Kira ran a hand through her hair, getting stuck in the tangled curls. "Have any vamps made it inside?"
Luke shook his head. "Not yet, but I suspect with so many they'll be able to figure something out eventually."
She nodded her agreement. "What's the plan? What did the council decide?"
"A first line of defense has been deployed. Protectors armed with swords and half of the Punisher Council set up base at different intervals along the wall to watch for any vampires breaking through and to start burning any vampires who get close. All of our security cameras have been turned on and we have a team monitoring them. The other conduits have been divided into squads, waiting for words about where they're needed."
"So, not like last time with that whole circle set up in the town square?" Kira asked, thinking back to the other time she had witnessed an attack on Sonnyville. Half of the conduits would have died if she hadn’t been there to put an end to the group of vampires that had managed to jump over the wall.
"No," Luke said, a glint in his eye, "this time we're ready. This time, the vamps won't have it so easy. The UV wall is fully amped up, and it'll take them a while to figure out how to get through. And hopefully a Punisher will be there to burn them before they even touch Sonnyville soil."
"Good," Kira snorted. "What about you? What will you be doing?" A sense of concern tickled at her chest, but Kira tried to quiet it. Luke could handle himself. He would be fine.
"Well, first I was supposed to check in with you and Tristan…hey, where is Tristan? And actually, back to that, how did Pavia get inside?"
Kira bit her lip. "I might have told her to use the top secret tunnel connected to this basement."
"Kira," Luke gasped, "did anyone see her? Was she followed?"
"Relax." She wished she could reach out and comfort him. "Do you see any vampires around? No one saw her. And I told her to take Tristan with her, to keep him safe since I…" She trailed off, looking at the ground. Since I can't, she finished the thought silently.
Luke misunderstood. "Don't tell me you're going to go hunting for Aldrich? Kira—"
"I'm not," she interjected, quickly cutting him off and smiling. "I love you, you idiot, I'm not going to throw that away. I won't give Aldrich the satisfaction."
"You know, you could have ended that like, I love you Luke—I would never make you worry like that. Or, I would never do that to you."
"Or you could just smile sweetly and say, thank you. I love you too, Kira." She raised an eyebrow, letting a little diva attitude flow into her face.
"Thank you. I love you too, Kira." He pursed his lips, holding in a Cheshire-cat-sized smirk.
"I would shove you if I could."
"Too bad your arms aren't long enough."
"Too bad you needed to sit five feet away to fend off my advances."
Luke opened his mouth, then shut it quickly.
"Ha!" Kira perked up. "Gotcha."
"You know I really do love you, don't you?" he asked, tone turning just serious enough for Kira to sense his earnestness.
"I really do."
"Good, because I need to go lock you in a closet."
"What?" If she had been drinking water, it would be all over Luke's lap at the moment. "You don't trust me to stay put?"
"Trust is such a harsh word," he said slowly.
"Harsh and accurate."
"Do you even trust you right now?" he asked, wincing while he did. But Kira didn't want to hurt him, and more importantly, she couldn't deny it. The shadows were there, swirling, strengthening even just in his presence. Being locked up for the duration of the battle might not be such a bad idea.
"You're right." Kira sighed. "Let's do it."
"Good, because—"
But Kira didn’t need to hear the end of Luke's sentence, couldn’t if she even wanted to. The banter had ended. The professions of love had ended. The moment for kissing was long gone, or maybe it had gone on too long.
Her gut punched inward, hit by some invisible force, and Kira doubled over.
Luke had mentioned it earlier, but Kira hadn't been paying attention, she wasn't listening. She couldn’t ignore it now.
The children were coming.
Their innocence, their sweet, succulent innocence—it hit Kira like a wall, slamming through her senses, blocking out everything but smell.
Her canines began to ache. Saliva gathered, pooling beneath her tongue. The need to taste it was overpowering, was undeniable.
The darkness swirled into her vision, creating spots in her eyes, so all she could focus on was the desire slivering down her throat, encasing her heart. The shadows awakened, and Kira shivered from the cold traveling to her limbs. The vampire inside of her was coming out.
No.
No.
Kira dropped to the floor, slamming her fists into the ground as she landed. There was no way this was happening, not now, not when she had finally chosen a path, a dream, a life.
Fire warmed her fingers, traveling in from the outside, spreading warmth to her dying body.
Luke. It had to be.
Kira welcomed his pure, untainted flames, and pulled them into her, cracking the shadows around her heart so the Protector powers could flood her core, urging her hiding fire awake.
Kira squeezed the fingers wrapped around hers.
"Get me out of here," she gasped.
Arms scooped her up, lifting her high into the air. Kira let Luke carry her away, anywhere other than the floor, right next to the crack under the door where that scent was pouring through.
They moved farther away. The thud of Luke's steps was all Kira could process. Her mind was easing just a little as his fire continued to charge in. Apprehension flooded her thoughts, spilling over the wall. Luke was scared—not for himself, but for her.
Kira's bottom touched a cushion, sinking into a seat somewhere else in the house.
