Hunt the Darkness (Order of the Blade Book 11)

by Stephanie Rowe

  She stared at him. “But you have to be wrong. That’s not possible. I mean, Lucien touched me tonight, and I felt Rikker’s energy. I even felt yours!”

  “Lucien?” Foreboding crept down Vlad’s spine. “Who’s Lucien?”

  “The demon king. He wants to have sex with me, and he almost did it tonight.” She whirled away from Vlad, apparently oblivious to the sudden fury that raced through him. “I touched him tonight. I didn’t mean to, but I touched him.” She spun back toward him. “How could he touch me, but not you? I don’t understand.” She hugged her arms across her body, and leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting as she stared up at him. “Don’t you get it, Vlad? Rikker and Lucien know that they can break through my protections. They’re not going to give up. I need to understand what is going on, and I need to know now. I have to learn to control it, or they’re going to take it away from me.”

  Vlad ran his hand through his hair, trying to focus. He was being assaulted with emotions, the primary one being a sudden, debilitating fear of the fact that he couldn’t sense any living matter in her body. Was she really dead? Living in some sort of physical body that wasn’t hers? Her mind and soul trapped in a vessel of the dead? If so, it was his fault. His damned fault. And the fact that two demons wanted to rape her? Jesus.

  Swearing, he knelt in front of her, his mind spinning as he tried to think of what was going on. “Tell me what happened with Lucien. When you touched him.” He didn’t want to hear about it, but at the same time, he needed every detail. This was why the old man had sent him. She was in grave danger, and he was the one who had to help her.

  She rested her chin on her knees as she stared at him, her eyes wide and vulnerable. “He had jewels,” she said softly. “I respond to jewels.”

  He nodded. “You always did.”

  “Did I?” She looked like she wanted to ask more questions, then sighed, clearly deciding to focus on the bigger issue. “Lucien had some tonight. I was overwhelmed by the sensation, and when I reached for them, my hand stayed corporeal and I wound up touching Lucien’s shoulder.” She shivered visibly, and Vlad wanted to pull her into his arms to take away the memory. “It was like touching death and evil,” she said. “I know he’s gathering more jewels, and he’s going to use them on me next time.” She looked at Vlad. “I’m really scared it’s going to work,” she whispered. “I’ve never been scared my whole life, not like I am now.”

  Vlad ground his jaw, needing to reach for her, to touch her, but he didn’t move. “So, you’re starting to stay corporeal for him.” He worked his jaw, struggling to keep his voice calm. “Are you attracted to him? Could that be it?”

  “Him?” She looked shocked enough that some of the tightness in his chest eased. “God, no. He’s a nightmare. The only male I’ve ever been attracted to is you, but you’re not the one I can touch!”

  Heat flared hot and fast in him at her confession. “You want to touch me?”

  Her cheeks turned red, but she nodded. “So much,” she said softly. “It doesn’t make sense, but I can’t help it.”

  “Of course it makes sense. We’re connected.”

  “Married.”

  He nodded.

  She looked down at her hand and traced the ring still outlined on her hand. His ring. “Marriage that young isn’t real. I’m not your wife.”

  He decided not to argue that point, realizing that the depth of his need to protect her would scare her, not entice her. Instead, he simply said, “We’ve known each other since the beginning of our lives,” he said. “That connects us, regardless of the ring.” He pointed at his tattoo, which was now hidden. “I’m your reference to your old life. To the time when you felt safe.” Which was, of course, a complete lie. They’d never been safe. Not him, not his sister, and not Sophie. He still didn’t understand what had happened with his parents that day. He’d walked out with his sister’s body in his arms, and by the time he’d gone back, years later, both kingdoms had long been abandoned. “Deep inside, you know that. You feel that connection. Your soul recognizes mine.”

  She bit her lower lip, but said nothing.

  Swearing, he tried again, knowing that he would never be able to ensure her safety until she trusted him. “What does your gut say, Sophie? Not your mind. Your heart.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes steady and calm. “I brought you into the only safe place I have in this entire realm.”

