“Crap!” She jerked back.
He lunged for her, springing off his perch with terrifying ease. His fingers latched around her wrist with violent force and he yanked, jerking her through the shattered windshield.
“No!” She grabbed for the steering wheel, but her fingers slipped uselessly off the slick leather as he dragged her out of the truck.
He tossed her away from the spinning vehicle. She sailed through the air, and landed with agonizing force on the pavement. The asphalt tore at her skin as she slid across it, her bones thudding against the hard ground as momentum flung her across the road.
The Calydon landed beside her, grabbed her arm and jerked her to a brutal stop. She gasped, but he gave her no respite, hauling her to feet immediately.
He grabbed her shoulders, holding her ruthlessly as if she were nothing but a puppet. His cheekbones were high and fine, his hair short, his black pullover made of finely woven wool. He was clean-shaven, not a scar to behold, and the white collar of a starched dress shirt peeked above the V-neck of his sweater. Except for the gritty determination in his eyes and the sheer size of him, he looked like a man who should be spending his time with a bourbon and a stock report, not streaking through a midnight desert, chasing down Hummers and innocent women. What in God’s name was he doing working for Frank? “Why?” she blurted out. “Why are you after me? I didn’t do anything.”
Something flickered in his eyes. For a split second, she thought she saw a flash of humanity, the agony of a man torn by his conscience. Hope leapt through her. “Release me,” she urged. “Please!”
“Never.” And just as quickly, the assassin was back. His eyes were a bottomless black. Not rogue, but violent and deadly, a merciless willingness to do whatever was needed. Whatever humanity had been trying to surface had been denied.
He grabbed her around the waist and she realized he was going to pick her up and cart her away into the night like some chattel to be disposed of as Frank saw fit.
“No!” She slammed her fist into his throat as she scrambled away from him.
He swore, and she saw in his eyes a promise of hell.
He held out his right arm. She a saw the black brand of his kind on his forearm, in the shape of his weapon. The machete glowed for a split second, then there as a flash of black light and an explosive crack. The machete appeared in his hand, a stainless steel weapon that he’d called out of the brand into reality.
“Oh, crap.” She could see in his eyes that he was going to use it on her. Anything to make her behave. Panic rifled through her, and she leapt backward.
He smiled as she stumbled, the face of a predator who was enjoying watching his prey try to flee, knowing he could stop her at any second.
It couldn’t end like this. So close to freedom, only to fail like this. God, she couldn’t go back into captivity. She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t—
He grabbed for her and she dove out of the way. He caught her ankle and she kicked at him, her bare feet useless against his hard body. She twisted frantically, her ankle rotating in his hand, but she knew it was too little, too late—
His head jerked up and he stared down the road. Taking advantage of his distraction, Lily yanked herself free and sprinted behind the Hummer as he scented the air. He cursed, and then spun toward her.
She froze as he crouched, ready to launch himself at her.
He looked down the road again, then back at her. What did he sense? What was coming?
He took a step toward her, then swore again, spun around and bolted up into the sand hills, so fast he was nothing but a blur.
The night swallowed him instantly, leaving her alone on the dark road. Gone? He’d really left? He hadn’t taken her?
She stared blankly after him, trying to regroup, trying to comprehend that he’d simply left her there. Something had scared him. A threat. What was it?
Chills raced down her spine and she whirled toward the truck before she remembered its state. Her only way home: upside down, the roof half-torn off, its tires spinning aimlessly. The light from the headlights were pointing haphazardly across the deep grooves the SUV had carved into the road.
No way home. No way to safety. No more choices.
Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, and she stared at it, watching the expensive hubcaps whirring. Her head ached, her vision blurred, and she realized how completely screwed she was. I can’t take this anymore. I can’t.
Then she heard the rumble of an engine. She turned and saw headlights lighting up the night as a car raced toward her. She realized the Calydon had heard the car coming, and that’s why he’d bailed: because the occupants of the car had scared him off. She stared into the approaching headlights, and suddenly knew who was in the vehicle. Gideon. Just the thought of him made desire and fear thrum through her, nearly staggering in from its intensity.
