Free Darkness Arisen by Stephanie Rowe Page A

a loud crack and a flash of black light. "Hey!" He hurled his mace, and it crashed into the water a fraction of an inch from Ryland's face.
    Ry immediately stopped swimming and spun around. "What the hell was that?"
    Ian charged through the water, the foamy white spray lashing out into the air as his boots broke the surface. "Who's trying to kill the angels? Who's after the Order?" It couldn't be who he thought it was. A coincidence... it couldn't be. But it made sense. It explained why the Order thought cutting him out was a good idea. "Who is it?"
    Ry stood up in the deep water, the streams of water glittering on his shoulders in the darkness. "You're out of the loop—"
    "It's Warwick, isn't it? Warwick Cardiff? That's who it is?"
    Ry frowned. "Who is Warwick Cardiff?"
    Ian swore, realizing that Ryland really didn't know. But Gideon and Kane and a few of the others knew the name. Ry was too obsessed with his own hell to bother with anyone else's problems. They might have realized the connection, but not told Ryland the details. Ian decided to fill him in, not caring why the others might have wanted Ry in the dark. "He's the wizard who cursed my family—"
    Ryland snorted in disgust. "Shit, Ian. Let it go. We don't have time for that—"
    "We might." Ian looked past Ryland to where Alice was almost to the top of the rock. "When Elijah and I were tracking Cardiff, Alice was there. We were in the middle of the high desert," he said. "No one was around for a hundred miles...except Alice. The only footprints we saw there were the hoofprints of Cardiff's horse. Why else would she be there?"
    If Alice could help him find Warwick, there was no way he was letting her go, no matter how dangerous she was.
    Ry stared at him. "Hoofprints," he echoed. "Your wizard rides a horse?"
    "Yeah, a black stallion that can fly. Deathbringer." Ian's adrenaline suddenly went on alert at Ry's stunned expression. "What is it?"
    "Nothing." Ryland turned quickly away, but not before Ian saw the evasive flick of his eyes.
    Ian knew then. Without Ryland even saying a word, he knew. The man trying to destroy the Order had been riding a black horse. Warwick? The bastard wasn't satisfied with taking out the Fitzgerald clan? "You need me," Ian said softly as he looked toward the rock. "If it's Warwick, you can't do it without me." Ian had spent thousands of hours researching demon magic to try to find a way to break the curse. He hadn't succeeded, but he understood a lot more about magic than the rest of the team did.
    "Alice is the one we need," Ryland said, quickly, softly, but there was no mistaking the determination in his tone. Alice was not getting away from the Order. Not today. "She's one of our angels. Without her, we are nothing."
    Ian looked toward the rock, and anticipation pulsed through him as he watched her pull herself up onto the top. Her body was lithe and strong, her hips curved and appealing. The turquoise moon cast a vibrant tint across her skin, making hot desire surge far too powerfully.
    Dangerous didn't even begin to describe her, but at the same time...was she his chance? The opening he'd been searching for?
    She looked back over her shoulder at him, as if she'd felt his stare. She tensed when she saw he was closer to her now. This time, there wasn't heat emanating from her gaze. Her eyes narrowed, her muscles tightened, and she shook her head once. Rejecting him without caring what he wanted. Telling him to back off.
    If she could lead him to Warwick, there was no chance of that happening. No matter how badly they both wanted to go their separate ways.
    "Stay here," he ordered Ryland, without taking his gaze off Alice. "I'll handle this."
    Without waiting for an answer, Ian shoved past him, but Ryland grabbed his arm. "Fitz."
    Ian looked at him. "What?"
    "The future of the Order is at stake. If Alice is involved, if your wizard is involved, you need to step aside. You aren't capable of handling either of them."
    Ian's eyes blazed at