In fact, the only set of eyes looking pissed off rather than excited were the flaming green ones next to Kira—the ones staring her down, reading every lying blush on her face. He knew something was up, that there was something she hadn't told him, something she was hiding from everyone around the table.
But Kira ignored him, because she had her army.
"Why?" Luke asked. Kira kicked him under the table. What are you doing, she thought, be quiet.
He scooted his chair an inch away from her.
"Why are you all so eager to fight him, to be human?"
"You could never understand," the vampire next to Luke said softly, eyeing him wearily.
"You're right, I don't. I've spent my whole life trying to protect humans from you people, and now instead of killing them to want to become one?"
"Perhaps I'm tired of all the killing," she said, a sad smile passed over her lips, "but then again, perhaps I'm tired of not caring that a killer is what I've become."
Luke opened his mouth, ready to push forward, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Alright then," Pavia said, jumping out of her seat to stop the conversation before it went any further. "Kira, Luke, why don’t you crazy conduits get home. I'll walk you out."
Pavia started for the door and Kira grabbed Luke, practically pulling him out of his seat. She didn't say a word until they were outside in the fresh air.
Kira shifted her shoulders back, ready to hold her ground, but before she even opened her mouth, Pavia charged Luke, poking her finger forcefully into his chest.
"Alright, Luke. What was that?"
Kira crossed her arms, nodding in agreement and staring Luke down.
"I don't trust vampires," he stubbornly responded, but an apologetic look tugged at his eyes.
"Well we don't trust you either," Pavia said, as though she were talking to imbecile, "but that doesn’t mean we can't do business. Do you want to keep your girlfriend alive or what?"
"Yes," Luke said, "but—"
"Well, if you want her alive then we have to kill Aldrich, and if you want to kill Aldrich you'll need us. In case you didn't realize, the conduits aren't exactly supporting you right now—runaways."
Pavia blew her bangs out of her face, regathering her strength before Luke could get a word in. "And if you're so doubtful, maybe you should just go. We can do this without you."
"Now, wait a minute—"
"No, you wait," Pavia leaned in closer and Luke backed up, his face the definition of shock as she snarled at him, "you want to know why a vampire might want to be human? Take a look at yourself. I know everything in your head. I sense your heart pound every time Kira steps into a room. I feel your blood warm when she meets your stare. I hear the pain tugging at your chest, staggering your breath, when you think about losing her. And did you ever think maybe that's why I want to be human? So I can feel those things for myself without living vicariously through a conduit like you? Vampires can't be in love, and I know Kira doesn't want to hear that but it's true. And what's eternity worth if you're forever alone? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Pavia turned to Kira, who flinched under her hard stare, "Kira, I'll see you tomorrow. I owe you some memories before all of the fighting goes down."
And with that, Pavia spun on her heel, whipping Luke in the face with her long, wavy black hair.
Luke, for his part, looked like he had been hit with something far worse… something more like a truck.
"She yelled at me," Luke said, awed.
"Yup, a really good yell too," Kira said, trying her best not to laugh. A little smile slipped out despite her best efforts.
"I mean, she really yelled at me." He was shell-shocked.
"Yeah, well, you deserved it. She kind of stole my thunder actually, I was all prepared to yell at you too."
"But when you yell at me it's cute, when she yells at me," a shiver traveled down his spine, "it's scary."
"I resent that."
"Hey, wait a second," Luke shifted his gaze to look Kira right in the eye, "I was going to yell at you."
She looked away and started walking down the brick path, back toward the sidewalk outside of the restaurant.
"What was that back there?" He asked, catching up to her quickly.
"What?"
"What? Ha! You know what. Saying you didn't kill Aldrich because of Tristan, I know the truth, you had no idea about Tristan. Why'd you lie? What are you hiding?" Luke took her hand in his, making her stop walking before she opened the door to his car.
Kira didn't meet his stare. She wasn't ready—not to tell him that she might be turning into the one thing he despised most in the world.
And that's when she remembered phase two of tonight's plan. Phase one was complete—she had her army and there was no way Aldrich would escape. But she hadn't even started the next phase, the one to make Luke know that she really loved him too, that she was ready to let Tristan go.
So Kira used the best diversionary tactic she could think of. She grabbed Luke's impatiently waiting face and kissed him.
Success.
Chapter Eight
"Stop!" Kira let go of the steering wheel to slap Luke's hand out of his face.
"Seriously, where are we going?" He said, reaching for his blindfold again. Kira went in for another slap.
"Have you never heard of a surprise before?"
"Maybe I just don't trust you with my car," he said, "it's a man's car."
"Please, I've driven your pickup truck before."
"Okay fine," he sighed, "the not knowing is just killing me. You grab my face, kiss me—not complaining about that at all by the way—and then force a blindfold over my eyes and shove me in the car. I'm not sure if I'm being kidnapped or taken on a date…"
"Neither," Kira said, prompting another heavy sigh from Luke, who started tapping his foot against the floor of the car.
"Well if you won't tell me where we're going, will you at least tell me one thing?"
"What?" Kira asked, turning her attention back to the road, which was poorly lit and lined with oak trees. Not exactly ideal for distracted driving.
