Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade)

by Stephanie Rowe

  Destiny was taking over. The bond complete, Gideon’s destiny was to lose his woman, go rogue and destroy all they cared about. It was all unfolding exactly as it had thousands of times before. Screw destiny. This was not acceptable! “Gideon! For God’s sake, help me!” She fell past the floor of the pit into the crevasse—

  A firm grip suddenly grabbed her wrist, and she was yanked to a stop. Gideon’s grim face stared down at her from the top edge of the crevasse.

  His eyes were blue. Not red. Not rogue. He was back.

  “You broke through,” she gasped. Destiny required that once he lost his sheva, he would go rogue and never recover, and she’d have to kill him to stop him. But he’d come back on his own. He’d beaten destiny for them both, and he’d cut himself from the high of her magic. He’d triumphed over both of them, for her. She knew in that moment that her big, strong warrior loved her. So deeply. So passionately. Lily knew it in her heart, even if he would never be able to acknowledge it or understand it. She did, and that was enough.

  His eyes were soft and full of love. “I couldn’t let you die, sheva.” His muscles flexed, and he hauled her back up on the ledge, tumbling backwards with her on his chest as the ground shook violently.

  Lily sagged against him, content to feel the hardness of his muscles under hers. She was too weak to do anything other than collapse on top of him. “You saved me because I’m your sheva?”

  “Hell, no.” He framed her face and kissed her hard, his kiss so full of love and commitment she felt her heart swell with passion. “The mere fact you’re my sheva wouldn’t be enough to pull me back from the edge, or other Calydons would have done it too. I broke through the curse because my heart shattered into a million pieces when I saw you falling.” His grip tightened on her, his gaze searching hers desperately. “I love you, Lily, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let destiny take you away from me.”

  She smiled at him, her heart filling with warmth and happiness. This warrior, this courageous, amazing man was the gift she’d been seeking her whole life. He was her everything, her oasis from a past that could no longer torment her, not with Gideon’s love surrounding her. “That must be a very powerful love if it’s enough to defeat a fate that has been unstoppable for two thousand years,” she teased.

  He hugged her. “Yeah, well, what can I say? You won me over.” There was a loud crash as another piece of the ceiling fell to the ground. Gideon rolled over, tucking her beneath him as rubble showered them, rocks beating at his body. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He jumped to his feet and tucked her against him, using his body to shield her.

  Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest as the debris continued to shower down on them. “Did you kill Drew?”

  “No.” Gideon broke into a run, sprinting toward the other Order members, who were staggering to their feet, helping each other up. “He took off when I came after you.”

  She closed her eyes in dismay. Dear God, he got away? “He’s Ezekiel.”

  “I know.” Gideon sounded grim.

  “How can you stop him?”

  He looked down at her. “You saw it, Lily. We can’t.”

  *

  Ana flinched as rocks pummeled her, dropping down from the ceiling of Frank’s office as she continued to scan Elijah’s folder. She brushed the dirt off with her sleeve, trying to clear it enough to read. The Calydons guarding her door had bolted when the first earthquake had hit, and she had remained behind.

  Go.

  She jerked her head up as Elijah’s voice rang in her mind, so solid and certain that she knew instantly it wasn’t her imagination. Elation leapt through her heart. Elijah! It was as if whatever had been keeping him at a distance had shattered, and now she could hear him so clearly. You’re alive! She clutched the folder to her chest as tears filled her eyes.

  Get out. His voice was laced with torment, with agony, and hatred for her. Such brutal, intense hatred, directed at her, but also at himself. It felt as if he couldn’t help himself from warning her and caring about her, but he despised both of them for that fact. Ana knew in that moment that his hatred for her ran too deep. There would never be redemption.

  But for all that, she couldn’t leave him here. He died for her once, and she couldn’t let it happen again. Where are you? Are you here?

  Ceilings… Falling.

  She looked up at the ceiling and saw the cracks spider-webbing through the rock as another loud rumble made her shudder. A boulder dropped from the ceiling and she dove to the right a split second before it crashed down on where she’d been sitting, trapping Elijah’s folder beneath it. She cursed and tried to tug it out as the ground shook again.

