Hunt the Darkness (Order of the Blade Book 11)

by Stephanie Rowe

  “But—”

  “You need to rest. Take advantage. When things start happening, there won’t be another chance. I’ll stand guard.”

  She bit her lip, but she knew he was right. “Promise?”

  “Swear.”

  She nodded, relaxing back into his arms. This time, she let herself fall asleep, and she dreamed of Vlad, of kisses, and of being pinned to the bed by a deadly demon king.

  Chapter 16

  Vlad was pretty much in awe of the feeling of Sophie in his arms. He couldn’t stop running his hands down her back and through her hair. For so long, he’d thought she was dead, and now he was actually holding her. She smelled good, like the sunshine that she probably hadn’t seen since the day she was taken by the demons.

  The moment that he’d felt her lips against his, his world had stopped. He’d been with women over the years, but he hadn’t cared. It had been mindless sex in an attempt to drag himself from his self-imposed hell into the land of the living long enough to breathe. It had never worked, and he’d given up long ago. But the moment he’d seen Sophie, he’d wanted her. Not being able to touch her had been torment, but when she’d offered herself up to him, trusting him enough to ask him to try to touch her…hell…he felt like he’d just been offered a gift that he didn’t deserve in any lifetime.

  It had been unbelievably sensual and erotic to slide his hands along her arms and shoulders, not touching, but trying to drink in the sensation as if they were. And then, when he’d bent to kiss her, and he’d actually felt her lips beneath his…hell. That had been a moment he’d never forget. Pure magic. The amount of trust she’d poured into that kiss had floored him, because he knew the only things that had been keeping her corporeal had been her intense desire for him to touch her, and her utter absence of fear.

  She shifted in his arms, suddenly restless. He heard her mention Lucien, as if she were fighting him off, and he swore, all his good feelings dissolving. He tightened his arms around her. “I’m here, Sophie. You’re safe.”

  Her restlessness died down momentarily, but the impact on him hadn’t. She was sound asleep, dreaming of a demon who wanted to claim her, and yet she was still corporeal in his arms. Was she corporeal because her trust of him was so absolute, or was it because he’d robbed her of her one defense? Instead of trying to get her to own her body so that they both could fulfill their desires to touch, maybe he’d done the opposite, dragging her out of the self-defense mode that had kept her safe for so long.

  Swearing under his breath, he rolled onto his side, scanning the room with ever increasing vigilance. Instead of protecting her, he might have made her more vulnerable. She could be in even more danger now, thanks to him. So, what was he going to do about it? And what would she even let him do?

  Gabe awoke from his healing sleep in an instant, going from total submersion to complete readiness in a split second. The first thing he noticed was that there was a woman in his arms, and the second thing he noticed was that he had no idea where the hell he was.

  His eyes snapped open, and he scanned the room, assessing every last detail with rapid speed. They were deep underground, and the walls were volcanic rock laced with magic and metal. Where there had once been a door was now solid rock, and there were only a few pieces of furniture scattered about the room.

  He sat up, too fast, and the room began to spin violently. Swearing, he gripped the mattress while he fought against the vertigo. Memories came flashing back of the demon attack after Vlad had brought him into the demon realm. He recalled instantly the woman who had rushed into the room, warning him off her brother.

  Brother?

  He looked down at the woman still unconscious beside him, noting her lacy bodice, black pants and badass boots. Same woman. Her brother was a demon? The room kept spinning, and he stretched out beside her, fighting against the onslaught of dizziness. He did a quick scan through his body and found remnants of the poison that the demon had thrust into him. It was mostly gone, wiped away by a healing energy…a female energy…hers.

  His attention snapped to the woman beside him once again. She had saved him? And she done so by invading his body with her energy? He swore under his breath, summoning the focus to prop himself up on his elbow so he could inspect her more closely. His gaze swept over her high cheekbones, the curve of her mouth, and her breasts that were pushing up out of her bodice. Her hips had the soft angles of a woman, and for a split second, he had a sudden urge to run his hand over her hip, to feel the curves beneath his palm. His hand actually started to move, but he jerked it back by his side, shocked by how strong the temptation to touch her was.

