Hunt the Darkness (Order of the Blade Book 11)

by Stephanie Rowe

  He shoved his hands in front of her face. “Now!”

  There was no other choice, and she knew it. She grabbed the remaining stone encasing his hand and dissolved it, freeing his magic. She had barely finished when he spun around and pointed his fingers at the dog. It stopped in midair and flew back against the wall, transported by an invisible force that she knew came from Vlad. It hit with a thud, and then landed on its feet. It went into a crouch, staring at Vlad as he imitated it, taking an aggressive posture.

  Man and beast stared each other down, and then the demon hound turned and fled, disappearing through an almost invisible crack in the steel.

  They both waited, the only sound in the cavern their heavy breathing as they watched the crack through which the hound had fled. There was no movement or sound.

  Finally, she took a deep breath. “I don’t think it’s coming back.”

  Vlad didn’t relax. “Will it report to the demons that we’re here?”

  She shook her head. “No. The demon hounds are wild creatures. They hunt what little life there is left down here. They’ll even try to feed on demons.” Wearily, she sank down, her legs suddenly giving out. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Vlad glanced at his ring, and she saw him frown.

  “What is it?”

  He walked over to her and crouched in front of her. His nearness made her nervous, but at the same time, her body responded with a longing. She wanted to touch him so desperately, to feel his skin beneath her hand, to know what the curve of his muscles felt like beneath her palm. But she’d already tried to touch him, and she hadn’t been able to. It was no different with him, despite their supposed bond with the ring.

  He held up his hand, showing her the ring encircling his finger. “See how it’s black and purple?”

  She peered at it. It looked angry, almost like poison fermenting on his hand. “Mine looks like that, too. It just happened.”

  “Mine changed a couple days ago, too.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair and he sank down on the floor, leaning against the wall, putting distance between them. It was just a few feet, but it felt like he was too far. She wanted him close, so close that she could feel the heat of his body, even if she couldn’t touch him.

  She had no idea why she was responding to him on such a physical level. Was it just because something about her was shifting, something that had begun with Lucien and Rikker? Was Vlad just the man who happened to be near her at the right time? Or was it something more?

  It was impossible to know, and it didn’t matter. Either way, losing her ability to go incorporeal when a male tried to touch her was so very dangerous. No matter how much she craved the feel of Vlad’s touch, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that a moment of human connection would be worth the risk to her soul.

  He didn’t seem to notice her inner battle, as he pressed his hand to his wounded shoulder, stemming the flow of blood. “The magician who bound us by the rings tracked me down yesterday.” His gaze was intense, scanning the cavern while constantly looking back at her. “He said that it had turned dark because you were in grave danger. I thought maybe it was the demon hound that was threatening you, but it’s still black and purple.” He met her gaze. “What’s going on, Sophie? What’s after you?”

  She couldn’t take her gaze off his injured arm. She could almost feel the pain in her own arm, mimicking his. “Are you okay?”

  He glanced down at his arm and shrugged. “I’m fine. It’s healing already. It’s not like when the demon attacked me. I want to know about you.”

  She wanted to go to him and help him, which unnerved her. Instead, she got up and grabbed a pile of blankets from her stash on the wall and walked over to the unconscious pair. She put a folded one under Maria’s head, and wrapped a blanket around her. “I’m fine.” She was aware of Vlad watching her every move, which should have bothered her, but for some reason, it took some of the chill away from her bones. She put her hand by Maria’s cheek, and frowned. “She’s so cold. She drained herself too much saving you guys. She should be healing by now. It’s been too much.”

  Tears suddenly filled her eyes, and she sank down beside her friend, pressing her hands to her eyes as the reality of their situation surged over her. She was hiding in a cavern with two dangerous men, and her best friend, who was dying, while Lucien, Rikker, and countless other demons were hunting her.

