Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (15 page)

Most of
what I found in those books was general information about vampires.
There was nothing on specific abilities. I groaned and slammed the
book shut.

"No
luck?" Lucas asked.

I shook
my head.

"Maybe you're looking in the
wrong place for answers." He closed his book, and
placed it back on
the table. "So, I've been meaning to ask you how you've been
since
that
night."

"Fine, I
guess. There's just a lot been happening recently."

Lucas
raised an eyebrow. "Just fine? I dunno. It feels like something
more. There's been something different about you these last couple
of days."

I opened
my mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Ash calling me over. I
stood and excused myself from the conversation.

"What is
it?" I asked.

"Well,"
he started, pointing to an article on the screen. "I found this in
the missions archive. Last year, the Second Sunreaver squad went up
against a vampire. It says here that the vampire's ability was
short-range teleportation."

"But
that's–"

"Jansen's
ability. Right, and this was his report. But..." He pressed the
screen and flicked to another report. "Same mission, but this is
Dom's report. He encountered a vampire with the exact same
appearance, only this vampire could manipulate the
wind."

"Like
Dom."

"Exactly."

"So,
what? Two different vampires?"

Ash shook
his head. "I don't think so. The reports all seem to indicate there
was only one vampire. They reckon he could mimic the abilities of
others. And here's the thing. He got away."

I knew
what Ash was implying, but there was no way it was the same vampire
we encountered. Sure, the physical descriptions were similar, but
there was one thing still bugging me. "Okay, so let's say the
vampire was mimicking my ability. How do you explain what freaked
out the Fifth Covenant? None of them had any ability to
copy."

Ash
shrugged. "I dunno, but you heard Sergeant Locke's story. Sometimes
a vampire doesn't need an ability to scare the crap out of
you."

"What
about Liam's report?"

"Hasn't
been filed yet. Mik, the guy's squad was mutilated beyond
recognition. I doubt he's gonna be up to retelling that tale for a
while. Look, I know you're searching for answers, but what if there
aren't any to be found? Sometimes things just happen."

"No,
something is wrong here. I mean, what if we're not entirely
human?"

"Okay,
now you're just talking crazy. Last I checked, both my parents are
human and totally ordinary. And their parents too."

"Then
there must be something else. Our powers must have come from
somewhere." I started tapping on the screen, searching for anything
I could find on the Daeva.

"Mik,
stop." Ash grabbed my wrists and turned me away from the terminal.
"Stop, and think about this for a moment. Even if this were some
big conspiracy, do you really think they'd leave evidence lying
around?"

"No. But
I can't shake this feeling. Has Lucas told you about the files he
found? They have newborn children marked as potential Daeva.
They're not telling us something."

"Did the
files actually say potential Daeva?

"Ummm,
yeah, I think that's what he said."

"Then
they're not even sure." Ash sighed. "I think I know what this is
all about."

"You
do?"

"Yeah. A
lot has happened this last week. I mean, first there was
graduation, then killing that guy, us, the vampire and the Fifth
Covenant. Anyone in your position would be feeling a little
overwhelmed."

"I'm
not–"

"Mik,
trust me, I get it. There was a time when I was starting to realise
I was bi. I was so confused. I couldn't figure out who I was
supposed to be, and it scared me. I wouldn't blame you if you're
going through something similar."

Perhaps
Ash was right, and I was avoiding the real problem by making others
to distract myself with. A lot had changed. I had changed, and I
still wasn't sure whether my new-found sexuality was limited to
Ash, or if there was something more to it.

"Maybe
you're right. But... I dunno. Something just feels
wrong."

"Okay,
how about we make a deal? For the next week I want you to forget
about all this nonsense and relax. Let yourself adjust. If you're
still feeling uneasy after that, then I'll back you."

"Okay." I
sighed. "One week."

Ash
smiled. "Great. Starting now, you are not allowed to mention
anything conspiracy-related, and I'm gonna keep you occupied so you
don't even have time to think about it."

I began
to wonder what I had gotten myself into, trying to imagine how Ash
intended on keeping me busy for a whole week. Knowing Ash, it would
likely involve a lot of bedroom activities, which I had to admit, I
was feeling less adverse to after my venture the previous night. In
fact, a part of me was looking forward to it.

"Come
on," Ash said. "Let's go tell Lucas we're done here. Maybe we can
go shoot some hoops til Sergeant Locke is expecting us
back."

Ash took
hold of my hand and started to pull me along with him. I paused,
thinking back to how I had ran from Lucas' questions. "I think
Lucas knows about us."

"Then I
can do this," Ash whispered, leaning in to kiss me. Heat raced up
my neck and face in a mix of anger and embarrassment. And then
there was also a hint of frustration and desire. Okay, maybe a lot
more than a hint. I wanted to grab hold of him and devour him right
then and there. But at the same time I wasn't sure I was ready to
reveal to the whole world the nature of our
relationship.

"Bastard," I muttered. "Do you think he saw?"

Ash
grinned. "Oh yeah. He saw."

I pulled
my hand free of Ash's and stormed back to the table, trying to
avoid eye contact with Lucas.

"So, you
and Ash," he said.

I didn't
answer, instead choosing to start piling up the books on the
desk.

"Well, I
can't say I'm surprised. I mean, you two are nearly always
together, and there's some kinda spark between the two of you. I
think Kat sees it too, and that's why she gives you so much
stick."

"I don't
wanna talk about it."

"Don't
mind him," Ash said. His hand ruffled my hair. "He's just shy
because it's all new to him."

"What are
you gonna tell Kat?" Lucas asked.

