The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  Elise lifted her eyebrows. “Well, I was trying to make you feel better, but now, you’re mumbling something about mercy killings. Where did I go wrong?”

  “Queen Hypatia said it’s a prophecy,” Rose continued, as if Elise hadn’t said anything. “Logan had precognitive abilities. Whatever’s in that prophecy—it must be the same thing that Logan saw in his vision. That’s what Kara’s hiding.”

  Elise just blinked at her. “Who is Logan?”

  “The guy who tried to kill me at the Village of the Undead,” Rose said dismissively, not even giving Elise time to process anything. “Isaac saved my life.”

  “Isaac? Saved you?!” Elise asked, her voice high with disbelief. “Someone tried to kill you?! At the Village of the Undead? When did all of this happen?!”

  “Something terrible is going to happen,” Rose said under her breath. She grabbed the leather-bound book on the bed and flipped through it, searching for a specific page. “It’s something that has to do with me. That’s what Kara is trying to protect me from.” She scanned the book. “I just need to figure out what it is.”

  Elise stared blankly, her blue-gray eyes wide. “Kara is going to kill me.”

  Rose read over a few lines, squinting at a word that looked awfully similar to the Greek word for destruction. Just a few lines down, she found a word that resembled the Greek word for storm. And then, of course, scattered throughout the whole paragraph, was the word Eklektos. Rose wished that she could read the words between, but she couldn’t. Her eyes widened. “I know who I need to ask.”

  Elise threw off the blanket. “That’s it,” she sighed, as she climbed out of bed. “I’m just going to go beg for mercy now, before Kara realizes I screwed up.”

  “No!” Rose hissed, suddenly on her feet. She grasped Elise’s arm, pulling her to a stop. When Elise looked back at her, frowning worriedly, Rose lowered her voice to a whisper, “You can’t tell her. I need to figure this out. Without her.”

  “She’s trying to protect you, Rose,” Elise said quietly. “You must realize that if she thinks you shouldn’t know, it’s probably dangerous for you to know.”

  “I don’t need her to protect me,” Rose told her. “I need to protect her.”

  Elise rolled her eyes. “You two are beautiful together, but oh là là, do you both love your trouble!” She sighed. “Fine. I promise not to tell Kara what you’re up to, if you promise that you won’t get yourself killed.” She lifted her eyebrows.

  “I promise,” Rose said easily, even though she had no way to know that.

  Elise’s smile deepened. “Just a piece of advice: make Kara apologize. She knows she’s bad. You know she’s bad—whether you want to admit it or not. She needs to apologize.” She leaned in close, her blue-gray eyes sparkling wickedly. “And Kara never does anything halfway. So, I’m sure her apology will be pleasant.”

  Rose didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that her face had just turned the darkest shade of red possible. “Uhh,” she stammered, “I…don’t think I…”

  Elise didn’t wait for Rose to finish that sentence—which was probably a good thing because Rose wouldn’t have finished it anytime soon. She just giggled and waved goodbye to her. “I’ll send your Viking back, so I can have mine back.”

  Rose waved absently, as her face continued to learn new shades of red.

  —

  “Umm, Kara?” Rose said, her face reddening—again. “Do you apologize to everyone the way you, umm, apologized to me that one time? Or…three times?”

  With an amused snort, Kara spun toward her. “No,” she said, her brows high. Her thin, pink lips lifted into a smile. “Why? Do you want me to apologize?”

  “Yes. I mean no!” Rose said quickly, her eyes wide. “That’s not…” When she felt Kara’s body brush against her, the previous embarrassed heat beneath her skin began to morph into a different kind of heat. “It seemed like…Elise knew?”

  “Don’t know how,” Kara murmured. She curled her fingers along Rose’s hipbones, tugging her closer. She pressed her lips against Rose’s neck, her mouth hot and wet against Rose’s skin. “I’ve only ever apologized to her with jewelry.”

  “Oh,” Rose said, blinking in surprise. “Ohhhh. That’s what she meant!”

  Kara chuckled, her breath caressing Rose’s neck. “Did you mention that to Elise?” She moved her lips to Rose’s ear. “The way I like to apologize to you?”

