Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade) (17 page)

But as Gideon ran his fingers over the brand on her arm, he knew it was the truth. Somehow, some way, destiny had come back for him. “We keep to the plan,” he said. “We’ll take her back long enough to check out the knife and pick her brain about everything she knows. We’ll keep everyone else away while we’re there. Then we take her home—”

But even as he said it, Gideon realized he was wrong. Frank was still sending Calydons after her. Until the Order stopped Frank, Lily would be at risk. She had to stay with Gideon until Frank was dead.

His skin chilled at the risk of staying with her, of risking her by tightening that bond, but at the same time, he knew there was no other option. He would not leave her to stand alone against the nightmare she was facing.

“What about Ian and Quinn?” Kane asked. “They’ve both met their
shevas
so they’ll be safe with her. They’ll want to talk to her, and the minute they see you two together, they’ll know what’s going on.”

“If I can meet a second
sheva
so can Ian. He’s not safe with a woman either.” Ian’s
sheva
had been killed by Elijah less than six months ago, and Ian still hadn’t recovered. Gideon wasn’t sure he ever would.

“Shit. You’re right.” Kane frowned. “Ian would lose his mind if he met another
sheva
. He’d never survive. We need to warn him to be careful.” He looked at Gideon. “But we can’t tell Ian he’s not safe, not without revealing Lily’s status as your
sheva
. What excuse are you going to use to keep them away?”

“I’ll think of something.” Gideon knelt down and scooped Lily up. “I have to get her out of the woods. Let’s go.”

Kane set his hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “You aren’t going to turn into Ian when this one dies, are you?”

“She isn’t going to die.”

Kane raised his brows. “Of course she’s going to die. You’ve met each other. Your destiny is sealed. I’ll let her live because we need her right now, but someone has to kill her before she takes you out.”

“What about Grace and Quinn? They survived the bond.”

Kane snorted “You really think they beat fate? Look at you. Your
sheva
already died, and destiny gave you another one. As long as Quinn and Grace are alive, they’re not safe. Destiny’s just gearing up for another attack. There’s no way to beat it, Gideon. Lily dies, or you die. It’s the only way.”

Gideon tucked her more closely against his chest, her body so light and fragile in his arms. He shifted her so his sword arm was free, ready to defend her if needed. “So I won’t bond with her.”

Kane snorted. “Now you sound like Quinn with all that denial crap. You’d be better off if you’d just acknowledge what you’re facing and deal with it, instead of living in denial—”

Gideon grabbed Kane by the throat and yanked him close. “I stood back and watched an innocent woman be slaughtered for no other reason than she was my
sheva
. She didn’t do a damn thing to deserve it, and she died anyway. I know exactly what I’m facing right now, so back off.”

Kane’s eyes narrowed, and Gideon could see the realization in Kane’s eyes that Gideon wasn’t the cold, unfeeling machine he’d presented to the world for the last five hundred years. Not by a long shot.

Shit. Gideon couldn’t afford to be reacting like this. He had to pull his shit together. Now. He had another
sheva
to be responsible for, and this time, he was getting it right.

Kane flicked Gideon’s hand off his neck, his eyes flashing. “I’m all for keeping Lily alive because I think she’ll help us find Dante’s killer. But the minute I sense she’s turning you rogue, I’m taking her out. So
don’t
grab me by the throat again because I won’t wait to strike.”

Gideon nodded in acknowledgement, realizing that Kane was right. He needed to pull himself together and fast. How had Quinn managed to stay sane when he’d met his
sheva?

Not that he could ask.

Gideon was on his own, and the first time he’d been through this, he’d failed completely.

He wouldn’t let it happen again.

Lily inspected the cast, surprised to see Gideon’s name on it. He’d drawn a goofy smiley face next to his name, with the eyes crossed and the tongue sticking out, as if the happy face was giving her a raspberry. He’d even used a pink marker.

Gideon. She suddenly recalled everything that had happened in the clearing. How he’d almost killed her. She’d thought he was going to. Where was he? Clearly, he’d managed to get them both back here, so that had to be a good sign, right?

“Lily,” Ana urged. “Sign my cast.”

“Yeah, okay.” Lily scrawled her name under his and then wrote something about looking to the future, but her mind was too scrambled to think. What had happened after she’d passed out? “Do you know where Gideon is?”

“He’s been with you the whole time, but had to run downstairs to talk to the rest of the Order,” Ana said. “He asked me to stay here in case you woke up.” She smiled. “I would have offered to stay with you anyway, of course. I was so happy when he brought you back from Nate’s.”

Lily sensed the pain underneath the surface of Ana’s cheerful persona, and felt an answering weight swell inside her. Nate had forever changed both of them. “He’s really dead?”

Ana nodded. “Dead as a cockroach under a hammer. My sister saw him die.”

Relief filled Lily at the confirmation that Nate was truly gone. It felt so right, so perfect to have Ana sitting beside her, alive and healing. Lily felt hope, real hope, that the future could be okay. “When you didn’t come back for so long, I didn’t think you’d made it,” she admitted. “I was afraid you’d died.”

Ana hugged her again. “Oh, Lily. I’m so sorry it took so long. I sent them after you as soon as I could, but I was unconscious for a while.”

