flashed beside them, grabbed her and then began to dematerialize again, snatching her right out of Kane's arms. Her skin lit up in self-defense before she could even think about it, the white light bursting over the clearing in a blinding attack. Jacob swore and dropped her, but before she'd even hit the ground, another one of Jacob's teammates grabbed her and started to disappear. She took him out, and then another, and another and another. So fast, milliseconds between each grab and attack. She had no time to regroup, no time to heal, just more death, more pain, more—
"Come on!" Kane flashed beside her, yanked her out of another male's arms and dematerialized.
She didn't even know where he took her. Didn't even know where they landed. The agony was too intense from the aftermath of using her powers to harm and the weight of her brother's betrayal. It all had hit her too soon, when she was barely recovered from the last time. The cost ate away at her, ripping through her humanity, eviscerating the very part of her that gave her life. The pain in her head was crushing her like a vise, her skin fragmenting, her blood boiling over, burning through her veins, poisoning her body.
"Hang on, Sarah," Kane ordered. "Don't die on me, sweetheart."
Even through her pain, Sarah almost laughed at his command. The man had so much to learn about angels and women if he really thought that order was going to work. Then her body began to convulse, and she forgot about everything but trying to stay alive.
* * *
Kane swore as Sarah's body spasmed in his arms. With her brother tracking them so closely, he had no time to stop and help her. He had to keep them moving until he could get far enough ahead to stop. "Don't let go of me," he shouted at Ryland. "We need to keep going."
Ryland's face was grim, and his fingers dug into his arm as Kane flashed them to another spot. They'd barely materialized when he teleported them again. And then again. And again. A dozen times, in a myriad of directions, until his senses were screaming from overload and strain.
He didn't dare wait or delay, knowing he needed to create a tangled web long enough to give them breathing room. Again and again he took the three of them, his body bowed under the strain. He felt Sarah weaken in his arms, drained by the effort of dematerializing and then rebuilding.
Kane finally stopped by a stream, a hundred miles from where he'd begun, a place in southern Oregon he knew well from years of training as an Order member. The woods belonged to Quinn Masters, one of the most deadly Order members alive, and it was his acreage that they used to train. In these woods, they were on Order turf, even if the rest of the team wasn't actually present.
Kane gently lowered Sarah to the damp earth, and Ryland dropped beside him, his head bowed as he fought for breath.
"Damn," Ryland gasped, his hands braced on the ground. "You should hire yourself out for kids' parties. You'd make millions. That was impressive, Santiago. I had no idea you could do that."
"I'm a talented guy. What can I say?" Kane set Sarah down and scooped water out of the pure stream, ignoring the trembling of his own muscles. He'd never attempted anything like he'd just done, and quite frankly, he was damned pleased he'd managed to do it without leaving body parts strewn all over Oregon. "Drink, Sarah." He propped her up and eased water into her mouth, relieved when he saw her swallow. Sarah. Concentrate on me. Just hang in there a little longer.
He felt a flicker of a response from her, but no words. Shit. She was too far gone. Urgency thrummed through him. He had to get her alone, get the space and time to heal her. "Here's the plan," he said as Ryland shoveled the cold water over his own head. "I'll drop you at the mansion, and you alert the team. I'll give you ten minutes to assemble them, and then I'll come back there and stay. Our pursuers will land at the mansion and keep going if I'm not there, so let them
"Come on!" Kane flashed beside her, yanked her out of another male's arms and dematerialized.
She didn't even know where he took her. Didn't even know where they landed. The agony was too intense from the aftermath of using her powers to harm and the weight of her brother's betrayal. It all had hit her too soon, when she was barely recovered from the last time. The cost ate away at her, ripping through her humanity, eviscerating the very part of her that gave her life. The pain in her head was crushing her like a vise, her skin fragmenting, her blood boiling over, burning through her veins, poisoning her body.
"Hang on, Sarah," Kane ordered. "Don't die on me, sweetheart."
Even through her pain, Sarah almost laughed at his command. The man had so much to learn about angels and women if he really thought that order was going to work. Then her body began to convulse, and she forgot about everything but trying to stay alive.
* * *
Kane swore as Sarah's body spasmed in his arms. With her brother tracking them so closely, he had no time to stop and help her. He had to keep them moving until he could get far enough ahead to stop. "Don't let go of me," he shouted at Ryland. "We need to keep going."
Ryland's face was grim, and his fingers dug into his arm as Kane flashed them to another spot. They'd barely materialized when he teleported them again. And then again. And again. A dozen times, in a myriad of directions, until his senses were screaming from overload and strain.
He didn't dare wait or delay, knowing he needed to create a tangled web long enough to give them breathing room. Again and again he took the three of them, his body bowed under the strain. He felt Sarah weaken in his arms, drained by the effort of dematerializing and then rebuilding.
Kane finally stopped by a stream, a hundred miles from where he'd begun, a place in southern Oregon he knew well from years of training as an Order member. The woods belonged to Quinn Masters, one of the most deadly Order members alive, and it was his acreage that they used to train. In these woods, they were on Order turf, even if the rest of the team wasn't actually present.
Kane gently lowered Sarah to the damp earth, and Ryland dropped beside him, his head bowed as he fought for breath.
"Damn," Ryland gasped, his hands braced on the ground. "You should hire yourself out for kids' parties. You'd make millions. That was impressive, Santiago. I had no idea you could do that."
"I'm a talented guy. What can I say?" Kane set Sarah down and scooped water out of the pure stream, ignoring the trembling of his own muscles. He'd never attempted anything like he'd just done, and quite frankly, he was damned pleased he'd managed to do it without leaving body parts strewn all over Oregon. "Drink, Sarah." He propped her up and eased water into her mouth, relieved when he saw her swallow. Sarah. Concentrate on me. Just hang in there a little longer.
He felt a flicker of a response from her, but no words. Shit. She was too far gone. Urgency thrummed through him. He had to get her alone, get the space and time to heal her. "Here's the plan," he said as Ryland shoveled the cold water over his own head. "I'll drop you at the mansion, and you alert the team. I'll give you ten minutes to assemble them, and then I'll come back there and stay. Our pursuers will land at the mansion and keep going if I'm not there, so let them
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