"Why did you say Tristan was the reason Aldrich escaped?"
Kira sighed. Not this again.
"Because I didn't want to tell them the truth."
"Which was…?" Luke said, leaving the opening.
"That he got away—that he beat me. We need them on our side." Kira squeezed the steering wheel and her sweaty palms rubbed harshly against the leather.
She held her breath, waiting for Luke's response.
"I don't buy it."
Kira exhaled angrily. How did he read her so easily? Tristan would have let it go, would have wanted to appease her, but not Luke.
Not wanting to go there, Kira reached out and slipped the knot behind Luke's head free while trying not to crash the car.
"Now I know you're hiding something," he pushed.
"For your information," Kira said, as her palms heated up on the steering wheel and her voice rose an octave, "I was trying to be romantic tonight. So will you just drop it for the time being?"
"For now," he shrugged and turned his gaze out the window. "Are we going to Folly Beach?"
Kira rolled her eyes. So much for the plan.
"Yes, if you must know."
He nodded, biting his bottom lip to keep from grinning.
"What?" Kira asked. He was about to pop, but he shook his head. "What?" She urged.
"It's just," he started to laugh, "you were supposed to take a right turn about a mile ago."
Kira snarled under her breath, such a little jerk. "Do you want to drive too?"
"Are you offering?" He grinned, reaching for the wheel.
"No," Kira snapped, but made the mistake of looking at him. As soon as she spotted his grin, her own mask of anger cracked. "God, you're so annoying," she laughed, "I wanted to be angry at you."
"I know," he chimed, clearly proud with himself. Kira shook her head, trying t
o quell her smile, but it stayed wide.
Damn, why did he have to be right about that? She squinted, weighing her options, before sighing and making a u-turn in the middle of the empty street.
Luke burst, all intentions of placating her gone.
And, after a minute of trying to remain stoic, Kira did too.
"Okay, okay, I'll never play driver again, just bear with me for a few more minutes. We're almost there."
She turned back to the road, blaming Luke's incessant questions for the mistake. A sign up on the left side of the road indicated her next turn, and after a few minutes, Kira was pulling into a sandy parking spot next to the boardwalk. She turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.
Luke followed suit, waiting for her in front of the car since his longer legs carried him faster.
Kira took a deep breath—now or never.
Now, she decided and took Luke's hand, surprised by the sudden swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Beside her, Luke gulped, just loud enough for Kira to hear. He felt it to. The sense that something significant was about to happen, something that might change everything.
Kira led Luke down the boardwalk, each of them silent, listening to the wind ruffle the grassy dunes. The beach was a different place at night. Gone were the crowds, the screaming children, the bright umbrellas, the water wars. It was calm. The waves didn't splash, they rolled, shimmering with starlight. The moon was enough to light a path through soft sand, and Kira followed the trail until her nerves hardened enough to stop her feet from delaying her words any longer.
Luke sensed it before her feet paused. He knew Kira was ready before she herself did, but he was right.
Turning toward the water, Kira bent down until she landed softly in the sand. Luke sunk down next to her, holding onto her hand when she tried to pull away.
A shiver ran down Kira's spine, sending tingles to her limbs.
"You're probably wondering why I wanted to come here?"
Luke shrugged, forcing Kira to continue.
"Well, the thing is," she paused, thinking, "I guess I just wanted," she stopped again, rubbing her free hand down the length of her thigh. Why hadn't she planned her speech better?
Kira glanced at Luke, taking comfort in the fire sparkling in his eyes, and suddenly the words fell out.
"You're my best friend, my rock, you know? And that's what this place reminds me of—the day my entire world fell apart, leaving only you to catch me. Tristan was a vampire, my parents were not my parents, I wasn't human, my entire life had been a lie, and everything had changed, but not you. You were there, comforting me, holding me afloat just like always, and I guess that’s why I wanted to come here. That day, you became the best friend I've ever had, and I wanted you to know that."
Kira looked at Luke, at the blond hair that still seemed to glow from the sun, at the slightly crooked nose almost completely covered in freckles, at the smile permanently glued to his lips.
"And for what's been almost a year, that's what you've been to me. A best friend. Until I realized something, why wasn't my best friend my boyfriend? When I was in England, it wasn't Tristan that got me through, it was you, just thinking about you made me feel better. And that's weird, right? And I still do it. Whenever I need to feel better, I sort of peek into your head, and I know I promised I wouldn't read your thoughts anymore, but I do it all the time because it's like taking a little happy pill, and…"
Kira took a deep breath. She was reaching the point of no return.
"And I thought about what you said, at the ball. You said you realized you were in love with me after you thought you'd almost lost me, and I think that's what happened to me too. When I left you in the airport, I thought I'd lost you, that you'd never forgive me, and I didn’t know what to do with myself."
God, get to the point, Kira screamed at herself, but she couldn't stop rambling. Why did she feel so exposed? It was Luke, she was never nervous in front of him, but all of a sudden all forms of finesse had escaped her.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't care that Tristan is human, and I don't care that he doesn't remember me, because I still have you and I think that's all I ever needed in the first place, and—"
"Kira?"
She swallowed.