  Go. Elijah’s voice was trembling and she could feel his pain.

  No! I need the folder! She sat down, braced her feet against the boulder and yanked on the folder. The rock didn’t move, and the papers tore. She fell backwards, smacking into the desk. She stared at the folder now hidden under the bolder. “Dammit!” She ran over to the rock and shoved her shoulder against it, her feet sliding on the rubble as more debris rained down. She had no chance at freeing the folder.

  Nearly sobbing, she gave up and leaned against the boulder. “After all this, I’m going to fail? Dammit!” She stared at the torn pages in her hand. “Like this is going to do me any good—” She frowned suddenly and started reading more carefully.

  Then her heart started racing. “Oh my God. This is it!” She had what she needed!

  Clutching the paper to her chest, she ran to the door, threw the lock and ran down the hall toward the main pit, stumbling as her cast knocked into fallen rocks. Elijah! Where are you?

  There was no answer, but she knew he had to be in one of the nearby tunnels.

  “Elijah!” She shouted his name as she tripped again, and the paper fell out of her hand.

  It didn’t matter. She’d already read it. She already knew what it said.

  Elijah! Talk to me! Where are you? I’m coming to get you!

  But there was silence again, as if he’d never been.

  But she knew he had. She knew he’d spoken to her. He was here. In the pit. Somewhere.

  A rock landed on her shoulder and she staggered, trying to pick around the debris raining down around her. “Elijah!”

  “Ana!”

  She looked up to see Ian limping toward her. He was bloody and his leg didn’t appear to be working right. “Ian!” she shouted. “Elijah’s here! We have to find him!”

  “We don’t have time. The place is caving in.” He reached her, swept her up and whirled around, limping back toward the pit far faster than she could run with her cast, despite his injury.

  “No!” She fought against his iron grip. “We have to get Elijah!”

  Kane appeared in front of them, and the blood was so thick on his shoulders she couldn’t even see his scars. “I got everyone else out, and the pit’s collapsing. We can’t get back to the coliseum.”

  Ana realized Kane was going to transport them out. “We can’t leave without Elijah! We need him! It’s on the paper.” She kicked hard, and Ian grunted but didn’t let go as Kane reached them. “Take me back and I’ll show you.”

  The ground bucked under their feet and they all looked up to see the ceiling implode down toward them, tons and tons of earth pouring down.

  Her heart dropped and she realized they were going to die.

  Kane grabbed them, and they faded just as the earth smothered the spot they’d been standing on.

  *

  Lily leaned against Gideon as she watched the house that had been Frank’s collapse into a sinkhole more than a mile wide. Dirt and dust flew up in a giant cloud, filling the air as the entire underground structure collapsed and the earth filled in. Lily was wearing Quinn’s shirt, but Gideon hadn’t bothered to find clothes.

  His body had healed miraculously from her magic, but he was the only one in decent condition. The rest of the team was damaged and weak. Decima
ted would be a better word.

  The air was thick with the mood of the Order as they silently surveyed the devastation.

  “Frank’s dead.” Gideon rested his cheek against hers while the other Order members sat in stunned silence, waiting for Kane to reappear with Ana and Ian. “Neither of us died. Destiny didn’t win. We beat it.”

  His arms were secure around her waist, and she was holding him just as tightly. “But Ezekiel is free.” The huge fir trees that had towered over them when they had arrived were brown and shriveled. There were several dead squirrels hanging from the branches, as if they’d died mid-run. There were no birds at all on the land, but flocks of them darkened the sky, the birds squawking as they fled the area.

  Lily dug her toes into the earth, and it felt acrid and dead. It made her skin tighten and her stomach turn. “All this is from him?”

  “All this is from him.” Gideon’s voice was quiet. “It’s the first step to the world’s descent into hell.”

  “We’re fucked.” Ryland wrapped a tourniquet around his heavily muscled thigh, trying to cut off the fountain of blood spewing from his leg. “We’re completely fucked. How the hell are we going to take Ezekiel down?”

