“Then hang on!” He raced forward into the water, plunging deep beneath the water. Sophie gripped him tightly as he swam, hauling ass through the water to the crack he’d sensed deep beneath the surface. He reached the edge, found several rocks protruding, guarding the opening. He immediately swam through, keeping Sophie tight against his chest.
His lungs burning, he kicked them to the surface, their heads burst out of the water just as his lungs felt like they were going to explode. Sophie gasped, gripping tightly to him as they cleared the water.
The cave was dark, but not impenetrable darkness. Littered across the ground were a number of glowing yellow stones that cast a filtered light across the smooth walls of the cave. Vlad kicked over to the edge of the water, and hoisted Sophie onto the ledge. She dragged herself onto it and rolled onto her side, her lungs heaving as he hauled himself up beside her.
He stayed on his hands and knees for a moment, casting his senses about to double check they were indeed alone, but the place was pristine. No living matter had been there. Ever. They were safe, for the moment.
He turned his head toward Sophie. “You okay?”
She had her arm over her face, and appeared to be having difficulty breathing. “I think I have a problem,” she said, her voice strained.
Tension ripped through him, and he crawled over the stones to her. “What’s wrong?”
She pulled her arm down to look at him. Her face was pale, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. “One of the demons clawed me,” she said. “I think it poisoned me.” She pointed to her shoulder. “It hurts,” she whispered. “It really hurts, Vlad.”
Swearing under his breath, Vlad grabbed her torn shirt and pulled it down over her shoulder. The bruise he’d noticed before was twice as big as it had been, and the skin was mottled with black and blue bruises, much like what his ring looked like. “Roll over,” he said softly.
He helped her roll onto her side, and then he pulled the torn fabric aside. He swore when he saw the torn, ragged skin, already decaying. “Shit.”
She rested her head on the ground, not moving. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. How do you heal from demon poison?”
“Maria’s the only one who has the skill. She can do it.”
Gabe. Where the hell are you?
I don’t know. Maria’s directing me. We’re still on the run. We need to get to a safe place. She’s in trouble, mate. I don’t like it.
Sophie’s been poisoned. She needs Maria’s help.
There was a moment of silence while Gabe apparently conferred with Maria. She said you need to purge her blood of the poison and take it into you.
How the hell do I do that?
There was another moment of silence, which grew too long. Swearing, Vlad crouched beside Sophie. “You still with me?”
She nodded, rolling onto her back to face him. Her eyes were still bright as she looked at him. “Thanks for coming after us.”
He shrugged. “Always.”
Gabe finally reconnected. Here’s the plan. I’m going to blood bond with Maria. Shit. Did I just say that? Jesus. But yeah, I’m going to do that, then I’m going to hold a bridge between the two of you. She’ll help you heal Sophie. She thinks that because of your bond with Sophie, you will be able to heal her, but you gotta get her to trust you. We’ll touch base when we get to a safe place. Keep her alive. But you gotta promise me something.
You name it.
If this blood bond with Maria goes wrong, and I lose my shit, you have to get Dante out of here. He has to be reclaimed from the demon realm. Give me your oath that you’ll do it.
Vlad looked down at Sophie, who was still struggling to breathe. Yeah, whatever it takes.
He felt Gabe’s intense relief. Stay tuned. I’ll be in contact as soon as I can. Maria says she’ll cut out your throat and your intestines if you let Sophie die before she can help her. I believe her, so you’d better do it. Man, these women are a pain in the ass— Ow. She just hit me. What the hell? How did she hear that? Gabe cut the communication as his attention shifted to Maria, leaving Vlad to deal with Sophie.
“Sophie.” He leaned over her.
“What?”
He explained the plan, and she nodded. “Okay,” she said. “You think that will work?”
“It has to.” He realized she was starting to tremble. “You’re cold.”
She nodded. “Just a little. I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not.” He stretched out beside her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the curve of his body. “You have to preserve your strength. I don’t know how long they’ll take.”
