Darkness Reborn (Order of the Blade #5) (13 page)

Kane could smell the trail of blood as Sarah lunged across the room, throwing her body over her daughter as Mason reached for her. He felt the agony of his claws coming down and slamming all the way through Sarah's body into the child she was protecting beneath her.

"No!" Sarah screamed, her voice ripping Kane out of her thoughts. Caught in the memories, she was pounding on Kane, hitting him, fighting against the enemy that was long gone. "Abigail! God, not my baby—"

"Sarah." Kane enveloped her in his arms, pulling her tightly against him. "It's over. You're here with me now. You're safe now."

"No, no, no!" Still she fought him, screaming for the child she hadn't been able to protect, for the man who had betrayed her so brutally. She was lost in the memories of a hell worse than anything Kane had ever lived.

He had no idea what to say to take away her anguish. He didn't know how to help. He'd never trusted anyone enough to be betrayed by them, and he had no basis for how to help her, for what to say, how to take away her pain.

He swore, holding her close, stroking her hair, whispering to her everything he could think of to make it okay. But as she trembled in his arms, sobbing desperately, he knew his words made no difference. No words would ever take away what had happened to her. No words would ever give her daughter back to her. No words would ever rebuild the emptiness of her heart. "Sarah," he whispered, brushing his lips over her temple. "It's not your fault."

"It is," she gasped, trying to suck in air. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, the agony and guilt of her loss eating away at her. "Don't you understand? I trusted him instead of going first to Abigail. If I'd grabbed her and run—"

"It wouldn't have made a difference." He kissed her lightly, not for sex, but for comfort, for reassurance that she wasn't alone in her grief, that he had her. "I've fought the men from your village. They're tough and strong. You couldn't have stopped him—"

"But I did." She leaned her head against his chest, gripping Kane's waist desperately, as if she were trying to ground herself. "I killed him," she whispered. "I used my white light to kill him, but it was too late. I couldn't believe he was beyond hope like that, and I waited too long." Her guards were down and Kane was able to touch her mind.

Again, he was back in that room, feeling Sarah's agony as Mason yanked his claws out of her. Before she could move, two older people rushed into the room, and he knew instantly from Sarah's memories that they were her parents. He felt Sarah's horror as they attacked Mason, her scream of anguish when he cut them down with two quick blows, and finally, her absolute betrayal and loss when he turned toward her again, his eyes blazing red.

"Sarah," Mason said, his voice a growl of hate and death. "Now you die."

Kane went still, staring into his eyes as Sarah remembered them. There was something wrong with Mason's expression. Something different. Something off. Then Mason dropped his head and charged Sarah. Instinctively, Kane's weapon exploded into his hand, trying to protect Sarah even in her memories. He yanked her close, his soul screaming in defense of her as Mason swiped his claw at her—

A blinding white light exploded through Kane's mind as Sarah killed Mason. Kane recoiled from the pain as it ripped through him. It burned his eyelids, seared his mind, made his skin scream. He jerked his mind from Sarah's, cutting the connection. The white light vanished immediately, but the pain didn't. Swearing, he jerked his eyes open, and saw Sarah staring at him, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Sweet Jesus. Her grief was unbearable. Ignoring the pain from Sarah's attack, Kane pulled her against him, burying her in his arms. Sarah came willingly, her body pliant as she clung to him, her body shaking with the trauma. Kane pressed his lips to her hair, trying to absorb the trembling of her body into his, offering his strength. "It's over, Sarah," he said. "You did the right thing by killing him. You had no choice."

"I loved him," she whispered against Kane's chest. "How could that not have been enough to save him? How could I have let my family die because I thought I could save him?" She pulled back and looked at him, the guilt in her eyes so heavy. "My beautiful Abigail," she whispered. "She died because I trusted Mason. How could I make that mistake? And I still had to kill him. I had to use my powers that are supposed to be for good. I used them to kill the man I loved. How did I screw up so badly, Kane? How?"

