Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

that could tear a person's soul to pieces and destroy the very nature of who they were. "Kane." She hurried over to him and pressed her hands to his chest. "Look at me."
    He dragged his gaze off the far wall and looked down at her. There was so much anguish in his face that her own heart ached. What if I'm Los Muerte, Sarah? What if I really am here to destroy you? What if that was just the start? He slid his hand through her hair, his touch so soft and gentle, as if he were afraid to even touch her. What if I am the monster? He looked down at his chest, at the smooth expanse of skin that now stretched halfway across his chest. What if when these scars disappear, Los Muerte comes back to life?
    "No!" She shook her head, clasping his face between her hands. You stopped yourself, Kane. You don't understand how significant that is. No one has ever done that. Tears filled her eyes. No one has ever done that for me.
    Hell, Sarah. He fisted her hair, but didn't pull it. You deserve more than to be grateful that all you got were a few bruises. That's so fucked up. You should be kicking my ass.
    Life is so much more complicated than that, Kane. She pressed her lips to the wound in his chest that had already stopped bleeding and was beginning to heal. For the first time since Mason's attack, you give me hope that maybe there's a way to be stronger than the evil trying to take us. She took his hand and set it over her heart. Can you feel that? My heart is beating again, truly beating. I have hope, and you gave it to me.
    Kane closed his eyes, spreading his hand across her chest, and she felt him reach out for her with his mind. She let him in, and merged her spirit with his, allowing him to feel the hope in her heart, the gift he had given her. He let out his breath, and then opened his eyes, his gaze meeting hers. "I have no idea who the hell I am," he said.
    "According to Nonny, that's actually a lie. You know exactly who you are," Thano chimed in.
    Kane glared at him. "Shut up, Thano. You have no idea what it's like—"
    "I do." Ryland was lurking in the shadows, his machete clenched in his hand. He was leaning against the wall, but his body was rigid, and Sarah felt a ripple of menace flowing from him. "I know what it's like to spend every minute of every day wondering if this is the moment when I finally snap. To walk behind my teammate and know exactly what it would feel like to sink my machete between his shoulder blades, and to wonder when the day will come that I'm going to do it."
    "Shit, Ryland." Thano let out a low whistle. "You serious? I knew you were cranky, but—"
    "You live like that?" Kane was staring at him, a hooded look on his face.
    "Yeah." Ryland shifted, and he seemed to almost disappear into the shadows, as if he'd turned into a specter himself. "I know that there's a fucking monster inside me that will come out some day. I know what it's like to sit in my room every night with my machete in my hand, debating whether the only right choice would be for me to cut myself down before I can destroy the world." His eyes glittered. "I know what it's like to have a monster inside you, Santiago, and if you want, we can kill each other right now, and then it's over."
    "No!" Sarah leapt between them. "You can't! I need you! Both of you." She pressed her hand to Kane's chest, and held out her other hand to Ryland, her heart beating frantically. She could feel Ryland's despair and lack of hope. It plunged inside her, nearly devastating in its intensity. "Stop!"
    "The angel's right," Thano said. "We can't do this without you, Ry, and if you're about to turn into a monster, your timing is right." He toed his boot against one of the Calydons still on the ground. "We've got a battle, and we might need a monster on our side to win it."
    Sarah stared at Kane, worried that he still hadn't moved, hadn't responded to Ryland. The two warriors were facing each other, their gazes locked on each other as if they were communicating silently. "Kane?" She touched his chest again, and he started, jerking his gaze toward her. For a moment, he looked confused, and then he took a deep breath.
    "I'm not walking away from this." He shot a long look at Ryland. "You kill yourself, and who's going to protect the angel when I turn into Los Muerte?"
    Ryland's eyes glittered, but then he looked at Sarah. The intensity of his gaze was almost scary. He said nothing, but nodded once and walked out of the cave into the night.
    Thano let out a