Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade) (7 page)

Apology? Shit, he deserved no apology. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Come back.” He pulled her on his lap and rested his cheek against hers, hoping it would work again to sooth her. He needed it to work. He burned to reconnect, to feel her body yield to him again. Her cheek was cold, but her skin was so soft and delicate. So utterly female.

After a minute, she relaxed and let herself sag against him. He closed his eyes at the contact, at the feel of her body sinking into his. God, it felt good.

“Glass,” she whispered. “In my back.”

“Glass?” Gideon couldn’t keep the fury out of his tone, but Lily didn’t flinch this time. She just leaned against him, as if she were too exhausted to fight anymore. He lifted his head to inspect the back of her shirt, scowling at the speckles of blood from when she’d been dragged across the floor by the Calydon. He cursed and clenched his fists against the need to go back and punish the Calydon for what he’d done to her.

He was dead. That was enough.

But, fuck. It wasn’t. Nothing would be enough.

Growling, Gideon gripped her shirt, then paused when he felt her tense. “I’m going to look at it, okay?”

She nodded, but said nothing, so Gideon gently tugged her shirt up to expose her back. The soft tones of her skin glistened, and he was so tempted to drop his head and press his lips to each injury. Her back was liberally sliced, and he could see glass fragments glittering like diamonds in her back. Outrage tightened his jaw, but he forced himself not to react, not with her so fragilely clinging to sanity on his lap. “We need to get those out.” He brushed her hair back from her face so he could see her. “Is that okay?”

She lifted her head and looked at him. Gideon was shocked by the total exhaustion in her eyes, the absolute depletion, and the desperate need for help buried deep beneath her shields, as she fought to maintain her strength and her independence.

His fingers tightened in her hair. “You’re not alone anymore,” he growled. “I swear it.”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t want to need you,” she whispered. “Don’t make me need you.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her courage. Who was she kidding? She was at the end of her resources. And damned if he didn’t like the fact that he was the one who was going to catch her.

At that moment, Ian came loping down the hill and out onto the street. “Lost him. The bastard’s fast. The last eight are on their way. I could hear them.” Ian’s gaze flicked to Lily, thoughtful curiosity on his face. “They’re fools to come against Gideon and me, with only eight of them left, but they’re coming after you anyway. They must want you badly.”

Lily sat up so quickly, she almost lost her balance. Gideon caught her as she stumbled to her feet, wincing as if every muscle in her body hurt. He caught a glimpse of a dark bruise on her upper thigh before her skirt fell back into place, and he felt a darkness fester inside him at the sight.

Lily didn’t seem to notice his reaction. All her weakness and vulnerability seemed to vanish, replaced by a woman who was focused, clear-minded and ready to fight. “How close are they?” she asked Ian urgently.

“Five minutes. They’re closing fast.” Ian raised a brow at Gideon. “Fight or bail?”

Gideon’s first instinct was to stand and fight, to take them down and try to keep a few survivors for questioning, but he saw the way Lily hugged herself as she searched the dark night for their pursuers. Yes, she was ready to defend herself, but she was running on fumes for sure.

She was trembling, clad in nothing but her thin blouse and skirt. Her eyes were shadowed with the trauma she’d already been through, and he winced at the blood on her hands and shirt from the two warriors he’d killed on top of her. No more for her. Not tonight. “We bail. Lily’s our priority.”

“Then let’s go.” Ian turned and started loping toward the truck they’d arrived in.

Lily’s gaze shot to him, her eyes wild. “Why am I your priority? It’s more than because Ana sent you. You wouldn’t waste your time on me. Why do you need me?”

Gideon touched her shoulder to acknowledge her question, but he didn’t take time to answer. Instead, he reached out with his senses to assess the threat. He caught the scent of their sweat almost immediately and felt the beat of their black hearts. He picked up their single-minded focus on Lily. They were close and moving quickly. Gideon cursed and grabbed her hand. “Later. We need to go.”

She hesitated, and he remembered the haunted way she’d looked at him in Nate’s house. As if she knew all his blackest secrets and was terrified by them, scared in the way of someone who knows her fears are grounded in the ultimate truth and complete reality.

