The Fire Between Us- Book Eight

Ch. 3- In Plain Sight

"Paint me a heaven of love with your bloodied mouth."

***

She was born from the flames of Hell. The fire within her was the same color as her mother's hair and she knew at a young age that she was destructive. Dangerous. She could set fire to her whole Kingdom if she wanted. The Princess of Ambrosia could destroy the world if it angered her enough, they said. But what was wanted the others to know is that she does not have one spark of violence in her body. Yes, she has flames that are uncontrollable. But she would rather use the powers that were given her to warm up others in the middle of winter or set up a bonfire in the summer. All she ever wanted was for people to not see her as the enemy.

Kalama Alli Breevort was named after two brave women that her father fought with centuries ago. She heard numerous stories about them, Kalama who sometimes spoke in a different language Sebastian could not understand when he was annoying her. She was beautiful and sacrificed her life in order for the immortal King. Alli secretly loved Kalama with all her heart but did not say anything until her last moments. She lived a long time and grieved for the women she loved every second. Kalama can sometimes see her father looking at her with the same awe when he talks about the two of them. She wondered if she could ever be a legend like that. If people would talk about her like she was the sun that warmed their skin instead of the fire that burned it.

She never wanted to cause any harm to others, especially not her family. Kalama never wanted to hurt anybody, but she did. Sometimes, late at night, she wanted so badly to get rid of her powers. To suppress it enough that she was just a normal girl with a taste for blood. But no matter how hard she tries, she will always be one-half of the most dangerous creatures in the world. She has the ability to create rifts into other worlds, other realities. How can she be normal at all? She was born like this. So extraordinary that Vampires and Fae alike looked at her strangely when she walked down the street.

All she wanted was for others to see her as a savior, not the enemy.

So when she met Jesse Davenport, all the control she had broken into a million tiny pieces. He did not just have the pretty face she had or the mix of black and golden eyes, or the wit that escaped her mouth at the most inconvenient times. Jesse saw everything and loved her for it. He loved the fire within her and he was not afraid of it. Of her. And for once, she was able to melt into his arms. She did not think about whether she was burning him, she thought about his heart and how it was beating rapidly for her.

For her.

She was not a monster. She was the one that could save everyone from the depths of the coldest winter. Kalama Alli Breevort could bring others back to life with one swift flame in her hand.

***

I was hiding from the enemy. Laying on my stomach beneath a bush to make sure they did not see me, a Soltari Vampire was unaware that I was here in the first place. Beside me was my twin brother, Aeson, along with Jesse Davenport on the other side of me. We were silent for at least an hour, barely breathing so our enemy did not hear us. The three of us watched as the Vampire, a male with blonde hair and wearing bloodied gear, walked away from his post, leaving us alone for now.

People have died because of this war, I know that. But seeing it first-hand sent a shock through my system. I may not know the names of the deceased, but I know they fought hard. For their Kingdom. For hope. For love. And I will forever respect and grieve for those I have lost. "Stay still." Aeson whispered. "They might still be here."

Ignoring him, I lifted my head and peaked to see if the Soltari were still here. He was not. I turned to Aeson and smiled wickedly. "Idiot. He left." Within seconds, I was standing upright and scanning my surroundings. It was dead quiet except for the breathing of my brother and boyfriend, who stood next to me now. "I swear, whenever you two have a plan, it is excruciatingly painful."

"Princess, you know how much I love your commentary," Jesse said, not even looking at me. "Now is not the time for it, though."

"I don't care."

"Kalama," Aeson replied in a whisper. "The point of this plan is to be quiet. To find out what they're fucking planning. So shut up or you are out."

I rolled my eyes, holding my blade tighter in my hand. "If it wasn't for me, all of your plans would fail." I locked eyes with Jesse and Aeson now, as they stayed silent. "We are a team. So stop acting like we aren't. I am not your little sister in this war, Aeson." I looked at Jesse. "You are not my boyfriend in battle, Jesse. We are simply on the same side, wanting to kill our enemies. You got it?"

It was a matter of seconds. Only seconds before, I was standing upright. Next, I was being dragged through the woods. It was too fast, I thought. Control yourself, Kalama. Think. A Soltari is dragging me someplace far away and I can hear Jesse's claws digging in the dirt. The icicles forming in my brother's hands. They are running after me. My fire was unleashed and the Soltari screamed out in pain, letting go. One hand was full of flames and the other was holding my blade, fire coming out of it in full force. I was standing up now, seething from the fact that my enemy was going to take me to her again. "Any last words?" I asked the man. A Soltari. My enemy.

The man stayed silent and it was my cue. I walked slowly towards the Soltari with a smirk on my face. Fear lit in his eyes like the fire did mine and it sent a thrill throughout my entire body. "Aren't you tired of fighting the same fight, Soltari? You know who is going to win in the end, so why not give up now? You have no chance to win. Do you know why?" I stepped closer. "It is because I exist. Gods of Death exist and they are on my side. The Wild Hunt is my brother's companion. The wolves will tear you to pieces without breaking a nail. The world is mine, Soltari. Not yours."

"But it was mine. Before Alistair Breevort tore it to pieces." he spat.

"You destroyed villages. Burned their houses down and took off their heads." I replied. "You killed thousands of humans without remorse. You will always be the monster in the story."

"Both of us are monsters in our own way, Princess." he tilted his head to the side. "You know all about that. You have the hunger for blood and the destruction of fire in your veins. You are a monstrosity that should never have existed in the first place. It will be a blessing and a curse."

My fangs ejected and I plundered them in the man's neck. I did not know if his blood was poisonous or not, I did not particularly care at the moment. I wanted him dead on the spot. I felt all the blood drain from his body and I let it drop to the ground in front of me. His blood was running down my chin and I heard Jesse Davenport's breathing behind me.

I turned around slowly and his jaw was clenched. In a blink of an eye, he was behind me. Protecting me from the Soltari who was not quite dead. He was about to attack me before Jesse clawed his heart out. Jesse and I were close, too close. "No one else is allowed to call you Princess. Only I can."

"Jealousy suits well with you, Wolf," I replied.

"Move!" Aeson yelled. Both of us ran away from the Soltari within a second. Aeson used his powers to slice off our enemy's head, even though he was already dead. It was what Alistair said and he was the only one who remembered it. Gruesome, violent, murders. But it is war. Annoyed, Aeson turned away from us. "And this is why I am the older brother." I rolled my eyes again as we headed back home, wearing the blood and guts of our enemy. We did not care one bit. What was supposed to be a stakeout turned out to be a full-on murder.

It is what needs to be done to stop this war.

At least, that is what I think in order to feel better about it.

No matter what they say about me, what my fire makes me feel, I do not like killing others. I just want to be something that no one is afraid of. But that will never happen.