Ash's
hand froze. "We haven't figured that out yet."

"Well,
don't worry. I definitely won't be telling her. She seems like the
type to shoot the messenger." Lucas scratched his chin. "Oh, I have
an idea. Why don't we fix her up with someone?"

"Who
though?" Ash asked. "And how would we get them
together?"

Lucas
smirked. "You find a guy, and I'll get them to meet."

"Are you
two done plotting?" I said wearily.

"Sure,
let's get out of here," Ash said. He explained the situation to
Lucas, who simply shrugged and smiled. We left the library and were
heading back to the cafeteria to see if Brad was still there when
we spotted a familiar face.

"Graeme,"
Ash yelled. He turned to wave and stopped to let us catch up to
him. "What are you doing here?"

"Been
showing some new schematics to the General," he said. He patted the
bag he was carrying over his shoulder, which was filled with rolls
of paper. "New weapon and vehicle designs. That kinda
stuff."

"So I
know this chick who would love to meet you," Lucas blurted
out.

Ash's jaw
dropped. "No. Just, no."

"Think
about it," Lucas said. "Who better than a younger version of
you?"

"He has a
point," I added.

"Sorry."
Graeme smiled. "I've actually got my eyes on someone. In fact, I
was about to go meet her for lunch."

"Oh. Nice
one," Ash cheered, giving his brother a pat on the back. "Now
remember, make sure she pays her half."

"I got
it, Bro. Don't worry." Graeme glanced at his watch. "Well, I'd love
to stay, but I'm already running a little late. I'll try and catch
up with you sometime soon."

"No
worries. You go and enjoy yourself."

"Good
luck," I said, waving as he jogged off to his lunch
date.

"If he's
anything like Ash, I doubt he'll need any luck," said
Lucas.

Ash
smiled. "Yeah, he'll be fine."

We
continued on to the cafeteria and met up with Brad, who was just
about ready to leave. There was still plenty of time until we were
expected back, so we picked up a basketball from the storeroom and
went out onto the courts. Ash, of course, picked me for his team,
despite my lack of skill in that particular sport. The match ended
in a narrow defeat for us.

The rest
of the day was spent revising basic military tactics, so Ash could
join in. I never did like the theory part of our training, but
Sergeant Locke insisted it was essential, especially since I had
missed the first two years of my military education.

*****

That
evening, Ash stayed true to his word and kept me busy. We went out
of the military base for dinner, which was a rare occasion for us
both. I guess you could call it our first date. We sat on the
frozen grass in the middle of the park, wrapped up nice and warm,
eating battered sausage and chips. Not exactly first date material,
but it was peaceful, and the sky was clear and dotted with stars.
For a while we sat in each other's arms and Ash pointed out some of
the constellations he knew; the Big Dipper, Orion and Ursa Major. I
tried to follow, but had difficulty picturing some of the shapes he
was describing.

The
evening drew on, getting colder with each passing minute. Our
breaths formed a dense mist in front of us and we retreated back to
the warmth of our room, where Ash suggested giving me a massage. I
agreed and he helped strip me of my clothes, leaving my upper half
bare. Lying down on my stomach, I let his hands rub and knead the
muscles in my back. It was so relaxing that I started drifting off
to sleep, until I felt Ash's warm tongue against my lower back. He
moved upwards, tracing the line of my spine. My whole body
shuddered. I groaned as Ash nibbled at my earlobe, and rolled onto
my back to meet his eyes. He pressed his body against mine, rocking
his hips as we kissed, and soon we were giving each other a massage
of a different kind.

Less than
a week ago, if anyone had told me I would be doing this kind of
thing near enough every night with my best friend, I would have
called them insane. Yet, there I was, panting and moaning,
exploring a side of me I never thought existed. Maybe I was the
crazy one. Everything had happened so fast. In the space of three
days, I had gone from asexual to definitely sexual. I still wasn't
sure how it happened, but for the first time in my life that I
could remember, I was happy. I guess that should have been my first
warning.

Friday
the thirteenth, unlucky for some. I, however, have never believed
in superstition. I've walked under plenty of ladders, broken my
fair share of mirrors, and even crossed paths with a couple of
black cats. Yet, I never experienced any of the bad luck that was
supposed to follow. My life had been far from perfect, that was for
sure, but I never considered it to be the product of ill-fortune.
Bad choices, perhaps, but not luck. If anything, at that moment in
time, I would have said things were looking up.

Things
with Ash were going smoothly. No, better than that. Things were
going great. Everything was great. Even Katiya seemed to be in a
good mood.

That
morning, Ash surprised me by sneaking up on me in the shower. At
first I was angry, but as I had come to realise, I couldn't stay
mad at him for long, especially when faced with a pouting lip and
puppy-dog eyes. Needless to say, but we were left with very little
time for breakfast.

We
arrived at our meeting spot just on time. There was a grim look on
Sergeant Locke's face, and it was soon clear why. General Marsten
strode into the room, fully geared for combat.

"Listen
up, soldiers," he said. "Early this morning, the barriers at
Marmagne came under attack from what we believe to be a small band
of insurgents. Our scouts have tracked them to several locations.
The five of you will be heading to Boursac, a small area of ruins,
several miles north of Marmagne to locate any insurgents. Sergeant
Locke will fill in the details for you on the way
there."

"You
heard the man," said Sergeant Locke. "Gear up and meet at the
garage on the double. Dismissed."

We
marched out of the room, leaving our superiors to discuss something
in private.

"Been a
while since I saw the General go out on an actual mission," Brad
said when we reached the locker room.