He knew she was ready to dig in and refuse to accompany him and Ian. “Lily.” He met her gaze. “I’ll keep you safe, but I can’t do it if you don’t go with me.” He would take her if she didn’t go willingly, but he didn’t want to push her. He could sense that she needed to make the choice for herself. Gideon forced himself to give her time, trusting that the intelligence he’d seen in her eyes would trump her fear and her independence.

Lily slowly shook her head, but he could see the torment in her gaze, her instinct to trust him warring with her fear of all that he was. She fought to overcome the traumas that had taught her not to trust
anyone
.

Gideon moved closer and cradled her face between his hands, probing her with his gaze. “I
promise
I will protect you. I won’t hurt you, I swear.”

Lily stared up at him, then her gaze flicked down the road, in the direction of the approaching Calydons. She gripped his wrists, resolution setting on her features as she breathed strength and determination back into her body. “They work for Frank, and you killed them to keep them from taking me,” she said, her voice desperate, but strong. “I have to believe in that. Right now, I have to choose you.”

Gideon felt such an immense sense of relief and satisfaction at the look of trust on her face that his insides snapped. Possessiveness swirled through him. Her eyes widened at whatever she saw on his face, and she jerked back. “You’re so dangerous to me.” Her words were replete with horror that left him cold, a rejection that struck straight to his core: it was a truth he deserved.

Lily whirled around and tried to run toward the truck, limping painfully with each desperate step.

Gideon recovered a split second later. Screw that. Yeah, he was a cold bastard, but that didn’t change the fact that he was all she had right now. As hell was his witness, the Order needed her, too. He ignored the whisper in the back of his mind that suggested that he also needed her, and it had nothing to do with the Order.

Gideon strode after her, caught up to her in a heartbeat, and swept her up in his arms, not even giving the exhausted female a chance to fight her battle alone anymore.

To his surprise, she didn’t resist. Lily simply wrapped her arms around his neck as he tucked her against his hip and sprinted for the truck. Rightness settled through him at the feel of her body against his, and he tightened his grip protectively as he ran.
You will be safe with me, Lily.

She frowned at him, and for a second, he thought maybe she’d heard him. Something leapt in his chest, and then they were at the truck, and it was time to focus.

Gideon set her gently in the back, climbed in next to her and yanked the door shut as Ian peeled out, whipping past the upturned Hummer and out into the road, just as their pursuers rounded the corner behind them.

* * *

Lily twisted around in the seat, her hand instinctively going to Gideon’s shoulder for balance as Ian swerved back onto the right side of the road. The headlights behind them were closing fast, and she dug her fingers into his broad shoulder. Her mouth was dry with fear as she watched their pursuers approach. God help her. Would it ever end? “Is that them?”

Gideon turned, his shoulder wedged up against her side. He was far too big to fit in the back seat comfortably, and he had no business trying to share it with anyone. There was nowhere for her to move that didn’t result in her being pressed up against him. Every inch of his body emanated heat and danger, and she couldn’t keep from noticing, not with him invading her senses so thoroughly.

He peered out the back window, then cursed. “Any ideas, Ian?”

“A couple.” Ian glanced at them in his rear view mirror, and Lily could tell from the look on his face that she was not going to like his idea. “You want to flip a coin?”

He and Gideon exchanged silent looks that were heavy with information she couldn’t interpret, and she realized they were communicating mind-to-mind. Gideon nodded and shoved open the oversized pass-through to the back of the truck and climbed though the opening.

She groaned and closed her eyes, letting her head flop against the seat. “I’m not going home, am I?”

“Not yet.” Ian tightened his grip on the wheel as they careened around a corner.

The truck whipped around the bend in the road, and the momentum tossed Lily across the seat. She grabbed for the door handle as the right side of the truck lifted off the ground. “Ian!”

“I’ve got it,” he said calmly as the tires squealed, and she hit the side of the truck hard as they bounced back down.

