Erik grinned knowingly. “And…because you have feelings for her.”
Her eyes widened. “What?” she sputtered. “No. I don’t. That’s not…”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m an empath, Rose. I can feel what you feel.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” Rose said stubbornly. “These aren’t…feelings.”
Erik snorted. “Well, what are they,” he laughed, “if they’re not feelings?”
She scowled at his mocking tone. “Something else,” she said evasively.
“Huh. I never realized that empaths could sense not-feelings,” he teased.
She flashed a sarcastic smile at him. “Ha…ha,” she said dryly.
“I just call it like I see it, babe,” he said with a smug grin.
Rose rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, I wonder why I’m friends with you.”
He flashed her a huge grin, complete with fangs. “Because I’m hot.”
Rose wrinkled her nose. “Ugh,” she said, pretending to gag. “I’m curious. What exactly is so attractive about an arrogant jerk with no personal hygiene?”
He laughed. “I don’t know. I guess you’ll have to ask the thousands of women who find me attractive,” he countered, flashing her a victorious smirk.
She rolled her eyes again. But then, after a brief moment of silence, she found herself staring at the cloth again, running her fingers over the silky fabric, her heart racing as she considered what she felt for Kara. “I think…maybe,” Rose said softly, her voice barely a whisper, “there is a part of me that’s drawn to her.”
Erik snorted, “Yeah…that’s kind of been obvious since you met her.”
“Why?” she asked seriously. “What is it about her that ensnares me?”
He looked at her, stunned by the agonizing emotions he sensed in her. “You want to know what I think?” he asked gently. “Because it’s obvious to me. As someone who knows both of you well, as someone who knows your strengths and your weaknesses, it’s easy for me to see why you feel so connected to her.”
Rose glanced up at him, her eyes flashing with nervousness. “Tell me.”
“It’s because you need each other,” he said easily. “It’s because you fit.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You think Kara and I fit? Kara—the seductive warrior—and me—the socially awkward nerd? You think that we fit each other?”
“Connection isn’t just about similarities, Rose,” he told her. “You need each other. You make each other better. You make her softer, and she makes you stronger.” He looked at her and smiled apologetically. “Not to say that you’re not already strong or that she’s not already soft. But everyone has a weakness. Kara’s afraid of emotions and intimacy because she’s been hurt so badly, just like you’re insecure because you’ve been hurt so badly. Kara empowers you. She shows you your strength. And you show her that there’s more to her than strength. You fit.”
Rose considered that for a moment, frowning at the cloth in her hand, as she felt those words click into place. She couldn’t deny that there was at least a little bit of truth to them. Kara did empower her. She said exactly the words that Rose needed to hear in the moment she needed them. “What about Kallias?” she said softly, her bright blue gaze shifting back to Erik. “You don’t think we fit?”
“Ah,” Erik said with a conflicted scowl, “I wouldn’t say that, exactly.”
For whatever reason, Rose wanted to hear Erik’s opinion. He could be immature and disrespectful, sure, but he was honest. “Then, what would you say?”
“You and Kallias love each other deeply,” Erik said, shrugging. “You’d do anything for each other. A lot of us—I mean, a lot of people—never get that.”
Sympathy burned in Rose’s bright blue eyes. “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry, Erik,” she sighed, sinking lower in her seat. “I shouldn’t be talking to you about my problems right now, not when you’re dealing with something so much worse.”
He laughed, “I’d rather talk about your problems than mine; believe me.”
“I feel like such a jerk right now,” she muttered. “How are you feeling?”
“I was feeling better before you started making a big deal about it,” Erik complained. “I killed my ex-girlfriend in order to stop her from killing everyone I care about and destroying the world. It’s insane. I’d rather think about your sane problems, like your little love triangle or the fact that you can’t dress yourself.”
Rose frowned at her clothes. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Nothing,” he snorted, “if you’re trying to look as unsexy as possible.”
She tugged self-consciously at her hoodie. “I’m trying to be as comfortable as possible,” she corrected. She shot a peeved glare at him. “You know, you could set a record with how fast you go from halfway-decent-person to total jerk.”
Erik grinned. “That’s how awesome I am. I break records,” he bragged.
She tilted her head back, groaning in disgust. “Is there anything I could say that you wouldn’t somehow twist into something that inflates your huge ego?”
He frowned. “Nah. I’ve pretty much perfected the art of arrogance.”
The sound of the back, passenger-side door opening startled Rose, and she quickly slid the small handkerchief back into the front pocket of her jeans.
Kallias slid into the seat behind them and sighed, “Is there any way I can convince you two to go on vacation, instead of trying to save the world? Again.”
Erik said, “With a lot of beer,” at the same time that Rose said, “No.”
—
Sverre Jacobsen tugged pointlessly at his wrists, wincing as the tight cords bit into his skin. He still hoped, against all odds, that he might be able to escape before his kidnappers returned. But with his wrists bound so tightly behind him and his ankles bound tightly to the legs of the chair, escape seemed unlikely.
