The Assassins of Light

by Britney Jackson

  “I don’t have time for decency,” he grunted. “I only have time for anger.”

  She gave him a skeptical look. “You’ve lived for four thousand years, if not more. I wouldn’t think that time was your issue,” she teased. When his glare turned murderous, Rose fell serious. “So, was this all you called me in here for?”

  “No,” he said. “I have some advice for you. About what you’re feeling.”

  Rose raised an eyebrow. “You—the cold, emotionless murderer—want to give me advice about…feelings? No offense, but I’m not sure you’re the expert.”

  “Is this how you deal with your pain?” Aaron asked coldly. “Sarcasm?”

  “Sarcasm is how I deal with everything, actually,” Rose corrected with a smile. “It’s completely emotionally unhealthy, and yet, I continue to do it, anyway.”

  “I assume you’re sad,” he said, his voice devoid of sympathy, “since that’s the emotion a lot of people seem to feel after the death of someone they love.”

  Rose scowled at him. “That’s the emotion that everyone feels, Aaron.”

  “But it’s not the only emotion, is it?” he told her. “There’s also anger.”

  She rubbed her eyes, still exhausted and fatigued. “What’s your point?”

  He stepped forward, moving closer to her. “Thousands of years ago, I wiped out the entire vampire population—everyone older and stronger than me, everyone who could possibly threaten my power. How do you think I did that?”

  She shrugged tiredly. “By being manipulative and psychotic?” she sassed.

  “By being angry,” Aaron corrected. “If you focus on your sadness, your grief will weaken you, but if you focus on the anger, it will make you stronger.”

  “You and I have different definitions of weak and strong,” Rose stated.

  He rolled his eyes. “No one cares about your morals, Rose. Your morals do nothing for us. Your anger, however, helped us immeasurably last night.”

  Rose looked away. “I don’t even remember what I did last night.”

  “Well, allow me to help,” he said coldly. “You destroyed an entire base of Assassins by yourself. You killed them all. You accomplished more for the war, by yourself, in one night, than a whole army of vampires could have in a month.”

  She swallowed the shame creeping up her throat. “You’re exaggerating.”

  “Why would I?” Aaron pointed out. “Face it, Rose. You become one hell of a monster when you’re angry, and right now, a monster is exactly what we need.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I refuse to fight hatred with hatred.”

  “Why?” he said. “You fought hatred with hatred last night, and you won.”

  “No, I didn’t,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. But I didn’t win.”

  He leaned in closer, his curly, black hair falling forward, his voice barely a whisper. “Why would you feel anything but hate? They murdered your brother.”

  Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Don’t try to manipulate me, Aaron.”

  He ignored her warning. “The poison they used on him? It was relatively quick, yes, but not painless. His organs shut down. He couldn’t breathe,” he said, a smile twisting at his lips, as he saw that familiar, red glow in Rose’s eyes. “Have you thought about that? He couldn’t call for help because he couldn’t breathe.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that?!” she growled. She took a step forward, and a ripple of energy suddenly seemed to shoot out from her body, throwing Aaron backward into the cot, which collapsed under his weight. She stared down at him, the red light dancing within her eyes, like dangerous, deadly fire, and when she spoke, the power behind her voice rattled the entire plane. “Do you think I haven’t gone over every biology or botany book that I have ever read, dwelling on every symptom he may have felt? Do you think I don’t hate myself for it?”

  Aaron tried to stand, but the force of her power, emanating from her body in waves, caused him to stagger and nearly fall again. “What good does that do?” he said breathlessly. “Direct your hatred where it’s useful. Where it belongs.”

  The door slammed open, suddenly, crashing against the wall, and Kara stepped into the room with them, glancing back and forth from Rose’s blood-red eyes to Aaron. She said nothing, but the look she shot in Aaron’s direction—well, Rose figured that if it had been anyone other than Aaron, they might’ve had a heart attack, caused by that look alone, by those dangerously intense, light blue eyes.

  “I didn’t hurt her,” Aaron said. “I just…reminded her of some things.”

