Ignite (Midnight Fire Series Book One) Read online

  "I forgot about him," Kira said, hardly understanding herself. How had she forgotten about Luke? Her guardian, her best friend, her protector for al of these months? Kira couldn’t breathe. She tried to suck in breath, but she was hyperventilating from the shock. His eyes were closed, and the normal healthy tanned glow of his skin had been replaced by the ash gray now covering his body. She cradled his face in her hands. His body felt warm, but cool compared to the normal heat of a conduit’s skin. She pushed open one of his eyelids, but his pupil had rol ed back into his skul .

  "Tristan!" She yel ed again, and he sat up, shaking his head.

  "He’s not dead yet, but Kira, it’l happen any moment. His heart stopped. I don’t know for how long."

  "No!" Kira wailed, and then repeated the word over and over again, cradling Luke in her arms. He couldn’t be dead. It wasn’t possible.

  Kira thought of how he jumped on Diana, risking everything to try and help her. She wasn’t worth it, she realized, and she hugged him to her, letting tears fal freely.

  Without even meaning to, her whole body began to glow, not just her hands, and Kira had encased herself and Luke in her power. Tristan was catapulted away, thrown onto the other side of the yard, and Kira kept her eyes closed, chanting, "No, no, no, no," as if it were a prayer.

  Her power seeped out, Kira felt it leave her and melt into Luke’s body. She was draining everything she had into his corpse, her very own life force.

  "Kira!" She heard Tristan shout, distantly. "Kira! You’re kil ing yourself. Stop!"

  She felt hands grab at her, but she resisted, not al owing anything to move her from Luke. She kept her eyes closed, swaying back and forth, using al of the power she possessed.

  Time passed without her realizing, and before Kira even had the chance to let her power go, she was long gone. Her body fel back, and hit the ground next to Luke’s, burned out, limp and lifeless.

  Epilogue

  Kira’s eyes fluttered open, stinging from the unfamiliar sensation of light, and everything was blurry. Slowly, the blobs of color sharpened, becoming more defined, and Kira recognized her mother’s face. Her lips were moving. Kira tried to force her ears to register the sound. She felt as though she was underwater, that a barrier was catching the sound waves, until it final y broke.

  "Kira, oh Kira, my baby," her mother was crying, holding her by the shoulder and searching for recognition in Kira’s eyes.

  "Mom? What happened? Where am I?" Kira looked around at the sterile wal s, the get wel bal oons in the corner, the beeping and blinking machines with tubes sticking into her arms, at her own hospital gown and started to remember. She sat upright. "Where’s Luke? Is he al right? And Tristan?"

  "Calm down, honey. Everything is fine." Her mother hugged Kira close and ran her fingers through Kira’s curly and probably knotty hair.

  Images from that afternoon were flashing through Kira’s brain at a mile a minute: Luke running at Diana, Tristan drinking her blood, Diana laughing in her face, Jerome’s body mutilated on the ground, John burning to ash, Tristan whispering he loved her and Luke’s crumpled body on the ground.

  It was al too much, she felt dizzy and leaned back against the pil ows while her mother cal ed in the doctors and sent for her father and sister.

  The rest of the her morning and afternoon was spent being pushed from room to room in a wheelchair and performing different tasks or enduring different procedures to make sure her neural functioning was completely normal. Chloe sat on her lap, enjoying the ride and making fun of the sil y outfits and robes the doctors were wearing. When the procedures were finished, Kira forced her family to leave her side to go eat dinner, not al owing them to settle for hospital food. She asked them to bring back leftovers and let a nurse take over her care.

  When the nurse final y rol ed Kira back to her room, she had a visitor waiting: Tristan. Kira tried to stand to hug him, but he ran to her side almost before she had the chance to move. His arms encircled her, pul ing her up to a standing position, and his lips kissed her neck sweetly, while he smel ed her hair. She felt his mouth widen into a smile, and she leaned back, staring into his soulful blue eyes that were searching hers for recognition and love, and Kira grabbed his face, pul ing him in for a kiss.

