by G. K. DeRosa
Please turn on, please turn on. Nothing. A black screen stared back at me. “Ugh!”
I kicked my legs and piercing pain sliced into my thigh. A scream tore out of my mouth as stars danced across my vision. My leg was bound with some strips of fabric and a makeshift splint. It looked bad. My jeans were ripped to shreds and painted in more blood.
I slumped back down on the bed and exhaled a long breath. Think Solaris. Now is not the time to freak out. My mind was foggy, like I’d had one too many drams. Maybe I had and this was all just a terrible nightmare. My grandpa used to say that drams were nothing like the alcohol they had in the old days, but it was enough to do me in. I shook my head, hoping to clear out the cobwebs. Ow. Gently, I ran my hand through my hair. A big bump protruded out of the left side. That would explain the haziness.
I stared up at the ceiling and noticed dark wooden beams crisscrossed overhead. I glanced around the room, and dark beady eyes met mine. Jutting out over the fireplace was an enormous buck head with twisting antlers; its sad, glazed-over pupils glared down at me, and he wasn’t the only one. Furry animal pelts hung all over the wood-paneled walls. That was odd. Houses in Imera were all constructed in the same drab gray cement. I’d never seen one made of wood. Something flickered in my memory. Imera… I’d been flying.
Images of the plane crash flashed across my vision. I inhaled sharply as the last scene played out in my head. I’d been over the Shadow Lands when it happened.
Oh my God.
I scanned the small room once more as terror squeezed my lungs. This wasn’t Imera. I was being held captive by whoever had found me. But it couldn’t be… There were no humans in the Shadow Lands. They’d been deserted for a century. My mind raced, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs. Had I somehow made it over the border into Draconis?
I didn’t even want to think about the possibility. Humans and nocturnes were forbidden to intermingle under any circumstances. The words of the prophecy sprang to mind:
A nocturne and a human shall unite,
Love will blossom, overpowering all that is right.
Great disaster will befall
Ending both mortals and vampires, one and all.
Well that was definitely not going to happen. If it was a nocturne that found me, it was more likely it was planning to eat me than fall in love with me. I had to get out of here. There was no way I was becoming a vampire’s human blood bag. I struggled against the restraints, and a sharp spasm reverberated up my shoulder. Dammit. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the pain.
A pair of piercing navy eyes coalesced in my mind. They were wild and unsettling. My breath hitched. My mouth salivated, the memory of a salty metallic taste clinging to my taste buds. Startled, my eyes snapped open.
I really needed to get out of there. I swiveled my head to the left then the right. A dusty, chipped nightstand stood a few feet behind the bed. A glass of water and a roll of bread perched near the edge. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I was so thirsty. And starving. Who knew how long I’d been knocked out?
I reached for the bread, but the restraints jerked my arm back. I splayed my fingers, the tips just grazing the glass. Come on! I dragged my broken leg to the edge of the bed and stretched. I caught the corner of the table and pulled it toward me. My fingers wrapped around the glass, and I almost cried from happiness. Cool liquid filled my mouth, soothing my parched throat. I chugged down the entire thing in seconds.
My stomach rumbled, and I went for the roll next. By the sounds of my growling belly, I must have been out for at least a day. The chewy, crusty bread tasted like heaven. It was ten times better than the stale, tasteless dough I was used to. With every passing moment, I was more certain that I was no longer in Imera.
But why would a nocturne wrap my leg and leave me food if he was just going to kill me? Maybe he was trying to fatten me up before draining me dry.
A chill slithered up my spine. I yanked at the manacles again, my biceps straining, but the ache in my shoulder stopped me after a few seconds.
My gaze fell on the drawer of the bedside table. I pulled it closer and reached for the knob. With one hand, I rifled through the contents – an old matchbook, some rusty nails, a notepad, and a key. Hope filled my chest as I grabbed the antique key and held it up to the handcuffs. My heart plummeted. The keyhole on the manacles was half the size of the key; there was no way it was the right one. I jammed it in the hole anyway, but the shape was all wrong. Ugh!
