Shadows of Darkness

by Stephanie Rowe

  He steeled himself against the distraction of the woman, instead focusing on the men accompanying her. They moved with the lethal dangerousness he recognized as the trademark of the members of the Order of the Blade. The Order was an elite team of Calydon warriors whose mission was to defend innocents from rogue Calydons who had succumbed to their demon heritage and turned into mindless, slaughtering rogues. The Order members were ruthless in their quest, dripping with honor, trapped by their need to save strangers no matter what the cost to themselves.

  No Order of the Blade member had ever bothered with him. Yeah, he wasn't one of the good guys, but he wasn't rogue, so they left him alone. Until now. What the hell was going on?

  He had only moments until they emerged into his cavern. He could afford no mistakes.

  After a hundred years of being suspended by his wrists, he was a fraction of the warrior he had once been. Despite his best efforts to keep his muscle tone, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to keep his balance when his feet finally touched down. His only chance to defeat them was to prevent them from challenging him to a fight he was too weak to win.

  He flexed his muscles and pulled himself up so his head was level with his wrists, activating his muscles. He shifted his weight, making the meat hook begin to sway like a pendulum. The arc got bigger and bigger, until he could hit the wall. He braced his feet against the cave and pushed off hard, working his legs, preparing his body. He pushed off the opposite wall, continuing to spin around so he could scan each entrance—

  There! He finally tracked them, and he knew which tunnel they would be emerging from.

  He spun to face the southwest opening, using his body weight and years of practice to regain control of his momentum and stop the swaying. His entire body was activated and ready, and his mind was clear, as centuries of experience in fighting for his life came back to him.

  He studied the dark opening, his mind alert. There was no one to see, but he knew the trio was there, just out of his sight. Did they think he was so weak he couldn't sense them? "Show yourselves," he commanded.

  For a moment, nothing happened, and then a blue light filled the cavern. Excruciating pain shot through Levi's eyes at the sudden brightness, and he instinctively turned his head into his arm to shield his eyes. Shit. He'd been in darkness so long that he couldn't even handle light.

  "Are you Levi Hart?" A man asked the question, his voice low and controlled.

  Fuck the man. Levi wanted to hear the woman's voice. Blinking against the pain in his eyes, Levi lifted his head higher, keeping his eyes shut against the blue light. "Who are you? All of you?" His voice scraped across his throat, rusty from decades of non-use. Adrenaline began to flow, ancient survival instincts that made the weapons branded on his forearms burn with the need for him to call them forth into his hands and into battle.

  But he couldn't call them out. The chains that bound him wrapped all the way around his forearms, the treated metal efficiently negating his ability to call out the very weapons that defined him as a Calydon warrior. All he had were his feet, and his intelligence.

  The man spoke again. "My name is Rohan. I have a deal for you."

  "I don't make deals." Even with his eyes closed, the pain was agonizing. Levi buried his face in his arm again, trying to protect his eyes. Shit. He was at such a disadvantage, fucking helpless. "Turn the light off," he commanded. "Now."

  The light didn't decrease.

  Then another man spoke, his voice less hard and brutal, laced with an irreverence that Levi didn't recall ever hearing in an Order member's voice. "For hell's sake, Rohan, stop being a show-off. You look like you're overcompensating for some sort of masculine shortcoming that the rest of us don't want to know about. Give the man a hug and a beer, and let's swap campfire stories instead of trying to blind the guy. He'll need his sight to help us, you know?"

  "You're irritating as hell, Thano." Rohan said, but the light went out and the cave subsided into darkness.

  Levi's body shuddered in relief, and the pain decreased significantly.

  "I'm insightful and brilliant," Thano replied, with undaunted cheerfulness. "The fact you find it irritating reflects your own lack of brotherly love, not any shortcomings on my part. You're lucky to have me on your team, and you know it."

  "Shut up." But there was a lack of harshness in Rohan's voice, and Levi realized they were a well-oiled duo.

