Kira sneered, feeling her palms heat.
I'll show you fear.
Luke reached beneath the table, clutching her knee and squeezing tight. A warning. A plea. But he was too late. Fire burst from her palms, spurred on by the anger she'd been trying to suppress—not at the vampire, but at herself. Fury over that small trickle of fear she still couldn't help but feel, the uncertainty that came from knowing she wasn't as strong as she once was and never would be again.
The vamp met her eyes with a cool stare.
"Put it out," he ordered.
Stubborn as ever, she didn’t want to, especially not now, but inexplicably, the flames pulled back, fighting her instincts and curling beneath her skin.
What?
Kira paused, shaking her head as the fire disappeared.
Then she looked up.
Tatsuya didn't look the least bit surprised. When he let his eyes slide to Luke, something within her released—something she didn’t even realize had been caged.
Was that his power? Could he put conduit flames out?
Not possible.
Kira clenched her fists and then released, bringing a new surge of heat to her hands, letting the fire rise until the walls flickered with the light of her power. And then she met the vampire's cold, cerulean stare, her own fiery eyes blazing with defiance.
He lifted one brow.
"Put them out, sit on your hands, and listen until I say differently," Tatsuya murmured quietly.
Kira fought with every ounce of strength she possessed until her arms began to shake with the exertion of resisting his commands. Every inch of her trembled. Each muscle clenched tight, struggling to obey. Her biceps burned. Her shoulders screamed for release. But she held on, rebellious.
Yet after a minute, inch by inch, the fire slowly pulled back. Her flames receded, sinking into her skin, vanishing as though they never existed in the first place. And then her hands gently sank, quivering the entire way as Kira fought the control. But she couldn’t. He was too strong. And by the time her hands came to a stop beneath her butt, trapped by her bodyweight, she was exhausted—mentally and physically exhausted.
What the…?
Kira opened her mouth, but the words didn’t come out.
Her voice was silenced.
Immediately, she tried to glance at Luke, but her eyes were still trapped in Tatsuya's icy glare. His glowing irises were the only thing she saw, the only thing she was allowed to see.
"Kira?" Luke asked, confused.
"It's quite all right, I won’t hurt her. I just wanted to teach her a little lesson in manners," Tatsuya replied calmly, still holding Kira hostage, not glancing away. And then he blinked, turning calmly to Luke. "My power is simple but effective. When I look into someone's eyes, they'll do exactly what I say, no exceptions. The effects wear off after an hour or so, I'm told."
Luke jumped to his feet. "Let her go, now."
"Sit down," Tatsuya commanded.
Luke immediately dropped to the floor, butt landing hard against the cushion. If she weren't so terrified, Kira might have laughed—scratch that, definitely would have laughed. But instead, panic zipped up her spine.
"I have no intention of hurting you, though I'll admit, the opportunity is tempting." He paused, grinning and inclining his head just slightly. "I simply mean to show you that I am not someone you should deal with lightly, to show you that if we come to an agreement, I expect the terms to be met."
Luke! Kira shouted, opening up a resource Tatsuya had no way of knowing was available to her, breaking down the walls of her mind and stretching her awareness as far as it would go. Years ago, she promised Luke she would stop reading his emotions through the mental connection that had opened between them when she saved his life during the eclipse. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and he must have thought so too.
Almost immediately, Kira felt his mental defenses crumble. A wave of light washed over her mind, bathing her in warmth and heat, in power and strength, in faith and affection.
Luke. Kira sighed, basking in the aura of his emotions. No matter how many times she'd felt it before, the force of his love overwhelmed her. Nothing was so intoxicating as riding the waves of his adoration, the surge of his friendship and loyalty and unwavering devotion. No drug, no power, nothing could beat this.
Well…one thing, Kira mused silently, feeling her cheeks heat as her mind wandered to the night before, when they were alone…in bed…sans the clothing they had on now. Yeah…one thing.