He glanced around the small room. It looked almost like an empty office space—the kind that someone might rent for business purposes—but one glance out the window assured him that yelling would be pointless. Wherever they had brought him—it appeared to be in the wilderness. Of course, at this point, he was willing to try anything. So, he took a deep breath, and then, he screamed as loud as he could. He screamed until his lungs burned, until his voice faded into silence.
Then, when he could scream no more, he heard the door creak open.
The door was behind him, and with his wrists and ankles bound, he had no way of turning to see who had entered the room. “Help me,” he said hoarsely.
For a moment, he heard nothing. Then, the person closed the door.
“What happened to you?” she asked softly—her voice soft and lilting.
Sverre sighed in relief as he realized it was a woman. The ones who had brought him here were men. So, this was someone else. “Just untie me. Quickly.”
“You’re pretty bossy for a man who just got kidnapped,” she chuckled.
He froze, a cold wave of fear rushing through his veins. “Who are you?”
The woman’s boots thudded softly against the hardwood floor as she circled around him, until her tall, lean form came into view. She perched herself on top of the empty office desk in front of him and crossed her legs. He watched, unable to look away—partially because of the position he was tied in…but also because of the woman’s beauty. Her straight, jet-black hair hung around her face, electric blue streaks shining in the lamplight. She wore a thin, black shirt that clung to the muscles of her stomach and a pair of soft, leather pants that stretched flexibly around her muscular thighs. And her icy blue eyes seemed to pierce right through him as she watched him, a cocky smirk curving at her lips. Her features were eerily perfect, and a dreadful chill ran down his spine as he realized why she was so beautiful. “You’re a vampire,” he sputtered, jerking fearfully at the ropes.
She just smiled. “And you, Sverre Jacobsen, are an Assassin of Light.”
“You have no idea what you’ve done,�
�� he growled at her. “They’ll come looking for me, and they’ll find us. And then, they’ll kill you—whoever you are.”
She tilted her head back and started laughing, as if she found his deadly threats hilarious. “You don’t recognize me,” she realized, clearly amused by that. “It’s probably the hair-dye. It throws everyone off. Picture me with lighter hair. Brownish-blonde,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “And armor.”
Sverre scowled at the vampire, annoyed by her games. But then, his hazel eyes widened in shock…because he suddenly realized where he’d seen her before. His pulse skyrocketed, icy fear rushing through his veins. “Kara Unnarsdóttir?”
Kara leaned back, resting her weight on her hands. “Finally,” she scoffed. “I’m a little disappointed in you, Assassin. The last one of you I questioned said that you knew everything about us. He said you’d been studying us since birth.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why did you send humans to kidnap me, demon?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” she murmured, leaning forward. “No one is going to save you, Sverre. You were last seen during the day with humans. They’re not going to suspect me. It’s just you and I…until you answer all of my questions.”
“Then, you might as well kill me now, demon,” he sneered, his voice thick with hatred and disgust. “I won’t tell you anything. I’m willing to die for my cause.”
“Of course you are,” she laughed. “Crazy fanatics are always willing to die for their crazy causes.” She smiled at the surprised look on his face. “What? You didn’t think I would prepare for that?” She hopped off of the office desk and circled around it. Then, she opened a drawer and pulled out a large envelope.
Sverre watched with a worried frown. “What is that?”
She walked toward him, her boots thudding softly in the quiet room. She stopped in front of him, her lean body towering over him as she undid the clasp of the envelope. She pulled out a stack of photographs and lay them in his lap.
The blood drained from his face as he saw the young, brown-haired girl in the pictures, wearing the frilly, pink dress that he’d dressed her in that morning.
“Laila Jacobsen,” Kara said with a raised eyebrow. “Sound familiar?”
He looked up at her, pure hatred burning in his eyes. “No,” he lied.
Kara pulled something else out of the large envelope—a piece of paper. She held it in front of his face. “Then, why is your name on her birth certificate?”
He swallowed audibly, his face paling in fear. “Don’t hurt her. Please.”
Kara slid the paper and photos back into the envelope. “You’ll answer my questions,” she told him as she returned to the desk, “if you care about her.”
His jaw tightened. “Fine,” he sighed. “Just…don’t hurt my daughter.”
Kara dropped the envelope on the desk and turned back toward him. “If you cooperate, no harm will come to her,” she assured him. She leaned against the desk and crossed her arms. “Let’s start with an easy question. The Assassins of Light disappeared for centuries. What prompted you to come out of hiding?”
His eyes flashed with hatred. “Your lover,” he snarled. “The crazy one.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “She’s not my lover anymore, Sverre. She’s a little dead…and burnt to ashes,” she informed him with a playful smirk. “I mean, I’m not really a shallow woman, but I do prefer for my lovers to be alive, at least.”
“You’re vampires. You’re all dead,” Sverre growled, “or you should be.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You hate me because of what I am. You’re not the first bigoted asshole I’ve encountered. I’ve heard it all before.”
“You call me a bigot like I have no reason to hate you,” he said, “but you kidnapped me. You threatened my daughter. You’re a monster, just like I thought.”
