Darkness Awakened (Primal Heat Trilogy #1) (Order of the Blade) (23 page)

I get it.
Quinn admitted.
I’m with you.

There was a soft laugh from Gideon.
Elijah would laugh his ass off if he could see us falling apart over his death.

He’d appreciate it.

Yeah, he would.

They were both silent for a minute, then Quinn tried to focus on their situation.
Have you talked to Dante?

Haven’t had a chance. You knocked me out and I just woke up, remember.

You have a phone on you?

Yeah.

Try calling his cell.

Gideon didn’t ask why, he simply did it.
No. It’s off. Why?

Quinn glanced in his rearview mirror at Drew, who had his forehead pressed against the window as he watched the dark woods. Looking for whoever was stalking him?

Quinn started the engine again and resumed driving. He quickly filled Gideon in on everything, including the part about a traitor inside the Order. As Dante had trusted him, he trusted Gideon.

When he finished, there was a stunned silence from Gideon.
That’s the shit that’s in your woods? Ezekiel?
Gideon’s voice became grittier.
I’m looking around now, and I can see that some of your ferns are dying. Were they turning brown before?

No.

Hell. If Ezekiel’s already killing vegetation, we’ve got a major problem.

Quinn nodded.
I need to stash Drew, read Elijah’s
mjui
and then I’ll meet you at the fishing shack. Be careful.

I’m on it.

He shut off communication, satisfied that they were finally taking action, then he noticed Grace studying him thoughtfully.
“You trusted Gideon with the truth,” she said. “You don’t think he’s the traitor?”

Shock rippled through him. “You heard that?” No one could have broken through their closed connection, no one except a fully bonded
sheva
. He grabbed her arm and shoved up her sleeve. Not even the faintest hint of a brand.

“Yes. It’s getting easier.” She bit her lip. “That’s not good, is it?”

“You shouldn’t be able to. Not without us having done any of the bonding stages.” He frowned and laid his palm over her forearm, to see if he could feel building heat from the brand beneath the surface. Still nothing, which both relieved him and created a pulsing urge within to mark her. Instead of doing the animalistic male thing and branding her, he managed a grim shrug. “Seems our bond is stronger than normal. Figures. Makes it more interesting, right?”

She gave him a resigned look. “’Interesting’ isn’t the word that comes to mind right now.”

No. It wasn’t. “How about damned inconvenient, then?”

The hint of a smile teased her mouth. “That’ll do.”

He held out his hand and she set hers in it.

This time, it wasn’t about sex.

It was about joining forces to beat the hell out of this thing.

* * *

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Grace shoved the rusted key into the motel cabin lock and used her hip to force the door open. They’d been driving all night, in the general direction of Dante’s property, but not taking the direct road. The heavy fog and winding roads had kept them going slow, and Quinn had pulled the truck off into a riverside motel shortly after dawn. He was sure he’d shaken the Calydon stalking Drew, and the motel was secluded enough in the heavy woods to hide Vaughn and Drew while he read Elijah’s
mjui.

Quinn had put himself and Grace in the cabin next to the others, so he could keep everyone close enough to protect. He’d gone next door with Vaughn and Drew to set up some safety precautions, while Grace carried her pack into the cabin. The fog wasn’t lifting with the dawn, and the cabins were shrouded in heavy mist that would keep them hidden even if someone was looking for them.

During the drive, Grace had filled Quinn in on what she’d learned about Ana from tapping into her illusion dust at The Gun Rack. When he’d learned she had an image of the man who’d kidnapped Ana, he’d spent a couple hours teaching her how to place that image in his mind, until she’d finally been able to do it. It had been a total rush to succeed, but by then, Grace had been exhausted, and all she wanted to do was crash.

Neither of them had mentioned the fact that the
sheva
bond was the reason she’d been able to give the image. They’d needed to do it, so they’d done it, and not discussed the consequences.

They hadn’t been as successful with Drew, however. He’d apparently blocked the image of his dad’s death too deeply in his mind. Quinn couldn’t access it, even though he’d tried for several hours. Frustrating, because Quinn really wanted to know the faces of the Calydons who’d gone after Dante, and Grace wanted to see what had happened with her sister. Partial victory was better than none, though, so she tried to stay positive. They would get more answers when they reached Dante’s home.

