The Assassins of Light

by Britney Jackson

  “You’re right,” Kara said. “I shouldn’t have told you about the bombs.”

  Rose frowned. “That is not what I said,” she muttered, “at all.”

  “The chances of them bombing this colony are slim,” Kara assured her. “We’re in the wilderness, and there are no airports for miles. It would take them too long to get here, and I would know long before they got close enough to hurt any of us. If they even think about heading this way, my spies will let me know.”

  Rose breathed a small sigh of relief. “What about the other colonies?”

  Kara spun her around again, and Rose smiled, amazed that her ungraceful self had managed to twirl in the snow without falling. But then again, Rose always felt as if she could do anything when she was in Kara’s arms. It was just an effect that Kara had on people. It wasn’t enough that Kara was strong and confident herself. She empowered others, as well—generously showering compliments and reminding people of their own inner strength. As Rose stared up into Kara’s light blue eyes, lost in thought, she felt her lips curving into a soft, affectionate smile.

  “I envy Alana and Kallias,” Kara said suddenly, watching the beautiful curve of Rose’s lips, “because I’d love to know what you’re thinking right now.”

  Rose blushed. “I’m glad that you don’t. It’s embarrassingly sappy.”

  Kara smiled at that. Her hands dropped dangerously low, a wicked gleam in her icy blue eyes, as she held Rose close. Her hips moved fluidly and sensually against Rose’s, as they danced beneath the cloud-covered, purplish-black sky.

  “You never answered me,” Rose said. “Are the other colonies safe?”

  Kara sighed, “I was hoping you’d forgotten the question.” She offered Rose an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid the odds aren’t as good for them.”

  Rose frowned. “Then, we have to warn them. They need to know, Kara.”

  “I sent word to the Tomb of Blood,” Kara said, her expression twisting with worry. “I told them to evacuate, but I didn’t tell them why.” She shook her head sadly. “You have to understand…we’re on the brink of war with the entire human race. None of us want that. If word gets out that the Assassins of Light are planning to bomb vampire colonies, vampires will attack humans openly.”

  Rose sucked in a harsh breath. “Peace wouldn’t be an option after that.”

  “Exactly,” Kara said. “So, this needs to stay between you and me, okay?”

  Rose nodded. “Of course. But…isn’t there anything else we can do?”

  “We can keep trying to stop the war…until they attack another colony,” Kara said, “because once they drop the next bomb, we will officially be at war.”

  Rose chewed on her lip. “Are Kallias and my friends in any danger?”

  “No,” Kara assured her. “They’re in a home in the middle of New York City. The Assassins of Light would never kill that many civilians, just for one or two vampires. Not because they have a rational sense of morality or anything. But simply because they wouldn’t be able to justify that choice to the general public.”

  Rose nodded. “I just,” she trailed off, an anguished sigh escaping her lips, “I don’t think I can just sit here and do nothing while a colony gets bombed.”

  “Of course you can’t,” Kara murmured understandingly. “We’re not doing nothing. We’re going to keep trying to stop the war. Even if we could warn the other colonies, the message wouldn’t get there in time. Most of them have disposed of all traceable devices. The messages would have to be taken on foot.”

  “But now that we’re united,” Rose asked, “we’re going to stop the war?”

  “We’re going to do everything in our power,” Kara stated confidently.

  27

  Bad Intentions

  Kara stared at the phone in her hand, her brows creasing with concern, as she read the message. “I’m sorry, love,” she sighed, her icy blue gaze shifting up toward Rose. “I have to take this call. Privately. Will you be all right out here?”

  Rose glanced around at all of the unfamiliar vampires that were dancing in the snow and huddling around fires for warmth. “Yeah,” she mumbled, looking back at Kara. She crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders forward, as she tried to keep warm. She missed the warmth of Kara’s body against hers. In more ways than one. “Is it about…what you told me? Oh, I guess I shouldn’t ask that.”

  Kara smiled warmly. “You can ask whatever you want, sexy,” she said. Her voice sounded light but sultry, somehow flirty and affectionate, all at once. “But…I might not answer.” Her smile faded. “I’m sorry. It’s just part of my job.”