  Her words were simple, but they said it all. Relief settled in him, and he nodded, understanding the significance of the trust she’d offered. Slowly, he eased himself all the way down in front of her, sitting cross-legged before her. “I felt you,” he said. “I felt your spirit several times when I brushed past you.”

  She said nothing, but he saw acknowledgement in her eyes. She’d felt it too. He nodded, slowly working his way through the possibilities. “When you were looking at the jewels with Lucien, were you afraid?”

  “Of course! I was with him. I was terrified—”

  “No.” He interrupted her. “In that moment you touched him, were you afraid, or were you so connected with the jewels that you forgot his existence?”

  “I—” She hesitated, then inclined her head. “I forgot about him. I was only focused on the stones.”

  “And Rikker?”

  “I was holding a stone again. He grabbed it from me, and I was trying to protect it from him.” Her words were slow, thoughtful. “And the other time Lucien touched me, I was terrified he was going to hurt Maria. I wasn’t afraid of him myself. I was trying to protect her.”

  “So, perhaps, despite what you said, you’ve been afraid all this time, and your instincts have protected you.”

  She cocked her head. “I haven’t felt afraid.”

  “No, but maybe you have been.” He leaned forward. “Do you want to try?”

  She stared at him. “Try what?”

  “See if we can do it.”

  “Touch?”

  He nodded.

  For a long moment, she simply stared at him, then she nodded once. “Okay.”

  Anticipation rushed through him. “Hold out your hand.”

  She did.

  Chapter 15

  Sophie’s heart was racing as she held her hand out to Vlad. She was terrified it wouldn’t work, and terrified it would. She didn’t want to lose her defenses, but the truth was, she was losing them anyway. Maybe Vlad could help her understand them and learn to control them.

  And she wasn’t going to lie. After seeing the way Gabe had cradled Maria in his arms so protectively, she wanted to experience that, too. Just for a minute, or even a second, she wanted to know what it felt like for a man to touch her, a man she didn’t fear.

  Vlad bent forward, his dark eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he set his hands on either side of hers, as if he were trying to press the air into her flesh. “Imagine what it would feel like to have my skin against yours,” he said, his deep voice rumbling through her like a caress.

  She swallowed nervously. “Okay.”

  He looked up at her. “No fear, sweetheart,” he said. “This isn’t about fear. It’s just you and me. I already swore on my sister’s soul that I would give my life for you. That means I would die before I would allow harm to befall you, including any that I might cause. Do you understand?”

  She nodded once. She’d heard his words, and she believed he meant it, but to actually, completely, put her trust in a man who was essentially a complete stranger was a different matter.

  Something flickered in his eyes. Guilt? Pain? Resignation? It was too quick to tell, but the mere fact that she’d glimpsed emotion in his dark eyes was reassuring. A man who could hurt was a man who was real. “Okay,” he said. “Close your eyes.”

  She hesitated for a split second, searching his face for any sign of deception, but she saw none. Just the strong, angular face that had compelled her from the first moment she’d seen him. Slowly, she let her eyes drift shut, but her heart was thunder
ing through her as she strained to sense him.

  “I’m going to move my hands along your arm,” he said. “Imagine that they’re on your skin. What does it feel like to have my skin against yours?”

  Scrunching her eyes shut, Sophie opened her mind as widely as she could, seeking his presence with all her senses. He smelled faintly of sweat and earth, and something deeper, more intoxicating. She inhaled deeply, bringing his scent into her lungs. She let his voice roll through her, soothing her tensions and relaxing her muscles. She pictured the strength in his shoulders, the aura of lethal danger that seemed to bleed off him at every moment. She imagined his hands, strong and callused, gliding over her skin. “Warm,” she whispered, almost able to imagine what it would feel like. “Your hands are warm.”

  “What else? I’m by your shoulders now, gliding my fingers above your collarbone.”

  She imagined his fingers drifting across the curve of her collarbone, and her belly tightened. “It feels amazing,” she whispered. “No one has ever touched me like that.”

