Darkness Reborn (Order of the Blade #5)

by Rowe, Stephanie

  He became the man he truly was, the one who had killed his own child.

  The moment he did, power exploded through Kane, streaking violently through him, tearing apart his soul. He felt all the bonds holding him shatter, and he knew he had returned to life, truly and completely.

  He was who he was destined to be.

  Los Muerte had returned.

  Kane fixated on his connection with his sheva, and he allowed his predator mode to go into full force, and then he went after her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sarah was falling, failing, dying. There was nothing left inside her. She’d failed again. She’d chosen wrong again. And her brother had killed her in cold blood. There was nothing left—

  A burst of power exploded in her body, ripping her from her emotional spiral as Kane materialized and tore her from Luc’s grasp.

  Sarah gasped as her body turned to flesh again, as the smoke fled from her cells. Kane tossed her to the ground, barely noticing her as he launched himself at Luc. Sarah rolled onto her side, her body shaking violently, her muscles drained and weak as she lifted her head to look.

  What she saw made her blood run cold.

  Kane’s skin was black, stretched across his bones like dried snakeskin strung up to bake in a hot desert sun. His muscles were like metal coils beneath his skin. And long, deadly claws protruded from the ends of his hands as he slashed at Luc. The two men circled each other, claws out. Kane wasn’t even using his flail. He was hunched over like an animal, reverted to the same state as the monsters that had haunted her for so long.

  His eyes were glowing red, but there was grim awareness in them, an embrace of the violence toiling through him. Not rogue. Pure evil. Los Muerte. There was no doubt. Not anymore.

  Sharp pain sliced through her belly, and Sarah gripped her stomach. She tugged her shirt up to look at the damage, expecting to see a gaping hole like there had been after Mason. To her shock, her skin was intact, but the puncture wounds were deep and jagged. Had Jacob missed the baby or not? Tears filled her eyes, and she began to shake, barely aware of the violent confrontation between Kane and Luc.

  She knew Kane was lost to her, their connection severed. He hadn’t even noticed her lying there, and he hadn’t tried to come to her aid. Los Muerte was fighting for dominance, to take his place, and the Kane she knew was gone forever.

  Despair filled her, but she fought to keep it at bay. If there was any chance her baby had survived Jacob’s attack, she had to find a way to survive. But even as she rolled to her side and tried to crawl away, she felt the devastating weakness of her body. Her body shook as she collapsed on the earth, and she realized that she was dying.

  Her last hopes had died. Killed by Jacob. Killed by the sight of the man she loved becoming consumed by the evil that had taken so many from her.

  “Dammit.” Sarah dug her fingers into the dirt, struggling to drag herself a few inches. She had to get away from Kane before he noticed her. Before he finished what he’d been brought here to do—

  A howl of triumph tore through the night, and Sarah saw Kane plunge his claws into Luc’s heart and rip it from his body. He held it over his head in triumph, Luc’s black blood pouring down his arm. Sarah went cold, horrified by the image of the monster Kane had become. “Dear God,” she whispered. How on earth would anyone stop him?

  Beside him, Luc fell to the earth, clutching his chest. But as he fell, Sarah saw a smile flood his features, a smile of triumph and relief. It made him look like a man, a human being. As his eyes closed, he whispered, “I’m coming, Elizabeth, my love. I’m finally coming.” There was such pure serenity in his voice that Sarah felt her own soul respond.

  And then his soul left, and his body vanished, leaving Los Muerte behind, basking in his victory.

  Sarah tried to crawl away as Kane lowered his trophy. He scanned the clearing and then his gaze came to rest on her. There was no recognition in his eyes, simply violence and death. Sarah froze, afraid to move, terrified of triggering him into action.

  For a long moment, neither of them moved. Her mouth parched and dry, Sarah dug her fingers into the dirt. Kane. Are you in there?

  No response from him. No connection.

  Then he dropped the spoils of his kill and began to circle her, his red eyes glowing like the demons of the night. Dear God. There was nothing left of Kane. Nothing at all. Adrenaline rushed through Sarah, the instinct to survive fighting to give her strength.

