Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

expression that she wanted to melt right into his arms. You can't be Los Muerte, she said. You can't turn against me. I don't understand how you could.
    Kane's face darkened, and he spread his palm over her belly. His hand was pulsing with heat that spread through her, filling her with his strength. I will not hurt you, he said.
    But the grim resolution in his voice told her that he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that happened, even if it meant having his team take him down.
    The team wasn't there simply to take on Luc. They were there to kill Kane if that needed to happen. They were there to assassinate the father of her baby, if it became necessary. What kind of sacrifice was that? A father killing himself to protect his own child? The mere fact Kane was willing to do it told her everything she needed to know. She locked her hand around his, and shook her head as fierce denial roared through her. "No," she said. "You aren't that man." She turned to the team, who was still kneeling. "Don't kill Kane," she said. "Luc is the one who is the problem."
    Seven impassive faces stared back at her, and not one gave her reassurance.
    And suddenly, the brightly lit clearing seemed fraught with tension and doom. What had she done by allowing Kane to bring these warriors here? They didn't understand about everything that was important in life. They didn't understand about believing in people, about hope and faith. The hope and faith she gave them was so they could slaughter others in the name of the greater good. What kind of hope and faith was that? That wasn't what she was really about!
    "So, hi." The woman with the computer stepped forward, breaking the tension with a warm smile. She held out her hand. "My name is Lily Davenport. I've got a bit of expertise regarding Calydons, so they brought me along for my mind." She winked. "Not my body. No one ever notices my body."
    "No one better notice your body except me," Gideon growled. "Or I'll carve out his eyes."
    At first Sarah was startled by the exchange, but when relief rippled through the team, she realized it had simply been teasing banter designed to cut the tension. Everyone rose to their feet as the low murmur of male conversation began to hum through the air as the men figured out their plans for the attack.
    "Sarah," Lily said, patting her arm, giving her another friendly smile. "How are you doing?"
    Sarah blinked, wanting to follow the conversation with the men. "Um, I'm..." She glanced over at Kane and Ryland, who were huddled down with the team. "I need to—"
    "You need girl talk for a minute," one of the other women said as she walked up. She smiled. "My name is Grace, and this is my sister, Ana."
    Sarah managed a distracted smile. "Hi, but I need to—"
    "Sarah." Lily's voice was firm, jerking Sarah's attention back to her. "We have all managed to successfully bond with males who were destined to kill us. You might want to take a moment to chat before heading out into those woods."
    Sarah stared at Lily, and in her moss-green eyes, Sarah saw compassion and understanding of such depth that her throat tightened. She looked at the other two women and saw similar expressions of warmth on their faces. Suddenly, she realized she was not standing in the company of strangers. She'd been blessed with the friendship of women who knew what it was to suffer and had somehow found their way out.
    They were the ones who understood about hope and faith. They were the angels sent for Sarah. A huge weight seemed to lift off her shoulders, a realization that she wasn't alone. Not anymore. That there was someone out there who understood what she was going through. Tears welled up in her eyes, and for a moment, she couldn't talk.
    Lily immediately threw her arms around Sarah and hugged her. "It's hell to love these men, Sarah," she said quietly. "But the only way to make it work is to believe in them, even when they don't believe in themselves."
    Sarah pulled back, her heart aching as she looked at the three women standing around her. "My first soul mate murdered our daughter," she said. "And Kane murdered his first soul mate and their son. And now I'm pregnant, and his scars have disappeared." Her hands began to shake again, violently this time, as she put into words the facts that damned both of them. "I believed in my first soul mate, and I was wrong. How do I do it again? What if I'm wrong again?"
    Grace's silver eyes were watching her steadily, and there was