by H G Lynch
Someone tapped Ember on the shoulder and she flinched, glaring up into amber cat’s eyes – or fox’s eyes technically. Hiro stared down at her with concern barely concealed in his features. He wouldn’t openly show that he was worried with Reid sitting right there, but Ember could sense his concern for her through their link. “That took a lot of juice. Sure you’ve got any left?” Hiro grinned weakly, and Ember just nodded, her responding smile as reassuring as she could make it with the remains of a fading headache and her body swimming with endorphins still.
“I’ve still got enough to kick your ass if I want. Would you like a demonstration?” she teased, but her voice was a little wobbly.
Hiro gave her a long, probing look then held out his hand to help her up. She shoved herself to her feet, ignoring his proffered hand to show that she really was okay. The only thing ailing her now was a desire to take Reid’s clothes off, but that was pretty much par for the course any day of the week.
Hiro nodded and then just vanished. Here one second, then gone when she blinked. It was really annoying the way he did that, but she was getting used to it. Reid muttered something under his breath and Ember rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore his comment. She didn’t think there was anything Hiro could do to make Reid like him, nor was there anything Reid could do that would encourage Hiro to like him. They put up with each other for Ember’s sake, kept their dislike of each other to sarcastic remarks and occasional sniping contests. The one thing they could agree on was that Ember was special to them both and they both protected her. Ember sometimes thought that they did have a certain respect for each other, but neither of them would ever admit it.
Brandon took the charred bowl and tipped out the contents into the lake, picked up the grimoire and handed it to Perry, who dusted it off and stuck it safely under one arm. “Okay, now, let’s see if that worked,” Brandon said warily, taking a step toward the lake. He knelt down at the water’s edge and hesitantly brushed his fingertips over the surface. So far so good. Then he dipped his fingers in deeper and…nothing happened. No flash, no bang, no electrocution. With a little more confidence, he rolled up his sleeve and stuck his whole arm in up to the elbow. Nothing. Zip. Not so much as a spark or a sizzle.
Thank God, Ember thought, ‘Cause there was no way in hell I was going to try that again if it didn’t work the first time.
Apparently satisfied that the wardings had been successfully reversed, Brandon thanked Ember and Cris for their help, though Cris was still lying on the ground, fanning himself with his cowboy hat. He murmured a reply and made a dismissive gesture with his free hand. Sherry and Ricky were nowhere to be seen, but Ember presumed Ricky had already taken Sherry back to the dorms to take care of her. She was going to need food, rest and vampire blood to recover quickly. Ember vowed to check in on her later if she didn’t hear word from Ricky within a half hour.
“Can we go now? I need a shower, some aspirin, and a nice long nap,” Ember grumbled, sighing as she leaned into Reid. He looped an arm around her waist and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
Brandon nodded. “Yeah, go. You deserve to relax after that. We’ll let you know when we find something new.” He waved to them as he joined Perry and they sank into a deep discussion. It was just Reid, Ember and Cris left, and Ember pulled herself away from Reid to motion to Cris, who looked like he may have fallen asleep on the ground.
Forcing herself to stand on her own two feet, Ember sighed. “You should help him to the car. I can walk on my own at least.” She was glad Cris had gotten a ride with them – It meant Reid had had to take his Aston Martin instead of that damnable motorcycle. She wasn’t sure she’d have been able to hold on all the way back to the school, since her arms felt like jelly and she was pretty sure she was going to fall asleep on her feet. The jolt of energy from Reid’s blood had only gone so far as dissipating the worst of her headache and relieving the better part of her muscle pains, but she was still tired from the exertion of pushing her magic to its limits.
Heaving a sigh, Reid bent and shook Cris lightly by the shoulder. Cris’s eyes slid open a crack and the green glimmered faintly from beneath his lashes. He groaned as Reid put an arm around his shoulders and hauled him to his feet. “Come on, Cowboy. Time to go. And don’t even think about grabbing my ass, or I’ll ram your fancy cowboy hat down your throat.” Reid chuckled and Cris muttered something about hating Brokeback Mountain. Ember snorted and followed the boys to the car.
