Embers

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  In a flash, Sawyer grasped my arm.

  “What are you doing?” I growled. “Let go of me!”

  He stared fixedly at me as if he was a predator and I was his dinner. “I’d be happy to give you a ride back to the valley if you want,” he said quietly, so quietly in fact, that the sound of pleading was seeping through.

  “Why would I want to go there? I have plans with my friends tonight,” I said firmly. After the first pull to get away was unsuccessful, I gave up struggling.

  “You know this isn’t where you belong, Ember,” he said in a low, husky voice, bringing his face inches from mine. Close enough to kiss.

  The heat stirred within me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was really pissed off, or really turned on. I tried again to twist away from him, using the heat to my advantage. But he held my arm tightly, uncomfortably so. The throbbing beneath his fingers didn’t feel good at all and that caused the heat to change to definitely pissed off.

  There were too many people around for me to lose hold of the fire and I struggled to remain calm. I closed my eyes for a minute, counting from twenty backwards. It was a little trick that Ila had mentioned. She’d probably be thrilled I had a chance to test it out.

  “Hey, what the hell’s going on here?”

  The angry voice belonged to Preston and he wasn’t alone. Randy and Colby backed him up. Preston was stained and sweaty from the game. He still had his uniform on and held his helmet under his arm. And he was glaring at Sawyer.

  Ivan slid from the Hummer to stand beside Sawyer. The action didn’t escape me.

  Was Ivan nuts? He was willing to take the side of a jealous Demon? Looking at the testosterone filled bodies around me, I was suddenly aware that the situation could explode into something far more sinister.

  I stared up at Sawyer using my mind to compel him to release me. When that didn’t work, I begged with my eyes. The darkness of his gaze swirled, and a blink later his face softened. The same face from my dream stared back at me and I abruptly changed my mind. I didn’t want him to release me. That’s when he let go and took a step back.

  I stood rubbing my arm, but I wasn’t able to breathe normally just yet. Sawyer was still close enough that I could feel the chaos raging beneath his skin.

  I turned to Preston. “It’s nothing, really. These guys live near me on the mountain. Uh, this is Sawyer… and you already know Ivan.” I tried to sound cheerful, as if nothing in the world was amiss, but the little stutter probably gave me away.

  Preston came closer, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Come on, Ember,

  Maddie and Lindsey are looking for you.”

  I chanced a look at Sawyer’s face at the same time the whisper of an animal growl sprang from his mouth. The muscles in his jaw were taut and his normally warm brown eyes were black and dangerous. He was ready to do something terrible and I couldn’t let him.

  If it came to it, I’d have to fight him. How, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t let him kill Preston and his friends— and all because of me. I took a chance, allowing more of the fire in, hoping Sawyer would notice something. But it was difficult to keep the flames under control. The fire wanted to surge free.

  “I’ll see you both later.” My gaze didn’t leave Sawyer as I said it. His eyebrows rose, then his penetrating eyes narrowed.

  Sawyer was deliberating. I could tell by the emotions playing on his face; anger, jealousy, amusement. After a few seconds of excruciating silence, Preston tugged on me, guiding me away. As we walked back toward the stadium, I braced myself for Sawyer’s wrath. But when I peeked over my shoulder, the Hummer was driving away.

  I finally breathed.

  “What was the deal with that guy,” Preston demanded. He still had his arm around my shoulder, which now that the danger had passed, was annoying the crap out of me.

  “Don’t worry, it was nothing.”

  By the time we reached Maddie and Lindsey, Preston had managed to snuggle me deeper into his embrace and I was having none of it. I pulled away, but not before Maddie had seen.

  She grinned at me. “Did you enjoy the game?”

  The game—I didn’t even know who won. I looked up at the scoreboard and read, Home-24, Visitor-17.

  “It was great. Good job guys,” I said, extending my hands with the thumbs up.

  “You can come to the lockers while we change. Hannah’s waiting there for us.” Maddie took my hand and began pulling me to the school. When we were far enough away from Preston, she said, “Wow, girl, you work fast!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You looked pretty cozy with Preston. When did that happen? I mean he seemed too busy playing the game to have had time to make you his girl.” Maddie smiled and the confident lift of her eyebrows angered me further.

  “You got it all wrong. He was just walking with me and…well it’s difficult to explain that’s all,” I trailed off.

  “I bet it is!” Lindsey put in, laughing us right into the building.

  The girls were perceptive enough to see that the subject of Preston had soured my mood. They let the matter drop and focused their attentions on changing quickly. The four of us made our way in Maddie’s car through the heavy traffic to the restaurant. The town’s inhabitants were euphoric about the win, displaying their zeal with beeping horns and excited shouts between slowed vehicles.

  A twinge of a headache throbbed at my left temple and the pop/rap song that Maddie had blaring from the radio only heightened the discomfort. As I gazed out the window at the festivities, I wished that I was sitting on the front porch with Ila, watching the lightening bugs blinking in and out above the grass. At this hour, the valley would be silent, except for the tree frogs whistling their mating calls.

