Girl of Glass, #1

by Megan O'Russell

  The hairs on Nola’s neck prickled at the thought of Eden hiding from the Outer Guard.

  “Don’t worry.” Kieran kissed Nola’s hand. “We’re safe down here. You warned us, and we’re better protected than we have ever been before.”

  A thumping noise echoed in the distance. A low, rhythmic buzz that shook the floor under Nola’s feet.

  Nola’s heart began to race as they grew closer to the music of Nightland. Two tall guards stood, arms crossed, knives in their belts, in front of the metal door.

  One of them lifted his head as Nola approached as though sniffing the air.

  “That her?” he said to Kieran who nodded.

  The other guard turned and swung open the door. The music flooded into the hall so loudly Nola could barely hear herself call “thank you” as the guards ushered her past.

  Flashes bounced down from the ceiling, throwing lights so bright into Nola’s eyes, she was blinded when she tried to look into the shadows.

  Vampires filled every corner of the club. The music thumped into her very bones. Each vibration shook her lungs, making it impossible for her to get a deep breath.

  Kieran laced his fingers through hers, leading her out into the mass of surging bodies to find a place on the dance floor. Every time they passed a group of revelers, their eyes locked onto Nola.

  “They’re all staring at me,” Nola whispered.

  “Huh?” Kieran shouted above the music.

  “They’re all staring at me.” Nola pressed her lips to Kieran’s ear.

  Kieran looked around the crowd, giving a nod to a group of vampires with dark red and black tattoos etched into their skin. “No one here will hurt you.” He wrapped his arm around Nola’s waist.

  “Because they’re all nice vampires who don’t believe in eating Domers?” The question caught in Nola’s throat.

  “Because you’re with me.” Kieran smiled and swayed with the music. “Because they know you’re the Domer who came here to help us.”

  The people around them began to dance again, surging as one massive unit. Kieran held Nola tightly, swaying gently. “Ignore them,” he said. “Let it just be us.”

  Nola looked into Kieran’s eyes. The green was almost gone now, replaced with black. But the darkness didn’t frighten her. In his eyes she could see his soul pouring out to her with every glance.

  Kieran smiled and took her by the hand, spinning her under his arm. Nola tossed her head back and laughed. The music swallowed the sound of her laughter, but it didn’t matter. Kieran was laughing with her. He pulled her back into his chest, one arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight.

  He brushed the loose hair from the sweat on her forehead. He ran his fingers over her curls as though hoping to memorize each strand. The music changed, and the crowd around them cheered. This song was faster, with shouted words Nola couldn't understand.

  Kieran didn’t sway with this song. He only gazed at Nola, sadness filling his eyes.

  “Nola…” his mouth formed the word, but Nola couldn’t hear the sound. She laced her fingers together around his neck, leaning up until their lips met.

  She tightened her fingers in his hair, pulling him even closer. His heartbeat thudded through her chest, overpowering the music until there was nothing left but him. His hands traced the skin from her waist to her ribs. She gasped at the ice of his fingers.

  Their eyes met for a moment before he was kissing her again, wrapping his arms around her so her feet left ground. She disappeared, lost in a haze. There was nothing left in the world but her and Kieran. Cheers and shouts glided past, but she cared for nothing except Kieran and her hunger for him. She teased his lips, reveling in his taste.

  A loud clang shook the air, and Nola looked up. Her feet still hovered above the ground as Kieran held her, but they were in a tunnel away from the crowds of 5th and Nightland. The thick stone walls muffled the thumping of the music. Lamps dotted the corridor, leading off into the darkness, but no shapes moved in the shadows. They were alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Nola,” Kieran breathed, pressing his lips to hers gently at first, then with growing desperation.

  This is it. All we’ll ever have.

  Kieran lifted her against the wall and pressed himself to her as his hands explored the bare skin of her back. Nola pulled herself closer to him, as though they could melt into one and the bridge would never come. She moaned as Kieran’s fingers grazed her ribs, sending pulses of pleasure trembling through her.

  “Kieran,” she breathed, wrapping herself around him.