A trickle of humor sifted through the bond, breaking through the rays of love, bringing Kira back to reality. Somehow, as always, Luke knew exactly what was on her mind—and he didn’t even have her weird mental connection. When she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, his lips were twitching with self-satisfied amusement.
Focus! She mentally shook herself.
Now was so not the time for that.
Now was the time to face down a vampire. The head vampire of New York. The mind-controlling head vampire of New York who was currently holding her hostage. Evening activities with the long-time boyfriend could wait.
Priorities!
But her plan had worked. Between connecting with Luke's emotions and fighting her own raging hormones, Kira had managed to break the connection Tatsuya had over her mind. Waiting a moment, she let the heat boil beneath her skin, let it simmer just below the surface, until her palms prickled, twitching with pent-up power.
And then she exploded.
The entire room filled with flames as they burst from her hands. Tatsuya's eyes widened minutely as he found himself drenched in fire, surrounded on all sides, held captive by the person he thought had been his prisoner.
Kira stood, smirking.
The vampire didn’t move. He kept still, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, as though patiently waiting for her display to end. The reaction just pissed her off. Not that she expected a head vampire to cower in fear, but a little acknowledgement never hurt. Not to gloat, but she was pretty damn impressed with herself.
Kira gritted her teeth, surging her powers until the flames licked his skin. Protector fire wasn't meant to burn or injure, just to contain. But Kira's did—a lingering side effect of her former crossbreed status. And when the heat of her blaze started scorching his cheeks red, Tatsuya finally swallowed tightly. His unflinchingly calm features broke for a moment as a wince passed over his face.
Kira held the flames there for a long moment, meeting his eyes through the flashing orange, and raising her eyebrows, silently promising that she too was not someone to make a deal with lightly—she wouldn’t tolerate being played, being messed with, or being underestimated. And when she was confident he understood her terms, Kira reined her powers in, releasing the vampire.
"Impressive," Tatsuya whispered hoarsely into the silence left behind by her crackling flames. "Very impressive. Which means the rumors were true, and you'll do nicely."
Kira crossed her arms, still standing, looking down at him. "And what exactly do you want us to do?"
"There's a vampire in my city whom I need your help tracking down."
"That's it?" Luke commented, incredulous.
Tatsuya turned on him, glaring ever so slightly. "Don’t let the simplicity of my request fool you, this vampire is made of shadow and smoke. I don't know if it's a man or a woman. How old. How strong. How tall, skinny, anything. All I know is that whomever he is, he's here without my permission, and he's tempted fate by stealing one too many things from my loyal followers."
"A vampire thief?" Kira asked dubiously.
"A very skilled one I've been trying to catch for weeks with no luck."
Luke shrugged. "So what can we do that you haven't already?"
"My power, strong as it is, has limitations. But before I continue, I must request this stays in this room, between us." Kira and Luke looked at each other and then nodded. "My mental control only works once I've made eye contact. And it's very difficult to make eye contact wi
th a vampire who doesn't seem to exist. I've gotten close, but every time I think I've cornered him, he disappears. And not just in sight. Everything. Even with all my advanced vampire senses, he seems to vanish in midair."
"Still," Kira said slowly, shaking her head. "Why come to us for help? You must have other vampires who can do this sort of thing for you."
"Other vampires?" Tatsuya sighed, glancing up at the ceiling and folding his hands on his lap, frustrated, as though talking to a child. "You spend your lives fighting us, yet you know nothing about us. Other vampires? Yes, I have many loyal followers, but at the first sign of weakness, those same loyal followers wouldn't hesitate to challenge my authority and take my place. We aren’t the most trustworthy species. For simple skirmishes, for political ploys, for minor power struggles, they do all right. But for something like this, for the first vampire I've ever faced multiple times, each one ending in defeat? No, I wouldn't dare ask their help in this."
Kira swallowed. Never thought of it like that…
"What do you want us to do?" she asked after a moment.