There was a curse from the back of the truck, then a medium sized duffel bag flew from the pass through and hit Ian in the back of the head. “Fuck, Gideon. Watch it!” The truck skidded, and Lily sucked in her breath as Ian fought to keep control of the vehicle. He jerked the bag off the back of his neck and hurled it into the back seat, where it landed with a thud next to Lily’s hip.

Gideon stuck his head through the pass-through. “Why are these Calydons after you, Lily?” He tossed another bag into the front, and this one landed on the floor next to her feet instead of on Ian’s head. “I know you smell good, but
hell.”

She stared at him blankly, so surprised by his comment that it took a moment to even understand what he meant. She smelled good? Was he serious with that? They were on the run from the most terrifying man she’d ever met, and Gideon was actually thinking about how she smelled? And what in God’s name was she doing actually noticing his comment and feeling all ooey-gooey inside from it? Had it really been that long since anyone had said anything nice to her?

Well, yeah, it had been. She should let herself appreciate it, even if it was just a compliment on her body odor while she was on the run from certain death and torture. A girl had to take what she could get, and she hadn’t lasted two years in hell without taking advantage of opportunities to feel positive. So, yay for the big, manly man who thought she smelled good, even though she hadn’t showered in God knew how long.

“Lily?” Gideon apparently didn’t like having his question ignored, a grim reminder that these were two deadly, determined Calydons she’d entrusted her life to. God, what a choice to make.

“I don’t know specifically why they’re after me.” She fumbled for the seat belt and yanked it around her as Ian took another sharp turn. “I think they work for Frank Tully, a partner of Nate’s. Frank seems to have an interest in me.” She shivered, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. The desperateness of her situation came crashing down, and she leaned forward. “Can you drive faster?”

Ian met her gaze in the rear view mirror. His answering grin didn’t hide the deep anguish haunting his eyes, or the torment that had brought hollows to his cheeks. “A woman who likes speed,” he said. “My kind of gal.”

“Frank Tully?” Gideon repeated as he hauled himself through the pass-through and dropped on the seat next to her, his bulk crushing her into the corner of the seat. He smelled like leather and man, and woods. Like freedom. Like safety. “Who the hell’s Frank Tully?”

She found the receptacle for the seatbelt and shoved hard until she felt a click. “A scary bastard. I couldn’t figure out who was in charge between Nate and him.” She leaned back against the seat, gripping the handle above her head to try to keep from slamming into Gideon as the truck careened down the twisting road. “He wanted Nate’s stone. I heard them arguing.”

Gideon threw an arm out to brace himself against the front seat, and hauled her against him with his other arm, anchoring her to his side. He and Ian exchanged glances. “So you think this Frank guy is after you?”

“Probably.” Lily shuddered at the thought of being at Frank’s mercy. The way his eyes had fastened on her... Her head started to spin and she bent over, putting her head between her knees. “I can’t deal with this.”

Gideon shifted, setting his hand on her head, his fingers tangling in her hair. “Sure you can.” His voice was quiet and confident, his touch warm and reassuring. “You think he wants you, or the stone?” he asked, continuing his urgent questioning.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on his touch, letting it ground her. God, it had been years since someone had given her physical comfort. It made her want to crawl into his lap and give up all pretense of being able to cope. To let someone else take care of her. For a day. Or even an hour. Just to be able to stop fighting for a minute...but it wasn’t an option. Not now. She clenched her fists and willed herself to be strong. “I don’t have the stone, so I’d have to think he wants me specifically.”

“Why?”

She winced as the tires squealed, but Gideon kept her anchored against him, and she barely slid in the seat. “Because of my charming personality, of course. Why else?” No way was she going to admit who she was to them. Never could a Calydon be trusted with the truth of what she was. Never.

His soft chuckle made her belly curl. “Why else, indeed?”

“Seriously, I don’t know. I don’t know why Nate kept me, either, but he had a reason. I tried to find out, but he kept his secrets locked up.” Lily had some ideas, but she wasn’t about to share them with Calydons she couldn’t trust. “He had big plans, and I think Frank is trying to take over now that Nate’s dead.” She felt the truck tip again, and she sucked in her breath. “We’re going to die right now, aren’t we?”