  Did she have enough light to kill him? Could she make herself do it? And then what? Would Ryland find her? Would he drag her back to the village and find a way to uncover the fountain? And would the water be able to bring her back after she’d used her powers against Kane? There was nothing left inside her. She could feel the emptiness, the utter betrayal.

  “Kill her, Los Muerte. Kill her now.”

  Kane spun around, his movements quick and jerky like a creature possessed, as a massive black horse stepped out of the woods. On his back was a rider, his face obscured by a black hood, his body draped in a long cape as black as his horse’s coat. The horse pranced restlessly, his huge iron-shod feet making no sound on the packed earth.

  The rider leaned forward, his heavily muscled body moving easily with his mount’s restless dance. “The baby she carries,” the rider said, his voice haunting and eerie, “will replace you if it lives, Kane. It will take your spot. It will dethrone you. You must kill it before it can destroy you.”

  Kane whirled around to face Sarah, and her stomach dropped at the expression of raw hatred on his face. His gaze went to her belly, and his claws lengthened.

  “Oh, shit.” Sarah’s heart began to pound and real terror shot through her. “Kane. It’s me.” Her voice was shaky and terrified, and she saw Kane’s body shift into attack mode, seeing her as prey. “Kane! I’m Sarah. Your mate. You aren’t this creature! You’re the man who has nightmares about killing his child! You’re stronger than this!”

  Kane let out a hiss and hunched over. His claws were out, his body primed for the attack.

  “Yes, Los Muerte,” the man encouraged. “Destroy her. Destroy the child. Do it now.”

  Agony filled her as she watched Kane move into a crouch. Every line of his body was taut, his eyes utterly devoid of humanity. This was the monster who had killed his own family. She knew it. Kane! But she knew he couldn’t hear her. He was so far away from the man—

  Dammit, no! The man had to still be in there. Los Muerte had owned his soul before, but once the talismans had held it at bay, the real Kane Santiago had emerged, with his beautiful amazing heart and courage. He had to still be in there, just like before. She just had to get it out of him. “Kane,” she shouted, pulling herself to her knees. “You dumb ass! You are madly in love with me, and you will never forgive yourself if you kill me!”

  The rider laughed as Kane readied himself to attack. “He’s nothing but scum! There’s no valor in these Order members,” he shouted. “There’s no honor! You’ll see what he’s made of. You’ll see why they all need to be destroyed!”

  “No, he’s not! He is honorable!” Fury raged through Sarah at the man’s insults. “Kane is the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met,” she shouted. “I wouldn’t love him if he wasn’t!” As the words left her mouth, she realized that she did love him. Truly, deeply with all the power in her very soul. Kane had given her life and hope again, because he really was the man she wanted him to be.

  She met his gaze as he stared at her with those glowing red eyes. “You love me, you stupid man. Why can’t you see that?” But even as she said it, she saw the marks on his arms, the brands, and she thought of the ones on her arms. One more stage to complete the bond. Would the sheva connection be strong enough to break through the hold that demon had on Kane? Or would it end like it had with Mason? As an Order member, sealing the bond would doom them forever, but if Kane was truly Los Muerte and born of this village, then the bond wouldn’t destroy them in that way. Which was he? Was he Kane, an honor
able Order member? Or was he the monster brought from hell to kill her?

  As she stared at the man she loved, the father of her baby, she knew that she’d never loved Mason like she loved Kane. Mason had been her childhood friend. Kane was power, desire, passion and tenderness. Kane was her savior, and she would be his.

  She met his gaze, and saw only monster in them. No Kane. No humanity. But she knew it was in there. It was. And she knew that Kane was strong enough to find it. She also knew she was the only one who could help him. He loved her, truly loved her, and that was going to save both of them.

  Click. Click. Click.

