‘They helped me get out of a bad situation. And, well, I’m supposed to be returning the favour. Her brother isn’t well, and they want me to find a way to get them to a place where he can have treatment. She wanted to know if I’d arranged it.’
‘Well, have you?’
‘I just have to sort out a couple more things.’
He sounds sad when he says that, folding his arms, his head down. And, like an idiot, I feel sorry for him.
‘Can I do anything?’ God, I’m a sucker. But I can’t help myself.
‘What?’
I shrug again. ‘If they’re in the Safe Zone maybe I can talk to Father, arrange a doctor. After all, I know he’d want to—’ I bite my tongue, then. I’d been about to say ‘take care of the stock,’ but realise how wrong that is.
‘You are something else, Emelia.’ Kyle shakes his head. ‘No, though I appreciate your offer. There’s nothing you can do.’ He pauses. ‘I’m sorry about tonight. About everything.’
Everything?I don’t know what to do. I feel teary all of a sudden, and cold.
He moves closer, blotting out the stars. His lips trace my jaw to my neck and I breathe him in, hurt tangling with lust.
‘Forgive me.’
The way he says it is like a question, and my heart clenches. With his arms around me in the darkness, there’s no question. Tonight has already been strange and awful and wonderful at the same time, and it’s all thanks to him. Of course I forgive him. I turn my head, kissing him, soft at first, then deeper. I feel him smile.
There’s a series of loud bangs in the distance, and he lifts his head. ‘Fireworks.’
The Moon Harvest.
‘Do you still want to do this?’ His breath is cool on my cheek. ‘We can go home instead, if you want. And when we get back…’ He nips me, gently, and I shiver.
‘No,’ I say. Just a breath. Still, he stops what he’s doing. ‘No,’ I say again, louder. ‘Let’s see this through. But promise me one thing?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Don’t ever bring me here again.’
He laughs, soft, his forehead resting on mine. ‘I promise,’ he says. ‘And now, pleasant as this is, we need to go. Once the fireworks finish, it’ll be time. Are you ready?’
I nod and he lifts me into his arms. With a cacophony of bangs, the sky fills with light and colour. Fireworks above us like exploding stars, we start to run.
ChapterEighteen
MOON HARVEST
We race through starlight and darkness, colours bursting overhead. I cling to Kyle, my face turned into the curve of his neck. He comes to a stop, and I lift my head.
We’re among large rocks, embedded in the hillside like the ruins of an ancient temple. Kyle stops in the shadow of one of the largest – another, toppled like a fallen tower, lies on its side at an angle to us, shielding us from what lies below.
The Moon Harvest.
The night is clear, the moon bright, so there’s enough light to see. We’re overlooking a large clearing, a natural bowl in the hillside, more huge rocks tumbled around the edge. I realise it’s where we usually hold our Gatherings. But this is no celebration, no coming together of Raven clans. There are people seated on the rocks, standing in groups in a semi-circle formation. Then, a line of silver and black. Raven guards. Beyond them, on a clear patch of grass, is a small cluster of humans, chained together. The Twenty. I’m faintly relieved to see that Mistral kept his word to my mother – there don’t appear to be any children among them. There are also two large thrones, ebony black, silver details on the carved backs and sides touched by moonlight. Seated in them are my mother and father, cruel and implacable as statues. I take a shuddering breath. Mistral stands to one side, next to my mother. There are other vampires with them, too. One is wearing a large headdress and, as he moves, I realise what it is. A lion’s mane. And I remember Daniel, how he’d smiled when we’d danced, how nice he was, only to become ash a few hours later. Shit. This is big. I can’t see Jaguar or Scorpion, but still – if Lion are here, I can understand, a little more, why my mother couldn’t change things once they were set in motion.
Kyle sets me down. His arms come around me, tucking me against his chest, his mouth near my ear. ‘Stay very still,’ he breathes. ‘And no noise.’
I nod, just a very small movement. I get it. Once the feeding starts… well, I’m the only other human here. People will bite first and ask questions later.
The crowd is quiet, none of the usual hum of chatter you’d expect at a Gathering, or a regular fireworks night. There hasn’t been a Moon Harvest for a very long time – during the Rising, they were used for both sport and punishment, until the Famine hit, and things had to change. So tonight is significant. I notice a couple of vampires circling the crowd, cameras in hand. Oh darkness. They’re going to record this?
There’s a distant chiming sound, of hammer hitting bell. I count the chimes silently. Twelve. Midnight. Fuck. Here we go.