Without hesitation, she burrowed against him, tucking herself into the shield of his body. “Thanks for your help today,” she said softly. “I thought I could manage it alone. I’m not used to needing anyone’s help, especially not a man’s.”
Guilt bit at him. “Yeah, my fault, but you’re damned impressive.” He wanted to kiss her hair, but he didn’t dare. How could he cross boundaries with her physically like that? “I’m guessing that you don’t go incorporeal with the demons anymore.” Shit, that truth hurt. “That’s my fault. I can’t even tell you how sorry I am that I stripped that from you.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “It’s not your fault. It was starting to happen anyway.”
“You don’t know what might have happened. I taught you to trust me.” He grabbed her hand and held it up for them both to see it caught in his grasp. “I taught you to do this, and now you can’t undo it. I’m sorry, more than I can ever express.”
She sighed and snuggled more deeply against him, her body still trembling. “I think,” she said softly, “that you were right. The reason I have always turned incorporeal is because I was afraid. I lived my whole life in fear, and when I was with you earlier. I wasn’t afraid.” She pressed her face to his throat, and he could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin. “When the demons found us, my first instinct was to fight. I felt, for the first time in my life, like I could defend myself. You taught me how to not be afraid, and that’s why I didn’t dissolve, because I didn’t feel like a victim anymore.”
He pulled back to look at her face. “Really?”
She grinned at him, and he saw sparkle in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “My whole life, it’s Maria who has been the strong one. She’s the fighter, and she’s the healer. My only job was to direct women to her and to make sure she didn’t drain herself. But today, in that battle, I felt strong. I felt like I didn’t want to run away.” Her smile widened. “It felt good to not be afraid, Vlad, and I owe you for that.”
He grinned at her. “Being afraid sucks.”
She nodded. “I know. I didn’t even realize I was, until I felt the difference today.” She grinned and settled more deeply against him. “Of course, apparently, I need to do a little work on becoming as badass as I thought I was. We were in trouble, Vlad. If you hadn’t come…” She shuddered against him. “It was bad. I think being afraid was the safer choice.”
He pulled her more tightly into his arms, trying to infuse his warmth into her. “Nah. I had your back. Standing up for yourself is always better.” He held up his hand, and she put hers in his, lacing their fingers together. “But can I ask you a favor?”
She closed her eyes, her body becoming heavier. “Sure.”
“Don’t ever take off on me again like that. I was scared shitless when I realized you were in trouble and I couldn’t get to you.”
She was silent for a minute. “I don’t think I can promise that, Vlad. I mean, I’m sorry I left but at the same time, my duty is to those women. If they conflict…” She shrugged. “I have to do what I do.”
He gritted his teeth, frustrated by her response, by her refusal to understand that he was on her side. Yeah, he got it, she’d been going solo her whole life, but at the same time, he’d been born to protect her, and he needed to make it right. He could tell her again that he wouldn�
�t let her down, but he knew it wouldn’t matter.
He had to prove it.
But how?
“Vlad?” Her voice was a low murmur, so quiet he had to bend to hear her.
“Yeah?”
“If I die, will you save the women and Maria for me?”
He tightened his grip on her as his blood went cold. “You won’t die,” he said vehemently. “I swear it.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and he saw they were bloodshot “I’ve been infected with demon poison, straight into my blood stream,” she said. “I’m not as immortal as you are. I don’t have much time.” Her finger drifted to his cheek. “But thank you for showing me what it’s like to be touched. I’ll never forget it.”
Then her eyes closed and her head slumped against his shoulder.
He swore vehemently, and reached out to Gabe. She’s dying, Gabe. What the hell’s keeping you? She needs help right now.
Chapter 21
Gabe would have staked his life on the belief that he’d never care enough about a female to take it personally if she died, but he would have been dead wrong. Dead fucking wrong. Maria was dying, and his entire soul howled in fury at that possibility. She was too courageous and too vulnerable to die this way.
