Read Online Forever in Darkness (novella) (Order of the Blade #4) by Stephanie Rowe - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephanie Rowe
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he was trying to kill Catherine. "Back off," he yelled.
But Flynn simply roared a challenge
and unleashed another disc. Ian blocked it with his mace. "Sorry, man, but
I don't have time to be nice." Then he summoned all the energy inside him
that he'd harvested from his ancestors, let it ignite his muscles, and then he
swung his weapon with more force than he'd ever done in his life.
Flynn dropped to the earth with a
thud. For a split second, he didn't move, then he took a shallow shuddering
breath. Alive. Not about to get up and attack again, but alive.
Ian was shocked. Flynn had survived
that? What the hell was he—
Ian.
At Catherine's urgent call Ian
whirled around, Flynn's blood still caked on his mace. She convulsed on the
ground beside Augustus's grave, her body twisting in the final throes of death.
"No!" Denial roared through Ian, and the world seemed to descend into
a black flaming hell as he threw the mace aside and started running toward her.
Watching her die before him, unable
to reach her. Faster. Faster. Faster. He felt like he couldn’t get there,
like he was running in quicksand, like he was sinking deeper and deeper in the
mire, his feet like clay, sucking him into the depths. "Catherine!" he
roared.
Ian. She lifted her hand, a
fragile, desperate gesture of farewell.
"No!" He bellowed with
fury as he pushed harder, ran faster, his body screaming as he gave it everything
he had. "I'm coming!"
Too late. Her voice was
faint, so faint in his mind.
"No! Don't give up!" He
finally reached her and fell to his knees beside her, pulling her into his
arms. Jesus, her body was ice cold, her lips ashen, her eyes closed. "Catherine,"
he gasped. "Don't. I can heal you—"
I'm not Catherine.
Ian's entire world froze at her
words. What?
My name is Alice Shaw. Catherine
is my sister.
Ian felt like the earth had been
torn out from under him. But—
I remember you now. You were
there when I died.
Which time? Which time was you? Had that woman who'd died at Elijah's hand, that everyone knew was his soul
mate actually been Catherine and not Alice? Was the woman in his arms not his soul
mate? Denial roared through him, fierce raw denial. The woman he was holding
was his. She had to be. But the woman on the mountain had been his sheva for certain, and there was no mark on Alice's arm—
A tremor shook Alice's body, and
suddenly nothing mattered but preserving her life. He grabbed her hand, and
pressed it to his chest, trying desperately to open the connection between them
that would allow him to heal her. Alice. Stay with me—
Too late. Her fingers
tightened in his ever so slightly. Her eyelids slitted open, and he saw such
pain reflected in them that his heart tore right out of his chest. Find me,
Ian. Find me when I come back. You're my only chance. If I die one more time,
it's over.
Tears burned in his eyes.
"Dammit, Alice! Don't—"
Then she was gone. He felt it the
moment her soul left her body. The instant it happened, he was assaulted with
the most overwhelming darkness, with pure, raw evil as it dragged Alice's soul
from her body. Son of a bitch. There was no peace for her. She was going to
pure, dark hell, and he couldn’t stop it.
Ian roared with agony and hauled
her against him, crushing her body against his chest, trying to shield her soul
from the hell that was taking her, but she slid away from him, until there was
nothing left but the cold, clean air of the night and the body of the woman he
was meant to protect.
Despair overwhelmed Ian. The agony
of losing her again. The terror of knowing that she was facing something more
horrific than he could even imagine. The knowledge that he'd failed to save
her.
For the third time, he was
unable to protect her.
Or the second? Who had it been that
first time? Who was his soul mate?
Alice. It had to be Alice. But she didn't
carry his brand—
Anguish roared through Ian and he
surged to his feet, still holding Alice in his arms. He threw his head
But Flynn simply roared a challenge
and unleashed another disc. Ian blocked it with his mace. "Sorry, man, but
I don't have time to be nice." Then he summoned all the energy inside him
that he'd harvested from his ancestors, let it ignite his muscles, and then he
swung his weapon with more force than he'd ever done in his life.
Flynn dropped to the earth with a
thud. For a split second, he didn't move, then he took a shallow shuddering
breath. Alive. Not about to get up and attack again, but alive.
Ian was shocked. Flynn had survived
that? What the hell was he—
Ian.
At Catherine's urgent call Ian
whirled around, Flynn's blood still caked on his mace. She convulsed on the
ground beside Augustus's grave, her body twisting in the final throes of death.
"No!" Denial roared through Ian, and the world seemed to descend into
a black flaming hell as he threw the mace aside and started running toward her.
Watching her die before him, unable
to reach her. Faster. Faster. Faster. He felt like he couldn’t get there,
like he was running in quicksand, like he was sinking deeper and deeper in the
mire, his feet like clay, sucking him into the depths. "Catherine!" he
roared.
Ian. She lifted her hand, a
fragile, desperate gesture of farewell.
"No!" He bellowed with
fury as he pushed harder, ran faster, his body screaming as he gave it everything
he had. "I'm coming!"
Too late. Her voice was
faint, so faint in his mind.
"No! Don't give up!" He
finally reached her and fell to his knees beside her, pulling her into his
arms. Jesus, her body was ice cold, her lips ashen, her eyes closed. "Catherine,"
he gasped. "Don't. I can heal you—"
I'm not Catherine.
Ian's entire world froze at her
words. What?
My name is Alice Shaw. Catherine
is my sister.
Ian felt like the earth had been
torn out from under him. But—
I remember you now. You were
there when I died.
Which time? Which time was you? Had that woman who'd died at Elijah's hand, that everyone knew was his soul
mate actually been Catherine and not Alice? Was the woman in his arms not his soul
mate? Denial roared through him, fierce raw denial. The woman he was holding
was his. She had to be. But the woman on the mountain had been his sheva for certain, and there was no mark on Alice's arm—
A tremor shook Alice's body, and
suddenly nothing mattered but preserving her life. He grabbed her hand, and
pressed it to his chest, trying desperately to open the connection between them
that would allow him to heal her. Alice. Stay with me—
Too late. Her fingers
tightened in his ever so slightly. Her eyelids slitted open, and he saw such
pain reflected in them that his heart tore right out of his chest. Find me,
Ian. Find me when I come back. You're my only chance. If I die one more time,
it's over.
Tears burned in his eyes.
"Dammit, Alice! Don't—"
Then she was gone. He felt it the
moment her soul left her body. The instant it happened, he was assaulted with
the most overwhelming darkness, with pure, raw evil as it dragged Alice's soul
from her body. Son of a bitch. There was no peace for her. She was going to
pure, dark hell, and he couldn’t stop it.
Ian roared with agony and hauled
her against him, crushing her body against his chest, trying to shield her soul
from the hell that was taking her, but she slid away from him, until there was
nothing left but the cold, clean air of the night and the body of the woman he
was meant to protect.
Despair overwhelmed Ian. The agony
of losing her again. The terror of knowing that she was facing something more
horrific than he could even imagine. The knowledge that he'd failed to save
her.
For the third time, he was
unable to protect her.
Or the second? Who had it been that
first time? Who was his soul mate?
Alice. It had to be Alice. But she didn't
carry his brand—
Anguish roared through Ian and he
surged to his feet, still holding Alice in his arms. He threw his head
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