The Assassins of Light

by Britney Jackson

  Rose looked up at Kara, sympathy burning in her bright blue eyes.

  “But my job was too important to me,” Kara growled softly, her fingers twitching around Rose’s, as if she were in physical pain, rather than just emotional pain. Self-loathing twisted at her beautiful features. “Or maybe it was my pride. I couldn’t…fail. And when she came to me and told me that she was pregnant with the king’s child, I saw my way out.” Her entire body trembled at the memory. “I betrayed her. She trusted me, and I…I used her to escape. I had created a knife, using fallen stone and a few things that I had stolen from the guards. And I placed it against her throat. I took her as a hostage. I knew that they would never let her die, not when she was pregnant with a possible heir to the throne. I used her to take over her kingdom, to open the gates for the rest of the warriors to come in and raid their belongings and kill their men. But…I never meant her any harm.”

  Rose raised up, her brows furrowing, as she watched Kara hunch over and begin to cry. It was so strange to see such a tough, powerful person in such a vulnerable state. She reached out and pulled Kara into her arms, holding Kara tightly, as Kara lay her head on Rose’s shoulder and cried. “What happened?”

  “I left her with my father,” Kara said, a sob catching in her throat. “He needed me to join the others in battle. I thought she’d be fine. I swear. I never expected them to kill her. We didn’t kill women. Most women weren’t trained in combat, so they weren’t a threat. They wouldn’t retaliate without their soldiers.”

  “Oh, no,” Rose whispered as she began to realize what had happened. She locked her arms around Kara’s lower back, holding her as close as possible.

  “But she was pregnant with a possible heir,” Kara said, her voice shaking. “In their eyes, a possible heir meant that the people might retaliate in the future. They would have a leader, a leader who would likely want vengeance. I should’ve known they’d see it that way. I should have thought about it. They wouldn’t have even known, if it weren’t for me. I betrayed her, and in doing so, I killed her.”

  “You didn’t know,” Rose murmured in her ear, her voice as warm and soothing as ever. “You made a mistake, but you can’t punish yourself forever.”

  Kara straightened, her light blue eyes wide. “How are you still like this?” she asked weakly, tears still streaming down her face. “You’re being so kind to me, still. Your voice is so…affectionate and compassionate. Didn’t you hear what I said? Don’t you understand how terrible it was? I betrayed the woman I loved.”

  “I understand,” Rose said sympathetically. “But you clearly felt remorse.”

  “Of course I did,” Kara said, looking away. “I never meant to hurt her. I suppose I knew, though, that it would ruin our relationship. But…I didn’t think anything would happen to her. I would have never done it, if I had known…”

  “Then, you have to forgive yourself,” Rose said. She cradled Kara’s tear-soaked face in her hands, lifting Kara’s face until she could meet her gaze. “You have held on to this for fourteen hundred years, Kara. Don’t you think you’ve suffered enough? You made a mistake, but one mistake doesn’t make you evil.”

  “Don’t be so naïve,” Kara said. “That wasn’t the last terrible thing I did.”

  “I still believe in you, Kara,” Rose stated confidently. She ran her thumbs over Kara’s face, wiping away the tears. “My feelings for you…haven’t changed.”

  For a moment, Kara just stared at her, confusion twisting at her brows, her icy blue eyes wider than Rose had ever seen them, but then, a soft breath fell from Kara’s lips. And she leaned forward, as if pulled by an irresistible force, and she lifted her hands to touch Rose’s face. Her fingers moved so lightly over Rose’s jaw that she trembled at the sensation. And then, Kara’s soft, warm lips met hers.

  Usually, their kisses were all fire and heat, but not this one. This one felt more like water—fluid and powerful, drowning them in a tsunami of emotion.

  As Kara kissed her, slowly and deeply, Rose felt the warm, wet tears on Kara’s face. She couldn’t have resisted this kiss, even if she’d wanted to. Not now. Not when she felt such a deep need to soothe Kara’s pain. Kara’s tongue moved gently against hers, coaxing a soft moan from her lips. It reminded her of the kiss they’d shared after Alana died—so full of emotion that her own eyes stung with tears, that the emotion seemed to bubble up in her throat, spilling out in a sob.