“Yeah. I know,” Kara agreed. She crossed the space between them and crouched down in front of him so that they were at eye-level. Then, she pulled out a dagger and pressed it against his throat, causing him to jerk back in fear. “But I know what you’ve done, Sverre Jacobsen. You’ve killed people, just like I have. Not just vampires either. I know you don’t consider us people. But you’ve killed humans, too. You tortured humans for information. You experimented on them to create your weapons. Yes, I may be a monster, Assassin, but so are you.”
He watched her, his heart racing against his chest. “Sometimes, terrible things have to be done in order to accomplish a greater purpose,” he growled.
Kara laughed humorlessly, a dark, bitter edge to her voice. She removed the dagger from his neck and stood, staring down at him with flashing, light blue eyes. “It’s funny that you called Alana crazy…because you sound just like her.”
“She was right about one thing,” Sverre told her. “It’s time for war.”
Kara sighed. “Next question,” she said impatiently. “Rose Foster.”
His round, hazel lightened with recognition. “That’s not a question.”
“Yes, it is,” Kara argued. “I wanted to know if you recognized the name. Clearly, you do. So, my next question is: why? Why are the Assassins after her?”
Sverre shrugged. “She’s dangerous. She’s killed three Assassins already.”
“She’s only been a vampire for less than two months. She should be the least of your worries…unless you know something you’re not saying,” Kara said. “And as for the dead Assassins, Rose isn’t responsible for that. That was Aaron.”
He sighed as he realized that she wasn’t moving on until he gave her a truthful answer. “Rose Foster isn’t a normal vampire. She is something worse.”
Kara frowned at that. “What are you talking about?”
“Many ancient cultures had legends about a vampire with red eyes,” he told her reluctantly. “She is the darkest and most powerful vampire to ever exist.”
Kara was careful not to react to that. “Ah, so, irrationally misinterpreting one religious book isn’t enough for you anymore. Now, you’ve added legends.”
“The people who originally founded our organization were Christians,” he admitted, “but now, we are so much more. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds in the Assassins of Light. We’re united in our hatred of vampires.”
“What else do you know about Rose Foster?” Kara asked impatiently.
“Everything,” the human assured her. “We have someone who knows everything about her, and he has passed along the information to the rest of us.”
She frowned worriedly. “I’m going to need that information.”
“I don’t have it,” Sverre said. “My mission is here, so I have no need for it. But the information is on file at all of our bases in every country. It doesn’t matter where Rose Foster runs. We’re everywhere. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Give me the address of your nearest base,” Kara growled.
Sverre froze. He clearly hadn’t expected her to ask that. “I can’t do that,” he said nervously. “You know I can’t do that. They would kill me for that.”
Kara pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed a memorized phone number. Then, she pressed the phone against her ear and waited for an answer.
“What are you doing?” the human asked worriedly, his eyes wide.
“I have to give the word,” Kara said, “for them to kill your daughter.”
“No! No, no, no!” Sverre yelled. He jerked at his hands, panicking.
Kara lowered the phone and raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
He exhaled shakily, his chest heaving. “There is no address. It’s hidden,” he told her, but before she could lift the phone to her ear again, he quickly added, “But I could draw you a map! Just don’t hurt her. Please. I’ll do anything for her.”
Kara hung up the phone and walked over to the desk. She reached into the drawer and pulled out a pen and a blank sheet of paper. “We all have someone that we’ll do anything for,” she muttered under her
breath, “even us monsters.”
Sverre watched as she returned to him and lay the blank sheet of paper in his lap. Then, she pulled out her dagger and circled around him. She knelt behind his chair and began cutting through the cords that bound his wrists. His heart raced with terror as he waited for her to free him. He yelped as he felt the sharp edge of her dagger slice shallowly into his hand as it slipped over the cords.
“Oops,” Kara said simply, as she finished cutting the cords. “Accident.”
He swallowed uneasily as he felt the warm blood sliding over his palm.
“Don’t worry,” Kara said, as if she could read his thoughts. She circled back in front of him once she finished freeing his hands. “I’m not going to bite you. Your blood disgusts me.” She smiled and added, “Because you disgust me.”
Sverre lay his hands in his lap, staring down at them in astonishment.
“Before you get any ideas,” Kara said, “let me just remind you that your ankles are still bound. Even if I weren’t a vampire, you wouldn’t be fast enough to escape. Cooperate peacefully, and you’ll walk out of here with your throat intact.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay,” he sighed. “I’ll draw you the map. Then, I’ll leave the country and just hope the Assassins don’t find me and kill me for this.”
Kara handed the pen to him. She waited patiently as he drew a detailed map that would lead her directly to the closest Assassins of Light base. She watched for any signs of dishonesty, but she saw none. He seemed sincere.
“Here,” he said finally, holding out the sheet of paper. “This is it.”
“Drop the pen on the floor,” Kara instructed. “Then, I’ll approach you.”
When Sverre did as she said, Kara stepped forward and took the paper from his hand, examining the neatly-drawn map. When she felt certain that it was legitimate, she folded it and slid it into her pocket. “Your daughter is perfectly safe and unaware of any danger,” she told him. “She’s at home with her mother.”
His eyes widened. “Wait. I thought…” he stammered. “You lied to me?”
The Assassins of Light Page 7
