Kira stood and pushed the chair aside. Lifting her palm before Tristan's eyes, Kira lit a small and controlled flame above her fingers, suspending it for a moment. Tristan inhaled sharply, cutting the air. Kira sucked the fire back in and dropped her hand.
"There are a lot of impossible things in this world," she said before Tristan had time to regain his composure. "And I'm one of them, but so are you."
"Are you a witch?" he asked, unable to hide the current of fear and hatred traveling with that word.
Kira shook her head. "I'm a conduit, a vampire hunter, and you were my friend—a good person trapped in a life he never wanted."
"And what life was that?"
"You don't remember because I just cured you, returned your humanity, but for decades you lived as a," Kira hesitated, hating how crushing this word would be to hear, "as a vampire."
Tristan flat-lined.
His human heart had had too much, and it stopped as soon as she uttered the word. His chest fell back against the hospital bed, while his head banged painfully against the wall.
"Tristan!" Kira jumped and shook his shoulders, trying to wake him up. An alarm sounded from the side of the room and the intercom system started flashing.
"Help!" Kira yelled, hoping the lightly staffed conduit hospital still had some nurses available somewhere.
Leaning over his chest, Kira listened for a heartbeat but there was none. Forming a fist with one palm over the other, Kira pumped on his chest to the count of three. She widened his lips and forced her own breath down the opening, praying he would wake up.
She pumped again.
His lashes slipped open to reveal nothing but the whites of his eyes, and Kira screamed.
"Move, please." A doctor charged through the door, pushing Kira gently to the side. He put his fists on Tristan's chest, pumping, while a nurse jammed oxygen into his lungs.
"What happened?" the doctor asked.
"We were just talking, I was just trying to explain…" Kira trailed off as the doctor continued to work. After another round of CPR, the machine picked up a heartbeat again, and Kira instantly relaxed, trying to slow her heart to the same beep beep beep of Tristan's restored pulse.
"Give him another round of relaxants," the doctor told the nurse, who jotted a few scribbles on Tristan's chart and reached for a shot of fluids. "Now." He turned to Kira. "What did you say exactly?"
"I just…" Kira walked closer to the bed, lightly running her fingers over Tristan's still forearm. "I was just trying to explain how he got here, in this time period. He's so confused." She winced as the nurse sunk a needle deep into his skin. "He doesn't understand any of this."
"It's all right." The doctor, blond and so obviously a Protector, placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not going to be easy for him to adjust, but these things take time."
Kira let out a loud exhale. "Have you ever dealt with something like this before?"
"Vampires returning from the dead?" He chuckled softly under his breath. "No, not in this lifetime. But I have seen people with amnesia and memory loss, and they recover eventually—forever changed maybe, but people have a way of adjusting to situations that may seem insurmountable at first." He squeezed her arm reassuringly.
"Yeah, I know about that—believe me," Kira said. If she could overcome the changes in her life—the truth about her parents, her heritage as a conduit, and her role as a half-breed or potentially some angel meant to fall into darkness—Tristan would figure it out eventually. "Thanks," Kira told the doctor as he walked out the door.
"He shouldn't wake up again for a few hours," the nurse informed her before following the doctor to the exit.
Kira eased onto the side of Tristan's hospital bed. Even though his skin had darkened and his eyes had lost their striking blue hue, her Tristan had to be in there somewhere. He would look at her with warmth and love again, and not as a stranger or a threat.
"He looks pretty good, you know, for someone who was dead three days ago."
Kira recognized that voice instantly and turned to welcome Luke with a grin. He stood in the doorway with his hands lazily resting in his pockets and his shoulders slightly shrugged as though he were mildly uncomfortable. When he stepped into the room, he looked down toward the floor, avoiding the bed.
Kira thought the green in his T-shirt made his eyes shimmer like dark emeralds, and she resisted the urge to run a hand over the soft cotton. "Does he still think you’re a demon witch? I myself thought the description was uncannily accurate."