She needed to run. To hide. To get away.
But something deep inside her told her she didn’t need to run anymore. Not now.
She fought against it, tried to order her body to flee, but her legs gave out and she sank to the road as the truck peeled around the corner. She flinched as brakes squealed and the truck spun wildly, but the driver managed to keep the enormous black pickup from flipping. It finally skidded to a stop inches from the overturned Hummer. Gideon leapt out of the truck and raced toward her, his face raw with fury that should have terrified her.
But it didn’t. She was simply too depleted to fear him, too weary to overcome her need to stop fighting and to put her care in someone else’s hands.
“No.” She summoned up all her willpower and held up an exhausted hand as he neared her. “Don’t touch me.”
He hesitated at whatever he saw on her face, and for a moment, she thought she’d won. He wasn’t going to help.
Then she suddenly was overwhelmed with such grief and despair that she doubled over, her arms wrapped around her belly, and she knew then that she’d finally lost the battle.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gideon swore as Lily let out a soft moan that blistered his core. Her head was bowed so low that her tangled hair was draped on the asphalt. She hugged herself as she rocked back and forth, trying to hold in the low moans of distress. The white cotton of her blouse was streaked with blood, and fresh rage coiled through Gideon at the sight of her distress. He wanted to scoop her off the ground and into his arms, but he’d seen her fear as he’d approached, and knew instinctively that grabbing her wasn’t an option. Not with her, not now.
Instead, he kneeled in front of her and bent his head so his cheek was right next to hers. “Lily.” He kept his voice as soothing as he could, having never tried to be soothing in his life. “I won’t hurt you.”
Gideon was aware of Ian moving around him, searching for signs the Calydon had been there, but he didn’t look up. He was too consumed with the woman in front of him, desperate to ease her pain. “Lily,” he repeated. “Nate’s dead. It’s over.”
A strangled sob escaped. “He’s really dead? Truly? I can go home?”
“Yes.” Fuck. The anguish in her voice tore at him. He felt her pain in every cell of his body, in each breath, and in the very beat of his heart. He was so accustomed to feeling no emotions and never setting roots. He was simply a shadow, slipping through life but never connecting. Emotions were destructive. They caused chaos at best, and death at worst. He knew that. He’d been there. And he’d learned. As an empath, he’d had to shut down not only his ability to sense other’s emotions, but his own. There was no way to do his job and feel, and he had to do his job.
Gideon was used to living in a precise, controlled void, but Lily was delving right past his shields. He could feel every agony within her, every torment she’d suffered, every vulnerability. It was like this miasma of bright colors flooding his senses, and he couldn’t stop it. It was as if he’d come alive, truly alive, for the first time ever, and it shocked him. It felt brilliant, and at the same time, violently dangerous and out of control.
Gideon knew he had to pull it back, to get her out of his body, to reclaim his steady state, but he couldn’t. Not with her beautiful, earthy scent drifting through him, her slim shoulders trembling so violently, and her heart beating so wildly to survive. Instead, he instinctively accepted her turbulence and sent out his own calming energy. He gave her his strength, his power, and his confidence that he could handle anything.
“Lily,” he said softly. He didn’t know how to comfort her. He’d never tried to offer support. He’d never been comforted. It made no sense in his world. To need comfort or offer it was weakness and vulnerability in a world held firm with protocol and duty. And yet, he had to do it. Now. For her.
Gideon grasped her shoulders, intending to support her, but the contact shocked him. It was like an electric spark leaping from her body to his. Lily sucked in her breath and she stared at him in shock. Her skin was hot, so decadently soft, so feminine and alive beneath his hands.
Her eyes widened, and he felt her sudden flush of desire. It was the same crash of physical awareness that had hit them both at Nate’s house. It was more intense now, so much more, because of the physical contact between them. Fear rippled through her, and Gideon tensed, certain she was going to pull away. Every impulse in him roared with refusal to allow her to pull back, his unwillingness to lose contact with her.
