Read Darkness Awakened (Primal Heat Trilogy #1) (Order of the Blade) Online
Authors: Stephanie Rowe
Darkness Awakened (Primal Heat Trilogy #1) (Order of the Blade) (43 page)
With any luck, Nate would think they were all under the influence and get careless. The illusion attack showed that Nate had been expecting them, ready to manipulate the whole team. Quinn’s instincts began to tingle, and he knew danger was imminent.
Almost here.
About damned time,
Ryland said.
I’m bored as hell
.
The forest grew quiet, except for the pounding of the rain on the leaves, on the pine needles. Animals stopped moving, and even the wind seemed to stop.
Shadows emerged from the trees just in front of Quinn. Two Calydons. Neither of them were Nate
. Incoming. Not Nate. Stand down ‘til we locate him.
The pair moved almost silently through the woods toward the clearing where Gabe, Zach and Drew waited for them. Where was Nate? He had to be there, somewhere. Quinn had a feeling they’d be in serious shit if they didn’t find Nate before he pulled the trigger.
Anyone have a bead on Nate?
All answers were negative.
Ana braced herself as Nate faced her, a smile on his face that made her stomach lurch.
She was drenched from hours of standing in the woods, waiting for the Order to show up. Her legs were shaking, her body was icy cold, and she was so hungry her stomach was killing her. Her ankle was shattered, courtesy of Nate’s rage after she’d tried to get away on their way here, and now she had no hope of escaping. She couldn’t even walk, let alone run. The pain had settled into a numb throbbing, except when she accidentally moved it.
Tears burned in her eyes, and she knew she was beaten. There was no escape.
Then she thought of Lily back at Nate’s place. Waiting for Ana to come back for her. She recalled the broken look in Lily’s eyes even as she’d gripped Ana’s shoulders and given her the strength to fight.
Ana clenched her fists and set her jaw. The marks on her forearms burned, and she knew she wasn’t alone in the woods. Elijah’s spirit was still with her.
I won’t let you down, Lily.
“Everyone’s waiting, my darling,” Nate said. “Are you ready?”
She shifted her weight, trying to keep her foot off the ground, and gave no answer. Yes, she was ready, but not in the way he meant it.
Nate grabbed her arm and yanked her over to him, forcing her weight onto her broken ankle. She yelped and fell to her knees, then gasped as he pulled her to her feet again, forcing her to step on her right foot again. The forest blinked out of focus, as her ears began to buzz.
No, Ana. You can’t pass out. You have to stay conscious.
“No fainting. I need you conscious to do your thing.” Nate tossed her to the ground and his knife appeared with a sharp crack. The night hummed as the Order members honed in on the sound, trying to track it.
“They heard that,” she said. “They’ll find you.”
“Not in these woods. They’ll never be able to pinpoint it. I’m playing with them.” Nate grinned. “And go ahead and yell, my dear. I want them to hear your pain. Those Order boys are so protective of innocents. It’ll be a nice distraction.”
Ana bit her lip. Was he telling the truth, or would her screaming help them find Nate before he could kill them? Or would it lure them to him, one by one so he could pick them off? “I thought Frank said I didn’t need to do an illusion.”
Nate shrugged. “I know what needs to be done. Not him.” Then he got that look on his face, that one that made her body start to shake in fear.
Ana scrambled backwards across the ground and her ankle twisted, sending shards of pain through her body. She shouted for help as she fell over the underbrush, trying to run, knowing Nate would grab her whenever he got tired of watching. He knew now that her anticipation of what he would do was as powerful as the actual beating, because her emotions were what caused the illusions, and he was intentionally goading her into terror.
Ana yelled for help again when he didn’t stop her. The Order was all around. She’d never get a better chance than this one. This was her moment. It was now, or die.
Please let someone hear me.
The marks on her arms flared, and she gasped at the feeling of them searing her skin. Then Nate stomped on her ankle, and she forgot about everything but the pain.
* * *
Grace’s heart stopped as Ana’s screams rent the night. “Ana!”
She immediately dropped to her belly and wriggled along the branch until her feet hit the one below her, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold onto the branches.
Did you hear her? Quinn, did you hear Ana?
I’m on my way.
I’m coming.
She winced when a branch dug into her belly, and she eased down to a lower branch.
Stay in the tree! Two Calydons are right near you! Dammit to hell, Grace! Stay in the damn tree!
Quinn’s fury hit her so hard she jerked and lost her grip. She grabbed for the branch, but her fingers slid off the mossy bark. Branches ripped at her face as she crashed through them, landing hard in the mud, her face sinking into the thick sludge. The cold mud oozed into her mouth. She slithered up to her knees, slapping at her face to get the mud out of her nose and mouth so she could breathe.
Grace!
I’m okay—
The underbrush rustled and a beefy Calydon stepped out of the bushes, a long, curved knife clenched in his fist. “Who are you?” he demanded.
She scrambled backwards, the mud sucking at her feet as she tried to stand up. “Grace Matthews. Ana’s sister. Take me to her.”
He lifted his head and sniffed. “You’re a
sheva.”
His eyes narrowed, and dark hostility made his face contort. “An Order of the Blade
sheva
.”
“Um...” So, yeah, kind of thinking that wasn’t a mark in her favor right now. “We’re just friends—”
“The Order killed my brother after he met his mate.” She saw the rage in his eyes, the anguish for the loss of his brother, and the unrelenting, soul-deep hatred of the Order.
She was startled by the sudden realization of how the Order was treated in their world. Hated by their own kind, hunted, and having to live with the knowledge they killed brothers and friends day after day. Funny how that was almost exactly the life she lived as an Illusionist. No wonder Quinn hardened himself so much. That was the same lesson she’d learned. “I’m so sorry about your brother,” she said. “I really am.”