  Something shifted inside him at the bond between the warriors, an emotion he didn't recognize. He couldn't remember ever having that kind of camaraderie with anyone. He'd always scoffed at it. He'd considered it a weakness, but there was something about the banter between Rohan and Thano that made the darkness inside him seem even greater than it already was.

  He wanted to see them. All of them. Thano. Rohan. And the woman.

  Levi opened his eyes, but he could see nothing. His eyes were damaged from the light, robbing him of what little advantage he'd had in the darkness. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the searing pain in his eyes and continued to stare, trying to get his eyes to function again. Gradually, too slowly for his own satisfaction, his eyes began to recover. At first, all he could see were varying shades of darkness, but then he began to discern shapes.

  He could see the outlines of the two warriors, one of which appeared to be riding a massive horse that, strangely, Levi had not sensed. Both men were tall and broad, with shoulders that indicated Levi was going to be pathetically overmatched if it came down to a fight before he had an opportunity to regain his strength.

  But where was the woman? He couldn't see her, and he wanted to. He needed to.

  The mounted warrior saluted him. "My name's Thano Savakis," he said, and Levi realized that he was one who'd seemed to find humor in the situation. "I'm honored to meet you, Levi. You're a serious badass."

  Levi frowned at the salute. No one had ever respected him. Ever.

  "I concur," Rohan said. "Your feats are legendary." Rohan seemed to hum with the kind of lethal energy that Levi recognized instantly as a formidable opponent.

  Levi's eyes continued to adjust, and he could make out more details. Rohan's upper body was covered in a hooded cloak that hid his face from view. He was a warrior in his prime, and his energy was ruthlessly shrouded, a warrior in complete control. In his hand was a sword, the blade of which was glowing with the faintest trace of blue light, as if that had been the source of the flash of light.

  Levi frowned at the blue electricity crackling over Rohan's blade. He'd heard of that sword. It was legendary, with powers far beyond that of an ordinary Calydon weapon. It had mystical magic that had evoked numerous tales about its power. It was the kind of weapon that would be able to slide through Levi's bonds and free him.

  Anticipation rolled through Levi, and he could almost taste freedom. The appearance of that blue blade changed everything. Even though the metal that bound Levi had special properties designed to combat Calydon weapons, Rohan could free him with one strike, which meant he was a man worth negotiating with, not fighting against. "What do you want?" Levi asked. And where was the woman? He still hadn't been able to discern even her outline, but her scent was permeating the air like an invisible caress sliding across his flesh.

  "Your skills live beyond you," Rohan said. "Very few impress me. You do."

  Levi narrowed his eyes as the meaning of the Calydon's words sank in. He realized Rohan wanted Levi to kill someone for him. That was why the group had sought him out. They wanted him to assassinate someone that no one else could kill.

  The deal became immediately apparent. Rohan would release Levi if he would become his own personal assassin. Bitterness spewed through Levi, and he shook his head. Freedom was not worth that price. "Never again." He would rather rot in his hell than ever become another man's pawn, or revisit that never-ending cycle of the deadly cravings that overtook him, inducing him to kill. It had taken almost thirty years of not feeding on another soul before Levi had begun to regain his sanity and his self-control, and he kne
w he couldn't risk it again. "I don't do that anymore."

  Correction: there was one more man to kill, the man who'd controlled Levi for so long, who unleashed the monster within him. He had to be killed before he kidnapped other young boys and forced them into the life that had trapped Levi. The only flaw with Levi's plan, the problem he hadn't been able to sort out, was the fact that if he killed the bastard, it would turn Levi back into the monster that it had taken three decades to escape from. Levi was impossible to kill, blessed with an ability to heal from anything, even decapitation, which meant that if he lost his mind again…no one would be able stop him. If Levi was caught in the killing thrall again, without specific targets to assassinate, he knew it was very likely he would find his own targets, and they might be innocents.

  He had to find a way to protect the world from who he would become if he killed his former master. He would allow no one else to die at his hands. No one. There had to be a way, and he would find it. The first step was freedom, but not at the cost of killing anyone else. "I'm not for hire," he repeated. "I'm not an assassin anymore."