  Kara turned toward Rose, her icy blue eyes full of question and concern.

  “I’m fine,” Rose said, even as the pain twisted like a whirlwind inside her.

  “I need you to brief everyone on what will happen when we land,” Aaron told Kara. His cold, dark eyes flashed with agitation and hostility. “Now, Kara.”

  Kara flashed a smile at him. “Of course,” she said in a surprisingly calm voice. Then, she spun around and walked through the door that she’d just broken.

  Rose followed her, but before they reached the cabin—where the rest of the vampires were—Kara stopped and pushed Rose against the bathroom door.

  Kara held her tightly by the arms, and her intense, cornflower-blue eyes searched Rose’s face, burning with fear and concern. “What did he say to you?”

  Rose just stared up at her for a moment, stunned. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  “Oh?” Kara said with a worried frown. “Then, why are your eyes red?”

  Rose leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to push back the thoughts of her brother, focusing instead of the warmth of Kara’s body against hers, the hardness of her muscles, the softness of her curves, the sweetness of her scent. Finally, she reopened her eyes and smiled at Kara. “How about now?”

  “They’re blue again,” Kara said, but she didn’t look any less concerned.

  “Then, obviously, I’m fine,” Rose said, offering her a cute, playful smile.

  “Right. Obviously,” Kara said quietly, her frown deepening. She released Rose and stepped back. “Come on. We only have half an hour until take-off.”

  —

  Rose sat in an empty seat, watching as Kara leaned against the front row of seats, the row closest to the cockpit, and explained to the others what to expect.

  “Whereas the Tomb of Blood is mostly protected through intimidation and the pure knowledge of who Aaron is and what he’s done,” Kara told them, “Talulah’s colony, the Village of the Undead, protects itself in an entirely different way. They use obscurity and really miserable travel conditions.” She tilted her head to the side, her dark hair falling over her shoulder, as she smiled at them. “Just a forewarning, in case you don’t know, vampires can get frostbite, and it does hurt.”

  Elise crossed her arms, as if she could already feel the cold. “Frostbite?”

  “Don’t worry. It heals instantly,” Kara said, “but the pain will be severe.”

  “Oh, yeah. Don’t worry,” Rose muttered. “We’re just going to be tortured with extreme temperatures. In the worst climate on the planet. No big deal.”

  Kara smiled. “Well, the rest of us are used to the climate in Norway, so we can all handle the cold better than you, Beach-Girl. You’ll really be miserable.”

  “Again with the comforting words. How nice of you,” Rose said with a sassy smile. “Also, I don’t actually live on the beach. I’m not rich enough for that.”

  Kara watched Rose with a smile, clearly entertained by Rose’s smart-aleck remarks. “It’s a long, treacherous journey from the airport to the colony. As a matter of fact, a human wouldn’t survive it, especially in a winter storm, like the one that’s coming tomorrow. A human would either get lost and die of starvation, or die of hypothermia or frostbite, or if they survive all of that, they’d die at the hands of Talulah’s skilled archers. The good news is…we can survive all of that.”

  “I’m not sure that q
ualifies as good news,” Rose mumbled, her eyes wide.

  “Okay, but how will we avoid getting lost?” Isolde asked curiously. “None of us have any experience with the land. None of us have even been there before.”

  “I have,” Kara said with a smirk, “and I happen to remember the way.”

  “I hate to be the person that brings this up,” Bradley said, from a seat on the left side of the plane, “but we’ve all heard the rumors about the animosity between Aaron and Talulah. I’m kind of wondering if what we’re doing is safe.”

  “Safe would make for a boring immortality, don’t you think?” Kara said.

  “We’re not all as wild and crazy as you are,” Bradley said. “No offense.”

  Kara shrugged. “Why would that offend me? I like being wild and crazy.”

  “It is always nice to hear that my followers are listening to rumors about my relationships with other leaders,” Aaron sneered, emerging suddenly from the back of the plane. Everyone fell silent as he walked past them, the silence only filled by the squeak of his tennis shoes. When he reached the front, he turned to face them, glaring especially at Bradley. “Especially when it is none of their concern.”

