"Just one vamp?" Tristan entreated.
All her fight gave out. "One. One vampire and then we're going back to the hotel. We've got a long day tomorrow." Kira paused, meeting Pavia and then Tristan's eager eyes. "Luke put together a grand tour of the city. And if I'm going down, I'm taking you both with me."
They grunted.
"What?" Luke asked, honestly not understanding.
Tristan put an arm around his friend's shoulders, guiding Luke out the door before Kira could change her mind. As the boys walked away, she lifted her hand to stop them, but then clenched her fingers into a tight fist, releasing a sigh.
"Too late," Pavia said, positively gleeful as she linked her elbow through Kira's and tugged her along. "Time for a little old-fashioned vampire hunting, ass-kicking fun. You're going to love it."
Kira glanced at the two boys talking animatedly in the distance and then turned to Pavia. Together, they grinned and picked up the pace, hurrying to catch up.
Chapter Seven
"I can't take it anymore," Kira moaned at about six o'clock the next day. They'd stayed up chasing not one, not two, but no less than ten vamps, only stopping when the sun started lightening the sky. And, sure, it had felt pretty great to be the same vamp-destroying team they'd once been. It had been great to see Tristan and Pavia regain some of the strength and fight they'd lost with their newfound humanity. But now she was paying dearly for her leniency. They'd slept for no more than three hours before Luke had forced them all out of the hotel and on to his grand tour.
"Just one more spot," he pleaded with her now.
"What? What could we possibly still have to see?" Kira asked. "My feet ache. My head is pounding. And I don't think I can eat anything else, not even a cronut…Well, maybe one cronut. Two, tops."
"Stop whining," Pavia interjected from Kira's other side.
Kira turned on her friend. "Oh, please, who ditched all of us to go shopping for two hours?"
Pavia shrugged. "It's called being proactive."
Kira rolled her eyes. Proactive? More like total abandonment…
"Trust me," Tristan leaned over, murmuring to Kira. "You would not have wanted Pavia to be around when Luke spent half an hour salivating over that mint condition early edition Batman something or other."
Kira glanced up at him, meeting his warm brown eyes. "Good point."
"Huh?" Luke asked.
"What?" Pavia questioned.
But Kira just smiled at Tristan, and he looked down, grinning back, silently agreeing to keep that little exchange between them.
"Oh, nothing," Kira said innocently, glancing around to escape the suspicious glares pinning her from either side. "Wait, are we back at the Empire State Building? We were already here like four hours ago."
"True," Luke conceded before pulling her closer to his side. "But four hours ago, we didn’t get to go to the observation deck on the top floor."
Kira's eyes widened—it was the one thing she'd never been able to do in New York and the one touristy thing she'd secretly always wanted to. "You said the tickets were sold out!"
Luke grinned. "I lied."
Kira punched him in the bicep before he had the chance to jump away. "Seriously? We've been wandering the city for hours and you lie about the one thing I want to do?"
Luke ignored her accusation and reached into his pocket, pulling out four tickets to the 102nd floor, spreading them wide like a fan. Kira reached for them greedily, but he lifted his hand high above her head. And there was no way in hell she was going to jump for them.
Okay, she jumped for them.
Once.
But as soon as Luke started laughing, Kira just crossed her arms, letting her anger seethe out like a physical caress.
Almost immediately, he caved, handing her the passes.
"Express?" Kira chirped, eyes growing wide. "We get to cut the line?"
"Yup," Luke said, satisfied, gaze warm as he watched her excitement grow with each passing moment. "I thought it would be more fun to see the city at sunset."
Kira eased onto her tippy-toes, brushing her lips against his briefly. "It’s perfect."
And then she grabbed Luke's palm in one hand and Tristan and Pavia's already intertwined fingers with the other and dragged all three of them into the building.
"Haven't you ever heard the phrase patience is a virtue?" Luke teased.