Grace kicked off her boots inside the door and tossed the heavy coat she’d borrowed from Quinn on a large nail sticking out of the wall. The place was smaller than Quinn’s home, with barely enough room for the double bed and one floor lamp. God, the bed looked inviting. Sudden exhaustion flooded her, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl onto that faded comforter and give herself up to sleep.

She rubbed her hand over her forehead, and dried mud came off. She was still filthy from the hunt at The Gun Rack, and she had never really cleaned up after the trip through the mud tunnel. A shower first. Then sleep.

She glanced around the room and saw a door at the other end of the room. A bathroom?
Please don’t let there only be an outhouse here.
Her thick socks padded silently on the wood floor as she crossed the cabin. The bare wood door swung open under her touch. Bathroom! Relief rushed through as she stepped into the tiny room. A single chain hung from a light bulb in the ceiling, and a ten inch sink was tucked in the corner, beside a small toilet.

But glory be, most of the space was taken up by a narrow, standing-room-only shower. The drain was rusted, the showerhead antique, and there was no tile, just a stained vinyl curtain to keep the water out of the rest of the room. Not much, but it was a shower, and she’d take it. Grace’s skin tingled at the idea of the wet, hot warmth cascading over her. She immediately yanked her shirt off, desperate to get out of her muddy clothes and to feel clean again—

There was a thud from the bedroom and she turned as Quinn kicked the door shut and dropped two bags on the floor, effectively eliminating what little floor space there was in the room. He started unbuttoning his mud-caked coat and strode toward her, muttering to himself.

She clutched her shirt to her chest as Quinn looked up. He went still, his gaze dropping to her bare shoulders. Heat simmered in her stomach, and her muscles trembled as she hugged the shirt more tightly. Slowly, Quinn pulled his attention off her body and met her gaze.

The fire blazing in his eyes made every nerve in her body jump. He looked behind her, at the bathroom, then back at her. “You’re taking a shower.”

Grace swallowed. “You can go first.” The obvious answer, the one hanging in the air between them, wouldn’t come. The offer for them to shower at the same time. She couldn’t say it, even though every part of her was calling for him to resume his walk across the floor. To see his expression intensify as he neared her, as he backed her into the bathroom, as he shut the door behind them and—

“No.” Quinn peeled off his jacket and tossed it in the corner. Without his jacket, she could see the breadth of his shoulders and the way his jeans sat low on his hips. He was all male, pure strength, dominating energy, and he was looking at her as if he wanted to throw her up against the wall and make love to her until there was nothing left of either one of them.

“No, what?” she whispered, instinctively taking a step back. Inviting him in or running way? She didn’t even know. Didn’t care.

“No, you can go first.” He turned away, crouched beside a large black duffel and unzipped it. “I need to get organized.”

She stared at him in agonized disbelief, her body aching with need for him. “What?” He wasn’t going to come after her? Yes, good. No, awful. God, she didn’t even know what she wanted from him.

Quinn looked up then, and she saw his eyes had gone almost black. He slowly rose to his feet and walked toward her, his boots thudding with each step on the wood floor. He didn’t stop until he was inches from her, forcing her to crane her neck to look up at him. Silently, he picked up a lock of her hair and wrapped it around his finger.

Her heart was racing now, utterly out of control, her breath tight in her chest. “Quinn?”

He traced his finger down the side of her neck, along her shoulder, and then down, across her collar bone and over the swell of her breast. His skin was hot, and goose bumps shivered over her at the sensual, teasing contact. She couldn’t break away from his spell, couldn’t stop the tide of desire building inside her, the awareness of how close they were.

“Where’s your protest?” he asked as he lowered his head, his mouth almost touching hers. “Aren’t you going to stop me?”

She scrunched her eyes shut, fighting against the swirl of desire inside her, the need to reach out for him, to pull him against her. “I can’t,” she whispered.

“Can’t what?” He brushed his lips over the side of her neck, a hot tease, a dangerous seduction. “Say no? Say yes?”

She opened her eyes, staring into his turbulent ones. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’ve never felt like this. I want you so desperately it hurts.”

