The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  The beginning of the end.

  “Your girlfriend’s beautiful,” Layla told Kara. “She’s also kind of weird.”

  The corners of Kara’s lips twitched upward. “I know. It’s hot, isn’t it?”

  Layla rolled her eyes. “Good luck on…giving everyone the bad news.”

  “Sorry I was so awkward!” Rose called out, as the woman walked away.

  Kara chuckled, as she turned toward Rose. “Did you see the look on her face when she found out I was in an actual relationship? She couldn’t believe it.”

  Rose laughed, “You’re happy about that disastrous conversation?”

  “Of course I am,” Kara said with a grin. “You know I love showing off.”

  Rose shook her head, unable to hide her amused smile. “You’re terrible.”

  Kara stepped closer. “And what does that make you? For indulging me?”

  “Also terrible,” Rose said with a laugh. She reached up, brushing a strand of blue hair out of Kara’s face. “Princess Myrinne was warning me about you.”

  “Was she?” Kara murmured, her smile wicked, “What about, this time?”

  Rose lifted an eyebrow. “She says you have a thing for powerful women.”

  Kara leaned back on her heels, sweeping her gaze down Rose’s body with a deliberate, sensual slowness. Her eyes darkened, and her smile turned predatory, fangs gleaming in her mouth. “Who doesn’t have a thing for powerful women?”

  Rose swallowed, her skin burning beneath Kara’s searing gaze. She stared at those sharp fangs in Kara’s mouth, thinking about all of the times they’d been in her neck. “She thinks you’re using me, but I told her I’m not powerful enough.”

  “Did you?” Kara laughed in surprise. Her gaze drifted downward again, lingering on Rose’s neck—where her carotid artery pulsed enticingly. She brushed her finger along Rose’s hip, as she circled around her. “Oh, Rose,” she murmured, her lips against Rose’s ear, “you are absolutely powerful enough for me to…use.”

  Rose shivered at their closeness—the sensation of Kara’s mouth on her ear, the warmth of Kara’s body against her back. “Oh? How would you use me?”

  Kara pressed her face into Rose’s hair, suppressing a laugh. Her fingers continued to brush along Rose’s hip—a tantalizing, ghost of a touch. “I’m getting the impression,” Kara teased, “that you’re not fully aware of what you’re asking.”

  Rose glared—even though Kara was behind her and wouldn’t see it. Her own senses were already overwhelmed by the scent of violets and leather, by the rapid pulse of Kara’s heart. It didn’t help that she could sense Kara’s hunger, too, and in that moment, Kara’s hunger was…ravenous. “I know what I’m asking.”

  “Do you?” Kara murmured. Her hand slipped beneath the hem of Rose’s hoodie and shirt, finally making contact with Rose’s skin, and she stepped closer, the long, lean length of her body pressing against Rose’s back. She brushed Rose’s wavy, red hair aside, baring Rose’s neck and ear. She pressed her mouth to Rose’s ear. “I could use you for Aaron or against him. With you, I could even usurp him.”

  Rose shivered, as Kara’s mouth closed around her ear. The stark contrast of tongue and fangs—of soft then sharp—disoriented Rose. “Why would you?”

  “Doesn’t matter why,” Kara hissed, biting Rose’s ear, “only that I can.”

  Rose’s eyes fluttered closed, as a shockwave of desire shot through her.

  Kara swallowed the small drop of Rose’s blood on her tongue, moaning at the taste. “Maybe I’d just drain you of blood,” she added, “for the thrill of it.”

  Rose shuddered at the thought. She leaned back against Kara—too dizzy with arousal to hold herself upright—but Kara held her easily. Kara’s fangs grazed Rose’s neck, causing Rose to shiver. “You’re hungry,” Rose whispered. “I feel it.”

  “Famished,” Kara said. She nipped at the sensitive skin of Rose’s neck, holding tightly to Rose’s hips, when Rose jumped in surprise. “No panic attacks?”

  Rose opened her eyes, suddenly—blinking in shock, as she realized that she’d completely forgotten about the crowd. “No, I… I think I’m fine, actually.”

  Kara smiled at that. “Good,” she said. She stepped back—and instantly missed the warmth of Rose’s body against hers. She circled around Rose, grinning at the sight of Rose’s flushed cheeks. “I need to finish my job, but I’ll come back as soon as you start feeling uneasy. Promise you won’t try to hide it from me?”