  Rose shuddered. It took a moment for what Kara said to burrow its way through the aroused haze in Rose’s mind, but when it did, Rose’s face reddened all over again. “Oh my word, no!” she giggled. “Thank goodness I didn’t ask her!”

  Kara laughed. She nipped at Rose’s neck with her fangs, causing Rose to jump in surprise. “I’ll steal jewelry for you, too, if you prefer it,” she murmured.

  “No, thanks,” Rose said, as she tried not to melt into a puddle of desire.

  Kara leaned back, pinning Rose with those beautifully intense, light blue eyes of hers. “Would you take flowers, then? New clothes? Soft pajamas? Books?”

  Rose was shaking her head until Kara got to books, and then, her eyes lit up—just a little. “Do you really think bribing me with gifts is going to work?”

  A mischievous smirk tugged at one corner of Kara’s lips. “No, but a few books and orgasms should soften you up a little. Maybe earn your forgiveness?”

  Rose rolled her eyes at that first part, but then, she fell serious. “Kara,” she sighed, “you don’t have to earn my forgiveness. I’ve already given it to you.”

  Kara straightened, her eyes widening. “You have? But why? I haven’t…”

  Rose leaned against the dresser, lifting her hand and brushing her fingers over the softness of Kara’s cheek. “How many times do I have to tell you?” she sighed. “I’m not Alana. Forgiveness isn’t a transaction to me. It’s just…a gift.”

  Kara stared at her, so many emotions passing over her face—shock, pain, relief, love. She tilted her face closer, her head touching Rose’s, her breath warm against Rose’s lips. “Oh, Rose, you don’t know how…” she trailed off, her voice thick and choked with emotion. Instead of finishing that sentence, she lifted her hands and curled them around Rose’s face, as she pressed her lips against Rose’s.

  Any resistance Rose had left melted away when Kara’s soft, warm mouth met her own. Rose slid her arms around Kara’s neck and leaned forward, kissing her deeply, tasting the sweetness of her mouth. She tasted the whiskey on Kara’s tongue—a subtle burn with a hint of blood—and Rose felt her own head spin at the taste. Rose wanted to stay lost in the kiss forever, but a quick jolt of adrenaline pulled her out of it. She lingered in the kiss a bit longer—and then, stepped back.

  “It’s nightfall,” Rose explained, when Kara frowned. “I need to go now.”

  “Oh?” Kara said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have to be somewhere?”

  “Yes,” Rose said, offering no other explanation, as she turned to leave.

  Kara gently grasped Rose’s arm, pulling her back toward her. “Where?”

  Rose turned toward her. “I’ll tell you—if you tell me where you were.”

  Kara lifted her eyebrows, impressed by Rose’s quickness. “Ah,” she said, smiling. She stepped closer, brushing her fingers beneath Rose’s chin. “As much as I hate that you’re doing it, I do love to watch you turn things around on people, like that. Even if that person is me.” She leaned in for a kiss. “So clever, so fierce.”

  Rose laughed, “You think flirting with me is going to make me give in?”

  “Maybe,” Kara said. Her lips brushed Rose’s. “Or perhaps, a kiss will.”

  Rose could already feel herself caving. Before she could lean into the kiss any more, she blurted out, “Zosime said she’d show me her garden, remember?”

  Kara’s breath caught in her throat, but she kept her face neutral. “Why?”

  Rose narrowed her eyes. “Because she’s the one you saw at the temple.”

 
; Kara laughed, giving Rose a puzzled look. “What makes you think that?”

  Rose stepped closer and reached up. She brushed her fingers along the front of Kara’s throat. “Because I sensed fear,” she said, as Kara shivered, “here.”

  Kara looked away, her chest constricting. She didn’t say anything as Rose turned to leave, as Rose rested her hand on the doorknob. But when Rose opened the door, Kara shot a hard, icy stare at Rose. “She isn’t going to tell you the truth.”

  Rose turned, frowning worriedly at her. “Why would you think that?”

  Kara shrugged—not even a little bit apologetic. “I threatened her.”

  Rose nodded, as if she’d expected that. “Well,” she sighed, “we’ll see.”

  Cold, paralyzing terror gripped Kara’s chest, but she didn’t let it show.