  This is perfect. This is right.

  “No.” Kieran stepped away.

  Nola crumpled to the ground, hitting her head on the stone wall.

  “What?” Nola said, blinking to see Kieran past the stars that danced in front of her eyes.

  “I want you, Nola,” Kieran said, his voice desperate and sad. “I want to keep you here. I want to make you mine.”

  “Then do it.” Nola swallowed the lump of fear in her throat as her words hung in the air. “I’m not afraid.”

  Kieran stepped forward, taking Nola’s hands and helping her to her feet. She swayed as pain shot through her head, but the ache did nothing to shadow the longing that filled her. Kieran traced her lips with his finger, then placed his hand over her heart.

  “You have to get to the bridge.” Kieran turned and walked down the tunnel.

  “Kieran,” Nola said, forcing her feet to move as she ran after him. “We have time.”

  “A few hours,” Kieran said, not slowing his stride.

  “One night. You said we could have one night. I thought—”

  “I want you, Nola.” Kieran turned to face her. He took both her arms, holding her tight. “More than anything, I want you. But the whole point in giving you back to the domes is to make sure you have a life.”

  “I can have a life tomorrow.”

  “And what would you tell Jeremy?” Kieran said. “Would you lie? Never mention it happened? Or would you admit you gave yourself to a Vamper in a filthy tunnel?”

  “It’s none of Jeremy’s business.”

  “You belong with him!” Kieran pulled away from Nola and paced the tunnel, tearing his hands through his hair. “I lost my chance with you when I got banished from the domes.”

  “That wasn’t your fault—”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Kieran punched his fist into the wall. Tiny bits of rock clattered to the ground.

  Nola ran to him, taking his hand in hers, expecting to see blood and broken bones. But his hand was perfect. The skin unharmed.

  “See,” Kieran panted. “I’m not who I used to be.” He took Nola’s face in his hands. “I love you, Magnolia Kent. I will always love you.”

  “Kieran, please don’t.” Pain dug into her chest.

  “But I love you too much to let you stay down here in the dark.” Kieran kissed her cheek. “And I love you too much to give you one night in a tunnel and send you away. You deserve the world, Nola.”

  He took her hand and turned down the tunnel, but Nola couldn’t make her feet move.

  “Kieran,” she whispered, not waiting for him to turn back to her. “I love you, too. And I should have a choice.”

  His fingers tightened around hers, and together they walked down the tunnel toward 5th and Nightland.

  Say something. There has to be something you can say to stay here. To stay with him.

  They had nearly reached the metal door when a loud thunk echoed through the hall.

  Nola stepped away from the door, expecting a burly guard to walk through. But the metal door stayed shut.

  There was another thunk, and the noise from the club changed. The music silenced, replaced by frightened voices.

  Thump.

  The ceiling shook, sending a rain of dust down onto Nola and Kieran. More thumps came, breaking over the screams of the crowd. The door to 5th and Nightland swung open, and people poured out into the tunnel just before—<
br />
  Bang!

  The sound pounded into Nola’s ears, blocking out the cries of the people around her.

  Kieran grabbed her, shoving her against the wall and covering her with his own body as chunks of the ceiling came tumbling down.

  There was more shouting and the sound of people running away down the tunnel.

  Soon the shouts of fear vanished, replaced by roars of anger.

  “Shit,” Kieran muttered.

  Nola looked up in time to see red beams of light darting through the dust of the ruined club.

  Faint pops echoed through the air, and Nola watched the shadow of a vampire fall before Kieran knocked her over, pinning her to the ground.

  “Get out of our home!” a voice roared.

  The screech of metal on metal wailed through the hall, followed by the sound of splintering wood and howls of pain.

  The vampires were fighting back.

  “Nola, I need you to run,” Kieran said just loudly enough for Nola to hear his deadly calm voice. “I need you to run down this hall and not stop until you find where it meets up with the big tunnel. Go left from there, and you can find your way back to Emanuel’s.”

  “You want me to get help?”

