Circle of Embers (Shadow Realms Series Book 2): A vampire hunter novel

by Kelly Carrero

  But that was it. A feeling. Nothing more.

  Right now, I needed to focus all my attention on finding my father then allow myself to delve into the unknown.

  Heading in the direction of the liquor store, I tried my best to stay focused, but the niggling feeling in my stomach was slowly building into a storm of doubt and uncertainty.

  Something was wrong, and no matter how much I tried to figure out what exactly had my nerves on edge, I couldn’t.

  As a precaution, I drew my blades out of the holsters and gripped them tightly, sticking to the shadows so as to not draw any unwanted attention to myself. It was after curfew, but that didn’t mean there weren’t those who disobeyed. Hell, I was one of them, not truly understanding the danger of those who lurked in the night and thinking I was untouchable, that it wouldn’t happen to me.

  I almost snorted a laugh at that thought. How time changed one’s opinion.

  That and actually coming face-to-face with the monsters.

  The park was empty, void of any drunken bodies slouched against a tree, or unconscious, splayed out on the ground, lying in a pool of their own vomit.

  The liquor store was closed, as their license demanded, and the staff had already gone home.

  There was only one last place to look before I went into a full-blown panic attack. But I had to go back home to collect my blood supply before I headed to the other side of town.

  With fear in my heart, I raced home and searched through the kitchen for another bottle that was a little more inconspicuous than the bottle of bourbon I’d picked up earlier. Something large enough to contain what I’d collected so far. What I really needed was an on-hand blood supply. One that kept producing.

  However, I doubted the Society would agree with me.

  Realizing what I needed, I scrounged through the back of the plastics cupboard and pulled out Mason’s hiking bladder-pouchy thing with a removable strap that went over the shoulder. Of course, he didn’t use it for that. He hadn’t hiked a day in his life.

  I rummaged through the cupboard until I found a funnel and headed back outside.

  Sucking in a sharp breath, I froze at the figure standing before me.

  9

  Max stood between me and my hanging blood supply, his arms crossed and daggers in each hand, ready to tear me apart or protect me—I couldn’t tell. I opted for the latter.

  “What are you doing here?” Max asked.

  “What does it look like?” I strode around him, not letting him see the fear in my eyes, which was stupid considering I was now hyped up on vampire blood and could take him down without breaking a sweat.

  He turned around to face me. “You were under strict instructions not to leave the facility.” When I didn’t answer, he said, “But, of course, you don’t care. You’ll just do whatever you want and forget about everyone else.”

  I snapped my head up, locking my gaze with his. “Do you think I want to be out here rescuing my drunk-ass father instead of…?” I shook my head. It was pointless pretending he had a heart. Max was all about the job.

  “You know the rules. You know what’s at stake.”

  I unscrewed the lid on the pouch then shoved the funnel into the drinking hole. “Yeah, everyone expects me to save their asses, yet no one is willing to do something for me.” I picked up the bowl of blood and poured it into the funnel. “I would’ve been happy for someone else to bring in my dad but no. No one thinks he is worth saving, let alone my best friend who’s been more like a sister to me.”

  He raised his brow. “Did you ask me?”

  “Ask you what?”

  “To collect your father?”

  I snorted. “Yeah, that’s something you would’ve agreed to. You’re all about the rules.”

  He slowly shook his head in what appeared to be bewilderment. “Do you see anyone else here with me?”

  Furrowing my brow, I realized he was alone. There was no cascade of cars filled with hunters, ready to drag my ass back to the compound. It was just him. And he wasn’t forcing me to do anything. “Why?”

  “Because I believe in you.”

  My heart skipped a beat as I stared up at the scary hunk of a man before me, wondering if his feelings replicated mine. Then I chastised myself for letting my mind go there. I only had a few weeks left before I had to give up control of my body to the divine spirit I was destined to be. I needed to find a way to stay me. Relationships could wait.

  The corner of Max’s lips tipped up into a grin; something I had very rarely seen. “I think you might need another bottle.” He gestured to the pouchy thing in my hand.

  Looking down, blood rushed to my cheeks when I saw the bowl was empty and my hand was covered in vampire blood. To make matters worse, I could barely control the urge to lick every sweet bit of it off my hand. The black marbling through the red was driving me insane. I tried to ignore the ravenous monster inside of me, begging to be fed. It was all-consuming and—Max was staring at me as if I were a freak.

  Way to ruin a moment between us—if that was what it was.

  I screwed the cap on the filled pouch and slung the strap over my shoulder.

  “You know they’re not going to let you keep that.”

  Biting down on my anger, I resorted to my snarky side. “Who said I was going back?” I strode past him.

  Max curled his hand over my shoulder and pulled me back, spinning me around to face him. “You have to come home.”

  I snorted. I had no home. The demons and vampires had made sure of that. And the Society? I thought they could become my family, but they didn’t really want me. They wanted who I was going to become.