"Shit, Sarah." He kissed her forehead and framed her face with his hands. "Mason made his choice. There was no stopping him." He laid his hand over her heart. "It's beautiful that you loved him that way, that you offer the world that kind of love. That's never a mistake."

"But my daughter—"

"You did protect her," he said. "You offered your life to save hers, and it was Mason's decision to kill her. You can't take the blame for what he did." He gripped her shoulders. "I can't imagine what in God's name could make a man so weak that he could make that choice, no matter what was going on.

She shook her head. "No, he didn't make the choice. He loved us. He never would have made that choice. He was crazy. The choice was taken away from him."

Kane's mind flashed back to that moment when Mason had looked at Sarah, and he recalled the way he'd dropped his head and charged her for the final kill. Suddenly, Kane knew what had been wrong in that moment: Mason had not been rogue. His eyes had been red, yeah, but they'd been clear and focused.

He'd known exactly what he was doing, and he'd done it on purpose.

Son of a bitch. What was going on in this village? "You're sure he was your soul mate?" He didn't understand how it was possible for a male to attack his own soul mate unless he was rogue. It was simply impossible.

"Yes." Sarah took a deep breath, still gripping Kane's arms. "I had his mark on my arms. They've been there ever since, as a reminder never to trust another male again." She rubbed at her arms, as if they were suddenly itchy.

Something dark twisted inside Kane at the idea of another man's brands on Sarah's arms. He set his hand over her arm, as if he could cleanse it from her...

Her skin was hot. Burning right through his palm. Recognition pulsed through him, an intense sense of ownership and possession that reverberated right though his core. And then he knew. His mark was on her arm. She was
his.
He jerked his gaze to hers, and saw the sudden flash of fear in her eyes. Of knowledge.

"Jesus!" He yanked her sleeve up, his hands almost shaking from the intensity of it. On her arm was a set of thin silver lines that were an exact match for the handle of his flail. "Mother of God." Rightness rippled through him, and then as he watched, another line formed, traveling up her arm toward her elbow. Sarah was his
sheva,
and she carried his mark.

"Trust," he muttered. "You told me your darkest secret, that you fear you caused your daughter's death. Sharing that with me satisfies your half of the trust stage." He didn't need to ask about the other lines. He'd been there when they'd made love. He knew damn well that they'd completed that stage. "Son of a bitch." He jerked his gaze to Sarah's and saw the guilt on her face. "You knew?" How had he not sensed it? How in God's name had he been with her and not sensed it? Ryland and Thano should have known as well. "How did you hide this from me? And why?"

"Mason," she whispered. "Mason is why I hid it. I used my magic to hide it." Tears burned in her eyes. "I can't go through all that again, Kane. I can't." She touched his chest where the scars were missing. "For all we know, you're Los Muerte, the man who killed his
sheva
and child. If you are, you'll do it again. To me." Her voice broke and she clutched her chest. "I can't go through that again, Kane. I can't."

Denial roared through Kane. He gripped her shoulders, his body vibrating from the force of his anger. "As God is my witness, Sarah, there is no chance in
hell
that I would ever hurt you. I don't know what Mason's deal was, but I'll find out." The stark terror in her eyes broke through some of his anger, and he softened his grip, struggling to find a place of reassurance for Sarah's sake. "I swear on the grave of Dante, my mentor, that never in this God-forsaken existence of mine would I
ever
fail to protect you..." His words stumbled. "Or any child that we might have."

Sarah's face turned ashen. "God, no, don't even say that about children, Kane. I can't do that again. I can't!"

"Okay, okay, okay." He dropped his head, fighting for control. Struggling to let go of the anger and rage that she doubted him. Fighting to reach the place of control that would comfort her.

She didn't move from his arms, and for a moment, there was no sound in the tunnel except the sound of their breathing, as they each tried to regain their equilibrium. Finally, Kane raised his head and met Sarah's gaze. "I swear to you, Sarah, that I will not become like Mason. I'm not that weak. I'm just not."

She met his gaze, such betrayal and anguish in her eyes. "Mason wasn't weak either. He loved me, Kane. You don't even love me. What do you have to stop yourself?"

