Darkness Seduced (Primal Heat Trilogy #2) (Order of the Blade) (30 page)

As Lily studied his blue eyes, she realized Juliette Pemberton would direct Gideon’s actions from the grave forever. As Gideon’s second
sheva
, Lily was nothing more than an opportunity for him to attempt to correct the past. Lily was not his future. She was not her own identity. She was Juliette reincarnated, a chance to change the way he’d played his hand the first time.

That’s why he hadn’t killed Lily. That’s why he was protecting her from the Order. For Juliette. Not for her. How had she not realized that? How could she have been so foolish? Her heart ached with sudden pain and vulnerability, and she pulled herself out of his arms.

Gideon frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Lily shook her head and hurried back to her desk while she swallowed the lump in her throat. Why did it matter? It wasn’t as if she cared about him. But as she slid into her seat and picked up her notes, she knew she did.

She’d cared about him since the first time her mom had told the story. If she hadn’t cared, she wouldn’t have worked so hard to hurt him. She wouldn’t have spent her life trying to find out everything she could. She wouldn’t have fallen so hard into his arms even after she’d realized who he was. And now that she knew who he was and had connected with him so intimately?

She cared far too much.

No. She couldn’t let it matter. This situation wasn’t about them as a couple. This was about Frank, and the fact that he had to be stopped before Lily could get her life back and get away from Gideon and the Order. She cleared her throat. “The knife—”

Gideon slammed his hand down on the desk, making her jump back in surprise. His eyes were angry, his body coiled. “What’s wrong?” he asked again.

Lily hadn’t heard him approach the desk, not even a whisper of sound from him. “Why are you in my space? I’m about to translate the knife for you. What else do you want from me? You want me to be Juliette? I’m not. So back off!”

Gideon blinked, the fire gone from his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” Lily grabbed her notes and held them up. “The rite has to be completed tomorrow night. Once every thousand years. That’s why Frank and Nate were acting now. Not because they finally found a Satinka, but because they have to do it now.”

Something glittered in Gideon’s eyes, as if he wasn’t finished with the discussion on Juliette, but he took the bait. “What time?”

“Sunset. That’s what time the walls went up the first time, so that’s what time they have to go down.”

He leaned against the pine file cabinet and folded his arms across his chest. “Tell me everything.”

“I don’t know everything, because I don’t have the entire text in front of me. But there was a team of warriors who brought down Ezekiel originally—”

He nodded. “Ezekiel’s brother, Caleb, teamed up with twenty other Calydons and they vanquished Ezekiel. Caleb couldn’t bear to kill his own brother, so he locked him up instead.”

Lily nodded. “It appears that all twenty-one of those men donated one weapon, and they were put in the prison walls as they were built. Those weapons are what give the structure its strength, and the Satinka magic sealed it.”

He propped his boot up on her desk, listening.

“Apparently, the only way to bring the walls down is to reverse the spell that was woven into it originally. These instructions were written by the Satinka who enhanced the building. But to protect against a unilateral decision to free Ezekiel, all twenty-one men would have to agree to free him, and they would have to donate their matching weapon to reverse the rite.”

Gideon nodded. “The weapons that have been harvested all belong to Calydons who were direct descendants of the original twenty-one men. Dante, our former leader, was the last one of his lineage...except his son, Drew, who Frank kidnapped.”

“Is Drew still alive?”

Gideon’s cheek twitched. “He was last time we saw him.”

Lily scanned her notes. “He’s probably the Calydon who’s going to be used with the Satinka.”

Gideon tensed. “How exactly is the Satinka going to be used?”

She didn’t look up, trying to keep herself neutral. Not so easy when she was about to describe the fate Frank had planned for her. “As far as I can tell, her magic will feed the chosen Calydon, and she will say the words of the rite, and the walls will fall. Together, they will bring down the structure.”

“The Satinka will die?” His voice was even, measured, as if he were trying to suppress intense fury.

She raised her gaze to look at him. “Most likely. It will take a lot of power to bring down those walls. She’ll be drained.”
God, please, don’t let me die. Don’t let Frank get me.

His blue eyes glowed with fierceness.
You don’t need God. You have me. When are you going to trust my commitment to keeping you safe?

Lily stared at Gideon, unable to feel the same joy and exhilaration at his declaration anymore. “Do I have you? Really? Do you even see me standing here, or do you see Juliette?”

Gideon frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Forget it! We don’t have time for that.” There was no point in the discussion. Gideon probably didn’t even understand what he was doing. He was a male, right? What did men know about relationships anyway? Not that they had one. Yes, sure, she was his soul mate and he was her chosen one, but it wasn’t like that translated into a normal, sane relationship anyway.

“Lily—”

“We need to find out where the rite is taking place.” She tapped her finger on her notes. “The location of the ritual isn’t written here. It says that the information on the location can be found where it all began...” She frowned. “I don’t know what that means.”

Gideon narrowed his eyes, unable to resist the lure of the mission, as she’d known he would. What warrior would rather talk about his soul mate’s emotional upheaval instead of saving the world? “It could mean where the world was formed, where Ezekiel was born, where the prison was built...” He shook his head. “There could be dozens of ‘it’s.’”

