Darkness Possessed (Order of the Blade)

by Stephanie Rowe

  He didn’t argue.

  She was right. They had to vacate, and fast.

  Swearing, Zach broke into an easy run, keeping pace as Rhiannon ducked through the jungle, moving fast to get them away from where José would soon be. As they ran, a dark feeling settled on Zach. The man he needed was on his way to the fire right now, and what was he doing? Running away like a coward instead of facing him.

  Except he wasn’t a coward. He knew he wasn’t. He was a warrior who knew when he’d been beaten, and he wasn’t a fool. They could not defeat José. Not right now. To stay would be to fail, and he would not fail again.

  But as he followed Rhiannon deeper into the jungle, he felt an invisible noose begin to tighten around his neck, a familiar feeling he hadn’t felt in centuries, not since the night he’d held his dead family in his arms and realized that there was no way to defeat the enemy.

  Today it was a different enemy, but failure would have the same result: the death of someone he was supposed to protect.Something had to change, or Thano would die…and Rhiannon would become José‘s prisoner once again.

  No. He could not allow that to happen.

  But what the hell could they do against a force like that?

  He knew what they needed. They needed his fire, and they needed it fast. The fact he couldn’t so much as sneeze a spark?

  Yeah, that was going to be a problem.

  ***

  Jordyn didn’t want to admit it. She really didn’t. She prided herself on being independent, self-sufficient, and able to take on any challenge.

  But there was no way to deny it. Faking it any longer was just not going to help her situation. With a sigh, she set down her backpack as Eric walked up to her. The man still looked fresh and spry after six hours of hiking, while she felt like her shoulders were going to break off and fall to the earth, forever decimated by the assault of the too heavy backpack.

  “You find something?” Eric asked.

  His deep voice rumbled through her with the same intensity that it had every time he’d spoken over the last six hours. She’d tried to ignore it. She’d tried to lie to herself. She’d tried to hum loudly to drown out his voice. She’d tried reminding herself that he was a flirt who was probably the world’s worst boyfriend. Nothing had worked. The fact was simply that she thought he had the sexiest voice of any male she’d ever heard in her life. She just liked to hear him talk, and she’d been goading him on all day just to hear him respond.

  “No.” She plopped down on her backpack, giving up on asking her legs to hold her up any longer. “I’m lost.”

  “You are?” He looked around at the dense vegetation surrounding them. “That’s odd. You seemed like the type who would be able to flawlessly navigate a billion acres of unfamiliar jungle without a map or a compass.”

  She eyed him. “I’m too tired, hungry, thirsty, and discouraged to deal with sarcasm.”

  “I’m not being sarcastic. I meant it.” He settled his dark brown gaze on her. “You know you’re impressive, don’t you? You’re sexy as hell, yeah, but you’ve got something else going on. If I were Rhiannon, I’d be damned glad to have you on my side.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You’re making fun of me.” She waved her hand at the jungle. “I know that I screwed up. We’re lost. I don’t know where to find her. And I don’t need you making me feel bad.”

  “Hey.” Eric strode across the ground and crouched in front of her. He propped his forearms over his muscular thighs, which made his biceps flex. The man was solid muscle, and with his dark hair, dark eyes, and sculpted jaw, he was incredibly good looking. “Do I look like I have trouble attracting a woman’s attention?”

  Her cheeks flamed, and she jerked her gaze off his pecs, which were visible beneath his slightly-too tight gray tee shirt. “No,” she said.

  “Exactly. I could be a complete ass and still get pretty much any woman I want. So, why would I waste my breath complimenting you if I didn’t mean it?” His eyes glittered. “I’ll be honest with you, Jordyn. I’m not that poetry-writing guy I mentioned earlier. I have no tact. I have no use for pretty words. I say whatever’s on my mind. Life is too short to play games, so I don’t. If I say it, you can be assured I mean it.”

