Elijah knew the moment Ana committed to the kiss from the way her body melted into his, and the softness of her mind as she dropped her shields and stopped fighting. It felt so right to have her in his arms, to have her legs wrapped around his hips, her core pressed up against him. He wanted to get closer, get tighter, kiss her more deeply until she knew nothing but him, nothing but his touch, until the entire world simply disappeared, leaving them utterly alone, with none of the shit chasing them.
Just them.
Nothing else. Just the feel of her smooth skin against his, the heat of his mark on her arm, her scent all he could smell, her body all he could feel, her—
Elijah felt a pulse of darkness in his mind, and he jerked his head up, his forearms tingling. Adrenaline shot through him. Ezekiel.
Ana sucked in her breath. I felt that. She quickly unwrapped her legs from around his waist and slid down.
Elijah called out his throwing stars and yanked Ana against his side, unwilling to shove her behind him until he knew where the threat was coming from. The air was thick and heavy, almost noxious, and the earth was crusty beneath his feet.
He pressed his hand to the wall of the prison, and felt Ezekiel’s presence strongly from within, but also Drew’s. What was emanating from the prison wasn’t enough to justify what he was feeling. Elijah quickly scanned the parched earth for footprints, or any indication of a presence, but saw nothing.
But he sensed Ezekiel’s energy pushing at him. He felt a burning need to take down the wall, to—
A heavy hand came down on his shoulder, and Elijah spun around. He thrust Ana behind him as he raised his throwing star, weapon ready before he’d even completed the turn.
And there he was, in front of Elijah. The face of a young man housing the eyes of an ancient evil. Ezekiel. Elijah knew instantly who it was, and his entire being swelled with rightness and connection. “Son of a bitch!” He slammed his weapon at the Calydon, but before he could make contact, the world began to shimmer and fade.
Crap! Ezekiel was teleporting them! Elijah shoved Ana away from him to try to keep her from being caught in the spell, but as his fingers trailed over her skin, he knew it was too late.
The world fell away, sucking them both into Ezekiel’s trap.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The instant they reformed in the new location, Elijah hurled his throwing star directly where Ezekiel had been. But the Calydon was gone. The weapon hummed harmlessly through the empty space where Ezekiel had been standing and crashed into the gold-inlay wall of a room of such historical opulence that Elijah felt he was transported back in time.
Shit, since when could Ezekiel relocate at will? Kane was the only Calydon Elijah knew of who could do it.
Keeping Ana tucked against his side, Elijah recalled his weapon and spun around to track Ezekiel, then something slammed him hard in the face, and he went down, blinding pain ringing in his head.
Ana let out a small gasp and dropped to the floor beside him, her hands on his face, putting her body between himself and Ezekiel. Elijah? Are you okay?
His head still reeling with the agony, Elijah managed to grab Ana around the waist and drag her to his other side, so he was between her and Ezekiel again. Never put yourself in front of his weapons again, he growled at her. My heart can’t take it.
But you’re hurt!
Am not. “Bastard.” Elijah clutched his throwing star as he lurched back to his knees, trying to track Ezekiel long enough to throw his weapon. The room kept blinking out of focus, and dark patches were floating through his vision. Elijah slowed down and focused on Ezekiel mentally. Their minds connected, and he knew exactly where the Calydon was. “See ya, old man.” Elijah unleashed his weapon, commanding it to find its mark.
It hit flesh with a soft thud and a grunt of pain.
“Will you please calm down? I’m not here to fight.” Ezekiel’s voice was so pleasant and so familiar that it sent chills down Elijah’s spine.
A kindred spirit. Oh, hell. Because that’s what he wanted to feel, all sorts of brotherly love for the scum who’d tried to destroy the world.
Elijah turned his head toward the voice and saw Ezekiel standing above him, gazing at him with the face of a young kid in his late teens…a kid with eyes that carried thousands of years of wisdom and power, eyes that he recognized, somewhere deep in his soul. Ezekiel was wearing a pair of black velvet pants, a silk shirt and shiny black boots. His hair was long, swept up in a tie of black leather, and his face was clean-shaven. There was blood dripping off his palm, as if he’d caught Elijah’s throwing star barehanded, with hardly any injury at all.