  Rose nodded, feeling a twinge of disappointment in her gut. “It’s fine.”

  Kara lifted an eyebrow, as if she didn’t believe it. “I’ll…apologize later.”

  Rose didn’t react to that, as Kara turned to head back toward the colony’s entrance, but then, she suddenly remembered how Kara had apologized last time.

  Kara must have felt her surprise because she suddenly spun back toward Rose, walking backward through the deep snow, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Her lips tilted into that sideways, mischievous smirk, and she winked.

  Despite the brutal, arctic weather, Rose’s face couldn’t have felt hotter.

  The sound of a soft laugh of someone nearby caught her attention. Rose turned around, watching as a woman tilted her head back, her wavy, brown hair cascading down her back, as she stared at the sky. She still had her arms looped around a man’s neck, slow-dancing with him, but they both stared up at the sky.

  Rose followed their gazes, unable to hold in her gasp of awe, as she saw the curtains of purple and green light that weaved and danced through the sky.

  She noticed the sound of snow crunching beneath someone’s feet, and then, as that someone neared her, the scent of sandalwood and jasmine filled her senses. But she couldn’t bring herself to tear her gaze from the aurora borealis, fascination burning in her bright blue eyes, as she watched the dance of lights.

  The crunch of footsteps stopped. “You must not see them often.”

  Rose straightened at the sound of that voice—that dark, womanly voice. It was an instinctual reaction to a voice like that—a voice that seemed to demand attention and respect. She pulled her gaze away from the sky, finally, and glanced at the vampire beside her. The tall, regal vampire stood a few feet from her. She watched the sky, the lights dancing across her dark skin, reflecting off of her raven hair. “Talulah,” Rose mumbled, mostly to herself. “Do you need something?”

  Talulah’s deep, black gaze shifted toward Rose, her eyebrows lifting, as she noticed Rose’s nervousness. “I should be asking you that. This is my colony, after all. You’re a guest here.” She smiled. “I want to make your stay pleasurable.”

  Rose blinked. “Uh…that’s nice of you, but I’m really not hard to please.”

  That seemed to amuse Talulah. “You seem fascinated by the Lights.”

  “Yeah,” Rose said. “I’m from the Southern U.S. We don’t see them.”

  Talulah nodded. She tilted her head back, returning her gaze to the sky, her long, black braids falling down her back—so long that they brushed against the curve of her lower back, nearly reaching her waist. A reminiscent smile pulled at the edges of her lips, and that smile made her look hundreds of years younger. Not that she looked old, as it was. Physically, she looked like a woman in her late twenties or early thirties, but her true age was in the shrewdness of her black eyes, the hard set of her jaw, the stiffness of her shoulders. “My people believed that the Northern Lights were spirits,” she told Rose. “The dead. Dancing in the sky.”

  “Who were your people?” Rose asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Ah,” Talulah sighed, “I’ve had so many homes, and I’ve known so many people. I even ruled some of them. But…originally, when I was young, the Inuit.”

  “Really?” Rose said with a bright, sincere smile. “That’s so fascinating.”

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nbsp; Talulah glanced at Rose, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. “You think so?

  Rose shrugged shyly. “I study history. Or I did. When I was human,” she paused, her smile slipping, just for a moment. But then, it returned to her face, and she shifted her bright blue gaze toward Talulah. “I love learning about the past. The framework of who we are. The fruit of our good choices. The ghosts of our bad ones. It’s such a surreal subject. I used to travel across the world on study trips, just to see an artifact that survived time, that connects us to the past. And now, I’m a vampire, and I’m meeting actual people who survived…history.”

  Talulah watched her with a smile. “I see why Kara likes you so much.”

  Rose frowned, confused by the vague comment. “What do you mean?”

  Two thin, black braids fell over Talulah’s shoulders as she tilted her head, gazing thoughtfully at a distant fire. “Have you ever looked into a fire? It’s strange what happens. You don’t intend to get caught in its mesmerizing dance, but you do. You find yourself unable to tear your gaze away. You can’t help but watch the way it shifts and dances, casting light and shadows, at once, creating warmth and destruction simultaneously. And you realize…the reason it captivates you the way it does is that…it seems as if it’s alive. More alive than you ever have been.”

