It was a different shade of clay than what was normally found in this region. This red clay had come into existence two thousand years ago when Bezoar had been roaming the earth. Bezoar was a Calydon so deadly that he could kill merely by his presence, merely by being.
Bezoar and his evil had been locked inside a prison for two thousand years.
The clay prison turned this color red during the first five hundred years of his imprisonment, and the Order had feared for a while that he was going to break through the magical protections keeping him locked up.
But the red had not spread in the last fifteen hundred years.
Until now.
Bezoar's prison was hundreds of miles away. There was no way he could have contaminated the soil over here. It made no sense. It had to be something else.
Ajax jumped to his feet. He looked around until he found a fern growing out of a crack in the rocks.
He pulled it free of the rocks, tore it in half, and returned to the dead snake. He dropped half of it onto the clay. The fern turned black almost instantly. He could actually hear the fibers dying. The earth had become death itself.
Grimly, he dropped the other half of the fern onto the snake itself.
It took two seconds, and then it too turned black, shriveling into nothing, killed by the contaminated corpse.
Ajax rocked back on his heels in numb disbelief. That was exactly what Bezoar had been able to do. Kill with his touch.
What did this mean? Were Bezoar's walls weakening? Tainting the underground reservoirs that dominated the area? Or was someone else carrying his power? Or was this simply a leftover spot from two thousand years ago that had never been found and cleansed? That must have been what Zion was trying to find out. What had he discovered? This was bad news—
His skin began to burn even more, and Ajax realized that the pain on his chest was Bezoar's poison, contaminating the rocks he'd slipped through. He ripped off his shirt and saw his chest was raw and peeling, the skin shriveling.
He could feel the poison leaching into his body through his skin, the dark taint of unfettered evil racing through his veins, killing cells as it went. Only his immortality was keeping him alive at this point, but even that wouldn't be enough if he didn't cleanse himself soon.
He vaulted up the rock cliffs, scaling them as fast as he could to get back to the river and wash himself off, his mind reeling with the implications. If Bezoar was out, or the prison walls were falling... Xander! We've got a probl—"
He stumbled as a savage pain shot through his gut, dropping him to his knees. The poison shouldn’t have taken him down that fast, even if—
Ajax. Madison's voice was faint, laced with agony.
He realized with sudden terror that the pain he'd felt hadn't been his. It was hers. Madison! He opened his mind to her, found her instantly, and raced across the rocks toward the crevice he'd just squeezed through.
Madison was inside the passageway, lying on her side.
Not moving.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ajax dropped down between the rocks, reaching Madison in a split second. He swept her up in his arms, her skin gray and flaking, making him go nearly blind with rage. The poisoned rocks had touched her skin, and she wasn't immortal. "Madison. Look at me."
Her eyes fluttered open, and he nearly went weak with relief. "You were in pain," she mumbled. "I had to get to you. Help you."
His arms tightened. "You came after me?"
"I..I had to…"
She'd come to rescue him. He didn't take the time to figure out what the pressure in his chest was. He just tucked her against his torso and vaulted across the rocks. He leapt off the edge of the cliff, dropping fifteen feet to where Luke was still standing.
Luke's eyes went wide. "You look like my dad did when he came back—"
Sprinting past Luke, Ajax plunged into the river with Madison in his arms. He began tearing off her clothes, desperate to get the tainted material away from her skin. She struggled in his arms, trying to help, but she was weak. So weak.
His heart stuttered and he caught her as she started to fall. "Luke! Get me whatever Zion used after he went in there! And blankets."
Luke turned and ran, moving faster than Ajax had expected. Faster than Ajax could run, even though Luke's skills were still developing. The kid was a Runner, just like Zion.
Ajax crouched in the river, leaning her against his chest while he inspected her hands. They were raw and bleeding. He thumbed her palms, a beat of hope in his chest. "Bleeding's good. Your body's trying to flush out the poison."
Not everyone bled out Bezoar's poison. It meant she had a chance.
"Yay, me." Madison sagged against him, closed her eyes.
"Come on, sweetheart, stay with me—"
"Here!" Luke ran into the water, handed a bar of gray soap to Ajax. "Use this."
Ajax grabbed the soap and scrubbed her hands with it, wincing when she protested and tried to pull away. "I know it hurts, honey, but I have to do it. Just hang in there."
He finished her hands, then ran the soap over the rest of her. His own skin was still burning but he needed to get her clean first.
"Are you guys...going to die?"
Ajax looked up at the shaky question, saw Luke hovering near the bank, his eyes wide, his narrow shoulders hunched.
"No. We're not." Madison was leaning against him, her cheek resting against his shoulder. Too compliant. Shit.
Luke nodded. "You're sure?"
"Yeah." Ajax finished washing Madison, and he propped her against him as he quickly cleaned himself. "Blankets."
Luke tossed a couple blankets at him. Ajax wrapped one around Madison. "I need to heal her."
"You're a healer?"
"No." Kerrick Byrne was the only healer in the Order, the only one with the ability to heal anyone he touched, regardless of his connection to them. The rest of the Order could heal only themselves and sometimes other Calydons, if they connected mentally.