"I'll be right back," Luke urged. His flames retreated, pulling away, and Kira's body went on overdrive. Her own powers tried to push out, pressing against her skin as though a bomb was about to explode, but she held on. She couldn’t release it. She would burn the entire town down—because Kira knew deep down her powers were being pushed out, being forced out, and she refused to let them go.
Luke's burning fingers touched her skin again, sending peace and calm to her senses, spreading a golden warmth that had nothing to do with blood, just with fire, pure and untainted fire.
Something pushed against her nose, but Kira turned away. She couldn’t open those senses again, couldn't breathe through anything but the slight opening of her lips, the barest hole to let airflow stiffly in and out.
"Kira, just smell it," Luke soothed, running one flaming hand up and down her arm.
Trusting him, she did what he said, reopening the path to her nose.
A putrid floral scent infiltrated, stinging its way down the back of her throat, itching her tonsils.
Kira shook her head, but Luke held it steady, not letting her escape. She breathed the acid flowers in again, hating the fake sweetness, the faux-rose. She couldn't, she wanted the sugar, the real honey, the blood.
Kira coughed. Her entire body, doubled over, jerking with the force of the air expelled from her system.
She coughed again, a long series ending in a should-be-blinding sneeze.
But it wasn't blinding—the shadows had already stolen her sight. The sneeze jostled the darkness, shifting it ever so slightly, but just enough that the hint of a spark poked through.
Kira blinked. Rapidly shifting her eyes, she forced away the black blocking her vision, willed away the spots until the sight of flames seeped through. A wall of orange and yellow rose up, swirling around her face, sinking into her skin. She turned a notch, finding the matching fire in Luke's eyes. It was his power, not hers. His fire was saving her.
Another breath.
Kira held on tight to the flames swirling in those steadfast irises. Luke wasn't letting her go anywhere he couldn't fol
low. Like always, he was there, dragging her back to life.
Another breath.
Her heart was slowing, matching his calm pace. Her fire was settling back into her system, following the path Luke's had created, relaxing and retreating back into her core.
The shadows were there, but they weren't consuming her.
Fake flowers still tickled her nose, and she resisted the urge to cough again.
"What is that?" Kira whispered.
Luke shrugged, pulling the bottle out from underneath her nose. The sweet sugar of blood drifted back in, but Kira was in control, and she pushed it as far away as possible, focusing on the tiny bottle in Luke's fingers. It looked like perfume.
"Eau de grandmother," he told her, then winked. "Works every time."
"Well, it worked this time anyway." Kira sighed and sat up, stretching her back. The scent of blood was slowly getting stronger, was calling her back.
"Luke, I have to get out of this house before the children get here."
"They'll be here any second," Luke said, looking over his shoulder and out the window to the front yard.
"It doesn't matter, anywhere is better than here."
Luke turned back around, meeting her eyes with a worried frown. Something was on his mind, something not about her. Kira sifted through his feelings, working her way around his mind. There was love, a passionate love focused on her, and a little something else. A love without lust, a love completely disconnected from her, an innocent one, a long-shared devotion.
"Your brother," Kira said slowly, realization dawning. "TJ is with the kids isn’t he?"
Luke nodded, his brows furrowing deeper. "I just want to see him leave, want to make sure he gets evacuated properly. I know TJ, and I doubt he'll go without a big shove from me. He wants to be the hero, you know, the one from his stories."
He wants to be his big brother, Kira thought silently, and brought her palm up to his cheek. She could do this for him, she would make it, she would give him one less person to worry about.
"Then let's stay, with your help I know I can do it," Kira said and squeezed his arm reassuringly.
Maple syrup dipped into her senses—the blood. It was getting stronger.
"Kira, they're almost here." Luke pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her, bringing his flames back to life again.
Kira ducked her head into the nook below his neck, concentrating on his hot skin against hers. She cut off the connection to her nose, trying her best not to smell him, not to give in to temptation. Luke kissed her forehead, bringing his power to full strength at the same time a fresh round of innocent, untainted blood rushed through her senses.
Kira rocked in Luke's arms, listening to his fire crackle around her.
The door creaked downstairs.
Kira gulped, swallowing down a long batch of air before clamping her lips shut and holding her breath. Lifting her hands, she covered her nose, shutting the world out entirely.
"Luke? Kira?" The singsong voice of her grandmother called.
"Keep everyone downstairs," Luke yelled back roughly.
Silence was the only response they received, silence and the faster shuffle of tiny stomping feet.
Her fingers trembled against her mouth. Her throat burned from lack of oxygen. Her arms twitched, body shaking, rejecting her plan. Spots invaded her vision.
Unable to take it any longer, Kira's entire body lurched and her lips shot open, drawing in a ragged breath. Sugar. Lollipops and gumdrops. The deliciousness of pure innocence. Nothing would be so wonderful to drain.
Moving without thinking, Kira pushed against Luke's hug, fought his hold. She needed to get out, to be free, to give in, to drink.
