Darkness Fades (Darkness Falls Series, Book 3) (23 page)

He shakes his head and sits down in the
dirt. “Not yet.” He glances up at me then pats the ground beside
him. I do what he asks and sit down beside him.

When I get situated, he reaches over and
takes my hand. I can immediately sense that something’s wrong, but
I’m afraid to ask what because, knowing Sylas, he’ll give me the
blunt truth whether I like it or not.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about some
stuff,” he starts, leaning back on his arms and watching the
horizon, watching the sun rise. “You have the cure inside you, and
everyone’s talking about spreading it across the world… changing
everyone back to being human and how the Day Takers are going to be
the main ones to do it.”

“It’s not a bad thing.” I keep my eyes on
the approaching sunlight. “Although I wish you weren’t going.”

“Do you mean that?” he asks, stretching his
legs.

I nod. “Of course I do.” I cup his cheek and
force him to look at me, the daylight reflecting in his eyes. The
perfect creation right before me, which makes me feel small, but at
the same time, protected. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I
don’t want you to go out there and fight. I want you to stay here
with me.”

He looks away from me, out at the desert
land again. It’s so quiet, mainly because many of the vampires have
been cured around here already. This colony has sort of turned into
a sanctuary.

“Good,” he finally says quietly without
looking at me. “Because I want to be cured by you. Right now.”

“Wait? You’re not going to put a fight up
about this?” I sort of thought he would if I ever got the courage
to ask him. I thought he’d tell me no because, honestly, if I had a
choice in the matter, I probably would have.

He shakes his head and then looks at me, his
eyes as black as singed wood. “I was going to, but then I started
thinking… about you… and how much happier you look right now.” He
touches his finger to the side of my eyes. “How beautiful these
look even though you’re scared.” He traces a line from my eyes to
my lips. “And how I just want us to live a normal life together,
like we would have done if the world hadn’t changed.” He pauses as
he thinks back, smiling to himself. “I just want to be with
you.”

I swallow hard at his emotional words. I’ve
actually been really emotional since I turned human and I both love
it and hate it, but I’m hoping that once I get used to it, it’ll be
easier.

I nervously hold my arm out. “Then be with
me.”

He smiles softly, his eyes darkening as he
takes my arm in his hand. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he
asks, arching his brow. “For me to be with you.”

I hesitate and then nod, telling the truth
and arrogance rises on his face. It doesn’t piss me off though and
I’m starting to accept that Sylas’s cockiness is something that
pulls me to him.

Abruptly his fangs slip out, making me jump.
His smile broadens at my tension and then he starts to lower his
mouth to my arm, keeping his dark eyes on me the entire time. He
places a delicate kiss on my forearm, breathing in my scent one
last time before the tips of his teeth graze my skin. He pauses,
taking a ravenous inhale, and then plunges his fangs deep into my
skin.

Lightheadedness overpowers me as he savors
my blood, his neck muscles tightening as he drinks. His eyes
flutter shut and, for a second, I wonder if he’ll drink all of me,
if he’ll lose control.

Moments later, however, his teeth leave my
arm and then he falls to the ground, screaming and twisting, his
face contorted in pain. It hurts too much to watch and I have to
look away at the sunlight to try to block it out, balling my hands
into fists. I hold my breath until it grows quiet—until I know for
sure that his pain has stopped—then I look back at him.

He’s lying motionless beside me in the sand,
his arms and legs limp with my blood staining his lips.

I kneel beside him and examine him over.
“Sylas, can you hear me?”

His eyelids gradually lift open to show eyes
that are no longer black, they’re bright blue. The sunlight
reflects in them, making them look beautiful.

“Did it work?” he asks dazedly.

I nod, smiling, overwhelmed with relief and
happiness as I lean down and press my lips to his. We kiss until
the sun is fully up then we finally break apart and sit side by
side, holding hands, watching the land, feeling the wind and
breathing in the air as both of our hearts beat freely.

The land looks different, more alive, cacti
growing in the sand, lizards and snakes scurrying back and forth.
Even the sky looks clearer, the sun brighter and warmer. Maybe it’s
just me looking at things differently. Because for once I have
hope. A hope for tomorrow. A hope for humanity.

A hope for a future.

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming.
When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out
with her family.

Other books by Jessica Sorensen:

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The
Coincidence, #1)

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret,
#1)

Shattered Promise (Shattered

The Fallen Star (Fallen Star Series, Book
1)

The Underworld (Fallen Star Series, Book
2)

The Vision (Fallen Star Series, Book 3)

The Promise (Fallen Star Series, Book 4)

The Lost Soul (Fallen Souls Series, Book
1)

Darkness Falls (Darkness Falls Series, Book
1)

Darkness Breaks (Darkness Falls Series, Book
2)

Ember (Death Collectors, Book 1)

Connect with me online:

http://jessicasorensen.com

http://www.facebook.com/#!/JessicaSorensensAdultContemporaryNovels?notif_t=page_new_likes

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Sorensen/165335743524509

https://twitter.com/#!/jessFallenStar