  Rose winced a little at the request. “I’d rather not inconvenience you.”

  Kara stepped closer. “Promise you won’t hide it,” she repeated. “Please.”

  “Saying please is cheating,” Rose grumbled, like she always did. Her eyes narrowed, when Kara flashed a triumphant smirk. “You’ll sense it. I promise.”

  Kara leaned in and pressed a kiss against Rose’s forehead. “Thank you,” she murmured. But before she left, she brushed her fingertips along Rose’s neck. Without even looking at Rose, she called back, “I’ll be back for a taste later, too.”

  Rose blinked in shock, her entire body suddenly enflamed with desire.

  To her dismay, Erik’s bright green gaze suddenly shifted her way. He left Elise and Constanza, who were having their own conversation, and ventured over to where Rose stood—alone, now. “What’s up with your emotions?” he laughed.

  “Go away, Erik,” Rose complained, her face warm with embarrassment.

  Erik sipped from a bottle of blood-spiked whiskey. “I didn’t realize end-of-the-world parties were such a turn-on for you,” he taunted, behind the bottle.

  “Erik,” Rose said slowly. “I will melt your insides, if you do not shut up.”

  Erik lowered the bottle, choking on that last drink of whiskey. “Damn.”

  He coughed a little harder, when someone slapped his back. Erik turned, watching as a large, dark-skinned, muscular vampire emerged from behind him.

  The vampire offered him a familiar, friendly smile. “Need more blood?”

  Erik followed his gaze to the bottle. “Well…now that you mention it…”

  The vampire pulled a blood bag from his pocket and held it out to him.

  Erik took it with a baffled smile. “You just carry those around with you?”

  Rose spun around, as soon as she heard that familiar, low voice. “Tom?”

  He offered her an even wider smile than he’d offered Erik. “If it ain’t the hero herself,” he said with that thick, Southern accent of his. He threw a muscled arm around her shoulder, hugging her from the side. “Already talked to your girl.”

  Rose hugged him back—or she tried, anyway. He was like twice her size.

  “Kara says we’re getting attacked,” Tom said. “So, I volunteered my skills in getting everyone a hell of a lot drunker.” He looked at Erik. “Hence the blood.”

  “Good thinking,” Erik said, his voice muffled, as he ripped the bag with his fangs. He poured the blood into the half-empty whiskey bottle. “And thanks.”

  “No problem,” Tom replied. He glanced down at Rose. “How’s Owen?”

  Rose’s chest tightened with anxiety. “I wish I knew,” she admitted. “It’s been so many months since we got rid of our phones. I haven’t talked to anyone.”

  “Wouldn’t have mattered, anyway,” Tom told her. “A while back, some of us went down to the closest city to try to call out. Our cell phones didn’t work.”

  “Yeah,” Rose said with a regretful frown. “Kara stole a phone—to try to get in touch with her spies. She had the same problem. I guess the human armies wanted to limit our communication. Cell towers are down. The internet’s down.”

  “Risky move, don’t you think?” Tom said. “Humans are more dependent on technology than we are. I can’t imagine they were too happy to part with it.”

  “Well, they would’ve kept the military’s communication channels open,” Rose said. “I’m sure the only thing they shut down was the public’s access to it.”
/>
  “Exactly,” Tom said, lifting a dark eyebrow. “That’s a whole lot of people to upset, don’t you think? Bet the public wasn’t too happy about the restrictions.”

  Rose nodded. “I doubt they’re happy about much right now,” she agreed. “Martial law isn’t fun.” Her eyes widened, as she connected the dots in her mind. She threw both arms around Tom’s neck. “Holy crap! I can use that! Thank you!”

  Tom patted her on the back. “No problem. Glad I helped. Somehow?”

  When Rose sprinted off—to God-knows-where—Tom glanced at Erik.

  “I don’t know, man,” Erik muttered, drinking his whiskey. “She’s weird.”

  —

  “I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Talulah said, after she’d listened to Rose’s idea. “I just don’t think it’ll matter. I doubt peace will be an option, after tonight.”

  Rose sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Because of what I said?”