The sleek Aston Martin was parked by the edge of the road, half hidden by the canopy of shadows from the darkening sky, and Ember slipped into the back seat. She slouched against the door and allowed her eyes to drift shut. The door on the other side of the car opened and Reid dropped Cris into the back with her. With a heavy sigh, Cris shifted into a more comfortable position and Ember slid across to rest her head on his shoulder. He made a faint sound that could’ve been a tired attempt at a chuckle, and let her use him as a – relatively – human pillow. Reid got into the driver’s seat, cast them a glance, mumbled a warning to Cris not to grab Ember’s ass either, and started the car. Ember was asleep before they even pulled away from the lake.
Chapter Eight
** Reid **
“So, remind me why we need to do this out here?” Reid asked, trailing after Lia, weaving through the trees. She had his hand in a vice grip, her long nails threatening to slice his fingers if he tried to pull his hand back. So, he went along with her, wondering how he got roped into this. The trees grumbled their disapproval, the leaf litter crackled at the disruption into their peaceful place, and the grey clouds overhead threatened to drop rain or snow – you’d have to ask Sherry which – down on them any moment.
Lia giggled, threw him a sparkly grin over her shoulder. Today she was wearing a purple beanie over her spiky green hair, and her lips were painted electric blue. “Because,” she said in that high, clear voice of hers, “All the drama rooms are taken and we won’t be interrupted out here.”
Reid looked around at the spindly trees with the aromatic needles, at the heavy clouds above, at the dark buildings of the school barely visible through the trees, some distance away by now. Yeah, they most definitely wouldn’t be interrupted out here…which meant he’d have to find his own escape.
“Okay. And why am I the one who has to rehearse with you? Shouldn’t you be doing this with Sherry? Or, hell, Cris would even be better for this than me.” Seriously, he hated Romeo and Juliet almost as much as Ember did. He knew a lot of the lines by heart simply because they had a very cruel English teacher who’d made them all watch it a dozen times, and he had a good memory. But as far as acting went, he sucked. He could lie convincingly, but acting was a bit beyond that.
Lia came to a stop by a tree and whirled round to face him, her smile wide and bright. She clapped her hands together and shrugged one shoulder casually. “Sherry and Ricky went into town, and Cris’s got a meeting with a client. You’re the only one available.”
Her hazel eyes flickered over him, and she stretched out the word ‘available’, rolling it on her tongue like a fine wine. He knew that look; it was the look that girls had been giving him since he turned fourteen. A little part of him tingled at earning that look from Lia, bright, funny Lia.
“Okay, so, let’s get started.” She dropped her grin only to replace it with a breathlessly smoldering intensity.
Reid blinked, tried to remember what she was talking about. Get started on…on…Oh, Romeo and Juliet. Rehearsing lines. Okay. “Uh, sure. Yeah,” he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. It was kind of ridiculous that a girl could be so attractive even with green hair and blue lips. She had a sort of exotic wildness about her.
“Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's voice, to lure this tassel-gentle back again! Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud; else would I tear the cave where Echo lies, and make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine, with repetition of my Romeo's name.”
She stalked slowly toward him, every word li
ke a sweet caress, entrancing him as he listened to the famous lines coming from her full lips. The way her hips swayed had him struggling to focus. Those curves! How could any guy resist that?
He managed to quote Romeo’s piece, but his voice was low and rough. “It is my soul that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears.” The words slid off his tongue easily and for a moment he could almost imagine being Romeo, his heart open before his beautiful Juliet, knowing their love would not be simple. And then Lia’s hand was on his chest, lightly touching, fingers spread.