  Her heart fluttered at the raw intensity of his voice, and the depth of his stare. His gaze was boring into her, unflinching and unyielding. “So, you never lie? Is that what you’re saying?”

  He hesitated, then shook his head. “Nope. I’ll totally lie if it serves my purposes. But that’s different.”

  She blinked. “Different? How? You just said that you won’t say it if you don’t mean it, but then you said you’ll lie if it serves your purposes. How do those work together?”

  He looked at her as if she had two heads. “Because I like you. I wouldn’t lie to you. I only lie to people who I don’t trust. You’re important to Tristan, you obviously care about him, and you’re risking your life to save your friend. That’s all I need to know about you. You’re good. You don’t get lies from me. Ever.”

  He said it like it was the most logical thing in the entire world, as if she were insane to think that there was even a remote possibility that she would get anything other than honesty and trust from him. It was his absolute conviction in the logic of his words that convinced her that he meant it. She could trust him. The realization sent relief cascading through her, and she even had an insane urge to smile. The man actually, truly thought that she was competent enough to traverse the jungle without a map or a compass and find Rhiannon without batting an eye? He did. And she liked it. “You’re a little insane,” she commented, finally breaking into a smile. “You do realize that, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I do.” He didn’t move. He was still watching her, still crouching only less than a foot from her knees. He was so strong and physical, such an immense presence that he made the massive jungle seem cozy and intimate. “But as long as you get me, it’s all good. You with me?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You mean, do I believe that every word you utter to me will be the absolute truth, and I can completely trust you, even though you’re a total stranger and probably very dangerous to just about everyone you encounter?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Exactly. You with me?”

  She grinned. “I think I must be as insane as you are, because yes, I think I’m with you.”

  “Awesome.” He held out his hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

  She regarded his hand warily. “Is this just an excuse to touch me?”

  He broke into a grin then, a lecherous smile that seemed to light up his face. “Of course it is. I’ve been walking behind you all day, checking you out. I know you’d stab me if I made a grab for your ass, so I figured I’d start slow with a handshake and gradually lure you under my spell, until you beg me to rip off your clothes and make mad, passionate love until we’re both too exhausted to do anything, except make love again.” He nodded at his extended hand again, as if she might be too blind to see it hovering inches from her thigh. “So…shake on it?”

  She knew he was trouble. She was well aware of the raw potency of his effect on her. She wasn’t blind to the fact that he was determined to get her naked as soon as possible, despite the fact they were both in hot pursuit of people they cared about.

  She was absolutely certain that touching him was the worst idea in the entire world, if for no other reason than because it was going to make him think that he had her right where he wanted her.

  But she couldn’t help it. The man was just too damned tempting. She wanted to shake his hand, and feel his fingers slide over her bare flesh. She wanted to feel the heat of his skin against hers. She wanted to let his strength wrap around her.

  As much as she wanted all that, however, what she wanted even more was to never relinquish control to a man again. So instead, she leaned forward, so that her breasts were less than an inch from his fingertips. She held that position for a moment, watching his eyes darken and his jaw tighten as he fo
ught not to look down and inspect her cleavage.

  “Eric.”

  “Yeah?”

  “The only one who will ever be begging for sex is you,” she said.

  For a moment, there was nothing but heated silence between them. Then a slow grin spread across his face. “I don’t beg.”

  “I don’t either.”

  His grin widened. “Then I guess we’re never going to have sex.”

  “I guess not.” The tension sizzling between them was electric. “So, we’ll just have to go save Rhiannon and Tristan instead.”

  He didn’t pull back. “We could do both. Fast sex. Save the day. More sex to celebrate the victory. We could fit it all in. An effective warrior knows that downtime is critical to keeping his…or her…edge.”

  “Then you’d have to beg, though.” She held her breath, wondering if this arrogant, macho male would dare to drop his façade long enough to actually put her in charge. If he begged, what would she do? She’d be tempted. It had been so long since a man had ignited her interest like he did. He completely fascinated her.

