"James was able to get on a flight with another airline that is only an hour behind us, so he should be here soon," I said.
Marek gave me a look that said he had heard the message himself and didn't need the replay. So much for thinking Marek would even act human; I'd have to remember he was all business.
We rode in silence to our hotel, and I didn't have any reason to speak until Marek was checking in, and I realized we only had one room. The thought of sharing with Marek was too much.
"I'm not sharing a room with you," I whispered.
The look he gave me could have melted steel. It was clear he didn't think I was using my brain, nor did he think I should be thinking for myself on this one.
"The room is a suite. The bedroom is separate from the living area." He said as if that would be the end of it.
My stomach twisted as I thought of him sharing a room with me. The feeling of unease would not go away, and unlike the visions I usually had, this feeling wouldn't pinpoint exactly why it wasn't a good idea. I just knew it would end badly.
"I'd rather have my own room if you don't mind," I replied.
"That is not acceptable…from a security standpoint." He said, and it was evident by the tone of his voice that there was no point in arguing.
I shut my mouth and stepped away from him while he finished checking in. After taking several deep breaths, I was able to shake the bad feeling I had enough to take a look around. The hotel was a five-star establishment, something that was above my usual station and seemed to be somewhat extravagant. I guess the Guardians are well funded.
The main room was softly lit by strategically placed chandeliers and filled with dark woods and leather. The masculinity was broken by several large floral bouquets of white flowers. The effect was stunning, and I couldn't wait to see what the rooms looked like, even if I had to share.
The bellhop led the way to a shiny bank of elevators, and we followed in silence. More opulence met us in the elevator car and again in the hallway upstairs. The color palette changed on the seventh floor, where our room was located, soft grays with a touch of purple. Each room door was ebony black with brushed silver hardware. It was beautiful.
When we arrived at our room, Marek directed the man where to put the luggage, and I wandered further into the suite. The grey theme continued throughout but was altered in the bedroom. The bed was white with butter yellow pillows and a puffy white duvet. It was modern and feminine and looked like a cloud. I couldn't wait to get into it.
"Will this be suitable for you?" Marek asked with just a touch of annoyance in his voice.
I didn't hear him approach, and the sound of his voice made me jump. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his comment then turned with a smile on my lips.
"It's gorgeous, and the bed looks very comfortable," I said, sliding my fingers along the silky fabric.
He paused for a moment as he looked at the bed himself. I could have sworn his lips quirked.
"If you look at the menu and select something, I will have it delivered to the room," he said, then turned and walked away.
The abruptness of his leaving had me curious. I felt a flutter of desire roll through the link between us, and I smiled as my eyes followed his lean form into the living area. Just as my eyes rested on his ass, he turned, and I was shocked to find myself staring at another part of his anatomy. I closed my eyes and moved to find the menu. I could feel the flush on my cheeks as I fumbled around looking for the list of options for my dinner.
I closed my eyes just as a sharp pain shot through my head. I gasped and grabbed my head with my hands. I pressed my fingers into the pain, but it did nothing to make it go away. I felt Marek move toward me. He wrapped his arms around me just as the images hit. The distant sound of his voice didn't stop the vision.
Natalie screamed in pain as Viktor bit into her neck. Her body shuddered as he pulled her closer and drank deeply. Her cries turned to moans as what he was doing evolved from pain to pleasure. After a moment, Viktor pulled back and laughed at her glazed look then turned his head to look right at me. Only I wasn't really there for him to see.
"Ember," he sneered with my sister's blood dripping from his mouth. He smiled as I tried to yell for him to leave her alone, but either he couldn't hear me, or he refused to react to my words. He turned away from me and resumed his attention to my sister, who was now compliant with his wishes. She didn't fight him when he started removing her clothing. In fact, she was trying to help him.
I heard Marek's voice pulling me out of the vision and back to reality, but the images were slow to fade. No matter how much I wanted it to end, one image clung to my mind. Viktor's teeth stained with my sister's blood.
I didn't want to see what he was about to do to my sister any more than I already had to, so I clung to the sound of Marek's voice. His voice was a promise that this vision would end even if the reality had still occurred. As the last of the images faded, Marek's voice finally came together with coherent words.
"What did you see?" Marek asked. His voice was urgent yet soothing at the same time.
"It was Natalie, we don't have much time. Viktor is…playing with her." I said through gritted teeth.
