The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  “That’s fair,” Kara sighed. Silence settled between them again, and Kara returned to what she’d been doing before: running her hand through Rose’s hair.

  “I’m holding out hope,” Rose said. “I refuse to accept what she told me.”

  “Yeah,” Kara said—so softly Rose barely heard her. “Yeah. Me, too.”

  They lay like that for a while, skin-against-skin, curled up in each other’s arms, with no sound but their heartbeats and the distant echo of voices and music.

  Finally, Rose laughed. “I can’t believe we defiled Talulah’s wine cellar.”

  Kara snorted. “It’s not the first time I’ve defiled something of Talulah’s.”

  “Oh, no,” Rose giggled, burying her face. “You’re such a bad influence.”

  Kara glanced down at her, chuckling at Rose’s reddened face. “Guilty.”

  “How will I face her, now?” Rose said. “She’ll look at me and just know.”

  Kara laughed. “If you keep blushing like that, she will,” she teased. With an amused smile, she said, “Relax, love. Talulah isn’t as intimidating as you think.”

  “Ha. Beg to differ,” Rose scoffed. She settled comfortably against Kara’s side. “Shouldn’t we get dressed?” Her eyebrows lifted. “Before someone sees us?”

  “I don’t know,” Kara teased. “It took you long enough to get undressed.”

  Rose blushed. “Shut up,” she said with a laugh. “I was distracted, okay?”

  “Oh, I know,” Kara assured her. Her smile deepened. “It was one of my proudest moments—distracting a woman so much she forgot about her clothes.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised it’s the first time you’ve done that.”

  A distant, rumbling sound interrupted their quiet, blissful cuddling.

  Rose stiffened, her pulse skyrocketing at the sound. “Was that…”

  Kara was on her feet already, lifting Rose up, as well. “Planes. Yes. Go.”

  As Rose pulled on her clothes, she said, “They usually wait several days.”

  “They knew we’d expect that,” Kara said. She had her clothes on before Rose could even blink, and she had her hand around Rose’s arm, leading Rose to the door, even as Rose struggled to button her jeans. “We have to find Talulah.”

  “You don’t think she heard it?” Rose said, stumbling along behind Kara.

  “I doubt it. She’s on a lower level,” Kara said, “and closer to the music.”

  “What about the army?” Rose asked. “Will they make it down in time?”

  “They’re coming. I hear their footsteps now,” Kara told her. She turned to Rose. “I need you to trust me, okay? I’m going to push you through the door.”

  Rose stared at Kara, her heart racing, as she thought about being forced through a small space. She nodded and sat down in the floor. “Okay. I trust you.”

  Kara knelt beside her, curling her hands around Rose’s shoulders. “Close your eyes, baby,” she said in Rose’s ear. “It’ll be over by the time you open them.”

  Rose closed her eyes. She felt pressure around her shoulders, then more pressure, as her body slid through the small door—then, finally, a rush of air, as she fell to the lower tunnel. Rose opened her eyes, just as her feet hit the ground.

  She wobbled a little on her feet, but for once, she didn’t fall. She looked up, as Kara landed next to her. Kara turned to Rose immediately, taking Rose by the arms. Rose blinked, as the sound of her own pulse echoed through the tunnel.

  “I need you to breathe,” Kara told her, “because we have to move fast.”

  Rose nodded, forcing her lungs to inflate and deflate, despite her panic.

  Then, they were rushing through the tunnels, back toward the area they’d left earlier. Kara kept Rose’s hand in hers, as she slipped through the crowd. Kara found Talulah with ease, apparently using the lingering threads of a blood bond.

  Kara took Talulah by the arm, and Talulah followed without question, as Kara led her away from the crowd and into an emptier, quieter part of the tunnel.

  Once they were away from the crowd, Talulah said, “It’s happening?”

  Kara nodded. “We heard the planes. The explosions should start soon.”

  “Okay,” Talulah said. “I’ll get everyone into the lower tunnels. You take Rose and go. I’ll cover for you. Just,” she sighed, “if you’re doing it, do it now.”

  “Thank you, Talulah,” Kara said, already turning to leave. “I owe you.”