Urgency pounded through him as he raced along the rocky ledge, following Maria’s whispered instructions. Below him was the desolate carnage of the Graveyard of the Damned, and to his left was the distant sight of the demon kingdom. A tall, black castle rose high above the scorched earth, and hundreds of small villas were nestled in the crevices of the rocks. It was stark and barren, with no vegetation, no warmth, and nothing but black, burned out rocks.
He’d never been a scenic guy, but the sight of the demon kingdom made him hope to all hell that he was going to make it back to the earth realm. “We need to find a spot fast,” he said, Vlad’s urgency galvanizing him. “Sophie’s in trouble.”
“To your right,” Maria whispered, slumping weakly against his chest. “There’s an opening to a cave. It’s the best we can do right now.”
Gabe immediately scanned the rocky mountain on his right, using his preternatural senses to search for the opening. He found it halfway up the side of the mountain, hidden between two giant rocks. He leapt effortlessly up the rocky shale, keeping Maria tight against his chest as he ran.
Before sliding into the cavern, he took one last scan of their surroundings. Nothing had tracked them. They were safe for the moment. He ducked inside, his shoulders barely squeezing through the narrow opening. Inside was dark and damp, and he saw a few blankets folded neatly in the corner. The cave smelled like Maria, and it was clear that this was a place she often went.
Anger pulsed through him. “Is this where you take your men?”
“No. It’s where I hide when I can’t take it anymore. Sometimes, I just need a break. Even Sophie doesn’t know about this place.” Her breath was rasping now, as if every breath was a strain.
As she spoke, he realized that there were no other scents in the cave. He’d been so caveman about the idea of her with other men that he hadn’t even bothered to notice that hers was the only energy present. Satisfaction pulsed through him at her answer. This was her private sanctuary, and yet she’d let him in. “I won’t betray you,” he said as he strode across the cave and grabbed a couple of the blankets. They were thin and holey, and his gut tightened at the thought that sleeping on rock with a couple threadbare blankets was her oasis. He thought of Dante’s luxurious mansion, and what it would be like to take her there, to give her the luxury she’d never had.
He immediately scowled as he spread out the blankets with one hand, his other arm keeping her locked against his chest. Since when did he give a shit about luxury, or taking care of a woman?
He didn’t.
This wasn’t about her. It was about his mission, and he had to remember that.
He knelt on the blanket and eased her to the hard ground. She kept her arms tight around his neck. “Don’t let go of me,” she gasped.
“I’ve got you.” He stretched out beside her, dragged her into the shield of his body, and then kissed her, without any of the hesitation of before. He knew what he had to do, and in truth, it felt right.
She melted into him just as before, and his entire body seemed to vibrate in response. Her lips were cold and her kiss was weak, and he swore under his breath. Come on, Maria. You can do this.
He felt a rush of surprise from her. I heard that in my head.
For a split second, he froze. The only way she could have heard his thoughts was if she was his soulmate. His sheva. His fate. Fuck. But even as he recoiled, a part of him wasn’t surprised. It was the only explanation for his response to her. He’d accepted it already, and this was merely confirmation. Better to know what he was facing than to deny it. His teammates had found a way not to succumb to the sheva destiny, so he’d have to find a way as well. It was too damn bad he hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time.
Yeah, he had the runes on his arms to protect him from his sheva, but clearly, there were limits to what they could shield. How vulnerable was he? He didn’t know.
Gabe? Her voice was weaker now, and her skin even colder.
Swearing, he rolled on top of her, keeping his weight from crushing her as he slid his fingers through her hair and kissed her the way he’d wanted to since the first moment he’d seen her stride into the cave in defense of her brother. Lust poured through him, and he embraced it. The kiss turned carnal within seconds, and she locked her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as fiercely. His body was hot and hard, primed for the woman beneath him. Every instinct inside him was screaming at him to claim her, to make her his, to leave his imprint on her body and her soul.