Kira glanced up at him briefly. "Have you ever heard the phrase kiss my a—"
"Adorably annoyed face?" Luke interrupted. But before Kira could get a word in, he disentangled their fingers, stepping back. "Wait here."
And then he ran to the ticket counter, speaking in a quiet voice that Kira couldn’t quite hear. So she turned to Tristan and Pavia. "Do you know what's going on? Luke's acting weird, well, weirder than usual."
Both of them were suspiciously staring in opposite directions, one toward the art deco ceiling overhead and one toward the marble inlaid floor underfoot.
"What's going on?" Kira repeated slowly, tone turning accusatory.
But they both pretended they didn’t hear.
"The architecture in here is fascinating," Tristan murmured, eyes darting from corner to corner.
"Totally," Pavia muttered.
One of them was faking, and it was blatantly obvious who.
"Pavia," Kira whispered.
But before she could catch her friend's attention, Luke returned with a man in a suit. One glance at his nametag and Kira realized he worked for the building. Her gaze darted to Luke, but he also wasn't meeting her eyes. She couldn’t help but notice that his tan cheeks had started to flush an undeniable shade of pink.
What the heck?
"Right this way," the man said, gesturing with his hand and cutting off Kira's wayward thoughts before she could follow them further. Confused by everyone's sudden silence, she followed quietly as they were led through a private passage to an empty elevator, watching as the man pressed the button for the 86th floor.
"I thought it'd be more crowded," Kira murmured, more to herself than anyone else since her supposedly three closest friends in the world were pointedly ignoring her.
"Not for VIP clientele," the man responded, glancing at her strangely.
And Kira glanced right back. VIP? Since when were they VIP anything, especially when vampires weren't involved?
Luke leaned over. "I asked the council to pull some strings. If anyone asks, we're here as government officials."
Kira opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Luke looked away. His voice had been tight, strained in a way she wasn't used to—almost nervous if she had to pin it down. But he wasn't afraid of heights, was he? Is that why he was suddenly acting so strange?
The elevator dinged, signaling they'd arrived. And when the doors opened, the scene was utter chaos. Families with shouting children. Couples snapping selfies. A hundred people at least, probably more, all pushing to get outside to the real view.
"Follow me," the man murmured as security guards oozed from the crowd, circling them and shielding them from the public as they made their way across the space to a secondary elevator. Once those doors shut behind them, Kira was surrounded by silence once more. Until a few moments later, when the elevator opened nearly twenty floors higher, on the 102nd floor, the tallest floor open to the public—or so Kira thought.
"Where are we going?" she asked again, as the man continued leading them through the much smaller crowd on the upper observation deck, which was enclosed in glass and free from the wind. "I want to actually look around. You know, see the view."
But Tristan and Luke were whispering quietly to each other a few steps ahead, almost as though one were giving the other a pep talk, and Pavia was the only person who seemed to have heard.
"Kira," she sighed. "For once in your life, just be quiet. Five minutes of silence, that's all we need. Trust me, you won't regret it."
Why? Kira opened her mouth to ask, but then she closed her lips, still confused by Pavia's knowing
expression. Yet something in her friend's emerald eyes made Kira listen, a certain glimmer of anticipation that she was desperate to understand.
So, she trailed them all as the man in the suit led them through a locked door and onto a small staircase leading them one more flight higher, to the 103rd floor, which had access to a private outdoor observation deck reserved for VIPs, which somehow, they inexplicably were.
When Kira stepped into the open air, letting the wind whip her hair and the height steal her breath, all the confusion and curiosity vanished. Instead, she gasped, reaching for Luke's hand as the view overwhelmed her. His palm was warm, damp with a slight sheen of sweat, but Kira didn't mind. Because nothing could take away from this moment, not the love of her life suddenly having a personality switch or her friends pretending like they hadn't noticed. The sky was just turning to soft lavender, streaked with subtle pink splashes, while a lingering golden glow floated over the horizon. Brilliant orange caught windows, lighting the city up as though it were on fire, and Kira felt the blaze within her ignite, sending a wave of heat through her body, blocking out the chill of the coming night. Skin still touching, Kira felt Luke's powers burn, simmering just beneath the surface, sending her a quiet message of love and comfort and awe.