I couldn’t paper myself out of there, and the matches weren’t going to help unless I wanted to light the place on fire. I picked up a rusty nail and turned it around in my palm. Hmm…
The nail head was about the same size as the keyhole. I stuck it in and wiggled it around. Then I took a second nail and inserted it in the bottom part of the opening. I chewed on my bottom lip as I twisted the two nails around and around. The metal clicked, and the handcuff popped open. Yes! With one hand free, I quickly got to work on the other restraints.
I jumped off the bed, and my full weight bore down on my leg. Big mistake.
I screamed as scorching pain tore up my limb. Crumpling down onto the mattress, I sucked in a breath. I glanced around the space searching for something to use as a crutch, but the room was empty.
A narrow door at the far corner caught my eye. Now I just had to get there. I clenched my teeth and stood, leaning all my weight on my good leg. I slowly hopped to the wall and sidled my way over to the door.
I pulled the door open, and a cloud of dust rose into the air. I scrunched my nose and peered into the dark closet. An old broom leaned up against the side wall. Perfect. I inched inside and reached for it, but my hand bumped into something hard and sent it clattering to the floor. My eyes focused in the darkness—a long steel barrel and a handle with a scope perched on top. I’d only seen them in pictures, but I was fairly certain that was a rifle.
Whoa… Guns were forbidden in Imera.
There was no need for them in a perfect society. Yeah right. Only the soldiers of the Collective were allowed weapons, and most were limited to stun guns. I bent down and clasped the black handle. It felt heavy in my weak arm. “You’re coming with me, bad boy.” I swung the strap over my left shoulder and grabbed the broom. Securing it under my other armpit, I took a step. Ow. I gritted my teeth and took another step toward the door. I didn’t know how, but I was getting out of there, one way or another.
I yanked the front door open, and familiar navy blue eyes pierced into mine.
Chapter 5
Solaris
“You’re alive?”
The tall dark stranger’s eyes traveled the length of my body, lingering on my neck. The hair on my nape stood on end. I clutched the rifle and trained it at his chest.
He laughed, his lips twisting into a snarl. “You’re going to try to kill me after I saved your life?”
I didn’t move. “Who are you? Where am I? What happened?”
Faster than humanly possible, he grabbed the muzzle of the rifle and yanked it out of my hands. “So many questions…” He barreled past me, his towering form shadowing mine, and slammed the door shut. “Get back inside before someone sees you, and we both wind up dead.”
His movements were smooth and fluid as if he were gliding through the air. He was fast yet graceful and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I couldn’t take my eyes off his body. The blood in my veins thrummed as if drawn to him somehow. It also didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous. Black wavy hair framed prominent cheekbones and a perfectly sculpted jaw. His smoky navy eyes blazed, penetrating and all-consuming. And deadly. Focus, Solaris.
Nocturnes lived off of synthetic human blood. If the myths were true, it would be nothing for him to sink his fangs into my neck and suck me dry. I stepped back and hit the wood-paneled wall. I clutched the broom in my right hand now that I had the wall to support me. I may not have been as strong as he was, but I was not going down without a fight.
He moved toward me, and I thr
ust the broomstick at him.
“Stop that!” He batted at the stick, throwing me off balance. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just put that damn thing down.”
I staggered and weight bore down on my bad leg. It was like hot pokers stabbing into my bone. Holy hell! I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming.
His sharp gaze scanned over my leg. “Sit down. It’s probably still broken.”
I didn’t want to sit. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to get back up, and I’d be cornered. My leg began to tremble and sweat dampened my brow. I sucked in a sharp breath and hobbled over to the bed. I sagged down onto the soft mattress, the throbbing pain finally relenting.
I glanced up, and his dark gaze locked onto mine. His irises weren’t navy anymore; instead they swirled a metallic silver. His lip curled, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. I eyed the door as heat raged inside me. Every nerve in my body told me to run.