"Shit, Sarah, I don't need a crutch!" He pulled her against him and opened his mind to hers, drawing her in.
Can't you feel it? My need to protect you and keep you safe? It's burning so strongly in me that I'd strike down my own teammates before I'd hurt you.
He took her hand and pressed it to his chest, right over the spot where she'd erased his scars, where there was nothing blocking who he really was.
Can't you feel it?

Sarah dug her fingers into his skin, and a small furrow formed between her eyebrows.
I can
.
But I can also feel darkness inside you. Something terrifying.

Kane ground his jaw, because he knew exactly what she was talking about. It was the darkness that had made him almost strike out at Ryland. It was the violent images coursing through his mind. It was the pain knifing through his body.

But he
knew
he couldn't hurt her. He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. But he'd been in her mind, and he knew the level of trauma, and he understood why she would fear him. And in the back of his mind, he couldn't quite get her stories about Los Muerte out of his head. He also couldn't ignore the scars on his own skin or the fact that he'd connected to whatever had been in those woods.

He belonged here. He could tell he did. Somehow, some way, this was his world...so if there was a chance, any kind of chance, that he was the man she was talking about, that Los Muerte was lurking beneath his scars, then he needed to make sure she was protected.
Okay, Sarah, let's make a deal.

She met his gaze, biting her lower lip as he brushed a kiss over her knuckles. "What deal?"

I promise that I will never hurt you, and you promise me that if you ever think I'm going to, that you will kill me before I can hurt you. Don't hesitate the way you did with Mason. Just kill me.

Her gaze snapped to his. "No, I can't. Using my powers to kill will destroy me—"

"You survived killing Mason. You can do it again if you have to." He cupped her face. "You're an angel, Sarah. Angels always find a way."

Tears shined in her beautiful blue eyes. "I can't do it, Kane. I can't do any of it again."'

"Yes, you can." He lightly kissed the corner of her mouth, and then the other. And again, until she finally stopped fighting him and kissed him back. It wasn't a kiss of violent passion, it was a kiss of connection.
I'm going to find out what's going on in this village, Sarah. I'm going to find out who I am, and I'm going to keep you safe.

She looked at him, and he saw hope flash in her eyes. True hope. The kind that she'd been searching for so desperately. Respect flowed through him. She was battered, but not broken, and he knew how strong she was. "I know the Order kills rogue Calydons," she said, "but will you promise not to kill the men in our woods? They're good men. They're just a mess at night."

Kane couldn't help but smile at her question, and a part of him softened. It was just like her to ask him to spare the lives of the very creatures who wanted her dead. "Yeah, I'll do my best."

Sarah took a deep breath, and he saw her summon the strength that he'd already come to recognize as hers. "Well, if you're going to help save our village, then we have a lot of work to do."

He grinned. "I'll bet we do." He eased back from her, swishing his arms through the water. "After you, my dear."

She managed a small smile, and then started to swim past him. Just as she neared him, though, he grabbed her arm and tugged her against him. Her eyes widened. "No kissing." She braced her palms against his chest. "I can't go there with you again, Kane. I really can't."

He swore at the pain in her eyes, and he dropped his hands, giving her a respite.

For now.

But as she turned away and began to swim back toward the opening in the tunnel, he let his gaze settle on her arm. On his mark. She was his.
His.

A sense of deep, masculine satisfaction pulsed through him...and a flicker of dark anticipation. Swearing, he looked down at his chest, and he saw another patch of scars had disappeared on his stomach. A ripple of unease went through him.

What if he really was Los Muerte, and the only things keeping the monster at bay were his scars? And those scars were disappearing...

Shit. He needed answers, and he needed them fast.

He would get them tonight, when the sun fell and the moon brought the nightmares of this village to life.

Kane paused outside the Akara general store, letting Nonny, Thano and Ryland enter first. Sarah stopped beside him, watching him carefully. "What is it?"

