In the woods all around them, but nowhere Kira could spot, were Protectors. Somehow Luke had done it. He pulled together an army, well more like a gang of loyal followers, but enough conduits to trap some of these vampires and make them talk.
Now Kira and Luke were scouting ahead and waiting to give notice for the conduits to charge. But that wouldn't be for a while. First, the two of them had to watch the guests enter and count how many there were. They had to wait for Tristan to go into the party and give them the signal. They had to find a way to jump through the window into the first floor study where Tristan was planning to lure Diana. They had to get the information about Kira's mother out of Diana. Then they had to find a way to kill her even though she was immune to Kira's Punisher powers. Oh, then finally the conduits could charge in, save the day, and get the rest of the vampires. Simple, right? Kira almost wanted to laugh. Simple just wasn't in her vocabulary anymore.
Luke motioned to her again and she followed him to another tree a few feet closer to the house. Tristan had assured them both that these vampires were too full of themselves to set out patrols. Absolute power often comes with absolute arrogance and absolute idiocy, Kira thought.
When a liquid-black Rolls Royce pulled up in front of the house, Kira stilled her inner monologue. A pale white leg with hot pink five-inch heels appeared first, followed by a long black sequined dress that must have cost a fortune. Finally, the bright blonde head of a vampire appeared. From this distance, Kira couldn't make out any of the vampire's features, only enough to know that it wasn't Diana, and she was slightly jealous of those shoes.
The woman strolled forward and the car pulled away, disappearing around the bend. She mounted the steps, halting right before she reached the wraparound porch, and Bronson greeted her. He gently cupped her fingers and lifted them to his lips. They exchanged pleasantries and Bronson stepped aside to let her continue. Finally, the vampire let her foot crest the top step.
Immediately a wave of flames shot out of the door, encircling her. But rather than fly backward with the force, the vampire stepped slowly across the porch and through the door, smiling the entire time. When she disappeared from sight, so did the flames.
They may not have been able to see the captive Punisher, but Luke and Kira knew what the source of that fire had been. Next to her, Luke let out a frustrated sigh. Kira was sure that until that moment Luke had been hoping that Tristan was wrong and that there were no captives. It was hard to have such a hope when the reality was staring them in the face.
Before the two of them could talk, another car—now a Lamborghini—stopped in front of the house. A male and female vampire stepped out, he in a tuxedo and she in a chiffon ball gown that seemed to float over the sidewalk. Even from the woods, Kira was almost blinded by the gleaming diamond jewels draped on the female vampire's body. Apparently, when Tristan had said it was an elite party, he wasn't lying. These people not only had conduits, they had money—lots and lots of money.
Twenty-seven more vampires made it past the front door before Kira clenched Luke's shoulder hard enough to make him wince.
"Hey, Incredible Hulk, lay-off," he said while grabbing her fingers to make her let go.
"Sorry," Kira muttered, not taking her eyes from the car now approaching the mansion. "It's Tristan," she said and nudged her head in his direction, forcing Luke to focus on the mission again.
Panther-like in his smoothness, Tristan emerged from the car. Kira's breath caught in her throat. He looked pretty darn good in a tuxedo, even if they had found it at the last second and couldn't get it tailored. The diamond cufflinks Tristan had bought—yes bought not stolen—were like stars twinkling on his wrists. Unlike the other male vampires that had arrived, he hadn't gelled his hair back. Instead, it fell naturally over his forehead, casting shadows over his eyes.
Thinking of his eyes, Kira flashed back to a memory two hours earlier, all the way back in the hotel room. Luke had already gone to gather the conduits, leaving Kira and Tristan with a few private moments, just enough time for him to take her blood and prepare for the ball.
Kneeling down in front of her, Tristan gently cupped her wrists and looked up into her face.
"You're nervous. I can feel your pulse racing." Kira shrugged in response and tried to calm her furiously beating heart. "You trust me, don't you?" He asked, suddenly losing the confident bravado.
