Darkness Arisen

  Darkness

  Arisen

  ***

  The Order of the Blade

  Book Six

  Stephanie Rowe

  “Rowe is a paranormal star!” ~J.R. Ward

  ***

  Praise for Forever in Darkness

  “Stephanie Rowe has done it again. The Order Of The Blade series is one of the best urban fantasy/paranormal series I have read. Ian’s story held me riveted from page one. It is sure to delight all her fans. Keep them coming!” ~ Alexx Mom Cat’s Gateway Book Blog

  ***

  Praise for Darkness Awakened

  “A fast-paced plot with strong characters, blazing sexual tension and sprinkled with witty banter, Darkness Awakened sucked me in and kept me hooked until the very last page.” ~ Literary Escapism

  “Rarely do I find a book that so captivates my attention, that makes me laugh out loud, and cry when things look bad. And the sex, wow! It took my breath away… The pace kept me on the edge of my seat, and turning the pages. I did not want to put this book down… [Darkness Awakened] is a must read.” ~ D. Alexx Miller, Alexx Mom Cat’s Gateway Book Blog

  ***

  Praise for Darkness Seduced

  “[D]ark, edgy, sexy … sizzles on the page…sex with soul shattering connections that leave the reader a little breathless!…Darkness Seduced delivers tight plot lines, well written, witty and lyrical - Rowe lays down some seriously dark and sexy tracks. There is no doubt that this series will have a cult following. ” ~ Guilty Indulgence Book Club

  “I was absolutely enthralled by this book…heart stopping action fueled by dangerous passions and hunky, primal men…If you’re looking for a book that will grab hold of you and not let go until it has been totally devoured, look no further than Darkness Seduced.”~When Pen Met Paper Reviews

  ***

  Praise for Darkness Surrendered

  “Book three of the Order of the Blades series is…superbly original and excellent, yet the passion, struggle and the depth of emotion that Ana and Elijah face is so brutal, yet is also pretty awe inspiring. I was swept away by Stephanie’s depth of character detail and emotion. I absolutely loved the roller-coaster that Stephanie, Ana and Elijah took me on.” ~ Becky Johnson, Bex ‘n’ Books!

  “Darkness Surrendered drew me so deeply into the story that I felt Ana and Elijah’s emotions as if they were my own…they completely engulfed me in their story…Ingenious plot turns and edge of your seat suspense…make Darkness Surrendered one of the best novels I have read in years.” ~Tamara Hoffa, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews

  ***

  Praise for No Knight Needed

  “No Knight Needed is m-a-g-i-c-a-l! Hands down, it is one of the best romances I have read. I can’t wait till it comes out and I can tell the world about it.” ~Sharon Stogner, Love Romance Passion

  “No Knight Needed is contemporary romance at its best….There was not a moment that I wasn’t completely engrossed in the novel, the story, the characters. I very audibly cheered for them and did not shed just one tear, nope, rather bucket fulls. My heart at times broke for them. The narrative and dialogue surrounding these ‘tender’ moments in particular were so beautifully crafted, poetic even; it was this that had me blubbering. And of course on the flip side of the heart-wrenching events, was the amazing, witty humour….If it’s not obvious by now, then just to be clear, I love this book! I would most definitely and happily reread, which is an absolute first for me in this genre.”Becky Johnson, Bex ‘N’ Books

  “No Knight Needed is an amazing story of love and life…I literally laughed out loud, cried and cheered…. No Knight Needed is a must read and must re-read.”Jeanne Stone-Hunter, My Book Addiction Reviews

  Acknowledgements

  Special thanks to my beta readers, who worked incredibly hard to get this book read in time for my tight deadline. Thank you for all your support and hard work! This book is a far better book because of your contributions, suggestions, and support. I love you guys!

  There are so many to thank by name, more than I could count, but here are those who I want to called out specially for all they did to help this book come to life: Leslie Barnes, Alencia Bates, Jean Bowden, Shell Bryce, Holly Collins, Ashley Cuesta, Courtny Eskew, Sandi Foss, Valerie Glass, Tamara Hoffa, Heidi Hoffman, Jeanne Hunter, Rebecca Johnson, Dottie Jones, Janet Juengling-Snell, Deb Julienne, Bridget Koan, Felicia Low, Carol Malcom, Phyllis Marshall, D. Alexx Miller, Jodi Moore, Evelyn Newman, Mary Lynn Ostrum, Judi Pflughoeft, Emily Recchia, Kasey Richardson, Karen Roma, Caryn Santee, Dana Simmons, Julie Simpson, Summer Steelman, Sharon Stogner, Amanda Tamayo, Nicole Telhiard, Linda Watson, and Denise Whelan.

  And lastly, thank you to Pete Davis at Los Zombios for another fantastic cover, and for all his hard work on the technical side to make this book come to life. Mom, you’re the best. I love you. Special thanks also to my amazing, beautiful, special daughter, who I love more than words could ever express. You are my world, sweet girl, in all way

  Dedication

  For Jan Leyh, a courageous, lovely, amazing woman who makes my life better simply because she is a part of it.