He closed his eyes and slowly inhaled. When they opened again, they were back to normal. “I need to ask you some questions.” His words were clipped as if he were short of breath.
“Answer mine first.”
His eyes widened like he’d never been told no before. He scrutinized me with the oddest expression, and then his jaw softened. “Fine.” He crouched down in front of me with his back against the wall.
“Where am I?” I figured that was most important, even though I was pretty sure I knew.
“You’re in Draconis. We’re a few hundred yards from the border with the Shadow Lands.”
My head spun, making my stomach flip-flop like a fish. Thinking you were in a forbidden land and actually having it confirmed were two entirely different things. “You saved me after the plane crashed?”
He nodded, his lips pressed in a straight line.
“Why?”
“I saw a plane go down. I had to be sure it wasn’t one of ours.” He shrugged and averted his gaze. “When I got close, I saw the Imera emblem and had to know more. Which leads to my question—”
“No.” I held up my hand shushing him. “I’m not done. You still haven’t told me who you are.”
Again he stared at me like I was an alien. Although, I guessed to him I was, just as he was to me. A creature of legend and myth.
“I’m Kaige, and I’m the guy that saved your life.”
I didn’t know much about the society of Draconis. From what I’d learned from our textbooks, they were ruled by royals. The monarchy had been in place since our countries split. The taranoi were the peasants, not much more than servants for the ruling class. The boy in front of me didn’t look like a peasant. Even from a distance, his black t-shirt and jeans looked expensive. But what did I know? We didn’t have any servants in Imera. We were all equal.
“How about my plane?” I cringed as I thought about the magnificent Cessna.
“It’s destroyed. It was almost completely engulfed in flames by the time I pulled you out.”
I opened my mouth to argue, suddenly remembering the fire repellant foam all AirComm planes were equipped with, but I snapped it shut. It would be better if he thought the Cessna was destroyed. If I ever got the chance, I could try to sneak out of here and find it.
I glanced down at my tattered clothes and ran my hand through my tangled hair. The bump was still sore, but it wasn’t pounding anymore. “How did I survive an airplane crash?”
He swallowed and lowered his gaze again. “I don’t know. Just lucky I guess.” His fingers brushed against his wrist, rubbing the area.
Something didn’t feel right. He wasn’t telling me the whole story. “If you’re not going to hurt me, then why did you cuff me to the bed?”
“It was for your own safety. I didn’t want you wandering into the woods and getting caught.” He ran his hand through his jet-black hair, messing it up in an unbelievably sexy way. “You humans are familiar with the prophecy right?”
“Of course.” Some vague terrible disaster would be the end of both of our kinds.
“So you understand how much I risked bringing you here?”
I nodded. Why had he brought me here if he hadn’t intended to kill me? I’d always been told nocturnes were nothing but bloodthirsty savages. But besides the pale skin and catlike moves, he didn’t seem that different from me.
“Can I ask my questions now?” A smirk pulled at his lips.
“Okay, but I’ll probably have some follow-up questions.”
“Of course you will,” he growled. He stood and paced in front of the bed, shoving his hands in his pockets. Finally, he stopped and faced me. “What were you doing flying over The Shadow Lands in a Collective plane?”
I fidgeted with my hands in my lap. I wasn’t sure if I should go spilling my guts to this guy. What if this was all some elaborate set-up orchestrated by Turstan? I glanced up and matching pools of navy bored into me. There was a storm raging in those eyes, like the ocean on the darkest night, and I didn’t understand why. His nostrils flared, and he clapped his hand over his mouth. He whirled around before I could blink.
“What’s wrong?” I scooted to the edge of the mattress, my nerves tingling.
“Nothing.” He answered while keeping his back to me. “Just answer my question, as I answered yours.”
If this was some sort of trap, I was screwed anyway. Although I was fairly certain it wasn’t; this guy didn’t act like a slick government spy. “I stole it.”
