Rose rolled her eyes. “Of course you did,” she muttered, returning her attention to her book. But she could still feel Kara’s dark, lustful gaze on her skin.
After a moment of silence, of them reading comfortably together, Rose heard Kara’s soft voice. “He has more to offer than I do. That much is clear.”
Rose looked at Kara, stunned to see that seriousness had replaced the playfulness that had been in Kara’s face moments ago. “What do you mean?”
Kara twirled her fingers around, vaguely gesturing at the surroundings, at the gorgeous library, at the house itself, all of it. “I’m just saying…it’s a nice library,” she said again. “I don’t have anything like this. I have ways of getting what I need, but…” She shrugged. “He’s clearly the more practical option.”
“Practical?” Rose said. “You’re talking about a relationship, not shopping for a new car. When have I ever given you the impression that I’m that shallow?”
Kara watched Rose, her gaze drifting over every line and curve of Rose’s face. “Never,” she stated. “You’re the opposite of shallow. You’re intelligent and kind. You see the good in everyone, even when they can’t see it in themselves.”
For a few moments, Rose just stared back at Kara, struck by the intensity of Kara’s gaze and the breathless emotion of her words. She hadn’t expected such a transparent answer, and she certainly hadn’t expected such a complimentary one. “Then,” she finally managed to say, “why would you think I care about what you own or what Kallias owns? I don’t. The library’s cool and all, but I love Kallias because I glimpsed a part of his soul that is good and kind, and I fell in love with it.” She looked down at the book in her hands, not really seeing it, just too nervous to meet Kara’s gaze. “And I feel…a certain way about you…for the same reason.”
Kara’s blue eyes burned with curiosity. “You feel…a certain way?”
Rose blushed. “Besides,” she said, quickly changing the subject, “I don’t know why you’d think that Kallias is any better in that aspect, anyway. I think it’s pretty clear that he didn’t obtain anything through legitimate means either. He uses his telepathic abilities, which is basically like…stealing without the sneaking.”
“I don’t apologize for who I am or how I do things,” Kara said, tilting her head back, “so I won’t do it now. You either want me, or you don’t. But…”
Rose watched her curiously. “But?” she prompted.
“But I want you to,” Kara said. “I want you to want me like I want you.”
“I already do,” Rose said breathlessly. “You know I do.”
“Do I?” Kara said. She pulled her legs back toward her, sitting up against the side of the couch, studying Rose with burning, light blue eyes. “Do you?”
Rose shivered a little under Kara’s intense gaze. “How do you want me?”
“In every way,” Kara answered. “More than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”
Rose stared at her, blinking slowly, her erratic heartbeat picking up speed within her chest, until it felt as if her heart might beat a hole into her chest. Or, well, another one. How could Rose respond to an answer that raw and vulnerable?
But she didn’t have to…because at that moment, the door creaked open.
Kara recovered easily and gracefully, shifting to face away from Rose and lounging back against the back of the sofa. She propped her legs on the table and focused her piercing, icy blue eyes on the book in her hand. If Rose hadn’t known any better, she would have assumed that Kara had been sitting that way for hours.
“Oh, thank goodness you’re still in here,” Owen sighed, closing the door.
Rose looked up as Owen ambled into the room. He fell down into the seat next to her, staring straight ahead, as if he were lost in thought. “Um, Owen?” she said with an amused smile. “Is everything all right? You look a little…pale.”
Owen turned to look at her for a moment, his hazel eyes wide and manic. Then, he leaned in close and whispered, “How much do you know about Tom?”
“Tom?” Rose repeated, her lips twitching. “The bartender? Only a little.”
“Is he gay?” Owen asked conspiratorially. “Do you think he’s gay?”
Rose raised both eyebrows, entertained by how anxious Owen seemed. “Um,” she sputtered. She turned and looked at Kara, who was trying not to laugh.
