Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

"No, I can't. Using my powers to kill will destroy me—"
    "You survived killing Mason. You can do it again if you have to." He cupped her face. "You're an angel, Sarah. Angels always find a way."
    Tears shined in her beautiful blue eyes. "I can't do it, Kane. I can't do any of it again."'
    "Yes, you can." He lightly kissed the corner of her mouth, and then the other. And again, until she finally stopped fighting him and kissed him back. It wasn't a kiss of violent passion, it was a kiss of connection. I'm going to find out what's going on in this village, Sarah. I'm going to find out who I am, and I'm going to keep you safe.
    She looked at him, and he saw hope flash in her eyes. True hope. The kind that she'd been searching for so desperately. Respect flowed through him. She was battered, but not broken, and he knew how strong she was. "I know the Order kills rogue Calydons," she said, "but will you promise not to kill the men in our woods? They're good men. They're just a mess at night."
    Kane couldn't help but smile at her question, and a part of him softened. It was just like her to ask him to spare the lives of the very creatures who wanted her dead. "Yeah, I'll do my best."
    Sarah took a deep breath, and he saw her summon the strength that he'd already come to recognize as hers. "Well, if you're going to help save our village, then we have a lot of work to do."
    He grinned. "I'll bet we do." He eased back from her, swishing his arms through the water. "After you, my dear."
    She managed a small smile, and then started to swim past him. Just as she neared him, though, he grabbed her arm and tugged her against him. Her eyes widened. "No kissing." She braced her palms against his chest. "I can't go there with you again, Kane. I really can't."
    He swore at the pain in her eyes, and he dropped his hands, giving her a respite.
    For now.
    But as she turned away and began to swim back toward the opening in the tunnel, he let his gaze settle on her arm. On his mark. She was his. His.
    A sense of deep, masculine satisfaction pulsed through him...and a flicker of dark anticipation. Swearing, he looked down at his chest, and he saw another patch of scars had disappeared on his stomach. A ripple of unease went through him.
    What if he really was Los Muerte, and the only things keeping the monster at bay were his scars? And those scars were disappearing...
    Shit. He needed answers, and he needed them fast.
    He would get them tonight, when the sun fell and the moon brought the nightmares of this village to life.

Chapter Ten
    Kane paused outside the Akara general store, letting Nonny, Thano and Ryland enter first. Sarah stopped beside him, watching him carefully. "What is it?"
    He shook his head "I don't know." He touched the door frame, running his hand over the talisman carved in the wood. Smoke rose off his fingertips, and he jerked his hand back. "What does that one mean?"
    Sarah moved up beside him. "I'm not sure. It's just one of the many carved everywhere to protect against the Calydons who hunt at night."
    Kane looked around, studying the abandoned village square, searching his mind for some sense of recognition.
    Nothing.
    He swore under his breath. "Nothing looks familiar. I don't remember being here."
    Hope flashed over Sarah's face. "Maybe you weren't. Maybe you haven't been here before. Maybe—"
    "He was."
    They both turned, and Sarah saw Javier, the old guardian of the village, leaning against the edge of the house. His face was in the shadows, his body lean and wiry, his jeans faded. Sarah hadn't seen him up close for years, and he never spoke. Until now. "When?" she asked.
    Javier fixed his black eyes on Kane. "He knows."
    Kane stared at Javier, and there was no mistaking the hope gleaming in his eyes. "I don't remember anything."
    "You will—"
    "Javier!" Nonny came out on the front porch and set her hands on her hips. "For heaven's sake, man, if you're going to come out of your cave and join humanity, you need to come in here—"
    But Javier was already gone, drifting away in the shadows as quickly as he'd come.
    "Blasted man." Nonny held the door open. "He never sticks around. Drives me nuts. Come on in, folks. Let's get some food. I opened the store for you guys, but the afternoon rush will be coming soon."
    Sarah rolled her eyes at her grandmother. "There hasn't been an afternoon rush in years, Nonny."
    "An old lady can always hope." She gestured at Kane. "Come on, Kane. Let's move it."
    Kane glanced at