  “Hey.” Vlad crouched beside her, leaning in so his breath whispered against her ear. “I know you don’t want to trust me, but you can. I came here to help you. That’s all that matters. What can I do?”

  She looked up at him, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. “Can you get all of the women in this place across the border into the earth realm? Can you stop a demon king from claiming me? Can you stop the leader of the hunt from making me his concubine? Can you tell me why I’m losing my only defense system when I need it most? Can you heal Maria? Can you do any of those things? Because that’s what I need.”

  He studied her for a long moment, his expression thoughtful as if he were actually considering all the ridiculous things she’d requested. “What does Maria need to heal?” he finally asked.

  She blinked, surprised that he’d managed to discern the one that was most important to her in that moment. It was almost as if he were actually paying attention to her, and it felt good. Too good. Dammit. She couldn’t afford to depend on him. She had to stay strong for herself. Feeling mutinous about her attraction to him, she glared at him. “Sex,” she snapped. “She needs sex.”

  “Sex?” He blinked. “You want me to have sex with her? While she’s unconscious?” He looked so horrified that she burst out laughing, a reaction that broke through the tension threatening to strangle her.

  “No,” she admitted with a smile. “I don’t, actually.” The thought of Vlad having sex with Maria was not a good thought. Maria was far too sensual and beautiful, and she did not want Vlad to notice that about her. And have sex with her? Once he had a lust demon, he’d never want anything else, and certainly not her.

  Not that she was going to have sex with him. First, because she couldn’t, and second, because that was just a foolish thing to do. She’d seen too many times exactly how addicting and disempowering great sex was for women, and there was no chance she’d relinquish that kind of power to a man.

  But that still didn’t mean she wanted Vlad to have sex with Maria. “No,” she repeated, just in case he hadn’t been paying attention. “I don’t want you to have sex with her.”

  “Good, because you’re the only one I—” He cut himself off, and the unspoken part of his sentence loomed big in the gap. He cleared his throat. “I’m not interested in having sex with her,” he said instead, but not before she figured out what he was going to say.

  This time, it was her turn to stare, and her stomach leapt. “You want to have sex with me?” she asked.

  “If I say yes, you might kill me. If I say no, you might kill me.” He rubbed his jaw, eyeing her so warily she almost started laughing again. “I think that it’s in my best interest to pretend that the residual demon poison has killed my hearing again.” He shrugged and pointed to his ear. “Sorry,” he said loudly. “I can’t hear you.”

  This time, her laughter filled the cavern. “You’re such a liar.”

  “Me, never.” He glanced back at Maria. “But what about her?”

  Sophie glanced at Maria. Beside her, the other man was equally still, but the color seemed to be returning to his skin. Even in his unconscious state, he was well-built and muscular, almost a match for a half-lust demon princess.

  “He’s a jerk,” Vlad offered in a conversational tone. “You don’t want him.”

  She glanced over at Vlad, surprised by his comment, then grinned when she saw how cranky he was. Jealous? Of her looking at another man? Tucking a smile behind her hand, she stood up. “I think he would be enough for her. If we can arrange them so they’re touching, she can start to feed off
him while they both sleep.”

  Vlad raised his brows. “Seriously?”

  “She’s a lust demon. He won’t mind. They never do.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “So, when they both wake up, they’re going to be hot and heavy in a matter of seconds?’

  “Hopefully. It’s what she needs. It’s been a while since she’s taken a sexual partner. It has to be consensual, but as I said, men never turn her down.” The moment she said the words, she felt her cheeks heat up. It was easy talking with Maria about sex, but it was completely different to have the conversation with Vlad.

  His eyes darkened, and she felt the atmosphere become intensely sexually charged. There was no way to avoid the truth that she wasn’t the only one responding physically to their connection. She cleared her throat. “So, the bed’s in the adjoining chamber. Let’s put them in there and seal it off.” She managed a smile. “I don’t really want to be in the room when they start having sex, you know?” Oh, God. Was she really having this conversation? But she had to. It wasn’t like she could just avoid it, because when Maria woke up with Gabe beside her, things were going to happen.

