Darkness Awakened

by Stephanie Rowe

He crouched in front of her, his hands gentle on her upper arms. "Madison. Look at me."

  She raised her gaze to his, latching desperately onto the determined expression on his face. "What now?" she whispered. "How long until you go rogue?"

  "I'm not going rogue." He took her hand and turned her arm over. "Look at your marks."

  She didn't want to—

  "Madison!" His voice was soft, but unyielding. "Look at your arm, sweetheart."

  She dragged her gaze down to the arm, staring numbly at the thin silver lines on her arms. It was an exact replica of Ajax's mark, except it was silver instead of black. Also, the lines were thinner. But it was his brand to perfection.

  She was his, marked as such until she died.

  Ajax ran his thumb over the mark, and his touch seemed to ease her fear ever so slightly. "See how thin the lines are? Like Luke's?"

  She nodded, her mouth too dry to speak.

  "We're not fully bonded yet. If we were, they'd be black and thicker, like mine. Death must be offered." He took a breath, and she became aware of the intense discipline he was exercising to keep her out of his thoughts, making her wonder exactly how freaked out he was by this.

  "What do we do now? Separate?" Her stomach tightened at the thought of separating, but she didn't have time to take back her suggestion before his grip tightened reflexively on her arm.

  "No way." His face was grim, his voice rough. "Don't even suggest it."

  She stared at him, shocked by the intensity of his voice, the utter blackness of his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

  He blinked, then swore and released her, dropping his head to his hands. His shoulders expanded as he took a breath, and then another one.

  She could feel the energy humming between them, sensed his fragile hold of control, and didn't dare interrupt.

  It was several minutes before he lifted his head.

  "What was that all about?"

  He grimaced. "The bond. It made me crazy to think of separating from you." He rubbed his hand over his forehead. "This is going to be a challenge."

  A sinking feeling pooled in her stomach. "How many couples have bonded this much and not died from it?"

  "Doesn't matter."

  "It doesn't matter? How can you say that? I—"

  "I'm strong. You're strong. Their fate is irrelevant."

  "But—"

  "No." His expression became cold and hard. Determined. "We're going to make this work for us. I can track you no matter where you go, so if this guy gets you, I'll find you. My weapon is yours to call, to protect yourself with, whenever you need it—"

  "What?" She held up her hand to stop him. "Your weapon is mine to call? What does that mean?"

  "You can call it, just like I can." He took her hand and inspected her palm. The skin was new and pink, freshly healed, even though it had been blackened and peeling such a short time ago. "Plus, I can heal you." He studied her. "How do you feel?"

  She'd forgotten that she'd been dying. Weird to forget that, but she had. She took inventory of her body, and then frowned. "I feel fine." She looked at him. "Did you do that? Heal me?"

  He grinned. "Yeah. I wasn't sure it would work." His gaze met hers. "I'm glad it did."

  Heat fused her cheeks at the intensity of his gaze, and her belly tightened. "Me, too." For a moment, they simply looked at each other, both of them remembering what they'd had to do in order for Ajax to break down her barriers.

  She broke the spell first. With an awkward clearing of her throat, she looked down at her hand, remembering what had happened, why they'd ended up in this situation in the first place. "What happened to me? I felt—"

  His fingers tightened on her hand. "You were dying."

  She blinked at his confirmation. "From what?"

  "From—" He paused and turned his head, listening.

  "What?"

  "Xander's approaching. He must have tracked me when I contacted him."

  Madison's heart started to hammer. "We have to go, then, before he can kill us." She stood up, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around her, because it didn't feel like the best idea to put her contaminated clothes on again. "Let's go!"

  But Ajax didn't move from his crouched position.

  Madison nudged him with her knee. "Ajax?"

  He handed her his T-shirt to put on. "Wear this until we get extra clothes from Zion's."

  Relieved to have actual clothes, she pulled it over her head. It came to her mid-thigh, and smelled deliciously like him. "We're leaving, right?"

  He shook his head. "He needs to know."

