by H G Lynch
Glancing over her shoulder, Ember saw that Sherry was very pale, her eyes very bright against the pallor of her skin, and her mouth was trembling. She reached back and took Sherry’s hand, squeezing it gently. Sherry tried a wobbly smile, but she still looked scared witless.
“He’s okay. Definitely drugged with something, but he should be fine in a couple of hours,” Ricky said, looking up from Hiro’s furry, hunched body.
Ember nodded, relieved, and went over to stroke Hiro’s ears very softly. Reid made a sound of disgust, half-hiss, and stormed off down the hall with a thundercloud following him. Ember sighed, concerned and wondering how a night of fun had turned into this. Yeah, she thought sarcastically, great way to start the new year. A visit from the psycho who wants to kill you, or at the very least, use your blood to create some sort of super-race.
Ricky whispered reassuringly and soothingly to Sherry, and then checked the wards at the front door. Sure enough, the line of powder was broken. He fixed it with some fresh powder, double checked that the door was locked, and then headed down the hall with Sherry in tow, disappearing into their room.
Ember turned back to the living room, looking at Hiro, curled up and whimpering in his sleep. She hoped he wasn’t having nightmares. She walked back to the sofa and very carefully, picked up the furry bundle. She carried him out of the living room, flipping off the lights.
Once she’d made sure Hiro was comfortably tucked into his den of blankets in the back room, and triple checked all the wards, just to be sure, she finally ducked into the bathroom to get changed into her pyjamas and brush her teeth. She splashed some warm water over her face, and avoided looking in the mirror. She didn’t want to see her reflection, knowing she was pale and probably looked as scared and shaky as she felt.
Eventually, she came out of the bathroom, turned off the light, and crept into the guest room. When she came in, Reid was glowering at the ceiling, lying on is back with his fists resting on his stomach. He was tense all over, and there was a blotch of red staining his t-shirt. He’d gotten changed into his sleep gear, but he hadn’t relaxed at all. Ember swept over to him, frowning in worry.
“Reid, you’re bleeding.” She reached out tentatively to lift his shirt, meaning to check if the wound had reopened, but she pulled her hand back before she could touch him. Something about him felt…dangerous. And, scared as she was, she didn’t want to touch him.
But he looked down at his chest when she spoke, and scowled. “I’m fine,” he said bluntly.
Ember swallowed and tried again to reach out. Reid grabbed her wrist and she gasped. When she looked up, his eyes were glinting and cold. She flinched, and pulled away. He let go of her, and she held her hand to her chest like he’d hurt her. Physically, he hadn’t, but it was unlike him to react like that. It stung. She didn’t know what expression she wore, but it must’ve been more scared than she realised, because Reid’s expression softened, and he looked repentant.
He sighed, looked back up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He shook his head, closed his eyes.
Cautiously, Ember walked round to her side of the bed and perched on the edge, drawing her knees up to her chest and watching him carefully. He seemed to feel her watching him. He opened his eyes, back to their normal, lovely blue, and looked at her, a pained expression on his face. He sat up and reached out to take her hand. Without meaning to, she flinched, and a flash of hurt showed in Reid’s eyes. He dropped his hand and looked down at the sheets.
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to grab you like that. Or snap at you. I’m just so…so frustrated. He was right there! I could’ve taken him out, but…” He shook his head.
“You would’ve only gotten yourself hurt. I should’ve been able to burn him to ashes where he sat, but…I freaked. Again. I’m bloody useless since all this started.” She felt tears sting her eyes, and blinked them back, feeling even more pathetic. Why was she crying? Because he’d snapped at her, or because she was self-pitying? Both were stupid reasons to cry. Reid shifted, like he wanted to put an arm around her but didn’t dare.
“Don’t say that. You’re not useless. You’re scared, like any sane person. After everything that’s happened, not just this week but in the last few months, you’re right to be scared. And you shouldn’t worry about me. I’m practically indestructible.” She could hear the wan smile in his voice, without looking up.
