Killing had been her way of life. Survival. Kill or be
killed. As a gladiator, there was no middle ground. In the arena, by order of
her masters, she’d sent so many others to early graves. It was enough to make
her hungry for revenge on all members of the so-called human race. The lot of
them were untrustworthy, greedy, vengeful, lying bastards.
Mira shot a heated glance toward Lucian. Human. Former
Regent. One who had, in the past, ordered the death of many of her kind. At a
single turn of his thumb she herself had been forced to end the lives of many
vampire kin, ripping out their throats while crowds cheered above her.
And they called her
a savage. Mira scoffed at the irony.
She should hate Lucian as much as she hated the rest of
human society; she certainly had the right to. But not all humans were bad. At
least not that one, she reminded herself as her gaze narrowed down his short
dark hair toward the crook of his neck, spotting the pulsating artery there. It
would be so easy to sink her fangs in and drink her fill. Lucian had once been
part of the problem, but no longer. He’d helped save her from her imprisonment.
He’d proven his true nature. She looked back to the other two humans in the
vehicle – the aging Curtis and his wife, Sarah, huddling together, fighting
exhaustion. They too had helped, despite obvious revulsion at her species. Not
all humans were the enemy. Not all were evil. Just as she, a vampire, was not
evil.
She dragged in another breath of that glorious fresh night
air and let it clear away the anger. So many years she had dreamed of freedom,
and now she had it.
She was free. Alive. No more silver shackles. No more tiny
cell smelling of dirt and decay. No more fighting for her life in the arena.
Sure, they were still in danger, and the humans would certainly pursue her, but
in this one moment, she was free. The crispness of that single breath stirred
within her the desire for more. Others too should savor this freedom. She
thought back to the prison and all of the vampires still trapped within.
George, the closest thing she’d had to a true friend. Tegan, her last opponent.
He’d been her enemy in the arena and in training, but he didn’t deserve to
remain locked behind silver-coated bars. Countless others were still
languishing away within the Iron Gate prison. Those poor souls. They needed to
know that there was more to immortality than servitude.
“You okay, Mira?” Lucian’s weary tone was soft as a whisper.
Quiet as they were, his words snapped Mira from her
thoughts. “Yeah. Why?”
“You just look…” Lucian hesitated as if unable to complete
the thought.
“I’m fine. I just haven’t seen the stars in so long. They’re
so beautiful.”
Lucian glanced upwards, but his eyes didn’t sparkle the way
Mira had hoped. “I guess.”
“Don’t take them for granted. You don’t know what it’s like
to miss them.”
“I can only imagine.” He forced a smile.
She couldn’t be too annoyed with him. Living a life of
privilege, as he had, wanting for nothing, how could she expect him to
appreciate something as small yet significant as the stars shimmering in the
night sky? There was a time when she too had taken them for granted. “Nice
driving back there.” She hoped the subject change would break the awkward
silence between them.
His chest puffed with pride. “I have to admit, it was pretty
exciting.”
Mira smiled at the sudden change in his demeanor. She
doubted he’d ever experienced anything as thrilling as their escape in his
life. “I’ll be honest. I had my doubts we’d make it.”
“Really?” His shoulders slumped slightly.
“Three humans and one half-blind vampire being chased by
trained soldiers? Think about it. The odds weren’t exactly in our favor, now,
were they?”
“You should give us more credit than that.”
“We did it. We survived and we’re still alive. That’s credit
enough. Don’t get cocky; you’ll become sloppy.” She didn’t mean to downplay
their abilities, but being a realist, she wouldn’t sugarcoat things. That
wasn’t the warrior way.
Lucian’s jaw tightened. Clearly dissatisfied by her lack of
praise, he turned away, looking out the window toward the horizon. “So, do you
have an idea as to where we’re going?”
“No.” Sanctuary had always been a land of legend. A rumor
spread among the vampires wanting to find freedom from oppression. She’d been
on the road to finding it once; before she’d been captured. Back when she was
just a fledgling traveling with her sire and lover, Theo. All she remembered
from those days was that they’d been heading west, toward the coast. “Nor do I
know what we’ll do or find if we ever get there.”
“Well, you’re just a bright little ray of sunshine tonight,
aren’t you?”
“I don’t like sunshine, and I’m not going to pretend we’re
in the clear. We’ve still got a lot of question marks hanging above our heads.”
All three books in the Chronicles are available now. Get your copies today!
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