  Not until after Rose was gone.

  15

  The Black Rose

  When they reached the surface, Zosime led Rose through a narrow gap of rock, which opened onto a small beach. “Wow,” Rose said as she stared out at the night sea. Gorgeous, dark blue waters—that looked almost violet, actually—lapped at the rounded shore. Steep cliffs rose on every side of the cove, separating these deep blue waters from the rest of the sea. Rose could’ve stared at the sea all night, she thought, but Zosime turned and started walking up a steep path—that led somewhere above the cliffs. “I don’t remember seeing this when we arrived.”

  Zosime reached out, trailing her fingers along some high grass, as she led the way up the path. “You entered from another part of the island. This cove is a beautiful place to visit on foot, but it doesn’t make the best entrance for a ship.”

  “Right,” Rose said, as she tried to focus on her feet. The path grew more dangerous and narrow the longer they walked. “You come out here every night?”

  “Most nights,” Zosime said, pushing black curls out of her face, as the ocean breeze blew them forward. “I’m Princess Myrinne’s advisor. If she needs me, my duties to her come first. But Colina looks after my flowers for me, when that happens.” She smiled, as she glimpsed some roses a little ways above them. She spun around, walking backward up the dangerous slope. “I love serving as an advisor for my best friend, but my flowers need attention, even when I’m busy.”

  Rose watched the quirky vampire with wide, bright blue eyes—partially because she was worried that Zosime would fall off the cliff at any moment, but also because Zosime talked about flowers like most people talked about people.

  Zosime was a little…odd—the cute kind of odd—but odd, nonetheless.

  “When you see them, you’ll understand,” Zosime said. “They’re perfect.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Rose mumbled, a smile twitching at her lips. “I’m surprised no one ever messes with your garden. Are there no other people on the island?”

  “Oh, you mean humans?” Zosime said. “Well, at least half of the island is uninhabitable, and the humans that have lived here usually avoided this half of the island.” Amusement danced in her brown eyes. “They say monsters live here.”

  Rose laughed at that. “No kidding? I wonder who gave them that idea.”

  Zosime chuckled at her sarcasm. “Superstition is not always a bad thing.”

  Rose’s smile faded a little. “Until it leads to the Assassins of Light.”

  A sympathetic frown pulled at Zosime’s full, red lips. “I don’t know that I’d call what they feel superstition. Fear, self-righteousness, and hatred are better words, don’t you think?” She tilted her head, squinting at her, as if she were using her power, as she spoke. “Blind faith and blind fear often go hand-in-hand, after all.” She paused for a moment, giving that time to sink in. “Do you understand?”

  Rose nodded. “Both come from ignorance. If you trust without question, you’ll fear without reason. Both blind faith and blind fear are a refusal to learn.”

  Zosime’s dark red lips lifted into a wide, pleased smile. “Ah, you are good at riddles, aren’t you?” She did a graceful little spin and fell into step beside Rose. She swayed her wide, curvy hips, playfully bumping Rose’s—and…nearly sending her off the side of the cliff. “I might tell you another riddle later. One you’ll like.”

  Rose had no idea what Zosime had just said—because she was too busy trying to avoid splattering herself against the rocks below the cliffs. When she finally regained her balance, she shot a wide-eyed look at the oblivious vampire.

  “We’re almost there,” Zosime said. “My garden’s at the end of this path.”

  Rose frowned curiously. “So, if there are no humans on this half of the island, does that mean…the vampires in this kingdom don’t feed from humans?”

  “Honestly,” Zosime said, lifting her long robes, as she crossed a babbling brook, “most of them have probably never even thought about it. They know, of course, that other vampires feed from humans, but the ones who live here never needed to. They’ve always lived apart from humans—depending on each other.”

  Rose didn’t even worry about her own clothes, as she crossed the brook. The walk through the cave had already soaked her jeans, after all. “And that works for them? No one complains about blood bonds or not getting enough blood?”

  “There are complaints, yes,” Zosime confirmed, “but none that can’t be solved by a trusted leader.” Her lips curved into a sly, knowing smile. “Like you.”

  Rose straightened, her brows furrowing. “I’m the opposite of a leader.”

