Simmer (Midnight Fire Series Book Two) Read online

  "Kira, come back. Control. Remember, you need to control it." Luke spoke into her thoughts. Kira pulled back trying to rein it in. Her palms screamed at her as she sucked the flames back in, making her blood boil in the effort.

  Finally, Kira focused her thoughts. The first thing she saw were Luke's eyes, right in front of her face, pulling her back to reality. His thoughts in her mind and his eyes locked on hers were all that saved her from herself.

  Stumbling back and fully awakened, Kira still felt confused. Luke reached his arms out to steady her. She looked around at the dusty wind around her. The vampires. The attack. The children.

  Kira jerked around towards the center of the square. Everyone stared back at her, but she looked through the adults to see that even the kids were okay.

  "Luke?" She asked, her voice raspy from exertion.

  He nodded reassuringly, still holding her upright.

  "I may have lost control." She smiled at him. Luke barked out a laugh and pulled her in for a big bear hug.

  "Maybe just a little," he said into her hair.

  "So, what now?" Kira pulled back and stepped out of his arms.

  "Now, you sit down and rest, and let us do our job."

  "Which is what?"

  "Making sure all the vampires are gone," he said. Kira nodded with understanding. She shouldn't use her powers again for a while anyway, not when she was so close to the edge. Letting her feet drop out below her, Kira plopped down onto the ground.

  Many of the conduits were still looking at her, throwing sidelong stares in her direction and waiting to see if she would explode again. After yesterday, Kira had thought she was finally starting to fit in. They had watched her battle her grandfather. She had gained his respect and theirs.

  But she was still different, still an 'other.' And all she wanted was to find Tristan so that he could hold her close and tell her it would be all right. He understood feeling different; feeling like you'll never find a place in the world where you fit in. Sometimes Kira thought the only place where she could feel perfectly at home and in control was in his arms. She wanted them wrapped around her right now.

  But, Tristan was still out past the wall. Locked out by the very thing that kept Kira alive: the sun.

  Kira watched as Luke left with a bunch of other men. The further from the square they got, the more he blended into the crowd. Sonnyville was where he belonged. Kira thought that could be true for her eventually. She hoped she could find a place with her grandparents. But, if there was ever a time to leave with Tristan, this was it. Staying in Sonnyville would be a danger to everyone, at least until every vampire understood that they couldn't mess around with her.

  The only way Kira thought to do that was to help Tristan hunt Diana down. She would kill her and any other vampire that got in her way. It was the only way to show the world she meant business.

  The only real question left in Kira's mind was would she leave Luke behind or take him with them?

  Chapter Nine

  "Kira?"

  She turned to the sound of his voice. In shock, Kira looked into the eyes of her grandfather. He reached out his hand and Kira took it as he pulled her to her feet.

  "Hi," she said breathlessly, still exhausted from her fight.

  "Would you follow me?" He asked. Kira nodded and walked next to him in silence as he led her back to his house.

  Of course, Kira thought, the minute she decides to leave is the same minute her grandfather finally wants to talk to her.

  He opened the door to his home and let Kira inside. Showing her to a seat in the dining room, he asked if she wanted tea and then disappeared into the kitchen. Kira waited on the hard wooden chair and looked around. Again, there were no personal photos really, just one of her grandparents at a much younger age playing in the waves at a beach somewhere. They were smiling and happy. For once, Kira thought, there was nothing mystical about anything. Just two people in love caught on camera.

  "Here you go," her grandfather eased into a chair and set a transparent brown liquid in front of her. Kira caught the smell. It hinted of chamomile and she took a long soothing sip, letting the leaves do their work to calm her.

  "So, Councilman, what can I help you with?" Kira asked, trying her hardest to stick to decorum.

  "First," he leaned forward and took hold of her hand, "you can call me Henry." Kira smiled back at him and let the name roll around in the back of her mind. It wasn't 'grandpa' or 'pop-pop' but it was a start. "Second, I want to talk about you. None of us knew you had such raw power. Luke mentioned something like it, but without seeing it for ourselves, no one on the Council ever imagined. Taking on almost two-dozen vampires on your own is something to be proud of, but I sense that you are frightened too."

