"So, yes, we're going to Miles' house. His parents had to leave right after graduation, so we'l have the place to ourselves, not that we real y need to, but-"
"Now we can throw that rager we've always wanted to!" Luke cheered, and Kira heard the slap of a high-five, knowing it had to be Dave and Luke.
"Wait, you threw a party?" Kira turned to look at the three boys in the back seat, each with a goofy smile plastered on his face. She'd been hoping they would have some time just the five of them, not a crazy high school party.
"Not my idea," Emma threw an apologetic look in Kira's direction.
"C'mon. It'l be awesome. We'l be leaving with a bang," Luke said and landed his hand on Kira's shoulder. He shook her a little, trying, she assumed, to shake her into the idea.
"So, where's Tristan?" Emma asked, clearly trying to change the topic. Kira knew Emma was on her side. She could already envision the two of them chatting by the punch bowl, watching Luke and Dave try to convince Miles to talk to some girl, knowing that it would fail miserably. Kira hoped he would have better luck at Harvard; a fel ow nerd would real y love him, much more than the cheerleaders or Goths that Luke and Dave antagonized him to asking out.
"I didn't realize we were having a party, so I told him to go home for a while. He has some packing to do. You know he leaves for his backpacking trip around Europe tomorrow." Kira added the cover story her, Luke and Tristan had al decided on - Tristan was spending the summer in Europe, while, total y randomly, Kira got a job in a restaurant in Orlando and Luke was working at Disney World.
"Don't worry, I told him before we left. He's going to stop by." Kira turned around to look at Luke, shocked, and heard Dave mutter "Dude"
under his breath. "What, what? I'm a nice guy," Luke said and shrugged. Kira turned back around in her seat, stunned. It was no secret that Luke hated Tristan; it meant a lot to her that he made the gesture. Maybe, she thought rueful y, he was only being nice because he knew she would be with him and not Tristan for the next two months.
By the time Emma pul ed over outside of Miles' house, the party was already in ful swing. His house had been closed off, but his family owned an old plantation, so their backyard was gigantic. Kira knew his parents would freak out when they got home, because everyone had parked their cars on his yard and turned on their headlights. She couldn't imagine those tire tracks would go away very fast. And, it looked as though their entire class were here, dancing on the grass to music blaring from a ton of cars set to the same radio station. Plastic cups already spotted the ground and Kira saw that the footbal team had set up multiple kegs in the beds of their pick-up trucks. She almost felt strange as they approached the house she had visited so many times before.
"We barely know these people," she whispered to Emma. The two of them were arm in arm, a few feet behind the boys who were rushing to join the fun.
"I know, but it'l be fun! And now, we'l be the people who everyone remembers for throwing an awesome party after graduation," Emma grinned at the thought. Kira started to smile too; she could get on board with this. It would be far better to be known as a member of the party-throwing brigade than the weird coma girl. Yeah, the last few weeks of school had been fantastic with her friends and Tristan, but everyone gave her strange looks. No one in the school real y knew what happened that night except for her, Luke and Tristan. When Tristan had rushed Kira to the hospital, Luke stayed behind to clean up as much of the blood that spil ed on her yard as possible. The cops stil came to her house, and they found traces of human blood despite Luke's attempts, so they started investigating. There were rumors that Tristan beat her up and Luke had to stop him, or that Tristan and Luke tried to kil each other. The three of them tried to play it off as an animal attack, but it was stil the town gossip for weeks.
After a while it became old news, but, in high school, old news almost never disappears completely. Going out with a bang suddenly didn't seem half bad, and Kira let Emma lead her forward into party.
They both grabbed diet sodas and walked over to the boys, who were stationed on Miles' porch, looking out over the party to see who they could get him to dance with.
"I say Susie Harp," Luke pointed at the smal , pixie-like girl with brown hair, and Kira slapped his hand down when her and Emma got closer.
"Stop pointing," she chastised and rol ed her eyes. Maybe Miles wasn't the problem; Dave and Luke could easily be holding him back.
Luke ignored her and pointed at Susie again. "Come on, she's cute and this is the last night I get to watch you in action."
"No way man," Dave put his arm around Miles' shoulder, steering him in the opposite direction. "Amy MacDougal , she's the girl you should go for."
Al five of them looked over at Amy, who was currently dancing on the hood of a car while one of the basketbal players stood at the ready in case she fel over. Her dress had wet spots from where she spil ed her own drink al over herself, as Kira had witnessed five minutes before. They al looked back at Dave - he was clearly going for the 'she's drunk so she'l definitely dance with you' approach.
