A Light in the Dusk

by K J Sutton

  For every day Alexander Travesty sits on the throne, a weeper will invade the city.

  “You stupid girl,” Noah growls. For a moment, I stare at him in utter bewilderment. But as I process the fury in his snapping green eyes, it hits me—he thinks I leaked the letter to the press.

  Drew shifts toward the bounty hunter, but I step in front of him, determined to avoid a scene. “Noah, I didn’t—”

  “You’re coming with me.” He grabs my wrist, his grip unforgiving, and I wince.

  “Hey! No fucking way.” Drew is back at my side, vibrating with tension, as if he’s about to launch himself at Noah.

  “It’s okay, Drew,” I tell him, even as the vampire starts dragging me away. “I’ll be right back.”

  I pull my wrist out of Noah’s grasp when we’re halfway down the hall. He lets me go with a look that says, You’re only free because I allow you to be. I just lift my chin in response. Noah’s nostrils flare, and he turns, heading toward the room where we first met.

  Once we’re inside, Noah wastes no time—he shoves the curtain across the doorway and storms toward me. “You just couldn’t keep your damn mouth shut, could you?” he growls.

  I glare at him incredulously as I back away. “I didn’t say a word,” I tell him. My voice rings with truth.

  Noah’s eyes track my movement, and I see his throat move. He doesn’t come closer, as I expect him to. “Well, you must’ve told someone, halfblood. Think really hard. Can you do that for me?”

  “For all I know, maybe you leaked it,” I counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re the one who’s fucking a different person every night. All that pillow talk has to lead somewhere interesting once in a while. At least, one would hope.”

  He chuckles darkly, and now he does prowl toward me. “Jealous much?”

  Before I know what’s happening, my palm is flying toward his face. It doesn’t connect, though. He grabs my wrist and pulls me forward until we’re nose to nose. His breath is cool against my face, and I can smell the whiskey on it as he murmurs, “I don’t suggest doing that again.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone,” I force out, holding his gaze.

  His voice drops to a murmur. “Well, I sure as shit didn’t.”

  Swallowing past the dryness in my throat, I force myself to say, “Then Kyndra—”

  “No,” Noah cuts me off. Any desire in his expression wipes away like a fresh layer of paint.

  He finally lets me pull free from him and step back. “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I trust her.”

  “Well, I don’t.”

  “I don’t give a flying fuck what you think. Kyndra didn’t leak it.”

  “Fine,” I mutter, fighting the urge to strike out at him again. “Then someone else did.”

  Noah closes his eyes and exhales slowly. “Fantastic.”

  “Now are we going to tell Bill what we found on that weeper’s body?”

  He opens his eyes again and peers down at me through thick lashes. “Sure, Charlie. You go ahead and tell Bill that we found evidence in his investigation and only told him once it had been leaked to the press. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear it.”

  “Well, you were the one that wanted to keep it from him to begin with!”

  Once again, Noah closes the distance between us in two quick strides and grasps my chin between his fingers. “I have reasons for doing the things I do, little Lavender, and I’m getting very tired of you questioning me.”

  His voice is a low, soft caress on my senses, and I somehow lose the ability to push him away. “Why didn’t you want Bill knowing about the note?” I ask quietly.

  The vampire cocks his head to the side. “Why do you see the need to question it? You should be glad I didn’t want to expose evidence that will surely lead to your daddy’s death.”

  I find the sense to slap his hand away. “He isn’t my father, and you know that. If you’re not going to answer my question, fine. But don’t you dare stand there like you’re better than me because your last name isn’t Travesty. Hell, it’s not even mine. Not really.” I walk across the room, putting my back to him.

  “Halfling—”

  Shouting breaks out from the bar, and I whirl around. Why does this keep happening? I start for the door, but Noah catches my wrist, stopping me. My head jerks toward him. “Let go of me, Noah.”

  The vampire’s eyes roam over my face, and for an instant, it seems like he’s about to apologize. “Word of advice,” he says instead. “Either embrace your name or change it.”

