Darkness Arisen Read Free

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.
    Her body jerked suddenly, and her eyes opened. She looked right at him, and her eyes widened in shock. The impact of meeting her gaze reverberated through him, stripping the breath from his lungs. Her eyes were still a radiant green that reached right into his core. She hadn't changed.
    He had to save her. There was no other option.
    Alice. Now. As he said the words, he thrust all the strength he could into their connection, trying to empower her to fight the current trying to take her, infusing his life force into her depleted body, past her mental shields that had fallen with her being so close to death. Don't block me, Alice. Not this time.
    Her body jerked, and for a split second, she recoiled from him, fear flashing across her face.
    Hellfire, woman! I'm not the one you need to fear. He couldn't keep the snarl out of his voice, the frustration of two months of searching for her, the raw desperation of his need to stop her from dying this time. After having her die in his arms three times, the fourth time was going to be a charm even if he had to be a complete bastard to make it happen. Give me your fucking hand, now.
    Alice blinked, and then she moved her right hand, her fingers stretching toward his, even as she kept her left hand clenched in a fist.
    Triumph rushed through him. Yes! He gave a final thrust forward, and their fingers touched. The jolt that leapt through him was instantaneous, just like it had been the last time they'd connected. Victory rushed through him. He'd found her. Son of a bitch. He'd found her again. He grabbed her hand, locking his fingers around her wrist as she tightened her grip on him.
    Ian? Her voice was tentative and faint. Unsure. Testing his name as if she wasn't sure it was right. As if she weren't certain he was real. But son of a bitch, hearing her voice in his head again was like a choir of angels singing a fucking chorus of hallelujahs.
    Yeah, it's me. He shifted his position and began to swim backwards, away from the chasm trying to suck her down. Beneath them, the black shadows swirled restlessly, not pursuing them. Of course they weren't going after her. They only got her if she died, and she wasn't going to die, was she? No chance of that. With her hand locked securely in his, Ian felt the grip of his curse begin to fade, defeated momentarily by the fact his woman was alive and with him. Did you miss me, sweetheart?
    Miss you? Alice began to kick again, her lithe body moving fiercely against the undertow as she committed to going with him. I thought you were a dream.
    What? She didn't sound overwhelmed with joy to discover he wasn't a figment of her imagination. What the hell was up with that? You thought you imagined me? A dream? He'd made the most incredible love to her and she thought he was only her imagination? I am definitely insulted that you don’t remember me. I gave you some of my best stuff—
    A violent torrent of water rushed over them, thrusting them down toward the chasm. He swore as the force of the current swept them both up, his strength overwhelmed by the sheer fury of the