Blaze (Midnight Fire Series) Read online

  “Love you too.” Kira texted back and clicked her phone off. She took one last look in the mirror, trying to will the nerves away. Then, like in an old Victorian era movie, she pinched her cheeks to bring some color back to her face before drying her hands.

  You can do this, Kira told her reflection, you are strong and you have to do this.

  “Your turn,” Kira said to Luke when she emerged. “I’ll watch your stuff for you.”

  “I don’t really need to, you know, go,” he shrugged.

  “Just get inside,” Kira said and pushed him in the direction of the men’s room. Luke looked at her with raised eyebrows, but slipped through the door anyway.

  Quickly, Kira knelt down and unzipped his bag. Pulling the letter from her pocket, she dropped it through the opening and shut his duffle. Her hands were shaking the entire time and Kira forced herself not to envision the crumbling of his face when Luke discovered the note. Breathing deeply, Kira stood up and pushed her shoulders back, trying to display a calm exterior even though her insides roared.

  No turning back now, she thought as Luke reemerged.

  “Okay, ready to go?” He asked, shouldering their bags once more.

  “Actually,” Kira said in one drawn out syllable, “I had another idea.”

  Luke cocked his head to the side impatiently and Kira sensed that he was starting to realize something was going on. Thankful that the airport was compact enough that all of her excuses were in the same place, Kira pointed to the newsstand.

  “I could really use some gossip magazines and candy. Why don’t you go ahead and make sure the plane is all ready to go, and I’ll stack up on munchies for the trip?”

  “I could use some Good’n’Plenty’s,” Luke murmured and Kira wrinkled her nose at the mention of that candy. Black licorice… even as a chef she didn’t understand why Luke adored the stuff. “Okay,” he finally said, “See you in ten minutes?”

  “Perfect!” Kira said. He turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and dropped his bag.

  “Wait!” Kira jumped on the zipper to keep him from opening it. His hand was trapped below hers and Kira’s heart began to thud in her chest. Was it his touch or the precarious moment hanging in the air? Kira blamed the fear of discovery and looked into his warm green eyes, praying he wouldn’t notice her rapid pulse.

  “What?” He asked, looking at her like she was a mental patient, “I need to give you your ticket. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Kira shook her head to refocus, “I’ll grab them.”

  “It’s fine,” Luke said and freed his hand from hers. The sudden cavity created by his absence felt cold against Kira’s palm, but Luke continued talking, completely unaware of her tumultuous thoughts, “I kept all my personal stuff in the side pouch.”

  He opened the side pocket to pull out her ticket. Letting a heavy sigh escape her lips, Kira sat back on her heels and accepted the piece of paper. Keep it together, she cursed.

  Luke stood up, smiling at her and shaking his head. In that instant Kira knew he had no idea what was about to happen. He knew she was acting a little strange, but he never once imagined she was about to leave him. Why did the nice guys, the trusting ones, always seem to be the ones who got hurt? Kira asked herself, but quickly stopped that line of thought. It would only lead to the one question she didn’t want to answer: why did she need to hurt him in the first place?

  “Thanks,” Kira finally stood up, “see you in ten!” Cheerily, she waved goodbye and turned around to continue her cover by walking into the newsstand.

  Once inside, Kira held her hands out in front of her and watched the tips of her fingers twitch uncontrollably. She tried to breathe, pulling resistant air into her lungs, and fell back against the wall for support. The hard part was finally over. Soon, the lie would be up and she would just have to deal with the consequences. Now all she had to do was make it to the plane on time.

  Kira pulled out her phone and texted Tristan. “Luke is gone. I’m on my way.”

  Her phone buzzed almost immediately. “Handicap passengers just boarded. Get over here quickly.”

  Peeking around the entrance, Kira surveyed the hallway that led to the security for Terminal A. There was no one on line, which had to mean Luke was already through the check and headed for the gate.

