The Complete Midnight Fire Series

by Kaitlyn Davis

  “Kira?” Luke called. His voice sounded faint and far away.

  “Kira!” A little stronger now and laced with panic.

  Taking a deep breath, Kira plopped her foot down and finished crossing the short distance. She was officially in Terminal B—the decision had been made.

  “Kira! Stop!” Luke’s voice was closer now. Were those footsteps or was she just imagining it?

  Quickly, Kira slipped her shoes back on and reached inside her purse for her headphones. They weren’t attached to anything, but she zipped her bag to make it look that way and kept walking past the security check, trying to ignore the voice calling after her.

  “Kira! You went the wrong way!” The frustration in his voice was obvious, but that was all there was. He still didn’t get it. He just thought she was lost.

  Hard as it was, Kira continued to amble down the walkway toward her gate. Trying to act nonchalant, she bobbed her head as if listening to real music and pretended to look around as if searching for Luke. He shouted her name once or twice more, but she kept shuffling her feet farther and farther away from him, using her headphones as an excuse for deafness.

  There was a bend fifteen—no ten—now five—feet away. Kira rounded the corner, safe from Luke’s eyes, and pulled out the earplugs. It was go time. Her plane to Atlanta was boarding and she didn’t have a second to spare.

  A vibration tickled her arm and Kira knew Luke was trying to call her. She kept walking and looked for Tristan’s sleek black hair in the crowd.

  He saw her first and stood up, waving Kira over to the seats he had secured.

  “Are you okay?” he asked once she sat down. Concerned deepened his blue eyes and Kira could tell he was worried for her. It was her plan after all—her plan to go to England, her plan to keep Luke safe and out of the loop, and her plan to ditch him in the airport. Tristan was following Kira’s rules now, which meant Luke’s reaction was completely her fault. She couldn’t blame anyone else for the hurt he was about to feel.

  “He thinks I’m just in the wrong terminal,” Kira said and shook her head. “He’s too trusting.”

  Or I’m too heartless, Kira thought before smashing the thought down with the rest of the emotions she was suppressing. Too many were bubbling beneath the surface and at the moment, Kira didn’t want to feel anything. Once they were in the air, and there was really no turning back, she would feel better about the whole thing. At least she hoped so…

  “Doesn’t he know security wouldn’t let you through the wrong terminal?” Tristan reached into his bag, searching for something.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t turn around to check.” Kira leaned back in the seat, completely deflated and drained of energy.

  “I had a feeling something like this would happen, so…” he kept rumbling through his bag for another minute before pulling out a grocery bag, “I came prepared. We have salt and vinegar chips…” He pulled the single serving from his bag and kept speaking, “some double chocolate chip cookies, cheesy popcorn, a diet Coke, a regular Coke if it’s really serious, and of course, me.” He finished with a wink, and Kira smirked subconsciously. Then she ripped open the salty chips and started munching.

  “We should be boarding in a minute or so, first class was just loaded onto the plane and I think they called zone one,” Tristan said and zipped the rest of his goodies back inside his bag. Kira knew she would be pulling those out later.

  He rested his arm around her shoulder, and Kira relaxed under the weight of his muscles. Leaning in, Tristan whispered, “Everything is going to be fine,” into Kira’s ear and she willed herself to believe it. But, she was too busy enjoying the potato chips to formulate a response. It didn’t matter though because Tristan kept talking to her.

  “We’ll land in England, go to Aldrich’s castle, and demand to see your mother. She’ll be there, healthy as can be, and we’ll work some sort of deal out with Aldrich,” he said softly. While he spoke, Tristan rubbed her arm with his thumb, gently soothing Kira. “Before you know it, we’ll be back here and everything will go back to normal. I’ll finally get you surfing those big waves down at Folly Beach, and we’ll take a trip down to Savannah like I promised we would this summer. Next year, you’ll find a restaurant job, you’ll cook for all three of your parents and you’ll forget all of this nonsense ever happened. You can leave Sonnyville and the conduits behind and have the life you always dreamed of having. You’ll see.”