  The nurse left in a hurry, with a little cough and an "excuse me," making Kira laugh against Tristan’s lips. She let her fingers sift through his silky black hair and pressed their foreheads together, sitting in the most comfortable silence she’d ever experienced. They loved each other and it was obvious even without words.

  "Sorry to break up the moment—"

  "Luke!" Kira had turned around, reaching her arms out for a hug before he had the chance to finish. He hugged her around the waist, lifting her up off the ground before setting her down and helping her back onto her hospital bed. Tristan sat down beside her, grabbing her left hand, and Luke leaned on the mattress to her right.

  Kira looked from one boy to the other, her two loves, one friendly and one romantic, but both meaning the world to her.

  "So…what happened?" Kira looked over at Luke. "The last thing I remember is trying to heal you. I thought you’d died." She had to grin now, happy beyond belief that he was al right.

  "You healed me, maybe even brought me back to life. But, you almost kil ed yourself," he looked down at her with concern clouding his features, "and when I sat up, Tristan was leaning over you, shouting your name, but you weren’t responding. We rushed you to the hospital and you’ve been in a coma ever since."

  "How long?" Kira looked from one boy to the other.

  "About three months," Tristan said and squeezed her hand in comfort. Kira let her body slacken in the cushions as she thought about that. It felt like she’d been asleep for a while, like taking a real y long nap, but three months? That was a long time.

  "Are you guys friends yet?" She questioned, hoping three months of worrying about her might have done the trick. Luke and Tristan stared across her bed, sizing one another up, and final y Tristan replied, turning to Kira.

  "I think we’ve come to an understanding."

  Kira smiled. It was something. She asked about everything she’d missed, about Emma and the boys, about school in general, and about her family. Tristan and Luke told her stories, al three of them smiling and laughing together, and Kira felt a warm glow start inside of her, not from power, but from pure happiness.

  After a while, a doctor told them visiting hours were almost over for non-family members, and Kira knew her own family would be back from dinner soon.

  "Before I go," Luke said, poking his head through the door he’d just vacated, "I just wanted to let you know the council semi-forgave us, but they want you to go to visit Sonnyvil e with me…immediately. Okay, bye." Luke jumped out before Kira could ever mutter a protest. Coward, she thought.

  He knew she had no interest in the council, but she guessed seeing the conduit society could be interesting.

  "What do you think?" She asked Tristan, liking how he rubbed her palm with his thumb while they held hands.

  "It’s probably inevitable," he sighed. If she went to the conduit society, he would not be able to see her or visit her for a while.

  "Wel , there’s stil plenty of time to figure it out." Kira pul ed on his arm so he would lie down next to her. Seeing Luke had been great, but having some intimate moments with Tristan out of Luke’s watchful eye was amazing. Tristan let his fingers trail down her arm, dancing light circles on her soft skin, tickling her a little. Kira hugged her arm around his waist, turning to mold her body to his and resting her head on his chest to listen to the gentle thud of his heart.

  Her thoughts shifted back to the fight. Kira couldn’t forget what Diana had taunted, that her real mother might stil be alive. And, she didn’t want to imagine what sort of hel she had been living in al these years, probably trapped in a dungeon, the feeding toy of an evil vampire. Kira silently vowed to hunt Diana down and get the truth. She would find her mother, and she would fr
ee her mother, no matter how many vampires she had to kil along the way to do it.

  As if sensing her dark thoughts, Tristan started to hum a tune quietly in her ear. Kira recognized the jazz song. He’d made her listen to it in the car one time, promising Kira she would fal in love with the sounds. She didn’t love the song, but she loved Tristan and she loved the sound of his voice, a deep tenor that reminded her of rol ing waves. Kira let her body relax and drift off into a deep sleep, content to push al thoughts of the future aside for the moment to lay safely in the arms of her lover.

  ###

  Keep Reading For A Free Preview Of 'Simmer' Out Spring 2012

  (Cover art c reated by K ai tl yn Davi s from Fl i c kr Creati ve Com m ons A ttri buti on Li c ens ed Im ages by A ndrew K uznets ov and Lel and Franc i s c o) Chapter One

  "I hate packing," Kira whined and col apsed onto the heap of clothes piled high on her bed. She didn't want to move another muscle.

