Darkness Arisen (30 page)

Ian. Accept this gift I offer you.

Alice's voice was so soft and beautiful in his mind, like the sound of angels singing just for him. Her presence seemed to fill him, an incredible gift of peace and love. Golden light blossomed in his mind and before his eyes, but it didn't blind him. It simply wiped away six centuries of grit and hell, until all that was left was the sensation of rightness, that all was well.
Alice.
He wanted to reach for her, but he couldn't seem to move his hands. He became vaguely aware of a searing pain in his body, of Ryland and Kane chanting in his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to worry about it. He just wanted to see Alice, to feel her touch, to breathe her into his being. She was all he needed.
Where are you?

Right here, Ian.
Her fingers slid between his, squeezing gently.
Will you accept my gift?

Yes.
He couldn't believe how right it felt to have her hand in his, and to feel the delicate warmth of her touch. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had touched him like that, as if he were a treasure that needed to be soothed. He liked it. Really liked it. He tried to squeeze her hand, but he couldn't make his fingers respond.
Why can't I move?

You had a bit of a run-in with an angel of death. You need to heal yourself. Can you feel Kane and Ryland? They're helping you.

Her voice was like magical bells in his mind, and he sighed deeply, basking in the sensation of her presence.
They're saving me?

They're trying. But you need to help.
The golden light seemed to glow brighter, and Ian took a deep breath, cleansing his lungs. Tension seemed to dissolve from him, and the despair that had weighed him down for so long seemed to vanish. He had no fear of Alice or their connection or the ill-fated
sheva
destiny. It simply felt good and right.

Come on, man.
Ry intruded upon his moment of tranquility.
You gotta help us. If you don't save your ass, then I'm going to take your angel and keep her. She's fucking incredible.

Possessiveness thrummed through Ian, and urgency began to simmer inside him. A need to claim his woman, to make her his. He began to struggle to regain consciousness, to move his body.
Alice. Where are you?

Here.
Her fingers tightened in his.
Always here.

Ian focused on her hand in his, on the tightness of her grip. She was there with him. She wasn't leaving. All was well.
All was well.
The words seemed to free him, and he felt power begin to build inside him, strength that had been deteriorating as he'd fought the curse. Without the fear or despair holding him back, there was no longer a drain on his resources. He focused on the healing energy coming from Kane and Ryland and fed it through his body. He found the black pockets of poison in his soul, and he summoned his own healing strength and joined with his teammates to purge it. One by one they attacked the poison spots, and Ian never let go of Alice's hand. The golden light continued to burn brightly, filling him with her spirit, and the most incredible sense of calmness and hope.

He didn't need to die today. He didn't need to die ever.
Alice?
This time, he managed to tighten his fingers slightly, and he wanted to shout at the victory of locking her hand more securely in his, of claiming her.

I'm still here, Ian.

I'm not giving up. It can work out. We can make it all work out okay.

A wave of her emotions crashed over him. A yearning so powerful it seemed to come alive and plunge into his chest.
Don't say that, Ian. I can't deal with that—

It's true!
Fierce determination flooded him, and he fought the poison even harder. He needed to open his eyes. He wanted to see her face. He had to make her understand that there was hope, that there was always a chance. With a roar, he and his teammates blasted through the last of the taint, the part that had locked around his heart. It shattered like a crystal ball, its fragments dispersing harmlessly through him as the unified Calydon healing energy swallowed the last bits up.

Air rushed back into Ian's lungs, and he gasped, sucking in oxygen as he bolted upright. The first thing he saw was Alice leaning over him, her auburn hair framing her face like a silk curtain. "Alice!"

Joy flashed across her face, and he heard Kane and Ryland whoop with triumph. But his team didn't matter. Nothing mattered except Alice. He framed her face with his hands and pulled her to him so he could kiss her. Her lips were soft and warm, and sudden hunger exploded through him. He needed her, this woman who had given him the first peace he'd ever experienced in his life.
Alice.
He infused her name with all that he felt, with his gratitude, his awe, and his need for her.

