“What happened?” Elise asked breathlessly, glancing from Kara to Erik.
“I’ll explain later,” Kara said nervously. “Right now, I need to find Rose.”
“No,” Aaron snarled, shoving Elise and Tom aside. He stepped into the foyer, his eyes dark. “You’ll explain now, and you better have a good explanation.”
“Not now, Aaron,” Kara said desperately. Her eyes burned from Rose’s tears, and her skin felt hot and flushed from Rose’s anger. She struggled to even breathe because of the intensity of Rose’s emotions. It felt like she was drowning.
Drowning in darkness.
Aaron stepped forward, preparing to attack Kara, but he stopped short when Kallias suddenly stepped between them. He looked up at Kallias, his brows furrowing in confusion. “What the hell are you doing? Get out of my way, Greek.”
“This isn’t the time for your power-play, Aaron,” Kallias growled, his light brown eyes flashing with warning. “Back off, or I’ll make you back off.”
Murderous fury darkened Aaron’s eyes. “Excuse me?” he snarled.
“And who knows how much I’ll screw with your head once I’m in it,” Kallias added darkly. “Don’t test me tonight, Aaron. You’ll regret it, if you do.”
Aaron watched him with dark, narrowed eyes, clearly trying to decide whether he wanted this fight or not. Ultimately, he seemed to decide against it.
As soon as he stepped aside, Kara and Kallias rushed past them.
Kara stopped in the yard, her heart racing. She closed her eyes, focusing, trying to locate Rose with her blood bond. “Thank you,” she whispered to Kallias.
He watched her. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Rose. She needs you.”
“She needs both of us,” Kara said, opening her eyes. “Are you coming?”
Kallias nodded. “Run as fast as you need to,” he said. “I can keep up.”
“I hope so,” Kara said, and then, she disappeared into the night.
—
“Rose Foster,” a woman said as soon as she stepped inside the base. The woman sat behind the desk, her long, blonde hair swept back into a high pony tail. When she stood, her hair slid back behind her back, revealing the Assassins of Light emblem on her black clothing. “We were hoping you would come back.”
Shadows swirled within Rose’s eyes, causing them to look black, as black and abysmal as a black hole. And just as dangerous, too. “Were you?” she said.
“Why are her eyes black?” asked a man from the other side of the lobby. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. “No one mentioned that her eyes turned black, too. I thought they said her eyes turned red, not black.”
“Who knows, Henry?” the woman said irritably, spreading her hands. She sighed and shifted her gaze back to Rose. “We came back once we received confirmation that your brother died. We assume you’ve come to make a deal.”
“A deal,” Rose repeated stoically. Her voice sounded so cold that the humans in the room actually shivered at the sound. “You want to make a deal?”
“To protect the rest of your loved ones,” the woman clarified.
“Yes,” Rose said in that eerie voice. “I have come to make a deal.”
The wind chose that moment to howl ominously, outside the building.
“Okay,” the woman said with a pleased smile. “Here’s the deal. Either you give your life in exchange for theirs, or—even better—you come to our side and help us defeat the vampires. And in return, we won’t kill anyone you love.”
“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” Rose said coldly. “You already have.”
“See, I knew she’d see it that way,” Henry said to the woman. He looked at Rose. “Don’t forget. None of this happened until vampires came into your life.”
Rose’s black, shadowy gaze shifted toward him. “Is it their fault, then?”
“It’s yours as well,” the woman said. “You knew what we wanted. You could’ve come to us earlier, but you didn’t. We simply did what had to be done.”
“Oh,” Rose said. She stepped forward, and the floor trembled beneath her feet. The Assassins of Light both looked down at the white, tile floor, their brows furrowing in confusion. Rose tilted her head to the side, watching them with those black, abysmal eyes. “I have come to make a deal,” she said, her voice low and dark, “but I think I have a…different kind of deal in mind than you do.”
The woman looked up at her. “We’re open to negotiation, of course.”
