Darkness Arisen

by Stephanie Rowe

  “Hells fire, Ian. That woman deserves more than a tumble on a fucking rock in the middle of the ocean with an audience. She’s an angel, for hell’s sake.” Ry’s voice broke through the sensual haze consuming them, and Alice pulled back, horrified by what she’d done.

  But Ian didn’t release her or even give the slightest acknowledgement of Ry. He kept his hands locked around her waist, his dark eyes seeming to swallow her up.

  Her heart began to race, and suddenly she seemed to have trouble breathing. “I can’t do that again,” she whispered.

  “I need it,” he answered. “I need you, or I will die.”

  A sudden chill broke through her, a sudden panic. “I can’t keep people alive,” she blurted out. “Please don’t count on me for that. I can’t—”

  “Hey.” His voice softened, and he touched his finger to her lips. “It’s okay,” he said softly, his voice low as if it was just for her. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’ll keep myself alive.” He trailed his fingers through her hair, a gesture so tender that her throat tightened. “I just meant that I need a little loving from you.” He flashed her a cocky grin that belied all the strain he’d been fighting so hard before. “Just welcome my kisses like that, and we’ll be on the right path.”

  “I can’t—”

  “You can.” He kissed her forehead once, an endearing tenderness that made her want to cry for what she’d never had.

  Ry made a grunt of impatience, and Alice finally looked over at him. The warrior was standing on the edge of the rock, water streaming from his body. He flashed her a hooded smile that seemed like an unbalanced compromise between lethal violence, dark anger, and deferential respect.

  Once he had her attention, Ry went down on one knee and bowed his head. “My name is Ryland Samuels,” he said. “I’m here to serve you, my lady. Accept my protection, I beseech you.”

  “You’re beseeching her? What happened to ‘kill first and regret never?’” Ian dropped his arm around her shoulders, a proprietary gesture that felt both good and threatening. “Hell,” he said. “You okay, man? I’ve never seen you like this.”

  Ryland slowly raised his head, but his eyes were on Alice alone. The black depths were glittering with something so dark and so evil that it made her skin crawl. “What are you?” she asked.

  “Order of the Blade,” Ryland said. “One of the elite Calydon warriors sworn to protect the innocents of the world from rogue Calydons.”

  “No.” Memories fluttered in the back of her mind. There was something familiar about his eyes, about the shadows moving in them. “You’re not. What are you?”

  He met her gaze, and this time there was no mistaking the flint in them. “Order of the Blade,” he repeated firmly. “And my mission is to take you back to our leader’s mansion where we can keep you safe.”

  She glanced at Ian, who was still relaxed beside her. He had the aura of a man who’d just been well sated from a three day lovemaking marathon, a man who was king of his world and would not be dethroned. Had her kiss done that to him?

  Wow. She must be pretty good.

  “She’s not going anywhere with you,” Ian said. “We’re going to find Warwick.”

  “No.” Ryland rose to his feet. “If she’s who we think she is, the entire future of the Order depends on her safety.”

  “She’s not—”

  Alice held up her hand to silence Ian, curious as to what Ryland knew about her. “Who do you think I am?”

  Ry met her gaze. “The Order of the Blade has a trinity of guardian angels. Someone was trying to murder one of them, Sarah Burns, the angel of hope. According to legend, there are two others. If they get killed, the Order is no longer protected. A race is on to find them before the man trying to destroy us brings them down.” He gave her an appraising look. “I think you’re one of them.”

  “A guardian angel for the Order?” She laughed softly. “It would be a sorry day for you all if I was. I’m one of those angels who can’t quite get it right.”

  Ian raised his brows. “So you really are an angel?”

  “Yes—” She stopped, startled that she’d been able to tell him that she was. The limits that bound her had been inflexible her whole life. No secrets could be shared. No revelations. Just isolation, and, for her, failure. But the rules seemed to be changing now. What was he doing to her? And what ramifications would it have? Sudden excitement rippled through her. Would Ian give her the chance to break free of her angel shackles? Or would he doom her forever?

  Probably doom, he said. It’s a sheva thing.