"Wow," was all she could say.
And then she glanced to the side, meeting Luke's gaze, which had already been focused on her. His fiery eyes blazed with passion. "I know."
And those two words were all it took to send a shiver right through her.
Kira swallowed, looking away before the heat in his expression completely consumed her. "So," she asked hoarsely before swallowing and coughing quietly, searching for a change of subject, trying to remind herself that they were very much in public even if it didn't feel like it. "What did you have to promise my grandfather in order to get him to help you with this?"
Nothing dulled the flames quite like mentioning a grandparent, and hers was the perfect excuse since he was the head of the Protector council.
But Luke didn't respond.
Instead, a deep voice broke into the conversation. "Nothing much, just his firstborn."
Kira spun on her heels. "Grandpa!"
And there he was, leaning on his cane, stepping slowly through the door onto the observation deck. A woman with neatly coifed silver hair and glimmering eyes followed after.
"Grandma?" Kira blurted.
The eldest Lana Peters just smiled at her granddaughter, using the secretive smile that Kira loved so much because it reminded her of the only image she had of her mother, the one inside the locket always hanging around her neck, depicting Kira as a baby lovingly watched over by both of her lost parents.
"What are you doing here?"
But before anyone could respond, a much higher-pitched voice broke through the silence, and a nine-year-old came running through the door, flying into Kira's open arms.
"Chloe?" Kira gasped.
Why was her sister here?
Why were her grandparents here?
"Don't run!" a fretful voice called. A second later, her aunt and adoptive mother miraculously appeared, eyes wide and worried. But her entire body relaxed when her gaze landed on Chloe, peacefully snuggled against her older sister's side. Next, Kira's adoptive father stepped through the opening, totally at ease compared to her worry-wart of a mom.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were lost when another group of people emerged. Mr. and Mrs. Bowrey, eyes brimming with pride, followed by the ever-excited TJ and Luke's sister, Vanessa, who after a lot of hard work, Kira had managed to win over.
For a moment, she just stood there, dumbfounded as her eyes flicked from one person to the next, unable to believe that everyone she loved was in one place at the same time. Memories flashed across her mind, too many to count. Yet each one brought a tear to her eye—of happiness, of joy. They'd been through a lot together, all of them, and somehow they had made it through, made it to this place—to a moment in time Kira always imagined but never really thought would come true.
And then she turned to the boy who had made all of this happen, who had made every amazing thing in her life happen.
Luke.
Who was kneeling behind her, looking up as he balanced on one knee. A small maroon box rested in the palm of his hand, open to a perfect gold ring that glimmered in the soft light of the sinking sun. The diamonds glittered like fire, alive and in the same shape of the starburst charm Luke had given her on her eighteenth birthday, back when he was just a best friend hoping to one day mean so much more.
That day had come.
And Kira couldn’t look anywhere but into his brilliant eyes as her hands rose to catch the gasp escaping her barely parted lips.
"Kira," he said, voice deep and calm, not at all afraid, not at all hesitant, not at all like Kira, who stood shocked and trembling before him. He'd been preparing for this day for a long time, surprising her like always. "I've been in love with you since the first moment I ever saw you, utterly lost in the hallway of our school, begrudgingly accepting my help. Even then, I knew how strong you were, how brave. And every moment I've known you since has only shown me how right all of my instincts were. You are more amazing than anyone I've ever known, so powerful yet so vulnerable, so confident yet so kind. You put up with me, which I know isn't always the easiest thing in the world, and you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. When I imagine my future, all I want is endless days of laughing with you, holding you close, staring into your sparkling eyes, breathing in the wonder of your smile. Being able to love you has been and will continue to be the greatest privilege of my life."
"Luke," she whispered.