“You won’t kill anyone else that I love,” Rose said, taking another step toward them, “because you won’t be able to kill them. Because I’ll kill you first.”
The woman pulled out her gun and pointed it at Rose. “Don’t come any closer,” she snarled, “or I’ll shoot. And these bullets contain poisoned blood.”
Rose stopped, her gaze shifting from the woman to the man, who had also pulled his gun out and pointed it at her. “I don’t need to come any closer.”
Their guns hit the floor with loud clacks as they began to scream, as blood poured from their eyes and mouths and ears, as Rose killed them with her mind.
—
By the time Kara reached the dark, parking lot of the shopping mall, the weather had taken a sudden turn for the worst. She ran her hands through her black and blue hair, shoving it out of her face, as she tried to see the building in front of her, despite the painfully brutal wind and the debris flying through the air in front of her. A bright flash of lightning streaked across the navy blue sky.
“This is their base,” Kara said, as soon as Kallias caught up with her.
Kallias raised his arm over his head, shielding his face from the wind, as he squinted up at the dark, deserted shopping mall. “The Assassins of Light?”
She nodded. “They’re not actually in the mall. They’re below it,” she said, raising her voice so that he could hear her over the howling wind. “The entrance is in the basement. This is where we were when we realized that…” she trailed off, her chest tightening with sympathy. “This is where we found the poison.”
His light brown gaze shifted from the closed shopping mall to Kara. “But wasn’t it empty when you guys were here? Why would Rose come back here?”
“It’s not empty anymore,” she sighed. “Don’t you smell the blood?”
Kallias noticed it, then. Beyond the smell of the storm, the dust scattered into the air, the electricity crackling in the sky, the thousands of scents between them and the underground Assassins of Light base, it was there. Blood. So much blood. “Why would she do this?” he breathed. “Rose doesn’t like to hurt anyone.”
“This isn’t Rose,” Kara said, shaking her head, as she sensed Rose’s dark, overwhelming emotions—anger, hatred, sadness, fear. None of the emotions that made Rose feel like Rose were there. She felt no compassion or kindness or hope.
“What is it, then?” Kallias asked, looking at her. “What is inside of her?”
“Something dark and powerful,” Kara breathed. Her stomach twisted with anxiety and dread, but she didn’t have time to think about that. She didn’t have time to worry about anything but bringing Rose back. She closed her eyes, focusing on that connection to Rose, the unseeable thread that always drew her toward Rose, that called to her especially now, in Rose’s most dire time of need.
Another flash of lightning ripped across the sky, like a crack in the night sky, letting light into the darkness. An ear-splitting crash of thunder followed after the lightning. And then, the sky seemed to open up suddenly, and the rain began to pour. The wind caused the drops of water to hit harder and faster, like knives.
“What the hell is up with this weather?” Kallias yelled out, over the wind.
“I don’t know,” Kara said, even though she had a very strong feeling that she did know, that somehow, impossibly, the turbulent weather was connected to Rose’s turbulent emotions. She wiped the rain from her face. “Let’s get inside.”
—
&nbs
p; The door opened before her, even though she never touched it, and her tennis shoes squeaked against the tile floor, leaving footprints of blood on the dusty, white floor. She stopped just inside the room, her black, shadow-filled eyes narrowing at the tall, well-dressed man who sat in the corner, behind his desk.
“Rose Foster,” he said slowly. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Have you?” she said, her voice dark and ominous. The floor seemed to tremble when she spoke, as if even the ground itself knew that she was dangerous.
“Yes, of course,” he said. His wide, brown eyes darted down toward the thing that he had hidden in his hand and then back up toward her. “It’s a shame that it took your brother dying in order to get you here, but…you’re here now.”
A sudden, violent wind roared outside, like a whirlwind, causing the walls to shake, causing dust to fall from the ceiling like rain, causing the lights to flicker.
The man glanced up at the ceiling with a worried frown. “That sounds bad. I don’t remember them saying anything about storms on the news earlier.”