Kara’s icy blue gaze shifted toward Rose, and a grin broke out across her face. She leaned forward, so that she could look past Rose, at Owen. “Why do you want to know?” she said with a knowing smile. “Are you interested in him?”
Owen straightened, his hazel eyes widening in shock. “What? No! He’s a vampire. I’m not interested in vampires,” he stammered. He looked at Rose. “I just thought… It seemed like he might have been flirting with me.” He shrugged.
“He must like you, then,” Kara said, smiling. “He’s not much of a flirt.”
Owen glanced back and forth between her and Rose. “So, he is gay?”
“Kara knows him better than I do,” Rose said. “They’re close friends.”
“Yes, he’s gay,” Kara said as she leaned back and propped her boots on the coffee table. “He had a wife and kids when he was human, but that was just how people did it in that time. Romantically and sexually, he only goes for men.”
Rose watched Owen, her bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement, as she noticed the flush of his skin. “You like him, don’t you?” she said with a smile.
“No,” Owen said indignantly. “I mean, he was nice, but he’s a vampire.”
“I fell in love with a vampire,” Rose said, “back when I was human.”
Owen stared blankly at her. “And look at how that turned out for you.”
Her smile faded. “It’s not so bad,” she mumbled. She felt Kara’s gaze on her—soft and sympathetic. “The worst part is being hated for it. By my friends.”
Owen looked at her. “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yes, you did,” Rose said, “and it’s all right. You have your reasons.”
“It’s not all right,” Kara said. “You shouldn’t feel the need to apologize for what you are, Rose.” Her intense, blue gaze shifted toward Owen. “And you, of all people, should know better.” She’d said it boldly, not the least bit apologetic.
“Why?” Owen asked defensively, his eyes narrowing. “Because I’m gay?”
Kara leaned back and draped her arm around Rose. “Yes,” she said easily.
Owen watched her for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right,” he sighed. He glanced at Rose. “I’m sorry. You know I’m trying, right?”
Rose nodded. “Yeah,” she told him. “You spent your whole life hating vampires for murdering your parents. It’s hard to flip your worldview in a day.”
“Not to mention,” Kara added, “you lived with Assassins of Light. They brainwash their children—from birth until adulthood, and then, their children brainwash their children. According to what we’ve discovered, that’s how their organization has survived for so long. You need to consider the fact that they may have used some of their brainwashing methods on you as well. You’ll have to break their influence on you or risk being manipulated by one of them again.”
“Kara knows a thing or two about being manipulated,” Rose told Owen.
“It can happen to anyone,” Kara said, “if you let your guard down.”
Owen shook his head. “I don’t think Jared would manipulate me.”
Kara and Rose glanced at each other, exchanging a worried look.
“Owen,” Rose said hesitantly, “you haven’t spoken to Jared, have you?”
“What? Since I came here?” Owen laughed. “No! I’m not stupid.”
“I know,” Rose said, “but intelligent people get manipulated, too.”
He looked at her. “I haven’t spoken to him. I swear,” he said, his hazel eyes narrowing. He stood. “I need to go to bed. If you trust me enough for that?”
“It doesn’t sound like it,” he muttered as he headed toward the door.
Rose sighed as he left, frustrated with herself, since she’d obviously said something wrong. But when she glanced at Kara, she noticed that Kara was still staring at the door, her brows creased, her muscles tensed. “What’s wrong?”
Kara’s icy blue gaze shifted toward her. “That was a lie. He was lying.”
—
Zach waited until the living room was empty to slip inside. He moved as quickly as he could, knowing that it wouldn’t be empty for long, not with so many people in the house. He knelt in front of the TV stand and opened the cabinet.
He smiled as he saw the spare weapons hidden inside—three handguns, about twelve daggers, and a small hatchet. He pulled out one of the handguns.
“I can see how you wound up in prison,” said a soft, accented voice.