But he raised an eyebrow, lips turning up into an amused grin, and she shut her mouth. Of all the times in their lives, now was the one to just let him speak.
"You were my best friend, but I always wanted something more. Then you were my girlfriend, but inside I knew that would never be enough. So, in front of all of our closest friends and family, I'm telling you that I want forever. I'm asking you for our forever. Because you're the Lois Lane to my Clark Kent. The Mary Jane to my Peter Parker. The Leia to my Han Solo. The—"
"Luke," Kira interrupted, biting her lips to try to hold back her smile. But really, he read a lot of comics and watched a lot of movies—that list could go on for a while. And Kira didn't want to wait.
She had her answer.
She'd had it for a long time.
So she knelt before him, ignoring the beautiful ring long enough to cup his cheeks in her palms, eyes roving over his honey skin, over the little bend in his nose that she loved so much, and into the eyes that were overflowing with happiness, yet edged with the tiniest bit of hope mixed with worry.
"I'll be the Kira to your Luke," she whispered. "Because our story is the only one that matters. And it's always been more than enough for me."
Luke grinned. "So does that mean you'll marry me?"
Kira rolled her eyes. "Yes, you idiot."
But she was crying and laughing, and the phrase came out as the sweetest endearment. Perfect. Just the response Luke had been waiting for. Except that the second he heard it, he froze—utterly and completely thunderstruck. Those bright conduit eyes were wide with awe and disbelief as they stared at Kira, totally overcome.
"Um, Luke?"
But he was kneeling in front of her, not moving. The corners of his eyes were starting to fill with unshed tears, and a stunned smile was slowly spreading across his face, widening his flushed cheeks.
Trying to be subtle, Tristan stepped forward, jabbing Luke with his elbow to jerk him out of his trance, whispering, "The ring, man, give her the ring."
Luke glanced up, speaking slowly, not processing. "What?"
Tristan widened his eyes, gesturing toward the opened box still resting in Luke's palm. "You got this. The ring."
"The ring!" Luke exclaimed, fumbling for the box in his hand, nearly dropping it as he plucked the diamond ring from its cushio
n, holding it up in front of his face. Then his eyes flicked to Kira, realizing she was still kneeling right before him. He grinned like a buffoon. "You said yes."
Trying not to laugh, she murmured, "I said yes."
His daze disappeared as his stare sharpened, filled with an overwhelming amount of love and enthusiasm. "You said yes!"
Okay, now she did laugh, responding the same way through her giggles. "I said yes."
Luke couldn't contain himself.
In one swift move, he stood, wrapping his arms around Kira and bringing her with him, lifting her toes off the ground as he spun her around, not once, not twice, but three times. And then he set her back on her feet, still holding the ring between them.
"Read it," he said softly, voice laced with anticipation.
Kira pulled her eyes away from Luke to look at the ring, chest swelling with too many emotions to control, all of them so wonderful she was afraid she might actually lift into the air and float away with her happiness. And when her eyes spotted the inscription etched into the inside in elegant cursive, that feeling only grew, too much joy to even comprehend.
Love will prevail, Your Luke.
The same thing her father used to say to her mother.
The same thing etched into her parents' wedding rings.
The same thing Kira used to tell herself over and over when she needed the extra strength to push through, to persevere against odds that seemed insurmountable.
Four years ago, those three words had led Kira to Luke, with the promise that love was more powerful than vengeance, that somehow love would always win in the end. And she truly believed it, now more than ever, as those same three words silently promised her a lifetime.
Kira held out her trembling fingers, holding Luke's gaze as he slipped the diamonds into place. And then she was the one losing control, totally overwhelmed. As whistles and claps and cheers filled the air around them, Kira flung into Luke's arms.
"I love you," she whispered, just for him to hear, the only three words she could manage through the lump building in her throat, but they were the only three that mattered.
Luke pulled back, grinning with that special twinkle in his eyes and murmured, "I know."
The Complete Midnight Fire Series Page 85
