Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

filled Sarah's heart as she watched Kane leap through the wall to attack Ryland. The two teammates, trying to destroy each other. She could feel the despair of both warriors, their complete lack of faith in each other, their inability to see the man who was on their side. She felt it in every cell of her body, all the way to the very depth of her spirit. Their loss, their utter loss of faith and hope, the absolute emptiness of their souls. "Dear God," she whispered as tears filled her eyes, as their pain overwhelmed her. She was filled with a sudden need to help them, to break them out of their hell, to infuse them with the hope that would make their hearts beat again. "Don't give up," she shouted. "Don't—"
    "Touch them," Javier said. "Now!" And he threw her against the two men.
    Sarah crashed into both of them. There was a split second of sheer, overwhelming despair coming from them, and then her entire body billowed with energy. Sudden power burned through her, a golden light of extraordinary brilliance, burning so brightly she felt her skin ignite.
    Nonny gasped in astonishment, and Javier grunted with approval as the golden light filled the air, flooding the entire house with the glittering golden aura. It blasted into Kane and Ryland, the impact catapulting them across the clearing and into the trees. She heard the crash of their bodies through the branches, the thuds of their bodies hitting the earth, and then silence. Stunned, she scrambled over the rubble from the decimated wall and raced after them. "Kane! Ryland!"
    Ignoring Nonny's shouts, Sarah ran through the bushes, calling for the warriors. Had she killed them? Panic filled her heart as she ran. She'd never done golden light before. She had no idea what it was. "Kane! Where are you—"
    Then she saw him. He was sitting on the ground, his arms draped over his knees, rubbing his forehead with one arm. Beside him, Ryland was in the same position, blood dripping from a wound in his shoulder. Sarah stopped, staring in shock at the men. "You're not fighting. And you're not dead?"
    Kane lifted his head to look at her, and she saw his eyes were gleaming brightly. The darkness was still there, yes, but not the despair. Ryland looked over at her, and she saw that his expression was back to normal. Edging on violence and darkness, but not insane. "What did you do?" Kane asked.
    "I don't know."
    "I do." Javier walked up beside them, the black paint glistening on his chest.
    Sarah looked over at him. "What?"
    "They're your assignment." Javier's eyes were hooded and dark as he looked at her. "You're their guardian angel, Sarah."
    Sarah frowned, shocked by his words. "Kane and Ryland? But I can have only one—"
    "Not always." Javier rubbed his jaw. "An angel can be assigned to an entity, as long as it is considered a cohesive group. Like the Order."
    Sarah stared at him in shock, as Kane shot to his feet. "No," he said. "We protect her. She doesn't protect us."
    Ryland was staring at Sarah, a look of awe on his face. "We have a guardian angel? Sarah is our guardian angel? Sarah? "
    "She's your angel for hope and faith," Javier said. "That's what she gives you. She gives you the ability to believe in the future. Without that, you wouldn't be able to kill all those who you kill. She gives you the ability to believe in what you do. She is the essence of your very mission."
    Sarah stared at him in shock. How could she be responsible for the entire Order? But even as Javier spoke, she felt the truth of his words, and there was no way to deny the golden light. "Why did it happen?"
    "Because they needed you, and you happened to be there." Javier nodded at her. "But it cost."
    Sarah looked down and saw her skin was fragmented again, hundreds of microscopic tears in her skin. "It's because of the effort it took to pull them back from the edge," she said softly. "They were so far gone."
    "Because you are so far gone," Javier said. He walked over to her and set his hand on her arm. His touch was cool, easing the discomfort from the cracks. "You have so little reserves left, Sarah, and the river is closed off again. You barely have enough to support them, and that's why they're crashing like this." He looked at Kane and Ryland. "If Sarah dies, the Order will disintegrate. You will be lost to the darkness. It will end, and all of you will die. What just happened is merely the start."
    Kane swore as he looked at Sarah, protectiveness swirling through him. "We'll keep her safe."