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eyes
began to glow a bright-sky blue devoid of any hint of yellow and
she leaned forward on her toes, a body ready to pounce.
    The part of Kira still together, still
connected to the sun, fought back. She clenched her fists, a
movement only Luke could feel as close as they were. He looked down
at her, mistaking it for fury. But Kira knew better, and she
squeezed her fingers, using her nails to cut deep gashes in her
palms.
    As always, the pain shocked her back into
control. Her flames broke through the sticky tar hardening in her
limbs, forcing a retreat. The fire rushed forward and her hands
faintly glowed as her powers took control, healing the cuts.
    "Kira," Luke nudged her. For once, he
couldn't read exactly what was going on in her mind. He thought her
anger was making her lose it.
    She ignored Luke and stepped forward, closer
to Noah. Pulling her flames up around her heart, Kira pushed the
darkness back into hiding—searing the edges and trapping it once
more.
    "And what would you do to prevent that?" She
asked him. Part of her was curious, but part of her knew that
getting angry was the only way to make her flames burn strong
enough to keep her conduit-side in control.
    "Anything," he responded coolly.
    "Will you kill me?" Kira whispered. He didn't
say anything but leveled an unyielding gaze on her. "So that's it
then?" She shook her head, looking back to the razor sharp eyes of
the Punisher leader. "That's the big plan? To kill me?" He shifted
his gaze to the floor, breaking slightly under Kira's scrutiny. The
silence spoke loudly enough.
    The conduits kept their gazes locked on
Kira.
    "Have you even thought of all the good I
could do?" She asked, still refusing to give this Punisher a break.
Instead Kira challenged him, walking closer to his sturdy wooden
chair. He had nowhere to move, no way to escape. Her fire settled
in, rumbling like a volcano ready to explode. She felt the flames
lick the underside of her palms, wishing for release.
    The image of Tristan popped into her head—his
face fast asleep and free of the sharp-edged stress lines normally
digging deep into his skin. She had saved him—she had done that
with her conduit powers, with her fire. And what if there were
others like him out there? More vampires who wanted to be free of
the curse? Would all of these people just turn their backs out of
fear—was the unknown really so scary?
    All Kira knew was the unknown, her life was
uncharted territory. And yes, it was scary, but it was also
exhilarating to write her own fate.
    "I saved one vampire—I can save more. Who
knows what we can do? Maybe I can teach you how to heal them, how
to bring the humanity back to a vampire who wishes to be saved. We
can make a real difference. We can forever alter the scales and
take control back from the vampires who completely outnumber us.
All you need to do is give me a chance to prove myself, just one
chance."
    "Well said," Kira's grandfather interjected,
using his deep rumble to catch the attention of the crowd and cut
Kira off while she was still ahead. And Kira sensed it—the slightly
favorable note playing faintly through the air—the Protectors were
still on her side…for now. And the idea that she wasn't alone
finally calmed Kira, letting her blood cool off and her flames
retreat.
    "We have all been presented with a lot of
questions and very few answers," her grandfather continued, "I for
one would like a night to discuss today's events with my fellow
Council members—a chance to regroup and figure out how we can meet
in the middle to make a united decision."
    He stepped off of his throne, reaching to the
side for the wooden cane camouflaged against the chair leg. Without
looking back, he shuffled to the edge of the platform and stopped
right before the first step. Putting his hand out, palm facing the
sun and the majority of the townspeople, he said "May the sun shine
down upon you for all of your days."
    "May it protect you until the