  He was carefully and intentionally immune to women, and he had been for centuries. Celibacy had always been a part of his life, because even when he was a kid, he’d known that he wanted to be part of the Order of the Blade.

  As a Calydon, he was vulnerable to women. Every Calydon was destined to meet his sheva, which was his soulmate. The attraction was instant and unstoppable, forcing both parties to complete the bonding stages. Once complete, they were fated to destroy each other and everything that mattered to them. The Calydon would go rogue, turning into an insane monster that destroyed everyone and everything, stoppable only by the hand of his sheva…or by the Order of the Blade. Even Order members had gone rogue over the years, and there was no way in hell he was going to risk his duty by deciding to fuck the wrong woman.

  Yeah, sure, some of the Order members had recently met their shevas and had managed to hold off the fate of hell for now, but they had still lost their focus. No man could give a hundred percent to his mission if his time was split with a woman. It simply wasn’t possible.

  With the Order crumbling since Dante’s death, Gabe knew he was the last chance the Order had to survive. He had to find Dante and bring him back, because no one else was doing it.

  Which meant he had no time for women. He didn’t even notice them as women, and he never wanted them. It had never been an issue…until now.

  He could still feel her presence inside him, like a silken seduction that had caressed every cell in his body while he’d been unconscious. It was a feminine energy, soft, seductive, and tempting, utterly unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.

  Slowly, reluctantly, he leaned forward and inhaled. She smelled like untouched beauty, dark and sensual, with a hint of something lighter and more feminine, like some sort of flower. It was intriguing as hell, and he wanted more of it.

  Her hair was dark and thick where it tumbled over her shoulders and across his upper arm. He moved his fingers slightly, rubbing the strands. Soft. Like silk. He hadn’t even realized that anything that soft existed, not that he’d ever thought about it. He was always working, always focused on the mission of the Order, always alert for threats. Yeah, he’d seen his team members fall for women, but he’d never noticed or cared about it, other than to assess whether the situation adversely affected the ability of the Order to discharge their duties. He’d never even been curious.

  But now, with this woman lying so still in his arms, he was riveted by her, and he wanted to know why. Was she his sheva? The thought made his blood run cold, but he didn’t shy away from the possibility. He had to know what he was facing, why she had managed to get him to notice her.

  He studied her again, systematically going over her, trying to figure out why he was reacting to her. A dozen weapons were strapped to her body, and those were just the ones he could see. A warrior, then. He recalled how she’d strode right into the middle of battle, utterly without fear. Not just a warrior. A brave, fearless one who would risk anything to save her brother.

  He nodded, respect for her flooding him. He appreciated a warrior who was willing to risk her life to save those who mattered to her…but then why had she saved him? His goal had been to kill her brother, and he’d been well on his way to accomplishing that. So…why had she saved him?

  Frowning, he brushed his finger over her cheek, as if her skin could tell
him what he wanted to know. She was cool to the touch, a fact which deepened his frown. Her skin was pale, almost ashen, and her breathing was much too shallow. She wasn’t well, he realized, and that thought didn’t sit well with him, not after she had saved him. He moved his hand to her chest, letting his palm hover over her heart while he sent his energy into her, assessing her injuries.

  No broken bones or injuries that he could find. Just a fading spirit, and a body that was full of darkness and taint. The darkness that had been in him. Swearing, he closed his eyes, reaching more deeply inside her, retracing the connections that she’d built between them when she’d healed him. He could feel his own presence inside her, and he realized that when she’d healed him, she brought his energy into her own body, along with the poison that had been killing him. He realized that she’d healed him by taking the poison into her own body, and now it was trying to kill her.

  Shit.