  “I mean, technically, it’s not alive,” Rose said with a cute smile, “at all.”

  Talulah ignored her teasing remark. “You’re like that,” she said, her deep, black eyes suddenly shifting toward Rose. “You’re like the fire. Captivating and alive. You speak with passion. It moves in your eyes. It’s fascinating. And rare.”

  The humor in Rose’s expression faded away, as she stared at the vampire beside her, stunned by her words. “Umm…thank you,” she mumbled, “I think.”

  Talulah smiled. “It was a compliment, if that’s what you’re unsure of.”

  Rose swallowed uneasily and nodded. “You’re much nicer than Aaron.”

  Talulah tilted her head back and laughed. It was a warm, gravelly laugh that sounded pleasant in Rose’s ears. “Is there anyone who isn’t nicer than Aaron?”

  Rose laughed, too. “My boyfriend could give him a run for his money.”

  Talulah watched Rose curiously. “You have a boyfriend and a girlfriend?”

  “Ah,” Rose said, her chest tightening. “No. He’s my ex-boyfriend now, actually.” Sadness poured over her, weighing her down. “It ended…recently.”

  Talulah nodded. “Because of Kara?” she asked, as if she already knew.

  Rose frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t think so,” she said quietly. “I fell in love with her while I was with him, but…I think I lost him months before that.”

  She felt Talulah’s dark, inquisitive gaze on her skin, but she kept her gaze on the white, endless blanket of snow that stretched before her, unable to make eye contact with another person while she hurt so deeply. Talulah waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, Talulah prodded, “Why do you think that?”

  “Long story,” Rose sighed. The words that Alana had spoken to her once replayed in her head: Your choices have consequences, Rose. “I made a choice. I believed it was the right thing to do. I still do. But he never forgave me for that choice.”

  Talulah sighed, “Then, I guess you’re right. He doesn’t sound very nice.”

  “Deep down, he’s kind,” Rose said. “Kinder than Aaron could ever hope to be. But you have to look past the things he says, the façade he uses to protect himself. He may not always be the nicest guy, but he’s definitely a good one.”

  “In that case,” Talulah said, “you were probably safer with him than Kara.”

  Rose frowned at that. “I’m starting to get the feeling that you didn’t come over here just to talk about the Northern Lights,” she muttered under her breath.

  Talulah moved closer to Rose—close enough that the warmth of her tall, curvy body alleviated a bit of the cold seeping into Rose’s skin. Rose watched the intimidating vampire warily as she leaned toward Rose, one of the long braids in her hair brushing Rose’s arm. “I don’t mean to speak ill of your lover,” she began.

  “Then, you probably shouldn’t say what you’re about to say,” Rose said.

  Talulah continued, “But I’ve known her for hundreds of years. And she’s an amazing asset—with her unique skills and influence—but I’d never trust her.”

  Rose scanned the crowd of vampires, looking for Elise or Tom or Erik or…literally anyone who could save her from this deceptively polite interrogation.

  “The truth is,” Talulah said, “the only thing constant about Kara is that she always has bad intentions.” She tore her gaze from the sky, finally, and looked at Rose, her eyes blacker than the sky. “Is that who you’d trust with your life?”

  “No,” Rose said, “but the Kara I know is more than who you say she is.”

  “You know as well as I do,” Talulah said, “that after this is over, as soon as Aaron no longer needs you, he’ll command her to kill you. She’s a warrior, Rose. Where do you think her loyalty lies? With her commander? Or her lover?”

  “I really want to like you,” Rose sighed, “but I’m not a big fan of being manipulated.” She smiled bitterly. “I got my lifetime supply of that from Alana.”

  “I can assure you that those are not my intentions,” Talulah told her. She sounded sincere, but Rose remained wary. “I just want you to think about this.” She leaned in closer, so she could whisper, “I can offer you protection. From her and Aaron. If the need arises. All you have to do is…tell me what Kara is hiding.”

