KIngdom of Embers (Kingdom Journals Book 1)

by Tricia Copeland

  “What?”

  “Marta and Theron are here to give their condolences.”

  Anger welling up in my chest, I sat up and faced her.

  “You have to get them out of here,” I whispered to her.

  Her eyes were wide with misunderstanding. “What?”

  “Either he goes, or I do.”

  “Alena, you need to talk to us. You’re scaring me.”

  “Get them out, and I will.”

  “Okay.” She slipped out of the room.

  I dressed and walked bare-footed through the house rounding up Orm from his study and Elizabeth from the kitchen. Finding Mother staring into the fire, I dropped to the floor in front of her and let the tears fall. I told them about the necklace, how Ganby had said those mean things to me, and about seeing Theron at school after Ganby had jumped.

  “But you don’t have any proof?”

  “Where is the necklace?”

  “I threw it off as soon as I saw Theron. Probably near the front steps.”

  “Will!” Mother yelled. He appeared in an instant, and he and Orm left to find the pendant.

  “We will figure this out.” Mother wrapped her arms around me. “But you have to eat something. The service is tomorrow. Ganby’s parents sent you a personal invitation. They wanted to talk to you.”

  “Okay.” I wiped the water from my face. “I want to go.”

  Elizabeth raced to the kitchen, and within seconds, a plate of quail eggs, cheese, fruit, nuts, and homemade bread appeared before me.

  As I ate, Mother retold how my friends had tried to make contact. She slid my phone to me.

  “Please, call them.”

  “What are we going to do about Theron? He can’t get away with this.”

  “We may never have proof.”

  “I know he did it.”

  “I’m sorry.” She stroked my matted hair.

  “I should shower.” I abandoned the plate of food and made my way to my room. Clutching my phone, I realized I needed out of the condo. Showering and blow-drying my hair, I dressed and gathered my things.

  Orm, Elizabeth, and Mother intercepted me in the foyer.

  “Did you find the necklace?”

  “No.”

  “He probably already picked it up.”

  “I need to go out.” I moved to leave.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the library. I need to finish my literature paper.”

  “I’m sure they will give you an extension. School is still closed tomorrow.”

  “It’s Sunday? The service is tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I need to finish my paper.”

  “Alena, just—” Mother tugged at my hand.

  “I’m not a child, let me go.”

  I slipped away from her grip and dashed out the door, flinging open the stairwell door and running down the stairs. Outside, the bright sun blinded me, and I slipped my sunglasses on. Wishing for the cover of darkness, I made my way to Fahim’s shop.

  Standing outside, I sensed the powerful hum of Chalondra’s magic and, with a large breath, smelled a multitude of vampires gathered in the back room. This was what I needed, a place with my own kind of people: outcasts, pirates, mercenaries.

  Entering the store, Fahim and Eden were beside me in a second.

  “We saw the news. We are so sorry.”

  “A witch killed him.”

  Fahim gripped my forearms. “What do you mean? What witch?”

  “I can’t say. I just want a drink, some wine or liquor, I don’t care.”

  “Child.” Eden’s tone and eyes pleaded with me.

  I hitched my backpack higher on my back and started towards the back room.

  Fahim blocked my path and called to Dimitri and Aaron. “Tell us what happened?”

  “This witch I met gave me a necklace. When the boy was mean to me the witch hexed him to jump.”

  Chalondra’s door opened, and a human stepped out.

  “In my office.” Fahim tipped his chin in the direction of the small room.

  Huffing, I followed Eden and sat at the table as instructed. Chalondra slipped in behind Dimitri and Aaron, and I planted myself on the counter to get as much space from her as possible. Left without options, I relayed parts of my experience with Theron, about him giving me the pendant, and my friend jumping from the roof.

  “What of the necklace?” Chalondra asked when I finished.

  “It’s gone.”

  Chalondra’s eyes found the gazes of the others. I guessed they knew exactly who Theron and his father were. She jutted her chin out. “There is no proof, so there is nothing to be done.”