She sniffled. “It’s hard not to worry when you’re still bleeding,” she said in a dead voice.
Reid looked down at his chest again and cursed, lifted his t-shirt to examine the blood-soaked bandage. He peeled it off gingerly, and made a hissing noise through his teeth. “Damn,” he spat.
Her fear taking a back seat to concern, Ember uncurled from her ball and leaned over to take a look. The wound was almost healed over, but it was seeping blood at a steady rate, and still looked really painful.
She slid off the bed and went into the bathroom, got the first aid kit, and returned to the bedroom. Reid had stripped off his bloody t-shirt and the soaked bandage. The bandage had been tossed in the bin, and he was holding the scrunched up t-shirt to the wound to keep it from bleeding onto the bed sheets.
“You’ll ruin your t-shirt,” Ember said mildly.
Reid shrugged. “Don’t care.”
“Of course not.” She sighed and crawled onto the bed again. She removed the wadded-up t-shirt from his hand and he lay back to let her get a better view of the wound. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and took out one of the antiseptic wipes from the first aid kit.
She ran it over the area around the wound, cleaning off the blood, and chucked the bloody wipe in the bin. Then she took a clean wad of gauzy bandage and carefully placed it over the wound, taping it in place with the special white tape.
When she was done, she put the first aid kit on the floor, and turned to him. “Now, any chance you could actually relax so that doesn’t happen again? I’m not your nurse. I won’t keep changing your bandages every time you get pissed off and start bleeding again.” She raised her eyebrows at him and he smiled a little.
“Yes, you will. You can’t help yourself,” he stated.
He was right, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
She slipped off the bed to turn out the main light, then climbed under the duvet. Reid slid into the bed too, and turned on his side, looking at her, chewing his lip like he had something to say.
“What?” she asked quietly.
His eyes were awfully dark and the blue was churning. He frowned. “I really am sorry for grabbing at you. That was stupid of me. I didn’t hurt you much, right?”
Somehow, she knew he wasn’t talking about physical injury. He’d seen the sting in her eyes when he’d lashed at her.
She tried not to meet his gaze. “No. I’m okay,” she mumbled. Normally, she would’ve just hit him for it, but she was so shaken at the minute.
He slid a little closer and she felt his fingers curl tentatively around hers on the sheet. She looked up and smiled weakly. He looked stricken, as if he’d realised he’d hurt her more than she was letting on. But his warmth, and the comfort of his grasp, made her feel safer, and she relaxed. She moved closed to him, and leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing.
He stroked her hair gently, kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Ember,” he whispered.
She nodded against his chest. He reached past her to turn out the bedside lamp, then settled his arm around her, still playing with her hair. She yawned, and snuggled against him, the last of her unease and fear trickling away. As long as she had Reid, she was safe. No matter how pissed off he was, he would always protect her.
“I love you, too,” she murmured, a late response, and then drifted off to sleep in the circle of his arms.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, Ember sat on the edge of the bed, her t-shirt on her lap, while Reid —still shirtless, after she’d forced him to let her examine his wound. It was mo
stly gone, save for a large blotch of a bruise — prodded gently at her chest. He was examining the slash in her skin —or rather, the faint pink line that had been a slash yesterday. It was almost invisible by now, and she was glad her vampire blood meant she wouldn’t have a scar. Reid’s fingertips were warm and light on her skin.
“Looks like it’s healed properly. The scar will fade in a couple of hours,” he said, sitting back on his heels and looking up at her.
“Good.” She nodded, and started to pull her t-shirt back on, when Reid grasped her arms, smiling.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss right on the spot where the slash had been. She shuddered, and bit back her fangs. He chuckled, got up off the floor, and let her finish putting her t-shirt back on. Once she was full dressed again, she gave him a dark look.
“What?” he asked innocently, blue eyes wide.
“You know what. Don’t tease me like that,” she huffed, reaching up to tie her hair into a ponytail.