  Rose spotted Elise—or the yellow-blonde curls that cascaded down her back, at least—and she sighed in relief at the perfect timing. “Sorry,” she yelled over her shoulder, as she ran away. “I have to talk to Elise! About the…cat.”

  Talulah frowned. “Cat?” she repeated bewilderedly. “What cat?”

  —

  When Elise felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, she spun around, her lips curving into a surprised smile as she saw Rose behind her. “Oh, hey, Rose,” she said, lifting a glass of blood-spiked wine to her lips. “Do you need something?”

  Rose glanced over her shoulder, swallowing, as she noticed Talulah, still there, watching her with narrowed, black eyes. “Yes, actually,” she mumbled, spinning back toward Elise with a worried look. “Can you pretend to talk to me?”

  An amused smile pulled at the corners of her lips. “I can do better than that,” she laughed. “I can actually talk to you. I’m doing that already, aren’t I?”

  Rose nodded, too nervous to think about how awkward she must have sounded. “I might have used you as an excuse to run away from a conversation.”

  Elise giggled, “Use me all you want, cutie.” When Rose squinted a little at that, Elise gave her a playful wink. Elise took another sip of her drink, making eye contact with Talulah over the top of her glass. “Let me guess,” she murmured, lowering her glass. “The person you ran away from—it was Talulah, wasn’t it?”

  Rose stared at her warily. “She wants to know if Kara is hiding anything.”

  Elise let out a short, knowing laugh. “Kara’s always hiding something.”

  Rose nodded. “And I’m a terrible liar,” she muttered. “I figured running away would be less suspicious than one of my lies. In hindsight, I’m not so sure.”

  Elise just smiled. “So, what are you and I supposed to be talking about?”

  Rose winced. “Umm,” she began hesitantly, her eyebrows lifting, “a cat?”

  Elise burst into laughter, nearly spitting out her wine. “A cat? What cat?”

  Rose blushed. “I don’t know. I said the first thing that came to my mind.”

  Elise giggled and ran her fingertip over her lips, wiping away a drop of red liquid that had leaked from one corner of her lips while she laughed. She lifted her eyebrows at Rose. “Clearly, Kara hasn’t instructed you on how to lie yet.”

  “Well, I mean,” Rose said, looking away,
“we have been pretty busy.”

  Elise’s eyebrows arched even higher. “I bet you have,” she said playfully.

  Rose’s cheeks reddened. “That’s not what I meant,” she mumbled.

  Elise’s blue-gray eyes practically glowed with amusement. She stepped closer to Rose and whispered, “Ooh! Has she done that thing yet? With her…”

  “I’d really prefer not to talk about this,” Rose interrupted, her eyes wide.

  But Elise acted as if that were some kind of code, rather than an actual declaration. “Ooh, do you want me to give you advice? I know what she likes.”

  Rose blinked in shock. “Umm, no, thanks,” she said slowly. “I’m good.”

  “I bet you are,” Elise said with a sly smile. “The shy girls are always good.”

  Rose’s brows furrowed. “That’s such an odd generalization to make.”

  “She’s been smiling so much lately,” Elise continued shamelessly, clearly undeterred by Rose’s reddened face. “You must have given her a lot of orgasms.”

  Rose’s face was practically its own source of heat, by now. “Define a lot.”

  Elise widened her eyes playfully. “That many, huh? I’m almost jealous.”

  “This conversation is not going as planned,” Rose mumbled to herself.

  Elise laughed, obviously enjoying Rose’s misery. The music changed, and a slower, sexier song began to play. “Ooh, I like this one,” she said, straightening. She looked at Rose, a smile curving at her lips. “Rose, you must dance with me.”

  “No, I must not dance,” Rose said, her eyes wide. “I don’t dance. Ever.”

  “You danced earlier,” Elise pointed out, “with Kara. It was very sexy.”

  Rose felt herself blush. Again. “You saw me dancing with Kara?”

  “Everyone saw you, darling,” Elise laughed. “You’re gorgeous together.”

  “Oh. Umm, thanks,” Rose said with a shy smile. “But the dancing was a one-time thing. Kara coerced me. Basically. Dancing goes against my…beliefs.”