Darkness Possessed (Order of the Blade) (35 page)

Disgust flared through her, and she tore her attention off the staff, dragging her gaze upward. Vines were engraved on the staff, winding their way up to the top, where flames were flickering out of the end of it. Vines and fire woven together. It was as if the staff represented them both, twisted into one, depraved unit until the end of time.

She stared at that staff, fighting to keep control of her thoughts. It had to be destroyed, or José would never go rogue, and she would never be able to kill him.

Even as she thought of killing him, she felt something inside her wail with anguish at the idea of losing the man she was bound with. This man, this horrible, despicable creature who had tormented her for so long and destroyed her village was connected to her by the very blood that ran through their veins, entwined in her soul through the blood bond that was supposed to force him to keep her safe...and that forced her to protect him at all costs.

And yet the man she actually loved, the one who had given his life trying to save her, lay dying behind her, because of her failure. She had killed the wrong man.
The wrong man.
Anger and betrayal burned through her, and her heart bled with the tears that her eyes were forbidden to shed. With her tribe decimated, Zach had become her only salvation, the only thing left in her life to hold onto, and José had made her kill him. Because of José, she had lost everything that mattered to her. Her tribe. Her home. Her freedom. Her only friend. And the man she loved.
She had lost everything that mattered—

She sucked in her breath as her words flew through her mind again.
She had lost everything that mattered most to her.
Shocked, she stared at him. The first stage of the decimated
sheva
destiny was that they both had to lose all that mattered to them. She had lost it all. Her heart began to pound. Was it not too late? Was it possible? Was there a way? All that was left was for José to lose everything that mattered to him as well.

You will bow to me.
At José's silent command, she fell to her knees in front of him, staring up at him as her mind raced frantically to put the pieces together.

What did he value? What was most important to him? His power? His staff? The jungle? Her? Control? Frantically, she raced over what she knew of him, trying to figure out what mattered most to him. What could he lose? Her? By rights, it should be her, right? As his mate? "I love Zach," she whispered, forcing herself to picture the man she loved, until Zach's presence seemed to fill her whole mind and body. "Zach," she said, louder. "I love him. You might control my body, but I love him."

He smiled. "You don't know what love is." He reached down and grabbed the front of her dress, jerking her to her feet until her breasts were smashed against his chest. "You love me,
sheva
. Your heart beats for me. Your body craves me. You dream of me. You cannot turn me down, no matter what I want.
That
is love."

Revulsion churned through her, but her body would not fight him. "You piece of shit," she whispered.

His eyes widened. "What?"

She went still, shocked by what had just come out of her mouth. How had she spoken to him like that? Where had that power come from? She searched through her mind, but she felt the same, lost and lustful, captured by his spell. But still, the words came again. "You will never own me, you bastard."

He smiled wider. "I love a woman with spunk. Fight me, Rhiannon.
Fight me."
Lust gleamed in his eyes, and her heart twisted in agony at the realization that her resistance was a turn-on for him. Dear God. What could she do to stop this? What could she take away from him that would make him snap?

"Rhiannon." Zach's voice drifted across the clearing, sounding harsh and raw. He called to her in a way that José never had, infusing her with a power that seemed to pulse through her. Was it his love that had given her the power to speak up to José? Together, could they do it?

She turned her head to look at Zach, and her heart seemed to break when she saw him on his hands and knees, barely holding himself up. José's sword was in his hand, and his blackened body was glowing like faded embers after a fire had burned itself out.

Relief flooded her so fiercely that her legs started to tremble. He was in trouble, but not dead. Not yet. No. She hadn't lost him. Good, because he was alive. Bad, because if he was still alive, then she hadn't lost all that mattered to her, which meant the
sheva
destiny wasn't being triggered and she wouldn't be able to kill José.

"Walk toward me," Zach said. "Walk away from him."

She stared at him as José's fingers tightened around her arm. "What?"