Lily gestured at the books in her office. “If I know what the event is, I can find it. But we don’t have time to chase down every location that is significant to Calydon history.”

Gideon got a determined look on his face. “I’m checking with Quinn.”

Oh, yeah, that sounded like a great idea, given how determined the warrior had been to kill her. “If you connect with him, will he be able to find us?”

“No. It’s a different kind of blood bonding ritual than you and I did. Different ritual words. I wouldn’t want to know where he was at all times. With a
sheva
...” Gideon’s gaze flicked to her. “Different story.”

She swallowed, her body suddenly springing to life at the hooded look in his eyes, and her gaze flicked to his wrists, which were healing from the chains.

He looked down and flexed his fist. “Yeah. Different story.” Gideon would never forget those five minutes, when Quinn had called for reinforcements after Gideon had dragged himself out of Lily’s room. It had taken four Order members to get Gideon down to that basement and chained up. He’d been ready to kill them all to get back to Lily and her allure of sex, of magic, of power, of...he thought of that moment in the bathroom, when he’d told her the truth about the day his
sheva
...the day
Juliette
had died. That was what Gideon had wanted to get back to as well: not just the sex and the magic, but also the intimacy of being in Lily’s arms and having her listen to him as if he were a male of value instead of the monster...

Not that it mattered why Gideon had wanted back in that room. He would have killed Lily if he’d returned, and there was no one around to hold him back now. He had to keep his distance from her and focus on his mission.

Gideon unwove the shields he’d erected to keep Quinn out of his mind and reached out with his mind.
Quinn
.

Where the hell have you been? We’re under assault here.

Gideon tensed, and he saw Lily frown, as if she were hearing the conversation. Of course she could. They were blood bonded now. Unless Gideon actively tried to block her, she’d be able to hear him.
What’s going on, Quinn?

A bunch of Calydons showed up right after you left and they’re hitting hard. The knife’s missing and so is Ana. Ryland and a couple other guys took off, so there are only three of us trying to keep them off.
There was a grunt of pain from Quinn, followed by a roar of triumph, and Gideon knew he’d slain someone.

Gideon’s forearms began to itch with the need to get back and help his team, to stand beside them. Where had Ryland and the others gone? Why had they left Quinn and the others in the lurch? Shit. The Order truly was crumbling.

Ana went to Frank
, Lily said.
I know she did.

Quinn cursed.
Did you translate the knife, Lily? Tell me you got a good enough look at it. Hell help us if you didn’t. With Frank already in possession of it...

Gideon looked at Lily.
She translated it.

There was a rush of relief from Quinn.
Damn, I’m glad to hear you say that. Next time you challenge my authority in front of the team, I’ll kill you, but this time, all I can say is, thank the Lord you’re such an annoyingly stubborn son of a bitch.

Gideon grinned.
So, we’re good?

We’re good.
There was a pause.
Gideon, I did what I felt I had to do. You know it would have haunted me.

Gideon could feel Quinn’s regret through their link, and he nodded. He would have known it anyway.
I know.
It’s all good. You got time to talk?

No. But do it anyway. What did the knife say?

Lily gave Quinn the same recap she’d given Gideon.
So, do you know where ‘it’ all began?

Quinn was silent, but Gideon could feel the energy of their connection humming. He came back after a minute.
I just checked around, and we think it might be the triggering event where Ezekiel went dark originally. Because that’s truly where it all started, when he crossed over. But we don’t know when it was—

“I know!” Lily leapt out of her chair and raced across the office. She knelt in front of a shelf in the back corner, her finger tracing titles. The tip of her tongue was peeking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and Gideon caught the scent of her adrenaline, saw the energy in every feminine curve of her body.

That was Lily. Knowledge was her passion. Just watching her get fired up about her books made his body react.

Gideon.

He jerked his attention back to Quinn.
Yeah.

You holding up?

Lily’s still alive, isn’t she? I haven’t drained her.

True.
Quinn cursed.
I have to go. We’ll try to catch up as soon as we’re clear here, but I get the feeling these Calydons are here to keep us pinned down. Follow up on Lily’s findings and stay safe. Ryland, Gabe and Zach are out hunting Lily so they can kill her, and there are rogue Calydons all over the damn place. You’re on your own until I can get this place cleared out.

Gideon ground his teeth, needing to go back and stand by Quinn’s side.

No. You have to stop Frank. We’ll be fine. Grace is already working an illusion to bring them down. Just go!
There was a flash of pain, and Quinn abruptly cut off contact.

Gideon closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. His adrenaline was raging, and his forearms were burning with the need to jump into the fray. It wasn’t his style to do strategic work behind the scenes. He got in, did his job, and got out. It was easier that way. Less to get invested in.

“Got it.” Lily was bent over a huge notebook, her hair falling onto the dusty pages. “It’s thought that the triggering event for Ezekiel going dark was when he was fourteen years old and he saw his father attack his mother. He went after his father in retaliation and it took six men to pull him off.” Her forehead furrowed. “They lived in the town of...hang on...I need to compare maps.”