  "But—" She thought of Zion's request, and knew he couldn't abandon the Order now. She respected that, but at the same time, living to see another day felt like a good plan. "Wouldn't it be safer to tell him from a distance? How do you know he isn't going to try to kill you before you can talk? That he doesn't have the rest of the hunters with him?"

  He pulled out his sword, took her hand and began striding back toward the river. "I don't."

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  While he waited for Xander, Ajax paced restlessly by the campfire, keeping Madison and Luke where he could watch them. Luke had one of his weapons out, but Ajax knew the kid was no match for the Order.

  But they wouldn't kill Luke without a reason, so he was safe.

  Unlike Madison.

  Unbidden, his attention went to her again, to the mark on her arm. His mark. The mark had haunted him for centuries. To him, it had always been the symbol of his uncle killing his family, and then Ajax having to kill him. It was the symbol of the Order's mindless adherence to rules he didn't believe in.

  But seeing it on her arm gave it new meaning. It made a sense of peace settle over him. A feeling of completeness. Of satisfaction. He'd never thought he wanted a woman, especially a sheva, but now that he'd met her, his whole world felt as if it had righted itself.

  She was right for him. He'd known it from the start. Her courage. Her loyalty to her sister. Hell, she'd been willing to try to kill him to save her. She was terrified and brave as hell at the same time.

  And soft. There was a softness to her that reached inside him and called upon the protector side of him. Hell, he'd even washed her hair for her. He could still feel the silkiness of the strands, and the trembling of her body as she fought to contain her fear of the malachite. She'd trusted him to help her, and he loved that.

  He managed a rueful smile, realizing the path his thoughts had just gone. How long had it been? Less than a day? And she was already under his skin.

  She was wearing a pair of Luke's jeans and one of Ajax's spare sweatshirts from his truck. She was leaning against the log he'd been sitting on earlier, eyes closed. She looked tired, but not afraid. Trusting him to keep her safe while she rested.

  He liked that she trusted him to protect her, even out in the woods with the Order on the way. His right hand curled into a fist, and he knew he'd do whatever it took to keep her safe from his team if it came to that. But he had to believe it wouldn't. He wouldn't have stayed with them all these centuries if he truly believed they were the monsters he liked to say they were.

  They had honor. They had morals.

  He just hoped it would be enough when they realized Madison was his sheva.

  She was exhausted. He knew she'd been drained the minute she'd shown up at his house, and they'd been going hard ever since.

  "Ajax." Her eyes were still closed, surprising him that she was awake.

  His chest relaxed at the sound of her voice, at the sound of her saying his name. "Are you all right?"

  She nodded. "I was just wondering what time it was."

  He looked at his watch. "Almost two in the morning." He didn't miss the way she bunched her fists, the tightening of her jaw. "Why?"

  She opened her eyes, looking at him through sleepy, half-closed eyes. "Can we try tracking Ashley now?"

  He wanted to give her whatever she needed, but he knew they would be better off if he had allies with him, his t
eam on his side. He had to know if he could count on them. "I want to talk to Xander first. Once I start tracking her, we'll need to move fast. I want to be ready for whatever we encounter. Did you have any more memories about the Illusionist that your parents knew?"

  She sat up, grim determination on her face as she ignored his question. "I don't want to wait. Every minute puts her in more danger."

  Ajax frowned. "We're stronger if we wait for the team."

  "Unless they kill me. Or you."

  He swore. "They can try, Madison, but they won't succeed. Xander won't fight me for real, and the others? I can take them." He walked over to her and crouched in front of her. He touched her arm. "Do you see that mark?"

  She put her hand over it. "Of course I see it—"

  "I'm already a protector. But now?" He met her gaze, showing her his truth. "The need to keep you safe is stronger than any emotion I've ever experienced in my life. I would go rogue to save you, Madison. Not even a team of Order members would be a match for me if I was fighting for your life." He stopped, startled by the words he hadn't planned to say. But he realized they were the absolute truth.

  Scary as hell, but the truth.