  Her only warning before his attack. “I love you, Kane!” she shouted as she called out his weapon. Kane launched himself at her, claws out, as his flail appeared in her hand. She positioned it over her heart and she drove it deep into her own body, into the one place that held onto hope and faith, the one spot where she could be killed.

  As she fell to the ground, gasping in pain, she felt the final lines of the brand burn on her arms, sealing their bond forever as she completed the death stage by giving her life to save him as the man she’d given her heart to descended upon her to kill her. Triumph exploded through her, and she knew that she’d sealed their connection forever.

  Nothing was stronger than the sheva bond, at least not the one that she and Kane shared.

  It was done. The rest was up to him.

  And like she’d done seven years ago, she didn’t call out her white light to attack her soul mate. She simply let him come.

  *

  Pain tore through Kane as he careened through the air, and he screamed from the sudden physical agony. Golden light flooded his mind, tearing through the darkness blinding him. The darkness screamed its protest, digging its fingers into his soul as the battle raged inside him. But in the darkness, he sensed something warm. Something light. Something soft. Something calling to him with kindness and love, and he flung his soul toward it, catapulting through the darkness toward the light that was flickering so far away. Sarah! He gasped, suddenly recognizing it. Sarah!

  Her entire soul flooded him, all her hope and her love, as well as her pain and her loss. Her emotions filled the void that had been baking inside him for so long. They stripped away the darkness and the pain, they eviscerated the grip of evil, and her spirit settled inside him with such rightness, such peace and such beauty that everything simply fell away. The bond was complete. She was his. He was hers. Locked together for all eternity, and eradicating all the darkness trying to consume him.

  He was free, and she had saved him. Their love had saved him—

  “Sarah!” He suddenly became aware of her body beneath his, and he was jolted back into reality as he realized that his claws were plunging straight toward her belly. “No!” With a roar of fury, he stopped himself just before he hurt her, throwing himself off her and slamming into the ground beside her, the impact so violent that the earth shook from the hit.

  Kane shoved himself back up and spun back toward Sarah, horror striking him when he saw her holding her hand to her bleeding belly, her deathly-white skin fragmented with a thousand hairline fractures, his flail embedded in her chest. “Dear God,” he gasped as he recalled his flail, jerking it out of her body. “Sarah? Can you hear me?”

  She didn’t move.

  Sarah! He gathered her into his arms, pulling her against him, sending all his strength into their connection. I’m so sorry—

  Kane? Her voice was so faint in his mind, but Sweet Jesus, she was alive.

  Sarah. He framed her face, his heart hammering in terror. Come back to me. But even as he connected them and reached into her mind, he saw only darkness. There was no light. No white light. It was gone. Her soul was dying.

  Fuck that. He knew how to save her now, and he was going to do it. This woman was his, and he wasn’t letting her go. Kane pressed his forehead against hers and opened his mind to hers. You want a story of hope and faith, Sarah? You want me to tell you about something I love? This time, I have an answer for you. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her cold forehead. I love you, Sarah. You are the oxygen that I breathe. You are the beat of my heart. You are the spirit that keeps my soul alive.

  As he spoke, Kane let her feel the true depth of his emotions, the pure, beautiful love that he’d never known how to feel. It now resonated through him with a force so strong he knew it could never be silenced. Something flickered inside Sarah, a faint white spark trying to come back to life, and his throat tightened, knowing that she was coming back for him. I was empty for five hundred years, because the talismans kept the real me at bay. When they vanished, the demon came back, but it was too late. You’d already showed me what love was, and you believed in me.

  Kane thought about how she’d let him attack her, how she’d lay there defenseless as he’d leapt on her, because she had believed that he had the strength to call upon his love for her and break through the grip that the evil had on him. He pressed his cheek to hers as tears burned in his eyes, unable to express how much her faith in him meant. You believed in me, Sarah. You believed in me even when I didn’t, and your faith pulled me out of it. It broke the spell that had bound me for so long. You have shown me what hope and faith really are, and I will love you every second of every day from now until eternity. I love you, my sweet angel, and even if you have to keep the rest of the team in line, you’ll always be mine. Always.

