Shadows of Darkness (15 page)

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him more deeply—

Rohan cleared his throat.

Maya pulled back immediately, but Levi kept his arm around her, not letting her go. She felt his pain when she pulled her hand from his eyes, and she immediately went back to his side, covering his eyes. She could tell that the light had damaged the fragile healing of his eyes, and he would have to start over.

She turned to face Rohan, who was standing before them, his hood still casting his face in shadows. "Thank you for your help."

He nodded.

Levi wrapped his arm more tightly around her. "Why did you come to help me save her?" he asked. "Why were you there?"

"Because we never completed our deal," Rohan said, not quite answering the question. "You promised to blood bond with me and become a part of the Order of the Blade. It's time for you to become one of us."

For a long moment, Levi didn't move, and he didn't answer. He'd spent his life at the mercy of Merk, and he'd learned that the only way to survive was by himself. Except...he hadn't survived on his own. It had taken Maya and both Calydons to free him and break him from the curse that had bound him for so long. It had taken a team to save Maya.

"We need you," Rohan said. "I need you. There are some creatures even I cannot defeat. But you have a gift, and there are times I will need to call upon it."

"A gift?" His curse was a gift? Levi fisted his hand, the one that had caused so much death and owned him so completely for so long, the one that had been nothing more than a curse and a trap. And yet, with Maya by his side and in his heart, he'd been able to control it, and to maintain his own sanity. He'd used it for good, and he'd been able to stop himself when he chose. Was it possible he could use it for something good? To reclaim himself from all the damage he'd caused for so long?

Hope, the first hope in so long, began to shimmer inside him. Maya slipped her hand in his, and he brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to her fingers.
What do you think, sweetheart? I can't do it without you. You keep me sane.

Pride glowed in her voice.
I think you'd make a great Order of the Blade warrior
.
You're a hero, Levi, not a bad guy.

He grinned and pulled her hand off his eyes, needing to see her. She was smiling at him, her face so soft with love that his heart turned over.
You believe in me.

Of course I do. You're worth believing in. Join the Order, Levi. If there was ever a warrior worthy of the mantle, it's you.

He grinned.
Have I told you how amazing you are?

Not in so many words. Feel free to spend forever thinking of ways to tell me.

He chuckled, happiness spilling through him. Happiness. Who in hell's name would have ever thought he'd be happy? But he was. And it was awesome. He wrapped his arm around her and glanced across the cavern. His eyes still hurt, but he was able to squint enough to make out the shadowy visage of Rohan. "Yeah, okay. I'm in, but only if Maya comes with me. I don't trust myself without her."

Rohan nodded. "I accept those terms." His voice softened. "Despite what the Calydon tradition claims, sometimes women make us stronger, and the loss of them torments us forever." He called out his sword with a flash of black light, and Levi swore as the blue light singed his damaged eyes.

But then Rohan's sword seemed to draw in the light that surrounded them, casting the room into enough darkness for Levi to be able to see. Rohan dragged his sword across his hand, and then Levi called out his own axe and did the same. The warriors clasped hands, and Levi felt energy surge through him as Rohan's magic became a part of him. He felt the instant bond with this ancient warrior, and centuries of hardship and anguish flooded him. His gaze shot to Rohan, shocked by the depth of the warrior's torment. It was a thousand times the weight that Levi had ever carried. How could the man stay sane under so much weight?

Rohan's voice filled his mind.
Warrior to warrior. Bound by blood. Connected across all distances. Sworn to defend and fight side by side, at all costs. So be it.

Levi didn't hesitate.
Warrior to warrior. Bound by blood. Connected across all distances. Sworn to defend and fight side by side, at all costs. So be it.
Power surged through him, and he felt his soul reach out and connect to Rohan's. It was different from the blood bond with Maya, but at the same time, it was the same. Extraordinarily powerful, a steadfast connection he knew would hold across all distances, one that went both ways. He realized that not only had he sworn fealty to Rohan, but that Rohan had sworn the same fealty to him.

Rohan then knelt down and carved an outline in the dirt, in the shape of Levi's weapon. He backed up and went down on one knee, gesturing for Levi to position himself by the drawing he'd etched in the dirt. "I will summon my team, and the induction will be complete."

Levi's throat tightened at the sight of the empty spot. That was his spot. He was going to become a part of a group, a team, a family of damn heroes whose job it was to save the world. As he stood there, six warriors strode into the cavern in single file. They were all wearing cloaks and their hoods were up. They walked into the cavern, forming a semi-circle with the empty spot at the top of it. "The shadows have been vanquished," one of them said. "It's over."

Maya sagged in relief, and he pulled her against him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
You did it, sweetheart.

She looked up at him.
We did it. Together.
There was so much warmth in her eyes that he felt his heart swell in response.

Not a bad team, eh?

You're about to get more teammates.
She nodded toward the other warriors, and he looked back as they took up positions, forming a circle with two openings. There was one open space where his weapon had been carved into the ground, and another open spot by Rohan's right side, where he assumed Thano would be when he returned.

As one, they went down on their left knees and called their weapons out in their right hands. Each warrior extended it upward, toward the heavens in silent homage. "Take your rightful place, warrior," Rohan said.

Levi hesitated. Was he really worthy to call himself a hero? He was one of the bad guys, a black scourge on humanity—

Shut up, Levi. You're gifted, you're loved, and you're worthy. So get up there, and claim your destiny, the one you actually deserve.
Maya's fingers wrapped around his, and his tension eased at the feel of her hand in his.

He grinned down at her.
I love you.

