47. Kali
Chapter 47
Kali
T he sun warmed my skin, and I leaned back on my palms, feeling the soft sand between my fingers. There was a slight breeze and a chill in the air, but nothing could ruin my mood when I was on the beach.
“You were supposed to wait for me.”
I giggled when Zan fell to the sand behind me and pulled me until my back was pressed to his chest. I tilted my head when he kissed the top of my shoulder, and his lips trailed up the side of my neck. Goosebumps skated across my skin, my body reacting to his soft touch like it always did.
“You were taking too long,” I teased, letting out a laugh when his hold tightened.
He nipped at my throat. “You were still sleeping when I got into the shower.”
I stared at the crashing waves, inhaling the salty air. “I love it here.”
“We can stay as long as you want.”
Behind us was the small cabin we claimed as our own. We’d been here for a few weeks, and so far, it was my absolute favorite. We’d been traveling ever since the night we nearly died, and Zan had taken me to all sorts of places. Places filled with beauty I didn’t know existed. But this beach? I would be content to spend forever here. And it was close to home.
“Are you happy, Kali?” he asked in a low voice.
“You know I am.”
He lifted me up, and in a quick move spun me around. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my hands landing on his shoulders. His serious gaze landed on me as I raised an eyebrow.
“I want to make sure that you’re happy.” He studied me curiously. “Living like this—just us. Do you miss anything?”
My heart squeezed at his worry for me. “Zan, this is all I want. To be with you. While making this world a better place.”
“I still have a long list of places I want to take you.”
I laughed lightly. “Why the rush? Don’t we have forever?”
He grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me closer before kissing me. These last six months had been a whirlwind, and it still hadn’t stopped.
The world thought we were dead. Which was what we wanted. What was needed. The blood running through my veins was a weapon. One that had to be protected. The peace we were trying to create wouldn’t happen if one side thought they could claim power. I was keeping the balance and promised myself that no one would ever use me for an agenda again.
Many humans didn’t know what I looked like, and soon those who did would come to an end of their natural lives. My identity—my bloodline—would remain hidden as it was supposed to be.
The night that Keeva and Amaros died changed everything. In that moment, I’d thought I was going to die too. The building we were in crumbled and went into the ocean when the cliff gave way. Being swept away in the water had been terrifying. Somehow Zan had kept his hold on me, and we made it back to land. It had taken me days to heal. Most of the Shadows had survived too, and Rya took charge of them.
Today, all the Shadows knew I was alive. Their loyalty was to me. They listened and were integrating into this new society with the humans under my watch. It was the vampires we had to watch more carefully.
Zan kissed me harder, flipping us over until I was under him, my back pressing into the warm sand. His hand grasped my hip, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back.
“Forever,” he muttered against my lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“You do?” I teased.
“I promised to show you the world. I want you to see everything, Kali.”
A loud groan cut through the air, and Zan pulled away from me, annoyance growing on his face.
“Really?” Viggo’s voice got louder. “You two knew we were coming today. Can you go one day a month without being all over each other?”
I let out a laugh as Zan climbed off me, and I sat up. Viggo, Pax, and Warner were walking across the sand, and I shot my best friend a grin.
“Your timing is impeccable,” Zan grumbled, getting to his feet and pulling me with him. “How did the meeting go?”
“Fine,” Pax answered. “A few issues, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“How’s Gia and Asami?” I asked, brushing the sand from my clothes.
“They’re good. They want to come see you soon,” Warner said.
My heart panged as I looked at him. He was walking in the sun, but not because he was human. He asked me to change him into a Shadow. Back then, I had no idea if my blood could change vampires into Shadows. It turned out that I could. He was still slowly transitioning, but he appeared happy. I always told him I would change him back if that was what he wanted.
Now that I had Keeva’s blood mixed with my own, its power was still a mystery to me. It worked how it was needed depending on who drank it. There had been a few Shadows who had come to me because they wanted to be human again, to be with their family. When they fed from me, my blood changed for what they needed. Any Shadow or vampire would become human if they drank my blood. Humans and vampires transitioned to Shadows if they died with my blood in their system.