"I do," she said, smiling at him warmly. "It's just…it's a little weird."
"Don't I know it." He smirked, letting two pointed teeth press into his lower lip.
"It's fine though. Go ahead," Kira said, pulling one of her hands free from his hold. Tristan took the hand she left him and lifted it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her vein.
Kira became instantly alert. Her entire body buzzed, making her feel even more nervous, but for what she didn't know. Maybe because it was the first time he was doing this, but it was so intimate—far more intimate than the kissing they had done and she had nothing else to compare it to. It wasn't fear because Kira knew without a doubt that she could trust Tristan. But handing over the controls and putting her life in his hands was still a little nerve-racking. It was one thing for him to swoop in and save her life, but quite another for her to offer it to him willingly.
Kira's heart about dropped to her stomach when he flicked his cool tongue across her skin. And then in one drawn out second, with her breath caught in her throat, he bit down.
At first, all Kira felt was the screaming of her body as it jumped into protection mode. The sunlight gathered inside of her and she forced it away, trying to convince her instincts that Tristan was not an enemy.
She caught his blue eyes, the fire started raging inside of her, and held on to them. She had seen vampires aggressive and hungry before, but this was different. The blues of his irises were warm and not the icy cool she was used to seeing in a hungry vampire. His pupils had gotten smaller rather than aggressively dilated. And when she stared into their depths, she felt perfectly safe. The power inside her calmed.
And before she realized it, Tristan was finished. He slipped his teeth from her skin and kissed her wrist one more time. Subtly, so Tristan wouldn't notice, Kira used her power to heal the puncture wounds.
"Not so bad?" he asked quietly.
"No." She smiled and gently held his cheek with her hand, running her thumb along the bone. She held his gaze for a minute, letting him understand that she was fine and they were perfect. "It wasn't what I was expecting though," she said, changing her tone to playful and standing up. She had to get him ready for the ball.
"Oh yeah? What were you expecting?" Tristan asked while following her into a standing position.
"I don't know. In all of the books, a vampire's bite turns the heroine into a raging sack of hormones. But you know, it didn't do anything for me." She grinned and walked over to the bed to get his tuxedo jacket.
He raised his eyebrows, accepting the challenge. "That's because I wasn't trying. If I turned it on, you would be like putty in my hands." He turned around so she could slip the black coat over his shoulders.
Turning him to face her, Kira adjusted his bow tie before responding, "Oh really?"
"Hey, I've got moves you've never seen," he said with a smirk.
"Really? You're going with that line?"
"How about this one?" he said and took a step closer, gripping her hips. "When I hear your heart flutter or skip a beat or speed up like it is right now, I want to know it's because of me. Not because of what I am, but because of who I am." Kira opened her lips to speak, but the words caught in her mouth when he leaned his forehead against hers. "When I feel your skin heat up or hear your breath shorten," he said while moving his lips closer and closer to hers, "I love to know that I made it happen." He kissed her, making Kira feel all of those things, before pulling away with a lopsided grin. "Better?"
"Much better," Kira breathlessly told him.
"Kira," Luke said, jolting her out of her memories and back in
to the stink of the woods. Dang, Kira thought, talk about a one-eighty.
She waved Luke off to focus back on Tristan. Bad Kira, she chastised herself. She was not allowed to think of kissing when her boyfriend was about to face a test that could kill him.
She watched Tristan walk toward Bronson, holding her breath the entire time. When Bronson reached his hand out in greeting, Kira let the air out. The plan was going to work. Tristan shook Bronson's hand and walked onto the porch, letting the conduit's flames engulf him. Halfway to the door, he looked out into the woods, searching for her in the darkness. But before Kira had the chance to do anything or even smile at the gesture, he was through the entry and inside the ball. Tristan had passed the test.
"Come on," Luke said, motioning away from the house.
"Shouldn't we wait for Diana?" Kira asked, still eying the mansion.