"David," Emma started, pul ing him away to reprimand him for basical y tel ing the group Miles' only hope was someone who had no control over her senses.
"So, I win. Susie it is," Luke said, pushing Miles forward. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say okay, shook his head to get in the zone, and then straightened his glasses before walking over.
"This is going to be good," Luke put his arm around Kira so they could watch together.
"Why, what do you know?" Kira asked, not liking the mischievous glint in Luke's eye.
"Nothing, nothing," Luke shushed her.
"Luke," Kira said harshly. He looked over at her, slightly deflated, as if Kira was total y ruining his fun.
"Okay, so I might have already told Susie that Miles had a crush on her, and she might have already told me she would love to get to know him better, if you know what I mean." He wiggled his eyebrows and they watch as Miles led Susie to the pseudo dance floor that the circle of cars created. He shot both of them a not so discrete thumbs up and Kira silently prayed he didn't screw it up.
"You're quite the matchmaker," she laughed.
"I do what I can," Luke said and looked over at her. Their faces were close together, and Kira could almost feel his pulse quicken. Not for the first time, she thought maybe she was reading his mind, because Kira knew, before Luke even made a move, where his thoughts were going. She broke his gaze, pul ing away, and Luke released his hold on her arm to step a few feet backwards. When she heard his shuffling feet pause, Kira turned her eyes back around to face him, and eased her body back to rest against the railing. The smal space between them might as wel have been miles.
"So, what about you?" She asked, trying to break the tension. "Amy's up for grabs, you can always try for one last high school hurrah before we leave tomorrow." Luke grinned at the joke; trying to ignore the fact that Kira had very clearly just blown him off. She wondered what would happen when they went to Sonnyvil e. He hadn't been overtly obvious about his feelings for her, and sometimes Kira thought she was making it up in her head, but at moments like this, when she caught a glimpse of his smal tendrils of longing, Kira wondered what real y went on behind his goofy exterior.
"So, are you excited for tomorrow?" He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wal opposite her. Under the porch lights, Kira thought his bleach blond hair seemed to glow, and she realized she'd be the only person for the next few weeks who didn't have almost white locks.
"It's strange, to think about being surrounded by conduits. I'm excited, but it's a little nerve-wracking too," she said, honestly.
"Everyone wil love you, don't worry. My little brother can't wait. I think he thinks you are shiny new toy for him to play with." Kira smiled, already picturing a miniature version of Luke running around with a wide smile on his face, fascinated by everything around him. Luke's family would be interesting to final y meet. Kira wondered what his sister and parent's would think, had he
told them about Tristan? "And," Luke continued talking, recognizing that Kira stil needed reassurance, "the council real y isn't that bad. Everything is going to be great, you'l see."
"I hope so," she said and glanced back out at the party. Miles and Susie were stil dancing, getting friendlier and friendlier Kira thought, and Dave and Emma had disappeared. So much for the five of them hanging out. Everywhere she looked, she saw her classmates, but they seemed more like strangers to her now than ever before. She wasn't sad to be leaving this town, just the few amazing friends she had made there.
Kira looked back at Luke, ready to ask more questions about their travel arrangements for tomorrow, when she saw him focus on something beyond her shoulder. The muscles in his face tensed, his usual laugh lines disappeared, and Kira saw his whole body stiffen. It could only mean one thing.
"Loverboy is here," he said and Kira turned to see Tristan weaving his way through the crowd. Like a shadow sneaking between the rays of the headlights, he molded into the dark. Every part of him was hidden except for his pearly skin. Kira tried to smother the smile threatening to spread across her face, and turned back to Luke to silently let him know she wouldn't abandon him to spend time with her boyfriend.
"I'l leave you two alone," Luke said, pushing against the wal to straighten his body and prepare to walk away.
"Luke, stay. I want to hang out with both of you." He shrugged, as if to say that's not possible, and started to leave. Kira heard the porch steps creak behind her, knowing it was Tristan, and spun around.
"We need to talk," Tristan said, his voice ful of concern. Luke stopped walking and looked back, alert.
"What's going on?" He asked. Kira could tel he had transitioned to business mode and had let the personal drama go for the moment.
"Privately. Can we get inside?"
Luke nodded and walked over to the door. Reaching above the doorframe, he pul ed out a spare key Miles must have told him about and opened the locked door.
Tristan grabbed Kira's hand, entwining their fingers, and quickly kissed the top of her head before fol owing Luke inside.
Luke shut the door behind them. The kitchen was eerily dark and the soundproof glass dul ed the strains of music coming from the party.