  “I’m sorry,” Kira whispered, almost afraid her voice would fail her. Something about staring down that empty, sterile hallway felt like the end—the end of what, she didn’t know, but definitely an end. “Goodbye,” she said one last time, trying to ignore the shell encasing her heart. Luke would never trust her the same way again. She had abused his faith in her, she had used their friendship as a weapon against him, and there would definitely be a cost to that. But, Kira thought, growing up meant making choices and she couldn’t always please everyone.

  Kira flipped her body in the opposite direction and made for Terminal B, ready to start her journey with Tristan and ready to finally retrieve the answers about her mother, the ones that had so long eluded her.

  The walk was short, but each step felt heavier and heavier until her shoes practically dragged along the floor. When Kira reached the line, only one woman was waiting in front of her. After a minute, a security guard reached out for Kira’s passport and scanned her ID before waving her through. She piled her handbag on the conveyor belt, took off her shoes and waited. A new security guard signaled her over to the X-ray machine and Kira lifted her foot to step through, but a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

  “Kira?” Luke called. His voice sounded faint and far away.

  “Kira!” A little stronger now and laced with panic.

  Taking a deep breath, Kira plopped her foot down and finished crossing the short distance. She was officially in Terminal B—the decision had been made.

  “Kira! Stop!” Luke’s voice was closer now. Were those footsteps or was she just imagining it?

  Quickly, Kira slipped her shoes back on and reached inside her purse for her headphones. They weren’t attached to anything, but she zipped her bag to make it look that way and kept walking past the security check, trying to ignore the voice calling after her.

  “Kira! You went the wrong way!” The frustration in his voice was obvious, but that was all there was. He still didn’t get it. He just thought she was lost.

  Hard as it was, Kira continued to amble down the walkway towards her gate. Trying to act nonchalant, she bobbed her head as if listening to real music and pretended to look around as if searching for Luke. He shouted her name once or twice more, but she kept shuffling her feet further and further away from him, using her headphones as an excuse for deafness.

  There was a bend fifteen—no ten—now five—feet away. Kira rounded the corner, safe from Luke’s eyes, and pulled out the earplugs. It was go time. Her plane to Atlanta was boarding and she didn’t have a second to spare.

  A vibration tickled her arm and Kira knew Luke was trying to call her. She kept walking and looked for Tristan’s sleek black hair in the crowd.

  He saw her first and stood up, waving Kira over to the seats he had secured.

  “Are you okay?” He asked once she sat down. Concerned deepened his blue eyes and Kira could tell he was worried for her. It was her plan after all—her plan to go to England, her plan to keep Luke safe and out of the loop, and her plan to ditch him in the airport. Tristan was following Kira’s rules now, which meant Luke’s reaction was completely her fault. She couldn’t blame anyone else for the hurt he was about to feel.

  “He thinks I’m just in the wrong terminal,” Kira said and shook her head, “he’s too trusting.” Or I’m too heartless, Kira thought before smashing the thought down with the rest of the emotions she was suppressing. Too many were bubbling beneath the surface and at the moment, Kira didn’t want to feel anything. Once they were in the air, and there was really no turning back, she would feel better about the whole thing. At least she hoped so…

  “Doesn’t he k
now security wouldn’t let you through the wrong terminal?” Tristan reached into his bag, searching for something.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t turn around to check.” Kira leaned back in the seat, completely deflated and drained of energy.

  “I had a feeling something like this would happen, so…” he kept rumbling through his bag for another minute before pulling out a grocery bag, “I came prepared. We have salt & vinegar chips,” he pulled the single serving from his bag and kept speaking, “some double chocolate chip cookies, cheesy popcorn, a diet coke, a regular coke if it’s really serious, and of course, me.” He finished with a wink and Kira smirked subconsciously. Then she ripped open the salty chips and started munching.

  “We should be boarding in a minute or so, first class was just loaded onto the plane and I think they called zone one,” Tristan said and zipped the rest of his goodies back inside his bag. Kira knew she would be pulling those out later.