  “I figured so.”

  “Well, I believe she deserves that drink then.” Dimitri clapped his hand together. “To the bar with you, princess.”

  Clutching my bag, I followed him to the back room and took a stool at the far end of the bar.

  “I’m guessing no blood tonight.” Aaron winked at me.

  “No, your strongest liquor.”

  He poured me a shot of whiskey, and I swirled the brown liquid, admiring the way it clung to the side. Holding it to my lips, I tipped the glass up and let the alcohol singe my throat. It warmed my esophagus and stomach on its descent, and I set the glass on the bar.

  Two more drinks in and Dimitri cut me off and put me to work. Introducing me to the customers, he had me deliver food from the kitchen. I hadn’t been wrong about the seedy crowd. Billy worked in the black market, supplying blood to the highest bidder. Cole sold weapons to anyone with cash. And Zeke, a toothless homeless vampire, lived like a gypsy, conning anyone and everyone to make money for food. Finally, there was Mary, a one-eyed vampire who said she came from the old country and traveled west on the wagon trains to find gold.

  “City of Angels they call it. Hah, City of Demons, I say.” She spit on the table.

  As it grew dark, the back room became more crowded.

  “Good thing you’re here. We would be zipping around like bees,” Aaron said as I delivered a rare steak to a vampire from Seattle.

  As I set the plate on the table, a breeze shot through the room and the front bell rang. The air carried a current laced with a sweet scent I would’ve known anywhere. Abandoning the customer, I dashed to the front door. Hearing several vampires on my heels, I spun to face them as I reached Hunter.

  “He is mine.” I spread my arms to block them from reaching Hunter. Guttural sounds emitted from the chests of the vampires in front of me. “You will not touch him,” I yelled at them.

  “He is a witch. Is this the witch that killed your friend?” Dimitri asked.

  “No. This is a friend of mine. I found him. He didn’t know he was a witch. I was trying to help him.” The words tumbled out as Fahim, Eden, and Chalondra joined the group assembled in front of us.

  Chalondra pushed through the crowd, and even though I wanted to protect Hunter from her, my secret was too important to let her touch me.

  “I’m not going to harm him,” she said to me and refocused on Hunter.

  “May I have your hand?”

  “Don’t,” I warned him, and his eyes cut from me to her.

  His gaze landed back on me. “I have to talk to you.” He held up a rolled magazine.

  I spun to face the others. Several of the vampires had already retreated, but Dimitri, Aaron, Fahim, and Eden formed a semi-circle around us.

  “Fahim, can we use your office?” I asked.

  “Sure.” He stepped back, making room for us to pass him.

  “What’s going on?” Hunter demanded as I closed the door. “He is mine. What was that about?”

  “I told you not to come here.” My eyes pleaded with him.

  “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days. To talk to you about your friend and this.” He tossed the tabloid to the table.

  With my thoughts running in a hundred directions, I focused on the unknown. “What is this?” I picked up the pages. />
  He snatched them from me and flipped through the booklet. “Here.” Hunter slammed the page to the table. “Is this you?”

  I studied the picture of me sitting beside Theron, Mother, and Marta at the game, feeling sick to my stomach again. “Yes, I told you we went with my mother’s friends.”

  “Theron is my half-brother. And he was in the crowd at school when your friend jumped. I saw him on television.”

  The air froze in my lungs. “Your brother?”

  “Yes, Theron is my half-brother.”

  “Hunter, Theron killed Ganby and your father is High Priest of the witches.”

  “What?”

  Taking a seat, I moved one out for him. As I relayed the story, he tried to take my hands.

  “Don’t.” I pulled them away. “You don’t want to know me. Someone died because of me. I’m a killer. I can make you forget about me and being a witch and all of this. You can go back to being a normal human.”

  “No, I don’t want that. He grabbed my shoulders. You are not a killer. I saw the video. You tried to save him.”

