The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  “The irony of an ancient vampire calling anything dated,” Rose muttered.

  Rose noticed Kara leaning over the railing of the ship, her arms hanging in front of her, as she watched the water. The breeze pushed back her dark, blue and black hair, and her skin looked paler than usual in the moonlight. Rose didn’t know if it was their blood bond—or maybe just her knowledge of Kara—but in that moment, something gave her the distinct impression that Kara was thinking about her years as a Viking—sailing seas, raiding villages, conquering kingdoms.

  “All I’m saying is,” Erik continued, “the newer ships have electricity.”

  Rose scowled. “Don’t you think we should be talking about the situation? Instead of our opinions of,” she paused, her brows furrowing, “a princess’s ship?”

  “You mean the situation, where you just blew up a ship, full of Assassins of Light, and killed a bunch of Assassins of Light with your mind?” Erik asked.

  Rose glanced out toward her left, at the redness in the distance. “I didn’t want to,” she said, pain burning in her blue eyes. “If there’d been another way…”

  “I know,” Erik said with a sympathetic frown. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Kara turned toward Rose. “You saved Elise’s life. If the battle had lasted any longer, she’d be dead. You might’ve saved our lives, as well.” A puzzled smile curved at her lips. “You’re the hero, Rose. Stop treating yourself like the villain.”

  Those words pricked a memory in her head: Alana’s soft, seductive voice, whispering to her, “You think you’re the hero, and I’m the villain. But I know the truth.” Each word seared a trail of fear in her heart, just as it had then. “You’re one tragedy away from becoming the worst villain this world has ever seen.”

  “Rose,” Kara said, her soft, lilting voice pulling Rose back to the present.

  Rose blinked, realizing that Kara had stepped closer, that they were just a few inches apart now—close enough that Rose could smell the scent of violets in Kara’s hair. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her voice hollow. “I was just thinking.”

  Kara’s brows furrowed, and her icy blue eyes shone with sympathy. She exchanged a knowing look with Erik. Rose followed her gaze, anxiety buzzing in her veins, as she realized that they must know, somehow, that they must recognize something in her, something they’d both experienced themselves—with Alana.

  Erik reached out and touched her arm, using his power to soothe her.

  “Her illusions leave scars, you know,” Kara said quietly. “Vivid memories that haunt you every night. More vivid than any real memory I’ve ever known.”

  Rose swallowed uneasily. “I’m fine,” she said hoarsely. “Don’t worry.”

  Kara reached out, her fingertips just barely brushing Rose’s cheek, before she dropped her hand. “You’ll tell me when you’re not?” she sighed. “I hope?”

  Rose nodded quickly—too quickly, actually—giving away her anxiety.

  Kara’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn’t argue. She turned to Erik, instead. “If you ever make her doubt herself like that again, I’ll stab you.”

  Erik’s eyes widened. “What? I didn’t do it!” he sputtered. “It was Alana.”

  A small smile twitched at the corners of Kara’s lips. She clearly enjoyed antagonizing Erik—and plenty of other people, for that matter. “Just a warning.”

  “Pretty sure that was a threat, not a warning,” Rose said, “but whatever.”

  “I was impressed by what she did,” Erik said. “That’s all I meant by that.”

  “Kara,” Rose said, hiding her smile, “maybe you should be nicer to Erik.”

  Kara scoffed at that, “Vikings never show mercy. Erik understands that.”

  “I thought I did,” Erik muttered under his breath, “until I met you.”

  Kara braced her elbows on the railing, leaning back against it, the blackish blue backdrop of ocean and sky behind her. The blue streaks in her hair shone in the moonlight, and her light blue gaze sparkled, as she smiled seductively at Rose.

  Rose blushed under that intensely heated gaze. “Umm,” she said, trying to remember her earlier train of thought. “So…princess. That’s weird, right?”

  Erik and Kara exchanged an unimpressed look. “Not really,” Kara said.

  “I’ve met quite a few princesses, actually,” Erik bragged.

  Kara snorted. “I’ve fucked quite a few princesses,” she countered.

  Rose stared blankly at Kara.