He was praying the sheva bond would be enough for him to heal Madison. He'd heard of it being done, but he knew it was dodgy, especially only partially bonded.
Luke frowned. "If you're not a healer, how can you—"
"Get your weapons out and stand guard. You tell me if anyone approaches."
"Yeah, okay." Still looking as if he wanted to ask more questions, Luke called out his polearms and readied them, scanning the woods. Already learning to take orders under pressure.
Ajax cradled Madison against his chest and carried her up the opposite bank to give them privacy. He jogged a few dozen yards into the underbrush, tossed the second blanket on the ground and laid her down on it. She was cold now, starting to go into shock.
Ajax dumped his wet jeans, then stretched out beside her, pulled her against him, into the heat of his body. Her skin was cold against his, and he threw his leg over her, the bare skin of her hip soft as silk beneath his thigh.
His erection tickled against the smooth expanse of her belly, but he ignored it, pulling the other blanket over them. Madison.
She stirred in his arms, moved closer. You're warm. I'm so cold.
Ajax tucked her close into his body, her breasts against his chest, their skin meshed from head to toe. He nuzzled her hair, running his hands down her bare back, over her bottom. She was trembling, too cold. Dammit!
I can heal you. He kept his voice calm and steady, shielded her from his rising panic at the thought of how much danger she was in.
Do it. Her voice was weaker now. I don't have time to die right now.
He laughed softly, her humor loosening the grip of the panic threatening to suffocate him. You need to trust me. Open your mind to me. Let me in.
He reached out for her with his mind, and instantly she took down her shields and let him in. Total acceptance. He slipped into her mind and found the poison circulating in her body. It was like a black acid, eating away at her cells, at her spirit.
He rested his cheek against hers and let
his mind join with her, melding into one. He called upon his own healing ability, a capacity that was legendary to his own kind. A white light began to glow at the base of his spine.
He fed his energy into the healing presence, forcing the light to grow, to wipe out the damage to his own body. It traveled up his body to the surface of his skin, and he knew he was glowing faintly. The strength returned to his body, energy pulsing through him as the light continued to build, growing more and more powerful.
The light pulsed up against the barriers of his skin, but it didn't cross over to Madison.
Shit. He had no idea how to transfer his healing power to his sheva. He didn't know how to open their connection to that extent.
It's not working, Ajax. Her eyes opened slightly, and he saw her pain, sensed the gradual approach of death.
We need to open our connection even more.
He rolled her onto her back, settling his hips between her thighs, his erection sandwiched between their bodies. Blood began to pulse in his cock, but he ignored it. Instead, he cupped her face with his hands, his forearms supporting her.
Let me in, sweetheart. He bent his head and kissed her softly. Her lips tasted like honey, and his body instantly craved more. But he kept his kiss gentle, brushing his lips over hers again, fighting to keep his hips from moving against hers. Think about how good it feels when I touch you. How you want more of me.
He knew they were both fighting their need for each other, but they had put up too many shields between them. He had to get them down, which meant, they couldn't keep each other at a distance. He'd do whatever it took to get her to trust him, to really let him in.
Her eyes were closed, but a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth. I thought you said sex was dangerous for us. That we should be resisting.
He kissed one corner of her mouth, and then the other. You being dead is even more dangerous. He ignored the flicker of foreboding at his answer, aware of the danger of what he was trying to do. They were so close to a spiritual merging...but shit...what choice did he have? He couldn't let her die.
Mmm... Good point.
He kissed her again, but her lips were cold beneath his. His healing light was still contained within him. Dammit! The link between them just wasn't strong enough. Too many damn shields on both sides. "Come on, Madison," he said against her mouth. "For God's sake, kiss me."
He took her mouth again, fiercely this time, demanding. A kiss of domination and force, a kiss that commanded a response. He cupped her shoulders and allowed his hips against hers, sliding his erection over her belly, harder and faster, heat building between them.
She tensed beneath him, and then she was kissing him back. Weakly, but he could feel the faint hint of desire deep inside her, knew she was responding. Her shields were still up, still solid, though.
That's right, sweetheart. Touch me. He grabbed her hand and set it on his bare chest, and his muscles jerked beneath her touch. He kissed her again, deepening the kiss, and she was right there with him, her kiss growing stronger, her fingertips digging into his skin, her fingers tangling in the hair on his chest.
He shuddered at the feel of her delicate hand on him, had to clench his teeth when her thumb found his nipple.
I've wanted you since the first moment I scented you. He kept reaching for her mind, for her soul, trying to send his healing light across their connection. He sensed her walls weakening, hope leapt into his chest, and he renewed his assault on her defenses by using their intense sexual need for each other to shred the barriers between them. I knew it was only a matter of time before I took you.
She made a small noise in the back of her throat, and her other hand went to the back of his head, gripping his hair.
Then her heart stuttered and stopped, and he went cold with terror in the split second it took before it steadied again. They were running out of time!
Shit. He couldn't hold back anymore. Whispering a request to Zion not to let this destroy them both, he stopped fighting his need for her and let it all go.