  “If I’d only run faster.” Tears formed in my eyes, and I wiped them away. Straightening my shoulders, I hardened my resolve. Sliding his bracelet from my wrist, I stuffed it in his hand and closed his fingers on it. “I don’t need your permission to take away your memories.”

  The chair flipped over and crashed into the wall as he shot out of it. “I’m stronger than you think. I won’t let you do that.” He grabbed my wrist and wound the leather strap around it. “We found each other for a reason, and I’m going to find out why.”

  Fahim appeared in the doorway. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, sorry.” Hunter righted the chair.

  Fahim looked to me, and I confirmed Hunter’s statement.

  When the door closed again, Hunter sat beside me. “Who are these people? Why are you here? Who is the witch? And what are the rest of the people? They aren’t witches. It looked like they were going to tear me to shreds.”

  Wondering if it was time to tell him about vampires, I took one question at a time. “Chalondra is very old and powerful. She will know everything about you if she touches you.”

  “And you’re just telling me about her now? Why haven’t you used her?”

  “I can’t let her know who I am. It would compromise my family.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  I didn’t want him to know I was a monster, and I couldn’t jeopardize my family. “That’s all I can say.”

  “Can I trust you, Alena?”

  “Yes, above all, know that.” My eyes pleaded that he believed me.

  “I might be able to get answers from her, and I have nothing to hide.”

  “Okay.” I stood up and walked from the room, Hunter behind me.

  “No harm will come to your friend,” Fahim said. “Were you honest before when you said you found him and wanted to help?”

  “Yes.”

  Hunter stepped from behind me and approached Chalondra. I had to admit he had more courage than me. “You can tell fortunes?”

  “I can.”

  “Okay.” With a glance at me, he followed her as she hobbled to her office.

  Without anything to do but wait, I made my way to the back room, bussed tables, and delivered food. Taking a break at the bar, I leaned against the counter.

  “That boy of yours smells mighty nice,” Dimitri commented. “You’re lucky you got to him first.

  “That is so gross.”

  “Just sayin’ that vampires hate witches. They would have drained him and torn him to shreds.”

  “Why do vampires hate witches?”

  “Age old feud, engrained in the DNA. Witches have been keeping vampires down for centuries. Why do you think we have so many rules? So, the humans and witches don’t come for us.”

  “Do vampires hate humans too?”

  “Some.”

  “What does that make me?”

  “You decide who you are. But you got to stop thinking you killed that boy. It wasn’t your fault. Theron will pay for his sins.”

  Worrying about how long Hunter had been in Chalondra’s office, I checked my phone. Seeing a string of messages from Mother, I walked to the alley to call her.

  “Where are you? It’s after nine. No library is open this late on a Sunday.”

  “I got hung up talking with Hunter.”

  “Hunter? You went to meet Hunter?”

  “No, we just ended up together.”

  “I’m not comfortable with your behavior. You need to come home now.”

  “Okay, I’ll get a bus. I’ll be home in half an hour.”

  Thinking I was in for a long lecture or worse, I went back inside the bar. Hunter sat at the end, talking to Dimitri. Seeing the hulk of a vampire lean towards Hunter, I sped to them.

  “Whoa, where did you come from?” Hunter’s eye blinked in rapid succession.

  “Oh.” I tried to relax my shoulders and look normal.

  “You appeared from nowhere just like when I walked in.”

  “Yep, she’s quick on her feet, that one.” Dimitri winked at me.

  “I have to get home. What did Chalondra say?”

  “I’ll walk you.” Hunter stood and waved to Dimitri. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too, mate.” Dimitri saluted with two fingers.

  In the front room, Eden hugged me. “You come by any time. And stop thinking what happened to that boy is your fault.”

  “Thank you.” I squeezed her tight.

  “So, you found me using a locator spell?” I asked Hunter as we left the shop.

  “Yep. Got that one down pretty well.”

  We walked a few steps in silence. “Are you going to tell me what she said?”