"Something tells me she's already inside," Luke said. The two of them watched Bronson sliver through the front door and close it shut behind him. But, something felt wrong. If Bronson had given Diana the blood, then why hadn't she used it to get into the party the correct way? Why would he just let her rest inside?
Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her deeper into the forest. Time for phase two—Kira tried to quell the surge of impatience already rising in her chest—time to wait.
They circled around to the backside of the house. Kira looked at the third window on the left, the one Tristan had said was the study. Now, she and Luke just had to hunker down and wait for the sign. When he had Diana, Tristan was supposed to flip on the light, open the window and make his presence known.
When they reached the far side of the house, a spot in direct sight of the study, Kira stopped walking next to an uprooted tree. She could see the house from here, well enough to know if it was time to move in, so why not sit down for the wait? Diana had been evading Tristan for weeks, and Kira didn't think she would give in so easily. No, it would take a while for him to convince her that they needed to talk privately.
Looking down at her shoes, sunk half an inch in the ground, Kira plopped down on the trunk. Her feet were already a disaster; she might as well let her butt get covered in mud too. The wet bark dampened her shorts almost immediately.
Luke turned to the sound of crunching leaves and sat down next to her.
"What do you think is going on in there?" Kira asked. From the seat she could also glimpse into the ballroom. Gorgeous chandeliers twinkled against the windows. Sweeping curtains kept most of the room from view, but Kira could just tell it was extravagant.
"The usual I'm sure—sipping on cocktails and," he leaned closer while deepening his voice, "plotting to take over the world."
"I'm serious." She nudged him.
"Hey, me too. It's like an evil mastermind convention in there."
"I bet they're dancing." Kira smiled wistfully, imagining some sort of orchestra playing a waltz while couples twirled along the dance floor. The vampires inside might be evil, but something told her the ball was all about fun, about remembering an older time all of the ancient vampires missed. Kira, at least, would not have been able to plot anything in those outfits. Ball gowns were for spinning around, not complacently sitting and talking.
"We could be dancing," Luke said after a moment.
Kira rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the sound of insects buzzing in the air really sets the mood."
"It's like music to my ears, especially that obnoxiously loud croaking noise behind us," he said while turning around. "What is that? It sounds like something is dying."
Kira listened for the sound, cringing at the wail when she finally heard it.
"So what now?" Luke asked. Kira shrugged. There wasn't really anything for them to do except wait for Tristan's sign, which could take who knew how long. "Well, if we're stuck here anyway," Luke continued, "there's sort of something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Kira heard the quiver in his voice—the one that told her this was something heartfelt and not another joke. Kira shifted on the trunk, looking at him but putting more space between the two of them in the process.
He took a deep breath before he started talking, and the tingling sensation of nerves crept into Kira's mind. She forced it out, putting extra effort into blocking his thoughts and making sure he stayed out of her head. "First, I want to say sorry for the whole vomiting situation the other day."
"The one where you totally abused our friendship and made me feel physically ill with your thoughts?" Kira asked, knowing she was being a little petty in not accepting the apology outright. But he hadn't been acting very Luke-like recently. She wanted her carefree friend back.
"The one where I was insanely jealous and didn't handle it very well," he told her quietly, not taking his eyes off the ground. Kira forced herself to shut up so he could let whatever he was holding inside, out. "The truth is, I know I've been a little mean sometimes, but I told myself it was justified. You and Tristan were wrong for each other, and it was only a matter of time before you broke up. I was just doing my part to move the process along."
"But?" Kira said, making him continue.
"But, I realize now that it's something you need to see on your own."
"And why do you care so much?" Kira asked. They had avoided this conversation for so long, it was inevitable they would need to talk about it. Maybe in the woods, alone, waiting to charge a house full of powerful vampires wasn't the ideal time, but it was all the two of them had. There was no going back now.
"Because you're my best friend." He shrugged, still not looking at her. Kira watched him, watched as he finally met her gaze. His fiery eyes were so like her own, but she didn't recognize them now, not when they were so filled with hope and pain. "Because I'm in love with you," he finally said, letting the words float up and fill the empty space of the forest, making it feel both cramped and vast at the same time.
