Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

go rogue? What if I'm the catalyst? What if I already killed your daughter once, through Mason?"
    Sarah's face was ashen as she stared at him. "That's impossible," she whispered. "It can't be—"
    "Why not? We were already assuming Luc was turning the men in this village rogue. What if we were wrong? What if it was me all along, even though I wasn't actually here at that time?"
    Sarah's mouth opened, but nothing came out, and he felt the true depths of what she'd suffered through the loss of her daughter and Mason's betrayal. Her pain was so brutal, so extreme, he couldn't believe she was still standing. Sudden, fierce protectiveness rose inside him, beating away the darkness. "Fuck that, Sarah." He strode over to her and caught her wrist in his hands. "No more," he promised. "No more suffering for you. Not ever." He meant it with every fiber of his being. His oath pulsed past the darkness trying to consume him, as they both battled for dominance within him. "I swear it, Sarah. I won't let you suffer like that again."
    Sarah stared at him, her eyes red and puffy as she searched his face. He felt her reaching out for him with her mind, and he let her in, allowing her to see every part of who he was. Her warmth wrapped around him, and he closed his eyes at the sensation of being connected with her. It felt so right, so perfect. He knew it was where he was meant to be. Sarah, he whispered into her mind. This has to be right. I'm not meant to destroy the beauty of your soul.
    I know.
    Kane opened his eyes and saw the warmth and trust glowing in her blue eyes, and he felt his heart stutter at the depth of her love. It was even more powerful than the love his mother had offered him...just before he'd killed her.
    He hadn't been worthy last time.
    This time, he wouldn't make the same mistake.
    Sarah had made her decision to trust him, and he wasn't going to let her down. He didn't give a shit who he might have once been, or who Luc Acostos wanted him to be. Kane had one mission, and that was to be the man worthy of his mate, and he would accept nothing less. He took her hand and squeezed it. "Are you ready?"
    She took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's do it. We have only a few hours until the sun goes down. Not much time."
    "Not much time," he agreed. And then, because he wanted to and because he didn't give a shit what anyone else thought, he wrapped his arms around Sarah and kissed her.
    It wasn't a kiss of ownership, to tell his team that she was his. It was the only way he knew of to show her how committed he was to being stronger than whatever curse would try to bind him. And when she threw her arms around his neck and melted into the kiss, he knew that she'd accepted his promise.
    Which meant he was bound.
    Good. That was exactly how he liked it.
    As he drew back, he pressed his lips to the brand on her arm, the one that was almost complete. Only one more stage, and then we're bound forever.
    Sarah's eyes widened. The death stage, right? At his nod, she shook her head. I really, really hope that I don't have to kill to save your life, or offer my own to save you.
    She didn't need to explain further. He knew the cost to her of taking a life, and with the river inaccessible, she had no way to restore herself if she did it. And as to offering her own life? He laughed softly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Sweetheart, there is no chance I'm putting you in that position." But even as he said the words, his soul vibrated with the need to complete the bond and seal her to him for all eternity.
    Which he would never do. There were too many risks and costs associated with that final step, and they had enough to deal with already. Today was about victory, not about succumbing to his ages-old instinct to make her his forever.
    He tucked her against him and surveyed his team. "Ready?"
    As a unit, the members of the Order of the Blade nodded. They were ready. Luc Acostos was going down before sunset. He wouldn't even have a chance to come back to life and destroy them.
    It ended now, because now they were going right into that pit and pulling the damned plug.

Chapter Nineteen
    They were being hunted.
    Kane kept Sarah close between him and Ryland as he led his team down the embankment toward the pit that had sucked down Thano. The sun was streaming brightly through the trees, dappling the ground, illuminating even the darkest shadows, and yet Kane's weapons were burning his arms and his senses were on fire. Beneath the