Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

see steam rising off her skin.
    But there was no steam.
    Just a thin, silver line down her forearm.
    Fear knifed through her and she yanked her arm back. "Oh, no ."
    Gone was the brand that had marked her as Mason's sheva, a daily reminder that she'd blindly and foolishly opened her heart to the man whose curse had compelled him to murder her family, her daughter, and then try to kill her too. The brand that never let her forget how close she'd come to failing all of humanity by putting her trust in the man destined to kill her. Not just all of humanity, but the one specific person she was meant to protect. Angels rarely knew who they were linked to for protection, but she knew her life force was holding the souls of others. If she died, then they would lose hope and faith, and without that, the soul could not survive.
    Mason's brand had served as a constant reminder to never make the mistake of trusting again. That brand, that reminder, was gone. It was gone.
    In its place was pure, unblemished skin, marred only by a thin, silver line, one on each arm.
    Her heart hammering in her chest, she looked at Kane's arm, at the dark brand on his skin that marked his weapon as a double spiked flail. The handle was a perfect match for the mark on her arm.
    She was his soul mate, and they'd completed their first stage of the bond by having sex.
    Dear God. Not again.
    Now she understood why the connection between them had been so intense and powerful. Why she'd been able to feel his emotions and hear his thoughts. Why his touch had been like the very salvation brought to save her life. How could she not have realized it? The mind-to-mind communication? Of course she was his soul mate! But she'd been so caught up in almost dying and the gift of his protection that she hadn't questioned it. She'd just clung to what he offered and accepted it unconditionally, not even taking time to think about what it might mean.
    Like the fact she was his sheva. His soul mate. The woman destined to be sucked relentlessly under his spell until there was nothing left of her, and death took both of them. She'd barely survived last time. Again? Not again.
    If he was Los Muerte, then she'd just bound herself to him, giving him access to her soul and her spirit. Giving him the tools he needed to finally destroy her.
    "Damn you, Kane." She'd given herself to him so completely last night, accepted his very soul, trusted him as she hadn't dared trust in so long...and it was all a lie.
    Frantically, she replayed the rest of their time together. Had they done any of the other five stages of the bond? Sex yes, no doubt about that. What about the others? Trust—had either of them shared one of their deepest secrets or given the other one the power to kill them? No, no, no, she was sure they hadn't. Transference? No, she hadn't called out his weapon. That was definite. They hadn't done the blood bond either. Death—had either of them killed to save the other or offered their life? She grimaced as she thought of the battle outside the mansion, of how Jacob had fallen. Had Kane dealt the killing blow to anyone who'd been about to kill her? Maybe, God, maybe.
    Her heart pounding, she stared at the marks on her arms, trying to determine whether there were enough lines to justify two stages of the bond, or whether only one-fifth of his mark was present. No, no, no, there was just the one thin line on each arm, barely any of his brand. That had to be only one stage. Just sex. Not death...which meant Jacob was alive. Relief cascaded through her, quickly followed by wariness. She gulped, looking around the woods. If Jacob was alive, he would be coming for her again. She would need to stick with Kane for protection.
    Crap! She couldn't stay with Kane! If she did, the bond would draw them ruthlessly together, until it was completed. Right now, there were still four stages left. She wasn't locked down yet. She could keep him at a distance...but even as she thought it, she felt the surge of desire and need for him. The calling of her soul to his, inextricably bound by the destiny that was calling them together.
    "Dammit!" Sarah hugged herself as she stared at the man who had saved her life only hours before, who had made her believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for her and for them. She felt the last vestiges of hope and faith that Kane had brought to life within her begin to fade. Was he the man meant to destroy her? The most deadly monster of them all? A