There it was. The six words that Kira had been dreading since graduation. The six words that could never be taken back. The six words that would change their friendship forever.
"I love you too," Kira said, hating the pity in her voice.
"But you're not in love with me," Luke finished the sentence for her, visibly deflated.
For some reason, she couldn't get the words no, I'm not in love with you out of her mouth. She tried, she wanted to give him the closure he needed, but her throat closed on the sounds, trapping them inside her body. Instead, Kira just quietly responded, "I don't know what you want me to say."
"Like I do?" Luke said with a snort. "I know you're with Tristan. I mean, hello, road trip third wheel talking." He pointed at himself, and widening his eyes. "But I just thought you would see reason and you would break things off. I kept telling myself to just wait until graduation and then we'd be in Sonnyville together and everything would right itself."
"Luke," Kira said, shocked by the crack in her voice at seeing him so vulnerable. "I'm in love with Tristan. I mean, I'm only seventeen so I can't say it's forever, but it feels that way to me now. And I don't want you to waste your life waiting. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, let alone my best friend." She stretched out her hand, wanting to place it around his shoulder or across his back or even in his own hand, but she stilled herself in midair then let it drop. The inches between them on the damp fallen tree were too long to cross right now.
"But I will be waiting," he said and dropped his head into his hands, letting out a long ragged breath. He ran his fingers over his blond hair, flattening it to his head. "I," he started to say but then needed to swallow the breath that caught in his throat. "I have this feeling deep in my gut that even if I tell myself I've moved on and I start dating other people, a small part of me will still be waiting."
Screw it, Kira thought. She scooted over next to him and wrapped him in her arms. "You can't think like that."
"But you don't know, Kira," he whispered. "You don't know what it was like to wake up covered in blood with no memory of what happened and to see your best friend l
ying dead on the ground next to you. You don't know what it was like for me to see you so pale, to see you asleep and attached to machines for three months, to see what life would be like without you. That's when I realized I loved you, that we were so much more than best friends. Even if you were still in that hospital bed I would be there holding your hand, just waiting for you to open your eyes and wake up."
Kira really didn't know what to say, but she guessed sometimes that was the point. Sometimes people moved beyond words. She kept her mind closed, not wanting to read his tumultuous thoughts, but hugged him closer. It was strange to feel heat drain into her skin. Tristan's was normally cool, but when she pulled Luke close he was hot to the touch, just like Kira—always a few degrees warmer than everybody else.
What was she going to do? Now that everything had been said and let out into the open, she wouldn't be able to pretend. She wouldn't be able to ignore the moments when his desire leaked into her own mind. If she caught him looking at her and Tristan, she would know it was jealousy and not annoyance. When they were alone together, joking and laughing, it would always mean something else to him.
Kira knew she was being selfish, but she wouldn't be able to let him go. He was her rock, just like he had said before, and she needed him. But was it possible to need two people—to have two people she couldn't live without?
"Kira?" He moved away from her and sat up, but Kira didn't drop her arms. Instead, they moved with him, changing places from around his waist to over his shoulders. Luke looked at her arms around his neck and followed the trail back to her face. Shifting his gaze left and right, he tried to read her expression. Kira suddenly found herself not just looking but gazing into his heavily lidded eyes.
Realizing how close they were, Kira unlatched her hands and slowly pulled them away, but the more she retreated, the more her heart began to hurt. At first, it felt like a dull twinge, but as she rested her hands in her lap, it felt as though someone had taken a hammer to her chest.
Looking into his eyes, Kira couldn't deny that the pain she was feeling was purely her own. Was it the pain of knowing their friendship would never be the same? Or the pain of knowing that eventually she would lose him, that eventually he wouldn't be okay with second place? Or was it something deeper, an idea she had buried so far down in her heart that it needed to forcefully dig itself out?
The Complete Midnight Fire Series Page 36