The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  Kara turned away from Rose, as she undressed, tugging her sleeveless, black shirt over her head and tossing it aside. Wearing only a pair of leather pants and a sports bra, she began to strip off her weapon belts and place the weapons carefully in the sand. The black, dragon tattoo that snaked along her spine shifted when she did, drawing Rose’s attention to the intricate artwork. Sand scattered as Kara dropped one of her daggers. “Have you undressed yet?” Kara asked, as she finished removing her weapons. When Rose didn’t answer, Kara turned around, raising an eyebrow, when she found a fully-dressed Rose staring at her backside.

  Rose blinked, quickly shifting her gaze up to Kara’s face. “Hmm?”

  A smug smirk tilted at one corner of Kara’s lips. “I’ll take that as a no.”

  Rose stepped closer to Kara, circling her, so that she could see the dragon tattoo again. Kara shivered as Rose traced the dragon with her fingertip, following the winding, serpentine shape down Kara’s spine. Warm desire spread throughout Rose’s body, as Rose longed to trace the inked skin with her mouth, as well. When her finger reached the end of the dragon, Rose breathed, “Who did your tattoos?”

  But Kara must’ve heard the catch in her voice, the breathless desire that burned in her throat, because when Kara turned toward Rose, her light blue eyes were dark and dilated, and her smile was hungry. “Different people,” Kara said, shrugging. “The dragon was my first. It was chosen for me when I came of age.”

  Despite the cool, salty breeze, heat poured through Rose’s body. “Why?”

  “Because,” Kara said, “I’m as sly as a serpent and as fierce as a dragon.”

  “It must’ve hurt,” Rose said softly. “More than it does now, I mean.”

  “Oh, yes,” Kara agreed. “With the tools we used back then, it was agony. The tools you use today are much…kinder to the skin.” She stepped closer, tilting her face toward Rose’s. “But it was a rite of passage for the warriors in my village. If you were to be a warrior, you had to know pain. You had to learn to like it.”

  Rose couldn’t breathe. Not without breathing in the scent of Kara—the wild, sweet scent of violets, the strong, warm scent of leather, and the appealing scent of her blood. She reached out and brushed her fingers over the flower on Kara’s hip, watching as Kara visibly shuddered at the sensation. “And this one?”

  “Artist,” Kara said breathlessly. “Many years ago.” Rose started to pull her hand away, but Kara caught her wrist and dragged her closer. She led Rose’s hand to her thigh and then between her legs. “You want to know about this one?”

  Rose swallowed, painful desire building inside her, as her fingers brushed the cool leather that clung to Kara’s thighs like a second layer of skin. “Tell me.”

  “Slept with a tattoo artist a few years ago,” Kara said. “She did it for me.”

  Rose could barely hear Kara’s soft, lilting voice, over the crashing waves and the pounding of her own heart. She leaned closer, longing to taste Kara’s lips.

  But Kara pulled back, mischief sparkling in her light blue eyes. “Tell me about yours,” she said with a flirty smirk. “The phoenix on your shoulder-blade.”

  Rose shrugged. “I was stressed about exams. Audrey said it’d relax me.”

  “And did it?” Kara murmured, tilting her face closer again. “Relax you?”

  “Yes,” Rose whispered. She felt herself leaning closer and closer, unable to resist the pull, unable to stop the connection of their bodies. “It was…fun.”

  Kara watched her with a smile. “What does it mean? Why the phoenix?”

  Rose shook her head. “Nothing. I just liked the way it looked. That’s all.”

  Kara leaned in, her lips almost touching Rose’s, and whispered, “Liar.”

  Rose wanted nothing more than to feel those lips against her own. Maybe that was why the truth spilled out of her mouth so easily. “I’ve been burned so many times—scarred, destroyed,” she whispered. “It’s a reminder to always rise.”

  Kara’s lips finally met Rose’s, giving enough pressure that Rose moaned, but not enough to satisfy. She pulled back, grinning wickedly, as she saw the dark hunger in Rose’s eyes. “I like that,” she told her. “Now, let’s get you undressed.”

  “Undressed?” Rose sputtered, her lust-laden mind struggling to keep up. She cast a curious glance around the empty, moonlit beach. “But we’re outside.”

  “No one can see,” Kara told her. “You and I are the only ones out here.”