  “Oh, Rose,” Kara murmured against her lips. She ran her fingers through Rose’s thick, auburn hair. “I…” she trailed off, too afraid to finish that sentence.

  Too afraid to admit…that she was deeply, hopelessly in love with Rose.

  The sound of someone knocking on a door startled Rose. But it didn’t sound like Kara’s door. It sounded further down the hall. Kallias’s door, maybe?

  “Rose?” said a familiar voice. “Are you in there? I need to talk to you.”

  “It’s Audrey,” Rose told Kara. She longed to stay here, beside Kara, but Audrey knocked again. She reluctantly climbed out of bed. “She must think I’m in Kallias’s room. She knows where I sleep.” She paused at the edge of the bed.

  Kara just nodded. “I’ll see you later, sexy,” she murmured.

  —

  Rose stepped out of the room, frowning as she found Audrey in front of Kallias’s room, waiting for her. Audrey wore a white shirt with spaghetti straps and those short, blue, penguin-covered shorts that she usually wore to bed. Rose wondered what time it was, realizing that clearly, it must’ve been late. She tapped Audrey on the shoulder, stepping back when Audrey jumped, obviously startled.

  Audrey covered her chest with her hand, her golden brown eyes wide, as she stared at Rose. “Where the hell did you come from? Dang sneaky vampire!”

  Rose offered her an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” she laughed, amused by the murderous glare that Audrey was giving her.

  “Yeah, you sound sorry,” Audrey muttered. She ran her hand through her messy brown hair. “There’s something I need to ask you. Something very private.”

  Rose frowned. She glanced behind her, down the hallway, to make sure no one else was there, but based on the commotion she heard coming from the floor below, she figured it was safe to assume that all of the vampires were still in the living room. She returned her gaze to Audrey. “You can ask me anything.”

  Audrey twirled a strand of frizzy brown hair around her finger. “Umm, okay. Here it goes,” she said with a grimace. “Do you have a pregnancy test?”

  Rose blinked. “Uh…a pregnancy test?” she repeated. Audrey shushed her, so she stepped closer and lowered her voice. “You think you’re pregnant?”

  “No!” Audrey hissed. But then, she winced. “Maybe? I don’t know?”

  Rose lifted her eyebrows. “You know that vampires are sterile, right?”

  A puzzled frown twisted at Audrey’s face. “What does that mean?”

  “We can’t have kids,” Rose said. “Our reproductive systems don’t work.”

  Audrey just stared at her, as if she couldn’t believe that. “Why not?”

  “I don’t know,” Rose said, shrugging. “I suppose…because we died. It’s possible that death sterilizes us. We’re not human. Our bodies have changed.”

  “Ah,” Audrey said with a frown. “That sucks. Don’t you want a family?”

  “I didn’t want to die,” Rose said, “but it happened anyway. Now, I think I just have to accept what is. Besides, there are many different kinds of families.”

  “Huh,” Audrey muttered, nodding. “Why are you telling me this again?”

  “I was letting you know that Erik can’t…” Rose trailed off meaningfully.

  Audrey’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, you think I’m worried about Erik? No, no, that’s not…” She shook her head. “Uhh, so, do you remember that party we went to a couple of weeks ago? Where I may or may not have had emotional, unplanned sex with Levi?” She winced in anticipation of Rose’s r
eaction.

  “Levi? The guy who’s in love with you?” Rose said, her brows creasing with concern. When Audrey nodded, Rose sighed, “You didn’t use protection?”

  Audrey shrugged regretfully. “It’s Levi. He’s only ever had sex with me.”

  “Yeah,” Rose muttered, “because he’s head-over-heels in love with you.”

  Audrey scowled at her. “Okay, Rose-who-has-feelings-for-two-different-people,” she said dryly, “you really don’t have room to lecture me right now.”

  Rose nodded. “Yeah. You have a point,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “He didn’t have a condom, and we never use them anyway…because it’s just us,” Audrey muttered, “and…you know me. I’m irresponsible. I can’t be left alone. And…I also may have forgotten to take my birth control…for a month.”

  Rose frowned. “A month? How do you forget something for a month?”

  Audrey scowled at her. “You always remind me when I need a refill, but you left to go play save-the-world with Kallias,” she complained, waving her hands.