He shook his head "I don't know." He touched the door frame, running his hand over the talisman carved in the wood. Smoke rose off his fingertips, and he jerked his hand back. "What does that one mean?"

Sarah moved up beside him. "I'm not sure. It's just one of the many carved everywhere to protect against the Calydons who hunt at night."

Kane looked around, studying the abandoned village square, searching his mind for some sense of recognition.

Nothing.

He swore under his breath. "Nothing looks familiar. I don't remember being here."

Hope flashed over Sarah's face. "Maybe you weren't. Maybe you haven't been here before. Maybe—"

"He was."

They both turned, and Sarah saw Javier, the old guardian of the village, leaning against the edge of the house. His face was in the shadows, his body lean and wiry, his jeans faded. Sarah hadn't seen him up close for years, and he never spoke. Until now. "When?" she asked.

Javier fixed his black eyes on Kane. "He knows."

Kane stared at Javier, and there was no mistaking the hope gleaming in his eyes. "I don't remember anything."

"You will—"

"Javier!" Nonny came out on the front porch and set her hands on her hips. "For heaven's sake, man, if you're going to come out of your cave and join humanity, you need to come in here—"

But Javier was already gone, drifting away in the shadows as quickly as he'd come.

"Blasted man." Nonny held the door open. "He never sticks around. Drives me nuts. Come on in, folks. Let's get some food. I opened the store for you guys, but the afternoon rush will be coming soon."

Sarah rolled her eyes at her grandmother. "There hasn't been an afternoon rush in years, Nonny."

"An old lady can always hope." She gestured at Kane. "Come on, Kane. Let's move it."

Kane glanced at the shadows one last time. He thought he saw something move, but when he looked more closely, there was nothing but stillness. A chill rippled over his skin, and he looked over his shoulders at the woods. He could sense nothing, but he got the distinct feeling he was being watched. Shit. "Someone's out there," he said as he walked inside.

"I know." Sarah looked past him. "There always is."

"The place is haunted," Thano announced, already lounging comfortably in a chair by the fireplace. "Lots of creepies." He jerked his chin at the fireplace. "That's the village's body count, my friend. All the innocents and rogues who have died over the last six hundred years, since the Los Muerte destruction."

Kane stiffened at Thano's casual reference, realizing that Nonny must have filled them in on the town's history, but there was no edge to Thano's voice. The warrior didn't know about Kane's possible connection to the town's history yet. Relieved not to have to address that with his team yet, Kane looked past Thano and saw rows and rows of hash marks carved into the old mantle. Thousands of marks.

More than the Order had killed during that time. Far more.

"Every man who has succumbed to the dark side, and every person they've killed," Sarah said softly, running her hand over it. Her finger touched on a small one in the corner, and she looked at Kane. "Abigail," she said softly.

Kane reached out and took her hand, and Sarah's throat tightened at his gesture. God, it had been so long since anyone had given her comfort, or since she had even considered accepting or seeking it. She'd just put her head down and kept on pushing, refusing to give up, refusing to grieve, because she couldn't afford it. Nonny never gave her sympathy, just told her to get herself together and move onward, which is what they both knew she had to do.

But it felt different with Kane, as if she could afford to feel that pain and grief, and yet somehow, he would provide a buffer to keep it from destroying her.

But she couldn't rely on him. She couldn't let her guard down. She had to remember Mason and Abigail—

I'm not Mason,
Kane said.

Sarah bit her lip.
I know, but—

"So, this is a night gig," Ryland said, pacing around the room. None of the men had commented on the fact that there was no one else in the general store besides them, or that the few remaining inhabitants of the town had vacated when the Order had appeared on the premises. Kane knew it was because they were Calydons, distrusted completely, and it was an odd sensation to be distrusted by the innocents that they had taken an oath to protect.

Were the villagers jaded, or were they the wise ones?

Jaded. It had to be jaded. He and his team would never attack innocents. They just wouldn't.

"These guys are close to sane and normal during the day, but at night they attack. Is that right?" Ryland asked.