  "I don't need you to kill anyone," Rohan said. "I need you to keep someone alive."

  Levi went very still at the words, searching for the clue as to what Rohan really wanted. "I don't believe you," he said in a low voice. "I don't keep people alive. You know that." He still couldn't see the woman. Was she standing behind the men? Come out. I want to see you.

  She didn't respond, and her shields held tight against him. What the hell? Why was he so driven to see her? And why was she blocking him? Then he had another thought. Why could he even communicate with her telepathically? It had felt so natural that he hadn't even thought about questioning it. But it was impossible. A Calydon's telepathic ability only worked with other Calydons…and with his sheva, the soulmate destined to destroy him.

  Holy crap. No. Impossible. He had made a point of being impervious to the lure of his soulmate. He was unreachable. There was no way the woman before him was his sheva. You're a telepath, he said to her. A siren and a telepath. It made sense. Yes, Calydons could use their powers to communicate telepathically only with other Calydons and their soulmates, but plenty of other supernatural beings had that skill as well.

  She wasn't his sheva. Just a sinful temptation with an impressive mind. Nothing for him to bother with.

  Rohan shifted slightly, drawing Levi's attention. "Yes, I do know you kill people. And that's why you're the only one capable of this task. You're the only one I trust."

  Trust? Levi almost laughed. Most people who had made the mistake of trusting him had ended up dead. "You lie."

  "No. I have a lot at stake, and I can't afford a mistake." Rohan walked up to him, putting himself inches from Levi's bare feet, within easy striking distance.

  Levi went still, watching Rohan carefully, knowing that he wasn't going to let Rohan walk away. Rohan had come into his personal space, and Levi was the only one who controlled it. But he would wait to attack. He never struck first, unless he had to. If there was a way to negotiate for his freedom, he'd give Rohan that chance before taking him down.

  "Here's the deal," Rohan said. "I'll cut you down and free you. In return, you'll take an oath to the Order of the Blade and swear fealty to me. You'll do one task for me, and then you'll be free to do as you wish, unless I need assistance at some point in the future, at which point I can call on you."

  Levi raised his brows. "I don't work for anyone. Ever." The thought of being bound to another man made sweat trickle down his temple, but he kept his face impassive. "Cut me down and then I won't hurt you. That's the deal."

  "I offer you freedom."

  "I'll take the freedom myself." Levi closed his burned-out eyes, channeling all his energy into his remaining senses. He knew exactly where Rohan was, and where that sword was. "I'm not interested." He calculated swiftly what his move had to be to get the sword and cut his hands free. "But if you have cake, I'll take some of that. I miss cake." One. Two. Thr—

  And then she spoke. It was only one word, one simple word, but it was enough. "Wait."

  Her voice was like the music he remembered from the one time he'd gone into a church so many centuries ago. It was pure and beautiful, so rich with life that he felt like the entire world was glowing with a bright sunlight that would never penetrate the thickness of the shadows surrounding him. But somehow, her voice seemed to touch him, filtering through the layers of filth and grime on his soul, brushing over him like a seductive, delicate touch of something far more beautiful and pure than he had any right to experience.

  His eyes snapped open just as she slid off the horse, where she'd apparently been riding behind Thano. It was too dark to see her clearly. All he could see were the soft waves of her hair, and she was wearing some sort of long coat that obscured the shape of her body. Frustration roared through him, a searing need to see her, to feel her, to touch her.

  "Stay back," Rohan held out his hand to block her. "We don't know if he's safe yet."

  Safe? He turned his attention back to Rohan, disgusted by the accusation. He might have killed innumerable people, but he'd always directed it at his targets. He'd never gone after an innocent. Ever. And now that he was sane, it really wasn't going to happen. "You—"

  "No," she said. "I'm safe with him. I can tell."

  Levi caught his breath as she walked up, coming to stand right beside Rohan. She was so close he could have grabbed her with his legs, but he didn't move. His eyes burned from straining so hard to discern her features, but it was just too damned dark. So, he simply waited.

