"Oh Kira, I was so afraid," she cried.
"I'm alive, Mom. I'm not going anywhere," she said and ran her hands through her mother's hair, the same way her mother used to do for her when she was scared or upset.
"Every time I look at you, I see your father. In the way you laugh, in your open and loving smile, in the brightness shining from your eyes. You remind me so much of him," she said quietly, speaking just loud enough for Kira to hear. "I can't lose you too."
"Mom," Kira said, leaning back to meet her gaze, "I love you and I'm not going to let anyone hurt me, conduit or vampire, I promise."
She nodded.
"Let's go back to my grandfather's house. We can get a cup of tea, talk about everything. I'll answer any questions you have about what I've been doing."
"That would be good." Her mother nodded again and Kira eased back into the passenger seat, still holding onto her mom's warm hand. She put the car back into drive, pressing slowly down on the petal to turn the car around.
"I love you," Kira said.
"I love—"
Metal crunched, screeching in protest as the door was ripped free from the moving car. White hands grabbed her mother's shoulder, wrenching her from her seat before she even had time to scream. Kira gripped her hand, holding onto her fingers for as long as a she could before they were tugged hard and slipped free of Kira's hold.
"Mom!" Kira screamed.
Reaching for her seatbelt, Kira unbuckled and forced her door open. Without thinking, she dove out of the car, rolling on the ground and scraping against rough asphalt. Behind her, the car screeched, swerving wildly, and smacked into a tree. But Kira's eyes were on the forest.
"Mom!" She yelled, listening for any scream to tell her where to run. Bringing a flame to her palm, Kira sent her power out into the woods, hoping to hear a vampire squeal.
Silence.
The car door was still on the ground, left like a mangled toy. Kira rushed to the spot, looking for any sign of life. Under the ripped wires and torn metal was a spot of blood—fresh, red and most definitely human.
Toward her left, Kira spotted another dark shadow in the grass, just beyond the edge of the road. More blood.
"Mom!"
Still no sound of life.
Kira pushed past the branches, walking off the road and into the trees, trying to spot another hint. Every leaf was green, every branch brown—the only red she saw were the berries on a few low bushes. Spinning in circles, Kira inspected every surface she could find, almost wishing for vampire-like scent.
"Kira!"
The scream tore through the woods, ringing in Kira's ear like a loud siren. In an instant, she was sprinting toward the sound.
"Kira!"
The shout was slightly quieter this time, as though a little bit of her mom's spirit had been taken away, a little bit of fight had been lost.
But it was enough of a sound for Kira to follow, and she kept running, pounding her feet through soft mud, pushing branches aside, letting sharp leaves scratch her cheeks. Until finally, Kira saw a little flicker of life through the darkness, a tiny spark shimmering through the leaves.
Her mother's flames.
They were small—a barely roaring fire, enough to warm but not to burn. Even from afar, Kira saw the mocking face of the vampire opposite her mother. Those flames wouldn't be enough—they already weren't enough. A trickle of blood streamed down her mom's neck, flowing slowly but fast enough to drain the life and strength from her body.
"Hold on, Mom!"
Kira threw her fire out, shooting it as far as it could travel, barely licking the vampire's face. But Kira's fire wasn't like her mother's, and the smallest touch was enough to send the vamp to its knees. The closer she ran, the more it burned, until finally Kira felt him explode, turning to ash under the torrent of her strength.
Without pausing, Kira fell to her knees next to her mom.
"Are you alright?" She asked, cradling her mother's head in her lap and shooting her powers into the two little holes puncturing her neck.
"Kira—"
Hands grabbed Kira's throat, pulling hard on her spine and throwing her fragile body against the base of a tree. Hearing a crunch, Kira cried out in pain. Her body fell limp. Her fingers felt lazy, unmoving, and her legs felt like stone, unbendable and far too heavy to move. She felt like a doll dropped carelessly on the ground, contorted at inhuman angles.