"The level of daytime sanity varies, but basically that's correct," Sarah said. "It used to be really bad, but for the last few hundred years, it seemed to stop. But in the last fifty years, it's been virulent again. Most people have moved away, hoping to protect the men that way, but many of them still become Calydons and go rogue, and come back here."

"Yep, only us stalwarts remain." Nonny was perched on the edge of the counter, drinking a beer. She pointed it at Kane. "You've got a job to do, young man. My granddaughter needs to survive, or this town goes down, and so does hope and light as the earth knows it." She shrugged. "And of course, whoever it is she's assigned to."

Kane frowned. "What do you mean?"

"All angels are assigned to someone to protect," Sarah explained.

Thano raised his brows. "We have guardian angels? Damn. That's cool."

"No, not exactly," Sarah said. "I don't go out and hover over the shoulder of the people I'm connected to. My life force is linked to theirs, so that when they need hope and faith, they can tap into mine, even though they don't realize where it's coming from." She shrugged. "I'm like this great fountain of hope."

"And if you don't have anything to give them?" Kane asked, studying her closely.

She met his gaze. "Then they're on their own. Most people are these days. There aren't many angels left."

"Well, shit." Thano looked over at Ryland. "That explains you. Maybe we can put in a request for you to get one. Think it might help?"

Ryland's black eyes glittered. "No, I don't."

"We need to stop the Calydons." Sarah stood up, pacing the room, impatient to get the men back on track. "That's our only chance. They'll keep hunting me otherwise, and I'm all that's holding that river open right now." She looked at Kane, Ryland and Thano, who were exactly what she was trying to defend against. They were massive, much larger than those who hunted in her woods, but they were the same race. How could they resist the allure of whatever it was that took the Akara men? "We need to stop them at the source. We need to find out what is turning them and destroy it. It's our only chance."

"I like mysteries." Thano was sweeping his blade over the doorframe, as if he were using it to sharpen the edge of his halberd. "I'm in." He jammed the blade into the floor and grinned at the guys. "Let's go kick some ass, shall we?"

Ryland grinned. "I'm in. I still owe them for almost taking us out a couple weeks ago."

Sarah noticed that Kane said nothing. He looked directly at Nonny. "How old are you?"

Nonny's eyebrows shot up. "Why is it that everyone seems to think I've got age issues now? Did my eye cream suddenly stop working?"

"Nonny, you're the hottest firecracker I've ever seen," Thano said. "You don't need any eye cream, sweetheart."

Nonny winked at him, "Keep it up, young man, and you'll find out exactly how much pep there is in this old girl."

"Were you present during Los Muerte's attack?" Kane asked, not taking his attention off Nonny.

Sarah frowned. "Of course not. She's not immortal..." Then her voice trailed off when she saw the gleam of anticipation on Nonny's face. "Nonny?"

Nonny laughed softly. "I am highly offended that either of you think I'm that old." She raised her brows. "And yes, I was there."

Sarah stared at her grandmother. "But you're not immortal—"

"No? Don't make judgments, young lady—"

Kane leaned forward, his voice urgent. "Was it me? Am I Los Muerte? Am I the danger that's going to bring this village down?""

Nonny's eyebrows shot up. "Why are you asking me? You know the answer to that question."

Kane swore. "I don't remember anything—"

"Of course you do. Everything you've ever lived is inside you. You know exactly who you used to be, and who you are now. It's your choice to decide when you're ready to know."

"I don't remember a damned thing."

"You can't erase what's in your mind, boy. You just have to decide you want to hear it." Nonny stood up. "Come on, Sarah. We need to get you out of here. There's no need for you to spend the night in the village and endanger yourself. Let the boys do their thing."

Kane blocked the door "No," he said fiercely. "Sarah stays."

Sarah frowned. "I can't stay here. They know I'm here and they'll come get me. Without Jacob to track me, I can hide outside the village—"

"And if they do find you outside the village, who will protect you?"

"My brother is the only one who can find me, and he's dead—"

"He's not dead."

