Inferno of Darkness (Order of the Blade #8) Read Online Free Page B

others had. He would not become that which he had finally destroyed.
    The sword is your answer.
    He narrowed his eyes, reaching out with his mind, to the voice he didn't recognize. And what's my question?
    You know what it is.
    Dante looked back at the carnage behind him, at Zach, who had collapsed again, lying inert in the shredded earth as his body struggled to repair itself before it was too late. He surveyed the bodies of so many innocents. His gaze fell upon Louis, who wasn't old enough for his body to disappear immediately. Only extremely old Calydons vanished immediately. Even without the Order, rogues would continue to exist. Innocents would still die. The sheva bond would still drag warriors and their soul mates toward a horrific, violent end.
    He knew what his question was. His question was how to stop the rogues and protect the innocents without allowing the absolute power of the Order to exist and corrupt. He wanted a way that would end it now. Is there a way?
    The sword is your answer.
    Dante had thought he would be done when Louis was dead. He'd thought his job was over. He'd been ready to let the poison finish its job. But was there one more thing he had to do? Gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg, against the taint of poison spreading through him, he nodded. One more task, and he had very little time to accomplish it. I'm on my way.
    Beware of the female. She is not as she seems.
    At the warning, sudden, intense energy flooded him. An awareness so sharp and sensual he literally froze in place, one foot suspended in the air mid-step. Was he talking about the woman Dante had sensed before?
    Son of a bitch. Why was he reacting physically to the mere mention of her? Was she his sheva ? He quickly looked down at his arms and saw that the black lightning bolt tattoos were still dark, circling his arms from wrist to shoulder. The protective runes he'd spent years developing were intact. If she were his sheva , she would not be able to penetrate them.
    But he couldn't stop the ripple of apprehension. If she were strong enough to make him respond even through his protections when she was so far away, what would happen when he got closer? He'd never tested the runes before, not to his knowledge.
    For a moment, he ground his jaw, staring at the mountain. Was it worth the risk? The call was strong, burning through him, becoming more intense by the moment. But at the same time, he knew he was powerful. If he went rogue, there was no one left on this earth who could stop him now that the Order was gone. He could not afford the sheva bond, or the rogue it would turn him into. Rohan had sworn the runes would not fail him, but how did he know? The call of the sword was strong, but he was stronger than it was. He could resist it and walk away—
    A sai plunged into the dirt at his feet, missing his toe by a breath. He looked up to see Zach blocking his path, favoring his injured leg, fire raging from him in all directions, like a virtual wall of flame. Somehow, against all logic, Zach had managed to stand up again. His body was trembling violently from the effort, but there he stood, fighting for what he wanted. "This can't happen again," Zach growled. "I'm going to stop it. Give me the mark."
    Zach's stance was strong, his muscles flexed, but in his eyes and voice, Dante could feel the depths of the warrior's grief for the losses he had suffered today. Resolution poured through him. The warrior was right. It couldn't happen again. It had to end now. And if that sword was the answer, he was willing to risk the woman who guarded it, and the dark desires that swirled through him at the mere thought of her.
    There was no time left to be careful.
    The Order was over, and it was time for the last protection to be set in place before he died.
    "No," he told Zach. "But I will fix this."
    The young warrior's eyes seemed to burn even brighter. "I want to go with you."
    "No. You're not ready." Another surge of urgency pushed at