Even the men below, her victims, might not even really be there.
It could all be lies.
Or Elijah could be the one down in that pit. He could be her blond victim, waiting for her in the bowels of the earth, disguised as a stranger. She stared down into the pit, and tried to summon her ability to detect illusions, but she couldn’t access it. She looked at Frank. “What did you do?”
“You really think I would allow you to shield yourself against illusions while you’re here?” He waved around the cavern. “This is my world, Ana, and you’re a part of it. Join me. There’s no other option.” He smiled. “And trust me, when you finally learn to embrace your dark side, you will understand what it’s like to truly be alive.”
Ana ignored him, stepping forward to peer into the pit. Elijah? Is that you?
And then she heard it. Ana. A faint, faint echo of her name in her mind. Elijah’s voice. So weak, so far in the distance, and she knew, with absolute certainty that he was alive, and in unbearable pain. Tears filled her eyes, and her chest screamed with agony for his suffering.
And then there was a humming in the pit and the wind began to rise, and she knew one of her illusions was starting to rise, brought on by her stress about Elijah’s fate.
“That’s it.” Frank clapped her shoulder and faced her toward the pit. “Here is your first lesson in learning to control it.”
She spun toward the pit, her fists clenched. I will find you, Elijah.
Then the illusion burst free, and all her attention was focused on trying to control it.
For now.
The minute Frank was gone, Ana was going to find the warrior who’d offered his life for hers.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Lily!” Gideon shouted as he charged over to the huddled trio of Lily and her parents, his pulse skyrocketing. Shit. There were too many coming. They’d never make it on foot. “Where’s your parents’ car?”
She jerked her gaze up to the sky, saw the Calydons falling through the air toward them and leapt to her feet. “Gideon—”
“Go,” he ordered her. “I’ll stall them.”
Her eyes widened. “Without you?”
Lily’s parents looked up and then they were instantly in motion. Her dad grabbed Lily’s arm and started dragging her toward a Volkswagen Golf parked down the street.
“Go,” Gideon commanded. “Now!”
Lily hesitated but then she finally turned and ran toward the car with her parents.
Gideon turned to face the onslaught, rage feeding his strength. He hurled his axes, cutting down the first Calydons before they even hit the earth. He called back his weapons and threw them again, but more Calydons were falling. Too fast for him to keep up. He threw himself between the Calydons and Lily, using his body as a shield to prevent her pursuers from catching up to Lily and her parents, striking true with each blow, as Calydon after Calydon fell to his axe.
One got past him and Gideon lunged for him, hurling his blade as the Calydon reached for Lily’s hair as it streamed out behind her. “Get the hell off her!” The blade sank deep into her assailant’s kidney and the Calydon hit the dirt.
Then a brutal pain exploded in Gideon’s back and he staggered. A Calydon sprinted past him and grabbed Lily’s wrist, knocking her to the ground. Fury ripped through Gideon and he threw himself back onto his feet and hurled his axe. The Calydon dropped as Gideon’s blade sliced through his neck, then Lily’s parents pulled her to her feet and the three of them rushed toward the car.
You need my music. Let me give you my music. Lily glanced back at him she ran.
Screw that. He wasn’t risking that again. No. Just get the hell out of here.
Another burst of pain knocked Gideon to his knees and he jerked around, kicking aside a spiked hammer on its way to his head. He slammed his foot into his assailant’s gut and then sank his blade into his throat the instant his axe returned to his hand.
Gideon rolled to his knees and hurled both axes, taking out two more Calydons closing fast on Lily. But there were dozens streaming past Gideon, taking advantage of the fact he’d stopped to fight. There were too many for Gideon to stop.
Crap. They had to run. It was their only chance.
With a roar, Gideon leapt to his feet and charged through the throngs in a dead heat to reach Lily first. He dug harder, his legs pistoning on the cement as he ran, gaining ground to reach her first. Lily looked back, and her eyes widened with horror as she saw the throng closing on her, then her gaze met Gideon’s. Behind you, Gideon!
