Stephanie Rowe - Darkness Unleashed (9 page)

"Here we go," Ryland said.

Then, to Catherine's shock, the horse leapt straight off the shore, yanking Zach and Ryland with him, jerking both warriors right off their feet. She had only a second to conclude she was going to die a violent, watery death, when the horse landed on the surface of the water and began to gallop
across the top of it,
dragging Zach and Ryland behind him, through the raging whitecaps.

She and Ryland dipped beneath the surface, and tainted, filthy water flooded her mouth. Then they were jerked free, careening through the air as Apollo leapt over a huge wave. Catherine sucked in her breath desperately, and shook the water out of her eyes. All she could see was spray from the wave crashing over Ryland. He glanced down at her, and for a split second, she thought she saw something soft flash in his eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by the cold, hard visage of a warrior in the midst of battle. A man with the singular objective of survival and protection…which, she had to admit, was exactly the right kind of man to be hanging onto while being dragged through an Otherworld river by a water-walking stallion while being chased by ghostly serpents. She didn't trust men, not ever, but in that moment, she knew she was exactly where she needed to be.

Ryland glanced at her again, and this time he flashed a smile at her. "Glad you can see how great I am," he shouted just before they plunged back into the water when Apollo landed. The current tore at her, trying to jerk her out of Ryland's grasp, but his grip was unyielding, keeping her secure against him even as they were buffeted by the rapids. Then Apollo leapt again, ripping them from the grips of the fuming water. They sailed through the air for a brief reprieve.

"Breathe," shouted Ryland, "while you have the chance!"

Catherine sucked in her breath and then closed her mouth as they crashed down again, plunging into the merciless water that seemed to grab at her limbs. It fought to pry her free of Ryland, as if it were a living creature desperate to feed on her. Then something really did grab her ankle. It jerked her right out of Ryland's grasp and sucked her down straight toward the bottom in a savage, quick move—

A machete whizzed by her head, there was a scream of agony, and then the tentacle released her just as Ryland grabbed her outstretched wrist. She was jerked forward as Apollo's momentum caught her. This time, Ryland's body was not there to absorb the violence of the water, and she was ripped and tossed as they plowed through, her only connection to safety being Ryland's fingers around her arm.

Her shoulder felt like it was getting torn from its socket, and her body burned from getting pummeled by the ruthless current. The pain was too much, way too much.

"Come on," Ryland shouted. With a herculean effort, he dragged her toward him, somehow summoning strength that triumphed over the relentless pull of the water. She slammed into his body, and this time she flung aching limbs around him without hesitation. When he anchored his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, she felt the most incredible sense of relief and hope, as if she now had a chance to make it.

Catherine buried her face against his shoulder, focused on nothing but hanging onto him and catching her breath when they cleared the water. Again and again, they were jerked free of the water and then plunged back into it as Apollo leapt over waves and then landed again. Ryland's grip on her never faltered, even when her arms and legs were screaming with exhaustion and she felt like she couldn't hold on for a second more, he was there for her, keeping her protected and in his grasp.

Finally, she heard the thud of the horse's hooves on solid ground. In disbelief, she raised her head as Ryland landed on the riverbank and released Apollo's tail. He forged onward another twenty yards until they were clear of the water, then he went down to his knees, still gripping her tightly.

She was too exhausted to do anything except sag against him, fighting for breath. They'd made it.
They'd made it.
It was an impossible crossing, but the warriors had found a way.

"Holy crap." Zach was on his hands and knees beside them, his ribs expanding as he sucked in air. His muscles were trembling, and steam was rising from his body. "Remind me never to go swimming in that she-demon of water again."

Even Apollo looked drained. The horse's head was down, his forefeet splayed as his nostrils flared. Only Thano looked fresh atop the horse, his halberd out and ready as he scanned their surroundings, protecting the others while they regrouped. Though battered and drenched, the trio gave off a sense of power and solidarity, a force that seamlessly worked to support each other.