  Onward, Jan, to victory! I know you will triumph.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Praise for Stephanie Rowe

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Coming 2013: Darkness Unleashed

  Coming 2013: Guardian of the Hidden

  Sneak Peek: Ice

  Sneak Peek: No Knight Needed

  Sneak Peek: Darkness Awakened

  Stephanie Rowe Bio

  Select List of Other Books

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Naked on a public beach at midnight under an eerily full moon was not where Alice Shaw wanted to be.

  At all.

  But she knew she had no other choice, not with the way the deep red glow of the night sky was streaking across the still waters of the Oregon coast.

  The only sounds were the soft lapping of the ocean on the rocky sand, the distant roar of waves further out to sea…and the thudding of her heart, of course. The air was hot and thick, unusually humid for Oregon, even in the summer. Sweat ran in disordered streaks down her chest…nerves or humidity? She wanted to believe it was the weather. Her gut knew it was fear.

  Fisting her hand tightly around the precious item she dared not drop, Alice untied the drawstring of her shorts and let them fall. They hit the sand with a whisper that made her jump, and she quickly scanned the beach again for any sign of humanity, or any other living creature.

  She saw nothing. Heard nothing. She appeared to be alone, which she knew could be a lie. But it was the best she could hope for.

  Quickly, she turned back to the water that was a glistening red, mixed with the unnatural blue-green of the moon. She swallowed hard, then yanked off her underwear and pulled her tank top over her head. They joined her shorts, flip-flops, and car keys on the sand, a tiny pile that had been her last defense against anything. Now, she had nothing. Nothing but the blood-red natural pearl clenched in her hand, one of three so precious that no creature on earth even knew she had it in her possession. Only her mother had known, because she’
d given it to Alice, but her mother was long gone.

  The pearl was a secret she had sworn to keep. A secret she was going to betray tonight.

  She moved up next to the water, so her toes were right on the edge of where the damp sand met the dry beach, where hard met soft, where cold met hot. The warm breeze seemed to caress her like invisible fingers of sin, and she shivered, wishing for her clothes.

  But the Mageaan would never accept her if she brought anything into the ocean with her. All she was allowed to bring was herself. Vulnerable. Defenseless. Pure.

  Pure? She laughed softly. Purity was an area where she had failed completely, and if all went as planned, her fall from grace would become even greater.

  But for Catherine, she would do it. Once she fulfilled her promise to Catherine, death would no longer be the threat that it currently was.

  Alice raised her eyes to the sky, watching, waiting, and searching the vast night. The sky blazed crimson, becoming angrier by the minute, and yet she did not move. A glowing ring of red light drifted near the moon, and she sucked in her breath, her heart racing in anticipation. That was it. The sign that the moment was close. So close.

  Her muscles tensed. Her blood rushed with searing heat through her veins as she watched the inexorable approach of the bleeding red cloud as it crept closer and closer to the turquoise moon. She began to count under her breath. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

  The edge of the ring drifted over the rim of the moon, breaking the perimeter. The night flashed with a vicious violet energy as the moon seemed to ignite. A firestorm of luminescence thrust the entire earth and ocean into a bath of thundering violet flames.

  Now! Alice leapt forward, launching herself into the air, her arms outstretched to her sides like a sacrificial virgin. She threw her head back, baring her throat, and pointed her toes behind her like a ballet dancer in mid leap, exposing her stomach, a position of ultimate surrender. She closed her eyes, relinquishing all defenses as she let herself fall into the water that was only inches deep.

  The cold ocean was shockingly brutal as she hit the surface, but she didn’t change her position. She didn’t try to protect herself from the impact on the sandy bottom. She simply whispered the words she’d paid so dearly for, “May death become my freedom.”

  Then she plunged into the water…and didn’t hit the bottom. She gasped in shock as she was sucked downward, the violent turbulence of the ocean spinning her away from the surface. Violet light burned through her closed eyelids, and her instincts screamed at her to fight, to swim for the surface. But she didn’t move, willing herself to hold the same sacrificial position she’d held upon entry, even as she tumbled in all directions, the disorienting movement stripping her of any sense of which way led to the surface.

  She knew it was a test. A test she had to pass. A test of courage. A test of fear. A rite of passage to see how much control she had over terror and her survival instinct. The water grew colder, the undertow more violent. Her lungs began to burn with the need to breathe, and real terror began to build inside her.

  What if she were wrong to let herself be sucked down? What if surrendering to the sea was actually the opening that death was waiting for, instead of being the one chance she had? Panic began to beat at her, and her muscles burned with the need to strike for the surface, to fight to live. No! She screamed the orders at herself. Don’t fight!

  She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body not to resist. But still the fear crept through her, growing in strength as memories surfaced of the last time she’d died. She vividly recalled the pain, the panic, and the terror that she wasn’t going to make it back to life. Fear lashed through her, screaming at her to fight to save herself before she died again, for a final time. Her skin burned with the bruises still present from the demons who’d tortured her, damage that should have been healed when she came back to life, damage that showed exactly how close she still was to death, a grim reminder that she might have finally used up her “come-back-to-life” frequent die-er card.