  I wanted to be away from the noise and bright lights of the town. Worry had continued to grow within me from the moment I’d seen the Hummer leave the school and now it consumed me to the point of exploding. Did Sawyer get the wrong idea about me and Preston when he’d seen me walk away with him?

  If he did, why should I care?

  At first, I was just happy to get the football players away from the Demon. I’d been terrified that Sawyer would do something horrible to them. Now I was all torn up worrying what he thought. I needed to get my priorities straight. And fast. But the idea of Sawyer believing that I was linked romantically to Preston was not what I wanted either.

  When we arrived at the Dairy Queen, it seemed that the entire football team was already there, and most of the cheerleaders. I squinted when we entered the brightly lit building. Blinking, I followed the girls to the booths in the corner. Squeezing onto the seat, Maddie bumped me with her hip, directing me into the spot where I ended up being pressed tightly into Preston’s side.

  “Let me get you some dinner.” Preston spoke into my ear.

  “I already ate at the game,” I replied absently.

  “I’m not taking no for an answer.” He winked at me and slid out of the booth.

  When he returned a few minutes later, he placed a large ice cream sundae in front of me.

  I had to smile, couldn’t help it.

  If I continued to hang out with Preston, I’d grow into a balloon. He obviously believed the way to a girl’s heart was through her stomach. The air floating above the sundae was refreshingly cool. I leaned in closer to the ice cream for a few seconds enjoying the sensation.

  It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I ate the dessert.

  “Thanks, Preston,” I mumbled.

  The sides of his mouth turned up into a wide smile. When he slipped his arm over the seat behind me, I tensed.

  Anyone passing by will assume that we’re a couple.

  There wasn’t much I could do about it without causing a scene, but I vowed that after I’d eaten, I’d feign illness in the hopes that Maddie would take me back to her house. It was the least that she could do after stuffing me into Preston as if I was the bread for his Thanksgiving turkey.

  Biting into a spoonful o
f the sundae, my thoughts wandered, and I found myself thinking about how some of Sawyer’s black hair was always falling into his eye and he’d have to brush it away, tucking it behind his ear.

  A shock ran through my body at the image and I quickly blocked it from my mind.

  The conversation around the table was all about the game and I wasn’t in the least bit interested. Boredom was making me sleepy and it wasn’t long before I was staring out the window, lost in my own little world. The voices around the table became a distant, buzzing sound as I watched the cars in line at the drive-thru inch by.

  Seeing a black vehicle parked in the back of the lot stopped my heart and tingled my skin. How many people would drive a Hummer in a little town like this? I was willing to bet none. I had to stretch in my seat to see the vehicle as it appeared and disappeared when cars passed in front of it.

  My mind raced and a quiet thrill rushed through me. Sawyer is out there.

  It must have been written all over my face because Maddie, peering across the table, asked if I was okay.

  “I have an upset stomach, that’s all.”

  When I looked out the window again, the Hummer was gone. I was an empty shell at once.

  An hour later we were finally back at Maddie’s house. I wanted to go straight to bed, but the girls had other ideas. After we changed into our pajamas, which varied from me and Lindsey wearing sweats and t-shirts to Hannah’s cute nighty and Maddie’s pink tank top and shorts combo, Maddie went to ransack the kitchen.

  Lindsey flipped through the stations on the television and after a lengthy search, she finally settled on Titanic.

  “Ohhh, I love this movie!” Maddie squealed in delight, plopping down on the bed with a monster size bowl of popcorn.

  “That’s just what I need to watch, a sappy love story. Really, you guys are cruel,” Hannah moaned, pressing a pillow over her head.

  I felt sorry for Hannah. I was beginning to understand the way she felt.

  It was the wee hours of the morning when the movie ended. Ironically, Hannah and I were the only ones who stayed awake for it.

  2 Kings 19:35

  And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.

  Sawyer ~ Thirty-One

  Ivan didn’t bother to speak to me as we drove back to the compound. He knew I was angry and he let me be. I couldn’t erase the image of the human male touching Ember as if she belonged to him. I could have snapped his head right off his body, but the part me that had somehow remained civilized throughout the years of dark insanity held me in check.

  I didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially not some teenage human who was as infatuated with Ember as I was. The other thing that reined back my jealous rage was the blast of heat that exploded from Ember’s body when I tried to hold onto her—and the look in her eyes.

  I would have to make a decision whether to let Ember go and try to forget her or to fight for her. But fighting for her couldn’t involve killing my competition. Somehow I’d have to convince her that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

  I had bonded to her. I was sure of it now. The irrational feelings I was experiencing and the obsession I had for her told me that.

  Ember was fooling herself if she thought she could live a normal life with the star football player. Maybe she wanted the nice house with a white picket fence and the two kids, the whole package. But she was a Watcher and life would never be normal for her. She’d be better off with someone like me who could handle what she was.

  That jock would certainly get burned by her fire. And she’d grow bored of him eventually. But could I stand by and wait for that time to come?

  Ember had responded to me. It wasn’t my imagination. She had feelings for me or she wouldn’t have offered me her soul. The thought of tasting her sweet soul was growing more desirable by the minute. A book in the library had confirmed what she’d said about earth Watchers and their ability to heal themselves from just about anything.