  He rested his arm around her shoulder and Kira relaxed under the weight of his muscles. Leaning in, Tristan whispered, “Everything is going to be fine,” into Kira’s ear and she willed herself to believe it. But, she was too busy enjoying the potato chips to formulate a response. It didn’t matter though because Tristan kept talking to her.

  “We’ll land in England, go to Aldrich’s castle and demand to see your mother. She’ll be there, healthy as can be, and we’ll work some sort of deal out with Aldrich,” he said softly. While he spoke, Tristan rubbed her arm with his thumb, gently soothing Kira. “Before you know it, we’ll be back here and everything will go back to normal. I’ll finally get you surfing those big waves down at Folly Beach and we’ll take a trip down to Savannah like I promised we would this summer. Next year, you’ll find a restaurant job, you’ll cook for all three of your parents and you’ll forget all of this nonsense ever happened. You can leave Sonnyville and the conduits behind and have the life you always dreamed of having. You’ll see.”

  Kira sighed as Tristan hugged her even closer. His words were a dream, a complete fantasy. She could never go back. Neither Tristan nor Luke fit into that plan, which meant it didn’t work for her anymore. But Kira had no idea what her new plan should be.

  “Attention, can Kira Dawson please pick up a yellow emergency phone? Passenger Kira Dawson to a yellow emergency phone, please.”

  Tristan and Kira jumped up at the same time.

  “Luke?” Tristan asked.

  “Almost undoubtedly,” Kira responded, “Let’s just ignore him.”

  “Kira,” Tristan said gently, “He’s your best friend, and I can’t believe I’m the one who’s saying this, but he deserves better than a hastily written letter.”

  “I know. I just can’t face him yet. I’m—”

  “Attention all passengers on flight 2963 to Atlanta, Georgia,” a female voice spoke over the load speaker. “All passengers in zone three are welcome to board. Again, that is all passengers in zone three.”

  “That’s us,” Tristan said and stood up. Kira followed him to the line and each of them handed the gate attendant a ticket. They followed the slowly moving progression of passengers until crossing into the plane and sliding into their seats.

  Kira pushed her handbag far under the seat in front of her, burying her phone with it. Tristan placed his heavy hand on her legs to keep them from bouncing. Kira stopped fidgeting and took his hand—they were almost in the clear, but she wouldn’t feel totally free until they were thousands of miles in the air.

  The flight attendant was walking down the aisle, closing overhead compartments and checking people’s seatbelts. He stilled in front of Kira and Tristan, reaching behind his back for a fake seatbelt and life jacket. Kira turned to the side, ignoring the security protocol to look out the window at the airport. The plane started moving, gently easing away from the brown stone building. For a moment, Kira swore she saw Luke with two hands pressed firmly against sweeping glass windows, searching the grounds for her. She blinked and the image was gone—a mirage formed from her worry.

  Shaking her head, Kira squeezed Tristan’s hand and leaned back to shut her eyes and sleep. The steady thud of her heart sounded loud in her ears and Kira counted silently, hoping to bring her body to rest.

  Just as her pulse seemed to slow, a piercing cry broke the calm and sent a shooting pain down her spine, from her brain to her heart. The pressure in her skull grew, as if her blood were thickening and pushing against her bone. Sharp needles pierced the spots behind her eyes and Kira brought her hands to her temples trying to calm the storm. She kept her lids closed, breathing deeply, trying to quell the pain spreading from nerve to nerve. A fierce burn started in her heart, spreading to her limbs with each pump of blood, and her ears began to ring in fury. Pain and anger intertwined, braiding together in an unbreakable knot, and Kira knew exactly what it meant.

  Luke had found the note. There was no other explanation for the sudden onslaught of emotions, but Kira forced her body to still—Tristan couldn’t know. She had never told him of her bond with Luke.

  It was all mental, Kira reminded herself and pushed against the overwhelming flood. None of this pain was truly hers, but it was really Luke’s and Kira couldn’t breathe for finally realizing what she was putting him through.

