Maybe staying behind wasn't the worst thing ever.
It was only a few hours later, after she had cleaned up, gazed at the sunset, watched oodles of television and ordered room service that she realized waiting sort of stunk. She wasn't worried per se, mostly just impatient, but it was a relief when the knob turned fifteen minutes before midnight and Tristan walked through the door.
"Hey!" She sat up from her spot on one of the beds to give him a hug.
"You look comfy," he said with a laugh. Kira looked at her outfit—plush robe, hotel slippers, and her favorite pair of fuzzy socks. Sexy lingerie, Kira thought wistfully, why don't I own any sexy lingerie?
"Oh, yeah. Well, you know," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, how was your day?"
He ran a hand through his silky black hair. "You know what?" he said, meeting her eyes quickly. "Let's get out of here. Let's do something fun and let all of this go for a night. Luke will want to hear about everything I learned anyway. Let's just leave that for tomorrow."
He grabbed Kira's hands, and she felt giddy from his energy. His blue eyes flashed with excitement.
"Let's do it!" she said and retreated into the room to change into jeans and a blouse. Tristan, she had noticed when he walked in, wore a crisp white button-down, something she was sure he had borrowed from the head vampire.
When they walked out of the hotel, Kira secretly wished the annoying concierge woman was there to drool over Tristan and feel immensely jealous of Kira. But she unfortunately wasn't.
Instead, Kira walked hand in hand with Tristan toward the harbor, which was still perfectly amazing to her.
The night sky was full of stars that twinkled in the soft waves lapping against the harbor walls. The sound lulled Kira to a peaceful place, and her heart beat slowed to the soothing pace.
Tristan watched her as she stared out at the water, as far down the harbor as she could.
"Come on," he said, pulling her hand, "follow me."
Kira walked with him around the bend, ignoring a sleeping homeless man who was sort of ruining the mood. Instead, she looked at the moonlight on Tristan's face, how it glistened in the dark circles of his pupils, all the while casting an incandescent glow on his pearly skin.
They stopped outside of a latched gate that led down a short dock toward bicycle boats. Tristan dropped Kira's hand to grasp the lock.
"Tristan!" she whispered harshly, looking around for anyone who might see them. "What are you doing?"
"We're just going to borrow a boat. No one will even notice," he said sneakily while crushing the lock open.
She followed him down the pontoon dock, her adrenaline pumping with a mix of nerves and excitement.
"Your chariot, my lady," he said while arching his arm over to one of the paddleboats. Kira laughed at the grand gesture but took the hand he offered to help her into the boat. She sat down, placing her feet on the two pedals and waited while he untied it.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?"
"We'll be fine. Have I ever been caught?" He didn't wait for her answer. "Nope. Not when I snuck you into the church or to the Angel Oak that one night this past spring. Or what about when I took you to the aquarium after hours—how much creepier was the shark tank at night when no one else was around?"
"Yeah, okay." Kira eased back into the seat, relaxing. He was right. No matter how many crazy things they did, he never got in trouble.
Tristan jumped into his seat and pushed off the dock with his foot, grabbing Kira's hand in the process.
They pedaled out toward the center of the water, enjoying the silence. After a while, Kira stopped moving and leaned over to put her head on Tristan's shoulder. He stopped too, releasing her hand to put his arm around her.
She looked up at the scene above her. No tall buildings or glaring streetlights blocked her view of the endless glowing specks spattered across the sky—some larger, some brighter, and some nothing but dusty glitter.
Normally, people looked up at the vast space and felt small, nearly insignificant. With so many endless possibilities, how could one person's life be so important? But Kira saw something else.
"What are you thinking?" Tristan asked softly into her ear.
"I'm thinking of the stars and how much they scare me sometimes."
"Scare you?" he asked with a hint of surprise in his words.
"So many planets are just floating around in space with no purpose, completely devoid of life. It scares me. The earth is one in a billion, one in a trillion, and I don't want to screw it up." She shook her head. "But that's so stupid, isn't it?"