But she didn’t retreat.
To his shock and utterly male satisfaction, she leaned slightly into his touch, accepting his offer.
Gideon immediately closed the distance between them, sliding his hands down her upper arms. He could feel every curve of her muscles and the angle of her bones. She was so thin, but at the same time, there was power vibrating beneath her skin. Lily was far from human, pulsing with power that roared through him like great temptation.
There was the thud of footsteps as Ian suddenly took off across the pavement and sprinted into the desert. Gideon didn’t follow, knowing Ian would have let him know if he needed help. He stayed right where he was, shielding Lily with his body, accepting her violent emotions, and running his hands over skin that was too precious to be marred with so many bruises.
“I’ve got you,” he said simply. There were no more words to say. Nothing more he could offer. That was all he had to give: his protection. His ability to protect was what defined him, and he gave it to her.
Lily turned her head slightly, so her cheek rested against his, and he felt a pulse of absolute rightness at the contact. She smelled sweet, delicate. Innocent. Desire hit him hard in his gut again, and he had to force himself not to turn his head to kiss her. It would take only one move to capture her lips with his, to taste her, to claim her.
“Gideon.” His name was a whisper in the night, almost angelic the way it drifted off her lips.
“Yeah, it’s Gideon.” His voice sounded rough and raw in comparison to hers.
“Why?”
He rubbed his thumbs over her arms, not sure whether he was touching her for his sake or hers. “Why what?”
She pressed her face more tightly against him, nuzzling into the crevice between his shoulder and his neck, as if she was trying to crawl inside him and hide. He loved her instinct, her natural inclination to use him for safety.
“Why did you come for me?” Her voice was muffled, her breath warm.
“Ana sent us.” It wasn’t the entire story, but it was enough for now. “We’re not here to hurt you. Trust me.” He slid his arms slowly around her waist, needing desperately to hold her, driven mad by the feel of her nestled against him. He felt like the heat from her skin was burning through her thin shirt, and he wanted to tear it off her, destroying that which the rogue Calydon had shredded when he’d violated her.
“I can’t,” she said. “I can’t trust you.” But even as Lily spoke, she untangled her hands from her belly and found the front of his shirt, clenching tightly. A small sob broke free, twisting his gut into knots. “I’m so tired,” she whispered. “I’m so tired of fighting. I want to go home. My family must think I’m dead—” Her voice broke and anger roared through him at her pain.
Lily tensed, and he knew she’d felt his fury. He swore and forced it aside, drawing upon five hundred years of practice to pull his shit together. “I know, Lily. I know.” He gently lifted her up and eased her onto his lap, unable to accept the sight of her battered knees on the hard cement any longer.
Despite the fear he could still feel emanating from her, Lily curled into a tight ball, her bare toes tucked between his thighs, her knees snug against her chest, and her face tucked against her knees as she hugged her legs.
God, yes. This was right to have her against him, turning herself over to him.
Gideon pressed his face to her hair, inhaling her scent, drinking it into his soul as if he’d never get another chance. This was his moment: right here, right now, with this woman he didn’t even know in his arms, trusting him when she had no trust left in her soul.
He started to rub her back, then jerked his hand off when she yelped and twisted, trying to get away. “Shit, sorry.” He cursed himself for pushing too hard.
“No, it’s okay.” Those mossy green eyes were filled with agony, and apology. “Sorry. It wasn’t you.”
Apology? Shit, he deserved no apology. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Come back.” He pulled her on his lap and rested his cheek against hers, hoping it would work again to sooth her. He needed it to work. He burned to reconnect, to feel her body yield to him again. Her cheek was cold, but her skin was so soft and delicate. So utterly female.
After a minute, she relaxed and let herself sag against him. He closed his eyes at the contact, at the feel of her body sinking into his. God, it felt good.
“Glass,” she whispered. “In my back.”
