Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

almost blue from lack of circulation, and there were so many cracks on her skin it looked like a puff of wind would fragment her. I will die if he dies.
    Kane felt the truth of her words, and he swore. It was one thing to do his best to honor the fact she loved her brother and didn't want him to die. That was admirable, as Ryland had said, but it wasn't going to stop him from doing what he had to do to save her life. If, however, killing her brother meant she would die... "Shit, Quinn, we have to keep him alive—"
    There was a shift in the air pressure and Jacob flashed beside Kane. He started to dissolve with Sarah, and her skin flashed white as she knocked him on his ass. Kane struck instantly, cracking his flail against the side of the younger warrior's head, trying to knock him out without actually killing him. The Calydon stumbled, and then regained his balance. His eyes burned with red fire, and Kane knew the kid had decided to engage instead of just stealing his sister.
    Excellent. That was exactly what he wanted. A fight. If the kid was fighting, he wasn't going to be trying to disappear with Sarah, and it gave Kane more options to deal with him.
    The night filled with the crack of Calydon weapons exploding. Hell descended upon them as Calydons appeared out of thin air, attacking the Order with such intensity that four Order members were down within a second. They were back on their feet instantly, but the mere fact the newcomers had gotten the jump on them said much about the quality of their opponent.
    "Hot damn," Thano shouted, a shit-eating grin on his face. "This is going to be fun!" He let out a Tarzan battle cry and then charged into the fray, swinging his halberd like a crazy man.
    "Take her out of here, Kane," Quinn shouted as he cut down one of their assailants. "We've got them."
    "Not yet." Sarah was shaking violently in his arms, her life force so weak that she wasn't even holding onto him anymore, but Kane couldn't leave until Jacob had been shut down, or the kid would follow them.
    Jacob leapt to his feet and charged them. Kane swung his flail at the same time Ryland hurled his machete. Their weapons sandwiched Jacob's head with a sickening crack, and the young warrior fell to the ground and didn't get up.
    Kane and Ryland exchanged grim glances. There was only a slim chance at best that the kid could recover from that. They'd crushed his skull. Mission accomplished to keep Sarah safe, but to keep her brother alive?
    Shit.
    A roar of fury arose from Jacob's team, and Kane covered Sarah with his arms as he blocked a dagger hurtling toward her head. "Get her out of here!" Ryland shouted as he spun to engage.
    "Jacob!" Sarah tore herself out of Kane's arms with unexpected strength. Kane grabbed for her, missing her as she raced across the manicured lawn and fell beside her brother. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she collapsed beside him, twisting at Kane's gut. Shit. It was his fault. He'd done that. He'd caused it. Seeing Sarah's grief suddenly made the "sacrifice one to save many" feel like a philosophy he could no longer stand behind.
    "Jacob," she sobbed, taking her brother's hand and pressing it to her heart.
    Kane had to look away, his own chest tightening as her grief filled him. It made him think of Dante, of the lives he'd taken in the name of duty, of the tears that had been shed when the Order had finished doing what they had to do.
    One of the rogues saw Sarah and hurled his spear at her. "Sarah!" Kane shouted in warning as he tried to dematerialize to get to her before the weapon did.
    Sarah didn't even look up, she was so intent on her brother's state, and Kane's body tingled but nothing happened. Too drained? Now? What the hell? "Come on! " He summoned every last ounce of strength he had and teleported himself. He materialized right beside Sarah a split second before the spear would have hit her. The spear plunged deep into his chest, piercing his heart, and he swore as he went down beside her.
    The pain was brutal, and he felt the last of his reserves rush to protect his heart from the injury.
    "Get out of here," Ryland yelled again. "Now!"
    Kane rolled onto his side as Ryland blocked a steel arrow headed toward Sarah, quickly assessing the situation. Even though Jacob was down, his team hadn't abandoned the battle. If anything, they were even more aggressive now, as if they realized this was their last chance at Sarah because they couldn't track her without Jacob. The Order had