  “Let me kiss you,” he murmured, so close she felt his breath against her cheek.

  “Okay,” she whispered. She didn’t open her eyes, every sense attuned to Vlad, waiting for where he would be next.

  She felt a pulse of warm air across her mouth. His breath? His lips? “More,” she whispered. “Again?”

  “I dedicate my life to you,” he said, and this time, she was certain she felt his breath against her mouth. Her mouth tingled from the touch, and a deep yearning began to build inside her.

  “My soul is yours,” Vlad said. “It always has been, since the day we were bound. Can you feel that?”

  She nodded once, breathless as she felt something brush against her ring finger. She jumped, startled by the touch, but before she could panic, Vlad’s low voice was whispering in her ear again. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s just me.”

  “Okay.” She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to catch her breath. “What are you doing now?” She felt something brush against the corner of her mouth as she spoke, and her heart jumped.

  “The left side,” he whispered. She felt something against the other corner. “The right side,” he said.

  “I can feel that.” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. “I can feel you.”

  “When I kiss you,” Vlad said, his mouth next to her ear again, “I feel the pulse of your energy. You’re alive, Sophie, just buried in fear so deep that it has shut you down. But you’re not there. You’re here. With me. Right now.”

  The yearning inside her increased, and she was almost desperate to really feel his mouth against hers. “Kiss me for real, Vlad. Please.”

  There was a pause of a heartbeat, and for a moment, she thought he was going to refuse, or tell her it was impossible. “I’ll think of jewels,” she promised. She opened her eyes, startled to see his face inches from hers, his eyes turbulent and intense as he studied her. “It might work.”

  He shook his head. “When I kiss you, I want you to be thinking about me. My touch. My lips. My body. Nothing else.”

  She swallowed. “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “Then we try again.” He leaned forward, as if to press a kiss to her eyelid, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

  “Perfect,” he said softly. “I want you to think about me. Nothing else. Just me.”

  She took a deep breath, once again bringing him into her lungs. His energy seemed to swirl through her like a warm seduction and a protective shield. Her fear slid away, and all that was left was a need for him, for his touch, for Vlad to free her from the isolation that had bound her for so long. “I want this,” she whispered. “I want it to be you.” She’d never wanted a man to touch her before, but with Vlad, the need was so strong she felt as if it would tear her apart if she didn’t.

  “Breathe,” he whispered. “Just breathe.”

  She took a deep breath, and then suddenly, shockingly, she felt his lips against hers. She froze, afraid to move, afraid to break the spell, but her mind was whirling. His mouth was hot and his lips were decadently soft. Desire flooded her, a raging inferno of need so great she wanted to cry out, but she was too terrified to move. Not terrified of him. Terrified of losing the ability to feel him.

  His kiss deepened, becoming more demanding, asking for more. Tentatively, unsure what to do, she parted her lips. The moment she did so, he took over the kiss, a sensual assault that made every cell in her body come to life. His tongue slipped between her teeth, a hot, wet caress of pure seduction that overwhelmed all her senses. Instinctively, she reached for him, and she was shocked when she felt her arms wrap around his neck. She could feel the heat of his skin against hers, and the strength of his body.

  With a low groan, he palmed her hips and pulled her onto his lap. Her breasts pressed against his chest, sending waves of desire cascading through her. Her nipples were so taut they almost hurt, and her nerve endings were on fire, exploding everywhere he touched her. In one swift move, he grabbed her legs and locked them around his hips, dragging her more tightly against him.

  She felt his erection pressing against the front of her jeans, and she shifted restlessly. She knew plenty about sex and had seen far too much in her time in the demon realm, but never had she expected that a kiss, a touch, and an embrace would feel so intense.

  Vlad cradled the back of her head, angling his head to kiss her more deeply. She didn’t hesitate now, following his lead, their tongues dancing like two lovers in a moonlight rendezvous. He slid his hands across her ribs, every move eliciting the most intense sensations from her. By the time he cupped her breast, she could barely think. All she could do was hang onto him, drinking every sensation into her soul, knowing that at any moment, she could lose it all.