Elijah recalled his throwing star, and it vibrated in Ezekiel’s hand, but didn’t return. Oh, man, that wasn’t good. No Calydon should be able to trump another’s connection with his own weapon. What the hell were they dealing with here? So many curveballs that he hadn’t seen coming.
The ancient warrior was watching Elijah with a faint hint of amusement curving the corners of his mouth. “Need this?” Ezekiel tossed the throwing star at him.
Elijah caught it, rocking back on his heels as the quick action brought on another wave of dizziness. Ana’s hands went to his shoulders, to steady him, and his head cleared somewhat. He could feel blood streaming down his face and neck, and he had a feeling his cheekbone was fractured.
For a moment, his gaze met Ezekiel’s, and Elijah felt recognition pulse deep inside him. For the family he’d never had…
Elijah!
Ana’s sharp voice cleared his head, and he instantly hurled both throwing stars at Ezekiel. He aimed for the chest, injecting them with as much speed and power as he could summon. They whizzed through the air—
Ezekiel caught both of them in one hand, one eyebrow arched. “Faster than I would have expected, even from my own bloodline.”
Oh, shit. Again, not good.
Ana tensed beside him. Did you throw at half-speed or is he that fast?
Hell if I know what’s going on right now. Elijah held out his hand and willed his weapons to return. This time they snapped free of Ezekiel and slammed home…because he’d out-willed Ezekiel or because Ezekiel had let them go? Assuming this really was Ezekiel. There was no doubt the body was of a young male, but the spirit was brimming with the essence of the warrior Elijah had sensed behind those prison walls so many times.
All too aware of the number of illusions that had accosted him lately, Elijah fisted his weapons and took another, very careful inspection of the man before them. He had to make damn certain who he was dealing with.
Their assailant’s body was lean and gangly, that of a new Calydon who hadn’t come into his powers. This was no doubt the physical manifestation of Drew, but the air was thick with Ezekiel’s darkness. Elijah cocked his head, his mind calming and his heart rate slowing as he descended into battle mode, utterly focused on assimilating all information before taking action. “I take it you’re Ezekiel,” he said conversationally, even while his mind worked at a high octane speed.
Ezekiel gave a sweeping bow. “At your service, my dear cousin.”
Elijah ignored the blood dripping off his shattered cheek and stood. He grabbed Ana and tugged her to her feet, keeping her behind him. She tucked her hand in the waistband of his jeans, her hand pressed against his bare back so they had contact, but she was out of the way if he needed to use the throwing star on that side. “Where are we?”
“A lovely hotel in downtown Portland. I’ve been using it as my lodgings while I’m in town.” Ezekiel cocked his head and eyed Elijah. “You certainly are powerful, are you not?”
Elijah shrugged, then scowled when he saw Ezekiel eyeing Ana. Possessiveness roared through him as he moved his body to block Ana from view. “She’s mine.” His voice was low and lethal, making it clear that she was off limits.
“I gathered that.” Ezekiel took a few steps to the side so he could see her. “She’s quite lovely. I’ve been watching her.” His gaze went to Elijah, who had just mo
ved in front of her again. “I’ve been watching you both. I think we need to have a chat about your decision not to take down the prison wall, don’t you?”
Ana tensed against him, and he felt a slight rise in air pressure that made him start to sweat. Ana, sweetheart? You okay?
The air pressure leveled off again. Sorry. I’m having trouble not letting my illusions rise. Fearing for my life tends to bring them on. You know, stress and all that. I’m finding this a little stressful right now.
It’s a walk in the park. Relax and have an ice cream. A demon flickered in the air over Ezekiel’s right shoulder, its glowing eyes fastened on Elijah’s gut. Shit. I’m starting to snap.
Ana immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled tight against him, giving him full body contact. Whatever you’re seeing right now isn’t real. It’s an illusion. There’s no one here but you, me and a certain bastard who needs to be killed.