"Come to my ball tomorrow night."
"Don't tell me it's a red or white or any color rose ball," Luke interrupted, frowning. And Kira just knew he was thinking of the last ball they'd attended, the Red Rose Ball in Baltimore where Kira killed Diana, starting her angelic fall toward original vampirism, right before conduits had busted through the windows, raining fire everywhere.
"With how the last one ended?" Tatsuya commented, eying them both pointedly.
I guess that was one of those rumors he was talking about…
"No." He shook his head. "This is a charity ball I host every year."
"Wait?" Luke's jaw dropped. "Vampires host charity events?"
Tatsuya just grinned. "For the Red Cross, I do."
"Should've guessed," Luke grumbled. Kira just rolled her eyes, waiting for the vamp to continue.
After a moment he did. "As I was saying, come to my charity ball tomorrow night. There's an item in the auction I paid the thief to procure. Not face to face, of course, he's too smart for that. But I'm hoping he's not too smart to see the trap I've set, I don't think any vampire would see you two coming, not in this circumstance. And when the item goes missing during the night, do what I haven't yet been able to, what you were created to—use your fire, hunt this vampire down, and trap him long enough for me to look into his eyes. I can take it from there."
"Before we agree," Kira started hesitantly, unable to ignore the sinister tone to those last few words. "I have to know one thing—"
"What's in it for you?" Tatsuya interrupted with a knowing smile. "I've grown tired of the chaos your little cure for vampirism has erected. Our society thrives on order, my authority depends on order. So in exchange for your help, I'm prepared to publicly announce my support for any vampires seeking to do the unthinkable, return to the lesser state of humanity. As far as I'm concerned, it's their mistake to make. And as soon as one head vampire announces his support, I have faith the others will fall in line, a domino effect for those of us looking to remain on top. Once the effects permeate, you Protectors will be able to cure to your hearts content, saving the world one vampire at a time with no argument from us."
Kira bit her bottom lip, glancing sideways at Luke.
He was already watching her, reading her expression.
But they didn’t need words, didn’t need to speak. As soon as their eyes met, Kira knew they were already in agreement. This could change everything. One vampire thief in exchange for countless lives, in exchange for countless souls to redeem. He was already stealing, already sort of on the wrong side of the law.
But were they prepared to make a deal with the devil?
Probably not.
And yet.
"Deal," Kira agreed before she could change her mind.
The word tasted sour on her tongue as soon as it popped out, and as the seconds ticked on, the bitterness only lingered. So she sank slowly to the floor, taking a deep breath and gathering her wits as she folded her legs and settled into the cushion.
They'd made arrangements with vampires before. But Tristan and Pavia weren't exactly the norm, and somehow, Kira just knew this would be different. Her gut screamed at her to take it back, to run away.
She didn't.
Instead, she reached for the lukewarm tea resting before her on the low table and took a sip, letting the slightly sweet earthy flavor wash the sourness away. Then she looked up at Tatsuya, meeting his icy stare with equal fire, and leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table. "Let's talk specifics."
Chapter Three
"I just love it when you go full Flaming Tomato," Luke teased a while later, as they exited the elevator and left the head vampire of New York behind them—for a few hours at least.
Normally, Kira would respond to such comments with a pointed glare. But tonight, she just smiled and turned to Luke. "You know what?" He shrugged, lips pulled up at the corners, intrigued. "Me too."
And she meant it.
Kira felt invigorated, as though she could conquer the world. And she hadn't felt like that in a while. If she were being honest, she hadn't felt like that since she woke up in a hospital bed, newly blond, newly Protector, just new, just different. And though she and Luke had been together for four years, she never told him how she felt, because she knew it would only hurt his feelings. There wasn't a single thing she regretted about her new life, not a single thing she would change. Being with Luke made her happier than she had ever been before and could ever be in any other life. But ever since that day when she woke up with half of her powers gone, she hadn't felt quite like herself, quite like the strong, probably too confident girl that brought Aldrich down and saved the world in the process.
