His Little Ember • BOOK III

Chapter XVII

We hiked, attempting to stay out of any open areas, trying to get to our destination. Isla had to catch a few breaths every once in a while but who could blame her? There was no turning back for her. Even if Mallory could teleport her back, even I selfishly felt it, it was as if she was needed here. 

My heart thumped against my chest violently as we walked silently through the mountain canyon. Was I dumb or was I dumb to feel this terrible attraction? We barely knew each other; was this the soulmate pull?

Various thoughts ran through my head and I slapped myself in the face. Suddenly I ran into a hard back and realized we had stopped. My cheeks slowly turned garnet but I marched over to W who was leaning over the map. 

“There should be another human town over the ledge then down the path. Once we get there, the bar will be pretty hidden but I’m sure Dyna’s partner will be there.”

“Have you figured out the code?”

He sighed, “Not yet. The Alpha hid it pretty well in an ancient language that not even my black magic can break through. I’ll figure it out by tonight which is when we’ll go.”

“Who will?”

“Everyone goes down but Ariella, Mallory, and I will go in.” 

We slowly went up to the mountain and finally ended onto the grassy mountain ledge that was on the side. I gasped at the breathtaking view. Miles and miles of cliffs covered in pine trees lay in the valley before us. The bright orange sun was slowly in the midst of nightfall, its rays of light making the blue and gray river that broke through the middle of the valley turn navy. Lying below was the little village.

Smiling at the sunset, I took a deep breath then turned and noticed Kain looking at me. I raised an eyebrow and quickly he turned to go back to the others. What the heck?

I had my knees to my chest, sighing. We couldn’t light a fire in case of suspicion. A hand came down next to me and I looked up to meet Kain’s gleaming forest-colored eyes. “Come with me.”

Taking it, he started to walk away from the group, not letting go. “Um, Kain, I think we should talk about our--”

He stopped and I looked around, my eyes widening. We were in a meadow, the green grass waving in the cool breeze, lightly tickling our ankles. Different flowers bloomed and surrounded us. The clear white moon was now slowly rising, the stars gleaming in the sky and he turned to me.

“Us vampires aren’t what you always think we are. Yet I see it in you too, how you enjoy the night; you’re more alive in it.”

Shrugging, I looked to the endless mountains. “I don’t think all of you are bad. Just…” I leaned down and picked one of the wild red roses, “It’s like my weapon. When I shoot an arrow, it's like one thorn from my past is flying away. I never knew who they were. And, if it comes down to it, I'll be a rose on fire for my family, free and ready to fight.” Glancing at him, I said, “So you see, these wolves, Catalina and now the Sunshine-Darkmoon Pack, they’re my family. And I won’t let anyone take that away.”

After a moment of silence, I gave him a small smile, “This meadow is amazing. Thank you for showing it to me.”

“You know what us vampires like to do? Bring a bit of light out.” Grabbing my hands, Kain suddenly jumped, making me squeak in surprise. Hundreds of fireflies came soaring out and I laughed, reaching up to catch one of them. The meadow almost looked like it came out of a fairytale with the enchanting magic of the fireflies lights and the violet night sky. 

I did want to learn more about him, about our generation. He smiled at me, understanding that. No words needed to be spoken. We decided to head back to camp to get ready for the next step in our journey.