibbled and sipped the coffee. "Rayne, what happened last night?"

Good question, she thought but didn't say it out loud. "It was a nightmare, that's all. I already told you all about it. I don't really understand it myself" She tried not to look into his eyes when answering. She knew he could tell when she was lying. "I need to show you something. It's an old bracelet my grandmother gave me. It's up on the top shelf in that little box, can you grab it down?" I hope this works, she thought.

Liam gave a glance to the bookcase where Rayne had pointed. His long arms reached up for the small silver box on the top shelf. It was quite heavy. He brought it back to the table and sat it next to her coffee mug. He felt since this was a family memento, she should open it. As she pulled the small hinged lid open, he saw a simple silver cuff bracelet nestled inside of the blue velvet-lined box. It seemed fairly plain, unremarkable even, yet his eyes were drawn to it. She lifted it up gently. He noticed she didn't put it on or even grasp it, yet instead, she held the edges lightly as if she was afraid to fully hold the bracelet. She reached out for his hand. He had expected her to put the cuff in his hand, but instead, she placed it on his wrist.

"What, wait? Why did you do that?" Liam asked, breathing in sharply. He didn't like the way this felt. There was something different about this bracelet. It made him feel shaky, nervous even. "Rayne, what are you doing to me? What is this?" his voice rose slightly.

"This is the bracelet of Aletheia, Greek Goddess of Truth. Its effects are similar to that of the rune you had in the meeting room. I'm sorry, Liam, but I need answers, and I don't have time to worry about manners, lies, or half-truths. I told you so much, but I still don't really know who you really are. How did you get in my room last night, and what do you want from me?" Rayne had risen from the table by this time and stood defiantly in front of him. She looked him fully in his eyes, never breaking her stare.