He tilted his head. “How would you like me to tease you then?” He grinned.
She threw the hair bobble at him and missed by a mile.
He snorted. “Your aim sucks,” he stated.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
A knock at the door interrupted them.
***
“Um, guys?” Sherry peered round the door, and Ember smiled at her.
“Morning, Sherz. What’s up?”
Sherry shot Reid a glance, obviously wondering why he was sitting on the floor, shirtless, but then shrugged. “Nothing, really. It’s just that…I was kind of hoping you’d help me work on my powers again. If you’re not planning anything else.” At that, she shot Reid a different kind of glance.
Reid saw it this time and rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, Sherz. She’s being no fun today. She’s all yours.” He tossed Ember a smirk.
She narrowed her eyes at him, and when he turned back to Sherry, she gave him the finger. Sherry snickered in the doorway and Reid, without turning around, swiftly reached back and grabbed her hand.
“I know what you’re doing, and I suggest you quit it before I find other uses for your hands.”
Ember scowled despite her blush, and Sherry’s eyes were wide all of a sudden. Her lips were pressed together like she was trying not to laugh. “Let go, idgit. I’ll burn your fingers,” she warned playfully.
With a sigh, Reid let go of her hand and whatever face he was making made Sherry giggle.
Ember stood up off the bed and grinned at Sherry. “Come on, I’d be glad to continue our training session.” She made sure to whack Reid on the back of the head as she walked past, and he grabbed her ass in return. She growled light-heartedly, and she heard him chuckle as she left the room with Sherry.
Outside in the back garden, it was colder today. Most of the party decorations were still up, but a few of the streamers had been blown away and a paper chain was torn in two. They’d have to tidy it all up at some point, but that could wait until later.
Sherry was too anxious to do more training to worry about it just now. She wanted to show Ember how much she’d improved since last time. She hadn’t been able to lift the faery lights into the trees last night, but she could lift twigs and pebbles if she tried hard enough.
“Okay, we’ll start with the twig again,” Ember said.
Sherry nodded, trying not to shiver in her cosy jacket.
Ember snapped a twig off the nearest bush, and held it out on her palm. Sherry sank into herself, relaxing, focusing on that magic layer around her mind. The invisible magic bled out of her head and in to the air. She worked to shape it until it formed a hand, and then manoeuvred it to pinch the twig. The twig lifted off Ember’s palm easily, floating in the air three inches above Ember’s hand.
Ember beamed proudly at her. “Awesome! You did it!” She reached up and plucked the twig from the air.
Sherry decided to show off just how well she could do, and levitated a handful of snow up from the ground. It was surprisingly light, even for crusty snow. Ember’s eyes widened as the handful of snow compacted into a snowball, and more snow joined it. The ball grew until Sherry was sure she couldn’t handle any more weight, but she was grinning because the snowball was as big as both her fists.
“You’ve been practicing!” Ember squealed delightedly, clapping. Cautiously, she reached out and swept her hand both over and under the snowball in amazement. Sherry lifted the ball higher, out of Ember’s reach, and pulled back her magic-limb, bracing it. Then the invisible arm launched the snowball at the fence behind Ember, where the snow splattered into a rain of fine, white powder.
Both girls laughed, and Ember turned to her with an excited grin. “In that case, I think we can move on to harder stuff. Like learning to put your power into controlling the cold. Shouldn’t be too hard out here in this winter wonderland.”
Sherry felt anticipation bubble in her chest, just dying to learn to do something really cool with her power.
As she watched, Ember closed her eyes and took a breath, and Sherry had to wonder what she was feeling, how she used the magic mind layer to turn heat into flames. She knew Ember didn’t have to close her eyes to focus on her fire ability, she did it without hardly thinking, but in order to teach Sherry how to do it, she was really trying to figure out how it worked.