  But was the invitation still open after tonight? She was very upset with me.

  When we drove into the compound, there was a small gathering on the pathway. I parked and hopped out of the Hummer, dreading the encounter. I wouldn’t be able to detour them without raising suspicions, which prompted me to walk right into their midst. Ivan had already slunk away into the trees. I envied him his ability to do so and the fact that it was expected of him.

  The group consisted of Kimberly, Donnelly, Gabriel and the muscled searcher, John, whose wide spaced eyes and flat nose made him resemble a feline. Often it entered my thoughts that he looked the part of a Growler and was similar enough to Cray that they could have been considered brothers. Unlike Cray though, John was friendly. His unassuming manner made him an excellent gatherer for the compound. Humans were instantly drawn into his confidence. They would let their guard down and quickly be captured by his eyes. Once under his spell, he was one of the crueler Demons. He enjoyed those times when a victim accidently slipped out of unconsciousness to be fully awake for its death.

  The Demons separated, stepping aside when I reached them to let me pass. I stopped though and made small talk for a few minutes before I noticed a look pass between Kimberly and Donnelly. That look caused the hairs to rise on my neck.

  “Is anything interesting going on?” I asked, glancing between the four of them.

  It was Gabrielle who spoke in her sensual, Spanish accent. “We are going for a special hunt, Sawyer, you care to join us?”

  “Why feed so soon? It’s not necessary.” Dread filled me.

  This time John answered. “The young humans from the town have a special gathering this time each year at the lake, near the base of the mountain. It goes well into the night and there are many of them there. Often times the humans will pair up and go into the woods for lovemaking.”

  “It’s the perfect occasion for us to hone our skills. Are you with us, Sawyer?” Kimberly asked with barely controlled delight.

  She knew I didn’t enjoy the killing part the way she and the others did. She’d purposely set a trap for me so she could test what I would do.

  “What does Garrett think about this?”

  “It was his idea,” Kimberly said with a grin. Her eyebrows rose expectantly as she waited for my reaction.

  “Will you leave at nightfall then?” I needed more information.

  “Of course, we will use the darkness to conceal us,” Gabrielle purred.

  “I’ll think about it, but if any mistakes are made, the humans will come here searching for answers. Are we ready to pick up and leave the place we labored so long to build?”

  “We won’t be going anywhere. Don’t worry about that,” Kimberly said with hidden meaning.

  Walking away, I was cold with fear. What if Ember was at the lake with her friends? The vision of the football player standing protectively beside her flashed through my mind.

  He’d be useless when the Demons arrived.

  I was decided. I’d go to lake during the day to watch for her. If by some chance of ill fate, Ember was among the humans, I’d get her out of there before nightfall. Even if it meant carrying her screaming off into the woods.

  The thought of that appealed to me greatly, but whether I would survive, was questionable.

  Exodus 14:19

  And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.

  Ember ~ Thirty-Two

  When I opened my eyes and looked at the clock, I was shocked that it was almost noon. Covering a yawn with my hand, I quickly slipped out of the sleeping bag and tip toed to the window. The blinds were drawn tight and I lifted a corner to peek out. The sun was blazing high in the sky.

  Maybe if I was quiet enough, I could get changed and sneak out before the other girls wok
e. I had to talk to Sawyer. I felt compelled to explain to him that there wasn’t anything going on between Preston and me. I was also curious to find out if he’d made a decision about my offer. Just thinking about seeing him again made my insides do funny things. I tried to shake it off as I got dressed.

  A petite calico cat sauntered into the room. Maddie had mentioned her the night before, but she’d never made an appearance. I reached out and stroked the fur down her back. It was my undoing when out of her mouth popped a loud meow. Stupid cat. I quickly silenced her with my mind, but Maddie’s eyes were already open.

  “Come here, Princess Kitty,” Maddie coaxed. The cat quickly left me to join her owner on the bed.

  Maddie noticed that I was dressed and asked, “What are you doing, Ember?” Her gaze was sharp for just waking.

  “I need to get going. It’s late,” I said quietly as I reached for my bag.

  She sat straight up and said, “I don’t think so!”

  “What do you mean?” I said in a harsh whisper.

  As if she was going to stop me.

  “Look, it’s already lunch time and we’re supposed to head over to the bon fire at five o’clock. It would be stupid for you to drive all the way up the mountain and then back again in that amount of time.”

  She was being practical, but what she didn’t realize was that I wanted to get out of going to the bon fire.

  “I’m under strict orders from Preston to make sure you get there.” She said it as if her words meant something to me.

  “There’s nothing going on between me and Preston and he has no business thinking so...or you for that matter.” I didn’t know who I was more irritated with at the moment, but I was definitely ticked off by all the assumptions going on.

  “Why are you being so difficult? He really likes you and he’s a nice guy. Or is the dark, dangerous guy with the Hummer the reason you don’t want to go out with Preston?”

  She saw the confusion on my face and said, “Randy told me all about the little showdown after the game. He said the guy had a death grip on you, as if the two of you had something serious going on.”