Her mother's eyes widened and a scream curled on her lips. But before a sound could escape, another vampire jumped out, biting down on her throat and swallowing the yell along with her blood.
Kira tried to throw her flames, but her body needed to be healed and she turned her fire inwards, searching along her spine for the fracture that culled her movement.
Sensing her shifted focus, the vampire looked up. Its blue eyes bored into Kira, searing her with their freeze.
"A note from Aldrich," he said, his voice low and his teeth stained with blood. "I took one mother from you and I can easily take the second, along with any other person you love. Be warned."
He smiled and sank back down, reaching for the blood again. But Kira found the spot—the broken bone, the severed nerves—and sent her powers there. Sensation slowly extended back to her body, her nerves thrummed to life again sending tingles down her limbs.
Her mother was growing paler. Her eyes sealed shut and her head started to slip farther into the ground, growing heavy.
She wouldn't make it, Kira thought. Her fingers twitched, gaining strength once more, but her arm was still too heavy to lift, too weak to let her aim her flames.
"Mom!" Kira yelled, knowing it was useless but needing to do something. Her memories flashed back to the same image—a blond woman still on the ground while vampires swarmed over her. All the sudden, Kira was the baby hiding under a bush, watching helplessly while her parents were stolen from her.
But now she could fight and Kira refused to lose another mother the same way. She wouldn't.
Her mother's body went limp, but before Kira could respond, a white blur streaked across the trees, slamming into the feeding vampire. He flew back, rolling over in the dirt, and without a moment of hesitation, the white blur reached through the vampire's chest and tore the heart from his body.
Now still, Kira recognized their savior. The vampire's hair rolled down her back in long ebony waves, her skin had an olive glow, and her eyes were just slanted enough to be interesting. More than anything, her hip was cocked, giving off an air of defiance that Kira remembered very well.
"Pavia!" Her voice ringed with relief and excitement, something no vampire other than Tristan had ever been able to elicit from Kira.
"Sorry to crash the party, but I thought you could use a hand." She shrugged and kicked the dead vampire crumpled on the ground. "Aldrich's cronies," Pavia said with a note of disgust. She spat on the body by her feet.
Kira sat up slowly, stretching her strengthening limbs. "Thanks."
"Least I could do," Pavia walked over to her mom, inspecting the wound, "I technically killed your other mom, thought I could at least save this one. Talk about timing though. I can feel her life is almost gone, her blood is," she sniffed the air, kneeling down a little, "well, you don't understand, but her blood just smells like death."
"Can you bring me closer?" Kira asked. She tried to stand, but fell back down on rubbery legs. Pavia grabbed her under the arms, dragging her a few feet across the ground so Kira could rest a hand on her mother's chest. Her flames flowed out, sinking deep into her mother's chest and expanding effortlessly through the conduit body that welcomed her power.
A conduit. Kira had never really thought of her mom that way, but she felt the sun flickering deep in her mother's heart.
"So what's wrong with you?" Pavia nudged her foot, pointing out Kira's depleted strength.
"The vamp broke my back," Kira said, sending a shiver down the very spine she had just healed. It sounded worse when she said it out loud. Pavia winced.
&
nbsp; "I've been there, definitely not pleasant."
"I'll be fine in a few minutes," Kira said, taking note of her mom's returning color. Her skin darkened to its natural bronze. Her heartbeat strengthened.
"Good, because there are more on the way. Maybe five?"
Her mom blinked.
"Kira?" She said, woozy and confused.
"It's okay, Mom, you're safe." Kira put a hand to her cheek, relieved with the warmth she found there.
Kira stood, finally feeling strong enough, and pulled her mother to her feet as well.
"Mom, I know you don't understand, but this is Pavia and she won't hurt you, okay?" Her mother nodded, still too out-of-it to really comprehend Kira's words. "Pavia," Kira said, switching her attention, "I need you to take my mom back to the gate. You won't be able to cross, but put her as close to the UV barrier as you can. I'll take care of these vampires and I'll meet you soon."