  He lets go of my wrist and disappears out the door.

  I run after him, stopping dead when I enter the bar behind him and catch the newest broadcast. It’s a splitscreen—Danielle Winter is on one side, sitting in her swanky studio in Las Prinix, and on the other is a scene that squeezes my throat like a vice grip.

  Two royal guards are restraining a thin female fighting to get loose. When she lifts her head and snarls, the realization hits me like a physical blow to the gut, and I can’t help the noise that escapes my lips.

  Mother.

  My knees buckle and give out, sending me downward. Then Noah is there, catching me before I hit the ground. His arm is secure around my waist, holding me upright with little effort as Drew and Nina rush over. Noah hands me over to them without a word and blends into the crowd.

  When I refocus on the screen, and I see the guards are securing Mother to a pyre, saliva in my mouth turns to chalk and my stomach becomes a clenched fist. The camera pans to Uncle Edward, who’s standing on a platform, reading aloud a list of Cassandra’s crimes. As the entire bar listens, I bite my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. I don’t want to fall apart here—I want to be strong, even as my heart cleaves in two, knowing what’s about to happen. Mother’s treason is punishable by the highest law in New Ve.

  “Can we do anything?” I whisper to Drew. “Anything.”

  I hear him swallow. “Charlie, we can’t. I’m so sorry.”

  “They’re going to kill her! We can’t just—” My voice cuts off as the camera zooms in at the exact moment a guard lowers his torch and sets the kindling aflame.

  I cry out at the same time I see Mother’s mouth drop open in an agonized scream.

  The older a vampire is, the quicker they burn. Thankfully, my mother is ancient. As she burns, I cling to Drew. He doesn’t relent his grip, not even when the light is gone from my mother’s eyes and she’s slumped there like a charred bird.

  “Hang her on the wall,” a voice booms suddenly. Once again, the camera quickly turns to the speaker. I choke on my sob as I stare at the Vampire King. I’d grown up thinking I had incredible eyesight, but now I realize I’d been blind all along.

  Alexander Travesty is a monster.

  “You don’t need to see any more,” Nina snaps, blocking my view of the screen just as the guards untie what’s left of Mother’s body.

  My ears are hot and my eyes sting. I can’t think, no, I have too many thoughts. I can feel my control slipping. Seeping through the cracks between my fingers like sand, and no matter how hard I clench them together, I can’t make it stop. I pull free from Drew—he says something, then Nina does, but I don’t understand what they’re saying—and turn away. Voices are muffled as I push through the crowd, my head spinning and my heart hammering against my ribcage so hard it hurts.

  Finally, I make it to the door and throw myself into it, bursting out of the building. The night air hits my face, cool and reassuring. For a few minutes, at least. Quickly, though, the cold starts to get to me. I huddle in my jacket, my breath making white clouds in the air. One thought pounds at me like a jackhammer, over and over.

  My mother is dead.

  Tears prick my eyes as a sob claws its way up. I try to keep it in as my pulse loudly pounds in my ears. So loud I don’t hear Drew and Nina approach—I jump when he wraps his arms around me from behind. In an instant, though, I’ve turned in his arms and buried my face in his chest, and
I really don’t care what Nina thinks about it.

  “My mother’s body is hung up there on the wall, for the entire city to see, and all I can think about is how it wasn’t supposed to end like this,” I say finally. “I feel like something was stolen from me. All I could have been… all I should have been. I was supposed to have this peaceful life, but now it’s gone, and so is my mother. Is that disgusting? Is that completely selfish?”

  “The more peaceful you feel, the more terrified you should be,” Nina counters, not unkindly. “A peaceful life just means you’ve become complacent.”

  Still nestled against Drew, I blink at her. “How did you become so strong? Were you just born like this?”

  Nina laughs softly, and I feel the vibration of Drew’s laugh matching hers. “Come on,” he murmurs, squeezing me before he lets go. “I think it’s time to go home.”

