Read Scorch Online

Authors: Kaitlyn Davis

Tags: #Vampires, #love, #paranormal romance, #Fantasy, #Magic, #Young Adult, #heroine

Scorch (5 page)

BOOK: Scorch
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Farther down the road, Kira saw the gate—a
black shadow across the road growing bigger by the second. It was
opening slowly, anticipating their approach.

"Mom, slow down. Where are we going?"

Her mother didn't move.

"You can't do this anymore, Kira. All the
lies and all the fighting, I won't allow it." Her fingers trembled
on the steering wheel.

"Okay, Mom," Kira said softly, putting a hand
on her forearm. She had never seen her mother so out of
control.

"I won't lose you like this, Kira. They're
crazy."

"I know, Mom, vampires are out of
control—"

"No," her mom shook her head, keeping her
eyes wide. Her pupils were so dilated with adrenaline that her eyes
looked almost black except for a narrow sliver of yellow-green.
"Not the vampires, Kira, them. The conduits. I'm taking you away
from these people. From their rules and traditions. I'm saving
you."

Her eyes began to glaze over, filling with
water as more tears dropped down unnoticed.

"Mom, they won't hurt me."

"They already have, Kira, don't you see. They
pushed me away because I wasn't strong enough. They're the reason
my brother is dead, because he didn't conform to their rules. And
now you. They let you live just to change their minds years later?
They're afraid of you, of anything new and different. And I won't
let them have you." She shook her head back and forth.

"Mom," Kira gripped the steering wheel over
her mother's hand, holding her cold fingers and trying to keep the
car steady. "Mom, I'm safe. I'm right here with you. Nothing is
going to happen to me."

The blood began to flow back into her
mother's fingers.

"Mom, slow the car down."

She eased her foot off of the pedal. Kira
shifted her weight over the gear stick, wrapping her arms around
her mother's trembling torso.

"Shh, it's okay," she soothed.

The car slowed to a stop and they rolled
almost imperceptivity through the gate. But Kira felt the sun fill
her veins as they passed through the invisible UV barrier thrumming
across the entrance, blocking vampires. The two of them were
outside of Sonnyville, finally escaped from conduit lands, and it
was enough for her mother to break. Heaving sobs filled the car and
hands clutched Kira, gripping her tight and pulling her into her
mom's body.

"Oh Kira, I was so afraid," she cried.

"I'm alive, Mom. I'm not going anywhere," she
said and ran her hands through her mother's hair, the same way her
mother used to do for her when she was scared or upset.

"Every time I look at you, I see your father.
In the way you laugh, in your open and loving smile, in the
brightness shining from your eyes. You remind me so much of him,"
she said quietly, speaking just loud enough for Kira to hear. "I
can't lose you too."

"Mom," Kira said, leaning back to meet her
gaze, "I love you and I'm not going to let anyone hurt me, conduit
or vampire, I promise."

She nodded.

"Let's go back to my grandfather's house. We
can get a cup of tea, talk about everything. I'll answer any
questions you have about what I've been doing."

"That would be good." Her mother nodded again
and Kira eased back into the passenger seat, still holding onto her
mom's warm hand. She put the car back into drive, pressing slowly
down on the petal to turn the car around.

"I love you," Kira said.

"I love—"

Metal crunched, screeching in protest as the
door was ripped free from the moving car. White hands grabbed her
mother's shoulder, wrenching her from her seat before she even had
time to scream. Kira gripped her hand, holding onto her fingers for
as long as a she could before they were tugged hard and slipped
free of Kira's hold.

"Mom!" Kira screamed.

Reaching for her seatbelt, Kira unbuckled and
forced her door open. Without thinking, she dove out of the car,
rolling on the ground and scraping against rough asphalt. Behind
her, the car screeched, swerving wildly, and smacked into a tree.
But Kira's eyes were on the forest.

"Mom!" She yelled, listening for any scream
to tell her where to run. Bringing a flame to her palm, Kira sent
her power out into the woods, hoping to hear a vampire squeal.

Silence.

The car door was still on the ground, left
like a mangled toy. Kira rushed to the spot, looking for any sign
of life. Under the ripped wires and torn metal was a spot of
blood—fresh, red and most definitely human.