  And our baby? Her voice was weak, but there, alive, filling him with the most incredible sensation of hope and love.

  Kane immediately transferred his attention to the life she was carrying inside her, calling upon the blood bond he had with his own child. He felt a pulse of warmth from her, and he knew the baby was okay. Of course it was. It had the immortality of a demon, an angel and an Order member. Jesus, Sarah. Our baby. He had no words to express the sudden surge of love that overwhelmed him, and he felt Sarah’s answering warmth.

  Do you feel that, Kane? We’re both thinking about our child, and there’s no fear from either one of us. We’re not afraid of being parents anymore. Her joy leapt through him, and he hugged her tightly, knowing that she was more than his guardian angel.

  She was his life.

  *

  Warwick snarled in disgust as he watched Los Muerte bring the angel back to life. “Son of a bitch!” Beneath him, Deathbringer stomped restlessly, his powerful body chafing at having to stand still for so long. For a moment, Warwick contemplated trying to destroy Sarah with magic, but even as he had the thought, he heard the almost-silent approach of the rest of the Order as they charged after Kane.

  Swearing, he reined in Deathbringer, taking the stallion back into the shadows as the rest of the warriors emerged from the woods. His lip curled in disgust as he watched them surround Santiago and the angel.

  He knew them all. Ryland Samuels, the bastard who was on the edge. Gideon Roarke. Elijah Ross. Quinn Masters. Men who had found their shevas and got to keep them, because the Order hadn’t slain them the way they’d killed Warwick’s. He narrowed his eyes, bile spewing through him as he watched the undeserving bastards celebrate the victory.

  “Enjoy it while you can,” he snapped quietly as he stroked his mount’s neck. “You may have protected one of your guardian angels, but there are two more in the trinity of guardian angels that protect you, and you won’t save them.”

  He knew that because he already had both of them, along with Thano Savakis. Warwick had wanted Sarah to die first, because he’d wanted to bask in the downfall of the Order. He wanted to enjoy every minute as the Order lost hope and spiraled into the emotional hell of despair and loss. Yes, Sarah had survived and was now under their protection, but it wasn’t close to being over. Warwick would make sure the Order suffered plenty before he wiped them out. And when the other two elements of the Order’s guardian angel trinity fell, then Sarah would go too.

  It would all work, and then—

  A younger warrior emerged from the woods to join th
e Order, one Warwick didn’t know. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the youth stride up to the team. There were dozens of brands on his arms, and he was carrying five different weapons. The youth paused as he passed the heart that Kane had torn from Luc, and he looked down at it.

  After a moment, he crouched beside it, studying it with great interest. Warwick carefully opened his mind to the youth, and he felt a surge of violence in the younger warrior, a lack of connection to the rest of the team. Warwick smiled, knowing that he had just found what he was looking for: the warrior that would join him in his quest, the one who would help him give birth to the new Order, once this one was destroyed. What is your name?

  The youth looked up, searching the woods, but Warwick knew the boy would never find him.

  Who are you? The youth’s response was sharp and aggressive, not giving away anything.

  What is your name? Warwick repeated the question.

  The boy stood up quickly, and gestured to Quinn, who immediately broke away from the others. “What’s up, Drew?”

  Drew. Now he had a name.

  “There’s someone in these woods,” Drew said. “A Calydon. An old one. Older than my dad.”

  Quinn swore and looked right at Warwick, and Warwick realized the warrior had somehow located him. Within a split second, the rest of the Order was on the run, sprinting through the woods directly at Warwick.

  Not that they would ever catch him. He was so much more than that. So much more than them. With a burst of laughter loud enough for the entire team to hear, Warwick whirled his mount around and raced into the woods, leaving them behind.

  Leaving them wondering what was still to come.

  *

  Sarah stood on the front steps of her grandmother’s house, hugging herself as she watched the sun set in Akara for the first time in her life. Tears tightened her throat as she watched the sky fill with oranges and reds, so beautiful, but at the same time, she felt so empty.