Kira rolled her eyes at the playful jab. "You don't want to know what nicknames I have for you."
"Prince charming? Knight in shining armor? Love of my life? You're not that original, Kira." He smirked, looking at her piercingly under his hooded eyebrows.
Kira breathed deeply, releasing a shaky breath, and subconsciously slipped her hand off of Tristan's. "And you're no Disney prince."
"I know," he said and slipped closer to her, gaining confidence with their easy banter. "Being two-dimensional would totally cramp my style."
"Yeah," Kira started but her breath caught when he reached his hand out to run his thumb along her lower lip. Kira swallowed. "You don't want a perfectly packaged princess to run off with?"
Luke moved his hand along her cheek, stroking her skin until his fingers rested at the base of her neck. He tilted her head slightly upward and forced her to meet his stare. "I prefer my pain-in-the-butt demon witch." He leaned down, arching her head up farther.
"Luke," Kira murmured, shifting her head to the side so his lips landed on her cheek. Even if she wanted to kiss Luke, which she did, and even if Tristan didn't remember who she was, which he didn't, Kira was too conscious of his body lying still right beside her.
Luke sighed and pressed their foreheads together, taking a deep breath before retreating a few feet away to the empty chair next to the bed.
"So how is he actually?"
Kira appreciated the genuine concern in Luke's tone, even if it were more for her sake than for Tristan's. "Well, I told him he's been a vampire for the past hundred or so years, and his heart stopped beating and he passed out…so, yeah, not great."
"He still doesn't remember anything?" Or who you are? Kira finished Luke's question in her own mind.
"No, nothing. But he seemed a little more in control, at first at least. The nurse gave him a few more meds…" Kira trailed off as she traced Tristan's body with her gaze.
He was fast asleep and not waking up anytime soon, but what she couldn’t help noticing was how serene he looked, even with all the confusion. His features had never appeared so relaxed to her, not in all the times she had seen him sleep. It was as though some invisible weight had been lifted, as though he had been freed.
"So what did you really come here to talk about?" Kira looked over at Luke, catching him mid-stare.
He opened his mouth, ready with a witty reply, but closed it again. "The council," he said and let his eyes slip away to the window.
"Which one?" Kira sighed.
"Both." Luke leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, clearly stressed out.
They both were. The past two days had been taxing on everyone, but Kira thought she and Luke had taken the brunt of the heat over the failed mission in England. Everyone forgot that Luke had managed to save all of the locked up conduits in the dungeon just because he had let a single vampire go free—Pavia. He refused to put more blame on Kira by telling the council that it was her demand to let Pavia escape and instead let everyone believe she had slipped away.
But the real stressor, for both of them, was the Punisher Council. Never in Luke's lifetime or in his parent's lifetime had the two councils met in full. Whenever cross-conduit business needed to occur, one member from each council would travel and make the necessary decisions. But a full meeting of all seven members of each council was almost unheard of—and they were meeting today to discuss Kira's fate now that she had completely changed the game by bringing Tristan back to
life.
Kira swallowed.
Her hours of peace stowing away in Tristan's hospital room were about to come to an end. It was almost time to face the world and its consequences again.
"When are they supposed to get here?" Kira asked.
Luke didn't need clarification. "Soon, really soon."
"And what did the Protector Council say?"
"They won't let anyone hurt you—I won't let anyone hurt you. But they are concerned about how the Punishers will act, what they'll demand. This goes against everything they know. For hundreds of years, Punishers have been fueled by their belief that vampires can't be saved, that their humanity is gone, and what you did completely negates that."
"And there's more," Kira said. Luke continued wringing his hands together and looked at her questioningly.
"More than that?"
"Well, that's their argument for why Tristan should die—that the evil will still call for him. But what's their argument for me? I told you what that Punisher in the dungeon said. About how he thinks I'm an angel that's falling and becoming an original vampire, an unstoppable force. They'll want to put an end to me before I have the chance to make that transformation."