  “Is that what you think?” Zosime chuckled. “Oh, how wrong you are.”

  Rose frowned at that last part, but there were already too many questions bouncing around in her head to add another. “Could vampire colonies do that?”

  “As I said,” Zosime said, “with a trusted leader like yourself, they could.”

  A confused laugh escaped Rose’s lips. “And as I said, I’m not a leader. I don’t even have a colony. And what makes you think anyone trusts me, anyway?”

  Zosime smiled, lifting a dark eyebrow. “Name one person who doesn’t.”

  Rose’s frown deepened, as she thought about it. “I can’t think of anyone, off the top of my head,” she admitted reluctantly, “but I’m sure there’s someone.”

  “I don’t think so,” Zosime said. “You inspire faith, by your very nature.”

  Rose glanced at Zosime, her eyes narrowing. “And what nature is that?”

  “Kindness and compassion, of course,” Zosime said, her smile slow and impish. She reached out, stopping Rose dead in her tracks, just before Rose would have tripped over a moss-covered tree root. “What else could I have meant?”

  Between the near-accident that Zosime avoided with more nonchalance than Rose would’ve thought possible, and the four billion questions trying to bore their way out of Rose’s skull, Rose could barely keep up with the conversation.

  “This is it,” Zosime said, as they reached the top of the path. She turned to Rose, her smile radiant and proud. “They’re breathtaking, don’t you think?”

  “The…flowers?” Rose mumbled. She glanced out at the garden, and her eyes widened at the sheer number of flowers that stretched before them. She’d expected a few rose bushes, maybe a row of tulips—not a football stadium worth of flowers. “You…” she trailed off. “But you’re not even awake during the day.”

  “They’re a lot of work,” Zosime said with a smile, “but they deserve it.”

  Rose’s eyebrows lifted. “Your love for them is inspiring,” she said dryly.

  Zosime laughed at Rose’s sarcasm. “I must tend to them,” she said, tilting her head toward a stone bench, “but you’re welcome to sit and watch. Or ask me questions—since that’s what you came to do.” She smiled, as Rose winced guiltily.

  “I figured you knew,” Rose said with a sigh. “You know everything else.”

  “Don’t worry,” Zosime said. “I’m grateful for the company, regardless.”

  Rose glanced at her, a genuine smile curving at her lips. “Are you sure?
”

  “Of course,” Zosime called back, as she strolled toward the first row of flowers. “Any excuse to spend time with a friend—or future friend, I should say.”

  Rose couldn’t help but smile. “It’s a bit unfair, don’t you think? For you to already know that we’re friends in the future? I feel like I came unprepared.”

  Zosime knelt in front of a rose bush, examining the petals with a delicate finger. “You’re unprepared for a great many things, Rose Foster,” she murmured.

  Rose frowned at that. “On that note,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing, “I was hoping that you’d tell me about my future—since you already told Kara.”

  Zosime reached into a basket and pulled out a pair of scissors. Her brown eyes shifted briefly toward Rose. “How did you know it was me who told her?”

  Rose stared blankly at her. “Oh, you know, I just said, ‘Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. My mother told me to pick the very best clairvoyant vampire I know, and…oh, yeah, you’re the only one.’”

  Zosime laughed. “Was that a poem? If it was, it wasn’t a very good one.”

  “It was a nursery rhyme,” Rose told her, “with added sarcasm.” She lifted her eyebrows and muttered, “And a good deal of commitment to that sarcasm.”

  Zosime carefully clipped one of the vines with her scissors. “I’m afraid I’ve been given strict orders,” she said, as she moved to tend to another plant. “If I were to tell you your future, I’d be disobeying a direct order from the queen.”

  “The queen?” Rose said incredulously. “Why would you listen to that…”

  The many, carefully-chosen adjectives never spilled out of Rose’s mouth because, within an instant, Zosime crossed the garden, stopping just inches from Rose, and pressed her finger against Rose’s lips. She stared at Rose, her dark eyes wide. “You mustn’t speak ill of Princess Myrinne’s mother. Someone could hear.”

  “I’m pretty sure everyone knows how I feel about her,” Rose muttered.