  “When it’s empty, you need a refill,” Rose said. “It’s not that difficult.”

  Audrey narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a pregnancy test or not?”

  “I don’t have sex, usually, so…” Rose trailed off, shrugging. “Besides, like I said, I’m a vampire. We don’t…” She frowned worriedly. “Are you late?”

  Audrey rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m late. Why else would I be asking?”

  Rose nodded. She stared at the gray, stone wall, noticing the various sizes and shapes of the stones, as she considered the problem. “You could talk to Erik or Kallias and ask if someone less…fragile…than a human could run to the store.”

  “No,” Audrey said quickly. “I’m not telling anyone about this. I only told you because I had to ask someone, and…we tell each other everything. Or, well, we did. Before. Vampire or not, you’re the only person I trust with stuff like this.”

  Rose smiled, relieved to know that Audrey still trusted her. “Okay.”

  A door creaked open, suddenly, and they both turned to watch as Kara stepped out of the room. She leaned against the wall beside them, crossing her arms across her chest, causing her black shirt to cling tighter to her lean muscles.

  “Sorry,” she said with a guilty smile. “I overheard. But I think I can help.”

  Audrey glared at the enigmatic vampire. “You were eavesdropping?”

  “Not intentionally,” Kara assured her, “and I won’t repeat a word of it.”

  “Our senses are so hyper-sensitive that voices in the hall can sound just as loud as they would if they were inside the room,” Rose explained to Audrey, “especially when it’s quiet in the room. If there’s something else to distract us, it’s easier to tune it out, but Kara was alone in her room. I’m sure it was an accident.”

  “It was. Of course,” Kara said. She tilted her head to the side, her dark hair falling over her shoulder, as she studied Audrey. Her icy blue eyes lacked that mischievous gleam that they usually had, and Rose couldn’t help but notice how strange it was to see them so full of seriousness. Kara’s piercing, blue gaze shifted down to Audrey’s stomach. “How long has it been since you had sex with a man?”

  Audrey blinked. “Wow. Nosy question. And…I only have sex with men.”

  Kara laughed. “Yes, I can tell you’re straight. You’d be fawning over me, if you weren’t,” she said as that flirty smirk tilted at her lips again. “What I should have asked, I suppose, is: How long has it been since you had sex with a human?”

  “Ah,” Audrey said, frowning. “Two weeks? Give or take a few days.”

  Kara nodded. “Then, it’s too early to tell,” she said under her breath.

  Rose turned to look at her. “What do you mean?” she asked curiously.

  Kara waved her hand toward Audrey’s stomach. “In a few weeks, if she’s pregnant, we’ll be able to hear an extra heartbeat. But right now, it’s too early.”

  Audrey scowled at that. “Hear it with what?” she asked incredulously.

  “With our noses,” Rose said sarcastically. “We’d hear it with our noses.”

  Audrey turned to glare at Rose. “Sometimes, I hate you,” she grumbled.

  Kara watched them with a smile. “Those hypersensitive senses that Rose told you about,” she told Audrey, “they’re especially attuned to the heartbeat and bloodstream. So, yes, even when a baby is still in the womb, we can hear its pulse.”

  “You know this from experience?” Audrey said. “You’ve tried it before?”

  “Not intentionally,” Kara said. “But yes, I have been with women before who were pregnant but not far enough along to know. And I heard the heartbeat.”

  “That’s…weird,” Audrey mumbled. “So, what if I don’t want to wait a few weeks for you to do your creepy hearing thing? What if I want to know now?”

  Kara watched the worry that flashed in Rose’s bright blue eyes. She tilted her head back against the wall, her light blue gaze shifting back toward Audrey. “You can’t leave the house. But tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you.”

  Rose glanced curiously at her. “You’re sneaking out of the house again?”

  Kara smiled. “Would you sneak out with me again, if I were?”

  “I don’t know,” Rose said. “Maybe. I’d worry about you. I know that.”

  Kara’s smile deepened, and her intense, blue eyes burned with affection.

  Audrey shifted her gaze from Rose to Kara and then back to Rose again. Her eyebrows lifted. “You call this ‘not a relationship?’” she whispered to Rose.