  Our walk back is subdued. Once we return to the boardinghouse, I seek the solitude of my room. As much as I wish I could fall asleep and forget the horror I witnessed at Rowan’s, I can’t. The air speaks to me in drafts and murmurs. All morning long, I roll back and forth, disturbing the cat one too many times before she yowls at me and jumps onto the windowsill.

  I’ve just closed my eyes for what feels like the millionth time when there’s a light tap at the door. I stay silent. After a few seconds, Drew opens the door wide enough to stick his head in. I feel the weight of his gaze on me.

  “Please don’t ask me to leave this bed,” is all I say. My voice sounds broken, even to my own ears.

  Drew doesn’t reply. Instead, he comes in, closes the door behind him, and crawls in beside me. A feat in itself, considering how tiny this bed is. My chest tightens as he tucks my head against his chest, but I don’t try to resist. Minutes tick by, and neither of us speak or attempt to end the silence. And when I start crying, Drew still doesn’t speak—he just holds me tighter.

  I’m listening to the steady beat of his heart as I drift, at long last, into a deep and uneasy sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Gray, dying light pours through the window and onto the floor like luminescent paint.

  Somewhere nearby, a bird makes a solemn sound, probably a turtledove or a pigeon. I’m lying in bed, with Drew next to me. It’s another one of those bleak days, with rain pattering against the window. His scent is all around me. I’m not sure what sleep smells like, exactly, but I think that’s what it is.

  As I stare at him, I feel my stomach gurgle softly. For once, it’s not from lack of blood, but food. We should be getting up soon, anyway—Nina could go into Drew’s room any minute and discover his empty bed. I’m honestly surprised he’s still here.

  “Good evening,” a drowsy voice mumbles. I return my gaze to Drew, who’s still blinking the sleep from his eyes. But even though the night has barely begun, he’s already smiling.

  I wonder what gives him such strength while others are constantly running out of it. “Don’t you ever get discouraged, Drew?” I murmur, tucking my hand beneath my chin, facing him on the pillow we share. His breath fans my cheek. His hair is getting long—it falls into his eyes even more than mine does.

  Drew is silent for a few seconds. The house is still quiet all around us, but I know that will soon change. Eventually, instead of answering, Drew tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. Even this simple touch sends a shiver down my body, and I skim my palm down his hard stomach, enjoying the feel of Drew’s warmth against my skin. I want to lose myself in him. I want to make him moan. I want to claim his veins again.

  Sensing my desire, Drew moves closer. He reaches down to tug off my underwear. “We can’t do this right now!” I hiss, but there’s a reluctant smile in my voice.

  Drew pouts and pulls his boxer briefs down, too, showing off his massive erection. “But… but…”

  I can’t stop the laughter that bursts from me, but when Drew rolls over again and pushes his hard length against my center, I immediately go quiet. There’s a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he begins to kiss his way down my stomach.

  But I’m too impatient to have him back inside me. My breathing quickens as I take over, getting rid of the clothes separating us. Then, in a movement that makes Drew groan, I push myself up and onto his erection.

  This time, there’s no foreplay. No need, really—I’m wet and ready. Drew’s sculpted stomach gleams in the weak moonlight as he grasps both my hips and pounds into me.

  Within a minute, I’m already nearing the summit again. I throw my head back. Just a few more seconds, a few more seconds and I’ll send Drew back to his—

  The door bursts open.

  Drew and I break apart so fast that he tumbles off the bed. In a blur of motion, I get off my knees and gather the bedcovers to me, trying to cover my naked chest. Nina stands in the doorway, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. She glares at me, then at Drew, who’s pulling on his jeans with shaking fingers. I watch her take note of the puncture marks on his naked body. As Drew yanks his zipper up, stress comes off him in waves, its scent familiar and undeniable. The fact that he’s afraid makes my own fear heighten.

  “Could you not just stand there?” he asks abruptly, running those nervous fingers through his hair now. “At least let us get dressed.”

  Nina fixes her lavender eyes on him completely, as if I’m not here. “Forget about your own life,” she says, her voice as cold as my father’s had been after my Awakening. “Forget that being this incredibly stupid will get you killed. What about me, Drew? How do you think it would affect me, if I have to bury you? I have no one else, you selfish asshole!”

