with the Order smoothly, but there was also something ominous lurking beneath the surface that had them all on alert, watching him carefully. Was it the residual contamination from the battle they'd had with one of the founders of their race, or was it something more ominous?
Beside Drew stood Vaughn, the kid's protector, a deadly fighter with a heritage he refused to reveal. It was a daunting crew, and Kane grinned. Good luck to the playboys from Hollywood. Everything was about to change.
Quinn's swords were out, his body tense with readiness for battle. His dark hair was spiked and short, and his brown eyes were blazing. "Ryland filled us in," Quinn said. "Anything else you can add before they show up?"
"They won't be weakened by all the teleporting I just did," Kane said, shifting Sarah in his arms to tuck her more securely against his chest, preparing against her brother showing up and trying to snatch her again. "They'll have been taking turns teleporting the rest of the team, so they'll all be fresh. The leader is the one who can track Sarah. He has to be stopped."
"No," Sarah protested, lightly hitting her fist against Kane's chest. "Don't kill him. Jacob has to live."
Quinn met Kane's gaze, and the two men exchanged silent agreement. There would be no way to hold her brother since he could teleport. They didn't have a lot of options.
Kane. Sarah touched his face, and he looked down, grimacing when he saw how vulnerable she looked. Her lips were almost blue from lack of circulation, and there were so many cracks on her skin it looked like a puff of wind would fragment her. I will die if he dies.
Kane felt the truth of her words, and he swore. It was one thing to do his best to honor the fact she loved her brother and didn't want him to die. That was admirable, as Ryland had said, but it wasn't going to stop him from doing what he had to do to save her life. If, however, killing her brother meant she would die... "Shit, Quinn, we have to keep him alive—"
There was a shift in the air pressure and Jacob flashed beside Kane. He started to dissolve with Sarah, and her skin flashed white as she knocked him on his ass. Kane struck instantly, cracking his flail against the side of the younger warrior's head, trying to knock him out without actually killing him. The Calydon stumbled, and then regained his balance. His eyes burned with red fire, and Kane knew the kid had decided to engage instead of just stealing his sister.
Excellent. That was exactly what he wanted. A fight. If the kid was fighting, he wasn't going to be trying to disappear with Sarah, and it gave Kane more options to deal with him.
The night filled with the crack of Calydon weapons exploding. Hell descended upon them as Calydons appeared out of thin air, attacking the Order with such intensity that four Order members were down within a second. They were back on their feet instantly, but the mere fact the newcomers had gotten the jump on them said much about the quality of their opponent.
"Hot damn," Thano shouted, a shit-eating grin on his face. "This is going to be fun!" He let out a Tarzan battle cry and then charged into the fray, swinging his halberd like a crazy man.
"Take her out of here, Kane," Quinn shouted as he cut down one of their assailants. "We've got them."
"Not yet." Sarah was shaking violently in his arms, her life force so weak that she wasn't even holding onto him anymore, but Kane couldn't leave until Jacob had been shut down, or the kid would follow them.
Jacob leapt to his feet and charged them. Kane swung his flail at the same time Ryland hurled his machete. Their weapons sandwiched Jacob's head with a sickening crack, and the young warrior fell to the ground and didn't get up.
Kane and Ryland exchanged grim glances. There was only a slim chance at best that the kid could recover from that. They'd crushed his skull. Mission accomplished to keep Sarah safe, but to keep her brother alive?
Shit.
A roar of fury arose from
Beside Drew stood Vaughn, the kid's protector, a deadly fighter with a heritage he refused to reveal. It was a daunting crew, and Kane grinned. Good luck to the playboys from Hollywood. Everything was about to change.
Quinn's swords were out, his body tense with readiness for battle. His dark hair was spiked and short, and his brown eyes were blazing. "Ryland filled us in," Quinn said. "Anything else you can add before they show up?"
"They won't be weakened by all the teleporting I just did," Kane said, shifting Sarah in his arms to tuck her more securely against his chest, preparing against her brother showing up and trying to snatch her again. "They'll have been taking turns teleporting the rest of the team, so they'll all be fresh. The leader is the one who can track Sarah. He has to be stopped."
"No," Sarah protested, lightly hitting her fist against Kane's chest. "Don't kill him. Jacob has to live."
Quinn met Kane's gaze, and the two men exchanged silent agreement. There would be no way to hold her brother since he could teleport. They didn't have a lot of options.
Kane. Sarah touched his face, and he looked down, grimacing when he saw how vulnerable she looked. Her lips were almost blue from lack of circulation, and there were so many cracks on her skin it looked like a puff of wind would fragment her. I will die if he dies.
Kane felt the truth of her words, and he swore. It was one thing to do his best to honor the fact she loved her brother and didn't want him to die. That was admirable, as Ryland had said, but it wasn't going to stop him from doing what he had to do to save her life. If, however, killing her brother meant she would die... "Shit, Quinn, we have to keep him alive—"
There was a shift in the air pressure and Jacob flashed beside Kane. He started to dissolve with Sarah, and her skin flashed white as she knocked him on his ass. Kane struck instantly, cracking his flail against the side of the younger warrior's head, trying to knock him out without actually killing him. The Calydon stumbled, and then regained his balance. His eyes burned with red fire, and Kane knew the kid had decided to engage instead of just stealing his sister.
Excellent. That was exactly what he wanted. A fight. If the kid was fighting, he wasn't going to be trying to disappear with Sarah, and it gave Kane more options to deal with him.
The night filled with the crack of Calydon weapons exploding. Hell descended upon them as Calydons appeared out of thin air, attacking the Order with such intensity that four Order members were down within a second. They were back on their feet instantly, but the mere fact the newcomers had gotten the jump on them said much about the quality of their opponent.
"Hot damn," Thano shouted, a shit-eating grin on his face. "This is going to be fun!" He let out a Tarzan battle cry and then charged into the fray, swinging his halberd like a crazy man.
"Take her out of here, Kane," Quinn shouted as he cut down one of their assailants. "We've got them."
"Not yet." Sarah was shaking violently in his arms, her life force so weak that she wasn't even holding onto him anymore, but Kane couldn't leave until Jacob had been shut down, or the kid would follow them.
Jacob leapt to his feet and charged them. Kane swung his flail at the same time Ryland hurled his machete. Their weapons sandwiched Jacob's head with a sickening crack, and the young warrior fell to the ground and didn't get up.
Kane and Ryland exchanged grim glances. There was only a slim chance at best that the kid could recover from that. They'd crushed his skull. Mission accomplished to keep Sarah safe, but to keep her brother alive?
Shit.
A roar of fury arose from
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