  Talulah lifted her dark eyebrows. “You owe me for a lot more than this.”

  Rose followed Kara. “If we’re doing what? What is she talking about?”

  “I’ll explain, once we’re out,” Kara told her. “Just trust me a little longer.”

  Rose didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll always trust you, Kara. I always have.”

  Kara froze, mid-step, and turned to look at Rose. The moment was over too soon for Rose to read her expression, but Kara’s emotions were clear, as she lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss against Rose’s skin. “Soon. I promise.”

  Then, she led Rose through the crowd again, using remnants of another broken blood bond to find Elise. She sighed with relief when she found that Elise, Erik, and Colina were all standing together. They fell silent, when they saw Kara.

  Erik immediately sensed Rose and Kara’s anxiety. “What’s happened?”

  Elise glanced at Rose, her eyebrows lifting, as she noticed the disheveled state of Rose’s clothes. She lifted her glass to her mouth, hiding an amused smile.

  “We heard planes,” Kara said. “They’re not here yet, but they’re close.”

  “The Skotalians should be down here soon, then,” Colina said. “They’re supposed to come down as soon as they hear planes. I have to find the princess.”

  To Rose’s dismay, Colina actually took the time to bow to Rose—before she rushed off to find Princess Myrinne, Zosime, and the entire Skotalian army.

  “Be safe, sweetie!” Elise called out, as Colina disappeared into the crowd.

  “Are you sure you heard planes?” Erik asked with a skeptical frown. “We didn’t hear a thing. We’re so far underground, I’m surprised you heard anything.”

  “We were in the wine cellar,” Kara said. “It’s not as far underground.”

  Elise’s smile widened. “And what were you doing in the wine cellar?”

  “Not sex!” Rose blurted out. “Definitely not that.”

  Both Erik and Elise turned to look at Kara.

  But Kara just lifted her eyebrows, her lips tight, as she tried not to laugh.

  “That’s why you snuck off?” Erik said with a scowl. “To have sex?”

  “What?” Rose said with a nervous, high-pitched laugh. “I said not sex.”

  Kara just stared at Erik, obviously annoyed. “Like you’ve never done it.”

  “Well, yeah,” Erik scoffed, “but it wasn’t during an end-of-the-world party.”

  “Kara,” Rose hissed, “I’m trying to convince him we weren’t doing that.”

  Kara shrugged. “Think of it this way,” she said—without a hint of shame, “if we hadn’t snuck away, we wouldn’t have heard the planes.” Her lips tilted into a wide, self-satisfied grin. “So, really, Rose and I saved your lives—by having sex.”

  Rose threw up her hands in frustration. “Dang it, Kara. Now they know.”

  Kara exchanged an amused look with Elise. She turned to Rose, grinning mischievously at her. “What can I say? I guess you’re just a better liar than I am.”

  Rose flashed her most sarcastic smile. “Funny, spymaster. Very funny.”

  Kara laughed. She turned to face Erik and Elise again. “Seriously, though, if you’re coming with us, come now,” she said quietly. “If not, this is goodbye.”

  Elise’s eyes widened. She quickly set down her glass. “We’re coming.”

  Erik nodded. “You know I’m in.”

  Rose glanced back and forth between them. “Oh. Great,” she
muttered. “I’m the only one who has no idea what’s going on. I love it when that happens.”

  They ignored her sarcasm. “Talulah says it’s time,” Kara said. “Let’s go.”

  “I’ll let the others know,” Elise offered. When Erik started to follow her, she waved him back. “You go with them. They’ll need help, if Aaron finds them.”

  “Aaron?” Rose repeated. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  “Soon,” Kara said. She took Rose’s hand again, and the three of them—with Erik, now—began to move through the crowd. The voices were louder now, and people were beginning to move in the opposite direction, as the commanders and their seconds led people down to the lower tunnels. Rose didn’t know where Kara was taking them, but it apparently wasn’t the place everyone else was going.

  “What about the army?” Rose asked. “We’re not leaving them, are we?”

  “I’ve already spoken to them,” Kara assured her. “They know.” She gave Rose an apologetic smile, as Rose glared at her. “That’s why Ligeia came to check with you about the battle plan. She knew you wouldn’t be here during the attack.”