  Another series of pops punctuated the shouts, but the vampires had armed themselves. This time, a guard fell to the floor. Another figure in a black uniform leapt into view, bringing down a heavy baton onto a vampire's neck.

  “Help is already coming, but they can’t see you here.”

  A bang shook the floor.

  Nola watched in horror as the wall between the tunnel and Nightland began to collapse. Before Nola could gasp, Kieran had lifted her and was sprinting down the hall, carrying her in his arms.

  He rounded the corner and held Nola to the side as a dozen vampires armed with swords, knives, and weapons Nola didn’t recognize, ran past.

  “Go,” Kieran said. “Get where it’s safe.”

  “Come with me!” Nola clung to Kieran’s hand.

  “They’re invading my home, Nola,” Kieran said. “I have to fight.”

  “I’ll fight with you,” Nola said, searching the floor for a rock, anything to defend herself.

  “There are vampires in there,” Kieran said, cupping Nola’s face in his hands. “If you bleed, they could attack you. The guards can’t see you. Just go. I’ll meet you in the gallery when it’s over.” He kissed Nola, quickly, urgently as shouts and the grinding of metal on metal came from the fight. “I love you, Nola. Now go!” he shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared into the dust.

  Nola wanted to run after him. To shout at the guards to stop. These were people, too, and they had a right to protect their home. But if they saw her, they’d know she was a traitor, and the war with the domes would begin.

  She stifled a sob and ran down the hall, half-blinded by her tears. Another group of vampires tore down the passage, knocking Nola off her feet. Pain shot through her wrist and ribs as she hit the ground. Spitting dirt from her mouth, Nola pushed herself to her feet, staring down at the hot sticky blood that covered her palm.

  “Shit.” She glanced up and down the tunnel. There was no one in sight, but a vampire would come soon. A vampire that could smell her fresh blood. Pulling with all her might, Nola tore the sleeve from her shirt. Grabbing a handful of dirt in her bleeding hand, she wrapped the leather around the soil, hoping it would be enough to cover the scent of her blood.

  Nola ran down the hall, but the sounds of the fighting didn’t seem to get any farther away. The guards had gained ground, delving deeper into Nightland.

  How many guards had they sent that the vampires still hadn’t—Nola couldn't stop herself from thinking—killed them?

  Finally, she reached a door. It was metal but thankfully light enough for her to move on her own. Pain seared through her palm as she gripped the handle with both hands, forcing the dirt deeper into her wound.

  As soon as she was through the door, she shoved it closed behind her. There was a lock on the inside of the door, a heavy metal bar that could be slid into place. It could block the Outer Guard from the hall—maybe only for a minute, but it would be something. But it would lock the vampires in with the guards. Shouts came through the metal door.

  “Stay in formation. We don’t leave without the girl.”

  Nola slammed the metal bar into the lock and stared at the door.

  They were searching for her. If she let them find her, maybe they would leave. The fighting would be over. They had fought their way this deep into Nightland. The Outer Guard were stronger than Emanuel had thought.

  But if they found out Emanuel had lied, they could destroy everything.

  You can’t be seen! Kieran’s words pounded through her mind as the door shook.

  Nola ran left down the corridor.

  Please let me be right. If Kieran is hurt...

  She pushed the thought out of her mind. He was a vampire. He only needed to protect his heart.

  A woman stood in a doorway, clutching a sweater to her chest as she looked up and down the tunnel.

  “Get inside,” Nola shouted as she ran past. “The Outer Guard are here.”

  The slam of a door sounded behind Nola.

  Her legs burned. How much farther until she reached Emanuel’s house. Would she even be safe there? A group of vampires running in ranks, dressed all in black, charged past. Nola recognized Desmond’s scarred, bald head as he ran in the lead.

  Nola raced farther down the tunnel, where vampires still stood in the hall with no apparent concern for the attack.

  “What’s got the guards riled?” a man asked, stepping out in front of Nola. His long white fangs peeked over his bottom lip.

  A human drinker.

