Liam glowered at him as he swept into the room. A young brunette sat up in bed; she blinked sleepily at them as the blankets fell to expose her nude body. Liam scooped her clothes off the floor and threw them at her. "Get out," he ordered.
"What?" she cried as she scrambled to gather her clothes. "Michael?"
"Go on." Mike collapsed onto the couch.
The girl cast him a scowl as she tugged her shirt over her head. "You're an asshole!" she spat.
Mike laughed and draped his arm over his eyes. "Bye, sweetie," he drawled as Liam opened the door, and closed it behind her.
"You know, one of these days I'm going to come barging in on you and Sera," Mike mumbled. "Kick her out of the room naked."
"Don't even think about it," Liam warned.
Mike removed his arm from his eyes and looked up at him. "Then again, I doubt she'll be sticking around for much longer. You've messed up, Liam, bad. What are you going to do about it?"
"I was hoping you'd have some suggestions."
"You could make her forget, take the whole night away from her."
Liam closed his eyes as he slumped onto the bed. He absently rubbed his temples to ease some of the pressure in his skull. The idea was completely and utterly tempting, and the easiest thing to do. He could make her forget about Jacob's body and everything that followed afterward. He wished he could take everything about Jacob away from her, but that would take more power and capabilities than all of them had. Plus, he would have to change Kathleen, Danielle, and Michelle's memories. It would be too much, but he could make her forget enough to make her no longer frightened of him.
"I don't know if I can."
"Why not? You have the power and ability to do it."
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
The truth was, he wanted her to know, he wanted her to know it all, and he wanted her to decide what she was going to do. If she left him, then he would deal with it, but if she stayed there would be no barriers between them. He wouldn't have to worry about her finding out, wouldn't have to worry about losing her.
Liam lifted his head to look at him. "I don't know if I want to," he admitted.
Mike's brow furrowed as he swung his legs off the side of the chair and planted them on the floor. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"I want to tell her the truth."
Mike's mouth dropped as he stared at him in stunned amazement. What he suggested went against all the rules, rules he made to keep them all safe. Right now though, he didn't care about the rules.
"Why?"
Liam had expected Mike to explode. Instead, he was still staring at him in astonishment. "Because I can't do that to her, I can't change her memories; I can't invade her mind like that. I won't do it."
"You don't have a choice, Liam," Mike grated through clenched teeth. "You've screwed up bad. I don't know what you want me to say, but you've got to do something. Other people need to be protected. You know that. If you can't do it, then one of us will."
"No one," he said firmly. "Is going to harm her, in any way, do you understand me?"
Mike looked away from him to stare angrily at the poster on his wall. He sighed as he ran a hand through his disheveled blond hair. "There may be no other option. You have to understand that. I know how you feel about her, but—"
Liam launched to his feet, his hands clenched into fists as he glowered at him. "No! You don't know how I feel about her," he spat. "If you did, you would realize what you're suggesting is not, and never will be, an option."
Mike's eyes shot back to his. "You need to talk to her. See how things go, but you have to realize what all of this could mean."
"I do realize what it could mean."
"No, I don't think you do," Mike's eyes were suddenly weary and resigned.
"Yes," Liam grated. "I do. What you don't understand is I will kill anyone who tries to hurt her; that includes you."
Mike looked as if he’d punched him in the jaw, Liam had never threatened any of them, but he would kill them to protect her. "Go talk to her, Liam, see what she says. Maybe there's nothing to worry about, but if there is—"
"No!" he interrupted. "I'm not kidding, Mike, you stay away from her; do you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you," he muttered. "I couldn't do anything to her anyway; you know that."
"Don't tell anyone else about this."
"Whatever, you're the boss." Liam strode to the door. "What are you going to say to her?" Mike asked as he opened the door.
He turned to look at him and shrugged helplessly. "I don't know yet. The truth."
Mike snorted as he shook his head. "We don't have to be concerned about what to do with her after that; she'll be locked in the loony bin."
Liam shot him a scathing glare as he slammed the door. He hurried back to his room and opened the door. Sera had rolled over. The blanket fell away to reveal her exquisite face. She looked angelic and peaceful in her sleep. He dreaded the hurt he was going to inflict on her.
He sat on the edge of the bed and touched her shoulder. Her eyes opened, and she stared up at him, a smile spreading across her beautiful face. Then, suddenly, it was gone. Remembrance crashed over her features and shuttered through her eyes. She bolted upright; her hair tumbled around her face and shoulders. Her eyes were huge, and a vivid, startling purple.
"Sera, we need to talk."
"Are you going to be honest with me?"
"I never wanted to lie to you."
"Really? Because it's all you've ever done. I feel