Gideon put on a burst of speed, and a sword whizzed by his head, the blade nicking his ear. He tucked his weapons, not bothering to try to take down the other Calydons, knowing Lily’s only chance was for him to make it to her first and outrun them. Her parents were screaming as her dad fumbled to unlock the car, the shadows growing darker as the mob closed in on them.
Gideon reached the front of the throng and knew he was going to get to her first. Unless there were Runners, he’d be able to outrun them. He had to outrun them. There was no other option.
Then he felt a shift in the focus of the Calydons closest to him. They turned their attention off of Lily and directed it toward him. They were going to try to detain him, so the others could get to Lily.
“Oh, hell.” Gideon got his axe up just in time to block the sudden blow from his left, and then suddenly all the Calydons near him attacked, blades flying fast and hard, dozens of them, teaming up, slashing, stabbing, chopping. He was surrounded, and he threw his axe straight up as a Flier came hurtling down from above at him. The assault was relentless, like a frenzied mob, and he fought desperately. Lily!
There was no reply, and anger roared through him. Adrenaline kicked into overload and Gideon went on a rampage, cutting down everyone he could reach. But more kept coming.
Then suddenly there was a shout he recognized as belonging to Gabe, one of his Order members. One of the ones who Quinn had said was on his way to kill Lily. But Gabe was Order, and Gideon sure as hell hoped that would take priority. What side are you on, Gabe?
Yours. Quinn made you and Lily sound too valuable. Zach and Ryland are here, too. We’re coming in from the outside, but the next time you have a party, you really ought to screen your guest list better.
Gideon grinned, and fought with renewed strength, taking down warriors as he felt their attention shift outward, to the threats coming at them from his team.
It took twenty minutes before the four of them were the only ones left standing. Bodies were everywhere, blood streaming down the street, even as the bodies began to disappear, the extremely old ones vanishing almost instantly. The young ones would take weeks to be reclaimed by the earth.
All the Order members were bleeding badly, and Ryland had a deep slice across his throat that he was pressing his palm against to stem the flow of blood.
Sirens began to wail, and Gideon jerked his head around. The street was empty. All pedestrians had fled… Even Lily’s parents’ car was gone. Hope sprung in his chest. Had they made it? Lily? Are you safe?
Silence.
Gideon’s gut began to turn. Lily. Talk to me. He reached out over their connection, and felt a pulse from her. She was alive, but unable to respond. Which had to mean she was unconscious.
They’d gotten her.
Bile churned in Gideon stomach, and he shoved it aside, ruthlessly crushing his emotions and retreating into the singular focus of a warrior. He lifted his face to the sky and opened his mind to her, reaching out to determine the direction she’d gone.
Sirens were growing louder, and his team was already piling up bodies, moving so fast that a human would barely be able to discern their movements.
But Gideon didn’t move. He turned south, searching. His mind was racing, his heart was pumping, and he had to force himself to be calm. To sense the vibration that was Lily.
He heard the hiss as Zach knelt beside the pile of bodies and called in the wind, oxygen and heat. Gideon glance
d over as Zach laid his mouth on the shoulder of the body on top of the pile. For a moment, nothing happened, then the shoulder of the dead Calydon turned black, smoke began to spiral, then the body exploded in a flash of flames. Gideon and the others stood back, but Zach remained in the fire, letting the flames consume him as he fed the fire with the very oxygen that sustained him, until the entire stack of bodies was burning with a flame so hot it was as white as pure snow.
The flames shot so high Gideon couldn’t see the top, even with his enhanced eyesight, then the flames exploded, feeding on the blood strewn over the pavement. Gideon checked his location to make sure he was standing on clean pavement and shielded his eyes against the explosive white glow.
Then the fire vanished.
Gideon dropped his arm and the pavement was clean, devoid of any sign of the attack. The fire had consumed the blood until there was nothing left. Zach was pale and shuddering as Gabe helped him to his feet.