"Not at all," he said, hugging her a little closer. "But you have nothing to be afraid of."
"Don't I?" she asked, staring up at him and then down at her palms, so small and dainty yet powerful at the same time.
"You know, I tried to draw the night sky once," he said and hugged her closer to his body. "It was a long time ago, right after I'd seen Van Gogh's Starry Night for the first time. But I found that it was too difficult. Something about that endless darkness, sprinkled with light but still the blackest black you'll ever know, is too emotional. You have to look inside yourself to paint something that raw, and I've always been too afraid to actually do it."
"You, afraid?" Kira laughed at that. He was always the first one to step into a fight.
"It's easy to draw other people and look inside of their heads to come up with a secretive expression or an open smile, but it's another thing entirely to look at the truths in your own heart." He kissed her on the forehead. "And that's okay, Kira. I promise."
"Eventually, I'll have to face it though."
"Yeah," he said, "but eventually is not tonight."
Kira reached up and pulled him into a long kiss. One that only ended when a beam of light landed on their faces and a voice shouted. "Hey, you!"
Kira jerked back and covered her eyes from the unbearably bright whiteness.
"What do we do?" She punched Tristan on the shoulder. "You said we wouldn't get caught!"
He grinned down at her. "I've been known to be wrong on occasion. Rare, but it happens."
"Pedal!" She wanted to scream but whispered as if it would keep them hidden for a moment longer.
"Relax, do you see that guy? He's not even a real cop, just harbor police. And, I think he's had one too many donuts if you know what I mean."
Kira rolled her eyes and kept pedaling. They skipped the dock since the cop was standing right there and pedaled toward their hotel instead.
"Stop!" the man yelled at them.
They slowed when the harbor wall neared, and Tristan jumped three feet high to land solidly on the brick path. Kira reached her hands up, and he easily pulled her free of the boat, which was carried away from them by the waves.
She put her arms around his shoulders and let Tristan carry her piggyback-style toward their hotel. They made it through the lobby doors, into the elevator, and into their room before Kira erupted into giggles.
"Did you see his face when you lifted me out of the water?" she asked Tristan, who imitated the wide-eyed shocked look of the cop, causing another fit of laughs.
They stumbled together back into the room, and Kira noticed Luke on one of the beds. He was sprawled out and belly-down with his face planted firmly against the pillow.
Quieting down, Kira pulled off her jeans and slipped back into the shorts she had been wearing earlier. Tristan beckoned her to the bed where he was already stretched out and she crawled in next to him, curving her body to fit against his.
Kira grabbed his hand and drew his arm across her stomach, letting him cradle her. She fell asleep peacefully, listening to the sound of his breath in her ear.
Chapter Eleven
Kira wanted to puke. Wait, her sleepy mind asked, do I want to puke or do I need to puke?
Her eyes weren't even open yet. All she knew was that Tristan still held her in his arms, she was still in bed, she could feel his breath a tantalizing millimeter from the back of her
neck, and she wanted to vomit.
Kira stirred, moving her muscles and waking Tristan in the process. He kissed the soft spot under her ear and whispered, "Good morning," just loud enough for her to hear. Instinctively, Kira smiled and rolled over to look into his clear blue eyes.
"Morning," she said, still half-asleep.
Her gag reflex grew stronger. She wanted to smile and continue dozing in the peaceful confusion of waking up, but her stomach recoiled. Kira sat up and held her head. What was going on?
Tristan looked at her, concerned. She slipped her feet over the edge of the bed to put her head between her knees, but halfway bent over, she caught Luke's eyes—Luke's fuming eyes—and everything became clear.
"Luke!" She wanted to scream but it came out as more of a painful groan as the vomit feeling started anew—at the exact moment Tristan's arm rested on her shoulders.
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Tristan asked Luke, confused.