Sarah went still, and Nonny sucked in her breath. "What?" Sarah had suspected her brother might have survived when she'd realized that she and Kane hadn't done the death stage of the bond, but she hadn't dared to hope it was true, not when Jacob had failed to reappear. She'd simply tried to focus on keeping herself strong so that his death and betrayal couldn't kill her as well. But now... "He's really alive?" Joy leapt in her heart for her brother, at the same moment that fear trickled through her for the assassin he was planning to be.

"He's not dead. He's unconscious. They're keeping him at the mansion until they can figure out how to hold him. The minute he wakes up, he'll find you, won't he?" Kane's eyes flashed the challenge, and Sarah closed her eyes as rekindled fear simmered through her.

Kane was right.

She opened her eyes and looked at her grandmother. Nonny's face was grim, but at the same time, there was a glimmer of hope. As long as Jacob was alive, they might be able to save him. Resolution poured through Sarah, and she clenched her fists. "All right," she said, "I'm staying." But she knew there was no hiding. If Jacob was alive, he could teleport right into the house, right past the lights. There was nowhere safe to hide from Jacob. The only man who could keep her safe was Kane, which meant that when he went hunting tonight, she had to go with him. "This has to end tonight. I can't keep this up."

Nonny set her hands on her hips. "How is it going to end? What ends tonight?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "Tonight they... we... are going to follow them home and find out what happens to them at night to make them crazy. Tonight, it ends." She glanced over at Kane and the others, and knew this was her best chance.

As long as they didn't go crazy, too. Oh, God, what if they went rogue once they were exposed to the village?

Kane grinned at her, flashing a decadent smile.
I won't go crazy until after we complete our bonding, sweetheart.

Desire pulsed through her, and fear.
We will never complete our bonding—

Oh, but we will.
There was no other choice in the matter.

* * *

Hours later, Sarah huddled beside Kane, crouched low in the cave on the side of the mountain near Akara. She watched the sun dip lower in the sky, and her heart began to pound. She hadn't been outside in the village at night before, not in her whole life. It was terrifying, but at the same time, exhilarating. This was her village, her town, and she was taking it back.

No longer was she hiding. No longer was she quivering in fear. Kane had given her the power to stand up and fight for her village, for her brother, for herself.

She glanced over at Kane. He was on his stomach in the dirt, hunkered down behind the rock ledge. His weapons were at the ready, a flail in each hand. His body was streaked in mud to make him blend into the night, and his muscles were taut with alertness.

Out in those woods right now were Ryland and Thano, hunting Calydons, herding them toward Kane, trying to sweep for the darkness that Kane had sensed earlier. The powerful one. The one that had nearly brought him down by flooding him with those terrible visions, and by drawing blood from Kane without even touching him. She'd felt the darkness that had attacked Kane on other occasions, and she'd felt it earlier today. It was laced with a depth of evil and depravity that made her blood turn to ice in her body. She'd always been certain that was the energy signature of the leader. Kane and the others agreed.

He was the one they needed to find, and Kane was going to try to find him by following a trail of blood...literally.

Sarah looked down at the scars on Kane's arm and saw another clear spot on his forearm. The talismans were definitely disappearing. Whether he was Los Muerte or not, those talismans were on him for a reason, and she was scared of what would happen if he was stripped of their protections. What would happen if he imbued himself with tainted blood from one of Akara's rogue Calydons? She touched his arm, and he jumped, before turning his head toward her. "Your touch ignites something inside me," he said, his eyes hooded. "Every single time."

Heat burst through her, and suddenly the cave seemed to disappear, consumed by the enormity of his presence. She swallowed and pulled her hand back. "Kane—"

He grabbed her hand and kept it pressed against his skin. "Don't let go," he said, his voice low and sensual. "I need it."

Ohh... Desire rippled through her, a calling for him, for his touch, for his possession. His grip was tight, his skin burning hot as if he were trying to melt through her flesh right to her soul. Involuntarily, her fingers tightened around his arm, and she felt his body shudder in response. How could she have that much power over him? "Is this from the
sheva
bond?"