  He’d snarled those last words so harshly that it startled them.

  Bradley watched him warily. “You’re right. My apologies, sir.”

  Aaron nodded. “As for your question, Talulah extended an invitation to us, and her only requirement was that Kara must come, too. We brought Kara. Therefore, we’ve fulfilled our requirement. We can trust her to be welcoming.”

  Tom raised an eyebrow. “Did she say why she wanted Kara to come?”

  “No,” Aaron said, “nor do I care. I wouldn’t have set foot in her territory without my second-in-command, anyway. If you ask me, she wasted her request.”

  “Kara,” Tom said with a playful grin, “can you think of a reason that a female leader of a powerful vampire colony would specifically request to see you?”

  “Nope,” Kara said, but her smile widened, taking on a bit of a guilty tilt.

  “Take your seats, please,” came a voice, suddenly, through the speakers, a gruff, male voice with a Norwegian accent. “We’re taking off in just a moment.”

  Kara easily weaved her way through the others, until she reached Rose. Then, she leaned casually against the seat in front of Rose, watching her curiously.

  Rose lifted her eyebrows knowingly. “You dated her, too, didn’t you?”

  “Who? Talulah?” Kara said. That guilty smile of hers returned. “Maybe.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “You know,” she said, her voice thick with sarcasm, “you’d think that the woman who is the second-in-command of the most powerful vampire colony in the world, the spymaster of a worldwide network of spies, and the personal assassin of the most ancient vampire in the world wouldn’t have time for a love life. But apparently, she’s had time to date the entire world.”

  Kara laughed at Rose’s teasing. “Not the entire world.”

  “Just fifty percent of it,” Rose said in her sassiest tone.

  Kara watched her with that familiar, wolfish smile—that looked a bit hungry, all of the sudden, and then, with no warning whatsoever, she closed the space between them and claimed Rose’s lips with her own. She held Rose’s face in her hands, her body bent over Rose’s, her dark, silky hair falling around them.

  After a deep, aggressive kiss, Rose pulled back, laughing breathlessly at Kara. “Aren’t you supposed to be in a seat? Like everyone else on the plane?”

  “Good point,” Kara murmured, and then, she hopped into the seat with Rose, straddling Rose’s lap, and once again closing the space between their lips.

  Rose giggled between kisses, “I’m pretty sure this is a safety hazard.”

  Kara smirked and leaned in for another kiss. “Pretty sure I don’t care.”

  —

  “How is she?” Erik whispered as he moved to sit beside Rose and Kara.

  Kara glanced down at Rose, brushing the long, red hair out of her face. Rose slept peacefully, for the first time in two days, her head resting against Kara’s breasts, her body curled comfortably against Kara’s side. They reclined together in the seat—that was really only meant for one person—their legs entangled, their fingers intertwined. “She’s strong,” she sighed, a sad smile pulling at the edges of her lips. “She holds herself together, even when she feels like she’s falling apart.”

  Erik nodded. “Well, she’s busy. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? I mean, I’m no expert on grief, but it’s helped me to stay busy,” he mumbled, “since Alana…”

  “Me, too,” Kara said, but then, she laughed. “But let’s face it. Neither of us is known for our healthy emotional habits. We’re both pretty screwed up.”

  Erik chuckled, “But at least we know it. That counts for something, right?”

  “If you say so,” Kara laughed. She shifted, drawing Rose closer to her, brushing her lips affectionately against the top of Rose’s head. Sadness and pain glistened in her light blue eyes. “She blames herself, you know. She hates herself.”

  “They knew she would, didn’t they?” he asked. “The Assassins of Light?”

  “Yeah,” Kara muttered, “but I doubt they predicted how she’d react.”

  “How could they,” he asked, “when it was so out-of-character for Rose?”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “She is quite the mystery sometimes, isn’t she?”

  “I was going to go with terrifying,” Erik said, “but…mystery works, too.”

