The Assassins of Light

by Britney Jackson

  Kara’s smile faded, and the lines of her face softened, sympathy burning in her intense, blue eyes. “Yes, I heard him,” she sighed, her gaze darting briefly toward Jared’s lifeless body. “But it’s not true, Rose.” She lifted her hand and swept a lock of red hair out of Rose’s face. “He decided to join the Assassins of Light. He let that hatred take hold of him. And he decided to kill his lover, just for the chance of killing a vampire. That’s…insane. Like Alana insane.” She lifted her eyebrows. “And you’re not to blame for his insanity. The ones to blame are his family and the organization that brainwashed him and manipulated him.”

  Rose smiled weakly, grateful for Kara’s reassurance, even if it didn’t ease the feelings of guilt that were opening up inside of her like a gaping hole, ready to suck her in. “Your three minutes are almost up,” she said with a false lightness.

  The frown on Kara’s face told her that Kara saw through her attempt to mask the pain, but she felt relieved when Kara didn’t press her on it. “I’ll meet you upstairs afterward,” she sighed. “Your friend is going to be okay. I know it.”

  Rose nodded, cold fear rushing through her veins. “Will he forgive me?”

  Kara grimaced. “Now, that,” she said regretfully, “I don’t know.”

  —

  Rose knocked on the door, her chest fluttering with anxiety, as she waited for an answer. She heard the creak of the bed, and then, the door opened to reveal Owen, wearing nothing but jeans and a blood-soaked bandage over his stomach.

  He turned his head, groaning in pain, as the light from the hallway shone into his room. “Come in. Hurry,” he grunted, clutching the doorknob tightly.

  Rose stepped inside, immediately overwhelmed by the potent scent of blood that filled the room. “It…um…gets easier,” she mumbled, “with the light.”

  Owen closed the door and leaned tiredly against it. His skin still looked ashen, and his blonde hair stuck to his forehead, soaked in cold sweat. Rose knew, from her own experience, that if Owen still looked like that, he was still in the middle of the transformation, his body not fully healed from death yet. “You let them do this?” he asked quietly—the question that Rose had dreaded for hours.

  Rose shrugged apologetically. “I didn’t know what else to do. You were dying, no matter what we did, and…I had to save you. Somehow. I’m sorry.”

  “My parents were killed by vampires,” Owen mumbled, “and now, I am one.” His gaze hardened with bitterness. “I bet your friends are happy about this.”

  “What?” Rose said, frowning. “Why would they be? No one blames you for Jared, Owen.” She winced as she realized that might be a lie. “Well, I don’t.”

  Owen pushed away from the door, dragging his feet, as he tried to return to bed. He swayed unsteadily, and Rose immediately threw his arm around her shoulder and helped him cross the room. She felt his gaze on her neck. “It’s weird. Your blood doesn’t bother me as much,” he slurred. “But it smells…really sweet.”

  “It’s my power that you’re smelling,” Rose explained as she helped him climb back into bed. “And the reason my blood doesn’t bother you as much as someone else’s blood might,” she paused, “is that you’re not attracted to me.”

  Owen scowled at her. “You’re trying to say that I’m attracted to Tom.”

  Rose smiled, amused by his defensiveness. “Is that who you fed from?”

  His hazel eyes widened at the memory. “Uh, yeah. It was…intense.”

  “It always is,” Rose told him. “There’s so much emotion and so much connection. It’s totally unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.”

  “What about Jared?” Owen asked reluctantly. “What happened to him?”

  She studied him with a worried frown. “He’s gone,” she said gently.

  “You mean he’s dead,” he corrected. He nodded. “I figured as much.”

  Rose sat down beside him, on the edge of the bed, and covered his hand with her own. On that same wrist, he wore a watch with a brown leather band, a watch that she remembered him showing her—after Jared gave it to him for their fifth anniversary. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her chest tightening with sympathy.

  “No,” he sighed, “I’m sorry. I should’ve known better. He just sounded so sincere on the phone, and I just…wasn’t thinking straight. I’m such an idiot.”