  “The Outer Guard,” Nola panted, keeping her wounded hand clamped tight at her side. “They got into 5th and Nightland. They’re coming.”

  The lights overhead flickered as though confirming her words.

  “And the human runs,” the vampire sneered. “Bloody and weak.” His eyes moved from Nola’s panicked face to her injured hand. “I could protect you. The little girl lost in the dark.”

  He stepped closer, and the vampires around him shifted, forming a ring around Nola.

  “Beautiful, weak, and so sweet,” the vampire said, his black eyes gleeful. “You need protection. I could protect you. Make you mine.” He leaned close to Nola, his fangs mere inches from her neck. The stench of sweat and stale blood wafted off his skin. He leaned closer, his nose brushing her neck. “You smell so pure, so clean.”

  “I am a guest of Emanuel,” Nola said. “I am here under Emanuel’s protection. And if you so much as touch me, Raina will have your head.” Nola stepped back and stared unflinching into the vampire’s black eyes.

  “Raina.” The vampire straightened.

  “She owes me,” Nola said. “Now get out of my way before the Outer Guard come.”

  The vampires stood frozen for a moment before, as a unit, they stepped back and out of her way.

  Nola sprinted down the hall, the scent of the vampire still caught in her nose.

  Soon, the doors became nicer, and she found the carved wooden door that led to Emanuel’s home. Five guards stood flanking the entrance to the gallery.

  “Nola.” Bryant stepped forward as Nola skidded to a stop. “Where’s Kieran?”

  “At 5th and Nightland,” Nola said as quickly as her panting would allow. “He stayed to fight. The Outer Guard made it through the doors. They’re in the corridor.”

  “We know.” Bryant opened the door to the gallery. “Get inside. They’ll take you someplace safe.”

  Nola stepped into the gallery, and a cold hand closed around Nola’s arm.

  “And here I thought you might have run into the waiting arms of the guards,” Julian said, dragging Nola through the gallery and to the living quarters.

  “I thought about it,” Nola said, her breath still coming in short gasps, “but I didn’t know if it would make them st
op. And Kieran said to stay out of sight.”

  “Kieran is a very smart lad.” Julian led her through the kitchen and the narrow door in the back. There was a wooden door on the right and a heavy, metal door straight ahead.

  Julian pounded on the metal door with his palm. “Dr. Wynne, I have Nola.”

  A shadow flitted behind a tiny piece of thick glass in the door. A creaking came from the other side before the door, even thicker than the entrance to 5th and Nightland, ground slowly open.

  “Oh, thank God,” Dr. Wynne said, beckoning Nola into the room.

  “Reseal the door.” Julian turned and ran away.

  Dr. Wynne put his shoulder into the door and slid it shut before turning a thick metal wheel in the center that closed the lock with a heavy clunk.

  “Where’s Kieran?” Dr. Wynne asked as soon as the door had been secured.

  “He’s fighting,” Nola said. A horrible stone of guilt settled in her stomach. “He told me to run. But there are others there. He’ll be fine. He has to be.”

  “Nola dear,” Dr. Wynne said, his voice unusually tired, “I gave up on my son being safe the moment I turned him into a vampire. It was my fault we were banished from the domes and my drug that turned him.”

  “To save his life.”

  “I saved his life by making him a part of a very dangerous community.” Dr. Wynne took off his glasses and kept his gaze down as he slowly cleaned the lenses on his shirt.

  Nola didn’t miss the glimmer of tears in his eyes.

  “Every day I have with him is an extra gift I don’t deserve. Kieran is a brave man. He would never sit idly by while others are in danger. Of course he’s fighting. And he won’t stop until everyone is safe.”

  “But he’ll be okay,” Nola said, unable to keep a trace of question from her voice.

  “He’s a vampire, Nola,” Dr. Wynne said. “And a strong one at that. That is the best assurance we have that he’ll be back in a few hours. Beaten, bloody, maybe missing a few fingers. But he’ll still be Kieran, and he’ll heal.”

  “Because you made him that way.” Nola turned to the door, wondering how long it would be until someone came for them.

  “Because I made him that way.”