  Kira sighed as Tristan hugged her even closer. His words were a dream, a complete fantasy. She could never go back. Neither Tristan nor Luke fit into that plan, which meant it didn’t work for her anymore. But Kira had no idea what her new plan should be.

  “Attention, can Kira Dawson please pick up a yellow emergency phone? Passenger Kira Dawson to a yellow emergency phone, please.”

  Tristan and Kira jumped up at the same time.

  “Luke?” Tristan asked.

  “Almost undoubtedly,” Kira responded. “Let’s just ignore him.”

  “Kira,” Tristan said gently, “He’s your best friend, and I can’t believe I’m the one who’s saying this, but he deserves better than a hastily written letter.”

  “I know. I just can’t face him yet. I’m—”

  “Attention all passengers on flight 2963 to Atlanta, Georgia,” a female voice spoke over the loudspeaker. “All passengers in zone three are welcome to board. Again, that is all passengers in zone three.”

  “That’s us,” Tristan said and stood up. Kira followed him to the line and each of them handed the gate attendant a ticket. They followed the slowly moving progression of passengers until crossing into the plane and sliding into their seats.

  Kira pushed her handbag far under the seat in front of her, burying her phone with it. Tristan placed his heavy hand on her legs to keep them from bouncing. Kira stopped fidgeting and took his hand—they were almost in the clear, but she wouldn’t feel totally free until they were thousands of miles in the air.

  The flight attendant was walking down the aisle, closing overhead compartments and checking people’s seatbelts. He stilled in front of Kira and Tristan, reaching behind his back for a fake seatbelt and life jacket. Kira turned to the side, ignoring the security protocol to look out the window at the airport. The plane started moving, gently easing away from the brown stone building. For a moment, Kira swore she saw Luke with two hands pressed firmly against sweeping glass windows, searching the grounds for her. She blinked and the image was gone—a mirage formed from her worry.

  Shaking her head, Kira squeezed Tristan’s hand and leaned back to shut her eyes and sleep. The steady thud of her heart sounded loud in her ears and Kira counted silently, hoping to bring her body to rest.

  Just as her pulse seemed to slow, a piercing cry broke the calm and sent a shooting pain down her spine, from her brain to her heart. The pressure in her skull grew, as if her blood were thickening and pushing against her bone. Sharp needles pierced the spots behind her eyes, and Kira brought her hands to her temples trying to calm the storm. She kept her lids closed, breathing deeply, trying to quell the pain spreading from nerve to nerve. A fierce burn started in her heart, spreading to her limbs with each pump of blood, and her ears began to ring in fury. Pain and anger intertwined, braiding together in an unbreakable knot, and Kira knew exactly what it meant.

  Luke had found the note. There was no other explanation for the sudden onslaught of emotions, but Kira forced her body to still—Tristan couldn’t know. She had never told him of her bond with Luke.

  It was all mental, Kira reminded herself and pushed against the overwhelming flood. None of this pain was truly hers, but it was really Luke’s, and Kira couldn’t breathe for finally realizing what she was putting him through.

  Reaching shaking hands to the ground, Kira fumbled for her purse and pulled out her phone. She needed to call him. She needed to explain. Of course a note wouldn’t suffice—it couldn’t explain everything she needed to say. That this wasn’t about choosing Tris
tan and it wasn’t completely about saving her mother—it was about keeping Luke safe and out of harm. Aldrich had invited Tristan, but had made no mention of Luke. Aldrich would have shown no mercy with Luke, would have taken no pause in killing him. And Kira would never take that chance with Luke’s life. Diana had almost killed him once, and she wouldn’t let something like that happen ever again.

  Kira flipped her phone open, ignoring the concerned expression Tristan was throwing her way.

  Before getting the chance to dial, an onslaught of alerts popped up on the screen. Five missed calls from Luke, and then text messages:

  “Kira, you idiot, you went the wrong way.”

  “Kira—seriously? You’re listening to music right now. Turn around and go to Terminal A.”

  “Did you hear that? They’re saying your name over the loud speaker.”