  Vlad grinned and stood up. “No, I think that might be a little awkward.” He walked over and picked up Gabe. “Can you get her? I don’t want to be the male holding her when her lust demon instincts kick in.”

  “Oh, yeah, good point.” She quickly picked up Maria, staggering slightly under her weight, then led the way to the next room. There was a narrow bed up against the wall, with blankets piled neatly on it. She’d been furnishing the hideaway for years, slowly creating an oasis for herself and the others if they ever needed it.

  But she’d never thought she’d really need it. It had been more of something to do, a way to feel like she was making progress toward something, instead of sitting around dissolving while the other women suffered. She set Maria on the mattress, and her friend slumped listlessly, her body completely limp.

  Vlad set Gabe beside Maria. The Calydon groaned as his leg brushed against Maria’s, and Sophie felt her cheeks heat up when she saw him roll toward Maria and drape his leg over hers, pulling her into the curve of his body as he wrapped his arm around her and tucked her against him. Maria was utterly still, and she looked tiny and vulnerable in the arms of the massive Calydon. Gabe was clearly still unconscious, but his instinct had been to tuck Maria into the shield of his body anyway. She stared at them, stunned by the way Gabe was trying to protect her. Maria had never had anyone but Sophie to protect her, and Sophie found herself hoping that Maria had also found someone to stand beside her and help her fight. Please let her have found someone to help her.

  Sophie crouched beside Maria and smoothed her friend’s hair back from her face. She was so used to Maria being the badass demon princess, but right now she looked small and frail, almost vulnerable, and it scared her. “Maria,” she whispered. “Please don’t die. We all need you.”

  Again, there was absolutely no response from Maria, and her skin was cold to the touch. Sophie bowed her head and rested her forehead against her friend’s.

  She felt something brush through her back, and she looked up to see Vlad crouching beside her, looking at his hand in confusion. She realized that he’d tried to touch her back, and she’d dissolved where he’d tried to touch her.

  He noticed her looking at him, and put his hand down.

  “I feel like I should get her a demon,” she said softly. “I don’t know anything about Gabe. I don’t know if he’ll be enough.”

  “Calydons are descended from demons,” Vlad said. “He has demon heritage. They’re sensual and need sex. I think it’ll work.”

  She bit her lip, glancing again at the unconscious warrior who had, even in his sleep, pulled Maria protectively into his arms. A demon would be groping her, taking advantage of the fact that a lust princess was defenseless and available, but Gabe’s hands weren’t anywhere near her breasts. His forearm was locked across her belly, his leg was over her hip, and his face was against her hair, as if Maria was a precious soul he would protect with his life even while he was asleep.

  No one had ever tried to protect Maria from anything, but Gabe was. It was sweet, and a part of her wanted to switch places with Maria, and see what it felt like to feel the warmth and strength of a protector.

  “Her skin isn’t as pale as it was,” Vlad said, still crouched right beside her, so close that his shoulder was almost touching hers, but not quite.

  She glanced at Maria, and noticed the faintest hue to her pale skin. Her heart leapt, and tears suddenly filled her eyes. “I think you’re right.”

  “Then it’s time to vacate, don’t you think?”

  Maria shifted slightly, and Gabe’s arm tightened around her. He pressed his face deeper into her hair, and his leg wrapped more securely around her hip. She cleared her throat. “Yeah, I think it is.”

  Chapter 14

  Ten minutes later, Vlad was alone with Sophie.

  He sat on a chair by the wall, watching Sophie move about the room, sorting through the assorted items that she’d apparently stored there over the years. She moved with the innate grace of royalty, but at the same time, there was a toughness to her stance that spoke of a survivor.

  He was pissed at himself that she’d had to learn how to be a survivor, but at the same time, he liked it. He was riveted by her inner strength, as well as by the vulnerability she’d revealed when she’d been so worried about Maria.