  Sure, Lana and Kade cared for me—that was obvious—but to the others I was nothing more than a sacrifice. A vessel for their demon goddess to possess. But staring up into his blue eyes, I could’ve sworn he saw me, not the demon hunter, just me. “Relax,” I said with a flirtatious smile. “I’m just going to find my father. Then you can drag me back to the compound.”

  Worry lines creased the corners of his eyes. “They’re not going to let him in.”

  “I’m pretty sure they want me to stay alive for the next few weeks, so I think we can come to some sort of agreement. If we can’t, I’m not going back there.”

  I absently lifted my hand to my lips, slid my tongue across the back of it, and popped one of my fingers into my mouth.

  Realizing what I was doing, I tried to stop, but the pull was too strong. The blood was intoxicating; the more I had, the more I wanted.

  Not being able to see the look of horror in his eyes any longer, I headed into the kitchen where I licked every last drop off me then washed my hands and face to get rid of the scent. Next, I washed the outside of the pouch, pulled off my shirt, and slipped the strap over my body. I fetched a clean shirt out of the laundry and put it on, satisfied that no one would be able to notice the pouch hiding under my top, thanks to its unique design.

  Heading back outside, I paused and looked up at the guy who was so wrong for me. I licked my lips. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the blood or because of the way he was looking at me. Either way, I didn’t have time to analyze every detail of this moment. “Are you coming?”

  His gaze pierced my soul as he stared at me, showing no signs of disgust or anger, only understanding and acceptance. I honestly thought he would’ve feared me after everything he’d been through, but maybe he, too, saw me as the savior, the one who was going to make sure no one ever had to go through what he went through again.

  In that moment, I got it.

  Sacrifice one to save everyone. I’d been willing to die to save Mason, so why didn’t I still feel the same way? It didn’t make sense considering I was pretty sure I would take a bullet for not only my family but Max and my other friends as well.

  He gave me a nod as a grin swept across his face. “If they ask, you forced me.”

  I smiled, remembering how I had said that to Max when I was trying to get him to take me to help re
scue Mason. “That’s the spirit.”

  We headed around the front where I found one of the Society vans parked down the street. “Is that you?” I gestured to the black van.

  “Yeah. I figured we might need room for any extra strays you may try to bring in.”

  I rolled my eyes toward him, catching the smirk on his face.

  When I went to hop in the driver’s seat, Max said, “I don’t think so.”

  I scowled at him. “I know where we’re going. You don’t.”

  He gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Not happening.” When I went to object he quickly added, “If we run into any trouble, I’m sure you don’t want to have to worry about parking the car before going on the attack. After all, you’re the stronger one of us now.”

  I bit down on my smile as I shamelessly let him appeal to the badass image I’d fought so hard to obtain. Sure, I had an extra helping hand with actually being significantly more gifted than they were, but I didn’t care. I was owning it. Plus, the guy had serious control issues, and who was I to get in his way? There was the fact that I could barely contain myself from sprinting the whole distance. I would’ve probably taken a corner too fast and lost our safest and easiest way home.

  Hopping into the passenger seat, I buckled in even though I probably didn’t need to do that anymore. Or maybe I did. I really had no idea just how far my healing ability worked.

  “We’ll find him,” Max said. “Relax.”

  I knew he was referring to my foot tapping against the floor. My patience was growing thin, and it took everything in me not to rip the door off the hinges and take to the street by foot. “You drive like a girl.”

  Max chuckled. “You’re a girl, so I’m not sure the insult had the impact you intended.”

  I glared at him. “Just drive faster.”

  Humoring me, he sped up enough to keep my ass in the seat. Two minutes later, we were pulling up to the first place I called home. Getting out of the van, I stared up at the small, two-story, single garage home. It had neatly trimmed lawns and the same garden my mother and I had planted when I was three. That was the last time I’d touched a garden.

  My heart ached as memories flooded my mind. It wasn’t fair that her life was cut so short. But I wasn’t here for memories. My father needed me—even if he didn’t know it yet.

  The home owners weren’t strangers to our father or our semi-regular visits. They knew our story, and I was grateful they didn’t call the police on him when he had shown up. Normally they’d call or text either Mason or me to come over and collect him. I didn’t have my phone on me because I was pretty sure that sirens would’ve blasted the second I was outside of the walls surrounding the compound.

  For a brief moment I wondered how Max had found me so easily, but that was a question for another time. Right now, I had to find my father.

  Looking at the time on my watch, I realized it was too late to ring the bell. The lights were out, and I couldn’t hear a peep of noise from inside.

  Max stood beside me, a surprisingly comforting presence to my energized state. “What’s the plan?”

  “I’m going left; you go right. Check all the bushes, and watch where you step because he could be anywhere.”

  He nodded.

  My stomach squirmed with unease as I made my way over the fence and began my search of the backyard, checking every inch of the property until I ran into Max. “Anything?”

  He held his hands to the side with a questioning look on his face, probably wondering where I thought he was hiding my father if he’d found him. “Nothing.”

  Okay, so great detective skills didn’t come with being an ass-kicking vampire huntress.

