To Kill a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,8
her. My chest shouldn’t feel so tight and anxious every time I talk to her.
How did we get here?
“He’s right. You’re risking a lot going into the Capitol. You should be prepared.”
I can’t bring myself to look at her beautiful face. My stomach sinks lower and lower the longer I stand here before her empty expression.
“I can handle myself,” she says with so much anger that I physically flinch.
Maybe she isn’t empty inside. Maybe she’s filled with hate now.
A heaviness fills my breath and falls tiresomely from my lips, impatient to find some normalcy around the woman I love. “Since you’ve been turned I’ve snuck up on you at least three times. If I can catch you off guard, then the resources the mortals have will, too.”
The images of the thrashing veil claw through my memory as I stare into her reckless and gleaming eyes. The small lamp at her bedside throws the room into a yellowing hue, casting the angles of her face in a shadowing but aggressive light.
“Declan, can you give us a minute?” Fallon says with a sharp and dangerous tone.
The hybrid shifts on the mattress, clearly enjoying the emotions that are being flung carelessly through the room. After several moments, he finally stands from his comfortable spot on the bed and walks the short distance across the room. I give him plenty of space to exit her compartment.
Folding my arms across my chest, my white shirt bunches around my biceps as I stare down at the infuriatingly beautiful woman before me.
She takes a slow breath, her eyes closing before she shoves another jagged bone over her lips. I cringe from the crunching sound. Every move she makes is cataloged in my mind. Because I thought I knew her. I once knew her.
And now I don’t.
“Compel me.”
Her eyes narrow on me until they’re just slits of glaring flames.
“I can’t,” she finally admits.
“You just need practice.”
“I’ve tried. I can’t.”
She’s tried? Who would she want to compel? My brows rise, her lips pursing as she stares up at me. I take a hesitant seat at the edge of the mattress, taking Declan’s spot on my wife’s bed.
“Try again.” Before I can stop myself I lean into her, closing the distance between us and leaving my lips just inches from hers. Her fiery gaze blazes into mine, sending a mixture of fear and lust right through me. “Tell me what comes to mind.” I lick my lips as I consider what she might order me to do. My heart comes to life from our closeness and the way her breath catches against her parted lips.
Her chest heaves, nearly brushing against mine. I’m almost entranced just waiting to hear the demand against her mouth.
“Leave.”
The harsh word echoes around the small cabin. In an instant she’s across the room, her fists clenched at her sides as she stares at the floor, waiting for me to do as I was told.
Another weak breath that was trapped within my lungs slowly releases as I stand, pushing my hands roughly through my hair as I cross the room.
As if without thinking, her fingers trail over the inky black lines against her forearm, something I can’t bring myself to care about in this crushing moment.
The deck above comes to life as I exit her secluded cabin, but I only make it a few feet when she speaks again. This time it’s in a soft and almost shameful voice.
“Why – why does this scar remain when the others have healed?”
My eyes burn as my chest becomes heavier. I turn to her, trying to meet her downcast gaze. She continues to trace the lines that represent a vow we took just weeks ago. My throat tightens. A weight within me threatens to crush me to the floor at her feet.
“Because the magic that bound us together is stronger than any magic you’ll ever find in this world. It is stronger than the curse of the Red Hills, stronger than the Crimson Sword and stronger than the power of my ancestors. It’s stronger than either of us.”
Love.
The bond is one of love. And she won’t lose it as easily as she’s lost herself.
Six
The Capitol
Fallon
Nightfall and the salty, cool breeze of the ocean greet me. Everyone on deck appears to be asleep besides Shane and Kaino, who are talking quietly at the helm. Shane’s eyes lock on me, his hand dropping from his commander’s arm and clasping the wheel with so much strength I’m afraid he might fracture the wooden