  Reaching shaking hands to the ground, Kira fumbled for her purse and pulled out her phone. She needed to call him. She needed to explain. Of course a note wouldn’t suffice—it couldn’t explain everything she needed to say. That this wasn’t about choosing Tristan and it wasn’t completely about saving her mother—it was about keeping Luke safe and out of harm. Aldrich had invited Tristan, but had made no mention of Luke. Aldrich would have shown no mercy with Luke, would have taken no pause in killing him. And Kira would never take that chance with Luke’s life. Diana had almost killed him once, and she wouldn’t let something like that happen ever again.

  Kira flipped her phone open, ignoring the concerned expression Tristan was throwing her way.

  Before getting the chance to dial, an onslaught of alerts popped up on the screen. Five missed calls from Luke, and then text messages:

  “Kira, you idiot, you went the wrong way.”

  “Kira—seriously? You’re listening to music right now. Turn around and go to Terminal A.”

  “Did you hear that? They’re saying your name over the loud speaker.”

  “You should have told me you lost your hearing, I would have gotten you really spiffy aids for your birthday. Bedazzled and everything.”

  “Okay, this is no longer funny, what is going on. Where are you?”

  “You left. With him. Without me. Didn’t you?”

  “A note. Really?”

  “So that is all I get?”

  “If you don’t call me right now, I’m done. I swear. I’m done.”

  Blank.

  “Miss?” Kira turned to sound of a unfamiliar man’s voice. The flight attendant. Her eyes burned and she couldn’t focus on his features. The blurred image was motioning to her phone. “The captain said to turn off all of electronics. I’m sorry, but that includes your phone. We’re about to take-off.” Kira looked back down at the screen. “Miss?” He said, concern filling his voice.

  Tristan’s cool fingers pulled the phone free of Kira’s hand and he shut it for her before thanking the flight attendant. Kira couldn’t turn her gaze from the empty spots between her fingers. Done, was all she could think, he was done.

  “I need to call him,” Kira said, coming to life again. “Tristan, I need to call him.”

  Sensing Kira was on the brink of falling apart in her seat, Tristan handed her the phone. The plane was moving faster, shooting down the runway, as Kira began to dial Luke’s number.

  It rang once before the plane lifted off the ground.

  Twice before the plane soared even higher.

  “Kir—” Luke’s voice began, but he was interrupted by a beep and the line went dead.

  “Luke?” Kira said into the receiver. “Luke? Luke!” Her
voice was panicked. She pulled back to look at the screen. No service. They were out of range, flying away from Luke just as she had planned—leaving him behind and all Kira could think was “done.”

  Chapter Three

  Kira felt like a zombie, following Tristan as he led her through passport control and customs. She watched the conveyor belt spin suitcases around baggage claim, but the metal blades lost focus in her glazed over gaze.

  Tristan had spent the entire flight to Atlanta reassuring her that in no time at all she could call Luke and fix everything. When they landed, Kira tried calling Luke over and over again, but each ring went straight to voicemail and she couldn’t bring herself to leave messages. She didn’t know what to say in only thirty seconds—there were no magic words she could speak to make him understand.

  Tristan had spent the entire flight to England reassuring her that Luke would eventually forgive her. When they landed, Kira called him again but once more there was no answer. As the realization that she had probably lost her best friend finally hit, Kira shut down. Tristan saw the transformation—saw the fall of her shoulders, the hunch of her back, the downturn of her lips and the disappearing light in her eyes. More so, he faintly heard her heart slow and felt the normally churning heat in her body recede.

  So, he took her hand and led her out of the airport into a foreign city, trying to find some way to bring her back. He brought her to the Thames, the furiously churning river that cut right through the heart of London. In an odd way, it reminded Kira of the choppy waves that cut along the shore of Folly Beach, the same ones that had calmed her the day Luke had told her what she really was. Perhaps it was the memory of Luke helping her through one of the hardest days of her life, but something about the speeding water pricked Kira to life, giving her one final idea.

  Stepping away from Tristan’s sturdy body and the arms holding her upright, Kira collapsed onto a bench and dialed Luke’s family, praying he had followed through on his plans to fly to Sonnyville.