  “Don’t worry,” Kara said with a smile. “I won’t fuck this one.” Squinting thoughtfully, she added, “I’m 99.9 percent sure that Princess Uptight is straight.”

  “Oh, good,” Rose said sarcastically. “As long as that’s your only reason.”

  Kara winked at Rose, her lips tilting into that irresistibly seductive grin.

  Rose rolled her eyes, both amused and baffled by Kara’s ability to switch gears so quickly—switching from kind and gentle to dangerous and seductive in record time. “Not that it’s any of our business, but…what makes you so sure?”

  Kara flashed a smug smirk. “It’s not something I can teach overnight.”

  “Why 99.9?” Erik muttered. “What about the other tenth of a percent?”

  Kara gave him a dismissive shrug. “There’s always a tenth of a percent.”

  Rose smiled. “Is that your way of admitting you’re wrong sometimes?”

  Kara chuckled, “No. I’d never admit that.”

  Rose shook her head, unable to hide her smile. “Well, the princess thing definitely surprised me. I mean, what’s she a princess of? Where’s her kingdom?”

  Erik groaned. “Can’t we just be relieved, for a moment, that we survived a battle of impossible odds?” he grumbled. “Without your relentless questions?”

  “Sure,” Rose said, “if we weren’t on a ship full of people we don’t know.”

  “I’m with Rose on this,” Kara admitted. “I’d like to know how this many vampires managed to exist without Aaron’s knowledge. Or mine, for that matter.”

  “Doubting your spymaster brilliance, all of the sudden?” Erik teased.

  Kara gazed out at the sea, lost in thought. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  Rose stared at Kara, her chest tightening with sympathy, as she watched the confusion and doubt cloud Kara’s expression. “Your plan worked brilliantly.”

  “Until the last part,” Kara scoffed, “the only part that actually mattered.”

  “Isaac was an Assassin of Light,” Rose said. “He’s a good manipulator.”

  “So am I,” Kara said coldly. Her chest lifted and fell, her stomach tight, as she sucked in a deep breath. She turned toward them, her light blue gaze lifting to meet Rose’s. “Something tells me Princess Uptight is a good manipulator, too.”

  Rose nodded, taking that into consideration. “I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt,” she told Kara, “but even I have to admit: this is very odd.”

  Kara shifted her gaze toward Erik. “What are you sensing? From Elise?”

  Erik frowned thoughtfully. “Cold,” he mumbled. “Pain. In my arms.”

  “What kind of pain?” Rose asked. “Like a bite? Or a burn? Or a needle?”

  “I don’t know,” Erik said, his frown deepening. “My blood feels weird.”

  Rose squinted bewilderedly. “Your blood?”

  “Elise’s blood,” Kara said. She looked at Erik. “Any emotions?”

  “None,” Erik mumbled, his brows creasing. “Just physical sensations.”

  Kara relaxed against the rail, her shoulders falling. “Well, it doesn’t sound like she’s dying, at this moment, at least. She also might be partially conscious.”

  “That’s good, right?” Rose asked. “Maybe these people are helping her.”

  “Hopefully,” Kara said. “Either that, or we’ve walked into another trap.”

  “We had no choice,” Rose said. “Besides, Erastos told us to accept help.”


  “Erastos?” Erik said, spinning toward her. “You saw Erastos? Again?”

  “Back at the mansion,” Kara told him. “Before Isaac betrayed us. Why?”

  Erik shuddered, fumbling with the collar of his shirt, as if he were having trouble breathing. “I don’t know. That guy creeps me out,” he said, as Kara leaned forward curiously. “I can’t sense his emotions. That’s never happened before.”

  “Maybe he’s immune to it,” Rose suggested. She shrugged. “I’m immune to telepathic control. What if there are others who are immune to other things?”

  Erik shook his head, blowing out a long, hissing sigh. “It doesn’t work that way, I don’t think. You’re immune to telepathic control but not all telepathy.”

  “Not to mention,” Kara added, “you’re a relatively unique case.”

  Rose glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

  “Well,” Kara said, “a few weeks ago, I had my spies look into something for me—about others with telekinetic abilities. It turns out they weren’t immune.”

