To Kill a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,32
something to tell them. My lungs constrict, and I slowly clear my throat, reaching for something to say to these people that might live up to what’s already been said.
“Did you unite with her?” a young girl asks, probably no older than sixteen. Her kind brown eyes stare up at me from just a few yards away.
A smile pulls at my lips. “Yeah. Fallon asked me to marry her, and I said yes before she changed her mind.” The pounding of my heart calms at the memory.
More whispers scuttle through the large crowd, but the blushing smile that fills the girl’s face is enough to spiral courage through me.
“Just like you all, Fallon knows we’re not that different. The mystics and mortals are genetically separated by traits out of their control, but the government has put a physical separation between us. They have given the mystics privileges you don’t have. Freedom to choose a life for themselves, to find happiness for themselves. You didn’t have that.” My voice carries over them, and they stare at me with rapt attention. “Today, you do. Today, you’re free.” The girl smiles again with a look of excited happiness that starts to mirror through the others. “But it will only last as long as you let it. Together we’re the same. There are still mystics being held in the Capitol. If we lie down and let them win, there will be both mortals and mystics imprisoned in the Capitol. If we want to keep the freedom we have, we have to fight for it. We have to fight for the people we love. We have to fight for what we deserve.”
Kaino and Luca wait at my side for their decision. They stare at us, the mystics and the monsters they were always warned about.
“We’ll need some training,” the girl says, as if she’s ready to fight right now.
A smirk tilts my lips, and I wish they were all as innocent and understanding as their youth. My stomach dips as I realize they’re not.
“She’s right.” My grandfather steps through the crowd, and my mouth opens and closes with uncertainty. His tan slacks and white button down are nicely pressed, not a spec of dirt on his shined shoes. “We’ll need some training.”
The others look to the elderly man who’s ready to fight for his life and for the people he loves.
A shuffling change seems to echo through the crowd, and one by one they begin to nod, ready for the freedom they’ve just barely began to grasp.
Kaino isn’t a talker, but he sure as hell is a fighter.
Side-by-side he trains the mortals, an image of pure, dedicated power. Shane, Luca, Declan, and even the witch are engrossed in training these people as quickly and sufficiently as possible.
With a quick sweep, Shane sends a mortal woman stumbling to the ground, her long blonde hair clinging with dust as she lands hard. He smiles shyly, probably underestimating his strength, as he helps her up.
With a teasing smirk that creases his jovial face, Lord Raske clasps Shane on the shoulder, a mischievous look sparking his dark eyes.
“That isn’t any way to treat a beautiful woman, Shane.”
The wolf’s attention shifts toward Kaino, and he offers his lord a polite half smile as the woman dusts off her jeans. Kaino breaks away from the mortal he’s training with, sweat clinging to his body as he quietly watches his father and his … I’m not even sure what Shane is to him.
“You shouldn’t be so shy. Have confidence. Why do I never see you with any pretty girls?” Raske’s endless banter makes Shane more and more uncomfortable. The wolf shifts on his feet, stepping a little further from his lord.
“I don’t know,” he finally says, staring at the dirt as he replies. He swallows hard, his strong body appearing weaker the more Lord Raske studies him.
“You don’t know?”
With only a few quick strides, Kaino is at Shane’s side, his chest heaving. The others carry on with their training, but their attention lingers on the three mystics.
“Because he’s with me.” Kaino holds his father’s gaze, his jaw strung tight, waiting for the reply he’s hidden from his whole life.
Lord Raske’s mouth opens and closes, his eyes sweeping from Kaino to Shane. Kaino’s arm brushes Shane’s, and the two stand side-by-side together. Shane peeks up from beneath his long lashes to look up at his lord before studying the ground once more.
Even I’m nervous for what his father might say to him.
A minute