Sera laughed as she nestled closer to Liam. "Did you find Beth?" Mike asked.
Liam's hands tensed on her calves. "No, she wasn't there. She was at one point in time, though; she left enough signs of that. We looked for her, but she seems to be gone, for now anyway."
"Wonderful."
They moved out of the forest, and Sera lifted her head to look at the cabin. It looked so peaceful, but she knew how much looks could be deceiving. "Well, guys," Jack said. "Here goes all hell."
"Yeah," Liam muttered.
"It'll be okay," she said.
He squeezed her hand, and David opened the door. "Have you decided what we're going to do?"
"No," Mike answered. "We'll decide that now."
"Why don't you go join them," Liam suggested as he set Sera down. "We'll be right there." She stared at him for a minute before leaving the porch. "Sera!" She turned to him, a puzzled look on her face. "Stay here."
"Liam," David said quietly.
"She stays."
She had been out of his sight all day, and it had eaten him up. He had done nothing but think of her. She probably shouldn't be here now, but the minute she turned to leave he realized he didn't want her where he couldn't see her anymore. He didn't know what was going on inside of him, but he did know it was getting stronger, and it was getting worse. When he came across all of them in the snow, he’d almost attacked David and Mike. It was only the fact she was present and might be injured that halted him. He had never even gotten into a fistfight with any of them, but he'd felt the insane urge to kill them both when he'd seen them with her.
"She is part of what we need to talk about." David took a step back as Liam glared at him. "It's not what you're thinking," he added quickly.
"If it concerns her, then she stays," Liam insisted.
"She may not want to hear what I have to say. You may not want to hear it. I'm telling you, Liam, let her go."
He glanced at Sera standing just outside the doorway. He turned back to David and shook his head. "I can't."
David ran his hand through his hair. "Fine, but just remember I warned you. Can we talk in here?"
"I don't want to be too far away from Kathleen and Danielle, just in case. But they shouldn't be able to hear us."
"I can go if you want me too," Sera said.
"No," Liam said brusquely.
She didn't say anything as he walked over and pulled her into his arms. Leaning against the counter, he braced her between his legs and relished in the refreshing, sweet scent of her hair. His body quickened as he heard the blood rushing through her veins. He could smell himself inside her. The realization caused his mouth to water and the beast to stream forth again. His hands clenched on her as he closed his eyes in an attempt to keep the demon at bay.
"So, what do we tell them?" Mike asked. "Do you think they could handle the truth?"
"I don't know," Sera answered. "I didn't handle it too well, and I love Liam."
"We can't tell them the truth," Jack said.
"Do you have another idea? Because I know I've been racking my brain for hours, and I can't think of one," Mike said.
"Can we force them to accept another truth?"
"You can't do that!" Sera cried.
"It may be the only way," Doug said. "It will be trickier since so much time has elapsed, and they're not drunk, but with all of us we should be able to do it."
"There has to be another way."
"Sera, there may not be."
Liam's breath warmed her neck. It sent shivers down her spine at the same time tears sprang to her eyes. She turned to him. "Liam, please," she pleaded. "I don't want to see them hurt."
He clasped her face in his hands and held her. "They won't even know what happened."
"And if Beth comes back and tries to harm them?"
The tears in her eyes, and the quiver in her voice, tore at his heart. He didn't want to see her hurt, but telling Danielle and Kathleen the truth only placed all of them in more peril. This was for the best, and she had to realize that.
"We will keep them safe, Sera," he vowed.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared at him with melancholy eyes. He wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Promise?" she breathed.
"Yes, I promise. We all promise, right?"
"Yes," they answered.
"It really won't hurt them? Are you sure?"
"I am absolutely positive."
Sera's lip trembled as her head fell forward and tears spilled down her cheeks to wet his hands. He pulled her against him as she cried silently into his shirt. He closed his eyes against the anguish filling him.
"Go do it," he ordered in a hoarse voice.
It took all he had to keep Sera standing.
"We need to talk about something else first," David said.
Liam ground his teeth. "I think it can wait!"
David looked at Sera and then back at him. "No, Liam, it can't."
"David," Mike warned.
"Mike, this cannot wait. You're losing it, aren't you? Losing control of your ability to keep the demon at bay?" His gaze focused on Liam.
Liam stared back at him relentlessly. "Yes."
David ran his hand through his wet hair. "I thought so."
Sera pulled away and tilted her head back to stare at him. His jaw clenched, and his eyes gleamed dangerously as his nostrils flared. "Liam?" she asked questioningly.
He glanced down at her before looking away, but she’d already seen the torment in his eyes. Her hands clenched on his shirt. She’d known he was struggling to be around her, but she hadn't realized how bad it was until right now. She had pushed him yesterday; she had completely ignored his need to get away from her, in her own need to be close to him. She was doing this to him. She felt like the