He came back to himself and looked down at her, her hazel eyes dark as she whispered, “Romeo.” She was so close, he could see the sparkles of green and grey in her eyes, taste her sweet breath on his lips, feel her heat through his t-shirt. Her green hair wound around her shoulders like fine ribbons. She breathed a name again, but this time it was his. “Reid.” There was a clear longing in the way she said his name. Tall as she was, she didn’t need to stretch to kiss him. She simply leaned in and put her mouth to his, and Reid felt some unbreakable force compel him to kiss her back. He found his lips moving with hers, his fangs throbbing with the desire to be released from their hiding places in his gums but he managed to hold them back. Barely. Whatever was at work here was more than teenage lust, this was stronger, indefinable, amazing, undeniable…
Then his sensitive hearing picked up an unnatural rustle in the leaf litter, a familiar scent coming through the fog of pine and damp earth and Lia. With a gasp, he pulled away from Lia and stared past her at the figure glaring in his direction. His head throbbed and he closed his eyes, suddenly dizzy. What had just happened? Lia. He’d been rehearsing lines with Liandra, and then…she’d kissed him…and he’d…Oh. He felt his eyes widen, stared down at Lia in shock.
She gazed up at him innocently. “What is it, Reid? Is something wrong?” she asked.
Her hand was still on his chest. Yes, he wanted to say, something was very wrong. He couldn’t find the words. His gaze flicked back to Hiro, standing not fifteen feet away, with his arms folded over his chest. His amber eyes shone with disgust and fury. Reid opened his mouth to try to explain – God, how could explain what Hiro had just witnessed? He didn’t even know what had happened. He hadn’t meant to, hadn’t wanted to…but he had, hadn’t he? But he didn’t like Lia like that! Before he could get one word out, Hiro shook his head, giving Reid a look that he could interpret too easily – a look that told him he was about to be screwed six ways from Sunday – and then vanished into thin air. Liandra hadn’t even seen him. Right then, Reid saw the possibility of the best part of his life being torn to shreds.
With his heart suddenly pounding in his chest, a disturbing panic welling up inside him, Reid pushed Lia aside and ran for the dorms as fast as he could, knowing he’d still be too late. Even vampire speed wasn’t faster than Kitsune teleportation. But he could not let Hiro get back to Ember.
*****
** Ember **
Ember was nestled happily in a corner of the library, her legs tucked up on the padded seat next to her, a book in hand. The library was almost empty of people, except for the greying librarian. The smell of paper and wood and dust filled the air, the quiet and dimness adding to the serenity. Plus, since everyone else had buggered off to God knew where, it was better to hang out here than to mope about her room waiting for someone to come back.
Ember was completely lost in her own little world when Hiro popped up on the seat across from her. She gasped and nearly dropped her book, her heart giving a lurch of surprise. “Holy crap, Hiro! Would you please not do that?” She hissed, slamming her book shut with the urge to throw it at his head.
Hiro didn’t look at her as he muttered, “Sorry.” He leaned his elbows on his knees and wouldn’t meet her gaze, but there was a strain to his features, his lips tilted down at the corners in a grimace. She wasn’t getting anything through their link, so he must’ve been blocking it. In the mundane little space of the silent library, Hiro looked out of place. Amongst the books and brown shelves and academic students with the dull grey jumpers and smart glasses, his caramel skin and red spiky hair made him seem like he was on his way to a rave, not meant for hanging about with the nerdy crowd.
Eyeing him suspiciously, Ember put her book aside and leaned forward, trying to pick up something, anything, from the link. Hiro rarely looked concerned or anxious about anything, so it set off all sorts of warning bells in her head when he did. But, the thing was, she wasn’t sure he looked anxious so much as…angry…upset about something…maybe a little guilty. “Hiro,” Ember said in a measured voice, narrowing her eyes at him, “what did you do?”
That made him blink, and he looked directly at her for the first time since appearing. “What makes you think I did something?” he asked in an accusatory tone, his red eyebrows lifting into his jagged hair.
Ember arched a brow. “Because you look guilty as sin.”
“I didn’t do anything! It wasn’t me, it was–” He shut up abruptly, and quickly leaned back, his cat-like eyes wide. Two girls holding books to their chests, dressed in nearly identical black skirts and pink t-shirts, walked past, chatting about a history essay they had due. The library door swung shut behind them with a groan. Ember returned her attention to Hiro, staring intently at him as if she could make him spill the beans just by looking at him hard enough. Oddly enough, Hiro started to squirm and his eyes darted around the room uncomfortably. He pressed his lips into a thin line.