  “Right,” Rose mumbled—though that didn’t make her feel any less shy.

  Kara circled around Rose. She slipped her fingers under Rose’s shirt, her fingertips leaving a trail of heat on Rose’s skin, as she pulled Rose’s shirt over her head. She tossed the shirt into the sand, leaving Rose in just a bra and jeans. Her fingers undid the clasp of Rose’s bra, as her mouth covered the tattoo on Rose’s shoulder-blade. Rose’s head fell back, a gasp escaping her lips, as Kara traced the phoenix with her tongue. “I don’t know why you hide it,” she murmured against Rose’s skin. She bit down lightly, causing Rose to moan. “I think it’s beautiful.”

  Rose closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling, her stomach tightening. “Yours are,” she managed to say, even as she struggled to breathe. “I love them.”

  Kara smiled against her shoulder—before biting again, drawing another gasp from Rose’s lips. When her bra fell to the ground, Kara slid her arm beneath Rose’s, reaching around to cup her hand around Rose’s breast. She squeezed, the soft flesh overfilling her hand. Rose moaned, her back arching against Kara. Kara swept her tongue over the tattoo again, as she pinched Rose’s nipple, feeling it harden beneath her fingertips. She slipped her other arm around Rose’s waist, to hold her upright, as Rose’s knees started to buckle. She let her free hand rest just above Rose’s hip, her fingers splayed across the right side of Rose’s stomach.

  “You should get a dragon, too,” Kara whispered in Rose’s ear, as she slid her hand lower. Rose arched against her, once again, as she slipped a few fingers beneath the waistband of Rose’s jeans. “Here,” she growled, grasping Rose’s hip.

  Rose whimpered. Her head spun, as if she were intoxicated—except she hadn’t had anything to intoxicate her. No blood. No alcohol. It was just Kara. It was Kara, who filled her head with buzzing desire, who caused her body to seize with need, who caused arousal to ache and pulse between her legs. She couldn’t think anymore. She couldn’t even remember where she was. As a matter of fact, Rose wasn’t even sure if she was holding herself upright anymore. Or if Kara was doing that for her. She exhaled a shuddering breath, as Kara caressed each curve, from behind. “Why a dragon?” Rose finally managed to say. “So we can match?”

  Kara smiled at the sound of Rose’s voice—because each word she spoke trembled with thick, audible desire. She knew she was driving Rose mad with lust, and she loved every moment of it. She rocked forward, groaning against Rose’s shoulder, as the soft curves of Rose’s ass pressed against her. She bit the lobe of Rose’s ear. “No, not a serpent dragon. Not for you,” she murmured. “You’d get a majestic dragon with large, glorious wings.” She growled the next part in Rose’s ear, “And the kind of power that brings everyone who sees it to their knees.”

  With that, Kara spun Rose around and then sank to her knees. She smiled slyly, as Rose glanced down at her. Then, she unfastened Rose’s jeans and dragged them down her thighs, taking the underwear with them. She looked up, laughing a little, as she realized that Rose still hadn’t closed her mouth. She leaned forward, tracing the curve of Rose’s hip with her tongue, earning a deep moan from Rose.

  “I thought we were,” Rose gasped, her muscles clenching, “swimming?”

  Kara laughed, grasping Rose’s thighs to steady her. Her intense, light blue gaze shifted up, sparkling with amusement. “We are,” she said—before climbing to her feet. She leaned closer to Rose. “I was just helping you get undressed.”

  “Just. Yeah,” Rose said sarcastically. She
watched, as Kara peeled off her leather pants and tossed them aside, too. Despite the swirling lust wreaking havoc on her body, there was a part of Rose’s mind that still lingered on what Kara said.

  The fact that she’d mentioned a dragon.

  Rose wasn’t sure why, but it bothered her, for some reason. She felt as if she were missing something, as if there was something she should’ve realized. It was as if something in her mind had been misplaced. An image from one of her nightmares lingered in her mind. Fire. So much fire. Kara, standing in the middle of the flames, her face pale. She was whispering something. “What have you done?”

  “Rose?” Kara said. Her voice came so suddenly that it startled Rose. Her fingers skimmed Rose’s arms, her touch warm and gentle. “Come back to me.”