  She searched his gaze, trying to see if he meant it. He waited, needing her to understand that she was safe. He'd already figured out she'd spent a lifetime on the run, and he wanted to give her space to slow down, to breathe, to relax. After a long moment, she nodded, and her shoulders relaxed almost infinitesimally. "Do we really need them?"

  He nodded. "If we're dealing with who I think we are, yes. If he's the one coming after you—" Adrenaline rushed through him. "I want my team behind me if we're going to be hunting Bezoar."

  "Bezoar?" Luke leapt to his feet. "That's who this is about?" He shot an alarmed look at the woods, and jumped when an owl swooped across the sky.

  Madison frowned at Luke's nervousness, then returned her gaze to Ajax. He liked that she was focused on him, relaxing into the strength he was offering her. "Who's Bezoar? What does he have to do with me?"

  Luke walked closer to Madison, a polearm in his right hand. "According to what Zion told me, Bezoar was a Calydon, the first of his kind, along with his brother, Caelin. He can poison the earth, and the mind, and everything else."

  "He's an Illusionist?" Madison asked.

  Ajax caught Xander's scent. He moved to stand behind Madison, where he could protect her and watch for threats. He believed he could convince Xander to trust him, but he didn't know who else was coming with him. If the hunt was coming here, having a sheva raised the stakes.

  "No, not an Illusionist, though he did have some of those on his payroll." Luke sat next to Madison, still scanning the woods nervously. "He was basically evil personified and could infect anything he wanted, like a poison. He could kill plants merely by being near them, and he could make people turn on each other. Poison the mind. Mothers killing their kids, stuff like that."

  Madison tensed, and glanced behind her to make sure Ajax was still standing close. "Was he rogue?"

  "No," Ajax said. "He had no excuse." A stick cracked off to his left, and Ajax moved forward until Madison's back was against his legs.

  Luke started talking faster, getting caught up in his story. "His brother, Caelin, was the only one as powerful as Bezoar, but he wouldn't raise his weapons against his own brother. Then Bezoar met Caelin's wife and became obsessed with her. He stole her and tortured and raped her. Caelin went insane with rage, and he rounded up twenty of his strongest warriors. They beat Bezoar and his massive army. Caelin couldn't bring himself to kill his brother, so he set Bezoar up in this metaphysical prison. And he's been there ever since, festering in his own evil."

  Black light flashed in the woods to Ajax's right, and he heard the swish of metal through the trees behind him.

  Xander was there.

  Then he heard the whisper of movement to his left, and he knew that Xander had brought others with him.

  The acid of betrayal burned in Ajax's throat as he set one hand on Madison's shoulder, and called out one of his swords. He felt her tense, and she looked up at him. He squeezed her lightly, but didn't take his gaze off the woods. How many had come? If I need to fight, you run for the truck. Just drive and get the hell away from here. I'll find you.

  Madison looked sharply at him as he slid the keys into her hand. But—

  It's a trap. Set by the one warrior he'd thought he could still trust.

  "After defeating Bezoar, Caelin went rogue, and he started killing all the innocents he'd rescued, contaminated by the same evil that had consumed his brother," Luke continued, unaware of the rising threats around him. "His sheva killed him, dying in the process. Only then could life as a whole begin to rebuild." Luke looked at Ajax. "That band of twenty-one men was the beginning of the Order of the Blade, right? The first of the sheva destiny."

  "But there's no Caelin this time," Ajax said grimly. "Just us." He grabbed Madison's arm and pulled her to her feet. "Sheathe your weapon, Luke."

  "What? Why?"

  "Do it." Ajax shoved the kid to the ground. "Sit. Look unthreatening," he said quietly. "Draw no fire, and then when Madison starts to run, grab her, and run to the truck. Madison has the keys."

  If Luke ran like hell, none of the Order would be able to catch him. There were no Runners in the Order.

  Luke's eyes were wide again, and he sat back down. This time, his weight was on the balls of his feet, ready to run.

  Ajax turned with Madison, scanning the woods. "She's under my protection," he shouted.

  Madison pressed back against him, and he could feel her heart hammering against his chest. Now?

