The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

A small laugh escaped Talulah’s lips, but she quickly fell serious again. “I still don’t approve,” she told a very surprised Kara. “I’ve just had a lot of whiskey.”

  “We should introduce you to some blood-wine,” Kara said with a smile.

  “What is blood-wine?” Talulah asked, but she didn’t wait for an answer. She watched the other vampires distractedly, sighing, as she noticed more of them arguing. “I should go break this up,” she sighed. She turned to Rose, briefly, and offered her an understanding smile. “You should speak with Hidiza. She’s voting for peace, like you and I. It helps to remember that not everyone is against you.”

  Rose felt a surprised smile spread across her face, as she watched Talulah head toward the other side of the room. She glanced at Kara. “That conversation seemed more pleasant than usual,” she commented. “Maybe she’s forgiven you.”

  Kara tilted her head back and laughed, as if that were the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. “Sorry, sexy, but no. She’s just sick of the rest of them.”

  “Oh,” Rose said with a disappointed frown. She peered at the other side of the room, where Erik stood, with a gorgeous, petite woman, whose head barely reached Erik’s bicep. Glossy, black hair flowed around her shoulders—as dark as the tight, black dress she wore. She held a wine glass in one hand, as she touched Erik’s arm with the other, her bronzed fingers brushing over his shirt. She laughed at something he said. “Well,” Rose sighed, “at least someone is making friends.”

  Kara followed her gaze and laughed, “Is that what you think he’s doing?”

  Rose glanced at Kara, her brows furrowing. “They seem friendly to me.”

  “It’s called flirting,” Kara said. “You do know what flirting is, don’t you?”

  “I should,” Rose muttered under her breath. “I’m dating you, aren’t I?”

  Kara laughed at the teasing. “Yes, but I go out of my way to be over-the-top. I wouldn’t want anyone to mistake my intentions as friendly, now would I?”

  “Funny,” Rose said sarcastically—but still, a smile twitched at her lips.

  “That’s Constanza,” Kara told Rose. “She and Erik slept together, once, back when Erik lived in Spain for a few decades.” Her smile faded. “I only know because Alana was jealous—and absolutely pissed that Aaron wouldn’t let her kill Constanza. It would’ve been an act of war, since Constanza is a leader of another colony. So, of course Aaron said no. Being reasonable wasn’t really Alana’s style.”

  “What? You mean starting a war over something that happened fourteen hundred years ago isn’t reasonable?” Rose said dryly. “I would’ve never guessed.”

  Kara laughed. She set her empty glass on a decorative table and wrapped her fingers around Rose’s arm. “Come on, sexy,” she murmured in Rose’s ear, as she led Rose out of the comfortably empty corner. “It’s time to meet the others.”

  “No,” Rose whined, as she begrudgingly walked alongside Kara. “I don’t like meeting people.” She cast one last, wistful glance at their people-free corner.

  “Don’t worry,” Kara whispered in her ear. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

  “See? That was flirting,” Rose said proudly. “I know what flirting is.”

  Kara chuckled—the sound warm and soft in Rose’s ear. She pulled Rose to a stop, as they came up behind a thin woman with smooth, dark skin and short, black hair. “Hidiza,” Kara said, when the woman turned around, “how are you?”

  “Good, Kara Unnarsdóttir,” she said, using Kara’s name just as Kara had used hers. Her voice dipped with a smooth, strong accent—each word gentle and low. Her lips curved into a deep smile. “It’s been centuries since I saw you last.”

  “It has,” Kara agreed. She tilted her head toward Rose. “Talulah thought you’d want to meet Rose. From what we hear, you’re voting for peace, as well.”

  “Yes,” Hidiza told Kara. Her deep, brown eyes studied Rose. “And you?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Rose sputtered. “I’m, you know, not a fan of…genocide?”

  Hidiza let out a warm laugh. “You sound so nervous! Are you nervous?”

  “Usually,” Rose mumbled. She shot a desperate look in Kara’s direction.

  A look that, of course, Kara understood. She smiled and instantly pulled the attention away from Rose—as if that sort of thing were easy to control. “Your colony survived an attack, didn’t it?” she asked Hidiza. “About two months ago?”