  “I kind of have to digest it first. But you were right. She knew who my father was as soon as she touched me. Why won’t you let her find your father?”

  “I’m not ready.” It was a partial truth, the only information I could share with him. One day, if our relationship survived the test of time, I would tell him about being half witch, half vampire.

  The rest of our walk proceeded with me contemplating being able to leave him. I figured he was wrapped up in the information he learned from Chalondra.

  As we reached my building, he took my hand. “Are you going to the funeral tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Mother, Orm, and Elizabeth are coming with me.”

  “I could come with you if you want.”

  “I would really like that. Are you sure?”

  “Of course. Whatever you need. But you have to turn on your phone and talk to me. Maybe eat something.” He moved my hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “You look like you’re going to blow away.”

  “Okay.” I slid my hand in his. “We’ll pick you up at nine fifteen.”

  “Good.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on my lips.

  I heard the door swing open and turned to see Will’s huge form. “That’s my cue.”

  “Got it.” He spun and walked away.

  Mother stood in the foyer, hands on her hips and slapping her phone against her leg when I entered with Will.

  “Will says Hunter kissed you.”

  I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

  “How long has this relationship been going on?”

  “A week?”

  “And you didn’t bother to tell me?”

  “I don’t know what to think about anything anymore, much less what I’m allowed to do and not allowed to do.”

  “It’s not a matter of being allowed. It’s a matter of being honest.”

  “I was trying to figure out how I felt.”

  “And you’ve figured it out?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I won’t have you sneaking around, do you understand? I am giving you a pass because your friend—”

  I cut her off. “Don’t say it. That is for tomorrow. Thank you, and good night.” I took a few steps down the ha
ll, and she shot around me blocking my path.

  “Please eat something.”

  “Tomorrow.” I hugged her and continued to my room.

  Elizabeth woke me at seven, pulling the blinds back like always. Showering and dressing in a black dress that I found hanging on the closet door, I met her and Mother in the kitchen. Elizabeth generally dressed in black, but that day she wore a stylish black dress and heels under her apron. A slim black outfit replaced Mother’s business skirt and light silk blouse.

  No one spoke as I ate my breakfast and set the plate in the sink, I guessed they were scared to say the wrong thing and jeopardize my meal. Mother didn’t object to picking up Hunter, and Orm met us in the foyer after I’d brushed my teeth.

  Will had a second security vampire with him in the hall outside our condo, and we rode the elevator down. The car was packed with the two bulky guards in front, me and Mother in the back, and Orm and Elizabeth in the middle row. At Hunter’s apartment, I slid out to meet him on his steps. The sight of him, in his pressed suit and tie, helped me relax. If the kindest-hearted person I’d ever met could like me, I couldn’t be one hundred percent evil.

  “You look nice.” I smiled as he reached me.

  “You look beautiful.” He kissed my cheek and took my hand. My face warmed as I realized we had an audience.

  We slid in the back and my family greeted Hunter. I introduced him to Will and Jacob.

  “The car smells like the bookstore,” he whispered to me.

  Yes, like vampires, that can hear you whispering, I thought.

  The lane beside the church was filled with cars. I’d hoped it would be just the five of us attending the service, but Will and Jacob followed behind as we walked to the entrance.

  “Are they really necessary?” I asked Mother.

  “If there’s a chance Theron or his father will be here, yes,” she whispered in my ear.

  Entering the church, we waited in line to pass the casket and greet his family. I held Mother’s hand tight as we passed the closed chest with a picture of Ganby beside it. Wondering what I would say to his family, my hands trembled in Mother’s.

  The woman I assumed to be Ganby’s mother, held a tissue in her hand and patted her cheek with it between greeting each guest. A girl of about twelve shook my hand first, and I fought the tears threatening to form. Swallowing hard, I stepped in front of his mother. When her eyes met mine, her hand went to her chest. In a quick action, she wrapped the other arm around me.