A soft noise of desire echoed from her throat, and she kissed him back, a kiss of desperation, joy, need, and promises of so much more. Ian slid his hands around the back of her neck and—

Kane cleared his throat, jerking Ian back to the present. He swore and broke the kiss, grinning at his teammates as he slung his arm around Alice's shoulders so she tumbled against him. "Can't a guy get some privacy around here?"

"Shit, man." Ryland's hand slammed down on Ian's shoulder. "Good to have you back."

Kane let out a low whistle and sat back on his heels. His face was drawn from the effort of healing Ian, making Ian realize exactly how hard they'd all had to push to bring him back.

"Thanks, man." Ian slugged a handshake with Kane, who nodded once, then he glanced at Ryland. "Thanks, Ry—"

His words died in his throat when he saw the darkness in Ryland's eyes. It was getting worse, a man so close to the edge that it looked like he'd snap at any moment. "You okay?"

Ryland wiped his forearm over his forehead, leaving a streak of dirt through the beads of sweat. "Yeah, fine." His gaze flickered to Alice, and there was no mistaking the hint of awe in his expression. "Shit, man," Ry said. "You're one lucky bastard."

Ian grinned and pressed his lips to the top of Alice's head. "Yeah, I know."

She smiled up at him, and his heart almost stopped at how beautiful she was.

"You need to smile more," he said, tracing his fingers over her upturned lips. "You're radiant."

Her smile widened. "I'm just feeling the high of that golden light. It affects me, too."

"You're not basking in the joy that I lived to see another day?"

A mischievous light glinted in her eyes. "Of course not. You're trouble." She held up her arm. "You're reeling me in, and last I heard, Calydons who fully bond with their mates meet a terrible demise. I want romance, not ugly endings."

A smug possessiveness thrummed through Ian at the sight of his almost-complete brand. "I'll romance you," he said. "I'll bet there's a lot of info on the internet about how to romance a woman."

"Flowers," Kane said. "Chocolate. Foot massages." He grinned, looking like a freaking Cheshire cat who'd just swallowed a whole can of caviar. "And get her knocked up. Women go soft for babies."

Alice's cheeks flamed red, and a strange emotion settled in Ian's chest. Something that made his lungs feel sort of thick and heavy.

"Babies?" Ryland snorted, moving away from them. "Jesus, Kane. We're in a war zone and you're talking about babies?" Tension radiated through his body again, and he shifted restlessly. "Why in God's name would you bring a kid into this world when it's crumbling down around us?" The venom in his voice was virulent and sharp. His eyes were a turbulent purple and black, and there seemed to be a faint black cloud around him. He shook his head. "No kids. No fucking kids." Then he turned and walked off, his body rigid.

Ian pulled Alice closer to him as he watched Ry. "He's going to go any day," he said. "Now that Dante's dead, there's no one to keep him in balance." Dante had been the Order's leader since before any of the current team had joined them. He'd brought them all together, and created a unit that had been struggling to hold together since his death.

"Thano had a connection with Ry," Kane said. "If Thano's really dead, Ry won't hold out. His only mission since Thano disappeared has been to get him back."

Ian thought of the irreverent warrior who never missed a chance to remind them that they were all old geezers in comparison to his thirty-five years of life. Thano was the one who was always there with a quip to diffuse the tension when things got too heated. Resolution flowed through him. "I want him back, too."

"Me, too." Kane's eyes glittered. "If he's alive, we'll find him." He glanced at Ryland, then leaned toward Alice. "Can you give Ry some of that golden light? He could use that peace."

Alice shook her head. "An angel can offer it once a millennium. I can't."

Ian looked sharply at Alice. "Once every thousand years? That's it?"

She nodded.
I wasn't supposed to give it to you. But I did.

Son of a bitch. She'd chosen him to receive it? Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed by the moment. He took her hand and pressed his lips to her palm, not even sure what he wanted to say or how to say it. As he kissed her, he suddenly noticed that the pocket of her shorts was glowing blood-red. He paused.
Alice? What's that?

She looked down, and her face paled.
It's activated.