Heavy shadows crept around the lines of light peeking through the windows making the three of them seem very alone. Kira shivered with a sense of foreboding and dropped Tristan's hand to lift herself onto the granite countertop. She knew she would need a seat to hear the news Tristan clearly felt was urgent.
"What's going on, Tristan?" She asked.
With traces of sadness lining his clear blue eyes, Tristan looked at her and responded, "You and Luke need to leave now. Immediately. I brought Luke's car and packed your stuff." He ended quietly, as if not wanting to believe the truth in his words. Kira reached out to grab his arm, pul ing him closer. There was something else, something he didn't want to tel her. In the corner of her eye, Kira could see Luke pacing around the kitchen, thinking.
"They're here, aren't they?" Luke stopped walking and faced Tristan, who just nodded.
"What?" Kira asked, feeling left out before realizing Tristan of course meant vampires. "Wait? They're here? As in Charleston or the backyard?"
Tristan ran his free hand through his hair and turned to Luke in ful protection mode. Kira had seen this act before, and she didn't like it. "The pack of vampires I sent away last time, they're back. We have five, maybe ten minutes before they reach the party and tear this place apart. You both need to leave now."
"But, what about everyone else?" Kira jumped from the countertop, not al owing them to ignore her. She couldn't leave these people to fend for themselves.
"We need to do something," Luke said, walking closer to the two of them in order to figure out a plan. Tristan nodded in agreement. "Okay, Kira and I wil just have to face them. We're powerful enough to bring down a few vampires, this wil al be fine."
"No, that's way to risky," Tristan said, looking Kira in the eye. "You have to leave. You and Luke get in the car and start driving. I'm going to lure the vampires away, pretend I'm with them and that I saw you leave. Hopeful y, I can lead them in the wrong direction for a while so you and Luke have a chance to escape."
"Oh, and your plan is total y foolproof," Kira smarmily replied. "I'd rather fight them. It's what, eight or nine vampires? Luke and I can handle it.
You can't do this on your own, Tristan." She reached her palm up to cup his face, letting her finger brush against his hair. She wouldn't let him do this alone.
"No, Kira," Luke spoke forceful y. "Tristan's right. He needs to do this. It's the best way to make sure you don't get caught."
Kira turned to Luke, angry. "It's not like you wouldn't gladly watch him die." She hissed, then looked away, instantly sorry for the remark. Luke was better than that - she knew he was better than that.
"This isn't about that, okay?" Luke replied softly, while staring at the ground to try and hide his involuntary wince. "Everyone at this party is at risk right now, and you being here only amplifies that. Tristan's plan is the best way to keep everyone safe. So, let's go." He grabbed her hand and started pul ing her from the kitchen, towards the front door of the house.
"Wait, Luke. Wait!" She tugged against his hold and stopped walking to glance back at Tristan. Drenched in shadow, he stood in the kitchen alone, turned slightly away from her and Luke as though he knew this was goodbye but couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Meet me at the car," Luke said and dropped Kira's hand to leave the two of them alone. He disappeared out the door, and before Kira could blink, Tristan was by her side. His hands gently cupped her face while he stared into her fire-laced eyes.
"It's going to be alright," he said, urging her to believe him. Kira tried to quel her racing heart and believe his words, but even if it was alright tonight, neither one of them knew what the future would hold in these next two months apart. He would be chasing down Diana, and though Kira knew he could take care of himself, even vampires could die.
Kira rested her forehead against his, enjoying the brush of his cool breath on her cheek in this one moment of peace.
"I love you," she whispered.
He leaned in to kiss her and Kira pul ed him closer, not wanting to let go and lose the touch of his soft lips on hers. Tristan lifted her off the ground, hugging her close to his body, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Everything felt perfect at least for an instant, before Kira felt his body stiffen. He broke their kiss, pul ed her in even tighter for a final huge and then set her back down, stil holding her.
Kira stared into his sapphire eyes, reading the sadness tinted longing in his irises, and knew the vampires were here. Tristan let her go and stared, moving his eyes so he could take in every inch of her face. She ran her hand through his hair, pushing the ebony locks off of his forehead one last time, breathing in the moment.
In the time it took for Kira to blink away a tear, Tristan had vanished, leaving just a memory, and she was left alone holding only air.
###
About the Author:
Kaitlyn Davis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars. She's been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to final y share her work with the world. She currently lives in New York City and dreams of having a cockapoo puppy of her own.
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Blog:http://kaitlyndavisbooks.blogspot.com/
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Epilogue
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Epilogue
Ignite (Midnight Fire Series Book One) Page 21