"Not a clue," Luke replied, but Kira heard the overly cheerful tone in his voice. She glared at him and tried to separate the gagging sensations in her mind from her bodily responses. Reading his mind could affect her physically now? This was so not cool. And judging by the almost smirk gathering on Luke's face, he knew just what his thoughts were doing.
Kira tried to focus but she was still so tired that separating his thoughts from hers wasn't easy. Forcing herself to think happy thoughts, she slowly pushed the sick feeling to the back of her brain. But not fast enough, she realized, still clutching her stomach. How dare Luke work mental sabotage on her! Okay, yes, she had sort of forgotten that he was sleeping in the bed next to her and Tristan. And yes, that probably frustrated him. But, it's not like they had been making out or anything. She had been asleep!
It was time for him to pay, Kira thought, as the need to vomit slowly got replaced by the need to slap Luke across the cheek.
"I'm going to kill you!" she shouted and bolted upright, charging him. Luke slid over to the other side of his bed and stood. Kira jumped on the bed and lunged for him, ready to wipe the grin off of his face. Luke easily evaded her and ran toward the foot of the bed.
Not caring how ridiculous she looked, Kira raced after him. Luke dodged again and before Kira could make another attempt at a lunge, strong arms held her from behind.
"Let me go, Tristan," she said, struggling against his iron grip.
"As much as I would love to see you beat Luke up, I have to ask, what is going on?"
"Your girlfriend has officially gone insane," Luke said. His features were still alive with laughter at the game of cat and mouse he and Kira had just played.
Kira stopped struggling against Tristan, suddenly realizing what she had done. She would have to confess now and tell Tristan she could read Luke's mind. But it would hurt him so much to know they had a connection like that. Maybe, Kira began to think of an idea...
"Luke gave me food poisoning."
"I did not," he said indignantly.
"Really? You're ready to bite his head off over food poisoning?" Tristan was highly doubtful.
"When it makes me want to throw up, I do! It must have been the snacks in the car," she added, trying to think on her feet, but it sounded lame even to her.
"This is all in your head, Kira," Luke said, trying to come off as serious. His attempt was undermined by barely contained laughter.
"All in my head? I don't think so." She jerked her arm again, hoping to surprise Tristan but he held her steady. "None of that was in my head." She stared pointedly into Luke's eyes. To think, when she had first realized she could read his mind, she was worried he would think she would invade his privacy. Who was the one being completely ridiculous and unfair now?
Luke shrugged. "Then I'm sticking with my initial diagnosis—temporary insanity."
"Gah!" Kira breathed in frustration. "I'm going to the bathroom. Let me go," she said, and Tristan's grip instantly fell.
"Women," she heard Luke say to Tristan as she walked off.
"Tell me about it," he responded.
Great, Kira thought, they both think I'm PMSing. She slammed the door behind her and splashed water on her face. Should she have told Tristan? It would have been the perfect moment to come clean about the mind reading. Now, if he found out, it would seem like Kira had been hiding it from him, like she had been keeping a secret. And what if Luke ever mentioned it? Kira didn't think he would ever go behind her back like that, but things had a way of coming out in the heat of the moment.
Trying to let it go, Kira brushed her teeth and mindlessly continued with her morning routine.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, much calmer but still giving Luke the evil eye. Both boys sat in armchairs bent over a piece of paper resting on the low coffee table. Tristan eyed her with caution.
"I'm okay," she told them. She held her hands up. "I promise. No secret weapons or anything."
"Don't believe her," Luke said and leaned in toward Tristan. "I think I saw one of those poison dart guns in there earlier."
Kira rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"We were just talking strategy," Tristan said, steering the conversation away from any more bickering.
Kira tugged one leg underneath her bum and sat on the couch to look at the piece of paper. It was blank.
"I see you've been very successful," she said sarcastically.