  “You mean the other vampires,” Rose assumed, “the ones Aaron killed.”

  “Yes,” Kara confirmed. “According to vampires that were connected to Alana, at the time, she could control them. It was much more difficult for her. It would often result in overuse, and she usually had to wait until they were asleep.”

  “The mind is at its weakest when you’re unconscious,” Rose mumbled.

  “But it seems,” Kara said, “even with strong will, they weren’t immune.”

  “Alana trapped me in illusions when I was unconscious,” Rose told her.

  “Still,” Kara said, “you seem to be more immune to it than they were.”

  “Did Aaron know?” Rose asked. “Is that why he killed them?”

  “I don’t think so,” Kara said, “but I couldn’t say for sure.”

  “He said it was just because they were a threat to his power,” Rose said, frowning, “but I suppose that would still be true, if Alana were controlling them.”

  Erik fidgeted anxiously with the button of his shirt, unbuttoning it, then buttoning it again. Whether his anxiety came from the conversation about Erastos or Alana, Rose didn’t know. That is, until he said, “Elise is awake. And nervous.”

  Kara’s light blue gaze darted toward him. “Is she in danger?”

  “No,” he said distractedly. “Just nervous, I think. And hungry.”

  Almost on cue, Colina—the blonde woman from earlier, who was clearly obsessed with bowing—peered around the corner. “Ah! There you are!” she said, scrambling forward. “Please, forgive me, my Eklektos! Princess Myrinne assured me you’d be in the same place you were earlier, so it took me a while to find you!”

  “Oh. Uhh…” Rose shot a pointed look in Kara’s direction.

  A guilty smile curved at the corners of Kara’s lips.

  Meanwhile—much to Rose’s dismay—Colina fell clumsily to her knees in front of Rose. Luckily, since she had her head bowed low, she didn’t see Rose’s horrified expression. “The priestess sent me to tell you that your friend is awake.”

  Rose took a step back, tilting her head bewilderedly, as she tried to figure out why the woman was bowing. “Uhh, how is she doing? Can we see her now?”

  “She’s hungry,” Colina said. She bowed her head again. “My Eklektos.”

  “Can she feed?” Kara asked. “Wouldn’t that just spread the poison?”

  Colina looked up, her brows furrowing. “No! Her blood’s been purified. There’s no more poison. Once she feeds from someone, she’ll be fully healed.”

  Rose clenched her fists at her sides, resisting the urge to grab Colina by the shoulders and make her stand up. “So, can we see her, then?” Rose repeated.

  “After she feeds, my Eklektos,” Colina said. “Is she bound to anyone?”

  “Me,” Erik spoke up, “at the moment. I’ll let her feed from me again.”

  Rose stepped back—closer to Kara. She leaned in, to whisper, “How do you politely tell someone that their weird obsession with bowing freaks you out?”

  Kara snorted, “I wouldn’t know, sexy. Politeness isn’t really my style.”

  Colina glanced at Rose, her brows furrowing, and then, she stood. “Yes. Then, follow me, please,” she told Erik. “You can see her privately—for feeding.”

  Kara stepped forward, her hand curling around Erik’s upper arm, jerking him to a stop. She held out her other hand. “Your phone. You won’t get it back.”

  Erik reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dropping it in her hand with no questions asked. “You’re the spymaster,” he muttered, without even looking Kara’s way. He followed Colina, disappearing, as they turned the corner.

  Kara turned toward Rose and held out her other hand. “Yours, too.”

  Rose glanced down at Kara’s hand, noticing how soft and pale it looked in the moonlight. Her bright blue gaze shifted up, meeting Kara’s. “Umm, why?”

  “I’ll explain afterward,” Kara assured her, “but we must do this quickly.”

  Rose reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, hesitantly placing it in Kara’s hand. She watched curiously, as Kara took each phone apart—with much more ease than Rose would’ve expected from a fourteen-hundred-year-old vampire—and then tossed each piece out into the ocean. Rose stepped forward, leaning over the railing, as she watched the pieces of her phone disappear beneath the dark, blue waves. She turned away from the sea, narrowing her eyes at Kara. “You’ll explain afterward?” Rose said. “When it’s too late for me to stop you?”