  "Just pick out some outfits," Tristan chuckled, not looking up from the pad of paper he was currently scribbling on.

  Kira arched her head up, glancing in his direction. He sat with one leg outstretch and one knee bent, leaning against her headboard in relaxed concentration. With squinted eyes, he focused on rubbing in the graphite pencil marks he'd just made with his already blackened fingers. If she weren't so tired, Kira would have crawled a little closer to see what he was drawing, but she just dropped her head with a sigh.

  "Easy for you to say. You just have to sit on my bed looking al artistic and mysterious while I run around like a crazy person trying to get ready for two months at conduit boot camp."

  "Then my plan is working perfectly," he smirked and final y put the sketchbook down. Kira peeked over at the pages, wondering what image of her he was crafting, but saw the last thing she ever expected, a self-portrait. Fighting her exhaustion, Kira jumped up in curiosity.

  "What are you doing?" She spun the image to look at it closer, noting the strong cheekbones and crystal eyes he'd drawn perfectly. The hairs that always threatened to fal over his eyes seemed just ready to spil and Kira saw the faint outline of her own features. She realized he'd been sketching both of them.

  "Just something for you to take to Sonnyvil e, to carry around and show everyone, especial y any guys ages eighteen to twenty-two..." Kira rol ed her eyes.

  "You know I don't date men who are younger than a hundred. I can't stand the immaturity level." Kira giggled as he grabbed her hand and pul ed her against his chest. With arms wrapped around his waist, she let her breath slow to the pace of his heartbeat. Tristan's arms encircled her, hugging her as tightly against his body as he could, and he sighed.

  "I'm going to miss you," he whispered and Kira's mouth widened into a smile. She rested her chin on his chest so she could look at his face, taking in each hair on his head and memorizing the features she already knew better than her own.

  "I'm going to miss you, too." She leaned up and kissed him quickly, her thoughts already wandering to what lay ahead.

  A few weeks had passed since Kira had awoken from the coma. Luke had convinced the council to let her recuperate before forcing her to go to Sonnyvil e, and they'd al agreed that the day after graduation would be, what Kira liked to cal , doomsday. That morning, her and her friends had al donned their robes and received their diplomas, and before she knew it, time had al but slipped away. She dreaded saying goodbye to Tristan. Luke had promised to sneak him in to Sonnyvil e at least once, but Kira wasn't sure if it would even be a good idea to bring Tristan around so many conduits. Tomorrow morning they would have to say goodbye, and, even though Kira knew it wasn't for forever, two months was starting to seem like an impossibly long time apart.

  "It's going to be fine," Tristan said and kissed her forehead. "And you'l be safe there, which is the most important thing."

  "I know. I just wish it wasn't for so long. Do you think you'l be able to find Diana soon?" Kira questioned, bringing up the topic they skirted around for the past few weeks. Tristan knew Diana was stil a threat. While Kira had been in a coma, Diana had come back multiple times. She'd managed to evade Tristan, but he stil sensed her presence and both of them knew she was planning something. But, neither Kira nor Tristan had known what, until about a week ago when a pack of vampires came to Charleston after hearing a rumor that a mixed breed conduit was alive and in the neighborhood. Tristan had managed to persuade them, forceful y, to leave but more would come. And, the safest place for Kira was with the conduits, not her vampire boyfriend.

  "I know where to look. She can only run for so long." Tristan tried to reassure Kira.

  "And you'l find out about my mother?" She asked.

  "I'l try," Tristan said, but he wouldn't look her in the eye. They'd had this conversation before, with Luke too, and Kira was the only one with hope that her mother was stil part of the living. Luke and Tristan agreed that Diana had used it as a dirty trick to shock Kira, giving her the chance to escape, but Kira felt something deep inside, urging her that her mother was stil alive. She almost brought it up, but decided against it. The last thing Kira wanted was to argue with Tristan on their last night together. Instead, she inched up his chest, noting the glint in his eye and leaned in for a kiss.

  He slid his hand up her back to cup the base of her neck, pul ing her face into his, letting her know he was thinking the same thing, and their lips met.