Zach sighed and set the gun back down. He turned, his bright blue gaze shifting toward the vampire who had just spoken. He recognized her instantly. She stood in the doorway, one long, muscular arm folded against the doorframe, supporting her weight, and leather-clad hips cocked languidly. Her icy blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched him. “Oh, great,” he said sarcastically. “Of all people who could have caught me, it just had to be my sister’s girlfriend.”
Kara laughed, “Your sister hasn’t told you much about me, has she?”
Zach shrugged. “She’s still trying to convince herself that there’s nothing going on between you two. Which makes you a dangerous subject to talk about.”
Kara pushed away from the doorframe, casually striding into the room. “Oh, I’m a dangerous subject, regardless,” she chuckled. She knelt next to him and took the gun that he’d just tried to steal. “When I was human, I was a Norse warrior. Also known as…a Viking. Do you know what a Viking is, Zach Foster?”
Zach seemed bored. “My sister is the geeky one, not me,” he muttered.
Kara laughed, “A Viking is basically an ancient pirate. We were thieves.”
He raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested in the conversation. “Really?”
“We were a lot of other things, too,” she assured him. “But yes. When we would raid a kingdom, our main objective was to take their stuff. We just also happened to kill people, fight a lot of wars, and get really drunk in the process.”
He snorted, “For the first time ever, I’m actually interested in history.”
Her lips curved into a sly, conspiratorial smile. “I was the best thief we had because I was the only one skilled in stealth,” she explained. She held up the gun, waving it casually, as if it weighed nothing and was not a dangerous weapon that could kill someone. “Let me give you some advice. First, don’t steal the gun. If it’s too bulky to hide in one hand, you’re more likely to get caught.” She lifted her other hand, twirling a thin dagger between her fingers—that she seemed to have produced out of thin air. “Choose something smaller and easier to disguise.”
He blinked several times, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Where were you hiding that? You’re not even wearing a jacket, and your shirt’s sleeveless.”
She winked. “I’m just really good at what I do,” she bragged. She stopped twirling the dagger and held it out, offering it to him. When he took it, she stood. “Your second mistake was stealing from a commonly-used room. People have been in and out of this room all night long. Someone was bound to catch you.”
“I know,” he sighed, resting his hands on his jean-clad thighs. “But when I tried to steal one from Kallias’s room, Rose caught me. I didn’t know where else to look…until I saw Audrey looking in here for the remote earlier today.”
Kara nodded thoughtfully. “You should’ve tried Erik’s room. He’d have plenty of weapons in there, and he wouldn’t have even noticed them missing.”
Zach tilted his head to the side, his bright blue eyes narrowing. “Why are you helping me?” he asked. “You know Rose would lose her shit over this, right?”
Kara smiled. “She just doesn’t want you to wind up back in prison.”
He nodded. “I get that. But at the same time, people were shooting at us last night. I mean, they did shoot Rose! A bunch of times. I need weapons.”
“I’ll give you some,” she said. “Come by my room later. I have plenty.”
“Really?” he said, blinking. “Huh. I guess I never thought of just asking.”
Kara laughed. “Of course not. Because it’s not as much fun as stealing.”
Zach chuckled at that. Then, he glanced back at the television stand, his brows furrowing. “You’re the one who sent the car, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.
Her smile faded. “Yes,” she said slowly, wary of this line of questioning.
He nodded. “Because the Assassins of Light were going to kill me?”
“Yes,” Kara told him. “They believe that Rose will surrender, if they kill someone she loves. They know her personality, her tendencies. They assume that, if she loses someone she loves, she’ll feel guilty and sacrifice herself for everyone else. Audrey was first on their list. When Rose saved her, they went after you.”
“Why?” he asked, frowning at her. “Why did you send someone for me?”
She shrugged her bare, lean shoulders. “It’s my job. I’m a spymaster.”
His frown deepened. “A spymaster?”
“I’m second-in-command at the Tomb of Blood. It’s a vampire colony,” Kara said. “I use my spies to help Aaron maintain power. Knowledge is power.”