  “No,” Talulah assured her. “If anything, you made more people consider peace than ever before. But after this attack, when vampires no longer have a safe place to go—because humans have destroyed every home we have—do you really think anyone’s going to sympathize with them? I’d hoped that if we voted before the attack, the leaders would honor the vote, still, but we would’ve lost, anyway.”

  Despair unfurled in Rose’s stomach. “We can’t give up hope. We can’t.”

  Talulah’s brows furrowed, as she noticed the desperation in Rose’s face. “We won’t,” she assured her. “Kara and I talked earlier. She proposed a possible work-around, if the vote doesn’t go in our favor. It won’t be the most honorable thing I’ve ever done, but it might save lives.” She shrugged. “Working with Kara is like shoveling manure. You get good results, but you’ll get dirty in the process.”

  Rose wrinkled her nose. “That’s such a…lovely analogy for my girlfriend.”

  Talulah chuckled, “If it makes you feel any better, I slept with her, too.”

  Rose squinted curiously at that. “Why would that make me feel better?”

  Talulah gave her a warm, amused laugh. Talulah was so serious, so often, that any time she laughed, there was a note of relief in it—as if she’d been holding her breath for too long and had finally let it out. “We should discuss the attack.”

  Rose nodded, but she was still smiling. “What’s the plan on your end?”

  “My warriors know to come down, if they see planes,” Talulah explained. “Even vampires can’t survive bombs, and we need to survive the night, at least.”

  “Right,” Rose agreed. She felt a strange tingling on the back of her neck, and then, before she could make sense of it, a pain began to twist in her stomach.

  Rose touched her stomach without thinking about it, still trying to focus on what Talulah was saying. But then, Rose began to feel another sensation—one that made no sense for her current situation. A faint—but still obvious—pang of arousal pulsed between her legs. Her eyes widened, as she realized what it meant.

  The hunger, she might’ve thought was her own, but this—this was Kara.

  Somewhere, Kara was thinking about something…very distracting, and if the sensation on the back of Rose’s neck was any indication, that somewhere wasn’t far from Rose. She sighed. Why did blood bonds have to make things so freaking awkward?

  Talulah froze, as she noticed Rose holding her stomach. “Are you okay?”

  “Mm-hmm!” Rose said, nodding a bit too enthusiastically. “Yep. Totally.”

  Talulah frowned at Rose’s weird response but continued talking, anyway.

  Rose knew Kara was looking at her. She knew it, like she knew everything else—intrinsically and intimately, through their shared emotions and sensations.

  This awareness only intensified those sensations—so much so, that Rose could almost taste the wine that Kara was drinking. She could almost feel the chilled liquid sliding down her throat. Rose silently prayed that Talulah finished whatever she was saying soon—because Kara apparently wasn’t getting her mind out of the gutter anytime soon. Rose flashed an awkward smile, when Talulah paused again.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Talulah asked. “You look a little flushed.”

  “Flushed?” Rose squeaked. She laughed nervously. “No! It’s… What?”

  Talulah’s eyebrows arched higher than Rose had ever seen them. She cast a knowing glance across the room—making eye-contact with someone, other than Rose—and rolled her eyes. “Then, I assume you’re ready for the instructions?”

  “Mm-hmm,” Rose said, nodding eagerly—even though she had no idea which instructions Talulah meant. She followed the first few sentences, at least—but somewhere around the fourth sentence, her mind drifted toward Kara again.

  Honest to God, Rose was trying to focus on Talulah’s instructions, but it was hard to focus on anything when she could feel the heat of Kara’s gaze on her. She glanced out into the crowd, meeting Kara’s gaze instantly, despite all of the people between them. That ice-blue hue of her eyes might as well have been fiery ember with the amount of heat they held. Rose tugged at the collar of her hoodie, feeling a little overheated, all of the sudden. Kara must’ve noticed—because her lips curved a little at the corners. She lifted her glass to her lips, hiding her smile.

  “Rose,” Talulah said, startling her. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

  Rose looked at her, shrugging sheepishly. “Something about bombs?”

  Talulah rolled her eyes. “I hate Kara.”