  —

  Kara awoke to the sound of Rose’s soft, broken sobs. She tilted her head to look down at Rose’s face. Rose’s head lay against Kara’s breasts, still, and their arms and legs were entangled in the plane’s reclining seat. Her long, disheveled, red hair lay over her face, shielding the stress and pain that twisted at her features.

  Rose’s sobs sounded like whispers, barely audible to anyone other than her, and as Kara felt the slow rise and fall of Rose’s breasts against her side, she knew that Rose was still asleep, that it was only a nightmare. “Zach,” Kara heard Rose whisper, tears flowing down her face, even in her sleep, “please, wake up.”

  Kara lifted her arm so that she could shake Rose’s shoulder. She tilted her face toward Rose’s, brushing her lips against Rose’s head. “Wake up, baby.”

  Rose stirred a little. Lately, she slept lightly, and even Kara’s soft whisper was enough to wake her. She blinked through the tears that already blurred her vision and soaked her face, and she looked up, meeting Kara’s sympathetic gaze.

  “Are you all right?” Kara asked softly. “What do you need me to do?”

  Rose locked her arms around Kara’s lean stomach and snuggled closer, pressing her tear-soaked face against Kara’s chest, listening to Kara’s steady pulse. Her eyes fluttered closed as her blood bond reacted to Kara’s heartbeat, as the connection between them became tangible. “The fact that you’re here is enough.”

  Someone shifted in the seat beside them, and then, a hand curled around Rose’s shoulder. “That’s sweet and all,” Erik mumbled, “but I have a better idea.”

  As Erik manipulated her emotions, the sadness that weighed so heavily on her chest grew lighter and lighter, until she felt nothing. Nothing but peace.

  Rose twisted in Kara’s arms so that she could look back at Erik. He sat in the seat next to them, slouched low in the seat, his wavy, blonde hair hanging messily over his forehead, his clothes wrinkled from sleeping in them. “Thanks.”

  Erik dropped his hand and leaned his head back. “Anytime,” he slurred.

  Rose raised an eyebrow when she heard him snoring. “That was quick.”

  “He’s always been like that,” Kara chuckled. “Once, when Alana lost her temper over something—I can’t even remember the reason; she did it so often—she decided to burn down a house…with us inside it. Erik nearly slept right through his own death. I had to bash his face with a shield, just to wake him up.”

/>   “She broke my damn nose,” Erik said drowsily—apparently awake again.

  “It healed,” Kara reminded him, rolling her eyes at his melodramatics. “Anyway, once we found a way underground, he immediately fell back to sleep.”

  Rose laughed, “After his girlfriend tried to murder him in his sleep?”

  “You get used to it after a hundred years,” Erik said dismissively. He’d stopped snoring a few moments ago, but he hadn’t bothered to open his eyes yet.

  “And according to Alana, she wasn’t trying to kill us,” Kara explained to Rose, her eyebrows high. “She just wanted us to understand how upset she was.”

  “Well,” Rose muttered dryly, “no one could accuse her of being subtle.”

  Light flooded the cabin of the jet as the door to the cockpit slid open.

  Most of the vampires still slept in their seats—some of them slouched in their seats, like Erik, others stretched out across multiple seats, some of them curled up in reclined seats, like Kara and Rose. But when light flooded the cabin, several of them began to stir, including Nina, the young vampire asleep in the seat on the other side of theirs. She pushed her brown hair out of her face, blinking her big, brown eyes, as she glanced at the human who had just opened the door.

  The human—a young, blonde man—gestured for Kara to follow him.

  “I’ll be right back, love,” Kara murmured in Rose’s ear. She disentangled her long, leather-clad legs from Rose’s, and then, somehow, she managed to crawl out of the seat with a gracefulness that Rose wouldn’t have thought possible.

  Rose stretched out in the empty seat, straightening her body for the first time all day. She scowled at Erik when she heard him snoring loudly…again.

  “I can’t imagine that’d be comfortable,” Nina said suddenly, startling her. A soft smile curved at the edges of her lips. “Two people sleeping in one seat.”

  Rose looked at the young woman who sat on her left side. “Surprisingly, it was very comfortable,” she admitted, “but mostly because of the cuddling.”