  “You’re not an idiot, Owen,” Rose said with a playful smile. “You have an almost perfect GPA, and you’re as geeky as I am. That’s why we’re friends.”

  He laughed at her teasing. “I don’t think anyone’s as geeky as you, Rose.”

  “Maybe not,” she said, “but you did win The Lord of the Rings trivia once.”

  Owen scowled at her. “Because you left in the middle of the game.”

  “I had to return an overdue book to the library,” Rose said defensively.

  He snorted at that, but then, his smile faded. “What is happening to everyone, Rose?” he sighed. “It’s like people are losing their minds. I watched the news earlier today, and someone was talking about the murders in Europe. It’s all anyone talks about anymore. They’re all terrified of the mysterious army that they think is responsible for the murders. They want to shut down airports. They want to declare war on any country or race they think might be responsible. I’ve heard things that I thought I’d never hear in my lifetime, come out of the mouths of seemingly ordinary people. And now, Jared. My own boyfriend tried to kill me.”

  “He did kill you,” Rose said softly. She ran her fingers through her long, red hair, emotions welling up in her throat. It was almost as if she could feel the building hatred of the world—the filth that seemed to climb into people’s hearts and change ordinary people into monsters. “Hatred is thriving in this world.”

  “No kidding,” Owen agreed. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

  Rose looked at him. “I’m going to fight it.”

  —

  Rose stepped out of Owen’s room and immediately collided with a tall, muscular vampire. Rose knew, without even looking, who she had run into. She recognized the warmth of his hands on her shoulders. She recognized his cool, powerful scent—peppermint, aftershave, and very powerful blood. She stepped back and looked up at him, wincing as she met his cold, furious gaze. “Sorry.”

  Kallias nodded and brushed past her, barely even acknowledging her.

  Rose watched as he headed toward the staircase. “Still angry, I guess?”

  He stopped and turned back toward her. “Of course I’m still angry.”

  She nodded. “Is there any way to make you less angry?” she asked with a nervous shrug. “Like…what if I bought you flowers? Would you still be angry?”

  He stared incredulously at her. “Flowers? I don’t even…like flowers.”

  She nodded again. “Yeah. It’s just a thing people do,” she said, shrugging. “Ooh, daggers! What if I bought you daggers? Would you still be angry, then?”

  He blinked. “Uh…yeah,” he sputtered. “I’d probably still be angry.”

  Rose smiled brightly. “Yes! I’ve upgraded to probably! That’s progress!”

  Kallias rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  She chased after him as he started descending the stairs. “One question,” she blurted. “Can you give me a ride to the store so I can buy you some daggers?”

  He snorted, “No.” He stopped on the bottom step and spun toward her. “If you really want me to stop being angry, it’s simple: just stop risking your life.”

  Rose frowned at him. “He’s my friend, Kallias. I couldn’t let him die.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Goodnight, Rose,” he muttered as he walked away.

  “I almost got a smile from you, though!” Rose yelled. “That’s progress!”

  Rose heard the soft thudding of boots in the living room, and then, she felt that tingling awareness under her skin as Kara stepped out into the foyer with her. Kara leaned against the wall and flashed
a crooked, seductive smile at her.

  “I thought I heard your beautiful voice out here,” Kara said seductively.

  Rose blushed. “So, what’s the verdict?” she asked, tilting her head toward the living room, where Kara had met with Aaron. “How much trouble are you in? Did he give you detention? Do you have to write sentences? Clean erasers?”

  Kara smiled and stepped away from the wall, closing the space between them in a few, long strides. “Actually, he said he thinks I need a spanking,” she joked, “and that you should be the one to give it to me.” She lifted her eyebrows.

  Rose frowned. “I really can’t picture him saying that. Nor do I want to.”

  Kara chuckled. “So, how’s your friend? Tom says he made it through.”

  “Physically, he’s fine,” Rose muttered. “Emotionally…I don’t know.”

  “I think he’ll forgive you,” Kara said seriously. “Just give it a few days.”

  “I hope so,” Rose sighed. She heard harsh, uneven footsteps on the stairs behind her, and she turned to find Zach running down the staircase, toward her.