  Rose cast one last glance in Kara’s direction. And froze—because Kara was no longer there. She felt a strange, slipping sensation beneath her skin, as her blood bond seemed to recognize that Kara was leaving. She focused on instincts, let them guide her, and before she even realized it, she’d found Kara in the crowd again. She watched as Kara slipped through the crowd, depositing her empty glass on someone’s tray, as she turned the corner. Rose couldn’t help but follow her.

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbled to Talulah, as she walked away. “I’ll be back.”

  Talulah frowned, as she watched Rose leave, too exasperated to respond.

  Rose squeezed through the crowd with less gracefulness than Kara had, nearly tripping over several vampires’ feet—including her own. It didn’t help that she could already feel her body temperature rising, that she could already feel the pulse of arousal between her legs. It was that desire that drove her forward, that hunger for Kara, those deep, primal instincts. She reached the end of the crowded portion of the tunnel and turned the corner. The cold air met her flushed skin, as soon as she stepped into the emptier tunnel, and met that sparkling, icy blue gaze.

  Kara grabbed her and shoved her against the wall—the gasp disappearing between their mouths, as Kara’s lips crashed against Rose’s. Rose tasted the wine on Kara’s lips, as their lips and tongues moved together. Rose reached between them, grasping Kara’s jacket, feeling the coolness of the leather under her fingers, as she pulled Kara closer to her. The warmth of Kara’s hands moved up Rose’s body, over her chest, to her neck. Kara tilted Rose’s head back against the wall, as she trailed her mouth down Rose’s neck, licking and sucking at the tender skin.

  Rose closed her eyes, moaning softly, as Kara’s tongue traced her pulsing artery. She knew the bite was coming long before it happened. She sensed Kara’s hunger—its painful intensity, its spark of heat—but Kara enjoyed the teasing too much. She enjoyed tasting Rose’s skin, feeling Rose tense against her, hearing the catch in Rose’s throat. She trailed her tongue up Rose’s neck, along the soft curve of her jaw, up to her ear. Kara nipped at the shell of Rose’s ear with her fangs.

  “May I?” she whispered, her mouth warm and wet against Rose’s ear.

  Rose didn’t need to ask what she meant. She knew. And oh, did she want it. She reached up, jerking at the collar of her hoodie, exposing more of her neck, and breathed, “Please.” The bite was slower than usual—a slow, teasing pain, as Kara’s fangs pierced
Rose’s skin. Rose tried to clench her thighs together, to ease the ache that burned there, but Kara pressed her knee against the wall, her thighs sliding between Rose’s thighs, her leather pants squeaking, as they moved against Rose’s jeans. The combination of the endorphins and the pressure of Kara’s thigh drove Rose mad—her pulse skyrocketing, her skin overheating. She needed more.

  She was desperate.

  Kara pulled away from her neck. Her intense, cornflower-blue gaze met Rose’s, as she wiped the blood from her lips. She tilted her head to the side, blue and black hair falling over her shoulders, as she studied the desperation in Rose’s face. Her blood-stained lips curved at the corners. “You want me to take more?”

  Rose nodded eagerly—too lost in the aroused haze to feel embarrassed.

  Kara curled her hand around one side of Rose’s neck, cradling it, as she sank her teeth into the other side. She moved sensually, as she fed from Rose, her back arching, the front of her body pressing harder against Rose’s body. It wasn’t just the endorphins that left Rose desperate and intoxicated. It was also the blood bond itself—the insatiable need to connect with Kara, in deeper and deeper ways.

  Kara fed slowly. She drank Rose’s blood, as if it were wine, sucking small sips of blood from Rose’s neck, using her tongue to slow the blood flow. She fed indulgently. Tauntingly. It felt like torture—to have pleasure and desire ease into her body, rather than overtake it—but it was an exhilarating kind of torture that Rose couldn’t bring herself to hate. The fog of desire that filled her mind left her confused and intoxicated. She didn’t even remember that they were in the tunnels.

  She didn’t even care.

  She only cared about the heat of Kara’s mouth on her neck, the softness of Kara’s tongue against the bite wound, the rapid thudding of their synchronized heartbeats. She’d never noticed it before that moment—how their hearts joined in rhythm, while they shared blood. But she noticed it now, and it sent waves of emotion through her mind. And jolts of awareness. She heard someone approach.

  Kara obviously had a lot of experience, controlling herself, reining in the hunger, because Rose couldn’t imagine stopping so suddenly, the way Kara did.