  She looked at him. “Please get out of my head.”

  No.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re going to be a pain in the butt, aren’t you?”

  Ian grinned. Yeah, probably. Is that so bad?

  “Yes.”

  “Hey.” Ryland rose to his feet. “I’ll call Kane to come here and teleport us. We’ll head back to the mansion—”

  “No.” Alice glanced over at the ocean. “I have to find my…sister.” The lie she’d uttered so easily both to Ian and to herself for so long suddenly felt awkward. If her connection with Ian was such that he could enable her to break through her restraints… suddenly, lying to him felt wrong.

  “Is she an angel, too?” Ryland asked, sudden fire gleaming in his eyes. “Your sister?”

  Alice hesitated. How much revelation would save her and Catherine, and how much would endanger them? Every reveal of angel secrets to outsiders would thicken the taint on her soul.

  Ryland swore, taking her silence as confirmation. “I knew it. She is, isn’t she?” He slammed his fist into his palm. “She’s the third part of the trinity, isn’t she? That’s it. She’s the other one we need to find.” He strode to the edge of the rock and surveyed the horizon, as if he could make her appear by sheer force of will. “What’s her name?”

  She glanced at Ian, uncertain how much to reveal to these warriors. Ian’s jaw was strong and powerful, and there was a determined set to his shoulders. In the moonlight, his stance was unyielding, and he was watching her intently. He was so dangerous to her, but at the same time, there was no denying that there was a connection between them, which was more than she’d had with anyone else in so long. She’d felt his agony when she’d died, and she knew his response to her was genuine. Could she trust him?

  Warwick killed my father, Ian said. I will not rest until the wrong is righted. You know that. He let her feel the raw determination of his words, his commitment to his cause.

  It felt exactly the same as her own need to track down Catherine, her own need to find the wizard. A commitment that would not die for either of them until it was over, no matter what else happened between them.

  She could trust him, with that at least. Can I trust your team?

  Warwick might be the one targeting the Order. If it’s him, they’ll help. Ian glanced over at Ryland. We’ll need their assistance against him.

  Alice took a deep breath, fear warring with the need for help. Alone, she had no chance. With the Order of the Blade at her back? Maybe the nightmare could finally end.She took a deep breath and made her decision. Anything was worth the risk to help Catherine. Okay. She turned to Ryland as Ian locked her more securely beneath his arm. “My sister is Catherine Taylor,” she said. “And yes, she’s an angel.”

  Ryland spun around to face her, intensity burning in his eyes. “Is she part of the trinity? Are you?”

  She hesitated, and then gave the only answer she could. “I don’t know.”

  *

  Ian studied Ryland’s tense body language, and a rising sense of frustration filled him. What the hell did Ryland know? More than he’d been sharing. “Ry. You need to fill me in on this shit. I need the details.”

  His teammate ignored him, still focusing on Alice. “What kind of angel are you? What kind is Catherine?”

  “Hey.” Ian strode across the rock, stepping in front of Ryland and blocking his view of Alice. “What the
hell is your problem? It’s Cardiff who is after the Order, isn’t it? You saw his horse, didn’t you? That’s why you’re cutting me out, because you think I can’t handle it.”

  Ry gave him a cursory glance, revealing nothing. “Fitz, you’re a non-entity right now for the Order. You’re a liability. At any moment, you could kill yourself, and you see nothing but your own goals. We can’t afford that right now. When I said you’re out of the loop, I didn’t just mean that you’re off the front lines. The team took a vote. You are no longer an active member of the Order of the Blade.” His eyes glittered. “I gave you a chance when I let you go after Alice just now, and you took that to align with her on your own mission, not the Order’s. Trust is over. I’m calling it in.” There was no regret in Ryland’s eyes. Just the hard commitment built on a life of anger and torment that had consumed him for so long.

  “Hell, man. I’ve been tracking Cardiff for six hundred years. If he’s involved, you need me.” Fury built inside Ian, disbelief that the Order was cutting him out. “I’m one of the best fighters the team has ever had.”