Elijah gripped her arm, opening his mind to hers so he could feel the beauty of her spirit filling him. Yeah, he also felt her panic and fear, but he plunged past that to the core of her being, to the place of such purity, his oasis and salvation. The demon faded away, but the air pressure continued to rise. Ana. You’ve got to pull it together.
Trying.
Elijah put his arm around Ana and tugged her closer, even as the contact began to make something inside him itch in response to the rising pressure within her. He knew if she did an illusion when they were this closely connected, he’d have no defenses at all. I’ll keep you safe. You don’t need an illusion to protect yourself from him.
His mind was blinking now. He concentrated on the feel of her body against his, drilling all his focus onto the sensation of her skin against his, the hot silky warmth that eased the snarl in his head, using their tight physical connection to try to control the rising storm she was stirring inside him.
Ezekiel raised his eyebrows, his eyes studying them carefully. “Illusions won’t work on me, Ana, so no need to torture Elijah by losing control.” He cocked his head. “Didn’t you notice that your illusions never worked on Nate?”
Elijah felt Ana tense at Ezekiel’s use of her name, at Ezekiel’s familiarity with her past with Nate. How did he know that, Elijah?
Ezekiel nodded as if she’d answered him, and Elijah felt a thread of darkness in the mental connection he held with Ana. He realized Ezekiel was connecting mentally with her. Put up your shields, now! Elijah quickly helped her weave mental safeguards, and he felt the air pressure relax again as he helped bolster her defenses, giving her a sense of security. Satisfaction pulsed through him at the thought that her need to do an illusion to protect herself had faded with his presence and strength, that she’d felt safe enough for her natural instincts to subside because he’d been protecting her.
Or maybe it was simply the distraction of realizing Ezekiel knew too much about her, about things that had happened while he’d been locked up, that had diverted Ana from the illusion.
Nah. He’d go along with the theory that he was her hero. He liked that much better.
“Resisting illusions is a little secret I shared with Nate.” Ezekiel smiled and held out his arms. “Go ahead, give it your best shot.”
Elijah tightened his grip on Ana, but she was already shaking her head. “No.”
“No?” Ezekiel’s body went very still, and his eyes went wide with surprise and raw lust. “Say that again. Let me hear your voice again. It’s like music, like magic, like the sun’s rays awakening the earth from a long dark sleep.”
Oh, I don’t like how he’s looking at me. Ana immediately pressed her lips together and stepped back.
Fuck him. Elijah’s forearm burned with fury and ownership, and he moved in front of Ana, his fingers clenched around the throwing stars. Fury raged through his mind, and he fought the need to charge Ezekiel, knowing he couldn’t take him. Not yet. Not without a plan. If he did, he would fall, leaving his mate unprotected. “Back the fuck off,” he snarled. “She’s mine.”
Ana was shocked by the raw fury in Elijah’s voice, by the tight coil of his muscles, by the darkness vibrating off him. She knew instantly he was on the verge of losing control, of charging Ezekiel with no plan and no strategy, the complete antithesis of everything he’d been as a warrior for five hundred years. Because Ezekiel had looked at her?
The most wonderful feeling of security and belonging swelled inside her. She wanted to slide her arms around Elijah’s waist and bury her face in his chest and—
“No, no! Say it again!” Ezekiel strode across the room and lunged around Elijah, grabbing for Ana.
She yelped, but before she could blink, Elijah had yanked her out of Ezekiel’s reach and thrust his body between them. “Stay away from her,” he snarled, his lethal anger sending ripples of cold through the air.
Ezekiel’s eyes were dancing with anticipation. “Let me smell her!”
“No!” Elijah moved so fast she couldn’t even see him move. One second he was standing there, the next moment his throwing star was plunging toward Ezekiel’s throat. Ezekiel shouted and moved so fast he was a blur. A three-pronged sai flashed through the air and sank into Elijah’s chest.
“Elijah!” Ana tried to catch him as he slumped to the plush carpet, all three prongs of the sai buried deep in his flesh. His face was taut with pain, the air in his lungs rattling as he tried to breathe, blood seeping through his shirt. “Oh, no.” She dropped beside him, tears filling her eyes at the agony on his ashen face. “What can I do—”
Ezekiel grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet. She stumbled over Elijah, managing to kick off her shoe and press her bare foot on his belly, fighting to keep skin to skin contact with Elijah as Ezekiel held her in front of him.