  “We lost a few,” Hidiza said with a sigh, “but yes, most of ours survived.”

  “Impressive,” Kara admitted. “You must have a good defense strategy.”

  “Good structure, too,” Hidiza said. “A weaker structure might’ve fallen.”

  Rose tucked her hands into her pockets. “Which colony do you lead?”

  Hidiza’s brown eyes shifted toward Rose. “The largest one in Africa.”

  “Since the size of your colony determines the size of your army, it’s better to have larger colonies than smaller ones,” Kara explained to Rose. “So, it’s typical to have one colony per continent. The only exceptions are places where they have more vampires than a colony can hold. That’s why we have several in Europe.”

  “Similar reason for Africa,” Hidiza agreed. “We’d draw a lot of attention, if we all lived in one place. So, we founded multiple colonies to spread out a bit.”

  Rose nodded. “What about North America? Do we not have as many?”

  “There are a lot of younger vampires in America,” Kara said. “Loneliness is more unbearable for older vampires. Baby vampires are a bit wild and nomadic, still.” She smiled, as if she found that intriguing. “They’ll prefer colonies later.”

  “It’s probably about time for another colony in North America, though,” Hidiza said. “And who better to start it than someone who knows the culture?”

  Rose nodded distractedly—until she noticed that they were both looking at her. “Wait. Me?!” she squeaked. When Hidiza nodded, Rose’s face twisted with disbelief. “No! No, no, no, no,” she said, her words rapid and rushed. She shook her head as quickly as she spoke. “I’m not the kind of person who leads colonies.”

  Hidiza frowned. “But you’re a Commander of Power. It’s what we do.”

  “What you do,” Rose corrected, “and you do it well. I wouldn’t. I would suck at it.” She laughed nervously. “If we survive this war, I’m just going to hide away in a library and read. And maybe let Kara coerce me into going on a date.”

  A pleased smile spread across Kara’s face.

  “I said maybe!” Rose reminded her.

  “You’d waste your power?” Hidiza asked. “That’s disappointing.”

  “I tend to be that, yeah,” Rose said, nodding. She sighed, when the leader continued to stare her down. “No one would want me leading a colony, okay?”

  “Or maybe you just think they won’t,” Hidiza said. “You haven’t tried.”

  “No,” Rose said. “That’s because, up until about a year ago, I was mostly just trying to get a degree and maybe afford something other than Ramen noodles.” She flashed her sassiest smile. “So, no, I hadn’t gotten around to starting a colony yet.” She paused, before adding, “For a species that I didn’t even know existed.”

  Hidiza was silent for so long that Rose started to wonder if her sarcasm had offended her. But then, finally, the vampire said, “What are Ramen noodles?”

  Rose laughed. “Human food,” she said dismissively. “Blood’s better.”

  “Of course,” Hidiza laughed. She tilted her head a little—a gesture that seemed somewhere between a nod and a bow. “I think it’s about time to start the vote, but it was nice to meet you. I look forward to visiting your colony one day.”

  “But I’m not…starting a colony,” Rose tried to say—but Hidiza walked away before she could. She turned to Kara, instead. “I’m not starting a colony.”

  Kara held up her hands in a show of surrender. “Whatever you say, sexy.”

  —
>
  A few minutes later, Talulah announced that it was time for them to vote.

  The scent of violets and leather filled Rose’s head, as Kara leaned in close and murmured in Rose’s ear, “I have to go stand with Aaron now.” When Rose glanced at her, Kara rocked back on her heels, shoving her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “I have to be loyal or…whatever,” Kara said, rolling her eyes.

  Rose laughed at the way Kara said loyal—as if it were some crazy notion that didn’t make any sense to her. “Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll see you…afterward.”

  Kara lifted her eyebrows and pulled one of her hands out of her pocket. She curled her fingers beneath Rose’s chin, lifting her face, until Rose’s gaze met hers. “Hey,” she said, her eyes shining with pride. “Don’t worry. You’ll do great.”

  Rose couldn’t help but smile back at her, and for a moment, as she gazed into those gorgeous, light blue eyes, she believed it. Then, Kara dropped her hand and turned to leave, and Rose’s mind returned to its usual, anxious pace. “Sure,” Rose said sarcastically. “I won’t worry. There’s only an apocalypse riding on this.”

