A Higher.
“This is bad, Sylas. We can’t let them send their army to that colony. Those people will be an easy target for the Highers and I left Maci and Greyson there… and if they capture Mathew, there’s going to be no hope left for a cure.” I blow out a stressed breath, thinking of poor Maci and how she’s injured. I thought I was keeping her safe by leaving her there, but now I’m not so sure.
“Then we need to leave now if we want to beat them there,” Sylas tells me, his eyes burning with determination. “We’ll have to let Aiden take care of himself.”
“But—”
He holds up his hand, cutting me off. “You have to let him go… you can’t save everyone, Kayla.”
I feel queasy as a memory surfaces in my thoughts.
“You need to learn to let go of your emotions, Kayla,” Monarch tells me, sitting beside me on the floor. “You can’t let yourself become attached to people.”
“But what about Sylas and Aiden?” I ask. “I don’t want anything to happen to them.”
Monarch looks disappointed in me. “There are other things more important than Sylas and Aiden. Much bigger things, and there will come a time when you’ll have to choose your battles; to let someone go. You need to realize that you can’t save everyone. Not if you are going to save the world.” He pauses. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I nod. “Yes, I understand. Getting the cure and saving the world is the most important thing,” I answer robotically.
He gives me a small smile, but his eyes are filled with remorse. “Good girl,” he says and then pats my head
I lean back against the wall as he injects my arm with a needle. I’ve gotten so used to it that I barely feel the sting. My vision grows blurry as his voice fades.
“I just hope you’ll remember this when the time comes,” I hear him say and then I slip into unconsciousness.
I blink my eyes. Sylas is snapping his fingers in front of my face. I shake my head as I look at him.
“Having another memory flashback?” he asks me, brushing ash out of his hair.
I glance around in the steel buildings, listening to the cries of the vampires from somewhere in the distance. “Yeah, and I think you are right. We’ll have to leave Aiden for now.” I hate saying it, but it feels right. “We need to get these papers back to Mathew and help them before the Highers’ army arrives.” I get to my feet and brush my hands down the back of my jeans, dusting off the dirt.
Sylas stands to his feet as I turn around and then we make our way back through the streets lined with barrels and vampires, heading towards Mathew and the colony. We move as fast as we can with the vampires’ screams piercing the air all around us, winding around cars, leaping over them, knowing we have to hurry. My only hope is that we make it back before the Highers’ army gets there.
That we can save the world before it’s too late.
Chapter 18
The cold night air feels like it should be affecting me, slowing me down or hindering my endurance, but it doesn’t. I never get tired and Sylas keeps up with me easily. It’s kind of perfect running through the desert at my own speed.
“This is fun,” Sylas says as we hop over rocks.
“You think?” I leap over a large rock and land gracefully on the other side.
He drops down beside me and smiles. “I do. In fact, I think we should do it more often.”
I don’t answer, however I smile as we race off again. We’re just on the outskirts of the colony, feeling good about how fast we’re moving, when we cross a herd of vampires in our path. They’re wandering around, trying to find something to feed on, with their heads tipped back towards the sky, crying out.
I slam to a halt when I notice them and draw out my knife, ready to attack. I know that the vampires are afraid of me, but Sylas’s scent might attract them. He slows down beside me, starting to ask what I’m doing, but then he turns his head and his eyes slightly widen as he sees them and steps back.
One of the vampires glances over at us and then the rest smell the air.
“Sylas, run,” I order as I stick my hand out to protect him.
He doesn’t budge and I’m about to shove him back when the vampires suddenly lower their heads and cower back. One braver one comes running up towards us, but then it veers quickly to the right and takes off with the others.
I give Sylas a puzzled look from over my shoulder and he shrugs.
“They probably caught your scent,” he says, yet he doesn’t sound completely convinced. We’ve been attacked before together. My scent doesn’t always repel them so easily.
Still, I nod and then we start running again down the path and over the hill to the outskirts of where the vampires have migrated. It’s like we’re herding them away, forcing them to run.
Every once in a while, one will turn back towards Sylas like it’s about to attack him, but then quickly darts forward like it’s afraid. They head out to the flat land and finally they’re a safe distance away.
I stop and so does Sylas, watching them cry in the distance. He looks at me funny and then we continue to walk. “Maybe my scent isn’t normal,” he says with a confused look on his face. “Well, normal for me.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as I hop from a large rock to a smaller one.
He matches my move breezily. “Well, think about it. I had changed into an abomination. The vampires are afraid of them. Maybe I still have the same smell as when I was changed.”
“You could be right, but if that’s the case, I wonder if it will be permanent.”
“Maybe. I wonder if there’s a cure for that.”
“Do you want there to be a cure for that?” I ask. “It’s kind of convenient.”
He wavers. “Yeah, I guess, but still… those things smell disgusting.” He sniffs himself and pulls a puzzled face. “I honestly can’t smell anything, except dirt.”
I lean over and sniff his chest. “You smell fine to me.”
He bites his bottom lip as I lean away. I can tell that he wants to do something to me; maybe kiss me like he did back when he was changing. I take off before he can do so, knowing I could easily get caught up in his kisses. He jogs after me, smiling to himself.
We maintain a rapid pace and make it back to the cave before daylight. Sylas insists that he can make the rest of the journey in the daylight and that he’ll keep his jacket on to protect himself. I argue for a moment then I hear Monarch’s words echoing in my head once more.