  Kira's pulse quickened. She felt her heart begin to race as she lost herself in the sensation, but she felt something else too, almost like a hint of anger was stirring distantly in her mind, and then she heard a cough in the doorway.

  "Sorry to interrupt," Luke said with a smile on his face and a steely look aimed at Tristan. Kira sighed and pul ed back, fighting against Tristan's hold as he tried to keep her from standing.

  "Hi Luke," she smiled, happy to see her friend, but slightly annoyed at the interruption and very annoyed at his obviously smug face. Yup, Kira mused, the coma hadn't real y changed a thing. Their mutual fear for her health had al owed Luke and Tristan to stand in the same room once in a while, but they were a long way away from friendship.

  "Clearly, you're almost ready to go. Now, if we could just find a way to teleport your room to Sonnyvil e..." He surveyed the empty suitcases and piles of clothes al over the floor. Kira threw a smal pil ow at him for the sarcastic remark, and he jumped out of its path, holding his hands up in surrender.

  "Alright, alright, but in al honesty...what the heck happened in here? It looks slightly like a Tasmanian devil tore this place apart."

  Kira shrugged. "This is just how I pack."

  "So, there's a method to the madness?"

  "No, trust me." Tristan spoke up, stil lying back against Kira's pil ows. Traitor, she thought, your hair is stil rumpled from our make-out session and you're siding with Luke.

  "So, it's a little messy. I'l be ready by tomorrow, don't worry." Luke copiously surveyed the room again with eyes wide in doubt.

  "It's not like your going to see the Queen-"

  "There's a conduit queen?" Kira interrupted, ready to freak out.

  "No, the Queen of England. Did you hit your head again?" Luke questioned, barely able to contain his laughter.

  "No," Kira huffed and picked up the closest thing she could find, which happened to be a dress. She looked at it and debated if she would need sundresses in Sonnyvil e. It wasn't like she would be trying to land a date; she was going there to learn how to fight. Kira cocked her head to the side, going back and forth between the options.

  "What's the big deal? Just put it in your suitcase." Luke said, exasperated.

  "That's what I said," Tristan chimed in again and Kira dropped her hands to her side giving him a stern look. It seemed they had no trouble ganging up against her, but when she wanted everyone to get along they were enemies again. I mean real y, Kira thought, this is absurd.

  A beep sounded from the street, and Kira threw the dress back onto the ground, excited for the escape. Their whole gang
was going out together, one last hurrah before Luke and Kira left, which meant she could put packing off for a few more hours.

  "Time to go!" Kira chirped and raced from the room, not waiting for either of the boys. Her parents were gone for the night, at a pre-preschool summer event for Chloe, so she walked right out the door and into Emma's car. Luke appeared a minute later and hopped in the backseat, and Kira knew Tristan had slipped away. Her friends liked Tristan, but the tension with Luke was always obvious, and Kira and Tristan had both decided it wasn't worth the battle.

  "So, where to?" Kira looked around, eyeing her friends. As per usual, Emma drove and Kira got the front seat, while the boys piled in the back. She took in Emma's short jean skirt and professional y applied make-up, and looked back at the boys again, seeing that Miles had replaced his usual comic book t-shirt for a button down. It seemed they'd gone fancy for their last night. It suddenly dawned on Kira how strange it was that this would be the last time the five of them could hang out, at least for while. They were sort of her family, especial y after helping with her recovery.

  But, with Miles going to Harvard, Emma and Dave both going to Texas, and her and Luke 'taking a year off,' things would definitely be changing.

  Kira wasn't sure what she thought about it yet, but decided to just try enjoying this night. She needed to have fun, because even though Luke hadn't said so, Sonnyvil e would be far more work than play.

  "Wel ," Emma began, and Kira knew there was a saga of a story about to begin. "I wanted to go out to a fancy dinner, and the boys wanted to play video games. So we decided that we needed to meet in the middle. You know, not go too fancy but stil have fun. So, we thought about it and thought about it-"

  "We're going to my place," Miles voiced up, knowing Emma could have easily talked for another ten minutes without reaching the point. She shot him daggers through the rearview mirror.