Darkness Possessed (Order of the Blade) (20 page)

Focus on him? All she could
do
was focus on him. He was tremendous in his physical presence, and in the way he took over her personal space. He was invading her senses on all levels...but not creating fear. "Yes, I can focus on you."

She suddenly realized that she had, at some point, wrapped her fingers around his wrist and was holding tightly...not to try to contain him and keep him from hurting her, but because she didn't want him to go away or leave her. She was shocked by the realization that
she
was holding onto
him
, yet, even as she realized it, she tightened her grip on him, her instinct to keep him close triumphing over her instinct not to touch him.

He didn't pull away, or even comment on her tight grip. He just stayed as he was. "You said you can manipulate vegetation," he said. "How would you use it to protect us?"

His question made reality come crashing back, and her gaze skittered past him to the torches burning so brightly. How soon would José and his team arrive? Did they know where they were even now? Her heart began to pound, and she tensed. "I—"

"No." His fingers slipped beneath her chin and gently directed her gaze back to him. "Focus on me. You know I won't hurt you, right?"

For a long moment, she didn't respond. Did she really
know
he wouldn't hurt her?
Really?
Of course she didn't. Trusting a man was like baring your throat to a wild beast. They might appear to be harmless, but the animalistic nature that lurked beneath the surface was never gone. They were constantly treading the edge of control, always ready to turn into the predator they were born to be.

"Rhiannon? Do you understand that I won't hurt you?" His thumb swept across her chin, a simple movement that was so tender that it seemed to eradicate all rational thought, leaving her only with the pounding of her heart and the sensation that she was in the presence of something so beautiful and powerful, something that would gift her only with protection and never with harm. The feeling was so intense and real that, incredibly, she felt herself nodding in affirmation of his statement.

Even as she acknowledged her trust for him, she didn't understand why she was doing it. How could she trust him? She knew better than that. But he'd saved her life. He'd let her attack him. He'd protected her. He'd had every chance to show himself as the predator that she expected him to be, but he simply wasn't. "Yes," she whispered, this time with more conviction. "Yes, I do think that I'm safe with you." Simply saying the words was such a relief, an incredible sensation of finally letting down the steel walls that she'd been surrounding herself with for so long, as if she didn't have to stand alone and fight anymore. She couldn't believe how good it felt.

He smiled then, a smile that seemed to light up his grim face. He looked so much younger, handsome even, that her heart actually skipped a beat. "You know that I kicked Luther's ass, right?"

She almost smiled then. "You stunned him," she clarified.

He shrugged. "I still kicked his ass, which means that if he comes catapulting through these torches right now, I can do it again and give us time to get away." His fingers tightened on her jaw. "So, what that means is right now, in this minute, you're safe. Got it?"

She shook her head, sobered by his lack of understanding of exactly how daunting the enemy hunting them was. "More will come—"

"Are they here yet?" he demanded.

"No, but—"

"Are they here yet?" he repeated.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No." He was pushy and demanding, but for some reason, his demeanor didn't scare her. It was different from José and his team, aggressive, but not threatening.

"Then, in this exact second, is there anything to be afraid of?" he pressed on relentlessly.

She sighed, her rational mind finally accepting the point he was trying to make, the point that she could have been able to get to on her own if she had been a fraction of the trained warrior she had once been. "No, there isn't."

He nodded. "In that case, there's no reason why you can't focus, do your plant magic, and whip up something that will keep us safe tonight, is there? You focus on that, and I'll unleash my worst and kill anything that tries to cross the border while you're at work. Deal?"

He would protect her.
She took a deep breath, and let his words settle into her bones and muscles, allowing his strength to begin to uncoil the tension from her body. As she did so, she instinctively tightened her grip on his wrist, needing to connect with the man who was rebuilding what was left of her broken soul. She could feel the hard bones of his wrist, and the steel cords of muscle beneath her fingers. He was sheer, raw strength, but his skin was soft and warm, like hers, an unassailable reminder that he was a living creature, not a monster.

A monster. The mere word sent a chill down her spine, and the image of José flashed into her mind. Instantly, she tensed again, and fear dug its sharp claws into her heart again.

Zach's eyes narrowed, as if he could sense her sudden apprehension, then he leaned forward until his lips were beside her ear. His breath was warm against her skin, sending shivers down her spine as he whispered to her. "I know you're a warrior, Rhiannon. You have strength that you've forgotten, but I
know
that you can do this. You're not alone, never alone, not anymore. I'm with you, and I know you can do it. I'm counting on you, Thano's counting on you, and
you
are counting on you."

She closed her eyes as his voice seemed to caress her, letting it fill her with a power that seemed to infuse strength into her depleted muscles, and courage into a heart that was long broken. Slowly, needing to touch him and access what he was giving her, she raised her hand and laid it against the side of his neck. She felt him tense as she slid her palm around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her until their cheeks and foreheads were touching. The intimacy was exhilarating and intoxicating, and heat seemed to burn through her flesh. She became viscerally aware of his arms, realizing that one of his hands was on her hip, and his other arm was locked around her lower back from when he'd gone to the ground with her when she'd collapsed.

Slowly, unable to stop herself from basking in the scent of his being, she turned her head toward his, her lips sliding over the roughness of his whiskers until they reached his mouth. She didn't kiss him, but their lips were touching, burning heat through her soul. Her heart hammered through her, and she knew that if he made one move to kiss her, she would panic. She went still, every part of her soul yearning for him not to betray her and shatter the desire burning through her. Was he going to move? Or was he going to let this moment become something that she'd been craving her whole life?

Zach didn't move. He simply went utterly still, as if they had become two statues made of flesh, entangled in a position of burning desire that would never be satisfied.

