Free Darkness Awakened (Primal Heat Trilogy #1) (Order of the Blade) by Stephanie Rowe Page A

her gather her resolve. Her expression was so telling, so vivid, allowing him access to her emotions. Order members were trained not to feel. They’d learned that shutting down their emotions was the only way to deal with having to take out friends, family and innocents. After living with his team for so long, it was fascinating to watch the play of emotions across her expressive face. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, and the way she worried her lower lip with her teeth told him she was nervous.
    He instinctively touched her hair to reassure her. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.” Her hair was so soft, feminine, the thick curls tangling around his fingers as if they didn’t want to let him go. “I’m an Order member. We’re specifically chosen because we’re so damned trustworthy. We’re like Labradors.”
    Grace smiled faintly. “Labradors that attack at will.”
    “Yeah, true, but only in a way designed to save society from our own kind. You’re not Calydon, so you’re safe from me no matter what secrets you’ve got buried.”
    Grace’s smile faded, and she looked at him. Her head tilted ever so slightly into his hand, a movement so faint he doubted she realized she’d done it. But he’d noticed that trusting move. Hell, yeah, Quinn had noticed.
    So he wasn’t surprised when she finally nodded her willingness to share. “I’ll tell you the truth, but no decisions until you hear the whole story.”
    “Agreed. I always wait for full information before taking action. No other way to be.”
    She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a badass warrior, aren’t you?”
    Quinn grinned. “Hell, yeah.” Damn. When was the last time anyone had teased him? Yeah, his teammates did, but that was different from having some female give it to him. He liked it. It made him feel like he was connected to humanity, instead of severed from it and watching it from a distance. It reminded him of his family, of what it used to be like so long ago, before everything had changed. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”
    “I’m too exhausted to summon up the terror I know I should be feeling.” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, as if to make sure he wouldn’t leave her before she was finished.
    Their gazes met as something sizzled between them at the contact, at the heat from her touch branding him. Her grip was strong, but her fingers looked so delicate against his thick wrist. Fragile. Vulnerable. Feminine. He liked it.
    Neither of them pulled away. “I can sense an illusion when it’s amassing power,” she explained. “Someone was creating an illusion outside in your woods. It was a dark one, intending to do harm. That’s why I stopped you from going outside.”
    Quinn raised his brows. “How do you sense illusions? What did you pick up?” Damn, it would be helpful if his instincts could see through illusions. Was that what had happened at the ridge? Had someone been working an illusion on him? Was that what they were dealing with?
    Grace ignored his question. “The fire wasn’t the illusion I was sensing. That wasn’t the one that was building in your woods.” She looked at him, searching his gaze for his reaction. “There were two Illusionists at work.”
    He frowned. “Two?” How had he not sensed the approach of so many threats? Had it been his distraction with Grace? Or something else? That was not his style, and he didn’t like it.
    Her grip tightened on his wrist, and this time he noticed her fingers were trembling. Her hand was cold, and there was fear in her silver eyes. Not fear of him. Fear of...something else.
    Tension rumbled deep inside him, and he had to concentrate to keep from calling out his weapon in defense of her. “Nothing can get through me,” he said quietly, unable to keep the lethal tone out of his voice. “There’s nothing to fear in this tunnel.”
    Her grip on his wrist didn’t loosen. “I did it,” she said.
    “Did what?”
    “I created the fire. It