  “You should have told me you lost your hearing, I would have gotten you really spiffy aids for your birthday. Bedazzled and everything.”

  “Okay, this is no longer funny, what is going on? Where are you?”

  “You left. With him. Without me. Didn’t you?”

  “A note. Really?”

  “So that is all I get?”

  “If you don’t call me right now, I’m done. I swear. I’m done.”

  Blank.

  “Miss?” Kira turned to sound of an unfamiliar man’s voice. The flight attendant. Her eyes burned and she couldn’t focus on his features. The blurred image was motioning to her phone. “The captain said to turn off all of electronics. I’m sorry, but that includes your phone. We’re about to take off.” Kira looked back down at the screen. “Miss?” he said, concern filling his voice.

  Tristan’s cool fingers pulled the phone free of Kira’s hand, and he shut it for her before thanking the flight attendant. Kira couldn’t turn her gaze from the empty spots between her fingers. Done, was all she could think, he was done.

  “I need to call him,” Kira said, coming to life again. “Tristan, I need to call him.”

  Sensing Kira was on the brink of falling apart in her seat, Tristan handed her the phone. The plane was moving faster, shooting down the runway, as Kira began to dial Luke’s number.

  It rang once before the plane lifted off the ground.

  Twice before the plane soared even higher.

  “Kir—” Luke’s voice began, but he was interrupted by a beep and the line went dead.

  “Luke?” Kira said into the receiver. “Luke? Luke!” Her voice was panicked. She pulled back to look at the screen. No service. They were out of range, flying away from Luke just as she had planned—leaving him behind and all Kira could think was “done."

  Chapter Three

  Kira felt like a zombie following Tristan as he led her through passport control and customs. She watched the conveyor belt spin suitcases around baggage claim, but the metal blades lost focus in her glazed-over gaze.

  Tristan had spent the entire flight to Atlanta reassuring her that in no time at all she could call Luke and fix everything. When they landed, Kira tried calling Luke over and over again, but each ring went straight to voicemail, and she couldn’t bring herself to leave messages. She didn’t know what to say in only thirty seconds—there were no magic words she could speak to make him understand.

  Tristan had spent the entire flight to England reassuring her that Luke would eventually forgive her. When they landed, Kira called him again but once more there was no answer. As the realization that she had probably lost her best friend finally hit, Kira shut down. Tristan saw the transformation—saw the fall of her shoulders, the hunch of her back, the downturn of her lips, and the disappearing light in her eyes. More so, he faintly heard her heart slow and felt the normally churning heat in her body recede.

  So, he took her hand and led her out of the airport into a foreign city, trying to find some way to bring her back. He brought her to the Thames, the furiously churning river that cut right through the heart of London. In an odd way, it reminded Kira of the choppy waves that cut along the shore of Folly Beach, the same ones that had calmed her the day Luke had told her what she really was. Perhaps it was the memory of Luke helping her through one of the hardest days of her life, but something about the speeding water pricked Kira to life, giving her one final idea.

  Stepping away from Tristan’s sturdy body and the arms holding her upright, Kira collapsed onto a bench and dialed Luke’s family, praying he had followed through on his plans to fly to Sonnyville.

  “Hello?” A woman’s voice answered, light and musical.

  “Mrs. Bowrey? It’s Kira. Is Luke there?”

  “Oh, one second.” Kira heard the scuffle of a hand closing over the receiver. Luke was definitely there—the only question was if he would admit it.

  “Hello,” a deep, hollow voice answered after a minute. Kira barely recognized the hard sound—it was scratchy and unforgiving.

  “Luke.” Kira sighed with relief. “I tried calling. I swear, I called you a thousand times. The plane took off and then you wouldn’t answer any of my calls. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, but—”

  “My phone broke,” was his curt reply.

  “Oh?” Kira sat up straighter, hoping this would be easier than she thought.

  “I threw it at the wall.”

  “Oh,” Kira said while sinking back down in her seat, totally unsure of herself. Did he throw it at a wall before or after she’d tried calling him?