  But it didn’t end.

  She didn’t fade.

  And when he tugged down the collar of her shirt to press a kiss to the swell of her breast, she felt her whole body clench in response. “Vlad—” She gripped his shoulders, twisting in his arms, unable to stay still as he kissed his way across her breast.

  Then his mouth clamped down on her nipple. She yelped as fireworks seemed to explode through her mind, and her body convulsed violently in his arms. The orgasm took her hard and fast, and she clung to him as he coaxed it out of her, his lips and tongue working magic on her nipple, drawing it out until she collapsed against him, utterly drained.

  Vlad laughed softly, his arms tight around her as he kissed her temple. “Good?”

  “Wow.” She rested her head on his shoulder, sagging against his strong frame. She could still feel his erection pressing against the seam of her jeans, and she was viscerally aware of her bare breast against his leather jacket. Despite all the clothes they had on, the heat from his body was intense, penetrating all the way to the core of her being. “How am I sitting here like this? On your lap? In your arms?” She didn’t want to move. Ever. After a lifetime of being physically isolated, the sensation of his body wrapped around her was incredible. She felt like the part of her soul that had been empty and crumbling, was suddenly beginning to heal, no longer torn apart by the raw isolation of being physically alone.

  “Because it’s me.” There was no arrogance in his voice, just a statement of fact. “You’ve been waiting for me all this time.” He kissed her hair again. “I’m so sorry I took so long,” he said softly.

  She closed her eyes, suddenly tired, so tired. She felt as if she were falling off a cliff into a place where she didn’t have to fight or be on guard, as if she could truly relax for the first time in her life. She never slept hard, always waking up every few minutes to see if a demon was lurking, or a woman was in trouble. But in Vlad’s arms, she felt safe, safe enough to finally let go. “It’s okay,” she mumbled. “I had things to do. I didn’t need a man around to interfere. I had to save the women and Maria. Girl stuff.”

  He chuckled, his arms tightening around her like a protective shield. “Want some help with that?”
>
  “Maybe.” Her muscles were growing heavy, and she was too tired to think. “Vlad?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Will you watch over me while I sleep? Promise me you’ll stay, and wake me up if anything happens?” She could barely mumble the words she was so tired, but she felt his nod.

  “Of course. I won’t let you down again.”

  “I don’t need your help,” she mumbled as she felt Vlad shift their positions, stretching out on the floor beside her so they were horizontal. She sighed as he pulled her against his side, wrapping her up against him just as she’d seen Gabe do with Maria. “Just a nap. That’s all I need you for.”

  “Ask me for anything, sweetheart. I’m here for you.” She felt him kiss her again, and she smiled to herself.

  She’d never wanted to be kissed. She’d never wanted to be held. But now that she had been, she knew she would crave it forever. Which was bad. She didn’t need this in her life. She had a mission that was about women, not seduction, orgasms, sex, and self-proclaimed husbands sneaking over from the earth realm.

  She didn’t have time to sleep. She had to fight. But she was too tired. She was tired all the way to the depths of her soul, and she knew she needed this moment in Vlad’s arms if she had any chance of finding the strength to win a battle she had no chance of winning.

  Maria was still asleep. When she awoke, they would make plans. Right now, though, right now, was her moment. As she fell asleep, Vlad’s body wrapped around hers, her last thought was that everything had changed now. Would she be able to go incorporeal with demons now, or was all that gone? The thought jerked her back to consciousness, and she gripped Vlad’s arm in sudden fear. “Vlad?”

  “Yeah.” His voice was wide awake and sharp, and she realized he’d been on full alert the entire time, ready for danger at any moment.

  “What if I can’t go incorporeal with demons now? What if I have no defense?”

  He was silent for a moment, then his arms tightened around her. “We’ll deal with it. You aren’t alone anymore, Sophie. Never forget it.”