  “Get us each our own Satinka and attack at the same time?” Thano said. “How did they bring them down before?”

  “They had Ezekiel’s brother, Caleb,” Quinn said. “Caleb was the only one as strong as Ezekiel.”

  “Well, what was so special about him?” Ryland demanded. “Why could he beat Ezekiel when no one else could?”

  “Because they shared blood,” Lily said. “They were brothers.”

  Gideon rested his chin on her head, and she snuggled deeper against him, needing the reassurance of his touch.

  “So?” Ryland sounded frustrated, and she didn’t blame him. “What difference did that make? If we find that out, maybe we can recreate it somehow.”

  “They shared the same bloodlines,” Lily explained. “That made them equals in combat. The rest of the original twenty-one took down Ezekiel’s men, but it was Caleb himself who defeated Ezekiel.”

  “So, we become as powerful as Caleb,” Thano said. “That’s our only option.”

  “But how?” Quinn asked, pressing his palm to the side of his head as blood squeezed between his fingers and trailed down his arm. “Even Gideon wasn’t strong enough with Lily’s help. I’ve never seen anyone fight the way Gideon and Drew did, and it wasn’t even a challenge for Drew.”

  Kane appeared in front of them with Ian and Ana, who was shouting and pummeling at Ian’s arms. The minute he let go of her, she whirled away from him and ran straight for Quinn and Gideon. “We have to go back and get Elijah!”

  Lily touched Ana’s arm, her heart breaking for her anguish. She could only imagine how she felt losing her mate. Lily knew it would destroy her to lose Gideon. “I’m so sorry, Ana, but he’s dead.” If he hadn’t been killed by Gideon, he was certainly dead now after that collapse.

  “No, he’s not!” Ana protested. “He spoke to me! I heard it in my mind.”

  Lily and Gideon exchanged glances. “Something about the way that place was built prevented mind to mind contact,” Lily quietly told Ana. “He couldn’t have talked to you that way.”

  “But I heard him!”

  Quinn set his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ana. He’s gone.”

  They’d already told Quinn how Elijah had been crazed, and Lily knew neither of them wanted to tell Ana the ugly truth about how Elijah had died fighting his own teammate. Gideon’s pain pulsed at her, his regret and guilt for his role in Elijah’s death. She patted his hand. It’s not your fault.

  I loved him. His voice was quiet, but so heavy with pain that Lily turned in his arms to face him.

  His blue eyes were haunted, and she slipped her arms around his waist. This Gideon was so different than the man she’d first met. No longer was he trying to be the stoic warrior. He was pulsing with emotions, with love, heartache and passion. It was beautiful, and she felt her own soul blossom in response. Pain was hard, for sure. But without it, the soul was empty, and love was elusive, and she knew neither of them would ever be willing to trade the beauty of their love to retreat back into their ordered, emotionless worlds of survival and duty. I know you did. I’m so sorry.

  Gideon gave a small nod, and pulled her against him, resting his forehead against hers. Just your touch gives me comfort.

  As does yours.

  He kissed her softly, his lips warm against hers. I love you, Lily. Everything I’ve been through for the last five hundred years…it was all to take me to this place. To your arms. To bring you into my life.

  She smiled up at him, her heart expanding with joy. Was it crazy that she could feel happy after all that had happened? No, it wasn’t. All the hardships in their lives were what had enabled them to feel this kind of love. She knew all too well that you had to take the good when you got it, even when things were crumbling all around you. I feel the same way.

  “Listen to me,” Ana shouted, drawing Lily’s attention back to her. “For God’s sake, will all of you just listen for one minute?” Her face was streaked with dirt, and she had smears of blood on her clothes. “Elijah can’t be dead.”

  Gideon sighed. “Ana—”

  “He can’t be dead, because I found out the truth about him. I found out why Frank brought him here and kept him alive.” She glanced around at the Order, all silent, all watching, all of them weary. “When I first arrived, I asked Frank if Elijah was still alive, and he said he couldn’t afford to have Elijah die. Why couldn’t he afford to have Elijah die? Does anyone know?” Her face was angry, as if she thought people had been lying to her.