  “Luke—”

  “Kira—”

  They both quieted.

  “I did it to keep you safe,” Kira pleaded in a voice barely above a whisper.

  “No, you left without me to keep me safe. Abandoning me in the airport, leaving me with a note, lying to me for more than a week—all of that was just…was just…just…”

  “Fear?” Kira supplied.

  “I was going to say cowardice,” he responded and Kira winced at the word, but she couldn’t deny it.

  “You’re right. I was afraid to tell you the truth. I was afraid of how you’d react and afraid I wouldn’t be able to leave without you if you knew.”

  “I don’t forgive you,” he finally said. His voice still sounded strained and dark—completely different from the lighthearted tone Kira was used to.

  “Can you forgive me?” Kira asked.

  “I don’t know,” he muttered. Kira hung on the pause in his voice.

  “That’s enough for now.” Kira sighed, a sense of light was finally returning to her voice. Her fingers began to warm, and the fuzz around her brain began to clear. Hope. It was enough to bring some fight back into her senses.

  “Where are you?”

  “England,” she said, not giving up any other information.

  “That’s a pretty big place,” he trailed off, inviting her to finish his thought.

  “If I tell you where I am, where Aldrich is, all of this will have been for nothing. So, I’m sorry again, but I won’t tell you where I’m going. I did this to keep you safe and that means keeping you out of the loop.”

  “Fine,” he said, the hardness returning to his voice, “but I’m coming to England. I’ll stay with the Protectors in London.”

  “Luke,” she said sternly. Why was he so stubborn?

  “Once I tell the council where you are, they’ll send me to London anyway.”

  “Fine,” Kira said. He was annoying, but he had a point.

  “I have to go,” he said curtly.

  “Before you do, you have to understand. This wasn’t about choosing Tristan over you, or trying to hurt you, it was about saving my mother and keeping you away from Aldrich’s power. You have to understand that. You do, don’t you?”

  “Goodbye, Kira.” He sighed heavily into the phone before clicking it off. Kira stared at the blank screen, knowing that was the best conversation she could have hoped for, but feeling unsatisfied with the outcome. Still, he had talked to her and he was coming to England for her—eventually, Luke would forgive her. He was too nice and too
good not to.

  Kira stared at the water, letting that belief sink in before glancing at Tristan. He leaned against a lamp pole with his arm crossed, eyes focused on the horizon where the river disappeared around a bend and the city turned to nothing but fog. But for his piercing blue eyes and jet-black hair, he could have been a marble statue. His stance was unflinching. His mind was focused inward and not on the streets around him.

  Her attachment to Luke clearly stung, and Kira realized her damage control duties weren’t finished yet.

  Sidling up next to him, Kira threw her arms around Tristan and leaned against his body.

  “Ready to have some fun?” she asked and placed her chin on his chest to look up into his face.

  “Shouldn’t we be heading to Aldrich’s?” He eyed her warily, unsure of the change in her mood and what really caused it.

  “Well, I’ve never been to London, and I don’t think a few hours alone with my boyfriend will make much of a difference. Let’s explore.” Her words were half-true. Kira was anxious to get to Aldrich and to figure out the mystery of her mother, but she had a feeling the problem wouldn’t be solved in one night, and she needed the alone time with Tristan. Too much had happened recently, and they needed to form a completely united front if they were going to defeat Aldrich.

  “Where to?” Tristan asked, still slightly rigid. His lips curved into an almost unnoticeable smirk, but Kira was determined to get him really smiling again.

  She looked down the river and saw a huge white dome in the distance—some sort of church for sure. It might be interesting, but Kira continued scanning the horizon. Shifting her gaze to the left, Kira spotted houses, a sweet waterside walk. Gazing further, the Parliament building popped up behind a stone bridge and then a giant white Ferris wheel and—wait, Kira thought, what? A gigantic white Ferris wheel with pods gleamed against the afternoon sky and reflected into the water of the river. It was twice the size of the surrounding buildings, and all Kira could think was that was definitely where she wanted to go.