  Rose blinked twice. “Sorry,” she said, frowning. “Flashback…I think.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Kara asked worriedly. “Or just swim?”

  Rose didn’t want to think about it—much less talk about it. “Let’s swim.”

  Kara took her hand and stepped backward, leading her toward the water.

  Rose was so distracted that it wasn’t until she noticed the coolness of the air on her skin that she remembered her own state of undress. “Oh. I’m…naked.”

  “Oh,” Kara repeated, her smile playful and mischievous. Her gaze drifted downward, darkening, as it trailed over Rose’s skin. “You are naked, aren’t you?”

  Rose pursed her lips at Kara’s teasing. “Kara, I don’t know about this.”

  “Everyone who lives on this side of the island is underground, at a party,” Kara reminded her. “No one will see us. It’s just you and I. And the sea creatures.”

  Rose lifted her eyebrows, a short laugh escaping her lips. “Sea creatures?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Kara said, her light blue eyes sparkling. “Whales, sharks, maybe a leviathan.” She grinned. “And don’t forget those man-eating mermaids.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “Okay, sharks and whales are possible—though many whales sleep at night. The word leviathan just refers to large aquatic creatures—usually whales, which you’d already mentioned. And sadly, mermaids don’t exist.”

  A hungry smile spread across Kara’s face. “I love it when you do that.”

  Warmth rushed to Rose’s cheeks, and she smiled shyly. “You’re crazy.”

  “Little bit,” Kara said easily. Her smile faded, and her brows creased with concern. “We’re alone. I promise,” Kara assured Rose, “but if you don’t want to do it, don’t. Tonight is about you—about us. If you don’t think you’ll enjoy this, we won’t do it.” She pulled Rose’s hand toward her, placing it over her own chest. She smiled when she heard the catch in Rose’s breath. “But if you’re just feeling a bit insecure, I can assure you,” she whispered, “you always make my heart race.”

  Rose exhaled shakily, as her body responded to Kara’s pulse against her palm. All of her senses were attuned to that rhythm, every part of her body aware of it. “I trust you. I like trying new things with you—even when they scare me.”

  “Is that so?” Kara murmured seductively. She tugged Rose closer, as she stepped into the water. The waves receded, leaving them in wet sand. “Well, don’t worry,” Kara said with a flirty smile. “I’ll make sure you enjoy every minute of it.”

  Rose swallowed, her face suddenly warm. She gasped in surprise, as the waves returned, washing over her ankles this time, instead of her toes. Her hand fell to her side, as Kara released it and waded on ahead of her, into the blue water.

  The moonlight cast a bluish light over Kara’s pale skin and her dark, blue and black hair. The further she moved out into the water, the less visible the blue streaks of her hair were. By the time the waves reached her waist, it looked entirely black. Kara turned, one side of her mouth quirking up, as she realized that Rose still hadn’t moved. Her gaze drifted downward, lingering in a few specific areas.

  Rose’s face reddened. She crossed her arms and legs in an embarrassingly awkward attempt to shield those areas. “I usually swim in like…shorts? At least?”

  Kara chuckled. “Not in jeans, though.” She turned and dove beneath the water, disappearing from sight. What Kara lacked in emotional prowess, she had in physical prowess. Nothing physical intimidated her—perhaps, because no one had ever been able to hurt her physically. Wounds in battle, maybe. But nothing permanent. Nothing, compared to the emotional damage that Alana had done to her. Rose’s scars, however, were a bit more complicated—because every kind of damage had been inflicted on her. She couldn’t say what had affected her most.

  She only knew that her scars often became insecurities.

  And nightmares.

  Lots of nightmares.

  By the time the water reached Rose’s waist, Kara was far enough out that only her head rose above the water, her dark hair floating around her. Rose started to swim out toward her, but Kara held up one finger, motioning for her to wait.

  Then, she dove beneath the waves again, disappearing from Rose’s sight.

  Rose stepped forward anyway, feeling the strength of the current beneath her feet. The push and pull of the waves, as they lifted and dropped her, was quite soothing, honestly, as she waited alone, beneath the stars. She’d almost forgotten her anxieties about the war—and about her nightmares—when she felt someone suddenly latch onto her. She gasped, instinctually, before she realized who it was.