  "A little," Kira responded, wondering how much she could open up. He was her grandfather, but he was also nearly a stranger. Although it would be nice to talk to someone who wasn't Luke or Tristan, someone with more authority. Once, Kira had tried to talk to her mother about her powers. All she ended up getting was a strained conversation about nothing. And her father was still in the dark about her double life. Come to think of it, Kira realized, her relationship with her parents was almost back to normal, as long as she pretended that nothing had changed. It might be nice to have a family she didn't have to hide her true self from.

  Kira placed her attention back on Henry. "I used to be much more frightened. Now the only thing that really scares me is what happened today — when I lose control completely. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I don't know if I'll make it back to myself."

  "That's what I thought," he said and patted her wrist in a subconscious affectionate gesture. "I don't know how to make you feel better. There hasn't been a mixed breed conduit in thousands of years, but I do have something that might help."

  Reaching over to the chair next to him, he slipped a folder out from a bag Kira hadn't even noticed was there.

  "I wasn't sure I would ever give these to you," he said while sliding the folder across the table. "I don't think anyone on the Council knew what to make of you at first, least of all me. We have an entire world to protect, and to be honest, I'm still not sure where you fit into that plan."

  Kira nodded. The words were hard to hear but she would rather have the truth. Taking the folder, she flipped it opened.

  "The missing pages," Kira said in surprise. She recognized the chapter heading and writing instantly. They were from the book she had been reading so many months ago about the conduit history, the same one that led her on a journey to Luke's home on the night before the eclipse. He had said all of those pages had been destroyed. "But how?"

  "The council has always held onto this information in secret. But I have to warn you, after reading what is inside, you may not think I'm doing you a favor. Some of that will be hard for you to read and hear, but I think it's better you know what you are and what you may potentially cause, especially after what I saw today. People say that having too much power is a curse and that it brings the bearer to the brink of madness. I think some extra knowledge might help you control yourself."

  "Thank you," Kira said and closed the folder with the gulp. She would save that for later.

  Now, she had something else to fess up to. Her grandfather had presented her with the truth and it was her turn to do the same. He had a right to know. "Henry?" She said, noticing that he had been about to stand back up and show her out.

  "Something else you want to discuss?" He asked and sat back down fully.

  "My mother, Lana." His eyes darted up to hers instantly. "I think she might be alive and I'm leaving tonight to go find her."

  "Kira," he sighed, letting his forehead drop into his hands. "I used to think that all the time, but your mother is gone."

  "A vampire told me she was still alive, held prisoner somewhere." He looked up now, eyes scrunched in confusion. "I have to try and I don't want to lie to you and sneak out. I'm leaving and I want the Council to know why. But, I'll be
back. Can't get rid of me that easily." She ended lightly, trying to ease the sense of dread emanating from Henry's face.

  "A vampire told you?"

  "It's a long story," Kira sighed, still not ready to talk to him about Tristan and what happened last year. "But, I'll be traveling with a friend and I'll be perfectly safe."

  "But—" He started and then stopped when he saw the tenacity written in her features. "Stubborn, just like your mother," he said quietly, almost like it slipped out without him noticing.

  "Like my grandfather too, I think." Kira smirked. She squeezed his hand and then pulled her fingers free. She had a lot to do and she sensed that he needed some time alone. Tonight was huge for their relationship, Kira thought, but they still had a long way to go and it would happen one step at a time.

  "Be careful," he said as she left. Kira looked back to see he hadn't moved from the table. He still sat sipping his tea and thinking silently to himself.