But tonight, something had clicked.
That girl had come back.
Kira had faced one of the most powerful vampires in the world using only Protector powers, and she'd walked away unscathed. Not only that—she'd won. She'd proved her strength, her power. She'd remembered that no one could beat her because she was just too freaking stubborn to allow it.
"What are you grinning about?" Luke asked quietly, nudging her shoulder.
Kira blinked, realizing she'd been following him silently down the street. "Oh, nothing."
He raised his brows. "Come on, what?"
"It's just…" She pulled her lower lip into her mouth, holding it for a moment, trying to find the right thing to say.
But of course, Luke found the words before her. "Just that it was sort of awesome to showdown with a super vamp again?"
Kira released all the pent-up air in her chest, laughing softly. "Yeah."
"Don't worry, I get it," he added. "We've been doing a lot of the same thing recently, sort of like what Pavia was saying. Life as a Protector has become all about bringing vamps back to Sonnyville, returning their humanity. Fun, but in a different way, a more predictable way. We still fight, but a lot of times the council doesn't want us to be the ones on the mission, not when we're so valuable, not when you're still training other Protectors on how to work their fire during the rehumanizing."
As per usual, he'd guessed exactly what she'd been thinking—well, almost, but Kira didn’t want to admit to the other stuff, not yet. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I think I miss having near-death experiences."
"You always have been a glutton for punishment."
Kira shoved him with her arm. "You're saying that to me?"
"Well…" he trailed off, holding out his arms as if daring her to explain.
But two could play at that game. "You know what?" Kira asked, not waiting before pushing on. "You're right. I must be a glutton for punishment, dating you for so long, what with the endless bad jokes, the incessant teasing, the barely passable witty banter. I'm not sure how I've survived."
Luke just ignored her. "You know what I really loved about today?"
Kira raised her brows, waiting for the inevitable pu
nch line.
But Luke paused, stopping in the middle of the crowded New York sidewalk, not budging while shoulders and elbows hit him as they passed by, not flinching at the typical city commentary that flew his way. Kira turned around, looking at him, waiting. As a former New Yorker, she understood how many unwritten rules they were breaking—stopping the flow of traffic, forcing people to walk around them, like roadblocks daring determined people to push through. But something in his eyes held her complaint back, made her want to stop and stare, to hold on to the fire building beneath his gaze.
"I love that it felt like old times," he murmured, stepping closer, reaching for her hand. "Except now, I get to do this."
Luke tugged on Kira's arm, pulling her against his chest. With his free hand, he reached for her cheek, caressing it softly one time before gently angling her mouth to meet his lips. Kira welcomed his touch, melting into his embrace and reaching her arms up to run her fingers through his hair. No matter how many times they kissed, her heart still started to race, thumping in her chest to match the speedy rhythm of the electric fire shooting through her nerves. Every inch of her body tingled with secret flames—an inferno that didn’t come from the sun, but from the center of her universe, from Luke, from the way his skin felt against hers, smooth and intoxicating. His lightning touches never stopped thrilling her, taking away control and thought and reason, until the only thing that mattered was the sensation of his lips on hers and the knowledge that nothing would ever come between them.
Well, nothing except rude commentary from random strangers.
"Get a room," someone growled beneath his breath as they pushed by, slamming a shoulder into Kira and knocking her off Luke long enough for the real world to come crashing down.
Hard.
"Ow," she snapped, looking over her shoulder at the older man and glaring as she rubbed the sore spot on her skin. Before she could stop herself, she shouted, "Asshole!"
When she turned around, Luke's grin was already comically wide. "I think I'm seeing a whole new side to you right now. I'm used to sweet, polite South Carolina Kira, not aggressive, take no prisoners, New York Kira."
The Complete Midnight Fire Series Page 81