  “Jesus, Nina—”

  “And you.” Nina turns that churning gaze on me. Outside, a crack of thunder makes the city quiver. I swallow and feel myself press harder against the metal bed frame. “I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I defended you, when everyone else wanted you out on your ass. All I asked was that you leave my brother alone.”

  She’s right, I realize with a pang. It was a shitty way to repay someone for their kindness. “I’m sorry,” I say, even knowing she isn’t ready to hear it yet. I glance toward my clothes, still discarded on the floor, and wish I had the courage to reach for them. “I am. We should’ve…”

  We should’ve told you, is what I’d been about to say. But, really, I never should have let it get this far.

  I look at Drew, and he looks back at me. The connection with him is still there, no matter how much I wish it wasn’t in this moment. And I can’t bring myself to regret a single memory I made with him.

  Wind and rain pound against the house, filling the unbearable silence. When I don’t go on, and Nina sees the lingering glance between me and Drew, her breathing goes shallow. I hear her heartbeat, though, and in contrast to the air in her lungs, its rhythm is hard and fast. “You’re going to pay for this, Charlotte Travesty,” says the girl who might have been my friend in another life. “You’ll know the true meaning of going hungry.”

  As melodramatic as her words sound, I believe her.

  The monster inside me doesn’t like this—the hunt is all it lives for. That ever-present darkness stirs, like a great beast in some ancient cave, coming awake in a surge of relentless cravings and violent impulses. I don’t even have a chance to fight it—within seconds, I feel the other part of me rise up, and up, and up, then break the surface of my soul.

  “Your threats are nothing,” the monster says, using my voice, speaking with my mouth. “I will always be stronger than you, because half a vampire is still a vampire. You are a beetle on the ground I walk upon.”

  Drew opens his mouth, probably to attempt deescalating the tension.

  “You’re going to be sorry for that, too.” Nina’s eyes blaze and her teeth are bared in an almost animal-like snarl. I take that as my cue to reach for Drew’s t-shirt and pull it on, still sitting up in the bed. The monster is partially in control, I know, and I make every movement slow and deliberate. Need to put it back in its cage, I think. Need to loc
k the door.

  Before I can utter another word, Nina shoves me, hard, and I hit the wall. I feel something crack as I collapse to the floor.

  In less than a second, I’m back on my feet, and the monster is pissed. Charlie isn’t too happy, either.

  But I forget that I’ve been drinking Drew’s blood. I forget how strong a vampire is, even half of one, after it’s fed. I step forward and push Nina back—just a single push, intended to put some space between us—but it’s like I hit her with a battering ram. She goes flying across the room and slams into the opposite wall. The plaster crumbles like breadcrumbs. Nina can’t hide her wince of pain as she slides down and lands on the floor. A thin stream of blood comes from her nose, and I focus on it, noting its floral scent despite the remorse and horror gripping my heart.

  “Fuck,” Drew blurts, rushing toward his sister.

  The sound of his voice pulls me out of the fog. I stare down at Nina, feeling as though I might be sick. Drew kneels beside her and puts gentle hands on her hand and shoulder. It doesn’t seem possible those hands were just on me a few seconds ago. “You okay, sis?” he asks.

  She pushes him off, keeping her eyes on mine. “I’m fine. I just hope you finally see why I wanted you to stay away from her.”

  Drew hesitates, finally glancing back at me. I can’t tell if he agrees with her or not, but I tell myself it doesn’t matter right now. “Nina,” I manage, turning my gaze back to her. My voice sounds thick and broken at the same time. “I’m so sorry, I swear I didn’t mean to—”

  The girl smirks, pushing herself up. “Save it, parasite. You’re finished here,” she crows.

  I clench my hands into fists, a movement both her and Drew take note of, but the pain anchors me. I bury nails into flesh. You are Charlie. You don’t view humans as food. You do not want to kill this girl.