Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

arms, and she hugged herself. She didn't know what to say, how to comfort him. The man standing before her had really murdered his own son and his own sheva , just like Mason? But she'd seen inside his heart. He had goodness. Was she so wrong? Nausea churned inside her belly and she lurched to her feet, suddenly needing space to think, to process, to get a handle on her emotions. "I have to go—"
    Kane's head came up and he looked at her. There was such darkness in his gaze, and she saw him struggle with the news. His pain wafted across the room toward her, and she knew how devastating it must be to have it confirmed that he was once a monster. If he could do the unthinkable once, he could do it again, right?
    Don't lose faith in me, he said. I need you, Sarah.
    Sarah's throat tightened, and Nonny flicked her fingers in Sarah's direction. "Sit," Nonny said. "You're not going anywhere."
    Slowly, Sarah sank back to the couch, perching on the edge, ready to run. But at the same time, she wanted to go to Kane and offer him her support. To tell him she believed in him. She swallowed hard, trying to know what to do, to preserve herself or to trust her instincts. Which was the right choice this time?
    Ryland shifted in the doorway, and she saw him flexing his hands, as if he were preparing to call out his weapons. As if he was seeing Kane only as Los Muerte and not the warrior he'd fought beside for so long.
    Javier turned to Kane. "The scars are gone. There is nothing protecting you from the demon within. It's you and he at war. No one to save you this time."
    Kane nodded. "I can feel it," he said, his voice strained.
    "You're being called home," Javier said. "To take over your role as the anchor of our village."
    Kane frowned. "You mean as a destroyer or as a protector?"
    "Both." Javier leaned forward. "Luc Acostos is a formidable foe, Kane. Do you know why?"
    Kane shook his head. "Tell me."
    "Because he is motivated by love. If he can find a replacement for himself, he will be free to leave this place and find the spirit of the woman he loves and connect with her. But his replacement can be only someone with enough strength to survive the pit. You have his blood. You are the one he has been waiting for."
    Kane stiffened. "I have his blood? What do you mean?"
    Javier raised his brows. "Your mother was an angel, Kane. Where do you think the demon comes from?"
    Kane went still as Javier's words sank in, as the meaning took root. "You mean, I'm Luc's son?"
    Sarah sucked in her breath as Javier nodded. "He is going to reclaim you, Kane. It is the only way for him to be free to be with the woman he loves."
    "Jesus." Kane stood up and strode across the floor, his tension bleeding all over the room. "My father is a demon," he said. "I'm a demon. Jesus." Sweat trickled down his brow, and Sarah suddenly couldn't stop herself.
    She scooted off the couch and wrapped her arms around him. Kane immediately locked his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him and burying his face in her hair, as if she could chase away the truth.
    "Luc is here to destroy the angels," Javier said. "The village is a conduit to the Afterlife, and it is a weak link where the demons want to access the earth, but they need to cleanse the area of angels before they can do it. They've been working on it for hundreds of years." He looked at Sarah. "There is one angel left, standing in their way."
    Sarah swallowed. "Luc's job is to take me out?"
    "No. He can't kill you, not directly." Javier looked between them. "His job is to find your weak spot and use it to destroy you. It's a trinity, Sarah. Mason was the first part. Jacob is the second. Kane is the third and final element."
    "No." Kane tightened his grip on Sarah. "I won't bring her down—"
    "It's more dangerous now," Javier interrupted. "Because of the baby."
    Sarah bit her lip as she thought of Abigail. "Why was Abigail important?"
    Javier looked at her. "Because she was the next generation of angels. She needed to die before she became powerful. That was why she had to be killed. The next generation had to be stopped before it began. So, the stakes have gone up this time."
    A dark feeling of foreboding started to beat through Sarah. "This time?"
    Nonny pushed on Javier's shoulder. "She doesn't know. I didn't think she could handle knowing. It's too soon, Javier. Let it go."
    Sarah shoved herself away from Kane, her heart pounding. "What are you talking about?"
    Javier looked at Nonny. "They