  He shrugged, a slow, sensual lifting of his right shoulder. “Would you be worth it?”

  She bit her lip. “Probably not,” she admitted. The man exuded sensuality as if he were made of it. There was no way she could deliver what he was used to, but it was pure, decadent fun to pretend.

  His smile grew wider. “A challenge. I like it.” He leaned forward until his mouth was almost touching hers. “One kiss, Jordyn. Just to see.”

  Chapter 12

  She swallowed. “We need to find Rhiannon.”

  “I know we do.” His lips were so close that they brushed against hers as he spoke. “I’m not actually going to have sex with you right now. Not until Rhiannon is safe. Not because I’m some moral guy, but because once I get my hands and mouth on your body, I’m not going to want to go anywhere else for at least a week. Maybe two. Fast sex would come later. I couldn’t do a quickie right now, not with you. But I want a kiss. One kiss.” She could feel his breath on her mouth. “I’m begging you, Jordyn. One lightning-fast, devastating kiss.”

  Her heart was hammering. “I don’t kiss men anymore. I don’t like men.”

  “Then that’s convenient, because I’m not really a man.”

  She stared at him. “You mean, you’re a Calydon?” She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I don’t kiss Calydons. Men. Whatever. You fit both categories.”

  “Actually, I fit neither.”

  She nodded at the brands on his arms. “Then those are…what exactly?”

  “Magic.” He waved his hand over them, and they vanished, leaving behind unmarred flesh. “I lied to the guys I’ve been with for the last year.” He moved his hand again, and they reappeared. “Nice, huh? Took me a while to get them right. I can even do the black light thing with my swords. It’s good shit.”

  “Oh…” She looked at him with new interest. Not a Calydon? That made him infinitely more appealing. “So, not a Calydon? And…not a man?” Instinctively, she looked down, and saw a large bulge in the front of his jeans. No, definitely a man. She looked back at his face. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean…” His hand slid around to the back of her head, his fingers a sensual caress on the back of her neck. “I’m all male, but I’m so much more than what you think.” Then, in a move so quick she had no time to resist, he pulled her against him and kissed her.

  His mouth was hot. His tongue was decadent. His kiss was pure intoxication.

  And she loved every single bit of it—

  Cold metal suddenly pressed against her cheek. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw that they were surrounded by five hooded warriors holding swords. The tallest one had his sword tip against the back of Eric’s head, and the others were all pointed at them…except for the one digging in to the side of her face.

  She went still, her heart hammering when she saw the brands on the warriors’ arms. These were Calydons. Holy crap. José? Had he snuck up on her while she was stupidly letting Eric seduce her? God, what an idiot she was!

  “You left,” the tallest one said.

  “I did.” Eric’s hand tightened around the back of her neck, pulling her closer instead of releasing her. “If you don’t remove that sword from this lovely woman’s cheek, I will kill you all.” His voice was pleasant, but edged with steel that made her body clench with absolute delight.

  She couldn’t deny it. She was a sucker for a man with a protective instinct.

  The other warrior seemed to hear the same edge, because the sword was instantly pulled back from her face. With a rush of relief, she realized that this crew must have been the team that Eric had referenced, the ones he knew.

  So, these guys weren’t the enemy, and they weren’t José. Relief rushed through her, and she started to pull back from Eric, embarrassed to be caught in a clinch with some man she didn’t even know.

  He shook his head and tightened his grip on her, as a slow, predatory smile curved his mouth. “Just so they know you’re under my protection. This crew is so untamed that they need to know that.”

  “What are you talking about—?”

  He kissed her again before she could finish the question. Not a quick kiss. A kiss just as decadent and thorough as the one before. Heat plunged through her, a mindless, searing heat that seemed to tear through every cell of her body. She was just sagging into his ridiculously strong frame when he broke the kiss.

  He grinned at her. “That was fun. I like fun stuff like that.”