  Rose straightened, blushing. “I’m with Kallias,” she told Audrey.

  Audrey laughed, as if that meant absolutely nothing to her. “Anyway,” she said, looking at Kara, “I need a pregnancy test. Can you get that for me?”

  Kara nodded and pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her leather pants. She typed something into the phone. “I’ll ask someone to deliver it to me, tomorrow night, in an inconspicuous box, and then, I’ll bring it directly to you.”

  Audrey blinked. “Umm…wow. That’s perfect. Do you need money?”

  Kara grinned wickedly. “I run a network of spies. I never need money.”

  Audrey shot a questioning look at Rose. “So, you grow up in a family full of felons, become a vampire, and decide to date the woman who runs the mafia?”

  “She doesn’t run the mafia,” Rose said, “just…a network of spies.” She winced. “Which, now that I’ve said it, I realize, that doesn’t sound much better.”

  “I did date a woman in the mafia once,” Kara muttered. “It didn’t work out.” She smiled when she saw their expectant looks. “Clashing personalities.”

  Audrey looked at Rose. “I am actually impressed by your ability to date people who are not as boring as you,” she said, smiling, as if she’d just given Rose the nicest compliment ever. She stepped away from them. “I’m going back to bed because it’s an ungodly hour, and Erik will probably wake me up soon for sex.”

  Rose wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Eww.”

  “Thank you,” Audrey said to Kara, “and…please, don’t tell anyone.”

  Kara nodded. “I am an excellent secret-keeper, I assure you.”

  Audrey waved tiredly at them and headed back toward her bedroom.

  Rose laughed and rolled her eyes. “She still thinks we’re dating,” she told Kara, after Audrey returned to her room. With her attention on Audrey, Rose hadn’t noticed that Kara had stepped away from the wall, that she’d taken a step toward her, but she noticed now, as the scent of leather and violets filled her senses. She looked at Kara, her heart racing, her blood reacting to their closeness.

  “I wish we were,” Kara said softly. Her piercing, blue eyes darkened with desire. She took Rose’s hand with her own, her fingertips warm and soft against Rose’s skin, and she lifted Rose’s hand to her mouth, placing a soft, affectionate kiss on the back of Rose’s
hand. Rose shuddered at the softness of Kara’s lips, at the way her blood reacted to Kara’s touch. “I’d take you to see beautiful things—things that would make those gorgeous eyes of yours light up with curiosity and awe,” Kara murmured. She stepped closer and slid her arm around Rose’s waist, pulling Rose’s body against hers, smiling as Rose gasped. She tilted her face closer to Rose, until their lips almost touched. “We’d kiss afterward, and I’d make you want me. Again and again.” She released Rose, suddenly, smiling wickedly at her.

  Rose stared at Kara, puzzled by what had just happened, breathless from the longing that pulsed through every part of her body. “What did you just do?”

  Kara’s smile widened. “I made you want me,” she answered, “didn’t I?”

  Rose blushed. “Only like,” she said, trying to think of a lie, “a lot.”

  Kara laughed softly, “But you’ll still turn me down, won’t you?”

  Rose shrugged sadly. “You know I can’t hurt him,” she breathed. “Even if he’s acting like a total jerk right now. I can glare very angrily at him, though.”

  Kara chuckled. “Just make sure you’re not melting his insides with that glare,” she teased with a wry smile, “like you did to Osiris. That might get messy.”

  Rose frowned. “I…melted Osiris’s insides? That’s a little…gruesome.”

  Kara’s brows creased with concern. “You mean you don’t remember?”

  Rose shook her head. “I can’t remember much about it at all, actually.”

  “Does that usually happen,” Kara asked, “when your eyes change?”

  “Not exactly,” Rose said as she considered it. “I mean, it’s usually kind of fuzzy. It’s like I’m all emotion, and the power just…fills up every part of me and explodes outward. So, it’s hard to pinpoint when and why I decided to do things. But…I do usually remember it, if I think about it long enough. But with Osiris, it’s different. It’s like I disappeared for a moment. It’s like I…fell.” She shivered as the memory of her nightmare flashed through her mind: falling into Darkness. She looked up at Kara, her brows furrowing. “What does that mean?”