  Kara laughed, glancing back at Rose with an amused grin, as she headed toward the other side of the room. Rose watched as Kara took her place—next to Aaron—smiling back, as Kara offered her one last smile from across the room.

  Someone playfully bumped her shoulder, and Rose knew, without even looking, that it was Erik. “Are you ready to accidentally end the world with one of your ill-timed sarcastic remarks?” Erik asked—in a much too cheerful voice.

  Rose lifted her eyebrows at him. “Thanks. That’s very reassuring.”

  “Just doing my part,” Erik said with a smug grin, “as your second.”

  Rose sighed, watching Aaron and Kara, who were clearly in the midst of a deeply serious conversation—probably discussing vampire rituals or diplomatic strategies or something else that Rose knew nothing about. She tapped her fingers anxiously against her thighs, feeling more inadequate and out-of-place than ever.

  Erik must’ve sensed her anxiety because his hand suddenly curled around her shoulder. Her anxiety eased, as he manipulated her emotions. “You know I’m just messing with you, right?” he said quietly. “Sarcasm or not—you’re a natural.”

  Rose frowned. “That’s what Kara says, too, but I don’t feel like a natural.”

  “You don’t have to feel like a natural,” Erik told her. “As a matter of fact, maybe the fact that you don’t feel like a natural is what makes you so good at it. You’re not overconfident. You’re not power-hungry. You speak when you have something to say. You lead when people need you to lead.” He shrugged. “What we’re meant to do is sometimes the hardest thing to do, but it’s worth it, isn’t it?”

  “If I can save people,” Rose said reluctantly, “then, yes. It’ll be worth it.”

  “I get that you’re afraid of your power,” Erik said, “and your voice. And pretty much everything that makes you who you are. But without all of that, you couldn’t have saved all of the lives you’ve saved. I’d be dead, if it weren’t for you.”

  Rose glanced at him, surprised by his sudden sincerity. “Thanks, Erik.”

  Erik smiled and shrugged. “Listen, Norse warriors don’t swear fealty to just anyone. I knew, when Kara offered to swear an oath of fealty to you, that she must’ve seen something in you,” he admitted, “and now, I can see it, too.”

  Rose swallowed, suddenly at a loss for words. “You knew she meant it?”

  “Of course,” Erik said. “You’re the only one who thought it was a joke.”

  “Uh, well,” Rose said awkwardly, “in my defense, it was kind of weird.”

  Erik snorted, “I’ll give you that.” He glanced at Kara. “She might choose strange ways to show her emotions, but when she does, she means it.” He turned to Rose. “Kara doesn’t just want you to believe in yourself because she loves you. She wants you to believe in yourself because she knows that you can do this.”

  Rose stared at him, stunned by the sincerity in his bright green eyes. “I’m really grateful to have you as a friend,” she told him. “You know that, right?”

  Erik grinned. “Of course. I’m the best friend anyone could ask for.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “This is why we can’t have sentimental moments.”

  The first attempt at voting went about as well as you’d expect—if…what you expected was a full-blown yelling match. From what Rose could tell, the guy advocating for genocide was accusing the ones against it of having no compassion.

  So, you know, a typical day in politics.

  “How dare you forget the ones we’ve lost,” Benedict said. Anger flashed in his wide, gray eyes. “How dare you side with the people who murdered them?”

  The dark-haired man he’d been arguing with crossed his arms. “We aren’t taking their side,” he sighed. Constanza—the leader Erik had flirted with earlier—stood beside him, nodding. “We just think wiping out an entire species is wrong.”

  Erik leaned toward Rose. “That’s Marcos. He’s Constanza’s second.”

  “They didn’t try to negotiate with us,” Benedict said. “They didn’t discuss peace with us. They just attacked us. Without warning. In the middle of the day.”

  “We know,” Marcos said. “They attacked us, too. We counterattacked.”

  “That wasn’t enough,” Benedict said. “They’re still killing our people.”

  “Which is why we should negotiate peace,” Constanza said. “Both sides have lost so many people already.” She sighed, “We’ve lived through enough wars to know how these things go. I don’t want to wait until everything is twisted and distorted to start thinking about peace. We should end it before anyone else dies.”