  She felt her cheeks heat up at his cheeky attitude. Dammit. She should have had more discipline than to succumb to his kisses. “Shut up.” She finally managed to extricate herself from his grasp and turned to face the others.

  The leader still had a sword pressed against the back of Eric’s head, but since he wasn’t concerned about it, she wasn’t going to be either. She set her hands on her hips and surveyed the warriors. Five of them. All well-muscled, all wearing melodramatic black cloaks that hid their faces, all of them holding matching swords that made them look like some expensive striptease group. She had too much experience with Calydons not to be tired of their macho attitude. “It’s old, guys. Really old. Just be normal.”

  Not a single one of them tossed back his hood.

  Eric tossed his arm around her shoulder in a casual statement of possession, which she sidestepped quickly. He shot her an annoyed look, making her grin as she turned to the tall and silent crew surrounding her. “So, have any of you seen a woman with black hair wearing a red amulet? I’m looking for her.”

  The five warriors stared at her. Well, they appeared to be staring at her. It was difficult to tell with the hood-thing going on. Or maybe, they were just napping. Either way, no one was answering her.

  Eric turned toward the leader. “I’m out, Rohan” he said. “I have somewhere else to be.”

  Rohan shook his head. “Not now. We need you.”

  “You always need me. I gotta go.” He picked up his duffel and swung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go, sweetheart.”

  She ignored the endearment, and slung her backpack over her shoulder, staggering several feet when the weight of it landed on her beleaguered body. These guys weren’t going to be any help, and if they weren’t going to be useful, she did not want to be around them. She knew too much about Calydons to want to prolong her time with them.

  “No.” Rohan set his sword in front of Eric, blocking his path. “A warrior under my command is fighting for his life right now. No one leaves until he’s safe.”

  Eric turned his head to look at him. “We can’t do anything,” he said quietly. “It’s up to Zach. Taking down a fire god is outside our skill set, and you know it.”

  “No.” Rohan stepped forward, his muscular thighs clad in some sort of black fur. “We have to try.”

  Jordyn cleared her throat. “Um, well, you guys have some stuff to work on, so I need to go.” She began to back toward the jungle…then stopped when she realized she
had no idea at all where to go to find Rhiannon. She still couldn’t believe she’d lost Rhiannon’s trail. She was usually so much better than that. “Does anyone know where a guy named José lives in these woods?”

  Five heads turned toward her, and this time she was certain of it. “You know José? The fire god?” Rohan asked.

  “Um…” His question had just a little too much edge to it to make her think it was casual. She glanced at Eric, wondering whether this was one of those truth times, or lie times. He shook his head slightly to indicate the latter. “No,” she said. “No, I don’t know a fire god.”

  Rohan laughed softly. “You’re a poor liar. How do you know him?”

  She bit her lip. “I want to play croquet with him.”

  Eric coughed.

  Then she cocked her head at Rohan, suddenly thoughtful. “Why? Do you know him?”

  Silence.

  “Whoa.” She turned around so she was facing him directly. “You do know him, don’t you? Where is he?”

  “He’ll kill you,” Rohan said.

  A cold fear ripped through her belly. This was the man Rhiannon was going after? The one that Eric didn’t think five Calydons could defeat? Oh, Lordy. “Then it’s even more important that I find him,” she said.

  No one responded, but Eric was watching her with great interest.

  Their macho silence infuriated her. “Dammit. I am so tired of Calydons.” She dropped her bag and untied the bazooka from it. She turned and aimed at Rohan. “Tell me where to find him. My friend needs help.”

  Eric was grinning now.

  “A gun won’t hurt me,” Rohan said.

  “No, I know that. But the powdered demon bile in it will.”

  There was silence, and then all five of them burst out laughing. Apparently, they had no clue about the effect of powdered demon bile on Calydons. Too bad for them.

  Eric, however, wasn’t. He was looking decidedly interested. “You have powdered demon bile in there?”