She waited patiently for a long minute, before Ember opened her eyes and a tiny flame burst open on her palm, swaying and rippling on her pale skin. “Okay. The first thing you need to do, is to grab hold of your mind-limb again, but this time, when it seeps out if your skull, let it spread. Don’t concentrate it into a hand or arm. Relax it so that it flows out like a net,” Ember instructed calmly, the fire still dancing on her hand.
Sherry nodded. She tuned out the outside world, fell into her own mind, and let the magic layer bleed out. This time, she didn’t start to shape it, and the invisible magic spilled out across the air, stretching to the corners of the garden. It was like a live blanket of electricity, tingling and ready for her next command. “Got it,” Sherry murmured, and the blanket wavered in response.
“Good. Now, this bit should be easy out here. Feel the cold air. The invisible net should sparkle wherever it touches cold particles of air,” Ember whispered, her voice slightly distorted like an echo.
Sherry could feel the back of her head pulsing, but it wasn’t quite a pain yet. So, she tried to do as Ember told her. She tried to feel the cold air particles, but it was like trying to hold water without it slipping through your fingers. Every time she thought she could feel it, it dripped away and she had to try again.
It was exhausting and frustrating, feeling the blanket running with electricity that kept sparking when she could hold onto the magic and then feeling nothing when the magic slid away from her. But, after what felt like a very long time, she finally got to grips with it, and she could sustain the magic for long enough to feel the cold particles brushing against the mind-net like feathers. There were so many, so much coldness that the whole net rippled and sparked.
“I’ve got it. I can feel it,” she breathed, scared that her voice might shatter the tenuous grip she had on the magic net.
“Well done. Well done, that’s great,” Ember whispered, so low Sherry could hardly hear her. “Now, this is the hardest bit. If you can do this, you’ll be two steps away from learning how to really control your power.”
So, no pressure or anything, Sherry thought, swallowing her anxiety. The magic net did a funny thing in reaction to her nervousness; it sparked once, bright and icy cold. Cold particles swung to attach to it, like tiny balloons charged with static clinging to a jumper.
Ember continued talking, oblivious to Sherry’s surprise and confusion. “You need to rein in the net. Imagine it like those giant nets fishermen use on trawlers. Pull it in, and it’ll catch the cold air. Suck it all the way back into your head, but do it carefully. Slowly. Otherwise, you’ll hurt yourself,” Ember instructed quietly.
Sherry tugged on
her magic net, making it curl around the air, and dragging it back toward her. The cold air trapped inside the bubble of invisible magic didn’t escape, but it tickled the edges of the net. She kept dragging, kept pulling, until her head was throbbing and she could feel a sweat breaking out down her spine and on her forehead. She felt like she was hauling an eighty kilo sack of bricks with her teeth, but the net was inching back slowly, so she gritted her teeth, and gave it a sharp yank. A sharp pain splintered in her head, and she gasped, losing her grip on the magic. The net shredded apart and the cold air particles dissipated.
“Sherry! Sherry, are you okay?” Ember, heedless of the snow, knelt down beside her.
She hadn’t even realised she’d fallen to her knees on the ground. Sherry tried to nod, but the movement sent little bursts of stinging pain into the back of her head. I am going to have such a headache later, she thought dimly.
“Okay. Okay. That’s enough for today. You did well, Sherz, you really did. But this is going to take time. There’s no need to push it too fast. For now, let’s get you inside and warm you up, huh?” Ember pulled her carefully to her feet.
Sherry bit her lip against the dizziness that wanted to put her back on the ground. She didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but it hurt. A lot. But she wasn’t going to give up. She’d keep trying, keep practicing. She’d have to learn to work through the pain.
No matter what, she was going to do this.
***
When Ember came into the living room after making sure Sherry took some aspirin and went to lie down, she found Reid and Hiro arguing. She wasn’t sure what it was about, but clearly it had been going for a while, and they were both really pissed off. She stopped in the doorway, trying to figure out what the hell they were yelling about, and neither of them seemed to notice her.