  Swearing, he looked up again at the walls surrounding him. He reached out with his preternatural senses, searching for any vulnerability in the walls that would allow him to escape the tiny cavern, but he found nothing. It was rock in all directions, thick, heavy rock laced with metal. There was the faint scent of sulfur in the air, and he knew that they were still in the demon world…near Dante.

  Anticipation rushed through him. He’d made it into the demon realm. But where was he? And where was Vlad? “Vlad!” He shouted the name, but his voice simply bounced off the walls, rebounding back at him.

  There was no reply.

  He looked down at the woman in his arms. She was of the demon realm, and was of demons. She would know where they were, how they got here, and how to get out. She was his only chance. He knew better than to allow his attraction to her to go any further, but he wasn’t going to risk Dante’s future, not when he was so close to saving his leader. Gabe’s job was not to save himself. His loyalty was to the Order, and if saving the Order meant getting involved with a woman, then he would do what he must.

  He let out his breath, but he didn’t move. He had no idea what to do with her. If she were a Calydon, he’d simply merge with her and heal her. But she was a woman. A demon, possibly. He was so used to keeping his distance from females that he wasn’t even sure where to start. He literally had no experience with women to draw upon. If she were his sheva, he would be able to heal her the same way he’d heal a Calydon, by merging his energy with her, but he didn’t want to even try that.

  It was too intimate, and he wasn’t going there. So he had no damned idea what to do.

  What he did know was that she looked like hell, and she was dying because she’d taken the poison out of him. Since she wasn’t a Calydon, he couldn’t heal her with his energy. So, what could he do?

  Frowning, he put his hand on her hip. She was on her side, with her back toward him, so it seemed like the most logical place to touch, but it felt awfully damned invasive to touch her like that. The leather of her pants was smooth and sleek beneath his palm, an assault to his senses, but it was blocking his ability to sense her. With a groan of resignation, he slipped his hand beneath the waistband of her pants and spread his hand across her bare hip, so he had skin to skin contact with her.

  Her skin was incredibly soft, but it was cold. Too cold. There wasn’t enough life left in it. Swearing, he closed his eyes, summoning all his healing energy to his hand. His hand began to heat up, and he offered it to her, but she didn’t let him in. For a split second, relief rushed through him. If she were his sheva, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t have been able to reject his healing energy. Then, he realized that meant he wasn’t helping her, so his relief quickly faded into frustration.

  Swearing, he moved his hand lower, trying to find a place where her barriers were less strong, and then he tried again…and again, she didn’t let him in.

  Shit.

  He withdrew his hand, irritated by the fact that his cock was starting to get hard. He needed to focus. Getting a hard-on was a ridiculous lack of discipline that hadn’t happened to him in centuries.

  He studied her for another moment, trying to decide the best place to touch her. The skin on her face was too soft. Her hip…too dangerous. Her arm or leg? Not connected closely enough to her vital organs. That left her torso. He could try her heart, but with her breast spilling out of the bodice, he’d be getting a handful of flesh that he didn’t want to risk.

  Her stomach then. The belly was a powerful source of energy for the soul and the physical being. With another groan of resistance, he tugged her bodice up and shoved her high-waisted pants lower on her belly. Her stomach was flat and muscled, but there was a softness that was pure woman.

  Jesus.

  Gritting his teeth, he flattened his palm over her stomach. Her body was soft and womanly beneath his touch, not the hard steel of his own flesh. She was strong and muscular, but her body was so different than his. Swearing under his breath, he closed his eyes, sending his energy into her belly through his hand. His palm burned with heat, but again, she didn’t accept his help.

  He tried three more times, and got nothing, except a bigger hard-on.

  Swearing, he extricated himself from her and got off the bed. It took a moment to get his balance, but he walked across the room and sat down on the floor, draping his hands over his knees while he took some space from her. “What do I do with you?” he asked her. His voice was low, bouncing off the walls, echoing his question back at him.

