Darkness Arisen by Stephanie Rowe Read Free Book Online

to pull away, to declare her independence, to make sure the world understood she didn't belong to him. But when she looked into his eyes and saw the depth of pain in his expression, her protest died in her throat. She'd heard enough about the intensity of Calydon males, and the Order of the Blade warriors were more intense than others. She had no idea why she was apparently a catalyst for Ian, but she didn't have time to deal with the repercussions. She had one mission, and it wasn't to break up a fight among men, or to be naked in front of Ian Fitzgerald any longer. "I'm not your woman," she said, as softly as he had, words just for him. "But I don't have time for some territorial battle between oversexed males. Hand me the damned shirt."
    A slow grin spread across his features as he realized she wasn't going to resist any longer. "Female nudity has that effect on me. I appreciate the accommodation."
    In a teasing manner completely uncharacteristic of her, Alice raised her brows as she took the wet shirt from him. "All naked women?"
    His face darkened and he moved closer, until his bare chest was less than a breath from her breasts, forcing her to crane her neck to see his face. "No, Alice," he said. "Just you."
    "Oh." The word came out in a breathless whisper, and she felt a disconcerting sense of satisfaction pulse through her. Why did she care whether Ian noticed other naked women? She didn't even know the man. And the lovemaking incident that was floating in her mind, in and out of focus? It had to be a fantasy created because he was so hot. Seriously. She couldn't really have done that, right? Wanton sex with a stranger in a back hall at a bar was so not her style. Ever. "Get away from me." Careful not to drop the pearl, she yanked the sodden fabric out of his hand and jerked it over her head, not as an accommodation to him, but because she knew all too well the damage that these males could cause. If someone died because of her today, she would be helpless to save them, and that was not a memory she wanted to dredge up from her past.
    The wet cotton was heavy against her skin, and the shirt came all the way to her mid-thigh. Ian nodded with evident satisfaction. "My shirt belongs on you."
    "No, it doesn't." She set her fists on her hips, trying not to notice the scent of cinnamon and male emanating from the shirt that was clinging to her body. "It's a covering, Ian. Nothing else."
    He moved quickly then, so quickly that she jumped in nervousness. He grabbed her wrist and flipped her arm over so her forearm was exposed. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. "How is it possible there's nothing there? How are you able to resist me?"
    Alice pulled her arm away, needing her space. "What are you talking about?" Something nagged at the back of her mind, as if she knew what he meant, but couldn’t quite remember.
    "You're my sheva. "
    She frowned at him. " Sheva? What's that?"
    "It means soul mate."
    She blinked, and then shook her head frantically. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm not your soul mate—"
    "Stop arguing with me for one damn minute." Ian scowled and took a deep breath, as if he were trying to summon intense inner control. "Since you're my soul mate, as we complete the stages of the sheva bond, my brand will begin to appear on your arm. There are five stages, and each one makes the brand more complete. The stages are sex, which we did."
    She cleared her throat. "Well, I don't know about that—"
    "And trust, where each of us trusts the other with our darkest secret or give the other the power to kill us. There's also death, where we risk our lives to save the other. Transference occurs when you develop the ability to call my weapon. Blood-bonding is another stage which brings us together. They can be done in any order, but with the completion of final stage, our bond and our fates are sealed."
    She blinked. "Our bond and our fates are sealed? What does that mean?" Even as she asked it, chills ran down her spine. It sounded too