Luke's hand slapped her chest, injecting his flames directly into her heart. A jolt of adrenaline racked her body and Luke pushed his thoughts full force into Kira's mind. She was drowning in them, in the strength and loyalty—in the love. Drowning in a way she welcomed, because the alternative was falling, was ripping free of his arms and leaving him.
Hold on, his thoughts told her.
I love you, they said.
His fire was a warm hug, touching every part of her body and soul, so pure and so true that the shadows could do nothing but retreat, but run far away.
"Come back to me, Kira," he whispered, in a soothing voice that slowly pulled her free of him, slowly brought her back.
"Kira," he quietly said again, hugging her close and kissing her forehead, keeping it securely nestled against his shoulder.
Hesitant, scared, Kira let her nose open, let the air around drift in.
It was clear. Clean almost. She smelled the faint scent of Luke's conduit blood, but she could control that urge.
She sat up. She had made it. They had made it.
Kira turned, excited, but Luke was only half there, his eyes were only half focused on her.
"The children, they're gone, right? They made it out?" Kira asked, her thoughts running quickly, trying to understand.
"They're gone," he said, patting her arm. "But…"
"But what?"
His lips wavered, struggling with the question of what to do.
"Luke, tell me."
"It's TJ." He bit his lip. "I didn't see him with the other kids."
Kira's eyes widened. How was this happening? He had to go, he had to find his brother, but… her mind slowed, selfish, but he couldn't leave her alone. Could she even do this without him?
"I'm sure he's fine," Luke said, but Kira heard the doubt pull at his words. "He's probably with my parents."
But what if he's not? Kira heard the unspoken question.
She stood, slipping from Luke's lap, giving him a way out.
"Go," she said. "Go find your brother. I'll stay here. I'll be fine." Even as she said the words, the distance from Luke's body made the shadows grow.
"Kira," he said slowly.
"Luke, I mean it, that was the worst of it. I'm not going to go looking for Aldrich, and I won't leave this house. The children are gone, the rest of the conduits are out fighting. I can control myself, I promise. Go find your brother."
"He's probably with my parents—"
"But what if he's not? What if he's doing exactly what you told him not to—walking around out there, looking for a real life vampire like in his stories?" She hated to do it, but Kira refused to be babysat. She loved Luke. She wouldn't sit by and hold him back from doing what he did best, rescuing people. This was a fight she would need to end by herself.
Luke sighed. A battle raged in his eyes.
"You sure you'll be okay?" he asked, a guilty look crossed his features as he looked at her.
Kira gripped his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "I promise. I'll be right here waiting for you to get back."
He smiled, resolved, and reached up to kiss her.
"I'll be right back, I swear."
She nodded, pushing him from the room.
Luke stopped in the doorway, looking over his shoulder at her for a second, before running down the hall and out of the house.
In his absence, her limbs grew cold again. The sun went into hiding. The fire blew out.
Kira dropped to her knees, clutching her chest.
It was finally time.
Chapter Sixteen
She promised.
Kira had made a promise, and she didn't intend on breaking it. Not this time.
When Luke got back, Kira would be there waiting. Not the Kira who was a step away from madness. Not the deranged Kira who lusted for blood.
No.
A Protector Kira. A sane Kira.
Luke's Kira.
So as she dropped fully to the floor, Kira held her powers close to her heart and let the shadows come. It was time to end it. She couldn't fight the darkness any longer.
Her body jerked. Seizures racked her limbs.
But Kira was beyond everything.
She was swimming through fire, riding her flames as they circled her body, holding them
tightly under her skin.
Kira was searching for the source, the switch, the part of her that decided Punisher or Protector, because she was ready to say goodbye to the anger, to the kill.
So she kept pushing, deeper and deeper into her soul.
That was the story of the two angels after all. Whether they were real or myth, they were Kira. She was two people, two powers, two lives.
Well, she had chosen a path, but actually letting her Punisher's powers go? That was a different issue. That was the only factor left, the one thing holding her back. Because she had thought it would be easy, that she would decide, and naturally the other half of her would fade away.
But her decision had been set the moment Luke walked through the door, and her Punisher powers still burned inside her heart.
And the deeper she sank, the stronger everything seemed to become. Her Protector fire and Punisher flames melded together, red and yellow, dancing across her mind until everything around her was orange, and there was no differentiating the two. Kira pulled at the fire, willed it apart, but it wouldn't go. It wouldn't tear.
Kira delved further, until her skin was so hot it was as though she walked on the surface of the sun itself, in a place where there were no Protectors, no Punishers, no angels, just a light so bright it would blind anyone who dared open their eyes to look.
"God?" she called, forgetting that she was speaking into her own mind. It didn’t feel that way. It felt divine. Sacred.
No response.
"Will you save me? Like you saved the originals?" she asked meekly. The words scratched her dry throat, ripping their way out of her body.
But no one was listening. No one was there.
Kira was alone. More alone than she had ever felt before.
Lost even.
So she ran, racing back the way she came, following the fire out of her heart, riding the waves until she was in her own skin. But it wasn't her own. A foreign host had taken over, black and writhing, sticking to every part of her.
The Complete Midnight Fire Series Page 76