  Quinn was the one who shook his head. “Tell us.” He sounded exhausted and strained, too tired for games.

  “Because Elijah is descended from Caleb,” she announced.

  The Order went still, and Lily sat up, catching her breath. “You’re sure?”

  Gideon tensed against Lily. “The original Caleb, who brought down Ezekiel? That’s who Elijah is descended from?”

  “Yes! He’s not a direct descendent, but he has his blood.” Ana shot challenging looks at the team. “Frank needed Elijah to stay alive in case he couldn’t control Ezekiel after all. Elijah was his insurance to take Ezekiel out, because Elijah is the one who could kill him. Did you hear? Elijah is the one who can stop him!”

  As a unit, the team turned to look down at the rubble still settling. The carnage and destruction was so fast, so brutal, so complete, that the hope died instantly in Lily’s heart.

  “There’s no way he survived that,” Gideon said. “Assuming he was still alive when it went down.”

  “Even if he were still alive…” Gideon’s voice was laced with pain he couldn’t hide and wasn’t even trying to suppress, and Lily hugged him tighter. “He was insane, Ana. There’s no way he would be a weapon now. He’d kill us all.”

  “He’s not insane!” Ana marched over to the rim of the sinkhole and surveyed it, as if she were already assessing how she was going to get down into the cavern and start digging. Passion was radiating off her, a fierce determination that reminded Lily so much of herself, of all those times when she’d summoned the will to survive.

  “He was perfectly lucid when he ordered me to get out. He told me the ceiling was falling.” Ana’s fists clenched. “We have to go back for him.”

  Lily sat up in surprise. “He spoke to you? And he sounded sane?”

  “Well, he sounded tormented and he hates…” Evasiveness flickered in Ana’s eyes. “…Frank. But yes, he was completely aware of what was going on, and that I was in danger.”

  Lily looked at Gideon, excitement building in her at the possibilities. “Since Ana is his sheva, maybe she could make him sane when nothing else could.”

  Gideon exchanged looks with Quinn. “Who the hell knows what a sheva can do? At this point anything’s possible.”

  Ryland moved to stand beside Ana, his f
ace hard with determination. “I’m going after Elijah. If there’s any chance he’s alive and able to function, we have to get him back.”

  Ana grinned and threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Ryland! I know he’s there!”

  The warrior didn’t hug her back, and Lily knew he was thinking only about avenging Dante’s death. Unlike Gideon, Lily suspected there was very little humanity and warmth hidden beneath Ryland’s abrasive and violent exterior, which was no doubt why he was treading so close to rogue. There was nothing anchoring him to sanity. “I’m going in now,” he said. “Is anyone with me?” he challenged.

  Lily glanced past him at the sinkhole. The ground was still shifting and buckling.

  “We can’t go back yet. We’ll get crushed,” Quinn said. “It’ll take days for the earth to settle enough for us to start digging.”

  Ryland ground his jaw, but he nodded in acknowledgement. He turned toward the pit and sat down, as if he were holding vigil over the crater. “I’ll wait here, and I’ll call you the minute it’s safe to search for him.” He called out his machete and rested it across his lap. “You all go back and heal while you can.” He lifted his face to the wind, to the acrid smell of rotting vegetation. “We’ll need all our strength for the battle that lies ahead.” He raised his machete. “I will not fail Dante. I will not let his son be used to destroy all that he worked so hard to preserve.”

  The rest of the Order raised their weapons and shouted Dante’s name and their promise to win.

  There was no other option.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Gideon stopped his truck outside the small red house. It had a quaint little lawn that was mostly weeds, but was freshly mowed. The flowerbeds were half-weeded, as if someone was in the middle of restoring them. It looked domestic and suburban, and he knew he didn’t belong there, in this kind neighborhood, in that kind of house. “This was a mistake to come here.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Lily leaned past him, her hand on his shoulder. “My parents used to be amazing landscapers. They let it go over the last two years.” Her voice was jubilant and excited, so full of life and vitality. “But I can see they’re out here again. They’re taking their life back now. Isn’t it great?”