Her throat tightened, overwhelmed by the way the three of them seemed to stand by each other, despite the visible tension that she'd seen by the graveyard. It was amazing, this teamwork, this kind of support...and then she remembered that Ryland had said that he would have cut down Ian if he'd been planning to hurt Alice. Was his bond with Ian the same as it was with Thano and Zach? And if so, how could he be able to destroy it so easily to protect another?

But she knew the answer to that. He was a man who lived by his own rules, and woe to anyone who counted on him for more than that. He wasn't a forever guy. He was "forever until it served his purposes to go in another direction," and she had to remember that, no matter how great he was at saving her from nether-world serpents and rivers.

"You okay?" Ryland eased her down to the ground, his hands moving over her hips in a soft caress too methodical to be a seduction, but more intimate than a simple examination for injuries should be.

"Yes." Her muscles were aching and trembling, and she felt as if every last bit of energy had been sucked from her body by the water. She couldn't keep from gripping his forearms, needing his strength to hold herself up, as if she were some weak female. Which, apparently, she was, at least in this moment. But at the same time, it felt good to have him to lean on. Beautiful even. He'd just saved her life with a show of strength and courage that was incredible. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Ryland cupped her face, and she looked at him. His eyes were black as usual, ruthlessly intent. "I would give my life for yours," he said. "Without hesitation. No matter what."

The raw simplicity of his promise touched her, as did the absolute conviction in his eyes. She knew he spoke the truth, the full truth. For some reason, this man she didn't even know, this man steeped in death and terrible things, had committed his life to her well-being. Tears thickened her throat, but she forced herself to turn away, unwilling to let herself fall for the kind of lines that had stolen so much from her already.

"Catherine," he said softly, for her ears only.

"What?" She didn't look at him, unwilling to let herself get sucked into promises and declarations that were too tempting. She knew her weakness, her need to believe in people no matter what, and she couldn't let him exploit it.

"Look at me."

"I'd rather not."

"I don't care."

Frustrated, she looked at him, then her heart tightened when she saw the raw agony on his chiseled face. It wasn't simply vulnerability, it was humanity that spoke of a soul so tortured that even this great warrior was unable to hide it. "What?"

He took her hand and pressed it against his chest. She could feel the steady, reassuring thud of his heart, the warmth of his flesh through his shirt, and the howling pain in his soul. "I offer you my eternal protection," he said. "I am your servant."

It almost sounded as if he were invoking some ancient ritual binding them together. Terrified, she jerked her hand back. "No, I don't want anything from you."

Something dark and deadly flashed through Ryland's eyes, and she scrambled backward, suddenly scared of what stirred beneath the surface of this man. "Ryland—"

"Damn, man," Thano interrupted. "What happened to the ruthless, selfish bastard on the edge of going completely insane and destroying all that is good in this world? I thought you were pathetic and droopy with the other angels, but you're even worse with this one. You're like a puppy dog in love. What is it with you and angels, dude?"

Ryland ignored Thano and kept his gaze riveted on Catherine, but the truth of Thano's words hung in the air. Catherine could see in Ryland everything Thano had spoken of: the ruthlessness, the selfishness, the insanity, and the destruction of all that was good. It was bleeding through his pores from a source deep inside him.

But that wasn't the scary part of him. The scary thing was that beneath all those things Thano had cited, Catherine sensed a man on the edge of an abyss, someone so loyal and determined that he would indeed give his life for those he had sworn to support. He was born of simple values more pure than the earth itself, when it was swathed in the beauty of a sunrise. The fact that she could see something beautiful in Ryland was terrifying, because it made her vulnerable to him. It made her want to trust him, to put her faith in him, to give the world one more chance to show her she could count on it.

Ryland nodded in apparent agreement. "I'm the right choice," he said quietly. "Believe your gut."

She blinked at the response that seemed to be in direct alignment with what she'd just been thinking. "Can you hear my thoughts?"