Toward her left, Kira spotted another dark
shadow in the grass, just beyond the edge of the road. More
blood.

"Mom!"

Still no sound of life.

Kira pushed past the branches, walking off
the road and into the trees, trying to spot another hint. Every
leaf was green, every branch brown—the only red she saw were the
berries on a few low bushes. Spinning in circles, Kira inspected
every surface she could find, almost wishing for vampire-like
scent.

"Kira!"

The scream tore through the woods, ringing in
Kira's ear like a loud siren. In an instant, she was sprinting
toward the sound.

"Kira!"

The shout was slightly quieter this time, as
though a little bit of her mom's spirit had been taken away, a
little bit of fight had been lost.

But it was enough of a sound for Kira to
follow, and she kept running, pounding her feet through soft mud,
pushing branches aside, letting sharp leaves scratch her cheeks.
Until finally, Kira saw a little flicker of life through the
darkness, a tiny spark shimmering through the leaves.

Her mother's flames.

They were small—a barely roaring fire, enough
to warm but not to burn. Even from afar, Kira saw the mocking face
of the vampire opposite her mother. Those flames wouldn't be
enough—they already weren't enough. A trickle of blood streamed
down her mom's neck, flowing slowly but fast enough to drain the
life and strength from her body.

"Hold on, Mom!"

Kira threw her fire out, shooting it as far
as it could travel, barely licking the vampire's face. But Kira's
fire wasn't like her mother's, and the smallest touch was enough to
send the vamp to its knees. The closer she ran, the more it burned,
until finally Kira felt him explode, turning to ash under the
torrent of her strength.

Without pausing, Kira fell to her knees next
to her mom.

"Are you alright?" She asked, cradling her
mother's head in her lap and shooting her powers into the two
little holes puncturing her neck.

"Kira—"

Hands grabbed Kira's throat, pulling hard on
her spine and throwing her fragile body against the base of a tree.
Hearing a crunch, Kira cried out in pain. Her body fell limp. Her
fingers felt lazy, unmoving, and her legs felt like stone,
unbendable and far too heavy to move. She felt like a doll dropped
carelessly on the ground, contorted at inhuman angles.

Her mother's eyes widened and a scream curled
on her lips. But before a sound could escape, another vampire
jumped out, biting down on her throat and swallowing the yell along
with her blood.

Kira tried to throw her flames, but her body
needed to be healed and she turned her fire inwards, searching
along her spine for the fracture that culled her movement.

Sensing her shifted focus, the vampire looked
up. Its blue eyes bored into Kira, searing her with their
freeze.

"A note from Aldrich," he said, his voice low
and his teeth stained with blood. "I took one mother from you and I
can easily take the second, along with any other person you love.
Be warned."

He smiled and sank back down, reaching for
the blood again. But Kira found the spot—the broken bone, the
severed nerves—and sent her powers there. Sensation slowly extended
back to her body, her nerves thrummed to life again sending tingles
down her limbs.

Her mother was growing paler. Her eyes sealed
shut and her head started to slip farther into the ground, growing
heavy.

She wouldn't make it, Kira thought. Her
fingers twitched, gaining strength once more, but her arm was still
too heavy to lift, too weak to let her aim her flames.

"Mom!" Kira yelled, knowing it was useless
but needing to do something. Her memories flashed back to the same
image—a blond woman still on the ground while vampires swarmed over
her. All the sudden, Kira was the baby hiding under a bush,
watching helplessly while her parents were stolen from her.

But now she could fight and Kira refused to
lose another mother the same way. She wouldn't.

Her mother's body went limp, but before Kira
could respond, a white blur streaked across the trees, slamming
into the feeding vampire. He flew back, rolling over in the dirt,
and without a moment of hesitation, the white blur reached through
the vampire's chest and tore the heart from his body.

Now still, Kira recognized their savior. The
vampire's hair rolled down her back in long ebony waves, her skin
had an olive glow, and her eyes were just slanted enough to be
interesting. More than anything, her hip was cocked, giving off an
air of defiance that Kira remembered very well.

"Pavia!" Her voice ringed with relief and
excitement, something no vampire other than Tristan had ever been
able to elicit from Kira.