  “I need to be here during the attack,” Rose said. “I’m not running away.”

  “I promise we’re not running,” Kara whispered in her ear, as they turned a corner. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that. I know how you feel about it. Trust me?”

  “Fine,” Rose sighed. “But just so you know, I’m not happy about this.”

  Kara led them around the corner and down another tunnel. She laughed a little, as she whispered, “I promise my apologies will make you much…happier.”

  Rose rolled her eyes at the continued misuse of the word apology. She felt like she owed the dictionary itself an apology for the way Kara used that word.

  Like an actual apology.

  Not…what Kara was referring to.

  “Kara!”

  They froze.

  Rose knew, immediately, who it was. Without looking, without thinking, she knew. She recognized that low tone, that thick, gravelly accent that made each word sound heavy and guttural. She even recognized his scent—a sweet, powerful scent that merely hinted at the age of his blood—blood that Rose had once tasted.

  Kara let go of Rose’s hand as soon as she heard his voice. It was so cold in those tunnels that the loss of touch was shocking—like falling into an icy lake. Kara turned to face him, her lips curling into a wicked smirk. “What is it, Aaron?”

  Aaron stood at the other end of the tunnel, watching her with narrowed, black eyes. “You’re the last person I would’ve ever expected to run from a battle.”

  His words were so cold and unfeeling that Rose shivered as he said them.

  “You know I love a good battle,” Kara assured him. “Why would I run?”

  He stepped closer, his expression as impassive as ever. “We’re supposed to take shelter in the lower tunnels,” he told her. “You’re going the wrong way.”

  “Am I?” Kara asked. She let out a soft, carefree laugh. “Didn’t notice.”

  “You left,” he snarled, “with her. You were gone for months—with her.”

  Rose cringed a little. Aaron’s attitude toward Rose had vacillated between like and hate, since they’d met—though, she did sometimes wonder if his pleasant interactions had been for manipulative purposes. But the way he’d referenced her, just now, with such a sinister, venomous tone—there was no question about it.

  In that moment, at least, Aaron loathed her. Perhaps, enough to kill her.

  Kara spread out her arms, shrugging her shoulders. “Traffic was hell.”

  Aaron took another step toward them. “You were going to leave again.”

  “Was I?” Kara replied, elusive as ever. “Where would I have gone, then?”

  His narrowed gaze shifted toward Rose. “Where did she find an army?”

  Kara laughed softly. “You don’t think I’d keep secrets from you, do you?”

  “You’d keep secrets from anyone,” Aaron said. “You’d betray anyone.”

  “I would, wouldn’t I?” Kara said with a slow, decadent smile. She rolled her shoulders back and smoothed her hand over her stomach—where Rose knew she kept her throwing knives. “There’s this feeling you get right before you betray someone.” She closed her eyes, sighing out in this shuddery way that Rose found surprisingly…sensual? “It’s thrilling and satisfying,” Kara said. “Delicious, even.”

  Rose frowned, not sure how to interpret Kara’s sudden shift in attitude.

  Kara opened her eyes. “But I don’t have to tell you that, do I?” she asked Aaron. Her smile widened. “Your entire career was built on betrayal, wasn’t it?”

  He narrowed his eyes at that. “I have no patience for your games, Kara.”

  “Yet, I play them, anyway,” Kara said. She stepped toward him. “Do you remember what Alana told you about me, that first night, at the Tomb of Blood?”

  “She said she wanted to play with you,” he sneered, “so she turned you.”

  Kara waved her hand. “Yeah, yeah. Alana’s a psychotic bitch. We know,” she scoffed. Her mouth curved into a tighter smile. “What else did she tell you?”

  Aaron’s nostrils flared, as he exhaled heavily. His dark eyes burned with barely restrained fury. “She said that you were the best warrior I’d ever meet, but you’d never be loyal. She said you’d serve me well, while it served you; then, one day, you’d leave me in a pool of my own blood—because you’re loyal to no one.”

  Kara spread her arms out proudly and laughed. “You should’ve listened.”

  Aaron scoffed, as if she’d lost her mind. “You’re not powerful enough.”