“Glass?” Gideon couldn’t keep the fury out of his tone, but Lily didn’t flinch this time. She just leaned against him, as if she were too exhausted to fight anymore. He lifted his head to inspect the back of her shirt, scowling at the speckles of blood from when she’d been dragged across the floor by the Calydon. He cursed and clenched his fists against the need to go back and punish the Calydon for what he’d done to her.
He was dead. That was enough.
But, fuck. It wasn’t. Nothing would be enough.
Growling, Gideon gripped her shirt, then paused when he felt her tense. “I’m going to look at it, okay?”
She nodded, but said nothing, so Gideon gently tugged her shirt up to expose her back. The soft tones of her skin glistened, and he was so tempted to drop his head and press his lips to each injury. Her back was liberally sliced, and he could see glass fragments glittering like diamonds in her back. Outrage tightened his jaw, but he forced himself not to react, not with her so fragilely clinging to sanity on his lap. “We need to get those out.” He brushed her hair back from her face so he could see her. “Is that okay?”
She lifted her head and looked at him. Gideon was shocked by the total exhaustion in her eyes, the absolute depletion, and the desperate need for help buried deep beneath her shields, as she fought to maintain her strength and her independence.
His fingers tightened in her hair. “You’re not alone anymore,” he growled. “I swear it.”
Lily shook her head. “I don’t want to need you,” she whispered. “Don’t make me need you.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her courage. Who was she kidding? She was at the end of her resources. And damned if he didn’t like the fact that he was the one who was going to catch her.
At that moment, Ian came loping down the hill and out onto the street. “Lost him. The bastard’s fast. The last eight are on their way. I could hear them.” Ian’s gaze flicked to Lily, thoughtful curiosity on his face. “They’re fools to come against Gideon and me, with only eight of them left, but they’re coming after you anyway. They must want you badly.”
Lily sat up so quickly, she almost lost her balance. Gideon caught her as she stumbled to her feet, wincing as if every
muscle in her body hurt. He caught a glimpse of a dark bruise on her upper thigh before her skirt fell back into place, and he felt a darkness fester inside him at the sight.
Lily didn’t seem to notice his reaction. All her weakness and vulnerability seemed to vanish, replaced by a woman who was focused, clear-minded and ready to fight. “How close are they?” she asked Ian urgently.
“Five minutes. They’re closing fast.” Ian raised a brow at Gideon. “Fight or bail?”
Gideon’s first instinct was to stand and fight, to take them down and try to keep a few survivors for questioning, but he saw the way Lily hugged herself as she searched the dark night for their pursuers. Yes, she was ready to defend herself, but she was running on fumes for sure.
She was trembling, clad in nothing but her thin blouse and skirt. Her eyes were shadowed with the trauma she’d already been through, and he winced at the blood on her hands and shirt from the two warriors he’d killed on top of her. No more for her. Not tonight. “We bail. Lily’s our priority.”
“Then let’s go.” Ian turned and started loping toward the truck they’d arrived in.
Lily’s gaze shot to him, her eyes wild. “Why am I your priority? It’s more than because Ana sent you. You wouldn’t waste your time on me. Why do you need me?”
Gideon touched her shoulder to acknowledge her question, but he didn’t take time to answer. Instead, he reached out with his senses to assess the threat. He caught the scent of their sweat almost immediately and felt the beat of their black hearts. He picked up their single-minded focus on Lily. They were close and moving quickly. Gideon cursed and grabbed her hand. “Later. We need to go.”
She hesitated, and he remembered the haunted way she’d looked at him in Nate’s house. As if she knew all his blackest secrets and was terrified by them, scared in the way of someone who knows her fears are grounded in the ultimate truth and complete reality.
He knew she was ready to dig in and refuse to accompany him and Ian. “Lily.” He met her gaze. “I’ll keep you safe, but I can’t do it if you don’t go with me.” He would take her if she didn’t go willingly, but he didn’t want to push her. He could sense that she needed to make the choice for herself. Gideon forced himself to give her time, trusting that the intelligence he’d seen in her eyes would trump her fear and her independence.
Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade) Page 5