She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. It was a mixture of sweat mingled with the freshness of the jungle and something deeper and more primal. It swirled through her belly, tightening her muscles with desire that sent a ripple of fear through her, but when he remained utterly still and made no move to capitalize on the yearning that she was sure he could sense, she was able to relax. She focused entirely upon him: the heat of his body everywhere they touched, the weight of his hand on her hip, the seductive temptation of his mouth against hers. Her blood surged through her, ignited by the desire he was stirring up, and she allowed it to build inside her, becoming stronger and stronger.

Zach sucked in his breath, and his fingers tightened on her hip, but other than that, he showed no reaction to the heat growing between them, as if he sensed that any response would destroy what was happening.

The need for him grew stronger, pulsing through her, and her heart began to hammer. It felt like an eternity since she had tapped into her power this way, and she was stunned by the pulsing energy beginning to build inside her. Anger was powerful, but raw, sexual desire had a power of its own. It was pure energy that drew its force from the utter capitulation of the mind and soul, and the absence of conscious thought to clutter it.

Her skin began to feel hot, and adrenaline raced through her, excitement at the forces amassing inside her. It had been so long since she'd felt so bold and in touch with who she was. She slid her hand from the back of his neck up through his hair, entangling her fingers in the soft strands until she was gripping him tight, holding him even more securely against her.

He let out a small groan that plunged right into her core, and his hand slid lower on her hip, palming her as his mouth shifted ever so slightly against hers. Not a kiss, just a move that sent sparks exploding through her. Her fear was gone, completely obliterated by the desire building inside her, burning through her very flesh.

The need to kiss him pulsed through her, an almost overwhelming urge to break the tension being held so tightly between them, to unleash the energy vibrating within them both—

"Thano," Zach whispered against her mouth. "Remember Thano needs our help."

His voice was taut with lust so thick that it made her belly clench, but Thano's name was enough to help her regain her tenuous control over the need for him that was crawling over her skin like a temptation that would never be satisfied. Gripping his hair even more tightly, she pried her hand off his wrist and held her palm out toward the jungle.
Help me
. She sent the plea out to the jungle that had once been her home, to the plants that she had played with as a young girl, to the vines that had hung there uselessly, unable to protect her when she'd been caught in José's thrall and unable to bridge her connection to them.

No longer were they a distant memory of a partnership that had once been real.

The sexual tension amassing between her and Zach exploded into the night, plunging into the vegetation surrounding them. The air crackled with energy as the plants rejoiced over her return, and she felt the earth lurch in response. Wind exploded around them, making their clothes flap ruthlessly under the onslaught as the earth churned in response. The night filled with the howls and chirps of the plants as they crawled across the soil toward them, coming alive at her invitation.

Zach lifted his head and started to pull away, leaving behind a cold void where he had been. Instantly, her energy faltered and the wind began to die down. "No!" she cried as she pulled him back. "Don't! I need you!"

His eyes flashed with darkness as he turned back toward her. "I'm running out of willpower," he said, even as he slid his hands back around her. "I'm the good guy, but I'm not made of ice."

She swallowed as she reached for him, needing to pull him close. "Just don't scare me," she whispered, knowing that she was asking almost the impossible from him. What man had the self-control to do what she was asking? To hold her so intimately and yet not make a move on her? Even as she thought it, she began to tense, and the plants began to quiet.

He swore under his breath and hauled her onto his lap. His eyes were blazing fiercely as he palmed the back of her head, forcing her to look at him. "I would
never
betray your trust," he said. "
Never.
" Then, before she could say anything, he bent his head and kissed her throat.

The feel of his lips on her bare flesh sent a shock of sensation catapulting through her. She gasped and shuddered, gripping his shoulders as he trailed gentle, tantalizing kisses over her collarbone. His arms were around her back, supporting her even as he bent her back to give him better access. "Do it," he growled. "Focus on your plants. I swear that I won't so much as breathe on your breasts unless you beg me to do it, and even then, I might refuse, just to piss you off."

Relief rushed through her, and she closed her eyes, surrendering to the incredible sensation of his lips on her flesh. Desire crackled through her, a passion so intense that every muscle in her body tightened. She turned it outward, once again, thrusting it into the night.

The plants roared to life, and the night howled with the fierce energy of the vegetation. She felt the strength of the earth and plants rushing through her, cleansing her body of all the filth that had been fermenting inside her for so long. Adrenaline filled her and she sent out more power into the night.
I need a wall! An impenetrable fortress!
The night filled with the hiss of plants rushing along the earth, climbing over each other, and tangling their leaves as they rushed to do her bidding. Elation filled her as the wind grew even stronger. The ground shifted beneath her, and she relished the power of the earth as it flooded her body.

Now!
There was a final burst of energy and a loud snap, as if a tremendous door had been slammed shut, and she knew without even opening her eyes that they were surrounded by a thick wall of vines, a barrier that would hold against any invader, a barrier that would hide their scents and sounds from even the most refined hunter. They were completely hidden, even in the middle of José's territory.

There was one final crash of the last plant slamming into place, and then the crescendo went silent, leaving behind nothing but the sound of her breathing, and the quiet hum of plants at peace. The wind faded into stillness, and all the power that had been rushing through her faded away...leaving her drained, exhausted, and suddenly aware that she was flat on her back with Zach's full body weight on her, his rock-hard erection pressing into her belly as he trailed kisses over her throat. Her hands were on his shoulders, her fingernails digging into him as if she had been trying to pull him closer. Her legs were around his hips, and her feet were locked behind him, as if she'd tried to trap him between her legs.