  “You don’t want?” Benedict said. “Vampires died, and you don’t want to fight for them?” His lip curled in disgust. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Oh, for goodness sakes,” Rose said—much louder than she’d intended.

  His narrowed, gray eyes shifted toward her. “What is it, baby vampire?”

  Rose stared at him for a moment, her eyebrows high. Since becoming a vampire, she’d heard that term used with varying levels of condescension, but this vampire somehow outdid them all. He’d said it as if he were placating her—as if she were a toddler about to throw a tantrum—when, in reality, he’d been the one yelling. He’d been the one being dramatic to get his way. She flashed a sassy smile. “The fake outrage is just…nauseating. You didn’t think we’d fall for that, did you?”

  In an instant, his placating expression turned to one of rage. He stepped toward her, a growl resounding from his throat. “How dare you accuse me of…”

  “Of what?” Rose interrupted. “Using a tragedy to justify cruelty? Because that’s what you were doing. It’s sick and manipulative, and no one’s fooled by it.”

  Rose braced herself to use her power—if she needed to—as the enraged vampire took another step toward her, but someone suddenly stepped in front of her. Rose recognized that tall, curvy form easily, along with those gorgeous, black braids of hers. It was Talulah. Talulah had stepped between them, shielding Rose.

  “You should calm down, and I say that for your sake—not for hers,” she warned Benedict. “Rose is a Commander of Power for a reason. She’s powerful.”

  Benedict bristled, clearly offended. “I’m not scared of a baby vampire.”

  “Are you scared of an ancient Viking warrior? Because,” Talulah paused, laughing, “Kara Unnarsdóttir is staring at you like she wants to skin you alive.”

  Rose glanced across the room. Kara was indeed glaring at Benedict, and that look in her icy blue eyes—well, it was chilling. It wasn’t anger that Rose saw in her eyes. It was something colder—something more sinister. A hint of a smile played at the edges of her lips—a cruel amusement of some sort. Talulah’s guess was probably pretty close to the truth, Rose realized. Though, Kara’s tight grasp on her battle-axe suggested she mig
ht’ve been considering something…messier.

  Rose did believe that Kara had some good in her, but…well, she also had the tendency to be very bad. At this point, Rose was a little concerned for Benedict.

  Only a little, though.

  He was advocating for genocide, after all.

  Benedict glanced nervously at Kara, but then, scoffed, “Her rank is lower than mine.” He shrugged dismissively. “She can’t attack me. It’s against the rules.”

  Rose winced. “You just had to mention the rules, didn’t you?” she sighed.

  “The baby vampire called me a liar,” Benedict said. “Am I just supposed to be okay with that?” His gray eyes narrowed. “I don’t like being disrespected.”

  “No one does, idiot,” Rose said—earning another growl from him. “Yet, you call me baby vampire—instead of Rose, which, you know, is plenty easy to say.”

  Talulah held up her hand to stop him, before he could launch himself at Rose. “Rose is a Commander of Power, just as you are. She has the right to voice her opinions, just as you do.” Her dark eyes narrowed. “And since you mentioned the rules, I should remind you: insulting someone isn’t against them. Violence is.”

  “I assumed we weren’t enforcing that rule anymore,” Benedict said with a bitter smile. “Aaron ripped someone’s ear off, and nothing happened to him.”

  Rose scrunched up her face at the morbid thought. “Like the whole ear?”

  Kara, on the other hand, didn’t even question it. She just glanced around the room until she found the vampire with a missing ear. “Oh,” she said, smiling, as she noticed the healed skin, where Hector’s ear should’ve been, “I see it now.”

  Hector narrowed his eyes at Kara, obviously not as amused as she was.

  Aaron let out a low, bitter laugh. “I don’t have to follow the rules. I made them,” he snarled. “Besides, who’s powerful enough to enforce the rules on me?”

  Several vampires, including Talulah, directed meaningful looks at Rose.

  Rose straightened, blinking in shock. “Why is everyone looking at me?”

  Aaron glanced around the room, anger slowly twisting at his face. When his gaze reached Kara, he found her not watching Rose—but him—with a smile.