Pavia nodded and scooped her mother up into her arms. "We have to talk later," she said, "just you and me. I have a promise to fulfill."
"Just keep her safe," Kira said, showing her agreement. The promise was to show Kira more of her birth mother's memories—Kira hadn't forgotten about it and she was relieved that Pavia hadn't either.
"They're almost here," Pavia said and then left, disappearing through the trees, leaving Kira to face the vampires alone. And she was ready for it. Feeling helpless was not her style, and already her flames danced down her wrists, flickering over the grass and sparking with excitement.
When the first vampire broke into the clearing, he burned within seconds. Her fire was spewing lava—no one could escape it.
The second fell just like the first, without any hesitation, without any real use of strength on Kira's part. They went down easy, like squishing a bug on the ground. She almost wanted more of a fight—it was too effortless to be satisfying, too effortless to be rewarding. As her flames grew stronger, so did her conviction and Kira wanted it to hurt. After watching her mother come so close to death, someone had to pay.
A third vampire came in from the left side and a forth from the right, trying to corner Kira by dividing her attention. She stretched her arms to the side, flinging her power in both directions, trapping each vampire inside of swirling flames.
Her fire licked their skin, teasing them with the heat, searing their flesh and then retreating again. One yelled out, growling a deep sound mixed with fear and anger. It was a caged animal and Kira squeezed her fingers, letting the fire close in and slowly suffocate it. The vampire fell, bursting into dust, imploding from the inside out.
On her left, the other vampire started to panic. He pushed against the flames, trying to breakthrough but retreating when puffy boils sprouted along his arms.
Kira crushed him easily, still ready for more fight.
Then finally, the fifth and last vampire entered the clearing. His movements were slow, as though he had no fear. He confronted Kira openly, not trying to gain the element of surprise.
Almost curious, Kira pushed her fire out. Immediately she sensed something different from his body, and her power was met with resistance, almost like an invisible shell encased his torso.
Conduit blood, Kira thought at first, but this shell was different. It wasn't a bubble around him that could be popped—it was in him, part of him. But his hair was a ruddy brown, his eyes the cold, icy blue of a vampire. Suddenly, Kira realized that she had seen that hair before, on her younger sister. He must be a half-conduit, a mix of human and maybe Punisher, one that had been turned bad.
Kira switched her strength, testing her Protector flames, which sunk deeper into his skin, burning his marbled flesh to a bright red.
He kept coming closer, slowed by her powers but not stopped by them. Kira pushed further, letting a sliver of her killing Punisher powers seep out. Simmering with heat, they sunk in, creeping closer to his heart, forcing their way through every inch of his skin.
But he kept approaching, getting closer and closer to Kira's body, closer and closer to a place where he could attack.
His skin began to blacken and flake off where the Punisher flames took hold. His features hardened into a grimace as the pain of death took its toll and Kira smiled, pressing her advantage. Finally, she felt like someone was paying for what had happened to both of her mothers. His hurt was her strength. His fear was her drug. And as he crept closer, the emotions fed into Kira, every wince made her feel empowered.
Then without her even realizing it, the blackness crept out of Kira's heart, flowing into her flames rather than pressing against them, and her fire darkened. The bright orange, yellow and red flames became tainted. A river of black flew with them, encircling the vampire in a mix of fire and shadow. The hot lava flowing through her veins became slick and oily, a searing tar that bubbled with a heat that came not from lightness but from anger—a sea of cold fury that felt somehow hot enough to burn.
Her flames wavered.
The darkness pressed inwards, suffocating her.
Kira's fire winked out, fading quickly away, and before she knew enough to fight, something else had taken over. Something that welcomed the shadows, the evil. Something that pushed her over the edge, made her fall, spiraling down, down, down.
The conduit was gone.
The vampire hiding underneath her skin took over.
Kira's eyes shot up, locking on the dying man before her. His fear pushed out in waves, and he retreated. Kira stepped forward, closing in on her prey.