He spun back to me and laughter bubbled out of his mouth. “You, a teenage girl, stole a valuable airplane from the Collective?”
My blood boiled. I hated it when men assumed I couldn’t fly just because I was a girl. It happened all the time at home, and it drove me crazy. “Listen here, Kaige, or whoever you are, I’m an excellent pilot. I’ve been flying since I was thirteen, and I’m at the top of my class. I’m going to join AirComm in a few months as soon as I graduate.”
He huffed. “I’ll pretend I care what that means and congratulate you. But nonetheless, you did crash that plane.”
“It wasn’t my fault. There was a system malfunction. Everything shut down; I was flying blind.”
He opened his mouth then snapped it shut.
“What?”
“That was probably the Draconis force field along the border. It’s a deterrent for unwanted visitors.”
I knew it. I was an awesome pilot, and there was no way that crash had been my fault. I glanced his way, and he was staring at me again. Goose bumps shot up along my arms. I was forced to look down, unable to hold his disarming gaze.
He began pacing again. “Did you check the cargo hold of the plane before you stole it?”
I crossed my arms across my chest. A pang shot through my shoulder, and I winced. I gritted my teeth to fight through the pain. “No,” I finally answered once the ache subsided. “I was kind of in a hurry.” I rubbed at my sore arm wishing for some painkillers.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes! I only had a couple minutes to get it out of the hangar and into the air before the soldiers circled back around. I didn’t really care about anything else.” Maybe I should’ve thought this whole thing out more. If I had known my little joy ride was going to land me in Draconis, I wouldn’t have been so reckless. “Why are you asking anyway?”
His eyes narrowed, and I could almost see the wheels grinding in his head. I guessed I wasn’t the only one trying to figure out whom to trust. “I saw something when I pulled you out of the plane.”
“What?”
His gaze flicked from me to the door and back. “It was an entire pallet of crates stamped with the Draconis emblem.”
I shook my head. “It can’t be. The jet is Turstan’s, I mean the Head Minister’s. Why would he have anything of yours?”
“That’s what I was hoping to find out.”
Realization hit me like a cold bucket of water. That’s why I was still alive. He was trying to get information out of me. Now he had it. I eyed the rifle leaning up against the wall. I reached for it,
but Kaige’s hand shot out and ripped it out of my grasp. Damn, he was fast.
“Don’t even think about it, little human.”
I sighed and sat back on the bed. “What does a vampire need a gun for anyway?
“Hunting.”
“Why don’t you just kill it with your fangs or whatever?”
His lips twitched. “It’s for sport, not just for feeding.” He took a step closer. “Now back to my questions.”
I blinked, and his face appeared just an inch away from mine, his muscled arms caging me in against the wall.
“Do you know what was in the crates on the plane?” Silver swirled in his irises, and his voice was silky smooth.
For a second, my head spun, like I’d just gotten off a rollercoaster. Then it cleared. I pushed him back and his eyes widened, returning to their deep navy color. “Look, I don’t know anything about those crates. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you so you don’t have to get all up in my face.”
He stared at me again like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out. It was starting to creep me out. “You said you didn’t want to hurt me. Is that still true?”
His dark brows furrowed as he repositioned himself at the end of the bed. “Yes. I won’t hurt you.”
For some reason, it sounded like he was saying it to assure himself more than me. I swallowed down the fear crawling up my belly and plastered a smile on my face. “So can you help me get home?”
He exhaled a long breath, and his gaze moved to my leg. “You’re not going anywhere like that.”
He was right. If the Cessna was too damaged to fly, the only way back to Imera was across the Shadow Lands by vehicle or foot. There was no way I could do either with a broken leg.
“I don’t suppose nocturnes have a magical healing serum of some kind?” A humorless laugh slipped out.
Kaige’s face was unreadable, but something was happening behind those smoky navy orbs. His thumb skimmed over his wrist again, his jaw clenching. “No.” That one word was gruff and riddled with hostility as if I’d just asked him to chop off one of his limbs for me.