The police cars spun around the corner, lights flashing.
Gideon whirled away and headed down the street, letting his mind soften, thinking only of Lily, her scent, her energy, and her aura. He brought her essence into his soul, until his blood began to hum with her energy, until her blood came alive within him.
Suddenly he felt her presence.
Gideon turned to the south east, his entire being thudding with the power of his connection to her. She’d headed toward the desert, and she was moving fast. He’d never catch her on foot.
“We’re all in separate cars.” Ryland was right behind him. “We’ll go after her.”
“No.” Gideon ‘s pulse was racing, and he was so strung out, it was all he could do to focus, to be strategic. “You need to head to Nate’s place and find the marker that will tell us where the ritual is occurring.”
Gideon quickly explained the situation, keeping his mind focused Lily, on keeping that link active. “I have no idea what it is, and I never got a chance to ask Lily what form she thought the information would be in. Hell, for all I know, it’s more shit she’ll have to translate.” He cursed as he felt her continue to get even further away from him. “I gotta go. You guys good?”
Ryland tossed Gideon his keys. “Go get the girl and meet us at Nate’s so she can seal the deal. We’ll be in touch.”
Gideon snatched the keys out of mid-air and sprinted for the black Explorer parked down the street, his whole body vibrating with Lily’s energy. He held his focus tight as he leapt into the truck, jammed the keys in the ignition and peeled out. I’m coming, Lily. He shoved the thought at her as hard as he could, hard enough to penetrate her mind, even though she was unconscious. I swear to you, I’m on my way.
Empty words, if he was too late.
*
Lily jerked back to consciousness as her head smacked into something hard. She moaned, cringing against the pain as hands grabbed her and roughly shoved her to the side. She tried to catch herself, and felt the deep bite of cords around her wrists and ankles as she tried to move. Dear God. She was bound, just like before. “No!” She screamed and her eyes snapped open in horror.
She was in the back seat of an SUV, and three huge Calydons were in the truck with her. Two were in the front, one in back with her. Lily fought to sit up, pressing herself back against the door, her mind screaming in denial. It couldn’t be happening again. Not again. Not again. Not again.
The SUV lurched as the driver floored it and skidded around a corner. The momentum threw her across the seat and she crashed into the Calydon sitting beside her. His body was hard and powerful, and nausea churned through her at the contact.
He shoved her away from him, his palm bracing against her chest as he pinned her against the opposite door. “Call Frank.”
He was pressing so hard she couldn’t breathe. She was trapped again. At their mercy. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t go through this again. It couldn’t be happening again.
“Call Frank,” he ordered.
Frank. Dear God, Frank. He knew she was Satinka, which meant these men would too. Would they be able to resist her? Would they even try? Or were they intending to steal from her that which kept her alive?
Frantically, she checked them out, trying to ascertain how much immediate danger she was in, trying to focus her mind away from the debilitating panic and into the sanity of self-preservation. Her captors were all wearing black, with heavy boots and dark leather pants. Thick, rugged leather, like it was designed to protect them if they went skidding across concrete. They were not of a more delicate persona, like the Runner who’d chased her down outside Nate’s. These were thugs, males hired because they were willing to do the ugly stuff.
The driver hit a couple buttons, and then a voice echoed through the truck. “You got her?”
A chill crawled over Lily at the gravelly sound of Frank’s voice, thin and flat, almost disembodied, yet so full of evil that she felt it prickling at her arms. She shuddered, trying to shake off the cloying darkness.
“Yeah.” The Calydon driving the truck glanced in the rearview mirror at her, his eyes black, little bottomless pits of doom. “We got her.”
“Let me speak with her.”
The Calydon holding Lily against the door, dug his fingers into her flesh, bruising her. “Talk.”
She coughed as his fingers squeezed off her air, her mind spinning as she tried to think of what to say. Frank didn’t know she’d translated the knife, or that she’d had time to study it. Maybe she could work it to her advantage if he thought she was clueless. Anything to buy time, to make him underestimate her. “What do you want? Why are you after me?”