  “Hey, loser!” he said playfully. He held up a deck of cards. “You busy?”

  Rose frowned at the cards. “I mean, my friend got shot tonight, so…”

  “So,” Zach interrupted, “you need a distraction, right? Well, I have one.”

  Her frown deepened. “That’s not what I was going to say,” she muttered.

  He gave her a pleading look. “Come on. I’m bored. Play cards with me.”

  Rose grimaced. “You know I’m terrible at card games,” she complained. She sighed as her older brother pouted at her. “There’s too much lying involved.”

  “Bluffing,” her brother corrected. “And yes, I do remember how terrible you are. That’s why I’m asking you to play.” He grinned. “I’m guaranteed to win.”

  Rose crossed her arms. “In that case, why on earth would I ever say yes?”

  “Because it’s been five years since you spent any time with me?” he said.

  Rose dropped her arms and sighed, “Gosh dang it. You got me. I’ll play.”

  He laughed as Rose sulked. “Meet you in the kitchen,” he told her. He glanced at Kara as he headed toward the door. “You can play, too, Not-Loser!”

  Rose gave him a wounded look. “I’m Loser, and she’s Not-Loser?”

  Zach shrugged unapologetically. “Obviously. I like her better than you.”

  Rose stuck her tongue out at him as he disappeared into the kitchen.

  Kara chuckled at them. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out to check the new message. She typed out a quick reply to one of her spies.

  Rose watched her curiously. “So, do you want to play? Or are you busy?”

  Kara closed out her messages and slid her phone into the back pocket of her leather pants. “If my employees couldn’t survive without me for a few hours, that would mean I didn’t train them well. And I assure you: I trained them well.”

  Rose smiled. “In that case, I should warn you: I suck at card games.”

  “Then, I should warn you,” Kara said, stepping closer to her, “I don’t.”

  Rose winced a little. “Well, maybe you could…like…go easy on me?”

  Kara winked at her. “Haven’t I told you? Vikings never show mercy.”

  Rose sighed and followed Kara into the kitchen. “Wonderful.”

  20

  The Mission

  Rose stared at her hands, willing them to stop shaking. It was the night of the mission, and she didn’t know why, but…she had a bad feeling about it.

  The mission—it was the only reason anyone had come. Rose’s life being saved was just a happy accident. Well, a happy accident for everyone, except Kara.

  For Kara, nothing was ever accidental.

  “Relax,” Kara murmured, her voice smooth and lilting.

  Rose raised an eyebrow at the vampire who lounged, beside her, on the sofa—practically horizontal—her hands bracketed on her stomach, her boots propped on the coffee table. “I think you’re relaxed enough for the both of us.”

  Kara chuckled. “You’re all wound up,” she told her. She trailed her gaze over Rose’s body with a deliberate, sensual slowness. “And not in the good way.”

  “The good way?” Rose said breathlessly, warmth rushing to her cheeks.

  Kara tilted her head back, her smile deepening. “You know the way.”

  A short, curvy woman with curly, red hair—the curliest hair Rose had ever seen—sat down on the other side of Rose, her skirt brushing Rose’s leg.

  Kara waved her hand at the woman. “Rose, this is Isolde, our beautiful, skilled archer,” she said. “Isolde, this is Rose, my gorgeous, brilliant girlfriend.”

  Rose looked at Kara, a surprised smile forming on her lips. “Girlfriend?”

  Kara tilted her head back, looking up at Rose. “Is that the wrong word? Would you prefer I call you my lover?” she asked. “Or are we still just…friends?”

  Rose shook her head, her cheeks reddening. “Girlfriend’s fine with me.”

  A smile curled slowly at the edges of Kara’s lips. “Girlfriend, it is, then.”

  Isolde presented her hand to Rose, and Rose hesitantly shook her hand. The redheaded archer smiled at Rose. “So, you’re the woman who tamed Kara.”

  Kara blinked. “Tame?” she repeated, her voice low and full of disbelief. “Is that what they’re saying? That I’m tame?” When Isolde’s green eyes widened, Kara sat up—her body folding forward so quickly, it startled Rose—and glanced around at the other vampires that crowded the room. “Who said I was tame?”