"Shut up," Luke said, reaching behind her head to pull her face toward his.
The minute their lips touched, Kira's brain stopped working. Her mind, already vulnerable, completely let go and Luke's emotions tumbled into her head in a dizzying whirl of lights, a firework show saved just for her.
And Kira wished Luke could feel her thoughts too, the way her excitement bubbled right next to his, sprinkling down her arms, following his every touch. And even though flames weren't sprouting from his hands, they felt on fire as they gripped the back of her neck and traveled down her spine, around to her stomach.
Hungry for more, Kira pushed Luke down, falling with him onto the sand, liking how their bodies molded together. His long lean chest held her weight easily, and his arm wrapped around her back, bringing her closer, slipping under the hem of her shirt to lightly tease her skin.
And the closer they fused, the more Kira felt the sun travel through her body, spreading a warm glow, a sense of peace down her limbs.
Unable to control it, her flames seeped out, circling both of them in her fire. But no longer trapped, the shadows silently followed.
Her blood turned to honey—or was that Luke's blood. His skin felt sweet on her lips, sugary almost.
Kira shifted her lips to his cheek, letting his sigh tremble in her ear. She kissed the line of his jaw, the smooth skin, freshly shaved.
She followed the trail down his throat, the syrupy sweetness teasing her senses, until something began to sing to her, a thrumming pulse, a soft percussion under her tongue...
"Kira?" Luke pushed against her.
She sat up, confused. What was that smell?
"Did you just bite me?"
"What?" She asked, her eyes focusing like lasers on his neck. There was no blood. She let go of her breath, until she saw teeth marks digging into his skin.
"Did you just bite my neck?"
"Um, maybe…" She shifted, leaning away from him. The honey on his skin was still teasing her.
"Why did you just bite me?" He asked, as though speaking to a child.
"I got lost in the moment?" She said, not even convincing herself. Luke's eyebrows furrowed. The excitement in his pupils quickly drained, turning hard and demanding.
"Kira." His voice was a rock, unmoving.
She stood. She had to escape. This was not supposed to happen, not to Luke and her.
Before Kira realized what was happening, she was running. Her feet pounded against solid sand, thumping along with her heartbeat.
Luke yelled after her, but she couldn't stop. It wasn't time. She wasn't prepared to lose Luke right when she had finally found out what he really meant to her.
"Kira!"
Closer this time. He was taller, his legs were longer, faster. Kira veered to the right, searching for a boardwalk in the dunes. Her flight instincts had kicked in, pushing her into overdrive and all she could think about was getting far away. It didn't matter that he would never stop questioning her, that the next time he saw her he wouldn't let her go. Right now she didn't know what to say or what to tell him.
A hand wrapped around her wrist, jerking her backwards. Kira twisted her arm, escaping Luke's hold, but an arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She kicked wildly, doing anything she could.
Luke cursed and dropped her, but almost before her feet hit the ground, he spun her around and hugged her close to his chest.
Kira pounded his muscles with her fists, writhing her body to loosen his hold. Nothing. His arms were iron, trapping her.
"Let me go," she said, still trying to punch her way free.
"Kira, what is going on?"
"I can't," she continued pushing against him, exhausting herself.
"Kira," he soothed, the steel gone from his voice.
"No, Luke," her voice cracked, mirroring the damn breaking inside of her. He was opening the floodgate, but it would be so good to finally talk to someone. But would he ever look at her the same…
Kira's body slumped. All of her energy drained. Luke loosened his hold slightly, just enough to meet her eyes.
"Kira, please talk to me." Concern filled his eyes, dampening the yellow flames around his irises and brightening the warm pine green hues.
"I want to."
"Then do it."
Kira shook her head. Frustration gathered on his face.
"Why not?"
"I can't lose you again," she whispered, clutching at his shirt, trying to make him understand. Her eyes were wide, unblinking, feral.
"You'll never lose me," he said, running his arms up and down her arms to quell the goose bumps gathering there, "I love you, I promise nothing will change that."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
His words were steadfast, but Kira couldn't squish the knot of doubt in the back of her mind. Their bond was open, golden rays of love were pouring in through his mind, but still, Kira knew this would change everything. She was turning, she couldn't deny it or ignore it anymore.
Of all the people in the world, Luke was the only one she could talk to about this but also the last one she wanted to tell. He was her best friend, no he was more than that, so much more. And that was why her mouth hung open, waiting for the words to tumble out, because she didn’t want any secrets between them. She had been down that road before and had almost lost him.
So standing there under the stars, wrapped in the warmth of his arms and the sunlight flowing through his veins, she thought for a second that maybe it would all turn out okay…just maybe.
Kira looked up into his steady gaze, and took a deep breath. She trusted him more than anyone else in the world. He wouldn't let her down—he never had before.
"I think I'm turning into a vampire…an original vampire."
Luke fell.
His knees collapsed bending outward so he landed Indian style on the ground. Kira dropped onto his lap, probably crushing his legs, but he didn’t make a sound. His face was frozen—his lips formed a small surprised circle and his eyebrows bent inwards, wrinkling his forehead.
Scorch (Midnight Fire Series) Page 9
