Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

not? She swallowed, reminding herself that there was no baby at stake this time, no added connection between them to blur the lines, to make her trust more than she should. Never would she have imagined it was possible for Mason to murder his own baby girl, and that had been her downfall, that was why she'd been so slow to attack him with her light; she simply hadn't realized the extent of the danger. Maybe, without a child to protect, with only her own life at stake, she would be better able to judge.
    Sarah took a deep breath, realizing the truth of that. She wasn't the same naive girl she'd been when she'd trusted Mason. She'd seen him turn. She'd seen her brother turn. She'd let herself see and feel the evil inside Kane. She no longer lived in a cocoon of naiveté.
    She was not the girl who would make the same mistake again.
    "Sarah." Kane's voice was muffled against her neck, where he'd nestled in after making love to her.
    "What?" She ran her hand over his forearm, tracing the brand that defined him as a Calydon, the race of warriors that were brought to this village to wipe out angels. Part demon, part man, they had one mission, and that was to destroy the angels.
    "We're going back to the pit," Kane said.
    She swallowed, unable to stop the ripple of fear or the burst of adrenaline and excitement. "Yes."
    "I almost lost you tonight when Luc tried to suck you in there." He set his hand on her belly, and Sarah felt a tremor of heat in response. "I can't let that happen again."
    "It worked out fine—"
    "No." He rolled on top of her suddenly, his eyes blazing. "If you had been drawn into that pit, I would have lost you forever. You say you wouldn't have died from it because that's not how to kill you, but by God, Sarah, I would have spent an eternity knowing that you were suffering the worst hell possible in there."
    A cold chill settled in Sarah's bones, but she tried to push it away. She could not let fear debilitate her. "I can't worry about that, Kane. I have to go back—"
    " I can worry about it." His eyes were shadowed and turbulent, filled with the darkness that was building inside him. "I need to be able to find you, Sarah. No matter what. If we blood-bond, I'll be able to track you."
    "Oh..." She grimaced, thinking of how that could go against her if he turned out to be her greatest enemy. The blood bond was one of the stages of the sheva bond, and they had so few stages left to go before their bond was finalized and inextricable. Mason had turned on her after the bond was complete, and she was well aware of the Order's destiny of turning on their mates and going rogue. She didn't need the extra risk. She really didn't. "I don't think—"
    "Your brother will be awakened in the morning by my team," Kane said. "He can find you, and he will. At dusk tomorrow night, if not sooner, he will teleport in here and try to grab you. I have to be able to follow you if he gets you away from me."
    Sarah closed her eyes at the reminder of the threat coming for her. There was no way to lie to herself. Jacob would be coming for her. He, like Mason, was at the mercy of Luc Acostos, who was somehow, some way, turning them all against her. Would he also be able to turn Kane?
    Kane gripped her shoulders. "Look at me, Sarah."
    She opened her eyes. His eyes were blazing with heat and determination. In that moment, he looked like a warrior, a protector, not a male who would succumb to the hell trying to take him. She felt like she could turn herself over to him and he would make sure everything would work out okay. Crap! What was the right choice?
    "I won't turn on you," Kane said fiercely. He grabbed her arm and showed her his brand on her flesh. "This mark is stronger than anything else. I'm incapable of hurting you—"
    "What about the sheva destiny? That the moment the bond is complete you will go rogue and destroy everything we both care about. You'll kill me, Kane, and I will kill you, and everything that matters will be gone."
    His eyes glittered. "I thought you said that doesn't happen in this town."
    Sarah pushed him off her and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. "It doesn't happen with the local males who are turned Calydon from our woods," she said. "But you're not from here."
    Kane propped himself up on his elbow, studying her. "What are you talking about?"
    Sarah pressed her lips together, thinking of how many thousands of hours she'd poured into the situation at the village, trying to understand how to stop