Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

shoulder, completely ignoring the danger of the situation. "Just because I'm not old, cynical and bitter doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good internal feud over a woman. So, tell me, who slept with whose chick? Was it behind the bleachers or in the back of a station wagon?"
    Ryland didn't move, and Kane held his ground. A sudden, ominous burst of raw pleasure hit Kane at the thought of attacking his teammate, and he tightened his grip on his weapon. "Bring it on, Ryland."
    Ryland stiffened, and Thano immediately whooped and shoved Ryland to the side. "Dudes, you guys are taking this way too far. Kane, what the hell's got your panties in a twist? You should see your face right now. You look like a ghoul from a bad horror movie."
    Kane felt the seriousness underlying Thano's easy tone, and he became aware of the violence streaming through his muscles, of his burning need to attack Ryland. "Shit." He took a sharp step back, immediately sheathing his weapons. He would have struck first against Ryland, and this time he'd come a hell of a lot closer than he had in the woods. What the hell was that about? Yeah, it was standard operating procedure to be ready for Ryland to come unhinged, but never Kane.
    He and Ry had an understanding. They were both fucked up, but they would never direct it against each other. Until now.
    Ryland turned his dark gaze on Kane. "Santiago," he said quietly, still gripping his machete. "There is something seriously wrong with you."
    Kane met his gaze. "I know, man."
    Ryland nodded in acknowledgement, as Quinn and Thano stepped aside, giving them space to resolve it. "What is it?"
    Kane tapped the smooth patch of skin on his chest. "I'm changing."
    Ryland's eyes widened, and Thano and Quinn immediately came over, not even pretending that they hadn't been listening.
    "Wow, you have nice skin," Thano said. "I had no idea you were so delicate."
    Kane eyed Thano. "Shut up."
    "Never." Thano grinned, but his eyes weren't laughing. "What is it?"
    "Damned if I know, but Sarah has answers. I think it happened because of her."
    "Then we find her," Quinn said. "You're treading an edge right now, Kane, and we can't afford for you to go rogue. If Sarah affects that, then we need to find her." He gestured at the pile of Calydons on the ground behind him. "These guys are serious shit, and we need to stop them. Seems like she'll have info about them as well."
    Kane ground his jaw as he looked past Quinn at the warriors on the ground. There were only ten, and yet most of the Order were sporting serious injuries. "What are they, the next generation of Calydons? The young bucks here to take us out?"
    "Apparently." Gideon walked up, the body of Sarah's brother tossed over his shoulder. "This one is still alive. He's in a coma, but he's alive."
    Kane swore, immediately thinking of Sarah's safety. "The minute he wakes up, he'll teleport and track down Sarah. We won't be able to hold onto him."
    Gideon met his gaze. "It's a chance we have to take. He's our only lead. We don't even know where these guys are from."
    "No—" But even as Kane protested, he remembered Sarah's words that if her brother died, then she would die. But if he lived, he would kill her. Son of a bitch. There was only one choice. "I'll find Sarah before he wakes up."
    Ryland walked up beside him. "I'm coming with you."
    Kane stiffened. "You think that's a good idea?"
    Ryland grinned. "I'm the only one strong enough to take you down if you go rogue. So, yeah, I think that makes it a damn good idea that I go with you because you're not exactly roses and bunny rabbits right now."
    "I'm not going rogue," Kane shot back, but even as he said it, the bare spot on his chest burned, and the darkness swirled inside him.
    "Yeah." Ryland met his gaze, and nodded once. No further exchange was needed.
    "I'm in," Thano said, his green eyes flashing with determination. "You need a young guy along to take on these kids. You old guys will run out of stamina."
    Gideon and Quinn nodded their agreement. "We'll search from this end," Gideon said. "Lily will research it, and we'll monitor Jacob and try to get info from him."
    Kane nodded. A three-pronged attack was good. One way or another, they would find Sarah.
    "Stay in touch," Quinn said. "I have a bad feeling about this deal."
    "Yeah, me too." But as Kane thought about what it had been like last night to connect with Sarah, to bury himself inside her and open himself to her so completely, he knew that wasn't the