  My heart hammered against my chest as I tried to work out where my dad could’ve been at the same time as trying to suppress the fear that the vampires already had him. After all, they knew I would come looking for him, Max did as well. My father could’ve been at home when the vampires had arrived and was too drunk to try to fight them off.

  That sounded like my father.

  “Where else could he be?” Max asked.

  I threaded my fingers together behind my head and scanned the area, trying to remain in control. I was two seconds away from losing my cool and needed to keep my shit together for the sake of my family.

  I should never have gone in the car with Max. I should’ve retraced my father’s steps from the liquor store. I should’ve...

  My eyes went wide. “Mason.” The brat probably didn’t listen to me and stopped by our old house before heading to our meeting point. For all I knew, he could’ve already had Dad.

  “What about Mason?” he asked.

  “Never mind.” I took a few steps back, toward the road, wanting to make sure I wasn’t wrong and had missed my dad along the drive there. “Meet me at the corner of Park Avenue and McGregor Street.” Without waiting for him to respond, I broke into a jog heading toward the liquor store, which was a completely different path from where our current house was located. Checking every perceivable spot my father could’ve passed out, I came up empty—as I’d suspected.

  With my patience wearing thin, I took off down the road in the direction I’d come from, stopping when I saw the lights of the van.

  Max skidded to a stop, missing me barely by a yard. The look in his eyes gave me all the warning I needed for the lecture I was about to receive.

  I jumped into the passenger seat and said, “Go to the end of the road, turn left, take the first right then left.”

  Reluctantly, he pressed his foot down on the accelerator while casting glances at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “Just say whatever it is you want to say.”

  His grip tightened on the steering wheel, and a few moments later, he said, “You take too many unnecessary risks.”

  I frowned. “What risks? I didn’t take any risks.”

  Max raised a brow as he cast me a sideways look. “I could’ve hit you.”

  I chuckled then quickly snapped my lips closed when I saw how serious he was. “I had it under control.”

  He barked out a laugh. “You may be the one, but you need to work on your impulsiveness and reckless nature.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “I thought you said you believed in me.”

  “I do, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have certain negative attributes you need to overcome.”

  I scoffed. “Did you ever think those negative qualities are exactly what I’m supposed to have? They’re what makes me the one?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it wasn’t true. My body was all that was needed for the huntress to inhabit. I was the perfect vessel that would allow her to rise again.

  Looking out the window my stomach churned with a mixture of fear and dread. Every second that ticked by was another second off my clock, and it was pissing the crap out of me. I didn’t want to give up my life to save the world. I know that made me a selfish bitch, but it was the way I felt.

  But my wants didn’t matter. I owed it to the people I cared about. I could save them all from a life of suffering. I could not only make the world a better place, but I could also serve justice to the lives the demons had destroyed.

  “I’m sorry,” Max said as we pulled up at a traffic light.

  I snapped my head in his direction, unable to believe the words that came out of his mouth, and was met with regret swirling in his eyes, a smolder to the fire that usually resided in them. “Thanks, but what for?”

  “For saying that to you. For accusing you of being a vampire. For wanting to kill you. The list goes on,” he said. “I could’ve been the one to destroy you.”

  I shook my head slowly. “You don’t need to apologize. I get it. After everything you went through.” I glanced at the still visible scars on his neck before returning my gaze to his. “I get it. And you’ve more than made up for it.” I smiled, trying to ease his regrets.

  The lights turned green, and he focused his attention on the road. “And I will continue to do so.”
/>   Pity.

  I didn’t like pity. Or regrets. “Own your mistakes, and don’t hold onto regrets. They are what make us who we are. We might never have known who I was if it wasn’t for you. I would’ve still gone out looking for Mason, but I only bit that vampire because of you.”

  Max snapped his head in my direction and looked at me in a way he’d never looked at me before.

  Parting my lips, I sucked in a sharp breath as our eyes locked, connecting on another level—an understanding that hadn’t been there before. It was in that moment I realized the true magnitude of my role in this world. The huntress already lived inside of me, ready to fight when I was ready to give up.

  Her soul had already marked mine, getting ready to take over.

  I bit my lower lip and looked away, unable to bear the reality that we would never be.

  “Mason’s in there,” I said, my skin buzzing under the surface. I was on edge, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the tension between Max and me, the fear that Mason may not have our father, or the danger all around us.

  Max pulled up along the curbside and switched off the engine. “How do you want to do this?”

  I frowned as I climbed out of the car and headed toward Joe’s. The car Mason and I had stolen was parked a little way up the street, and as far as I could tell, there was no one inside it. As I neared the entrance to the diner, the smell of fresh, stone-baked pizzas assaulted my senses. It had been so long since I’d had a slice, and my mouth was watering with desire. That crap Lana made me eat tasted like dog food in comparison, and I wondered if I had subconsciously suggested Mason to hide out here just so I could grab a slice—or ten.

  As I pushed open the door, Max caught up and glared at me. “I guess we’re going for obvious retrieval and not worrying if there are any vampires around. Screw any civilians that might get caught up in the war.”

  I raised a brow as I paused in the doorway. “There are no vampires here.”