  He was leaning forward, his forearms braced on his knees, letting his body finish its healing as he watched her. Her hair was darker now, no longer the light blond of the teenage Sophie, and the way it tumbled in soft curls around her shoulders was entrancing. She was utterly female, but at the same time, she was prickly and distant, doing her best to keep him at bay. He got it. Yeah, he completely understood why she didn’t trust him, but it was killing him not to be able to swoop in and fill the role he’d sworn to fill so long ago.

  There were no sounds from the adjoining bed chamber, or from the lava rock above, and Vlad was able to focus entirely on the woman who had haunted him for so long. He could barely process the fact she was alive. He was desperate to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin, to prove to himself that she wasn’t simply a figment of his tortured imagination, but all efforts to do so had failed utterly. Was she even real? Or was all this really a dream. “Why can’t I touch you?”

  She froze, clutching a blanket to her chest as she stared at him. “What?”

  “Why can’t I touch you?” He stood up and walked over to her, his frustration softening as her eyes widened at his approach. She looked like a skittish fawn, afraid to be touched, but too curious to actually dart away. He tried to brush his fingers over the ends of her hair, but every strand dissolved a split second before he made contact. “What is this?”

  Instead of answering, she cocked her head. “Have you ever touched me? When we were children? Could you touch me then?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I could. No problem.”

  “Really?” There was no mistaking the excitement in her eyes. “Since I’ve been here, no male demon has ever been able to touch me. Even if I don’t see them coming, I still dissolve before they can touch me. Women aren’t a problem. It’s just the men.”

  He narrowed his eyes, thinking about her answer. He had to admit, he was damned glad to hear that no male had been able to touch her. No wonder she hadn’t been in grave danger all these years. Some of the fear of what had happened to her eased its tight grip on his chest. “You don’t do it on purpose?”

  She shook her head.

  “Can you do it on purpose?”

  “Only if I’m hunting rocks. I can dissolve to connect with them, but I couldn’t do it right now just for fun.” She searched his face. “What do you know about me, Vlad? My parents? Is this from them?”

  He rubbed his jaw. “Not that I know of.”

  “Can you dissolve?”

  He shook his head. “My control of living matter
isn’t like that. I can move things around, but I can’t change their shape. I connect with all their cells, and direct them that way.”

  Her face brightened. “That’s what I do with rocks.” She held out her hand. “Move me.”

  He almost laughed. “Move your hand? Just like that?”

  “Yes.” There was a deep yearning in her voice. “Even if you can’t touch me, maybe you can connect with me on that level. Will you try?”

  He was surprised by her request. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.” She wiggled her fingers. “You don’t understand what it’s like not to be touched,” she said. “Please.”

  He nodded. “Relax your arm. Just let it hang by your side.”

  She let her arm drop. “Okay.”

  Vlad studied her for a long moment, and then he pointed his index finger at her. He focused on her hand, but he couldn’t sense it. Frowning, he tried again, but he literally couldn’t even sense that she existed, not when he was viewing her with his magic.

  She frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head, and he moved closer to her. She tilted her head back to look at him as he moved his fingers to surround her head. “What are you doing?”

  “Trying something.” He closed his eyes, directing his magic into her mind. He felt the hum of her energy instantly, swirling through him. Yet, when he directed his energy lower, toward her chest, he again felt nothing. He dropped his hands and stepped back, his mind whirring as he tried to process it.

  “Tell me.”

  He met her gaze. “Your body isn’t made of living matter,” he said. “Your mind is alive, but your body…it’s not alive.”

  Her face paled. “What? Of course it is.” She smacked her palm against the wall and a loud thud sounded in the room. “See? And I can pick up things and touch them. Of course I exist.”

  He shook his head. “A rock isn’t living matter, but it exists. I can’t move a rock, and I can’t connect with it.”