  Kara came up out of the water, still holding onto Rose’s waist. Her brows creased with concern, even before she wiped the salt-water from her eyes. “Sorry, I was just playing,” she said, squinting as water dripped in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” She let her arm fall away from Rose’s waist. “Not like that, anyway.”

  “It’s okay,” Rose said, her chest still fluttering. “I’d started thinking about my nightmares again.” She offered Kara a reassuring smile. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Are you ready to talk about them yet?” Kara asked. “Your nightmares?”

  “Not yet,” Rose said, her throat tight. “I don’t know that I ever will be.”

  “That’s all right,” Kara said, swimming backward a little. “Just want you to know that you can. Alana talked about hers occasionally. She said that it helped, sometimes.” She wiped her eyes. “Then again, she also learned to control dreams and used them to manipulate people. So, maybe we shouldn’t listen to her advice.”

  Rose smiled sympathetically at the joke—that was also laden with pain.

  Kara dove beneath the water again. This time, Rose felt the shift of water and knew, instinctively, that Kara was swimming around her. Rose spread out her hands, feeling the cool, blue water lap at her skin, and then, she smiled, as she felt Kara’s fingers curl around hers. Kara came up in front of her, salty water dripping from her hair, and she pulled Rose forward, until Rose’s body collided with hers.

  Kara’s hands, which were wet and warm in the water, trailed down Rose’s body, following each curve, down to Rose’s waist. Kara pressed her palm against the curve of Rose’s back, holding her close, their slick, wet skin pressing together.

  Rose swallowed uneasily, trying to ignore the desire that was rising within her. She watched the blackish-blue water, noticing the way it glistened and shined in the moonlight. “Did you know,” Rose rambled, “a lot of sharks hunt at night?”

  Kara smiled, not taking her gaze off of Rose. “They won’t mess with us,” she assured Rose. “I think, in some sense, animals know what we are—especially predators. I think they see us as…like them. They know we mean them no harm.”

  Rose laughed nervously. “You sound like you know from experience.”

  “I’ve tested the theory a few times,” Kara said. “I’ll show you sometime.”

  Rose frowned. “You’ll show me…what, exactly?” she asked hesitantly.

  “The way animals react to us,” Kara said. “It’s quite…surreal to witness.”

  “So, you’re telling me,” Rose said,
her eyebrows high, “that animals don’t fear monsters, but they fear humans? That…humans fear us, but animals don’t?”

  “We don’t harm animals. Humans do,” Kara told her. “We do, however, harm humans. It’s all instinct. Humans are afraid of us because they’re our food.”

  “Not necessarily,” Rose argued. “We could feed from other vampires.”

  “Only if we choose to make ourselves vulnerable,” Kara reminded her. “I know what you’re thinking—that if you could convince vampires to feed only from each other, humans might not be so afraid of us—but it would never work.”

  “Why not?” Rose said with a frown. “Surely, vampires don’t want war.”

  “Some of them do,” Kara told her. “Some of them are tired of being the only species to make sacrifices. Humans rule this world, as if it belongs to them.”

  “What does that matter?” Rose said. “People are going to die in this war.”

  “It matters to some,” Kara sighed, her lean, fair-skinned shoulders lifting in a sad shrug. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, Rose. I’m just warning you that not everyone is as willing to make sacrifices as you are. Peace isn’t going to be easy.”

  “It never is,” Rose said. “But it’s the way this has to end. We either make the compromise now, or we do it, after too many lives are lost in a pointless war.”

  Kara nodded. “Or we’ll continue fighting until there’s no one left at all.”

  Rose’s stomach dipped with dread, as the memory of what Zosime said flashed through her mind. If nothing changed, there would be no future. Zosime said that the end had begun. Rose couldn’t let that happen. She’d do whatever it took to save the people she loved. She’d sacrifice anything, including her own life.

  It was almost as if Kara knew what she was thinking.

  Because at that moment, she heard Kara’s pulse spike, as well.

  Rose looked up, blinking in surprise, as she saw something in Kara’s eyes that wasn’t often there. Fear. An intense, shining flash of panic in those beautiful, icy blue eyes. “Kara,” she murmured, lifting her hand to push a lock of blue hair out of Kara’s face. Kara’s thin, dark hair felt cold and wet, soaked with sea-water, and Rose smelled the salt on Kara’s skin, as she leaned closer to her. “What is it?”