Ezekiel snatched her hair and yanked her head to the side, and then pressed his face to her neck.
“Get off me!” She slammed her knee into his groin.
He grunted, then smiled at her. “Well, well, well, my little sheva. It is lovely to see you with such spirit. You will be a perfect match for me.”
“For you?” Her stomach roiled at the possessiveness of his expression. “I’m Elijah’s sheva.”
Ezekiel snorted. “Do not lie to me. My spirit knows my mate when I find her.” He gripped her hair, his eyes blazing. “I can feel your purity in every breath you take. You are the woman I’ve been searching for. You are the one!”
“No!” She shoved her arm in his face. “Look! I carry Elijah’s brands!”
Ezekiel’s gaze flicked to her arm, and his faced darkened as he grabbed her by the wrist. He shoved up her sleeve and stared at her arm, his body vibrating with rage. He rubbed at her skin, his nails scraping over Elijah’s marks. “No! This is impossible! We cannot possibly have the same sheva!”
There was a loud grunt of pain from below them, and she looked down to see Elijah rip the sai out of his chest, then he groaned and rolled to his side as blood streamed down his chest. Oh, no. “Elijah!”
She jerked her arm out of Ezekiel’s grasp, and he released her, his face contorted in rage. She quickly sat down on Elijah, straddling his hips, and pressed her hand to his chest. He turned his head slightly to look at her, his eyes hazy, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Loud gurgles were rattling in his chest, and she felt her heart constrict with panic. What can I do?
We need to get out of here. I have to go into the healing sleep. My body’s already shutting down. Blood’s filling my lungs. I think he pierced my heart as well.
She glanced at Ezekiel. He was pacing the room, hands flying, talking furiously to himself. The anger was radiating off him in thick heat. He whirled to face them, set his hands on his hips and stalked over to them, glaring down at Elijah. “My brother is dead, brought down by the very people he sought to help. He and I could have been so powerful together if he hadn’t turned on me. You are supposed to be his replacement!”
Elijah’s breath was bubbling now, and she clenched his hand. “You have to let
us go.” She couldn’t keep her voice from breaking. “Elijah’s dying.”
Ezekiel looked at Elijah, realization dawned on his young face, and then he cursed. “Damn you, Elijah! It was supposed to be different this time! You were the one who survived! You were the one that was chosen! We were going to be a team. I was going to do it differently this time. I wasn’t going to steal your woman, but then you had to mate yourself to my sheva! You know I can’t stand back and let you have her!” Ezekiel screamed, a noise of frustration and rage, but not insanity.
It was nothing like Elijah’s screams, but it was full of such evil that her skin crawled and she wanted to cover her ears and run before it could infect her. Ana was shaking with the need to run from the monster looming over her, but she couldn’t leave Elijah. Wouldn’t leave him, no matter what.
Ezekiel stopped screaming and crouched next to Elijah. His breath was musty and heavy, and her stomach lurched from the stench.
The ancient Calydon set his hand on Elijah’s chest, and cursed. “It will all be ruined if you die now. Stay here. Heal. I—” He swore again. “I need to regroup and figure out how to handle this. I’ll be in touch.” He pressed his fingers to his lips and laid them on Elijah’s ashen forehead. “Be safe, brother.” Then he looked at Ana, and his eyes darkened with need. “I will be back, sheva. One way or another, you will be mine. There is no other way. It is our destiny.”
Then he was gone, vanishing from sight as he teleported away. The air lightened, and Ana felt his presence disappear from her mind. Elijah shuddered with relief, then passed out, falling immediately into the Calydon healing sleep.
He hadn’t even bothered to ask if she was going to stay there with him.
He knew she would.
He was right, of course.
But Ana wasn’t waiting for Ezekiel to come back for them. Not after that announcement. Not with Ezekiel’s words ringing in her ears. They so needed to get out of here.
Darkness Surrendered (Primal Heat Trilogy #3) (Order of the Blade) Page 19
