Page 9 of To Love a Vampire
“Really, thank you,” I whisper.
* * *
The transition from clinic assistant to militia understudy happens quickly and with a strange ease. To be honest, I’m forcing it to happen with ease. I follow Declan like a quiet and observant shadow, taking mental notes of details he feeds me; who is in charge of what, what assignments we take care of daily, when search and rescues are scheduled – highlighted mental note for that one – and in general, it isn’t that hard. Declan treats me as an equal. There’s no flirty context in his voice, no lingering glances, no teasing at all. Just one soldier to another.
Kaino, on the other hand, stares at me daily, seemingly confused and frustrated by this subtle change in his routine.
“You want to take her on tomorrow’s search? Someone who hasn’t even had a month’s worth of real training?” Kaino growls, his brows pulled low, shadowing his dark eyes.
I stand in silence at Declan’s side, once again the newcomer in their society. The busy warriors around me glance our way but say nothing as they pack their bags for tomorrow’s trip—well, almost all of them… Luca stops packing and now stands tall with her hands firmly on the curve of her hips, glaring at her brother.
“That is exactly what I want to do, because Private Fiercely isn’t a pedestrian, she’s one of our own. She’s had the training and the knowledge to begin shadowing search expeditions, Sir,” Declan says, holding Kaino’s glaring gaze.
I raise my chin, folding my hands neatly behind my back, trying to find the confidence and respect Ky always seemed to have.
A small, distant part of me wants to brush away this hostility and simply say I will wait until Kaino believes I’m ready, but the painful need to find Asher is stronger. I’m not the person I was a year ago and I will not cower from the things I deserve. I deserve to be included in my own life.
The two of them stare in silence for a few seconds, careful not to tip the balance of peace and power that this society teeters on. Declan raises his hand, his palm clasping Kaino’s shoulder, a pleading look touching the hybrid’s eyes. His hand rests against Kaino’s skin for mere seconds before the commander’s look turns from annoyed to aggressive, as he jerks away from Declan’s simple touch. Kaino’s eyes glimmer in the sunlight, turning a lighter shade of amber, almost gold before he blinks it away, pushing the animal back into the cage it’s always kept in. A cage forced so tightly closed the bars are ready to break…
“If something happens to her,” Kaino voice is low and promising as he sizes Declan up from head to toe, “I’ll execute you myself, on my father’s orders.” He clenches his jaw shut and storms away, into the forest, the wolf returning to its den.
Declan releases a long breath and turns to me with a wide smile, the boy-like grin that I haven’t seen in days on display.
“He really needs to release all that pent up hostility,” he says, nudging me with his elbow. “Pack your bag, love, don’t want to miss this possibly once in a lifetime opportunity.”
I nod, excitement pooling in my chest, finally leaving this haven and doing something instead of the eternal waiting I’ve grown so used to.
Once in a lifetime opportunity.
He’s right. If anything, and I do mean anything, goes wrong tomorrow, I won’t be given a second chance. So, I’ll have to make the day trip count. Leave no rock unturned… Considering I’ll be hunting a hybrid who lived the majority of his life under a refrigerator, our trip will definitely be harder than it seems.
Five
The Red Hills
The following morning,just before the sun was touching the horizon, Declan led a small group along the rocky shore of the Emerald Ocean, through the thick, familiar forest and to a place called the Red Hills.
Declan, Luca, a wolf descendant named Shane, and I stand on the outskirts of the forest. Jagged red-gray mountains etch the sky in front of us, blocking out the morning sun. A strange fog of crimson casts along the dips and crevices of the area, seemingly reaching out to us.
My stomach drops as my mind processes where we are heading—standing literally at rock bottom— the only place to go is up, into the cursed Red Hills.
The exhausted part of me wishes I would have listened to Kaino and stayed at camp, while the determined part of me is ready to keep moving.
Luca adjusts her pack, which matches my own, heavy but filled only with necessities. Shane takes a swig of water from his silver canteen, assessing the mountains, appearing to draw a route in his mind’s eye.
“Luca, you and Shane take the direct route, Fallon and I will search the northern valleys and meet you on the other side, past Pike’s Peak. We need to be across by midday to make our return by nightfall. We don’t want to be in this area after sundown.”
Pike’s Peak.
The term strikes hard against my sternum, nearly knocking the air out of me. My eyes are wide, my mind reeling, barely hearing the rest of his instructions.
The clear sky appears endless as I watch Luca and Shane leave, crossing the dry plains toward the mountains. I stand unmoving, my eyes fixed on the sharp peaks touching the sky, shadowing the land around them.
What’s hiding in the shadows of Pike’s Peak? The few remaining vampires of this world? If the whispers of my camp were true then, yes, we’re trailing the cursed cliffs of the hidden community of vampires...
“You coming?” Declan asks, looking back at me a few feet away.
I nod, pushing my thoughts from my mind, taking long steps to catch up to him, I turn my head, still watching Luca’s figure grow smaller and smaller against the mountains. My boot catches on something, roughly pulling me to the ground. My hands brace my hard landing, my fingers pushing into the dirt, scraping roughly against the dry earth.