She smiled back.
I know. You can ravage me later, but the boys are waiting. Come on
. She tugged lightly on his hand, and then led him through the center of the circle to his spot at the top. Once he took his position, she started to back away, but he put his arm over her shoulder, holding her there.
I can't do this without you. Stay with me.

She moved beside him, tucking herself against his side. Her hand rested on his waist, and he felt himself relax. With Maya by his side, he knew he could become the man that Rohan believed he was.

Silence fell over the room as they waited, and then, finally, Levi heard the steady clip-clop of Thano's horse as the warrior returned. Levi glanced toward the door as Apollo strode in. But Thano wasn't alone. He was holding a woman in front of him on the saddle. She was pale and thin, leaning heavily on Thano, held upright only by his strength.

Maya glanced over, and then sucked in her breath. "Elisabeth?" Her voice broke as the woman's head turned toward Maya.

Her eyes were a deep blue, exactly like Maya's, and Levi knew then that it was her sister, reclaimed from the shadows by Merk's sunlight. "Maya?"

"Oh, God." Maya held up her arms as Thano gently lowered Elisabeth into them. Levi helped support Elisabeth as she fell against her sister, the two women clinging desperately to each other. Tears streamed down Maya's cheeks, and Levi's chest tightened. So much love. How had he missed out on this part of life for so long? He still couldn't believe that this was his life, that a woman who poured out so much love was his.

"You saved us, little sister," Elisabeth said, pulling back so she could look at Maya. "This is your kingdom. I'll step aside for you. We need you."

Maya looked up at Levi, and he saw the joy gleaming in her eyes. She'd gotten everything she wanted. But then, to her surprise, she shook her head. "I don't have time to run a kingdom anymore, Elisabeth." She reached out, entwining her finger through Levi's. "I'm part of another team now, and I'm the only one who can do it. It's your birthright. They need you."

Levi's throat tightened at her words, and he gently turned her toward him. "Maya, this is what you've always wanted."

She shook her head. "I wanted to matter, Levi. That's what I wanted. And I realized I do. I don't need to be the queen. You taught me that, and Merk taught me how stupid I was to worry about all that stuff." She looped her arms around her sister's shoulders. "You're the one who needs to lead this kingdom. I don't need it."

Her sister's blue eyes lit with warmth, and Levi knew then that Maya had always been loved. She'd just had to realize it. "Are you sure?"

Maya nodded, holding up their clasped hands. "This is where I belong. With him. He makes me better."

Levi kissed the top of her head. "She makes me whole."

Elisabeth smiled, a smile that lit up her tired eyes. "I love you, Maya. Thank you for not giving up this battle."

"I love you too, sis." The women hugged again, and Levi grinned, unable to keep the smile off his face. She'd been given the kingdom, but she'd chosen
him.

"I need to sit." Elisabeth sank down on a nearby rock. "Can I watch?"

Rohan nodded, and she smiled, hugging her knees to her chest as if she couldn’t keep herself warm. Thano tossed her his jacket, and she wrapped it around her shoulders, shooting him a grateful smile before turning her gaze to her sister. "I'm so proud of you, Maya."

Maya grinned and looked up at Levi. "Team effort."

"Yeah, it is." He wrapped his arm around her. "I'd stay here and help you with your kingdom, you know. You don't need to turn it down." He needed her to understand that. His love wasn't conditional.

"I know. I want to go with you." She met his gaze. "I spent my life living in the shadows of this kingdom, and now it's time for me to really live. With you."

He nodded. "Always with me." Their fingers intertwined, Levi turned back toward the circle, to the waiting ring of warriors. A feeling of rightness settled deep within him as he looked around the cavern at the men who had dedicated their lives to a mission greater than them. There was a time not so long ago when he'd thought it was crap to belong to a greater cause, but that was when he'd thought it wasn't within reach. But now?

He wanted to be that guy, and he wanted to do it with the woman who had saved his soul. "I'm ready."

Rohan nodded, and his deep voice rang out. "We shall begin."

Bryn McKenzie would be dead by Thursday.

And it was going to be an ugly, terrible death.

It was almost two in the morning, she hadn't slept yet, and she knew she wouldn't. She just waited in the bed in the hotel room, staring at the ceiling, listening to the low conversation of the men in her living room.

Men who had been assigned to protect her.

Men who would fail.

They thought they knew how to keep her safe, but they hadn't seen what she had seen...which was why she had to die. No one who'd witnessed that particular murder would be allowed to live, and she knew that.

She'd known it when she'd gone to the police and told them what had happened.

She'd known it when she'd agreed to testify at Jace Donovan's trial.

She'd known it when her team of highly skilled police officers had set her up in this hotel room, determined to keep her alive long enough to testify.

And yet she'd done all of it anyway, and she would stay here and hope she was wrong, because a woman had died in front of her, and Bryn was the only one who knew who had done it. There was no way she could stay silent when the man who'd killed that innocent woman went free.

She was trying to do the right thing for once in her life. After her mom had died when she was seventeen, the guilt had driven Bryn into a self-destructive hell to hide from the pain. She'd been fighting her way back ever since, but she still felt like the shadows of the accident and the subsequent dark time in her life were always haunting her. If she died trying to bring justice to the monster who'd slaughtered an innocent woman, then at least she'd die trying to do something worthy with her life. But she didn't want to die yet, not until she'd made sure that the man who'd killed Kate Stephens paid for his crime. It wasn't enough to want to make a difference. She had to actually make it. If she could stay alive long enough to testify, then maybe she could begin to understand why she'd survived the car accident that had killed her mother.