  "My name is Maya Brennan," she said. "I'm the one who needs help. I need you to get me safely to my destination. Rohan and Thano believe you can keep me alive. Will you help me?"

  His gut clenched. Escort this woman? He'd never be able to keep his hands off her. Honor and courage radiated from her, and he knew she was one of the few people in his life who he would have admired, if he'd ever had that luxury. "I would be honored to," he said quietly, speaking directly and only to her, "but I have another mission I must address. I can't assist you."

  She looked up at him, and he could see the shadowy outline of her face in the faint blue glow from Rohan's sword. Her cheekbones were high and regal, and her hair appeared to be dark. Her lashes were long and thick, but he couldn't discern her eyes. He needed to see her eyes.

  "I'll make it worth your while," she said, a hint of authority in her voice. "I can assist you with whatever your mission is. I have a great many resources available to me, and they'll all be yours once I am safely at my destination."

  Her voice was cool and reserved, but there was a desperation in her voice that she couldn't quite mask. She was in trouble. Big trouble. His protective instincts arose fast and hard. He narrowed his eyes. "What's going on? Tell me." Before she could answer, he felt a sudden cold draft. He looked up sharply, breathing in a scent of such evil that he went into high alert. "Danger approaches," he said softly. "There's something out there."

  Rohan and Thano immediately called out their weapons with a crack and a flash of black light. Instantly both Calydons were armed with the weapons that Levi knew were etched on their forearms, just like his. Levi's weapons burned in his arms, but he couldn't call them out as long as the chains still bound him.

  "That's what's after me," Maya said. "Please. We don't have much time." She reached up and put her hand on his ankle. Please.

  The moment she touched him, electricity exploded through him. Power and sex, and a burning so intense that he knew he couldn't rest until he claimed her. Her voice was like a sensual caress across his mind, for him, and only for him. He knew in that instant that she wasn't a psychic temptress. She was his. Forever. She was his sheva, the woman he was destined to bond with, the only person alive who would have the ability to touch his soul, the only one who would have the ability to kill the assassin no one could destroy.

  And in that moment, he knew she was his answer. Once he killed his former mast
er, he would be under the thrall of the bloodlust, and no one would be able to stop him...except his sheva, who was destined to kill him once their bond was complete.

  The chill grew stronger, and he knew they had only moments. Maya had suddenly gone from a temptation to his only chance of success. "I'll do it." He would help her, complete the sheva bond with her, and make her kill him after he destroyed his former master. It was perfect.

  He felt her relief instantly, and in that moment, for a split second, he didn't care if she was going to aid him. All that mattered was that he had made her feel better, that he was going to protect her.

  "Let's do it." Blue light glowed from Rohan's sword, and Levi swore, turning his head into his arm again to shield his eyes.

  And then, he heard the sound of metal against metal, and suddenly, the tension on his arms and shoulders were gone. For a split second, he was weightless, and then he crashed to the floor of the cavern, his legs giving out the moment he landed.

  For a moment, he couldn't move. His body felt like it didn't belong to him. His arms were numb, and his legs were twisted beneath him.

  "Let's go." Rohan slashed again, and suddenly, mercifully, the chains fell away from his arms. He was free.

  Chapter 2

  Maya was shocked when Levi crumbled to the earth, collapsing onto the hard ground as if his body was made of jelly. The muscles in his legs were toned and defined, but when his feet hit the ground, they appeared to simply give way under the weight of his body.

  "Levi!" She instinctively lunged forward, her hands outstretched to catch him, but Rohan grabbed her and hauled her back, letting Levi crash to the ground.

  She flinched at the sound of his body slamming into the stone floor, as if all his bones had shattered upon impact. He didn't move after he landed. He simply lay there on his back, one arm flung across his eyes to shield them, his chest heaving as he sucked in air, as if they were the first deep breaths he'd taken in decades. The chains were still wrapped ruthlessly around his arms, and she could see they were some kind of black metal, crusted after all the years below earth.