  He had to get out of the room. He had to find Dante. And he needed her help to do it.

  Her breath stuttered in her chest, and he studied her. Did she look even paler than she had before? Was her breathing shallower? Shit! He jumped up and walked back over to her. He crouched in front of her and touched her cheek. Her skin was definitely colder now. Son of a bitch. What was going on?

  Her eyelids suddenly fluttered, and then opened. He found himself instantly staring into the most vibrant blue eyes he’d ever seen in his life. They were icy blue, like a glacier that was ruthlessly tearing apart everything in its way. But, at the same time, there was such pain and fear in her eyes, vulnerability that violated everything that a warrior should be. “I can’t die,” she whispered. “They need me.”

  Her voice was soft, so soft he could barely hear it, but it was laced with fierce determination. She was vulnerable and powerful, both at the same time, a combination he wasn’t accustomed to. Male warriors were only hard. Never vulnerable. But this woman was both, which intrigued him. He leaned forward, his hand still on her cheeks. “What can I do?”

  Her gaze was steady and unyielding, but her breath was becoming shallower and more labored. “Kiss me.”

  Chapter 17

  Gabe blinked and instinctively dropped his hand from her cheek. “Kiss you?”

  The moment he released her, fear ran starkly across her face, and she cried out in protest. “Don’t let go!”

  He immediately placed his hand against her forehead, and this time, he saw her body shudder in response. “My touching helps you,” he said. “Why?”

  Her gaze met his, and he saw a hint of something in there. Embarrassment? Vulnerability? “I’m a lust demon,” she whispered. “I get my energy from sex. I need you.”

  “Oh…shit.” His cock got harder instantly, and he jerked backward, away from her. “I don’t do that.”

  “Don’t let go of me!” She snapped the command at him.

  For a long moment, he didn’t move, every instinct screaming at him to back off and not get involved. But when her eyelids fluttered shut and her body went limp, fury tore through him. “No.” He crouched in front of her again and framed her face with both hands. “I need you.”

  For a moment, she didn’t respond, but then her eyes opened again. “Mutual need, apparently. Take me, I’m yours.”

  Again, with the surge of blood to his cock, like he was some animal who couldn’t control himself. “My leader is trapped in the demon realm. I need your help to find him.”

  She studie
d him. “You’ll give me sex only if I assist you?”

  He grimaced at the way she’d phrased it. “I don’t have sex. How else can I save you?”

  Her eyes grew thoughtful. “Never? You’ve never had sex?” Her gaze slid over his body, and then back to his face. “How is that possible?”

  “It’s undisciplined,” he snapped. “It’s dangerous. I can’t risk it. How else can I save you?”

  She shook her head, and her eyes fluttered shut again. “Lust demon,” she murmured. “Only sex.” She took a shuddering breath, and then went still.

  Shit. He didn’t do sex, and now he was supposed to make out with an unconscious woman? What the hell? If there was any way, any other way, he would do it, but there was nothing else. He had no other choice if he wanted to save his leader. Whatever it took to engage his mission. He’d made an oath, and there was no other path.

  With a deep inhale, he calmed his mind, shutting down his physical response to her. He steeled himself against her femininity, and then he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her mouth.

  The moment his mouth touched hers, he froze in absolute shock. Her lips were softer than he could even conceive of, like the air itself had come together to form her lips. He’d never experienced anything like it, and his entire body came alive. Energy rushed through him in a violent frenzy, and lust slammed into his gut violently.

  He gritted his teeth against the warring urges to drag the woman into his arms and unleash himself onto her, and the equally strong instinct to hurl her aside and bolt for safety before anything further could happen.

  He did neither. He simply kept his mouth against hers, hoping that the closed-mouth kiss would be enough. Even aside from the fact that he wasn’t going to have sex, there was no way in hell he was going to take advantage of an unconscious woman, no matter what she’d said during her brief moment of lucidity—

  Her lips suddenly parted beneath his.