  “You were, before you fell victim to the curse. I know you’re good. We all know you’re good. But right now, you’re not mentally fit. You’re a danger to us all, because we can’t afford to count on you.”

  Ian stared at him. “Of course you can count on me—”

  “Can we? You think?” Ryland met his gaze. “You still want to know what you missed?” He gave Ian his full attention, his eyes blazing. “We went out in those woods with Kane and Sarah. There was a madman in there, and he took Thano. Fucking took him!”

  “What?” Ian was shocked by Ry’s revelation about their youngest Order of the Blade member. Thano was only thirty-five years old, but the cocky kid was one of the best warriors he’d ever met, and he always kept a sense of humor the rest of them seemed to have lost. “Took him? What does that mean?”

  “It means, you selfish bastard, that this giant pit of hell appeared out of nowhere and sucked Thano into it. I got a good look down its throat, and there was nothing but living hell down there. Everyone else thinks he’s probably dead.” Bitterness flashed in Ryland’s eyes. “I won’t believe it until I get proof. Thano’s too irreverent to die easily.”

  Ian swore, running his hand through his hair. He couldn’t believe no one had told him that Thano had been kidnapped. Then again, Ryland was the only one he’d seen recently, and Ry had clearly decided to keep him out of the loop. “Where is he? What was the hole? Who has him?”

  Ryland shrugged. “The demon who was trying to kill Kane is gone, but there was another male there at the end. Kane saw him, and he was the one leading the show. Once I get the angels secured, I’m going to find that bastard and get Thano back.” Bitterness blazed in Ry’s eyes. “If you’d been there, we could have saved him. We didn’t have enough firepower. You’re out, man. You’re fucking out.”

  Son of a bitch. Ryland meant it. And Ian didn’t blame them. Not entirely. By not being there, he’d weakened the team and exposed Thano. Bitterness coursed through him, bitterness for the curse that had taken so much from him and his ancestors already. “The team voted? Or is this one of your unilateral decisions?”

  “The team. It was my unilateral decision to give you one more chance, and you blew it.” Ryland turned away and faced Alice, who had been watching them intently, listening to the conversation. “You’re coming back with me,” he said. “You need to be protected.”

  Alice stiffened. “I’m not going back with you. I need to find my sister—”

  “I’ll find her,” Ryland said. “I’ll track her down—”

  “She’ll kill you,” Alice interrupted. “You won’t be able to get near her—”

  Ian raised his brows at her claim. “Kill him? What kind of angel is she?”

  Alice glanced at him, and said nothing, making Ian even more curious.

  “No one can kill me,” Ry said. “Not unless I choose to die. I don’t have time to deal with Ian’s shit or your loyalty.” He held out his hand. “Come with me, Alice. I swear on my mother’s soul that I will ensure your safety in a way that Ian never can.” He glanced over at Ian, and pity flickered briefly in his eyes. “Sorry, man. But the Order trumps. Gideon and Quinn will decide if you’re fit to be reinstated, but I wouldn’t lay any bets in your favor right now.”

  Ian felt a ripple of energy in his mind, and he realized that Ryland had reached out mentally to their team. Had he called Kane? Kane Santiago was the only one of their team with the ability to teleport. He could be there in a split second, and he would be able to take Alice and Ian with him.

  The last time the Order had deemed Ian unfit, they’d locked him in a dungeon for three months to keep him alive. This time, they hadn’t simply deemed him unfit; they’d actually stripped him of his membership on the team. What would that translate to? Tearing his weapons out of his arms? Chaining him up again? Jesus, the Order was falling apart now that Dante wasn’t around to hold them together. You didn’t do that shit to teammates. You just didn’t. You had to have faith in them.

  He needed to be out here, on the front lines, with Alice, finishing this off. He’d been a part of this team for six hundred years, and his ancestors had all been premiere Order members. The Order was his future and his fate. It was the honor of his family. He couldn’t be cast out. Dealing with the curse supported the Order’s cause because it was to protect one of their best team members. Didn’t they get that?