Sadness slithered through me when Keeva entered my thoughts. I wasn’t sure it would ever get easier when it came to my twin. If she hadn’t grown up with PARA, how different would our lives be now? I’d asked myself that question a thousand times in the last six months. It was something that I’d never know the answer to since she was dead.
Viggo’s eyes landed on me, a gleeful grin on his lips. “Have you two talked about what Asami said?”
Zan scowled. “Mind your business, Viggo.”
He raised his arms in surrender. “Just curious. I need to know if I’m gonna be an uncle. The last time I saw a baby was when we snuck Kali off the property twenty-five years ago.”
“Oh my fuck.” Zan scrubbed a hand down his face. “Leave it alone.”
My pulse sped up as I shook my head, keeping my mouth closed. Zan and I had already spoken about it. Asami informed me a couple months ago that even though I was a Shadow, I was still able to get pregnant. Just like my mother did. My bloodline needed to survive.
But we had time. Zan still hadn’t felt the need to mate yet. His body was waiting until we were ready.
“I think you’ll be great parents.” Pax’s quiet words had my eyes snapping to him. “And we’d all be there to help.”
Viggo snorted. “Help? Have you looked around? Three of us were raised by a sadistic vampire and the other two were orphans. None of us know anything about parenthood.”
A frown pulled at my lips. He was right. How could I be a good mother when I knew absolutely nothing? Zan threw an irritated look at his brother as he put an arm around my waist, pulling me closer.
“You’ll be an amazing mother if that’s what you choose,” he murmured, giving me a kiss on the forehead. “Viggo’s just scared.”
“Hell yeah, I am,” he declared, his eyes dancing with amusement. “You realize twins run in the family, right? Can you imagine two kids running around with Kali’s attitude and Zan’s anger issues?”
“I don’t have anger issues,” Zan snapped.
Pax chuckled. “Sure, you don’t. But it doesn’t matter. Zan is right. It’s none of our business.”
Warner cleared his throat. “Anyway…we need to find more hawthorn. We’re running low.”
I was glad Warner changed the subject. While Asami made it perfectly clear that it was destiny for me to have a child, I wasn’t ready. Not yet.
“We’ll have people go look,” Viggo said.” I’m sure PARA still has warehouses full of it that we haven’t found yet.”
We were giving the option of hawthorn tattoos to any human who wanted one. It was another way to keep peace. Making sure they had the freedom of their mind while living among Shadows and vampires. Some humans decided to use the lotion that PARA created to mask their blood scent, especially those who lived with Shadows.
“Is that all?” Zan asked, his arm tightening around me.
Pax rolled his eyes. “You and Kali can go back to living in lonely bliss tomorrow. We only see you once a month. We’re staying for the day.”
Viggo nodded in agreement. “Tell us all about where you’ve been all month.”
“We’ve been helping Shadows acclimate to living with humans,” I answered, giving him a long look. “You know this. We’re working too, even though it’s in secret.”
Zan snuck me a look, a grin on his lips. We had been working hard. But the last six months had also been the best time of my life. No matter what we were doing, Zan always made sure to make me smile. We were living in a way I’d only dreamed about. And I never wanted it to end.
“There’s blood in the cooler.” Zan nodded toward the cabin. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“We can take a hint.” Viggo slipped his hands in his pockets before strolling away.
Warner backed up, giving me a smile. “It’s good to see you, Kali.”
Zan waited until they were off the beach before pulling me closer. He rested his knuckles under my chin, tilting up my face until I met his questioning gaze.
“I want to know that you’ll tell me if anything changes. If you’re ever not happy.” His eyes searched mine. “Because I want you to spend the rest of your life living how you always wanted.”
I smiled, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer. “I have you. That won’t ever change.”
He chuckled. “What a far cry from when we first met. Back when you were doing everything to get away from me.”
“True,” I mused. “Good thing you were obsessed with me even back then.”
“Obsessed. In love. Same thing.” He kissed me softly. “All it means is that you’re mine. You always will be.”
I melted into his arms. He was what I always wanted even if it was before I knew who he was. Someone who loved me so fiercely that he would burn the world down for me.
Or save it because it was what I wanted.
I would do the same for him.
Always.