  She clutched the folder tightly in her hands before stepping out into afternoon sun. The breeze had picked up a bit, but she enjoyed the cool touch. Kira imagined that all the conduits were still in the town square waiting for Luke and his search party to come back and tell them it was safe to go home. The UV wall, Kira knew, would be left on for a few days. Keeping the vampires out was the town's number one priority, so Kira knew she would never be able to sneak Tristan inside. The only way was to meet him past the wall. She sent him a text telling him to meet her by the gate in an hour and continued walking to Luke's home.

  It was eerily silent when she stepped through the front door. Kira may have only been a resident for a handful of days, but the house, like Luke, seemed to always be alive and active. Whether it was TJ running around or Vanessa talking on the phone or Mrs. Bowrey cooking dinner, something was always going on. Now she walked up the creaking steps in silence, her feet like thunder on the floorboards.

  When she got to Luke's room, Kira pulled her duffle from underneath the bed and started reloading her bag — the one she unfortunately had only unpacked the night before. Typical, Kira thought while stuffing her clothes back inside.

  She didn't know how long she would be gone, so she gathered all of her things on the bed, placing them not so neatly in her bag. Tristan didn't know about her plan, but he had to see it coming. Kira had been anxious to find her mother ever since she had woken from the coma. A meeting with Diana was inevitable and there was no time like the present to go on a wild goose chase. But, where do you find a vampire who is faster than the wind? She asked herself. Hopefully Tristan had some thoughts, because Kira for one was fresh out of ideas.

  Once her clothes were packed, Kira turned to the two drawings by her nightstand: one of her with Tristan and one of her with her parents. She pushed the framed sketch deep into the middle of her duffle bag so it was surrounded by clothes and safe from breaking. Gently, she slid the one of her and Tristan into the folder her grandfather had given her. She wouldn't be losing either any time soon. But, Kira thought wistfully while reaching for the chain against her neck, part of her wished she hadn't given her grandmother the locket. She had the foreboding sense that she might need its small yet calming influence in the future, but it was too late for that now.

  All Kira had left to figure out was how she would get out of Sonnyville. She wasn't in love with the idea of theft, but stealing a car from someone was probably the only option. And hey, she had saved their butts this afternoon — a car wouldn't be a big deal, right?

  Kira chewed on her lip, then slung her bag around her shoulder and left Luke's room. He hadn't come home and that made her decision easy. She would be leaving without him, which was probably for the best. Three's company didn't seem like such a great idea, especially when she would be smack dab in the middle of it all. She pushed any lingering doubts out of her mind when she reached the staircase and saw her exit so near at hand.

  But, halfway down the steps, the front door burst open.

  "Yeah, that was so cool. I want to take fencing now! I want to chop a vampire's head off!" Kira heard TJ's excited voice and then saw the entire Bowrey family walk through the front door behind him.

  She froze up, like a deer caught in headlights. Luke saw her as soon as he stepped through the door. His features lit up then fell into a mask of confusion. She dropped the duffle from her shoulder, letting it fall down the steps with a thud. He watched as it cascaded to the ground floor.

  The rest of the family was oblivious to what had just passed between the two of them, but Kira could already feel Luke's anger in the back of her mind. She tried to push it out of her head, but it was like a festering wound that wouldn't go away.

  "Kira! That was so cool the way you burned those vamps to a crisp! You were like, 'Die! Die! Die!'" TJ completed his thoughts with an all-too-real evil laugh, then ran over and pulled on her wrist so she would come downstairs. She tried to smile at him, but it was hard when someone else's thoughts were commandeering her brain.

  "Kira." She turned to the sound of Luke's voice, not sure if it was said aloud or in her head. "The porch?" He jerked his head to the side and she grabbed her bag to follow him outside.

  "Hey Luke. What's up?" Kira said, trying to act casual now that they were alone outside. The warm air and stillness of the night only heightened her nerves. The porch light amplified the groves etched in Luke's skin and his pupils seemed to glow in fury.

  "Were you really going to leave without telling me?" He asked. The strain in his voice grated at Kira's heart.

  So no small talk then, she thought with a grimace.

  "You weren't home..."

