Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade) (44 page)

Kane appeared in front of them with Ian and Ana, who was shouting and pummeling at Ian’s arms. The minute he let go of her, she whirled away from him and ran straight for Quinn and Gideon. “We have to go back and get Elijah!”

Lily touched Ana’s arm, her heart breaking for her anguish. She could only imagine how she felt losing her mate. Lily knew it would destroy her to lose Gideon. “I’m so sorry, Ana, but he’s dead.” If he hadn’t been killed by Gideon, he was certainly dead now after that collapse.

“No, he’s not!” Ana protested. “He spoke to me! I heard it in my mind.”

Lily and Gideon exchanged glances. “Something about the way that place was built prevented mind to mind contact,” Lily quietly told Ana. “He couldn’t have talked to you that way.”

“But I heard him!”

Quinn set his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ana. He’s gone.”

They’d already told Quinn how Elijah had been crazed, and Lily knew neither of them wanted to tell Ana the ugly truth about how Elijah had died fighting his own teammate. Gideon’s pain pulsed at her, his regret and guilt for his role in Elijah’s death. She patted his hand.
It’s not your fault.

I loved him.
His voice was quiet, but so heavy with pain that Lily turned in his arms to face him.

His blue eyes were haunted, and she slipped her arms around his waist. This Gideon was so different than the man she’d first met. No longer was he trying to be the stoic warrior. He was pulsing with emotions, with love, heartache and passion. It was beautiful, and she felt her own soul blossom in response. Pain was hard, for sure. But without it, the soul was empty, and love was elusive, and she knew neither of them would ever be willing to trade the beauty of their love to retreat back into their ordered, emotionless worlds of survival and duty.
I know you did. I’m so sorry.

Gideon gave a small nod, and pulled her against him, resting his forehead against hers.
Just your touch gives me comfort.

As does yours.

He kissed her softly, his lips warm against hers.
I love you, Lily. Everything I’ve been through for the last five hundred years...it was all to take me to this place. To your arms. To bring you into my life.

She smiled up at him, her heart expanding with joy. Was it crazy that she could feel happy after all that had happened? No, it wasn’t. All the hardships in their lives were what had enabled them to feel this kind of love. She knew all too well that you had to take the good when you got it, even when things were crumbling all around you.
I feel the same way.

“Listen to me,” Ana shouted, drawing Lily’s attention back to her. “For God’s sake, will all of you just listen for one minute?” Her face was streaked with dirt, and she had smears of blood on her clothes. “Elijah can’t be dead.”

Gideon sighed. “Ana—”

“He can’t be dead, because I found out the truth about him. I found out why Frank brought him here and kept him alive.” She glanced around at the Order, all silent, all watching, all of them weary. “When I first arrived, I asked Frank if Elijah was still alive, and he said he couldn’t afford to have Elijah die. Why couldn’t he afford to have Elijah die? Does anyone know?” Her face was angry, as if she thought people had been lying to her.

Quinn was the one who shook his head. “Tell us.” He sounded exhausted and strained, too tired for games.

“Because Elijah is descended from Caleb,” she announced.

The Order went still, and Lily sat up, catching her breath. “You’re sure?”

Gideon tensed against Lily. “The original Caleb, who brought down Ezekiel? That’s who Elijah is descended from?”

“Yes! He’s not a direct descendent, but he has his blood.” Ana shot challenging looks at the team. “Frank needed Elijah to stay alive in case he couldn’t control Ezekiel after all. Elijah was his insurance to take Ezekiel out, because Elijah is the one who could kill him. Did you hear? Elijah is the one who can stop him!”

As a unit, the team turned to look down at the rubble still settling. The carnage and destruction was so fast, so brutal, so complete, that the hope died instantly in Lily’s heart.

“There’s no way he survived that,” Gideon said. “Assuming he was still alive when it went down.”

“Even if he were still alive...” Gideon’s voice was laced with pain he couldn’t hide and wasn’t even trying to suppress, and Lily hugged him tighter. “He was insane, Ana. There’s no way he would be a weapon now. He’d kill us all.”

“He’s not insane!” Ana marched over to the rim of the sinkhole and surveyed it, as if she were already assessing how she was going to get down into the cavern and start digging. Passion was radiating off her, a fierce determination that reminded Lily so much of herself, of all those times when she’d summoned the will to survive.

“He was perfectly lucid when he ordered me to get out. He told me the ceiling was falling.” Ana’s fists clenched. “We have to go back for him.”

Lily sat up in surprise. “He spoke to you? And he sounded sane?”

“Well, he sounded tormented and he hates...” Evasiveness flickered in Ana’s eyes. “...Frank. But yes, he was completely aware of what was going on, and that I was in danger.”

Lily looked at Gideon, excitement building in her at the possibilities. “Since Ana is his
sheva
, maybe she could make him sane when nothing else could.”