"Sorry to crash the party, but I thought you
could use a hand." She shrugged and kicked the dead vampire
crumpled on the ground. "Aldrich's cronies," Pavia said with a note
of disgust. She spat on the body by her feet.

Kira sat up slowly, stretching her
strengthening limbs. "Thanks."

"Least I could do," Pavia walked over to her
mom, inspecting the wound, "I technically killed your other mom,
thought I could at least save this one. Talk about timing though. I
can feel her life is almost gone, her blood is," she sniffed the
air, kneeling down a little, "well, you don't understand, but her
blood just smells like death."

"Can you bring me closer?" Kira asked. She
tried to stand, but fell back down on rubbery legs. Pavia grabbed
her under the arms, dragging her a few feet across the ground so
Kira could rest a hand on her mother's chest. Her flames flowed
out, sinking deep into her mother's chest and expanding
effortlessly through the conduit body that welcomed her power.

A conduit. Kira had never really thought of
her mom that way, but she felt the sun flickering deep in her
mother's heart.

"So what's wrong with you?" Pavia nudged her
foot, pointing out Kira's depleted strength.

"The vamp broke my back," Kira said, sending
a shiver down the very spine she had just healed. It sounded worse
when she said it out loud. Pavia winced.

"I've been there, definitely not
pleasant."

"I'll be fine in a few minutes," Kira said,
taking note of her mom's returning color. Her skin darkened to its
natural bronze. Her heartbeat strengthened.

"Good, because there are more on the way.
Maybe five?"

Her mom blinked.

"Kira?" She said, woozy and confused.

"It's okay, Mom, you're safe." Kira put a
hand to her cheek, relieved with the warmth she found there.

Kira stood, finally feeling strong enough,
and pulled her mother to her feet as well.

"Mom, I know you don't understand, but this
is Pavia and she won't hurt you, okay?" Her mother nodded, still
too out-of-it to really comprehend Kira's words. "Pavia," Kira
said, switching her attention, "I need you to take my mom back to
the gate. You won't be able to cross, but put her as close to the
UV barrier as you can. I'll take care of these vampires and I'll
meet you soon."

Pavia nodded and scooped her mother up into
her arms. "We have to talk later," she said, "just you and me. I
have a promise to fulfill."

"Just keep her safe," Kira said, showing her
agreement. The promise was to show Kira more of her birth mother's
memories—Kira hadn't forgotten about it and she was relieved that
Pavia hadn't either.

"They're almost here," Pavia said and then
left, disappearing through the trees, leaving Kira to face the
vampires alone. And she was ready for it. Feeling helpless was not
her style, and already her flames danced down her wrists,
flickering over the grass and sparking with excitement.

When the first vampire broke into the
clearing, he burned within seconds. Her fire was spewing lava—no
one could escape it.

The second fell just like the first, without
any hesitation, without any real use of strength on Kira's part.
They went down easy, like squishing a bug on the ground. She almost
wanted more of a fight—it was too effortless to be satisfying, too
effortless to be rewarding. As her flames grew stronger, so did her
conviction and Kira wanted it to hurt. After watching her mother
come so close to death, someone had to pay.

A third vampire came in from the left side
and a forth from the right, trying to corner Kira by dividing her
attention. She stretched her arms to the side, flinging her power
in both directions, trapping each vampire inside of swirling
flames.

Her fire licked their skin, teasing them with
the heat, searing their flesh and then retreating again. One yelled
out, growling a deep sound mixed with fear and anger. It was a
caged animal and Kira squeezed her fingers, letting the fire close
in and slowly suffocate it. The vampire fell, bursting into dust,
imploding from the inside out.

On her left, the other vampire started to
panic. He pushed against the flames, trying to breakthrough but
retreating when puffy boils sprouted along his arms.

Kira crushed him easily, still ready for more
fight.

Then finally, the fifth and last vampire
entered the clearing. His movements were slow, as though he had no
fear. He confronted Kira openly, not trying to gain the element of
surprise.

Almost curious, Kira pushed her fire out.
Immediately she sensed something different from his body, and her
power was met with resistance, almost like an invisible shell
encased his torso.

BOOK: Scorch
5.02Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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