  “Yep,” Kara said, as she disassembled her own phones. She wasn’t quite as careless with her own phones—since they had so many of her secrets on them. She was careful to take every little piece apart, crush certain parts in her hand. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing. “I wiped it clean earlier, but just in case…” she trailed off, before crushing another part with just the strength of her fingers. She dropped what was left of her phones into the sea and turned to Rose.

  “What about my friends?” Rose asked worriedly. “And Kallias?”

  Kara brushed her fingers over Rose’s arm—a light, innocent touch that soothed the anxiety that buzzed beneath Rose’s skin. “Right now, the best thing you can do for your friends is not contact them. It’d only draw attention to them.”

  Rose nodded. She knew Kara was right, but…it didn’t make it any easier.

  The princess came around the corner, suddenly, glancing back and forth, from the sea to them. “I heard a splash,” she stated. “Did you drop something?”

  “Just someone I murdered,” Kara said—with an immaculate poker-face.

  “You’re not strong enough to kill any of my people,” the princess stated.

  Kara raised an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge?”

  “Don’t answer that,” Rose said quickly, her eyes wide. When the princess looked her way, she shrugged and said, “She was just getting rid of our phones.”

  “Phones?” the princess said, squinting, as if she were trying to remember that particular word of the English language. “I don’t think I was taught that one.”

  Rose blinked. “Like the things you use to call people? Or text message?”

  The tiara-wearing vampire looked more confused than ever.

  “It’s a communication device,” Kara told the strange vampire, her brows high. “The Assassins of Light can track them. You do know who they are, right?”

  “Yes,” the princess said. “The army that attacked you on the beach.”

  Kara watched the vampire, suspicion flashing in her light blue eyes.

  “Well, if they can track these communication devices,” the princess said, straightening her shoulders, “then, I agree with your decision to get rid of them.”

  Kara lifted her eyebrows at the vampire. “I didn’t ask for your approval.”

  Her pale blue eyes narrowed. “I need to speak with my priestesses about your friend. I’ll return soon,”
she said, her voice clipped. As she turned to leave, she added, “I’d tell you to stay here again, but you didn’t listen the last time.”

  Kara leaned against the rail, laughing, “So, she does have an attitude.”

  “Yeah, well,” Rose said with a laugh, “I don’t think she’s a fan of yours.”

  “Fine by me,” Kara said, grinning playfully. “The only fan I need is you.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “What is it with you Vikings and your egos?”

  “Pride is important to a warrior,” Kara said seriously. But then, her lips tilted into a cocky smile. “But in my case, my ego is one-hundred-percent right.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Rose said, her lips twitching into an amused smile. As the waves crashed a little rougher against the side of the ship, Rose’s thoughts shifted back to the phones. “So, does this mean you’re cut off from your spies?”

  Kara’s smile faded. “For now,” she said sadly.

  “I’m sorry,” Rose said with a sad shrug. “That must be hard for you.”

  Kara stared at Rose for a moment or two, her ice-blue eyes glistening in the moonlight. “They’ll wait for me,” she assured Rose. “Once this is all over, I’ll probably have some rebuilding to do, but I don’t mind that. I enjoy my work.”

  “I know,” Rose said sympathetically, “and you’re very good at it.”

  Kara grinned. “The best,” she corrected. She watched Rose laugh—the flush of her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes, the softness of her lips. They were both covered in sand, dirty from the battle, but Kara had never been bothered by that kind of thing. “We’re on our own. No spies. No colony. Just the four of us.”

  Rose nodded. “I overheard your conversation with Isaac. We’re at war?”

  “Aaron tried to warn me,” Kara sighed, “but I didn’t answer my phone.”

  “We should go back,” Rose said. “Maybe we can ask the princess to…”

  “Ask me to what?”

  Rose blinked in surprise. She’d heard her voice, even before the princess stepped into their line of sight. “Were you…spying on us?” Rose said nervously.

  The princess laughed. “No, my Eklektos,” she assured her. “I was simply returning to tell you that your friends are well. Then, I heard you speaking of me.”