"Well, it turns out neither of us found any useful information." Tristan sighed and dropped his forehead into his hands. "I know Diana was on her way here two days ago. She may have stopped in somewhere else first, but I know she was looking for someone or something in Baltimore. But no one's seen her here yet. No vampires at least."
"Same here," Luke chimed in. "No conduits have seen her around."
"So where does that leave us?" Kira asked. Both boys remained silent but shared a telling look. "No!" She looked at them with wide eyes.
"Just one more day," Tristan pleaded.
"No, you can't leave me behind again. That is totally unfair!"
"It's not because we don't want you to come," Tristan said while taking her hand, "it's because we can't afford to be under attack again. We got pushed out of Charleston and pushed out of Sonnyville. If the local vampire population gets wind that you're here, we might be pushed out before we can find Diana or any clues to her whereabouts."
"It will keep all of us safer," Luke added.
"Fine," Kira said while collapsing against the back of the couch, "but only for one more day. Deal?"
"Deal," they both agreed in unison.
"So where will you be going? So I can at least live vicariously," she said while grabbing one of the complimentary apples to munch on for breakfast.
"Tea," Tristan said looking sheepish. Kira stared at him under raised brows. "What? The head vampire here is five hundred years old. He couldn't give up his English ways if he tried."
"Can vampires even have tea?" Luke asked. Tristan glared at him.
"It's not tea, exactly…"
"Oh, right," Luke said while looking uncomfortably toward the floor.
Maybe that wasn't on purpose, Kira thought.
"Anyway, he said we had things to discuss in a wonderfully profound way. After I hear what he has to say, I'll do some digging around the city."
Kira nodded and turned to Luke.
"Ditto. The local conduits are going to show me their usual hotspots." He leaned back in his seat and put his feet on the table. Stretching his arms over his head with a yawn, he said, "The real question is what will you be doing? What I wouldn't give for a day off right now."
"I don't even know. Maybe take a bath?" Kira said, knowing she would really look at the papers her grandfather had given her. But they were private, and she didn't want to tell Luke or Tristan. If she was about to uncover some deep, dark secret about what she was, she wanted it to stay that way—a secret.
"In our four-hundred-dollar-a-night bathroom?" Luke asked with a smirk. Kira choked on an apple chunk.
"About that..."
Luke waved her off.
"Don't worry about it. I'm only kidding. I'll find a way to pay for food somehow."
"Luke," Kira said sternly, trying to see if the price actually mattered or not.
"No, really. I've heard that Baltimore has a thriving strip scene," he said, pretending to consider it. Kira tried to contain herself, but the image was too much to handle.
"I don't think you could pull off a thong."
Tristan covered his face so his grimace didn't show.
"Hey, I'll have you know," Luke started saying, but then he shook his head and burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, you got me. I do not even want to joke about that."
Kira smiled with success. She barely ever beat him at his own game.
"Are we done with that...forever?" Tristan asked from behind his hands.
Still chuckling, Kira said yes and got up to get dressed. Within twenty minutes, she had said goodbye to both of the boys and was alone in the hotel room deciding between reading those pages or some healthy procrastination. She opted for the latter and picked up her cell phone.
Her mom answered on the second ring. She sounded happy and, Kira thought, blissfully ignorant of what was going on in her daughter's life. She didn't want to talk about conduits or vampires or Kira's powers—that was all part of the life she had given up a long time ago. And though she told Kira she would always be there to talk, it was hardly true. If Kira needed to discuss boys or school or college or cooking, her mother was there in a heartbeat. But about anything Kira actually needed to talk to someone about? No, she looked the other way.
They had found a happy peace since Kira had woken up from her coma. But it wasn't real, not the way it used to be, before Kira had found out she was adopted. And maybe that was why she wanted to find her real mom so badly. She wanted a family who could accept her unconditionally. Her current mom refused to accept her powers, her father was ignorant of it all, and Kira knew if she mentioned Tristan to her grandparents, they would never understand.
The Complete Midnight Fire Series Page 33