He growled, a deep, carnal sound that sent spirals shooting down her spine, then he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up against him. His mouth descended with almost violent force and a primal passion that invaded her deepest protections, that shredded her defenses. The kiss was hot and wet, aggressive and dominant, taking, sucking, consuming her, and it was amazing. She wanted more, needed more, burned for more.

Quinn.
She dropped her shirt and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him as desperately as he was kissing her. He lifted her up, and then her back was against the wall. The bare wood dug into her skin as he continued his assault, his body burning with heat as he pinned her there, his hands on her hips, her stomach, her ribs—

“Jesus.” He pulled back suddenly, and she nearly fell at his sudden departure. He caught her arm, holding her up, while the sound of their heavy breathing filled the small room. She leaned against the wall, bracing herself to keep upright.

Quinn lifted his hand and she jumped when he touched her arm. Her skin was on fire, so sensitive as he hooked his index finger over her bra strap and ever so slowly teased it off her shoulder, letting it fall over her arm.

She didn’t move, couldn’t move. All she could do was watch the expression of awe and desire on his face as his gaze roamed over her body, drinking her in. It was now. It was going to happen, whatever the consequences—

A loud knock on the door of the cabin made them both start. “Quinn!” Vaughn yelled. “You ready? Let’s go.”

Quinn swore, and dropped his hand. “I need to set up security.”

She nodded, her mouth too dry to speak.

“I’ll be back.”

She nodded again. “Okay.”

Neither of them moved, the tension tight between them. Finally, Grace spoke. “It would have been a mistake. Too dangerous.”

“Dangerous, yes.” He raised his brows. “Mistake? Perhaps that doesn’t matter.”

Vaughn pounded on the door. “Quinn! Let’s go!”

“Coming.” Quinn gave her one last look, then he turned away and grabbed his bag off the floor, reverting into the warrior again.

Respite granted.

Grace slammed the bathroom door shut and leaned back against the wall, trying to catch her breath. What was she doing? Since when had she become some lust-driven hussy unable to control herself? Seriously? After hearing the story about Ezekiel and Caleb, hadn’t that been enough to curb her desire to have Quinn sweaty and naked on top of her?

Grace heard the low murmur of men’s voices from the cabin, giving her relief from having to make an immediate decision. Quinn wasn’t going to walk back into the bathroom with Vaughn out there. The moment was over. She’d been given her respite. By the time he came back, she’d be back to her sexless, in-control self.

Groaning, Grace peeled off the rest of her muddy clothes, set them on the sink, stepped behind the nearly-transparent shower curtain and turned on the shower.

She yelped when the cold water hit her, jumping to the side until it finally warmed up. Then she sighed and turned her face up into the wet heat, letting it sink into her body and wash away the mud. Her wrist stung where the copper band had been, reminding her how dangerous this whole world was that she was involved in. All she wanted was to rescue her sister. That was it. One simple goal, but so complicated, and getting more entangled by the minute.

She rested her head against the wall as the hot water pounded at her, loosening her muscles, bringing warmth to a body that felt too cold, too exhausted, too weary—

“Grace.”

She snapped her eyes open and jerked upright at the sound of Quinn’s voice right outside the bathroom door. He was so close, separated from her only by a flimsy wooden door. She was suddenly aware of how naked she was, how completely vulnerable. If he opened that door and came in, she would have nothing to hide behind. Nothing to put between them. No way to stay safe from the way he made her feel. “What?” Her voice was breathless and throaty, too shaky and vulnerable for the self-assured image she wanted to project to herself, to Quinn and to the world.

“I’m going to do a run-through of the woods around this place with Vaughn and Drew.” His voice was serious and focused, all warrior, no lover. “I need to make sure everything’s as I want it to be before I shut down to read Elijah’s
mjui
. If I’m not back when you finish showering, go ahead and go to bed. Rest while you can. I want to be at the fishing shack by midnight. Gideon’s going to meet us there.”

“You’re leaving?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice. The anguish of unfulfilled passion laced with giddy relief.

He laughed, a low guttural sound that pulsed low in her belly.
Don’t worry, sweetheart. With that kiss, and the image of you naked in that shower burning in my mind, I will definitely be back soon. You can count on it.