Zach looked at José. "She loves me, and love is stronger than the
sheva
bond. She's not yours, José. She's..." His gaze met hers, and she tensed. Was he going to claim her, too? Was he going to say she was
his?
Even though she loved him, the thought of him staking an ownership claim made fear shiver through her. Not again. Not with him. Was this going to be a battle of dominance?

Zach met her gaze. "She belongs to herself."

To herself? Not to him? Oh, wow. He hadn't claimed her. He'd given her his love, but not asked for her freedom. It wasn't the Calydon way, not at all, but it was beautiful. Somewhere deep inside her, a warm feeling spread through her, enveloping her in a sensation of safety and love. The tightly coiled tension inside released ever so slightly, and she felt like she could breathe for the first time in years.

And he wasn't finished. "Test her," he said to José. "See whether your will or hers triumphs."

Rhiannon's feeling of happy warmth vanished. She'd spent a decade testing José's will against hers, and she knew which was stronger. She looked at Zach, but he just nodded, his face calm and confident.

Slowly, her fear eased. For the ten years she'd failed to resist José, she'd been alone. This time, it was different. This time, she had Zach. This time, she had the man she loved giving her strength. She nodded once. Together, they could do it. Together, they could defeat him.

José's grip was brutally tight on her arm. "I don't need to prove it. I know I own her."

Zach dragged himself to his feet. "You're afraid. You're afraid that she'll walk away." His voice held a challenge that no warrior could resist. "You spend your life bullying weaker people, and you keep Rhiannon trapped because you know that she despises you. You know that you are a failure as a man, because even your own
sheva
recoils from your touch."

Oh...that was good. Brilliant, even, to attack José's manhood. She knew he'd never be able to back down from that challenge. She took a deep breath, already beginning to steel herself against José's influence, waiting for him to agree to the challenge. She knew that she and Zach would break his spell. It was time.

"I fear no one, but I would love to watch you suffer before you die. You will be the one to lose her, not me." José dropped her arm and stepped back. "Go between us,
sheva.
" He pushed at her mind, and she had no choice but to walk...heading right for Zach.

With each step closer to him, her body began to vibrate with energy and longing. This was the man she wanted. She didn't want any man, not ever, and yet somehow, someway, Zach had opened her heart and taught her that it was safe to love and to trust.

José loosened his grip on her mind slightly, and she felt a bright ray of hope flood her. Quickly, as fast as she could, she wove protections in her mind, trying to shield herself even as she walked closer to Zach, forcing herself to walk slowly and not alert José as to what she was doing. Zach was watching her intently, his dark eyes focused and intense. He had a plan, she realized. What kind of plan?

She tried to read his expression, but it gave away nothing. Jordyn was standing beside him, her blue eyes blazing with determination. Rhiannon looked back and forth between them. What were they planning?

"Stop." José's voice halted her muscles, but she didn't try to fight it, keeping her resources focused on shielding him from her mind.

She realized she was exactly halfway between the two men. She slid one foot to the right, so that she was closer to Zach by several inches.

He nodded.

"Now," José said. "Walk to me. Show this piece of shit that you are mine." And then, a mental push at her mind, so hard and fierce that she gasped in pain. She stumbled and gripped her head, tears streaming down her cheeks at the force of his mental invasion. It was a thousand times worse than anything he'd ever done to her. It felt like a thousand daggers stabbing her brain, slicing it to pieces, a million voices reverberating in her mind, hammering at her to go to José. Her muscles convulsed, and raw, depraved lust flooded her.
No! No! No!
She fought him with every resource she could summon. She threw every fiber of her being into fighting him...and she couldn't stop him.

A pawn in his complete control, she whirled toward José, her entire existence merged with his. He was her man. He was the one she wanted. Always José—

"Rhiannon! Come to me. I love you."

She heard Zach's voice somewhere on the outreaches of her mind, but it was so distant that she couldn't register it. She barely even noticed it, a voice passing in the distance. She was already walking toward José. Then running. He held out his arms to her, victory brimming on his face. "You're mine," he said. "I knew you would—"

There was a ferocious boom, and José suddenly exploded into a violent fireball. Rhiannon screamed and threw herself to the side, barely avoiding the flames. She hadn't even hit the ground, when Zach's arms were around her, catching her before she crashed to the earth.