Ember gave up on the staring thing and finally asked, in a dark voice, “Who did what, Hiro?” Though she could guess the who, but not the what. Maybe she just should have asked, ‘What did Reid do?’ but that would be presumptuous and perhaps harsh on Reid if it turned out not to be him who’d screwed up whatever it was. But she was pretty certain it was him. Ricky never did anything wrong – not that she could tell – and Hiro wouldn’t be here if Cris had done something because they were partners in crime – and by that, she meant the spying kind of crime.
Hiro shifted and tucked a lock of crimson hair behind his ear, looking off toward the doors as if he might bolt, though if he really wanted to leave, he’d likely just vanish like he usually did. The library seemed too quiet all of a sudden, devoid of life, but for the librarian with her wild grey hair twisted into a sloppy bun and her pink spectacles perched on the end of her nose as she thumbed through a battered copy of Pride and Prejudice, and two gawky boys playing chess while a third watched. Ember was now unsure she wanted to hear what Hiro had to say, at least not here, where others might overhear. If Reid had done something…supernaturally stupid, then she didn’t want any normal folk listening. Maybe that was why Hiro was so reluctant to explain what had happened; the listeners nearby.
Ember was just about to ask if they should go to her room to discuss this, but Hiro leaned forward and met her eyes, his shoulders slumping. Something in his expression made her gut wrench, a kind of sympathy, a touch of regret and sorrow, she’d never seen on his young face before. She sometimes forgot that while he looked fifteen, he was over two hundred years old, with all the wisdom and experience that age brought with it.
“Ember,” he said softly, his brows pitching down over his eyes, “I really hate to tell you this, but I figure you should know. You’d probably find out eventually anyway, and certainly not from him…”
Oh no. No, I don’t want to hear it after all. Please, don’t say it. But it was too late, he was saying it.
“I was out in the forest for a run, chasing some squirrels and whatnot, and I heard voices. I followed them and I found Reid and Liandra, um, they were…well, it looked like they were making out. I’m sorry. I really am. If you want, I can go and kick his ass, I’ll beat his head in, anything. It’s in the loyalty contract, but I’d do it anyway because nobody has the right to…” Hiro kept talking, but Ember wasn’t listening. Her head was filled with a buzzing like a swarm of angry bees, the fluttering wings of
images flitting around inside her skull. Her chest hurt and she felt sick, really sick. She had to…had to go lie down…or something. She just couldn’t sit here for another minute.
Abruptly, she got to her feet and Hiro shut up, staring up at her with sad, amber eyes. He looked truly sorry, truly rueful for having been the one to tell her. But there was anger in the tense set of his shoulders and the way he was digging his nails – now elongated into pale yellow claws – into his palms. He really did want to go and rip Reid’s head off. Ember wasn’t going to stop him. She was going to the one place that might offer her some comfort, the one place where she could be left in peace with no fear of anyone finding her any time soon. She was going to the stables.
*****
Had she been human, it might have taken her half an hour to forty-five minutes to get to the stables on foot, but as it was she made it in less than eight minutes running at vampire speed. As usual, the stables were clean and organized, the red bricks of the stable blocks looked like they’d been scrubbed, and the heavy wooden doors were shiny as if they’d been polished. A handful of well-dressed stable-hands milled around outside the quaint little tack room, chatting away. None of them even noticed Ember darting between the stable blocks.
Making her way past the stables, she wound through the trees, following the narrow dirt path that was dusted with brown pine needles and scattered pine cones. The smell of the soggy earth and moldy moss growing on the decaying toppled tree trunks soothed Ember’s frayed nerves. Well, slightly. Her eyes stung but she held back the tears, sucking in the crisp, scented air in little gulps and letting the icy chill scrape her throat. The sluggish clouds chugged overhead, moving after her like thick, grey ghosts, eerie eavesdroppers to her misery and betrayal.