And before she realized what she was doing, Kira pounced, sinking her teeth into his burning flesh.
Chapter Four
His blood was dark, not filled with enough light to satisfy, and Kira dropped his lifeless body to the ground. Against the rough dirt, his frame finally combusted, but Kira wasn’t paying attention. Her nose was filled with the scent of the sun—a golden honey sweet enough to make her sigh.
She wanted to taste it.
So she ran, light on her feet, and almost flew through the forest, following the sugary trail of conduit blood, the small droplets that sang to her senses.
When she broke through the trees, Kira saw it—a body resting on the ground, glowing with the sun. A halo of gold sparks surrounded the figure and Kira sniffed, drunk on the elixir running through those veins.
Without thinking, she ran and dove for the woman.
And then she burned, screaming out in pain as the sun assaulted her body, burning the vampire away, boiling the ebony oil in her veins until it evaporated in wisps of shadow that seeped out of her pores. Her every nerve was on fire. Pinpricks that felt like knives stabbed her limbs.
Kira curled onto her back, writhing in agony. The smell of honey still haunted her nose, but instead of a sugary sweetness it was a searing iron, melting her insides as the fumes traveled downwards.
But deeper down, the conduit praying for escape welcomed the pain, begged it to come in faster waves. Her flames were trapped—swirling in a sinking abyss, hoping the sun would come release them.
And when a burst of light finally broke through the darkness, Kira erupted.
The force of her conduit power returning lifted Kira off the ground, throwing her farther into the heat of the UV wall surrounding Sonnyville. Her hands lifted toward the sun, shooting long waves of flames into the sky. A current of light shot through her body, sending fire through every nerve and lighting Kira up from the inside out. Against the onslaught, the shadows retreated. The vampire left Kira's body in waves of smoke.
A minute later, Kira was on the ground, completely still, basking in the warmth of the sun and muddling through her returning consciousness.
She sat up, rubbing her sore head.
"Wha…?" Kira looked around. How did she get out of the forest? Was there another vampire after her?
Looking around, Kira spotted the body on the ground.
"Mom!"
She crawled over. Her mother was breathing deeply, but looked unharmed. Kira remembered healing her, remember
ed sending her back with Pavia, remembered fighting a few vampires.
Her mom blinked and sat up on her elbows, waking from a daze.
"Kira? What happened?"
"Nothing, Mom," Kira held her hand, "There were some vampires, but we got away. We're safe. I'll be right back."
She tried standing, took a few slow steps and then crossed through the barrier again.
"Pavia?" Kira asked. Twirling around, she scanned the forest. Her nose picked up a strand of sugar passing on the breeze. What was that?
She followed the smell as it reeled her in. The mangled door was still on the ground—drawn to it, Kira stopped a few inches from the torn metal. Why did it smell sweet?
And then she saw the pool of blood through the cracks in the windshield. Stumbling backwards, Kira fell to the ground, landing painfully on her bottom as the memories flooded back.
She bit someone.
She bit a vampire.
Bit.
Tasted blood.
Kira started hyperventilating. Her entire body began to shake, a slow tremble that grew to a frantic pulse.
She had tried to bite her mother.
She had wanted conduit blood.
The blood still teased her senses.
Turning, Kira stared with wide eyes at the gate. The barrier, it had to have been what saved her. The UV light had burned the darkness from her skin—she vividly remembered the pain.
But part of the vampire was still lodged inside of her, was still drawn to the conduit blood spotting the ground, still pulled in by its sweet scent.
Iron melted in her mouth, sticking to her dry tongue, and she flip over to spit out the vomit curling in her stomach.
It came out red.
Kira scrambled away, ripping her palms on the rough concrete as she struggled to escape. Her back sank into the UV wall and Kira collapsed, letting the sun sink into her pounding head. Tears fell in long streams and she rolled to the side, pulling her legs into her chest, letting the shakes wrack her figure.
Scorch (Midnight Fire Series) Page 4