“Second-in-command,” he repeated curiously. “What? Like…military?”
“Not exactly,” she said, smiling. “We’re more animalistic than all of that.”
He nodded. “But how does saving my life help Aaron maintain power?”
Her smile faded. “It doesn’t. As a matter of fact, it does the opposite.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then, why did you do it? Because of Rose?”
Kara looked away, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “I’m going to step outside,” she sighed. “Take what you want, but be quick about it.”
Zach watched her leave the room, a curious smile twitching at his lips, as he tried to figure out what the enigmatic vampire felt for his sister. He returned his attention to the cabinet, briefly, and snatched up a few more daggers. He stood and headed toward the door. He hid the daggers and stepped out into the hallway.
Zach noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Kara was waiting for him, leaning against the wall, staring in the opposite direction, almost as if she were keeping watch for him. He smiled, surprised by the strangely considerate action. Not good, exactly. But definitely considerate. “You’re good to her, aren’t you?”
Kara looked at him, her eyebrows lifting. “If you knew anything about me, you’d know,” she said, her lips curving into a wicked smile, “I’m never good.”
He chuckled. He turned toward her and crossed his arms. “Yeah, but…I mean, the way she is when she’s with you,” he paused, frowning as he grasped for words. “She’s comfortable in a way that I haven’t seen her with anyone else.”
Kara tilted her head, squinting curiously at him, as she considered the way he’d said that. “You don’t think she’s comfortable with Kallias?” she asked.
He straightened, surprised by her observation. “That’s not what I said.”
Kara smiled. “A good rogue knows how to read between the lines.”
Zach sighed, “I mean…I haven’t watched them long enough to know what to think, honestly. I think Rose loves him, but…they don’t seem happy.”
“It’s my understanding that they were happy,” Kara said, “not long ago.”
“I guess that makes sense. Rose isn’t one to give up on anyone, no matter how hard things get,” Zach said. “Honestly, he seems like a great guy. He cares about her, for sure. But it seems like he wants to rein Rose in, to control
her, in a sense. And I don’t blame him. She’s a handful. But…Rose can’t be controlled.”
“I think he just worries about her,” Kara admitted, surprising herself by actually defending him. “Fear can bring out the worst in people, and I think he’s let his fear get the best of him. Psychic abilities, like the power that your sister has and the power that he has, have roots in personality. Telepaths are usually smart, influential, and strategic. But they also have a tendency to be controlling. My ex-lover, Alana, took that defect to the extreme. I’m hoping that Kallias doesn’t.”
Zach nodded. “This is all a lot to take in—vampires, psychic abilities…”
“Well,” Kara said with a smile, “you’re handling it all surprisingly well.”
He chuckled. “Well, after five years of prison, I thought I’d seen it all,” he said, shrugging. “I guess I’m just glad to be proven wrong.” His smile faded, after a moment. He sighed, “And I guess I always believed in monsters, anyway.”
Kara looked away, her brows creasing with sympathy. “Yeah.”
“How much has she told you?” Zach asked. “About what happened?”
“Not much,” Kara said. “I try not to ask too much. I don’t want her to feel pressured to relive anything, if she’s not ready. But…I stumbled across some information, and I know more than I should.” She looked at him, and Zach was stunned by the pain and sincerity he saw in her eyes. “I’m sorry. About all of it.”
Zach didn’t know how to react. He barely knew this strange vampire, but there was an understanding in her eyes that he’d never expected to find in anyone, other than Rose. “Well, for the record,” he said, smiling, “I’m rooting for you.”
Kara laughed. “She’s a person, not a competition,” she said with a grin. “A competition—I’d win with no problem. People are a bit more complicated.”
“And Rose is very complicated,” Zach agreed. “She needs someone who can navigate their way through that weird, complicated mind of hers.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Not to mention—someone who can handle that smartass mouth.”
The Assassins of Light Page 29