  “No,” Kara agreed. She tilted her head in Rose’s direction. “But she is.”

  His last bit of restraint faded away, instantly. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Am I?” Kara said, her brows high. “Or am I threatening someone else?”

  He growled, frustrated by her baffling responses. “Are you loyal or not?”

  “What if I was?” Kara challenged. “What would you demand of me?”

  Officially fed up with Kara’s games, Aaron growled, “Kill her. Now.”

  Kara glanced back at Rose, her expression unreadable. “Are you sure?”

  “Do it,” he said, “or I’ll tear your head from your shoulders right now.”

  “Loyal to no one but myself, right?” Kara sighed. “I’d prefer not to die.”

  Erik’s eyes widened. “Kara,” he said worriedly. “What are you doing?”

  Kara disappeared in a blur of motion. Moving too fast for Rose to react, she restrained Rose from behind, one arm wrapped tightly around Rose’s middle, pinning Rose’s arms to her sides, and the other holding a dagger to Rose’s throat.

  Rose lifted her chin, wincing, as the sharp blade pressed against her skin.

  “Kara,” Erik breathed, his brows creased with concern. “Is this a joke?”

  “Not one you’ll like,” Kara told him with a smirk. She brushed her mouth against Rose’s ear and said, “You should’ve run. I gave you all of those warnings.”

  Rose lifted her eyebrows. “You could’ve been a bit more clear about who you were warning. I don’t think anyone had any idea what you were talking about.”

  Kara’s laugh was low and pleasant in Rose’s ear. “Well, it’s too late, now,” she sighed. “Now, it’s you or me, and you know who I’ll always choose. Sorry.”

  “Any chance he’s bluffing?” Rose asked. “Maybe he’ll change his mind.”

  “I won’t,” Aaron told her. “You’ve become too much of a threat to me.”

  “It seems your army was the last straw, love,” Kara murmured in her ear.

  “Kara, you can’t,” Erik said, denial twisting at his brows. “You love her.”

  “I’ve loved several women,” Kara reminded him. “I betrayed them, too.”

  “Enough!” Aaron said, finally out of patience. “Kill her, or I’ll kill you.�
��

  “You hear that, love?” Kara said, brushing the blade along Rose’s throat. “It’s time.” She leaned in and breathed one, crucial word into Rose’s ear: “Now.”

  Rose shoved her weight back into Kara, throwing her off-balance. Rose grasped Kara’s wrist and twisted the dagger away from her throat. Then, as Kara dropped her weapon, Rose kicked her backward. As Kara reached down to pick up her dagger, Rose raced past her, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel.

  Kara turned to Aaron, slipping her free hand behind her back. “Oops.”

  A powerful growl resounded from Aaron’s throat—one that seemed to rumble throughout the entire tunnel—but before he could attack Kara, she flung one of her throwing knives at him. It landed in his chest. It pierced his heart, but he immediately ripped it out, knowing that such a small blade wouldn’t kill him.

  He tossed the blade aside and raced toward Kara—only to pull up short, as a wall of flames suddenly erupted across the tunnel. He stumbled backward in shock, as flames stretched from one wall to the other, separating him from Kara.

  He didn’t realize what had happened until the flames shifted enough for him to see just a hint—just a flicker—of the glowing, red eyes behind the flames.

  Kara reached out and curled her fingers around Rose’s. “We need to go.”

  Rose’s fiery, red gaze shifted toward Kara, and she stared, for a moment, as dark, volatile power battled for control of her body. Then, the red glow faded, leaving behind her normal, blue eyes. “Before the flames burn out,” Rose agreed.

  They left Aaron behind the wall of flames, even as he growled in fury.

  —

  “And you couldn’t warn me about it?” Erik grumbled. “Fucking asshole!”

  Kara laughed, as she grasped his wrist and helped him up into the storage building. “I could have, but if I had, your acting wouldn’t have been so…perfect.”

  “I wasn’t acting!” Erik yelled at her. “That was real! I was really nervous!”

  They’d used the same tunnels that Rose and Kara had used before—the ones that led to a village in Nunavut, close to a small airport. When Kara finished helping Erik climb into the storage facility, she turned to help Rose up, as well.