“I’m told you’re the Commander,” Rose said in an emotionless voice, a voice that barely even resembled her normal voice. She took a step forward. “I find that interesting—that you’re the Commander, and yet, while the humans that follow you scream out for mercy, you hide in your office, cowering in the corner.”
“My duty isn’t to them,” Frederick explained. “I serve the human race.”
“Liar,” Rose growled. The floor trembled, and the furniture rattled at the sound of her voice. The shadowy haze that danced around her body darkened, becoming larger and more pronounced. The man shrank back in his chair, his fair skin paling at the sight of those strange, monstrous shadows. She stepped toward him, tilting her head to the side. “You’re the only human left alive in this building. You didn’t protect the humans that serve under you. You cowered in fear while I killed them. Zachary Foster was a human, and you didn’t protect him either. Admit it: you don’t protect humans. You don’t protect anyone. You only kill.”
“Zachary Foster was a criminal,” the Commander said. He smoothed his free hand over his short, brown hair. He tried his best to look calm, but his fingers trembled as he ran them over his hair. “The world will be better off without him.”
The wind began to howl even louder. A distant, tornado siren began to wail its warnings. The man glanced around the room, his eyes wide with alarm, as the building shook on its foundation, and a floor lamp toppled over, shattering.
“What is going on?” the man asked. “Where did this storm come from?”
“From within,” Rose said ominously. She watched him with those dark, eerie eyes. “The world is mirroring what Rose is feeling. It’s crying her tears. It’s mirroring the darkness and the violent turmoil inside of her. The sky is splitting open, in the same way that she is splitting open. The world is hurting with her.”
The Commander watched her with a frown. “How is that possible?”
Rose laughed darkly. “You still don’t know what she is, do you?”
“Why are you talking about yourself in the third person?” he asked.
“I’m not,” Rose said. “I’m talking about Rose Foster, the sister of the human that you murdered.” She watched as confusion flashed across his face. “I never said that I was Rose. You assumed that. Because I look like her. Because I’m under her skin, inside her body, using her physical form.” She stepped toward him, her voice getting darker with each passing moment. “It’s unfortunate for you that I’m not Rose. You’d actually stand a chance with Rose. She’s weakened by Light. By compassion.” Her words came out in a low, sneering hiss. “She’d never be able to kill you, even now, after the horrible act that you’ve committed.” Rose leaned forward, over the desk, and a strange smile twisted at her face. “But Light has no hold on me. I feel no compassion. Only pain. Only anger. Only hatred.”
The Commander scooted back in his chair, pressing it as far back against the wall as he could. His chest heaved with each erratic breath. “What are you?”
“So, you don’t know, then?” she asked, but she didn’t sound surprised. “You were so interested in Rose, so afraid of her, but you didn’t even know why.”
“You are a new breed of vampire,” the man said. “A red-eyed vampire.”
Rose laughed darkly. “No. There is no new breed of vampire. Why would there be? Vampires were perfect creations already, at least in my opinion. Some might disagree.” She straightened, an odd, proud smile curving at her lips, a smile that looked completely unlike any smile that Rose had ever worn. “Rose isn’t a new breed a vampire. She is a vampire, yes, but she is also something far worse.”
Frederick Martin frowned, confused by her nonsensical statements. “We were told that you are a new breed of vampire,” he said slowly. He refused to play along with the whole this-isn’t-Rose thing. It was just too insane. “You have red eyes. Well, not right now, obviously, but… Wait, why are your eyes black now?”
“You were told,” she laughed. “Do you always believe what you’re told, Commander?” She tilted her head, smiling. “He’s good at manipulation, isn’t he? Of course he is. I wouldn’t have chosen him, otherwise. Who do you think created those myths that you believed so easily, Frederick Martin? You’re just a pawn, and unfortunately for you, he’s played with you a little too recklessly this time.”
