Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

her grandmother a chance.
    Her heart thundering, Sarah dove back into the truck, hit the gas and took off into the woods.
    How long would it take for him to reach her? Since he was a new Calydon, his teleporting range was still limited, and he would have to make a series of leaps to catch up to her. Had she contacted him before he'd found Nonny? Would his need to kill Sarah be strong enough to get him and his team to forego easy prey? Please, Nonny, be safe.
    And would Sarah be able to survive another night at his mercy?
    She looked down at the cracks in her skin, like a porcelain doll about to break, and she knew the answer was no.
    But she'd have to find a way to change that to a yes.
    * * *
    Crack.
    Sarah jumped at the noise that sounded like a lightning bolt exploding into a tree trunk by the side of the road, right next to her. It had been almost two hours since she'd let her brother connect with her, two terrifying hours when she'd flinched at every sound, wondering how long she had.
    Ten minutes ago, she'd started to hope she was going to make it. She was only an hour away from Nashoba. Forty-five miles. That was all—
    Crack.
    She jumped again, her adrenaline surging. That sounded too close. Too real. She frantically looked to the left, searching the forest for the red glow of eyes stalking her. She saw nothing but the dark expanse of woods.
    Crack. The sound was ahead of her now.
    Crack. Behind her. Crack. To the right. Crack. To the left. The night began to bombard her with the sound of Calydon claws digging into tree trunks.
    Okay, she definitely wasn't imagining it. Not anymore. They'd found her. They were here. All around. How many were there? One that was teleporting from tree to tree, or dozens of them, leaping along beside the truck? How many had her brother brought to destroy her?
    Sarah poised her hand over the button on the dash, knowing she would have only one opportunity. "Come on," she muttered to herself. "Time this right." She had to strike before they attacked, but she needed to wait until they were all close enough to be affected. She had one chance to catch them unprepared.
    As men, they were smart and talented.
    As monsters, they went on instinct and gut, and her only chance was to be smarter than they were.
    She turned off her headlights, leaving only her parking lights to illuminate the isolated road as the SUV raced along, trying to lure her attackers into a sense of safety. The night seemed to come to life, swelling around her like the hand of doom, ready to suck her into its depths, offering all the advantage to the beasts hunting her. The blackness was terrifying, a nightmare from her youth—
    No. She could handle this. She could do this.
    Sarah gunned the gas, straining her eyes for that red glow that would tell her where they were. The trees were black specters, striking at the night as the wind took their branches and knifed them across the void.
    A dark shape fluttered across the road, and she almost hit the button—
    No. An owl. She'd almost moved too soon. Sweat dripped down her forehead at the close call, but she didn't dare take a moment to wipe it away. She had to be ready.
    Her only chance was to strike when they didn’t expect it. The impact of artificial light was limited, and if they had time to defend themselves, her assault would be powerless. Her only infallible weapon was her own powers, but the cost to her was too great, especially if she had to hurt her brother...
    She jutted out her jaw, and fierce determination swelled through her. No. She would not let them win.
    Then she saw what she'd been looking for: two small red circles glowing at her from a tree ahead, the eyes of a demon watching her. Another set to the right. A third on her left. She grimaced, realizing they were all around her. Her brother couldn't have done the stereotypical male "I-never-ask-for-help" thing and come alone, could he? No, he'd brought the whole damned posse with him. Damn Jacob and his overly social tendencies.
    The Calydons were all around her, just like last night. Panic swelled in her throat, and she fought it back, fighting against the urge to be pathetic and terrified.
    Terror got her nowhere, and dammit, she had somewhere to be in the morning.
    Sarah fixed her gaze on the undulating shadow poised on the tree trunk, those red eyes watching her so carefully, tracking her progress. He was preparing to time the attack with flawless precision.
    Yeah, well, so was she, and she was