Luke leaned back and waved his hand unconvincingly in the air, dismissing the idea. "Come on, Kira, that's insane. Anyone who looks at you can see what side you're on."
"Anyone who looks at me can see my blue eyes, or are you that used to them now?"
Luke scooted his chair closer so his knees touched hers. "I see them. I see two bright and beautiful and warm cobalt blue eyes that look like the sapphire heat of a burning flame and nothing at all like the dead cold eyes of a vampire."
Kira looked away, her heart melting a little under his scrutiny. "Yeah, well, too much sun exposure might have affected your brain cells. Besides," Kira continued, not letting him retort with any more compliments—she could already feel the blood rush to her cheeks a little, "they'll say I'm too sympathetic to vampires because I was with Tristan. Maybe they'll twist it around so it seems like I wanted Aldrich to go free. I don't know."
"But you've never once acted like one of those things or felt any sort of calling like the Punisher described, have you?"
"Of course not," Kira retorted, trying to look angry that he even asked and not at all guilty.
Because, of course, she had.
During her fight with Aldrich, Kira had lusted for the kill, a prolonged painful death, and maybe even for Aldrich's blood. And that was why he had slipped free—why he had the moment he needed to escape—because Kira had started battling the demon inside of her instead of the one burning at her feet. Since leaving the castle, nothing new had happened. But still, she felt the change within her, the slight taint her flames now carried.
"So that's that." Luke slapped his hands together, jolting Kira out of her thoughts. "They have nothing, no argument that makes any plausible sense against you."
"I'm just nervous, I guess." She shrugged.
"The Flaming Tomato is nervous? I'm shocked!"
Kira smiled. "I haven't heard that one in a while. I was sort of hoping you had somehow forgotten about it."
"Forget the Flaming Tomato? You can't just forget the Flaming Tomato—it's too good." Kira raised her eyebrows in his direction and he responded by raising his hands up. "What? I'm just saying."
"So I have Demon Witch and Flaming Tomato? I seriously need some new nicknames…or some new friends." Kira muttered the last part.
"Would you prefer something more normal like…Kiki?" Luke asked, his face a blanket of innocence.
"Call me that again and I may kill you." Kira sent over her best death stare.
"See, that might have actually scared me when your name was Demon Witch, but with Kiki it's just not nearly as menacing." He folded his lips together to keep from grinning.
Kira launched herself across the room, going right for his ribcage with her hands. The benefit of being best friends was that Kira knew all of his vulnerable spots, and it took about two seconds to have him rolling around on the floor begging for mercy.
Tickling—it was totally underrated.
"Kiki…come on…I can't breathe," Luke gasped between giggle fits. Kira pushed even harder.
He grabbed her by the wrists, finally using his strength and size to overcome her. Without her hands to ground her, Kira's balance slipped and she landed on his chest with an oomph. When she opened her eyes, the laugh had disappeared from Luke's face and in an instant, the air felt thicker. She licked her lips, unable to look away.
"Ahem."
Kira rolled off of Luke immediately, jumping at the sound of an unfamiliar voice in the doorway. She looked up to see a well-dressed blond man who she remembered seeing around Sonnyville before.
"The Punisher Council has arrived. We request your presence at the council dais immediately."
"Thanks," Luke muttered while he stood up and brushed his clothes off.
"I'll meet you there in a minute," Kira said, looking back at the still unmoving Tristan. Luke nodded and dragged the protesting Protector from the room.
Kira walked back to the corner of the hospital room where she had left her handbag and took out the shabbily wrapped present resting inside. Hastily, she scrawled a note on the blank card.
"Dear Tristan, I'm sorry I won't be here when you wake up again. Remember what I said and please try to stay calm. Here's a history book I think you'll like—it'll get you caught up on everything you've missed. And there's a little extra too. I couldn't find the charcoal you like, so I got some soft graphite pencils instead. I know how much drawing relaxes you. Please don't worry, I'll be back soon. Love always," she erased that, "yours truly," she erased it again, "your friend, Kira."