Lily couldn’t help but smile as she leaned back against the pillow, sinking into the plush softness that felt so decadent after two years in Nate’s basement cell. “How dare you be unconscious? You’re so insensitive.”

Ana giggled and scooted next to her on the pillow, two women who’d found solidarity and hope from each other in a harsh and brutal life. “Okay, yeah, I guess I have an excuse, huh?” She gestured to the other woman, who was waiting by the door. “This is my sister, Grace. She’s the one who got the Order on my case.” Ana beamed at her sister. “She saved me.”

“Hi.” Grace nodded from the door, and Lily was amazed at how much the sisters looked alike. The same silver eyes, the same golden skin tone, gorgeous black hair that practically glistened. Ana was shorter with more luxurious curves, and her eyes slanted down at the corners, giving her an exotic, sensual look.

Grace’s dark hair was tumbling down around her shoulders, and she was wearing a pair of slim-fitting jeans that made her legs look long and fit. She looked relaxed, and her long silver earrings were delicate and feminine, but she gave the impression of strength, a woman who somehow combined everything soft with everything strong.

Lily sat up a little straighter and touched her own hair, realizing she still hadn’t showered. “Where am I?”

“The temporary headquarters of the Order, the home of their leader Dante, who Nate killed,” Ana said. “You’re in isolation so none of the men accidentally stumble across you. Gideon seems rather determined that you not be turned into a
sheva
and killed, not that I’d let them kill you, of course.” She held up her pinkie finger. “We’ve suffered together, and I’m here for you.” She grabbed Lily’s pinkie and shook it. “We’re sisters, Lily. You and me.”

“If you guys are sisters, then I guess you’re part of my family now.” Grace reached the bed and held out her hand to shake Lily’s, smiling with genuine warmth. “Nice to meet you, Lily.”

Lily reached for her hand, then froze when she saw the silver outline of a sword on Grace’s forearm. Grace was sporting a brand that would no doubt prove to be identical to that of her mate, the mark of a fully bonded
sheva
. Lily’s heart constricted and her gaze jerked toward Grace’s face. “Your mate was killed by the Order?”

“No.” Grace smiled. “He’s actually an Order member.”

Lily blinked. “But you’re alive?” How could an Order
sheva
be walking around the halls of their headquarters? They would never allow it.

Grace nodded. “It appears Quinn and I beat destiny, at least for now. They’re letting me live.”

“You’re serious?” Lily frowned, trying to reconcile that news with all that she knew about Calydons. She’d never seen any kind of indicator that destiny could be thwarted, not in all her years of research. “Really? I’ve never heard of anyone defeating the bond. It’s impossible.”

“It is impossible, but it’s not.” Grace looked happy and relaxed, like a woman comfortable in her life and with her mate. She definitely didn’t have the fearful demeanor of a woman worried that some Calydon was going to leap through the door and take her down. “They had no choice with me,” she said with a wink. “I wouldn’t recommend testing them again. They’re a little prickly about changing their ways.”

Ana held out her arm. “I have one too.”

Lily grabbed Ana’s wrist and peered closely at her arm. There were faint silver markings up by her elbow, the first outlines of a weapon. It was the earliest stages of the bond. “Who?”

Ana’s eyes saddened. “Elijah. Another Order member. He died trying to save me from Nate. By giving his life for me, he satisfied one of the stages of the bond, so I developed the mark. Since he’s dead, I’m no danger, so the Order doesn’t mind if I live.” Ana rubbed her hand over the mark, a caress so tender that it almost made Lily believe Ana was connecting with her dead mate.

Lily thought of Gideon, and she glanced toward the door, wondering how soon he’d return. Hearing Ana and Grace talk about their mates was stirring something inside Lily. She felt restless and unsettled, and she wanted Gideon there by her side.

Grace set her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Trust me, Ana. I’m sorry you never got to know Elijah, but it’s easier this way. You don’t want to go down that road.”

Ana glanced up at her. “It worked out for you.”

“For now,” Grace acknowledged. “Who knows what the future will bring, though? I wouldn’t have chosen it if I had a choice.”

Lily looked at Grace. “But you didn’t have a choice. No
sheva
has a choice about whether she will bond with her mate.” Lily thought she heard footsteps in the hall, and looked sharply at the door. Gideon?

No one entered, and disappointment surged through her.

Grace pressed her hand to her mark. “No, I didn’t I have a choice, though I certainly tried. I refused to believe in destiny and the whole bonding thing, but destiny didn’t really care what I believed.” Her face softened. “But now that I’m here, it’s so worth it.”

Ana grinned, her silver eyes sparkling with amusement. “Grace is in love. Isn’t it cute? She’s been this hard-edged miserable person for the last ten years, and then she meets some Order member who has to kill her, and boom, she remembers how to smile.”

Lily felt a pulse in her heart at the genuine affection between the sisters, and suddenly she missed her family so much. Her throat tightened. “Is there a phone here I can use?”

“I’ll get mine.” Grace smiled again. “Nice to meet you, Lily. We’re so glad you’re here.” She squeezed Ana’s hand, then strode out of the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

Ana settled down beside to Lily and propped herself upon one of the flowered throw pillows. “So, before she comes back, I have to ask you something.”