To Kill a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,23

long we have before someone comes looking for us. I readjust her against me, happy she’s in my arms at all. My thumbs begin to trail slow circles against her thighs, and her fingers trace the side of my jaw. A shiver runs across my skin as she skims my neck with her fingertips.

“It sounds like thunder almost. It threatens to overshadow my thoughts every time you look at me. It pounds so loudly that it distracts me from myself sometimes.” She pauses, and the hint of a smile touches her beautiful lips. “I always wondered how you felt about me. Now I can hear it.”

Slowly, I nod, understanding her completely. She leans into me, her breath catching. With more deliberate leisureliness she kisses me, a hint of our past poised against the caressing flick of her tongue.

Twelve

A Queen

Fallon

Suspiciously, I smooth my wild hair and tug at my tight shirt as I come back to our group. Asher strides by my side, biting back a smile when he glances at me. The look sends shivers down my spine all over again.

They stand in a small circle, and when I stop at Luca’s side she shoots me a wolfish grin that sends heat into my cheeks as I smile down at the ground. My attention lingers on the crisp brown leaves and the dirt that clings to my boots. The memory of his lips against mine sweeps through my mind for an instant before Kaino clears his throat, sending a speculating look back and forth between Asher and myself.

Perfect.

Luca lifts a delicate hand and plucks a crumbled leaf from my tangled hair, causing a bark of laughter to leave her lips.

Perfect.

“Ayden, I need you and Luca to solicit the surrounding villages,” I tell him, squaring my shoulders and trying to regain my confidence once again.

Ayden nods. His dark hair is still flawlessly combed, as if the last couple of days through the woods haven’t interrupted his polished routine. His black dress pants, on the other hand, are dusty and wrinkled, almost a reminder of our childhood shown in the simple blemished apparel.

“Rally them. They’ll trust you. A change is coming whether President Docile accepts it or not.”

Ayden starts to leave and Luca turns to follow him, but she rushes back, sweeping her long, tan arms around me in an instant.

For a second I don’t move, my breath held firmly in my lungs before I finally bring my arms around her as well, trying to find comfort in the hug.

“Don’t screw up,” she whispers into my hair, her arms tightening around me. “I’ll see you soon.”

I nod, understanding her statement entirely. Everything will be okay. I’ll see her again. The last remaining vampires of the world won’t stop me from seeing my best friend.

When she finally pulls away from me, Gabriel lingers at her side until she finally turns around, bumping into the hybrid. He licks his lips as he smiles at her, meeting her warm gaze at eye level. He takes her hands in his, his bionic hand slipping into hers.

Kaino closes his eyes and turns away, surveying the darkness with rapt attention as his sister leans into Gabriel.

“I wish you could see me,” Luca whispers against his lips, making everyone else slowly turn away from them as well.

His hair brushes hers as he leans his forehead against her temple. His palm runs up her jaw line, brushing his thumb across her lips. Gabriel’s usual sarcastic demeanor falls away. A weak whisper is all he has. “I see you better than anyone you’ll ever meet, beautiful.”

Happiness pulls at my mouth as I attempt to appear unaware of their quiet moment. I wish the moment could be longer for them. I know what it feels like to have time ripped away too soon.

A full smile lights up her face as he presses his lips against hers for moments that I know will be too short. My chest pangs, and I know from experience it will never feel like enough. Especially in the next few hours.

Asher’s fingers lace through mine, his warmth searing into me from the small and subtle contact. I squeeze his hand but don’t move closer to him. I can’t risk coming closer to him.

“You better get moving, Luca,” Kaino says in a deep voice as he studies the night, not bothering to watch his sister pull slowly away from the hybrid.

She pushes the commander’s bulky shoulder as she walks by. “I love you too, big brother,” she tells Kaino