Kira left the package at the foot of his bed and walked out of the room, hoping she could keep them both safe from the Punishers now waiting just a short walk down the street.
Chapter Two
While making her way to the town square, a strange sense of déjà vu overcame Kira. Spotting a sea of blond heads surrounding the archaic wooden platform that served as the council's meeting center was a reminder of the first visit she had made to Sonnyville. More so, it was a reminder of how much could change in such a short amount of time…and how much could stay the same. Whereas before, Kira was an outcast for the color of her hair and the source of her powers, she was now an outcast for her loyalties and her supposed softness for vampires.
When she reached the top of the long hill, every head in the crowd turned toward her. Weeks before, their gazes had been filled with interest, awe, and a slight sense of fear. Now, some of the conduits had added disgust to that list.
But Kira had been through too much to really care what anyone thought about her, so she just walked through the people, not making eye contact with anyone until she reached the wooden steps of the raised platform and saw Luke waiting for her. Grateful for his warm smile, Kira took the hand he offered and climbed the steps ready for whatever faced her.
Sitting in their wooden thrones were the seven members of the Protector Council. Kira cautiously glanced over at her grandfather, who sat in the center of the group. Like Luke, he offered a warm greeting. The wrinkles around his eyes crinkled in a subtle smile meant for Kira's eyes only.
The other six councilmen were stoic in their formal suits, staring beyond Kira, back toward the top of the hill where their guests would be arriving shortly.
"Have they mentioned anything?" Kira whispered to Luke, who still hadn't released her hand. But she didn’t mind.
"No," he replied under his breath. "Can't you feel how anxious everyone is? I think they're too nervous to break the silence."
"I know this meeting is a big deal, but I don't get what the council is so afraid of." Kira looked behind her again, taking note of the stress lines on the councilmen's faces. Their eyes were narrowed and their hands were white with the force of the grips on their chairs.
"Peace with the Punishers is fragile as is, and the
y want to keep you safe, but not if it costs us our truce. We need to be able to work together."
"So you're saying they're nervous for me?" Kira glanced incredulously at Luke. It was hard to believe this judging crowd was actually rooting for her. He squeezed her hand, but continued looking at the top of the hill, waiting for the Punishers.
"Some people might not agree with your relationship with Tristan, but in the end you proved the Protectors right—you proved that vampires can be saved—and that is something to root for."
"I guess, but—"
"Shh," Luke shushed her and gripped her hand even tighter.
Kira followed his gaze to the black car pulling to a stop at the top of the hill. The whole town of Sonnyville seemed to hold its breath, pausing together until, in one large exhale, the door opened and a red head slipped out. Six more men in well-tailored suits followed the first older man out of the car and they waited, talking quietly to one another until a second car pulled up.
Now it was Kira's turn to be shocked because she recognized the next face to greet the crowd—her adoptive mother. Tugging nervously on the bottom of her dress, her aunt surveyed the vast lawn, searching for Kira.
"Mom?" Kira said aloud, recovering only when Luke shushed her again. Kira glared at him. "But—"
Luke interrupted by nodding toward the car where another Punisher was emerging. Kira recognized him too—the man from Aldrich's dungeon, the one who had first told Kira she was falling—falling into evil.
"What are they doing here? I thought it was just the council!" Kira hissed into Luke's ear. Her heart started beating at an even faster pace. The Punisher Council was one thing. But the mother she had lied to and hung up on the day before, and the man who had accused her of turning into a vampire? Kira was not prepared to face that tribunal. "My mother? I mean, that is low…"
"Kira, relax." Luke rolled his eyes. "If anything, you should be happy your mom is here. She'll do whatever it takes to protect you."
Kira raised her eyebrows at him. "Hey, you weren't on the phone yesterday when she was ready to punish me for all eternity. Hell hath no fury and all that jazz."
The Complete Midnight Fire Series Page 60