  All of the other vampires shrank lower in their seats, shaking their heads.

  Kara sat back and propped her boots on the coffee table again, a cocky smirk tilting at the corners of her lips. “That’s what I thought,” she said to herself.

  Rose lifted her eyebrows and smiled at Isolde, who now looked terrified.

  When Aaron stepped into the room, everyone’s attention shifted to him.

  Rose scooted closer to Kara. “Are you sure you want me as a girlfriend?” she said with a playful smile. “Even if it means people start calling you tame?”

  Kara flashed a smug grin at her. “Believe me. I’ll set them straight.”

  Rose laughed. “Are you sure? Maybe you don’t know all of my flaws.”

  Kara tilted her head to the side, her light blue eyes sparkling. “Like?”

  “Like the fact that I’m always in danger,” Rose told her.

  Kara smiled. “Which is fun.”

  “Or the fact that I’m incredibly awkward,” Rose tried again.

  “Which is adorable,” Kara countered.

  Rose frowned. “Or the fact that I’m sassy.”

  “Which is sexy,” Kara said with a grin.

  “Or the fact that I’m stubborn,” Rose pointed out.

  Kara nodded. “Which is a challenge, and I love challenges.”

  Rose raised an eyebrow, that stubbornness she’d just mentioned flashing in her eyes. “What about the fact that I’ve never had a successful relationship?”

  Kara sat up, leaning closer to Rose, as she whispered, “Neither have I.”

  Rose laughed, stunned by Kara’s resolve. “Is there no discouraging you?”

  Kara smiled seductively. “I think you’ve met your match, Rose Foster.”

  “What if I turn out to be the worst girlfriend ever?” Rose asked seriously.

  “Well,” Kara said with a slow, languid shrug, “my last girlfriend was a sociopath who tried to destroy the world, so…my standards aren’t that high.”

  Rose couldn’t help but trail her gaze over the gentle slope of those lean shoulders, remembering how they’d felt under her lips when she’d kissed them, over the curve of Kara’s neck, remembering how Kara’s body had curved against hers when she sank her fangs into her neck, and finally, over Kara’s soft, pale lips.

  Aaron cleared his throat. When Kara r
eluctantly tore her gaze from Rose and turned to look at him, instead, he lifted his eyebrows. “We need to start.”

  “Of course,” Kara said. She leaned forward, resting her hands on her thighs. “I spoke to my spies. They assured me that everything’s ready for tonight.”

  “Oh. So, you’ll be leaving soon?” Kallias said, suddenly appearing in the doorway. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Best news all night.”

  Rose glanced at him curiously, and he met her gaze—but only briefly.

  “Kallias,” Aaron said lowly, “I was hoping you would join us, actually.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Kallias grunted irritably. “Just get on with it already.”

  Rose listened for the next few minutes as Aaron and Kara explained the plan, most of which didn’t even pertain to her. As a matter of fact, she still wasn’t sure what role Aaron wanted her to play in all of this. Kara spread out a blueprint of the building, laying it on top of the coffee table so that everyone could see it. She explained which halls led to each room, where the exits were located, where the cameras—which should’ve been turned off already—were located, and finally, where she believed they would find the most useful items and information.

  “One question,” one of the vampires interrupted. He leaned forward, his wispy, brown hair falling over his forehead. Rose thought she remembered Kara calling him Cassius, but she wasn’t sure. “Why not just attack them outright? What is with all the waiting and sneaking? Isn’t our goal to kill the Assassins of Light?”

  “Three hundred years ago, it was,” Aaron told him, “and we succeeded. But clearly, killing them wasn’t enough. So, we’re trying something else this time.”

  “Sabotage is almost always more effective than murder,” Kara stated.

  “If you say so,” Cassius sighed. He leaned back in his seat, his lips tilting down into a disappointed pout. “I was just looking forward to an actual battle.”

  “Believe me,” Kara said, “you’ll get a real battle. Just maybe not tonight.”