“Ahh…Lily.” Frank’s voice drifted through the car. “I’m so glad to hear your voice.”
She could feel the sweat beading on her forehead, and her palms were clammy. “Why? What do you want from me?”
“To sacrifice you, of course.”
Sacrifice? Was that what he called draining her dry for her magic? “For what?”
“I have plans, my dear. You are my ticket. You and Nate’s stone.”
She closed her eyes. “Do you have it?” Lily wasn’t sure how much to reveal she knew, but couldn’t keep herself from asking, “Is Ana with you?”
“Yes, she sought me out. My darling Ana thrives under my tutelage even as I speak.”
Lily’s head began to ache. Oh, Ana, what have you gotten yourself into? “Is she okay?”
“She’s making me proud.” There was no hiding the clear pride in his voice, and Lily grimaced.
Anything Ana could be doing to make Frank happy was not a good thing.
“I assume you know how to read ancient scripts?” he asked.
She glanced at the Calydon in the back with her. He was watching her like a predator scenting his prey, and she shrank back against the door. “Well, some of them…”
“Excellent. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Wait!” she interrupted.
There was a pause. “What?” There was a flicker of irritation in his voice.
“You want to free Ezekiel, don’t you? Is that what you’re doing?”
There was a longer pause. “Why do you ask?”
“I won’t help you do it. You’ll never be able to harvest my magic. Find someone else. Don’t waste your time with me.” A last ditch effort, but it was all she could think of. It wasn’t as if she had any leverage.
There was a murmur of amusement. “Oh, Lily. I look forward to the challenge you present. For your information, I figured out the earth component to Satinka magic, so I’ll make sure you have plenty of Mother Nature at your disposal.”
Of course he would have figured that out since the failed attempt to harvest her magic at Nate’s. If he had earth and a Calydon, it would be practically impossible for Lily not to respond. Her magic wouldn’t be that powerful, but Frank could force it out of her on some level.
Her mind flicked back to that horrifying five days when she was seventeen, to that feeling of having her magic stripped
from her, of being helpless to stop it, of seeing those males coming at her, with that gleam in their eyes—
“Not only will you help me free Ezekiel,” Frank interrupted, jerking her back to the present, “but you’ll help me murder a young Calydon named Drew who looks almost exactly like your dead brother.”
Lily’s stomach turned. “Did you kill Trig?” she whispered. “Was it you?”
There was another chuckle that made her shiver. “Did it ever occur to you that you might have killed him yourself, Lily?”
“Me?” she echoed, unable to stop the rise of horror at his question, as he breathed life to the fear that she’d been carrying for so long.
“You. You played with your magic, Satinka, and you interfered in an ancient Calydon rite. Did you really think you could do that and not kill him?”
Her stomach lurched, her body seizing as her deepest fear slammed into her. “No,” she protested in a strangled voice. “I didn’t kill him.”
“Didn’t you?”
Lily clenched her fists, fighting so hard not to lose control. She scrunched her eyes shut, but she could still hear Frank chuckling. It couldn’t be true that she’d killed her brother. It couldn’t. Could it? Memories of that night started to crash back into her mind, and she winced, trying to keep them at bay, unable to cope with remembering. Not right now. “How do you know about me?”
“I’ve been studying Calydons far longer than you have my dear. And everywhere I turned, there you were. So interesting when you showed up at Nate’s that day. So very interesting. Did you ever wonder how you got his name?”
She blinked, trying to understand what Frank was saying. “You set that up?”
“You think major plans such as mine occur overnight? It takes decades of planning.”
Lily went cold at the thought that he’d been manipulating her for years, that he’d been stalking her for so long. “Gideon will stop you. The Order knows about you.”
“The Order is being taken care of. As powerful as they are, they’re no match for the number of warriors I have under my control right now. Even as we speak, the Order is falling.”
Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade) Page 26