“You probably are. It’s not your fault you belong to one of them.” He touched her jaw. “Just like it wasn’t my brother’s fault he found his mate.”
But there was no comfort in his words or his touch. Rage burned deep in his eyes, and his body nearly vibrated with the hatred of the Order. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him.
She caught her breath as he jerked her sleeve up so he could see her arm. “You’re almost fully bonded.” He scanned the woods, and she knew he was searching for Quinn. “The bond’s strong enough that it’ll destroy him if he loses you now.”
Um, Quinn? I think I’ve got a problem.
Almost there. Stay alive.
Trying.
The warrior met her gaze. “He’ll feel loss unlike anything he has ever experienced before. He’ll suffer, as no man should ever suffer. Except for a man such as him.”
Grace knew there was no point in running, or trying to escape. She’d have no chance against him. Her heart was pounding, but she faced him, knowing that words were her only defense. “Actually, he’s still planning to kill me, or to have his Order members kill me to keep the bond from finalizing, so really, you’ll just be helping him out.”
The warrior lifted his brows. “Then he is a fool.”
“Yeah, well, that’s true. Quite frankly, they’re a little cold-blooded for my taste, but well, it’s not like I can be choosy right?”
His eyebrows went up. “What?”
“So, yeah, I was thinking, maybe you could piss him off by simply kidnapping me instead? That would still be loss but you wouldn’t have to kill an innocent like your brother. Because if you did kill me, then are you so different from them? Really?”
“It’s not the same.” Apparently unconvinced by her logic, he gripped his knife and thrust it toward her heart—
Oh, crap—
Quinn’s sword appeared in her hand with a crack. She didn’t even have time to register it before she plunged it deep into the warrior’s abdomen before she could think. “Oh, God.” She dropped the sword and staggered back as he grunted and went down on his knees.
His tragic eyes focused on her. “I’m not the enemy,” he whispered. “Your mate is.”
“I’m sorry.” That damn sword was so bloodthirsty! Why did it have to kill everyone? What was wrong with this stupid world? Why was there so much violence? Why did everyone try to solve their problems by killing people?
A roar of outrage bellowed through the air, and she whirled around as a second Calydon rose up out of the bushes, his arm cocked to hurl his spear at her—
“No!” Quinn burst through the trees, his palm extended as his sword shot off the ground by Grace’s feet and slammed into his hand. He shoved his sword into the warrior’s chest just as he threw the spear at Grace. Her assailant crumpled lifelessly to the earth as Quinn called his weapon back, his eyes fastened darkly on her face.
Grace’s body swelled with an intense heat, a longing so unbearable she gasped. She was consumed with a sense of completeness so overwhelming that tears burst free and streamed down her face.
Then Quinn was on his knees before her, pulling her into his arms, kissing her so fiercely and so deeply that she forgot everything else. She sank into his mouth, desperate for the feel of his tongue, crazed by the powerful grip of his hands on her hips. Deeper, harder, he kissed her, consuming her until there was nothing left of her. His hands on her breasts, all over her body, desperate to touch her. She buried herself in the hardness of his body, desperate to be closer to him, to consummate the emotions burning inside her—
He broke the kiss and held her face, his dark eyes searching hers, brimming with a passion and a possession so deep that it reached out and consumed her. “It’s done,” he whispered.
“The bond. You killed for me.” She pressed her face to his neck, inhaling the scent that was him...the scent that belonged to her, for always. “You’re mine.”
His fingers tangled in her wet hair and he tugged her head up. “I’m yours,” he agreed, his voice rough and ragged. “For now, and for always.” Then he kissed her again, and it was a kiss of deep love, of an eternity of connection, of a commitment that never, ever again would she be alone, even in her dreams, even in death.
He pulled back, streaks of rain glistening on his cheeks, rivulets matting his hair. His face was grim, but his eyes were raging with such commitment and such love that she knew she would be safe forever.
Which was the greatest illusion of all.
Quinn’s face darkened at whatever expression he read on her face, and she saw the warrior come to life. No longer the man afraid of his feelings. A passionate warrior who understood that the situation had gone critical, and there was no longer any room for fantasies of separate lives or unfulfilled longing. They were in it, and the end was coming for them now. “Screw destiny. We’re not giving up.” Quinn stood up, then grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on.”
Another scream rent the night, the agony of her sister’s torment. “Ana!”
Quinn shoved Grace forward as he looked behind them, his sword clenched in his fist. “There are more Calydons coming. Go find Ana, but
don’t
confront Nate.” He pointed her in the right direction. “I’ll catch up.”
She hesitated. “Be careful.”
He swept his arm around her waist and kissed her hard. “Always for you,
sheva
.
Always for you. Now go!”
Grace turned and ran without another word.
Grace had left Quinn far behind when she heard the distant clash of weapons, and she knew he’d found the Calydons that had been chasing them. Fear knifed through her and she stumbled, terrified for his safety. She hesitated, fighting the compulsion to go back and help him as the bond tried to force her to eschew all but Quinn from her heart.
No. She would not give herself over to the manipulations of some force that deemed itself the goddess of the universe. Grace scrunched her eyes shut and forced herself to picture Ana as she’d been in Elijah’s
mjui
. Battered, bleeding, lost.
Grace welcomed the rush of anguish for her sister. She breathed in her fear for Ana, her guilt that she hadn’t been able to protect her, her agony at the idea of losing the only member of her family she had left. She didn’t try to be brave. She didn’t try to hold off the pain. She let it fill every inch of her spirit, igniting every drop of grief that she’d been hiding since her parents had died, filling herself with her love and commitment to her sister.