  Luke raised both eyebrows in astonishment. "Really? That's the story you're sticking with? At least be imaginative. Say a voice in your head told you that you had to go this instant or something."

  "Well, technically you're the only voice in my head...so are you telling me to leave?" Got him, Kira thought happily when he cracked a smile. She almost never caught Luke in his own jokes.

  "No, I'm just telling you that I'm coming."

  "Do you really think that's a good idea? You, me and Tristan — just the three of us — together on the hunt?" Sounds like a complete disaster to me, Kira ended her thoughts silently.

  "What would the Flaming Tomato be without her trusty sidekick?" Luke asked and Kira laughed at the nickname he had given her a few days ago. She would definitely miss him if he didn't come.

  "If you think you can handle it, then go get your stuff. I'll wait out here." He nodded in agreement and disappeared through the door.

  Fifteen minutes later, Luke reappeared with a duffle in one hand and his entire family behind him. His mother looked notably depressed while TJ looked extremely jealous. His father's features were clouded with concern and Vanessa just glared in Kira's general direction.

  Luke shrugged, as if to say sorry, but Kira should have expected the prolonged goodbye. After another ten minutes of hugs and kisses, tears from his mom and a final hushed speech about not messing with her brother from Vanessa, the two of them were off. And in a shiny new sports car no less.

  Word got around quickly in this town, and Kira wasn't sure how, but almost every conduit family was outside of their house to wave goodbye to Kira and Luke as they drove away. She waved back. It wasn't goodbye forever, Kira reminded herself. As soon as things were figured out with her mother and Diana, she would be back. A little taste of Sonnyville wasn't enough. Just like Luke had predicted, the town and its inhabitants had gotten under her skin and Kira knew she would be back for more.

  When they reached the last house on the outskirts of the town, Luke sped up a bit and Kira sent another text to Tristan. He would be waiting for them by the gate. The minutes ticked by in silence, as both Kira and Luke were lost in their own thoughts, thankfully each in their own minds.

  When they reached the front gate, Luke slowed to a stop just before the invisible wall. Tristan appeared almost instantly on the other side, materializing out of the trees. Yet again, his shirt
was in shreds and his pale, almost marble skin was showing. The hard lines of muscle along his stomach were unmarred with cuts and Kira let out a sigh. She knew he could handle himself, but seeing Tristan whole and unhurt was still a relief.

  She jumped out of the car.

  "My, my — another shirt torn to pieces? What will the neighbors think?" Kira said while putting on fake airs and walking closer to him. She laughed when he looked down as if only realizing for the first time that his clothes were cut up. He recovered from his surprise quickly.

  "The better to ravish you with," Tristan replied with a grin, "it's all part of the plan."

  "Which plan is that?"

  "The one to make you fall hopelessly in love with me, of course."

  "Well, I'm sorry to break your heart but it's not working at all," Kira replied and passed through the threshold of the UV wall, letting the light warm her for a final time. Tristan waited for her right on the edge, as close as was safe for him. Kira put her hand on his chest and he breathed in as her hand singed his stomach. "See? I'm not attracted in the slightest."

  Clearly not true, Kira thought. Her breath became slightly more labored when she took one final step closer to him. And icy blue flash passed through his irises.

  "I guess I'll have to try harder," he said softly and took hold of her arms. Kira loved this part: the anticipation of waiting was almost as good as the kiss itself. The moment hung between them, excitement bouncing back and forth between them, building a sizzling electric current between their bodies.

  Beep!

  Kira jumped about ten feet in the air before realizing that it was just Luke honking from the car. Her pulse raced, but for a completely different reason, one that wasn't nearly as fun to think about.

  "Luke," Tristan said tersely and waved in his general direction. Kira had a feeling he had been wishing he could have used a different gesture, one with four less fingers involved, but Luke just waved back cheerily from the front seat.

  "Oh," Kira changed the subject, realizing that the playful moment between she and Tristan was over. "Luke wanted me to ask if it was safe here. Have the vampires all fled?"