“Huh? What?” Frederick sputtered, unable to keep up with her elusive, puzzling statements. “Wait.” His eyes widened. “He? How did you know that…”
She took a step forward, shadows stretching out from her body, creeping toward him. “I should probably be grateful that he did so well, that he broke her so thoroughly. But,” she paused, spreading out her hands and shrugging, “this is all so much more complicated than that. Because yes, Rose is Rose, and I am not Rose. But at the same time, I am Rose. We’re part of each other, you know.” She narrowed her eyes at the very confused Assassin of Light. “You don’t understand a single thing I’m saying, do you? I keep forgetting how dumb you humans are.”
Frederick sighed, “Fine. I’ll play along. If you’re not Rose, who are you?”
She braced her hands on the desk and leaned forward, her long, red hair falling around her face. “I am pain. I am sadness. I am despair. I am anger. I am fear. I am jealousy. I am vengeance. I am passion. I am love. I am…Darkness.”
He screamed as the shadows dancing around her body seemed to stretch out, suddenly, overtaking him, absorbing all of the light, encasing him in cold darkness. But then, whatever he’d just seen, whatever had just terrified him, faded away, suddenly, dissolving, as if it’d never happened. Frederick blinked in shock.
She watched him curiously. “Are you afraid yet? Because you should be.”
Frederick pressed frantically at the button in his hand, only to realize that it wasn’t even in his hand anymore. He looked down, frowning at his empty palm.
“Looking for this?” Rose asked, waving the remote. She tilted her head, glancing at the small, black remote in her hand. “Was this your master plan? You would press this button and call in back-up if Rose wasn’t willing to make a deal?”
“How did you get that?” Frederick asked, scooting his chair backward.
“You didn’t think that she’d kill you before they arrived?” Rose asked.
Frederick frowned. “We don’t know a whole lot about it yet, but there’s this thing between vampires called a blood bond. Someone would’ve come for her.”
She nodded. “And you would have killed someone else that Rose loves.”
He watched her nervously. “We know all about you. Uh…I mean…her. We know…Rose’s tendencies. If her loved ones are in danger, she’ll surrender.”
“Yes,” Rose agreed. Her black, abysmal eyes seemed to draw him in, drowning him in shadows that burned like ice. “She’s selfless and compassionate. Light does that to her. But you people,” she sighed, shaking her head at him, “you always for
get to check the shadows for me. After all, I’m much less predictable.”
Frederick blinked as he realized that the blackness he saw in front of him wasn’t just in Rose’s eyes, anymore. It was everywhere. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, trying to see her. Trying to see anything. Anything at all.
“Blindness is the first symptom,” he heard her say, “of the poison.”
His heart began to race, and he grasped blindly at the desk, desperately trying to find something he could use as a weapon. But his hand only connected with wood. He heard her tennis shoes squeaking as she moved closer to him.
“You killed her brother,” Rose said. The winds wailed louder and louder outside—an ominous background for her ominous voice. “Did you really think you’d be dealing with Light right now? In times like this, she’ll always yield to me.”
“Who are you?” the terrified human asked breathlessly. “What are you?”
She straightened, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “What am I? As if you care,” she scoffed. “You spent your entire lifetime vilifying vampires for simply existing. You invented reasons to hate them. You turned them into monsters that you could hate.” The whirlwind outside sucked viciously at the ceiling of the base, causing the lights to flicker out, and a few loose tiles to fall from the ceiling.
Even though the man could no longer see, he still trembled at the sound.
A dark, vengeful smile twisted at Rose’s lips. “Well,” she said, lifting her eyebrows. “You wanted a monster to hate? Congratulations. Now, you have one.”
Frederick suddenly began to gasp for breath, his sightless eyes widening.
“Respiratory failure is the second symptom of the poison,” Rose stated.
“Please,” he tried to say, but he couldn’t speak. He could only wheeze.
“I already told you,” she said, rolling her dark, shadow-filled eyes. “Rose is the one with mercy. Not me. It’s not my fault you broke Rose to the point that I had to come out.” She shrugged. “Not that I mind coming out.” She stepped over him as he fell out of his chair, gasping for breath. “It’s refreshing, actually.”
The Assassins of Light Page 45