Her tongue met his with equal fire, and he deepened the kiss, consuming her with the fires raging within him, the fires he’d kept crushed mercilessly for so long. Everything about kissing her felt right and natural, as if he’d been born to do it, and he knew he was.
He grabbed her bodice and tore it down the front, freeing her breasts in one move. She gasped, shifting beneath him as he cupped her breast, never letting up on his relentless assault on her mouth. She tasted incredible, like the nectar he’d been craving his entire life.
“I need to feel your skin against mine,” she whispered between his kisses. “Please.”
He broke the kiss just long enough to rip off his shirt, and then he was back on top of her, his senses reeling at the sensation of skin against skin. Her breasts were perfection, fitting his palm as if they were made for him, her nipples taut and pert between his thumb and forefinger.
He knew he had to go all the way this time. There was no holding back. He could not allow her to die, and the fate of Sophie and Dante were also inextricably tied up in his ability to save Maria. He’d made too many promises and taken too many oaths for there to be any choices left except to do what he had to do.
So, he didn’t fight it. He just opened himself to the moment, pouring thousand-year old instincts into every kiss, every touch, every caress. He knew she’d been used and abused, and he wanted to show her something else. Regardless of what else happened, she was his mate, the woman destined for him, and he would never allow her to feel anything but treasured.
That was his job. That was her right.
So, even though his cock was rock hard and straining against his jeans, he ignored it. Instead, he swept his palm across her ribs and belly in a seductive caress meant to tantalize her.
Maria’s belly quivered in response, and her fingers dug into his shoulders. I can’t believe how good that feels to be touched like this. It’s…it makes me feel alive, like this moment is real, instead of some frenzied blur of feeding that sex always is.
It is real. He bent his head and took her breast into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the hard nipple. You do matter. You’re not feeding on me. I’m strengthening you. There’s a fundamental difference.
God, that sounds good. She
made a small noise of desire in her throat, her head going back as she arched into his kiss. More, Gabe. Please. Make love to me. She laughed as she said it, her laughter echoing through his mind. I can’t believe I just said that. I’ve never had to ask before. It feels good to have to ask.
I’ll never take you without your permission. Gabe shifted his position just enough to get his pants and boots off. He tried to undo the zipper on her pants, but the leather was too slick and his fingers not delicate enough. Sorry, sweetheart.
She giggled again, sounding more like a woman than the embittered, hardened warrior he’d first met. It’s okay. I have more clothes here.
Sweet. He gripped the leather and ripped it, quickly sliding it over her legs and off her body, along with the sexiest bit of black lace he’d ever seen in his life. I really want to leave that on you, but we’re kind of in a rush. Next time.
Because there would be a next time. He knew it in his gut. This time was about his mission, but next time, it was going to be because he wanted it. Not it. Her.
Trust me, this is leisurely compared to what I’m used to. She clasped his jaw, and he looked at her. Her eyes were burning with emotion. You don’t understand what it’s like that you’re still in your own mind right now. All the men who’d ever served me have been insane with lust by now. I don’t exist for them. It’s just a body for them to fuck.
Anger rolled through him at the words. I know it’s you. I see the blue of your eyes, the curve of your mouth, the mole on your collarbone. He ran his fingers through her hair, searching her face. I feel the softness of your hair over my skin. Her face softened, and he grinned. He knew they were in a rush, but at the same time, he needed to do this for her, to let her know that she mattered. I know that I’m with a woman who is loyal, honorable, tough, and vulnerable, all at the same time.
He cupped her face. I see you, Maria. She smiled, and something inside him softened. He wanted to say more, but he didn’t know what it was he wanted to say, and he knew he had no time anyway. So, instead, he slipped his fingers behind the back of her neck and kissed her again, taking possession of her mouth as he moved over her. Maria’s arms locked around his neck, and she pulled him closer, kissing him back as frantically as he was kissing her. Now, Gabe. Make love to me now.
Hunt the Darkness (Order of the Blade Book 11) Page 19