His kiss turned ravenous, wild and unrestrained.
Madison trembled beneath him. Ajax. Her voice was faint, barely brushing across his mind. More.
More. Desire rang through him, and he slipped his finger inside her. She gasped and he bit her nipple, eliciting a shudder from her as he raked his teeth over the raised bud, his finger moving fast inside her. His head began to spin, and his hips began to move, thrusting across her belly, fighting the need to plunge himself deep inside her.
Instead, he slipped another finger inside her, nearly came at the feel of her tight around him. Come on, Madison. Let yourself feel how amazing this is. You fit so perfectly beneath me. I want to be inside you so badly. His body was trembling now, his muscles rigid, and he knew he couldn't last much longer.
Her skin was getting hot, her body arching beneath him. Oh, God. Ajax. That feels... She stopped, and he felt her resisting her need for him, sensed her battle to maintain her defenses, her instincts trying to protect her from becoming vulnerable.
He thumbed across her folds, found the spot he was looking for. Her whole body convulsed and then her arms went around his neck, and she was kissing him with a fierceness that made his entire body go rock hard.
The kiss was wet. Deep. Complete and total commitment. Her hand began to move on his cock, stroking it hard and fast. He groaned and dropped his head to her breast. Yeah, like that. Shit, that feels— Tremors rippled down his body and his control began to slip.
Her body jerked beneath him. Ajax!
And then the walls between them shattered.
His healing light burst through his skin, saturating her. He went rigid as her soul entwined with his, became one. A fierce possessiveness roared to life inside him and his kiss became desperate, swollen with a need that seemed to thunder with its power.
Madison arched against him, opening to his assault, her kiss just as frantic. Her fingernails dug into his back as he bit her nipple, sucked at her breast, grazed his teeth over her belly. Her body was hot, on fire, healing beneath his touch. He could taste her frantic need for him in her skin, feel it consuming her, crashing through him like a siren, yanking him over the same precipice, stripping him of all control.
And he didn't care. Didn't care about anything but healing her and making her his. He drew his hips back, she parted her legs for him, and he thrust deep, so hard they both skidded across the ground.
"God, yes, Ajax." Her hands were all over him, her touch desperate, her fingernails drawing blood, making his body rage for her.
Ajax drove deeper, harder, faster, his muscles screaming for release as he brought them both to the edge. "Mine," he growled.
Mine. Her voice echoed in his mind with such possessiveness that it ripped the orgasm right out of them both. He roared and drove into her, so hard and so fast that she screamed his name. Her body arched, and she flung her head back as the orgasm seized her, dragging her with him into a crashing free-fall that he knew would end only in hell and destruction.
But it was a hell of a ride that he knew he'd never regret, because in that moment, for the first time in his entire existence, he felt complete.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Madison burrowed into the heat of Ajax's body as she slowly regained her breath and her equilibrium. He was still on top of her, his face buried in her neck, his body pinning her to the earth. He was heavy, his skin so hot she felt as if he were burning her, and she didn't want to ever move. She just wanted to wrap herself around him and keep him there forever. Never part. Never move...
Oh, God. That wasn't good.
"Ajax?" Her voice sounded throaty and seductive, a woman with secrets. "Can you get off me please?"
"I don't think I can. Not yet." He inhaled deeply and swore quietly. "Your scent has changed."
She tensed. "I smell different?"
"Yeah." He nuzzled her neck. "God, you smell good."
The tension inside her loosened a tiny bit at the te
nderness in his voice.
He lifted his head to look at her, a fierce look of possession on his face. "You're mine, now, Madison. No going back."
She swallowed, unnerved by how her body trembled in response to the heated look in his eyes, how she wanted to melt right into him and let him consume her. "Did that do it? The spiritual merging thing?"
Ajax let his weight sink more heavily onto her as he clasped her wrist and wrapped his palm around her forearm. "I can't imagine that didn't merge us spiritually."
She shivered, and she wasn't sure if it was from anticipation or fear. Maybe a little of both. "How soon would we know?"
"Right away." He flipped her arm over and raised it up so they could both inspect it.
The blade of his sword was now outlined on her skin. The most incredible sense of belonging filled her, reverberating through her like warm sunshine on a summer day. It filled her with a sense of peace and belonging that made her chest expand, letting her take her first full breath in what felt like forever. She felt free. Safe. Glorious.
Then she remembered the sheva destiny, and all the good feelings fled, chased away by fear. Oh, no. She pulled her arm free and shoved at him. "Get off."
He didn't move, his gaze fixed on her brand, his eyes dark and inscrutable, as if he were caught in the thrall of what he was seeing.
"Ajax!" She hit his shoulder with her palm, starting to panic. With his weight on her, there was no way for her to get free. "Please! I can't breathe—"
He swore, immediately lifted himself off her, and then shoved himself to his feet.
Madison's body still felt hot, her skin tingly as she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her. Her head was spinning, sweat beading over her skin. "Ajax—" His name stuck in her throat. Her mate. Dear God. Fear gripped her, and she fought for breath.
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