  But as he looked at Ryland’s stoic face, he realized the answer was no. The Order couldn’t see past the failure in the woods, the loss of Thano. Son of a bitch. The curse was doing worse than killing his male lineage. It was stripping them of the very last bit of honor that they’d clung to: membership in the elite Order of the Blade. “Is the decision made?” He’d heard rumors of people being stripped of their Order status for good, but he’d never seen it happen, never heard any actual evidence of it really occurring. What the hell was going on?

  Ry met his gaze for a long moment, and regret flickered on his face. “Fitz, you’re putting personal agenda over the greater good. It’s been too many times, and at too great a cost. They can’t afford to count on you anymore. You’d do the same in their position. You know you would.”

  Jesus Christ. He’d failed the Order? Ian closed his eyes, stunned by the revelation. Shocked by how far things had fallen. If he went back there and they separated him from Alice…nothing would be fixed. He’d still be chased by the curse, fighting a losing battle to stay sane, and unable to focus on the one thing that mattered to him: the Order.

  Fuck. There was only one option. To not go home until he’d proven himself the warrior he was. Until he’d broken the curse, freeing him to focus on the Order.

  He had to disobey a direct order. There was no other option. Alice?

  She jerked her gaze to him, but as usual, didn’t answer telepathically.

  They’ll stop us from going after Cardiff.

  She looked sharply at Ryland, who was inching toward her, still jawing on about how he would serve her and protect her.

  Kane Santiago will be here momentarily to teleport us. There is no way to stop him once he touches us. Our only out is to not be here when he arrives.

  She met his gaze, and grim determination darkened her expression. She gave a slight nod.

  Satisfaction thrummed through Ian at Alice’s agreement, at her unwillingness to yield to the Order’s demands. It took courage to go against the Order of the Blade. You’re my kind of woman, Alice.

  She wrinkled her nose at him, but a small smile curved at the corners of her mouth.

  Ian did a quick inventory of their options. There really weren’t many. Jump off the rock. The ocean will swallow us up. No scent. No sight. They won’t be able to find us.

  For a moment, she hesitated, and he knew she was remembering how violent the ocean had been. How it had been trying to kill her.

  I don’t have time to die either, he said softly. I�
�ll keep us alive. I can do it.

  She looked at him, and he saw the emotions warring inside her. Should she trust him alone, or put her faith in Ryland and the rest of the Order? Was aligning herself with the entire team a better choice for finding her sister? She wouldn’t do that…but when she looked at Ryland again, Ian stiffened. Would she really choose to leave him? She would. He knew she would. His own sheva would walk out on him if she felt it furthered her goals. It was impossible that she could have that ability, but somehow, she did. His sheva was not bound to him the way she should have been—

  Ian felt a faint disturbance in the atmosphere just behind him. Kane was coming! Time was up. Now! He leapt across the rock toward her, urgency making him move faster than Ryland had time to react to. He held out his hand to Alice as he sprinted toward the edge of the rock.

  He wasn’t going to stop. He wasn’t going back to the Order. Alice. He thrust all his urgency into his voice. Come with me.

  “Hey!” Ryland’s outraged shout echoed through the night. “Don’t pull this shit, Fitz!” Ryland lunged for Alice, two men reaching for her, trying to claim her.

  For an agonizingly long moment, she didn’t move, her gaze going frantically back and forth between them. Ian didn’t hold back. He just ran for her, his hand outstretched, willing her to reach out. Come on, Alice. You trusted me enough to make love. You asked me to find you when you died. I did.

  Her gaze locked on his. I asked you to find me?

  Yes. He was almost to her now, only a fraction of an inch ahead of Ryland. He couldn’t slow down or he’d be caught. It was now, or never. Alice!

  He raced past her, his hand still outstretched toward her, and she didn’t move. She didn’t take his hand. Shit—

  Ian! She lunged for him, and he reached back, his hand clamping around hers just as Ryland reached for her. Ian yanked her forward, and Ryland’s hand brushed down her back, his fingers grasping only air.

  Ian had no time to prepare her as they careened off the edge of the rock, freefalling a hundred feet into the still-churning ocean. It howled with fury, reaching up for them as they fell. He hauled her toward him, fighting to control their fall as they plummeted down.