What is?

The pearl. It glows only when it is called into duty to protect an angel from becoming a Mageaan. I must have crossed that line when I gave you my golden light.

Ian scowled.
Take it back. I don't want you to risk yourself like that.

But instead of the fear he expected to see on Alice's face, she gave him a serene smile and touched his jaw. It was a tender, incredible smile that touched his very soul.
It's okay, Ian. I knew that might happen. It was worth it.

Shit. Ian knew then and there that he had to find a way to save her. End of story.

"Ryland needs some of that golden light." Kane sighed and ran his hand through his hair, oblivious to the revelation Alice had just shared with Ian. "I'll ask my wife if she can give him some."

"Wife?" Ian looked sharply at Kane. "You married her?" The soul mate bond was so powerful that Calydons rarely bothered to get married. They were sucked into the bond, and then went rogue. No time for flowers and wedding processions.

Kane grinned. "Hell, yeah." He held up his hand, and Ian saw a black and silver band on his ring finger. Engraved on it were two spiked flails, his weapon, with their chains interwoven by a halo. "Wedding band and everything."

"Shit." Ian looked over at Alice, and sudden regret filled him that he'd never have that chance. He would die. She would die. One or both of them would die.

Alice seemed to feel the heat of his stare, and she glanced at him. In her eyes was such stark longing that his chest tightened, but at the same time, her jaw was tight with grim resolution and the acknowledgment of reality.

"Nice work, by the way." Kane held out his hand. "Welcome to the team, Alice."

Her expression softened with warm surprise as she shook his hand. "Thank you."

Kane nodded. "My
sheva
is Sarah Burns. She's our angel of hope. She's been looking forward to meeting you. She hasn't met a lot of angels."

Alice cleared her throat. "Well, I look forward to meeting her." But her voice was flat, and Ian knew it was because she was thinking that she wouldn't live long enough to make that trip. Despite the residual glow of the golden light, the reality was that she had still been killed by the wizard, and eventually death would catch up with her.

The idea settled darkly around Ian as he slid his hand around Alice's arm and gently helped her stand, emotions warring at him. She'd given him a gift of such incredible power, a gift she'd never be able to give to anyone else, not even Catherine. She'd saved it for
him,
breaking rules so he could have it. He couldn't let her suffer for all eternity on his behalf. He had to find a way to stop the slide.

Kane grinned. "Sarah's pregnant. Did you know that? Three months along and going strong. I didn't even know angels could get pregnant!"

Ian stared at Kane. "You're going to be a dad?" He hadn't heard that news. Shit, what planet had he been hiding on? "You're shitting me." He'd been teammates with Kane for centuries. He'd been in battles with him. They'd dragged each other from death, and they'd shed more blood than anyone ever should. And for him to be a
dad?
Ian couldn't imagine Kane hoisting some infant on his hip and making googly noises after getting home from taking out a bunch of rogues.

"No joke." Kane stood up, and there was no hiding the gleam of satisfaction on his face. "How about that, huh? We don't know if it's going to be a boy or a girl. It might be a demon. It might be an angel." He grinned. "Who the hell knows? But it's gonna be great."

To his surprise, a flicker of envy ran through Ian. And sadness. Kane's enthusiasm reminded Ian of his own father and what a great dad he'd been. Ian had never contemplated fatherhood, unwilling to risk his own children's future until he was able to break the curse. But as he felt the satisfaction rolling off Kane... Hell. Ian looked over at Alice, unable to keep his thoughts away from her when thinking of starting a family. She might not have had a mother who appreciated her, but he'd felt the depth of her soul, the warmth that was buried so deeply.

She'd be a great mom. He knew she would be.

Then Alice shivered, and his thoughts of some fairytale family vanished in the face of the reality they were dealing with. Alice was standing slightly away from them, her arms wrapped around her belly, her face pinched and worried as she distanced herself from the picture Kane was painting for her, a world he knew she didn't believe was accessible to her.

Protectiveness surged through him, a need to change her future, to make her feel safe, to make her face glow the way Kane's was.