To Kill a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,33

ticks by before the corner of Lord Raske’s lip tilts up, a hesitant but accepting smile filling his face. He pats Kaino’s arm, the most affection I’ve ever seen between the two

“He’s a good man, son.” Raske nods for several seconds, long enough for Kaino to release the long sigh he was holding.

“I know,” Kaino says in a breath. Shane passes Kaino a smile that fills his smooth features, and Kaino returns the look, happiness shining bright in his eyes. It’s the first real smile I think I’ve ever seen from the commander.

My heart pounds watching it all. I wish Fallon was here to witness it, too.

None of them linger around one another; the father and son quickly get back to work all but forgetting the life changing moment that passed in an instant. I stand back from them all. Just waiting. Waiting for the lingering sun to finally drift away.

I have to admit some of the mortals are excellent in combat, and some of them … are painfully mortal.

Another one trips over her own boots and lands in a heap of dust at Declan’s feet.

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” Declan tells the woman who’s been stumbling through her training for the last few days. She looks at him with a captivated blush as he touches her shoulder. “There are always weapons to help us,” he tells her with a wink.

As they pass by me on their way to the weaponry shed, Declan gives me an almost friendly nod. A beat passes in confusion before I slowly return the gesture, a short moment of fumbling cordial kindness passing between us.

This has become our normal now. A strange sense of coexistence somehow crept into our lives.

We’re on the same side. He and I should be more like brothers instead of enemies. Maybe someday after he stops calling my wife pet names, we’ll be frien – not enemies.

The sun dips down past the gently swaying Emerald Ocean, and I’m painfully reminded that Fallon hasn’t been seen since the mortals arrived. She’s safely hidden herself away. People have asked about her daily. She’s like an unseen savior in their eyes. This mystical hero who will lead them to freedom.

She will.

Gabriel wipes the sweat from his brow as he wanders over to me, pulling my attention from the setting sun. Mud speckles his white shirt, and sweat clings to the front defining the lean muscle tone of his chest. He’s been out here since dawn but doesn’t look ready to quit yet.

“Are you ever not thinking about her?”

I bite back a smirk as I look at my friend. “I think of other things.”

He cocks a doubtful brow at me, his hands resting on his hips.

“Well … sometimes I’m asleep.”

His laughter carries, a chuckling and freeing sound that only Gabriel can make. A few of the mortals stop their training for a few seconds, probably intrigued by what two recently liberated hybrids could possibly have to laugh about.

“If you’re going to walk around with this angst filled, love-struck, worried look on your face, you might as well just leave,” Gabriel tells me, pushing my shoulder gently, his bionic fingers scratching my arm a little.

“That seems like a lot of emotions for me to portray.”

“You’ve always been an emotional mess. Usually it was anger though, not this sappy love stuff … I almost like the love look better on you.”

My eyes narrow on him, a smile tugging at my lips again. “Thanks. I think …”

“You should probably go before I say anything weirder.”

I nod and begin jogging away before he professes his love for me, or worse, hugs me.

Sixteen

Denial

Fallon

The predator that lives inside me comes to life as I watch them train. From several yards away I hide within the trees, the branches almost tangling into my thick hair as I stand with a stillness I wasn’t aware I possessed. The darkness is heavy now, the moon shining beautifully on the hundreds of people who are working so desperately for change.

The distance I keep between us is just enough. The wind doesn’t pull their scent my way; it throws it in the opposite direction, allowing me to find pride in the mortals who were once my people.

We can do this.

I hear soundless footsteps behind me, and I know it’s him even before he presses a light kiss to the side of my neck. Warm hands wrap around my waist, brushing over my hips as he aligns his chest with my back. My breath catches, mostly