Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

turn him rogue and destroy both of them and all that mattered to them once all the stages of bonding were completed. However, a rare few turned into mindless, killing machines even in the absence of a sheva . Expectations were high that the moody Ryland would soon fall into the latter category, but Kane had his shit together. "I'm fine."
    Ryland rose to his feet, his well-muscled bulk innately aggressive. His black jeans and t-shirt had been shredded mercilessly from the fight. "Don't lie to me, Santiago. There's no room for that shit between us."
    The black brands in Kane's arms burned, and he fisted his weapons, a set of doubled-spiked flails with spiked balls spinning on the ends of the steel chains. The clang of the metal balls cracking against each other jerked Kane's attention to them, and he suddenly realized how close he was to launching himself at Ryland.
    He was ready to strike first against his own teammate? Kane swore and sheathed his weapons. They vanished into the air, returning to the brands on his arms that were an exact match for the weapons they housed. He held up his hands in surrender. "Stand down. I'm good."
    Ryland sheathed his own weapons, taking the temptation away from both of them. "Shit, man. You're off, big time."
    "I—" A sound caught Kane's attention, and he turned sharply. "Did you hear that?"
    "What?" Ryland went still, and the air hummed as both Calydons reached out into the night with their senses.
    For a moment, Kane heard nothing but the skittering of rodents' feet, the hoot of owls, and the crackling of the earth as it drank in the moisture from the night.
    Then he heard it again.
    A woman's scream. Unending terror and pain. The roar of a spirit fighting desperately and hopelessly for its very survival.
    The sound went straight to Kane's core, ripping through his shields like a burning knife into his heart. His whole body vibrated in response, adrenaline raging with the need to find her. To protect her. To save her. Kane spun around wildly, almost desperately, trying to pinpoint the sound and determine where it was coming from. It was bouncing off the trees, echoing in the air, coming at him from all directions, like an assault of agony. "Fuck!"
    "What?" Ryland strode up beside him. "I don't hear anything."
    "How can you not hear that?" She screamed again, eviscerating every defense Kane had. He had to go. Had to find her. Had to save her and find out who she was. She needed him. Black light flashed above the brands on his arms, a loud crack split the night, and then Kane's weapons appeared in his hands, the glittering steel ready for battle.
    "What is it?" Ryland called out his own machetes with a crack and a flash of black light. "I'm picking up nothing. Tell me what you got."
    Kane shoved his teammate aside, his entire soul howling with the need to find the woman. "Where are you?" he bellowed, his voice echoing into the night.
    No response. Just the ominous echo of silence. Was she dead?
    Uncontrollable grief ripped through Kane at the thought of her being dead, a loss so severe he went down on his knees, gasping for breath. He braced his hands on the earth, his fingers digging into the moss, fighting against the crushing blackness, the loss, the shredding of his innermost core—
    Help me. The desperate plea invaded his mind, a woman's voice filled with pain, anguish and betrayal.
    Kane's head snapped up, instantly alert. She was alive! His entire being vibrated with rightness at the sound of her voice. He lurched to his feet as her anguish shredded his mental shields and consumed him. I hear you. He sent out his reassurance, his iron strength, showing her the immense power he offered.
    There was no relief from her. Just another stab of pain that knifed all the way to Kane's gut. Hurry. Please hurry.
    Son of a bitch! Kane focused every fiber of his soul on her, and his entire existence honed in on those words, on her voice, on her spirit, on her very being.
    Then he located his target. He knew where she was. I'm coming.
    Kane didn't hesitate. He didn't pause to question the intensity of his response to her or ascertain what he was heading into. He didn't even take the time to grab his teammate and take Ryland with him. He just locked onto her location and dematerialized, using her desperation as his only guide as to where he needed to be.
    * * *
    Sarah felt her soul disintegrating into a thousand pieces as she clutched her hand over the wound in her side. Strewn around her on