Gideon exchanged looks with Quinn. “Who the hell knows what a
sheva
can do? At this point anything’s possible.”

Ryland moved to stand beside Ana, his face hard with determination. “I’m going after Elijah. If there’s any chance he’s alive and able to function, we have to get him back.”

Ana grinned and threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Ryland! I know he’s there!”

The warrior didn’t hug her back, and Lily knew he was thinking only about avenging Dante’s death. Unlike Gideon, Lily suspected there was very little humanity and warmth hidden beneath Ryland’s abrasive and violent exterior, which was no doubt why he was treading so close to rogue. There was nothing anchoring him to sanity. “I’m going in now,” he said. “Is anyone with me?” he challenged.

Lily glanced past him at the sinkhole. The ground was still shifting and buckling.

“We can’t go back yet. We’ll get crushed,” Quinn said. “It’ll take days for the earth to settle enough for us to start digging.”

Ryland ground his jaw, but he nodded in acknowledgement. He turned toward the pit and sat down, as if he were holding vigil over the crater. “I’ll wait here, and I’ll call you the minute it’s safe to search for him.” He called out his machete and rested it across his lap. “You all go back and heal while you can.” He lifted his face to the wind, to the acrid smell of rotting vegetation. “We’ll need all our strength for the battle that lies ahead.” He raised his machete. “I will not fail Dante. I will not let his son be used to destroy all that he worked so hard to preserve.”

The rest of the Order raised their weapons and shouted Dante’s name and their promise to win.

There was no other option.

“What do I say to them?” He paused as he heard the front door click, then snapped his gaze to the front porch.

Lily’s parents opened the door and stepped out on to the porch. Maggie was holding tightly to Gerry’s hand, and her face was white.

Gideon cursed, feeling the pain he was causing them by his mere presence. “I can’t—”

“You can.” Lily didn’t even turn around to look at her parents. She climbed up on the running board, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, a full mouth kiss that told anyone who was watching that she was staking a claim to him.

His throat tightened as she pulled back, and he brushed a strand of her beautiful hair off her face. Hell, how could this amazing woman be his? How could she love him like that? But she did. It was evident in everything she did, in every word she spoke, in the way she watched him with those beautiful green eyes, as if she were drinking him into her soul. “You might have just broken their hearts with that move.”

Lily grinned. “They’ll learn to love you, because I love you.” She hopped down to the street and tugged his hand. “Now, come. It’s time for everyone I love to meet each other properly.”

Gideon winced, and let her pull him out of the truck. His boots thudded on the asphalt, and he felt clumsy and awkward as Lily shut the car door behind him and led him across the grass.

As they neared, Maggie retreated into Gerry’s side, and both their gazes were fixed on Gideon’s face, so stark with pain and fear and distrust.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you, for what I did to your family. I don’t deserve your daughter, and I would walk away from her to spare you the pain of seeing my face. I swear I’d do it in a heartbeat if I could, but I can’t live without her. She’s my life, my oxygen...” His voice broke, but he kept going. “She’s made me alive again, and I can’t survive without her.” He went down on one knee and dropped his head. “I would never seek your forgiveness for all I’ve stolen from you, because I don’t deserve it and I don’t forgive myself. But as all that’s good in the world, I give you my oath that I will love Lily and treasure her for all eternity. I extend my protection to you as well, and never again will you or your family ever have to fear the Order no matter what happens. I am your servant forever.” His throat tightened. “Hell help me, but I love her too damn much to walk away. I’m so, so sorry, but it’s true.”

And then he ran out of things to say. He had nothing more to offer.

There was a heavy silence.

Then Lily set her hand on his shoulder. “Can you see why I love him so much?” Her voice was soft, so full of love and emotion that he looked up at her.

But she wasn’t looking at him.

She was looking at her parents.

Then she smiled, and Gideon slowly turned his head to look at them as well.

Tears were streaming down Maggie’s face, and even Gerry’s eyes looked a little bloodshot.

Maggie released her husband’s hand and walked over to the edge of the porch, her gaze fastened on Gideon. She walked down the steps, and he stiffened, but didn’t rise off his knee.

Maggie came to a stop in front of him and looked down at him.

For what felt like an eternity, she stared at him and said nothing. He felt his heart begin to shrivel up. There was no place for him in their world. Lily might love him, but she would always been torn. He would never be a part of the light that was such a part of her—

Maggie touched his shoulder lightly, and she smiled. “Welcome to our family, Gideon.”

His eyes immediately filled up and his vision got blurry. “What?”

Lily’s arms went around them both and hugged them together. “Thank you, Mom.”

Gideon stiffened when he felt Lily pull her mom against him, and then suddenly Maggie’s arms slipped around his shoulder and hugged him too, and then Gerry was there and hugging them all, and Gideon was in the middle of it.

He was home.