  He squeezed her hand once. Not yet. Wait it out. I want to give them a chance.

  "The kid is Zion's son," he yelled. "He must live."

  The woods were silent. Not an animal moving. Not a scent carried on the wind.

  Ajax waited, could feel the energy of the Order all around them. They were flanked, and he'd allowed it to happen because he'd needed to stay close to Madison. He took a step, fisted his sword—

  Madison wrapped her hand around his wrist, stilling him as Xander materialized out of the darkness and the fog, stepping into the circle of the fire. His bulk cast large shadows across Luke, who was still sitting on the ground. Xander was unshaven and his blond hair damp from the warm night. His blue eyes swept over Madison before he looked at Ajax. "You called?"

  "I did." Ajax pulled Madison tighter against him. He could hear the whisper of sound behind him and knew the Order was moving into position. Xander was the ambassador. The others were waiting for the signal to take Ajax out. "We've got issues."

  "Are you ready to surrender?"

  "Hell, no. Listen to me. Things have changed—"

  "Dammit, Ajax. Stop being an ass—" He stopped suddenly and sniffed the air. His muscles tensed as his eyes went to Madison, a reaction so subtle Ajax wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been waiting for it. "You marked her."

  Ajax's brands tingled and his muscles tightened. "Yeah."

  I'll take care of her. Xander fisted his gleaming, double-sided throwing axe. Stand back—

  "No!" Ajax shoved Madison behind him and had his sword at Xander's throat before Xander had finished raising his weapon. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him to plunge the blade deep in his blood brother's throat, to protect his mate. Xander's eyes widened, and Ajax knew he saw the deadly promise in his eyes. "You hurt her, and I'll kill you." He kept his voice quiet and controlled, but there was no way to hide the threat.

  And he didn't want to. Xander needed to know that Madison was under his protection.

  "Listen to yourself, Ajax. You're defending your sheva. The bond's changing you." Xander's voice was equally as calm. Equally as lethal. "Step aside and let me kill her."

  Kerrick emerged from the woods on his right, his flange mace ready.

  Madison moved closer to him.

  He caught her arm with one hand and pulled her against his left side,
while pressing his sword harder against Xander's chest. Tell them not to touch her, or everyone dies. She needs to live. For the Order. Not just for me.

  Xander snorted. Since when do you care about the Order?

  Ajax held his gaze. Things have changed.

  The skepticism on Xander's face faded, replaced by surprise.

  There was a flash, and then Rajak appeared beside Ajax, his scars gleaming. His arm was cocked, ready to release his spiked flail, the twin metal balls glistening in the fog, his eyes dark and merciless.

  Ajax had his second sword at Rajak's throat in an instant, his body quivering with the need to shove his sword into Rajak, to take him down. He forced himself not to make the move, not to cross the line, remembering his mother's ring in his pocket, the woman at his side. "Back off," he growled.

  Xander raised his hand, and everyone stopped. Waiting.

  Madison's hand curled over the waistband of his jeans. Tell them about Viktor. He looked down at her, and she nodded. They need to know that things have changed.

  Grimly, he directed his attention to Xander. "Viktor's dead. He's dead."

  Xander stared at him, his face going expressionless. "Shit."

  Ajax nodded, fighting down a sudden swell of his own emotions. He tightened his jaw and told them what happened.

  "Fucking bastard." Xander's face was drawn, his jaw tight.

  Rajak and Kerrick looked stunned, and that pissed Ajax off. "If you assholes hadn't driven him off at Faulk's, he wouldn't have been out there to be killed. We could have protected him and—"

  "Back off," Rajak snapped. "We were doing our job, and if you'd done yours, we could have contained him right there. You're the one who escalated it. If you'd learn for one second to work with the team, you'd realize that it's your going solo that screws it up every time, not us."

  "Hey!" Xander stepped between them. "We don't have time for this! This guy is still out there, and we need to stop him before he kills someone else!" He turned toward Ajax. "You're not leaving. No more chances, unless you give us a reason not to put your ass in the ground where it belongs."

  The other Order members shifted, weapons ready.