Vampire Shift - By Tim O'Rourke Page 0,72

into the flames. But the smoke and heat were so intense; it was hard to see him.”

Kneeling down, I gently peeled back the edge of Luke’s wings so I could look at him. His face was black with smoke and soot. With my lower lip trembling and tears running down my cheeks, I brushed his thick hair from his brow and kissed him.

“Wake up!” I pleaded with him.

Nothing.

“Please Luke,” I sobbed. “You can’t stand me up like this. We were meant to be having a date tonight, remember? I’m out here in the cold with nothing on except my bathrobe, my hair’s a mess and my feet are freezing. Just take me home so I can get ready, okay?”

Nothing.

Then looking up at Murphy and Potter, I pleaded with them, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” and for just the briefest of moments, I was sure I saw a flicker of concern in Potter’s eyes.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Murphy said, and squeezed my shoulder with his hand.

Knocking it away not wanting to be comforted by him, I lent over Luke and hugged him, my body shuddering with grief. Kissing him, my tears fell onto his blistered face. Then, planting the softest of kisses on his beautiful mouth, I whispered, “I love you.”

“I know,” he whispered back, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips.

Chapter Twenty-Three

We never did get to spend that night together. Luke was seriously injured and close to death. Murphy said that he would only heal if Luke were taken back down into The Hollows. So carrying him in his arms, Murphy flew him back to the station. Potter took me, and for once, there were no wisecracks or cocky remarks. Stopping to collect my belongings from the Inn, Potter was silent, almost sombre. While I changed out of my bathrobe and into some warm clothes, Potter took the body of the old woman and placed her in the fire that was still raging at St. Mary’s church.

By the time Potter had returned, I’d gathered together all of my belongings and it was like I’d never been there. Sweeping up into the night, Potter raced us back to the station.

Luke had been laid on a cot in one of the cells, and I found Murphy leaning over him.

“Is he okay?” I asked, stepping into the cell.

“For now,” he said, turning to look at me. “But we need to get him underground soon.”

Moving towards the cot, I knelt down beside it. Luke was pale all over, blisters covered his face, and it looked raw in places. His wings had folded away, and he lay with his hands across his chest. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up. “I’ll leave you with him, while me and Potter clear this place out,” Murphy said.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Are you all going back?”

“Our work is done here,” he said. “It’s time that we moved on. Taylor and Phillips, if still alive, are dangerous. They will go someplace else – another town or city and start all over.”

“But -” I started.

“There can be no buts, Kiera. We have to go after them. Taylor and any others that join him can’t be reasoned with and they can’t be cured now that they’ve fed off humans. Like Rom, the only way of putting an end to this is…well you know the rest,” he said, turning away. Then at the door, he turned to me and said, “You’ve got five minutes to say your goodbyes.” Then he was gone, shouting orders at Potter to destroy any evidence that they had ever been at the station.

Turning back to Luke, I stroked his hair from his brow and kissed him. With a flutter of his eyelids, he opened his eyes and looked at me. He half-smiled and said my name.

“Shhh,” I told him.

“Kiera,” he said again. “I’ve got to go back,” he whispered.

“I know,” I told him. “I’ll wait here for you.”

Then momentarily closing his eyes in pain, he opened them again and said, “I won’t be coming back here. When I’m better, I’ll be going with Murphy and Potter to track down the others.”

“Where will you go?” I asked him, scared at the prospect of never seeing him again.

“Wherever they go, so will we, until it’s over,” he whispered. “I don’t know how long that will take or where it will lead us.”

Tears fell onto my cheeks, and raising an unsteady hand he wiped them away. Then taking my hand in