"Shit, no." His response was without hesitation. "But you broadcast your emotions with your face. You're easy to read." He grinned. "Sweetheart, I'm one of those ultrasensitive guys who are so tuned into emotions it's like it was born to me. If you cry, I'll hear you. If you decide to trust me, I'll know." Amusement flickered in his eyes. "And if you try to run on me again, I'll find you before you've even figured out where you're going."

She swallowed, his words feeling as comforting as they did scary. What was wrong with her? Those words could only be interpreted as a threat, not as protection. He wanted to take her back with him. She had to go forward. There was no middle ground.

"We camp here tonight," Ryland called out to his team. "We move in the morning. Most things won't go near the river, so we're safest if we stay close to it."

Zach raised his weary head to look at Ryland. "You're sure?"

"Yeah."

Catherine was surprised by the way Zach and Thano didn't question him further. They were in the middle of a strange and hostile territory, and yet his teammates seemed to have complete faith in what Ryland commanded. Zach was already on his feet and gathering wood for a fire, and Thano was unloading Apollo's saddlebags onto a flat, high rock that was level with him from his mounted position. The warriors were quick and efficient, men who had set up camp a thousand times and knew exactly what to do—

"Forgive me, my angel." Ryland interrupted her thoughts, and she looked over at him just as he wrapped a vine around her wrist.

She tensed. "What is that?"

"My protection in case you go invisible again." He looped the other end of the vine around his own wrist, and with a quick flick of the wrist, tied them together.

"What?" She lunged to her feet, fighting at the binding. "What are you doing?"

"As I said, you're easy to read. You're not planning on staying with me. I'm damned good at tracking, Catherine, but when you went invisible, you were completely hidden from me. Impressive as hell, but not something either of us can afford." Ryland caught her arm as she fought, steadying her. "The harder you pull, the more the vine will tighten and dig into your arm. Don't fight it. The vine won't break, and it can't be cut. We're bound together until the sunlight dissolves it."

"Dammit!" She fought to get free. "How could you do this? I have to leave! I can't go with you!"

He lightly gripped her arm. "Hey, hey, hey, Catherine. Calm down—"

"I can't! Let me go!" She tore herself out of his grasp, stumbling backward even as the vine tightened, digging into her wrist and—

"Stop it!" Ryland tackled her and tossed her to the ground, pinning her with his weight to the cold earth. "You're going to hurt yourself."

His weight was so heavy, she couldn't move. She was trapped.
Trapped.
Panic overtook her, her heart hammering frantically. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't get air. "Get off me," she gasped. "Now!"

* * *

Ryland swore as panic took over Catherine. She was losing control, driven by a terror far beyond what the situation should have caused. He could feel it reaching up to grab her, to trap her in a spiral of the mindless insanity of fear. Shit! "Catherine! Come back to me." Tying her to him had been a mistake, and he realized it instantly.

Swearing, he called out his machete and tried to cut the vine, but his weapon glanced off it, repelled by a force darker than he could destroy. "Shit!"

She was trembling beneath him, thrashing and fighting, desperate to get free, but he couldn't release her. "Catherine!" What had she responded to before? He thought back to the brief interactions that they'd had, to those moments when she'd gazed at him without fear, to when she'd looked at him as if she wanted to trust him. It had been when he'd been offering her protection and promising he would keep her safe. She'd responded to that, something inside her needing to hear those words and to believe them.

Shit. He had to tap into that again. "Catherine," he said, fending off her blows as gently as he could. "I'm on your side, I swear it."

No response from her. She was in a blind panic, and her heart rate was escalating dangerously.

Crap! Swiftly, he thought back to that moment in the graveyard when she'd touched his hand, to the intensity of his reaction at the feel of her skin on his, at the intimacy of their moment. Everything had stood still in that moment of connection.

That was it. He had to find that again.

Intimacy and protection. Making her understand his commitment to ensure she was safe with him, and only him. He was no tender guy. He knew shit about sweet nothings. So, swearing under his breath, he bent his head and offered her his protection and connection in the only way he could think of, the one thing he didn't offer to anyone, ever: his kiss.