‘Mistral is a prince of Raven.’
‘And a lying asshole.’
Kyle grins, a flash of white in the dark. ‘There is that, I guess.’
I breathe easier, the pain in me starting to subside. ‘So will you do it? Will you take me home?’
He comes closer, finally, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. ‘Will you give me tonight?’
‘What?’
‘If I agree to take you back, will you give me tonight? Just the two of us, like we wanted.’
His touch awakens tingles in me. ‘One night?’
‘For now. But one where you make sure this is what you truly want. And one where we can be together, truly together.’
He hugs me and I melt into him. One night? I’d give him all my nights, if I could.
But this, this is a beginning.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
REBEL YELL
The market street bustles with people, lights strung between the stalls like small hanging moons, the smell of roasting meat drifting on the cold night air. There are more traders than I remember seeing when I was there earlier with Ruth, the pub with the long tables full, people spilling into the street. A woman in a short skirt catches her high heel on the cobbles and stumbles, spilling her drink, laughing as she’s steadied by her friends, men whooping their approval.
There are shadows, too, the shops along one side of the street shuttered for the night, awnings out over the front of them. And, in the darkness, keeping away from the moon lights and bright stalls, are small groups of people, couples kissing, others talking. With a lurch of shock I realise that some of them are vampires. What the hell? Instinctively I duck my head into Kyle’s shoulder. What if one of them recognises me? His arm tightens around me. ‘You okay?’
I keep my face turned in as we pass another vampire, who is with… a human. What? ‘There are vampires here,’ I whisper.
‘So? C’mon. Enjoy yourself.’
‘What if someone recognises me?’ I mutter, my hand twisting in the front of his jacket. I can give him a night, no problem. A lifetime, if he wants it. But I can’t give him anything if we get caught.
‘No one knows who you are, remember?’ There’s laughter in his voice. I grin, despite myself. Anonymity has its upside, it seems.
‘Right. That’s right. I’m plain old Emily Reynolds.’ I untwist my hand, turning my face forward once more. ‘And you’re sure they won’t send guards here?’
‘As sure as I can be.’ He squeezes me, his lips brushing my ear.
I’d been so worried about that, had wanted to keep moving. But when I asked Kyle, on our way back to the town centre, he’d laughed. ‘This is the last place they’ll look for you,’ he’d said. ‘They’ll search the vampire towns first.’ Of course they would.
I’d wondered how it was that Kyle had known the Safe Zone so well, had spent time there. But the rule is that no vampire canhuntwithin the Zone. Not that they can’t spend time there. And it seems that, for many, spending time among humans is what they want to do. The more I see of life beyond the estate, the more I realise how little I know about anything. But tonight I’m not going to worry about that. Tonight is for me, and Kyle.
We wander beneath the awning, the lights of the market to our left. To the right, more entwined couples, vampire and human. Vampires in small groups, talking. Several have the plastic packs I’d seen Kyle drink from, sipping human blood casually through a straw. And no one seems bothered. There are voices everywhere, talking, laughing, singing. And music, rising above it all, a skirl of flute and drum and violin, an irresistible dancing beat.
Keeping to the shadows, we follow the music to an open square, large trees surrounding a statue in the middle. There are more lanterns, hanging in glittering lines among the bare branches of the trees. The musicians are at one end of the square on a small stage, humans dancing in the open space in front of them, their breath puffing in the night air. Vampires watch from the darkness, some dancing, others tapping their feet. The beat is catching my feet, too. I hop and sway on the spot, Kyle’s hand at my waist. I turn to see him smiling, lanterns reflecting specks of light into his eyes. He bends his head to kiss me, and it’s bliss, this moment, anonymous, just part of the crowd. I wonder whether I’m right to go home, after all.
‘What is it?’ He lifts his head, his cool breath on my lips.
‘It’s just… I love you. And I love… this.’ I wave my arm at the crowd, which is getting larger, more and more people dancing.
‘I love you too,’ he murmurs, gazing into my eyes. ‘So dance, and then later…’ One corner of his mouth curves, and he presses his hips against mine, his silver gaze hooded.
I sigh, reaching up for another kiss, my hands tangling in his satin hair. After a moment he sets me back from him, turning me around so I’m leaning against him, his arms around me. ‘Patience, Raven girl.’ There’s laughter in his tone. ‘Just a little longer, then we’ll go.’
‘We could go now,’ I say, tilting my head to look at him.