She screamed, trying to get out of his arms to go to José, who was twisting and bellowing, his body engulfed in flames.

"Rhiannon!" Zach's arms were gentle but strong, holding her back. "Come on, sweetheart. Come back to me."

"You distracted him on purpose," she screamed, her soul crying for José. "You used me to distract him so you could attack him!"

Zach's face was twisted with pain at her words. "He's not dead, Rhiannon. I'm just holding him so we can take him back to Thano. He's not dead."

She stared at him, catching her breath as his words sank into her mind. "He's not dead?" Relief seemed to pour through her, relief so great she felt like she couldn't breathe. "José's not dead?" She turned in his arms, and saw her soul mate sprawled on the earth, his body twisted and contorted as dozens of flaming cords wrapped around him, covering every inch of his body except his face. His hands were locked behind him, encased in flaming manacles. He was locked in a straitjacket of fire, just like the one Zach had used to shield them. He was trapped, immobilized, and stripped of his power. His eyes went to hers, and she saw in them such suffering and pain that she realized he was dying.

"José?" She tried to get out of Zach's arms to crawl over to him, but Zach tightened his grip on her.

"Rhiannon," he said. "Look at me. This isn't you. You don't love him."

"Get off me!" she screamed, fighting to get out of Zach's arms. "He's dying! You're keeping him alive just long enough to serve your own purposes! You bastard!"

Anguish flared in Zach's eyes, but still he didn't release her. "Rhiannon," he said softly. "I love you. Feel how much I love you."

Jordyn knelt beside Zach, her hands on Rhiannon's arm. "Come on, babe. Come back to us. It's just the
sheva
bond making you crazy. You don't love him."

"Let me go!" Their words rang falsely in her ears, and she knew they were lying. "Get away from me!" she screamed. "I need to help him!" Anger and desperation tore through her, and she felt power surge inside her.
Yes!
She looked up, and saw the jungle on all sides of her. Branches waved gently over her head, and underbrush was everywhere.
Help me!
More power surged through her, and she felt Zach tense as the wind began to whip around them.

"Oh, man," Jordyn said. "I've seen this before. We need to knock her out."

"No." Zach grabbed her shoulders, and forced her to face him. His eyes bore into hers, and his blackened skin glowed with the fire he was barely containing. "Rhiannon. Look at me. I believe in you. Look inside you. Find yourself. You're brave. You're strong. José's thoughts are not yours. The
sheva
bond doesn't control you."

"I love him," she said, her voice strangely distant as the wind got even stronger. "You tried to kill him. I can save him. You're the enemy."

"Zach, seriously!" Jordyn shouted. "You need to knock her out! She's going to kill us!"

"Rhiannon!" He gripped her arms more fiercely. "You're stronger than this bond! Don't let it control you!"

"Let me go!" Her scream tore from her throat. "José is mine!" Trees erupted from the earth, and a massive trunk slammed into Zach. It flung him backward, but he didn't let go of her. She screamed as she flew through the air with him, quickly calling upon the plants to catch them. They landed on a bed of thick leaves, and she called out vines. "Trap him!" she commanded the plants. They surged over Zach, sliding over his flesh, but he yanked her tighter against him, pulling her so tightly against his chest that the plants could not get between them. His legs clamped around hers, his muscles bulging as he trapped her against him. Everywhere along the length of their bodies, they were locked together, their bodies so tight against each other that even the vines could not break them apart.

"Get him," she screamed again. The vines jabbed at him, trying to squeeze between them to trap him, but there wasn't even the slightest crevice to fit through. He even had her face crushed against his neck, so the vines could not clamp over his throat.

Outrage tore through her, and she called forth more power. The earth shook, and she heard Jordyn scream. Wind howled around them, and her hair whipped violently against her cheeks, but Zach's grip on her did not falter.