  If she died today, it might be the end. Her final death. The destruction of her last chance to save her sister.

  Her chest constricted, and her body began to shake as terror plunged through her. No, she screamed. Don’t give in! But even as she shouted the denial, her body tore free of its defenseless pose, thrashing violently toward the surface, fighting desperately for another chance at life, shredding her last chance to save the one person who mattered to her. Dammit!

  Panic took over, and she succumbed to the terror, swimming frantically toward the luminescent glow of the blue-green moon invading the black ocean. Harder and harder she swam, her lungs screaming with the need to breathe, but she couldn’t get any closer. It was too far.

  Horrifying realization plunged through her. Dear God, it was true. The rumors were true. Because she’d failed the test, the ocean would kill her. No, not the ocean. She would be murdered by the Mageaan, the magical beings she’d been trying to reach when she’d leapt into the water. Elusive creatures who were her last hope. Bitter, angry beings who welcomed no one into their world, unless they were brave enough not to fight death.

  She hadn’t passed the test. So now, the sea would obey its mistresses and kill her.

  No! She couldn’t die. She had to get to Catherine. Catherine! Alice stretched her hand toward the moon as her mouth opened, compelled by her lungs to take a breath. Water poured into her mouth and filled her lungs—

  Something grabbed her hair and yanked her downward, away from the surface, away from her last chance at life, away from Catherine’s final hope for survival.

  She knew she was dead.

  Dammit. She absolutely did not have time to die again.

  *

  Calydon warrior Ian Fitzgerald swore as Alice’s hair slipped out of his grasp. Her ponytail tore from his hand as she fought against him, trying to swim deeper into the ocean, as if she had no concept of which way led to the surface. “Alice!”

  He lunged for her, diving into the water that should be only inches deep, yet was somehow a bottomless pool of blackness. The green-blue moon cast shadows deep into the water. He almost reached her…his fingers brushed her hair…and then she was swept out of his reach, tossed ruthlessly by the violent water. As she tumbled away from Ian, that all-too-familiar sense of despair and anguish arose within him. That same voice, that fucking voice that had tormented his father and grandfather into lethal hell beat at him, taunting him. She is lost. You have lost her. Die, soldier. It is the only choice.

  Ian swore as his brands burned in his forearms, his weapons straining to be released so he could plunge them into his chest and carve out his own heart. The despair was agonizing and fierce, an onslaught so sudden and visceral it knifed through him before he had a chance to stop it.

  Fuck you, he snarled and spun around, focusing his gaze on Alice. He felt his soul shatter as the ocean dragged Alice down to its depths, dragging her out of his reach after he’d finally found her again. The curse rose within him, sucking him dangerously down into the pits of despair, but at the same time, Ian focused on the woman: the billowing of her auburn hair in the water, her arms as she fought helplessly, the curve of her spine as she twisted and turned. His woman. His soul mate was in trouble.

  Six hundred years of instincts as a Calydon warrior roared to life within him. His need, his commandment, his duty to protect his mate broke the grip of the curse, and raw male determination exploded through him. She cannot die.

  With a roar of outrage, Ian launched into action, keeping his entire focus on the woman tumbling toward her death. He allowed no thought other than that she needed him, that he was her only chance for survival. If he died, so would she. Fuck dying. He couldn’t die, couldn’t kill himself, until his woman was safe.

  He slashed his way through the water, moving with a speed that was far beyond human capacity, far beyond what the ocean could stop. He called up six hundred years of training as an Order of the Blade warrior, six centuries of
a brutal physical life that had honed his body into a mass of muscle coiled so tightly that it was a weapon unto itself.

  He called upon all his preternatural strength and streaked through the water, straight down into the endless depths, focused solely on his woman. He saw her below him, a faint pale outline that wasn’t struggling anymore. She was floating helplessly, capitulating to the death hunting her, her body limp except for her left hand, which was clenched in a tight fist, as if she was clutching her greatest treasure just before her final death. Renewed urgency roared through Ian as he swam harder, his body undulating fiercely as he plowed relentlessly toward her. Alice! Wake up!

  But she didn’t respond. She just continued to drift further away from him. Faster he swam, getting closer and closer… and then he saw a black chasm in the bottom of the ocean, a murky darkness flowing from it.

  Jesus. The sight of it was like a jolt to his system. The appearance of the black shadows was exactly what had happened when she’d died before. Demons coming out to steal her soul from her body. “No!” he bellowed. “Back the fuck off!”

  He called forth his weapons from the brands on his forearms. With a loud crack and a burst of black light, the steel flanged maces appeared in his hands, their blades glistening even in the deep ocean. He hurled them instantly in a one-two strike that cut through the murky darkness. It parted with a screech of insult, torn apart by the demon magic that empowered Ian’s weapons as he called his weapons back to him.

  He lunged for Alice, knowing he had only a split second before the deathly essence regrouped and took her. Alice, he commanded, thrusting his order into her mind. Give me your hand. Now.