Free Darkness Surrendered (Primal Heat Trilogy #3) (Order of the Blade) by Stephanie Rowe Page B

a man had to have.
    Ana hugged his waist. Take deep breaths. It’ll go away.
    Deep breaths. Right. He sucked in air like a goddamn freight train.
    “We already tried to take Ezekiel out, and we had no chance. He’s far too powerful,” Gideon said. “It’s like it was two thousand years ago, when the only person who could defeat him was his own brother.”
    Elijah tensed, his heart starting to race. Had they found out about him?
    Quinn helped him over the top step. “Ana learned you were descended from Caleb, Ezekiel’s brother.”
    Elijah had to struggle to keep his face impassive. Shit. They knew . What else did they know? They’d kill him for sure if they knew the rest.
    Ana looked up at him, her brow furrowed in a small frown, and he immediately tried to empty his mind so she wouldn’t catch his thoughts. No one could know.
    “So, we’re hoping that you inherited whatever Caleb had that enabled him to take down Ezekiel in the first place,” Quinn said. “If you didn’t, we’re all screwed. If you did, party at the mansion after you take him out.”
    “I’ll take him out.” Hell, Elijah had been waiting for this chance for over five hundred years.
    Gideon shot him a raised brow as they headed down the upstairs hall. “You know how to kill him?”
    “No. But I’ll figure it out.” His friends dragged him over a threshold into one of the spare bedrooms of Dante’s mansion. There were female things strewn over the room, and it smelled like flowers and sunshine. Elijah knew instantly that this room was where Ana had been staying. Her scent was all over the place. His groin tightened at the sight of the tangled sheets on the bed, and the thought of Ana sleeping in them.
    He swore again. How could he possibly be thinking about her when Ezekiel was out? Get a grip, man .
    Thano opened the door to the bathroom, and Gideon and Quinn carried him into the shower. Damn. This was just an embarrassment now. They weren’t going to sponge bathe him, were they? “Hell, everyone’s going to shower with me?”
    “No,” Quinn said. “Just Ana.”
    Ana. Hot desire raced through Elijah, and he looked down at the woman still tucked against his side. She looked up, and he saw the flare of passion in her eyes. Awareness and desire lunged through him at the realization that she was feeling the same call he was. He touched her jaw, and satisfaction pulsed through him when her cheeks flushed.
    Quinn cleared his throat. “Elijah.”
    Shit. What was he doing? Elijah looked at his friend as Quinn leaned him up against the wall. “I don’t have time for a shower—”
    “Yes, you do.” Quinn set his hands on either shoulder, and Elijah winced at the pain. Something in Quinn’s eyes indicated he had an idea of exactly how badly Elijah wanted to go after Ezekiel. They’d been blood bonded for five hundred years, and both Quinn and Gideon had a direct link to Elijah’s emotions unless he actively worked to shield them. And even then, sometimes they were still able to get hits.
    “I forbid you from going after Ezekiel until you’ve healed and we’ve put together a team plan.” Quinn’s voice was firm, and unrelenting. “We do this together, and we do it right. Caleb needed his team’s help to take Ezekiel out two thousand years ago, and you’ll need us. Got it?”
    Elijah narrowed his eyes. “Since when are you leader?”
    Quinn’s eyebrows went up. “Since when do you need me to pull rank to get you to listen to strategic advice that makes sense?”
    Elijah swore under his breath. “Yeah, you’re right.” Shit. He was a mess. “I’m not taking time to sleep. I’ll meet you all downstairs in five minutes.”
    “Really?” Quinn’s eyes narrowed, and he released Elijah with a hard shove. Elijah lost his balance and tried to catch himself with his gimpy leg. It gave out, and he crashed to the floor of the shower. He landed on Ana, who gave a small yelp as he slammed her into the tile. Shit. He tried to