"He will not hurt her…" he started to say, but I interrupted him.
"Won't hurt her? He was sucking her blood and tearing off her clothes, Marek. He has already hurt her!" I screamed and pushed away from him.
He grabbed me faster than I could get away and spun me around. The intensity in his eyes stopped me from fighting him off.
"As I said, he will not hurt her because she is the only link he has with you. You are his target, not your sister. That is why you need to think about what you just saw." He said.
I shook my head, but he wouldn't let me get out of it.
"I don't want to think about it," I said weakly.
"You must, or we will never find your sister. In your vision lays the clues to her exact location." He said.
My heart was pounding, and my breathing became erratic as his fingers wrapped around my arms. His hands tightened around my biceps until they were just on this side of hurting. I looked down at those fingers, and he let go, but he didn't step away from me. His body stayed pressed to the front of mine.
He touched my cheek and said one word, "Please."
It was said softly and in a voice that was so tender. This vampire was an enigma. I had a sudden feeling that he was going to be important in my future. It was one of those non-specific feelings that felt like a premonition.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"You do not need to tell me, show me the vision," Marek said.
"What?" I said, confused.
"Use the bond between us to push the images into my mind." He said. "No words needed."
"I don't know how to do that," I said, feeling confused. Was that even possible?
Marek took my hand in his. I let him do it even though it felt weird.
"The bond between us has weakened. It will be easier for you if we renew it before trying." He said in a perfectly logical matter of fact tone.
"Whoa, I don't think we need to do that," I said, stepping back and trying to walk away.
Marek stopped me and said, “If you can feel the bond fully, it will be easier to share your vision. After that, you will not need it." He said as if renewing the bond was no big deal.
"I can feel it now," I responded. Being bound closer to Marek was not a good idea. I knew it, but he was insistent.
"It is but a thread now. You need a clear pathway." He said while pulling a knife from his pocket.
He pushed up the sleeve of his jacket. Then he brought the knife to his wrist and made a small incision. Blood beaded to the surface and with it a vanilla scent that reminded me of the last time I had his blood.
I took a step toward him automatically, and his usually stoic face showed a hint of a smile. He was going to enjoy this. I knew it, but I also couldn't help myself. I remembered how good it tasted t
he last time and the rush it gave me. Without further hesitation, I grabbed his arm and brought his wrist up to my lips. I felt him tense slightly before I closed my mouth over the cut. He shuddered as I began to pull on the wound and take his blood into my body.
Like before, it didn't taste coppery like I would expect blood should taste. It was a warm caramel flavor, but unlike before, it was like it was begging me to consume it. I drank deeper, but the wound was closing, and the supply disappearing. I leaned into Marek and tried sucking harder, but it wouldn't bleed anymore.
Before I knew what I was doing, I had bitten him. As my teeth sunk into his skin, Marek gasped. The sound brought a wave of pleasure rippling through my body. Almost instantly, I felt my back hit the wall, and Marek's body press hard into mine. It was everything I wanted at that moment. He was warm and hard against me, and his taste was magic on my tongue.
"No more, Ember. That is enough." Marek said, but his voice sounded distant, almost as if he was speaking from far away.
His voice did nothing to stop me from sucking harder on the wound. I was rewarded with a rush of sweet ecstasy that filled my whole body. My limbs were tingling, and I was getting aroused by the press of Marek's body against mine. I could suddenly feel how Marek felt with me pressed against him. We were one, and it was exquisite.
I grabbed the bond between us and pulled it toward me, wrapping it around myself. The feeling was like velvet and silk. I wanted more.
"No, Ember do not…" Marek urged me to stop, but it was too late.
I could feel his panic and under it all his desire for me to keep going. It felt right in a way that I couldn’t understand.
A voice next to my ear pulled me out of my thoughts. "You need to let him go Em."
It was James, he was talking to me and interrupting my thoughts. When did he get here?
His distraction broke the seal of my lips on Marek's skin. I dropped his wrist and instantly felt its loss even though Marek's body was still pressed against mine. In fact, it wasn't just his body that was pressed against me. I could feel his teeth graze my throat too.
"Oh God," I gasped and pushed him back, but instead of using my hands, I used my power. It was pulsing strongly at that moment and so easy to use.
Marek was gone in an instant, and I felt cold from his loss. I could still feel him in my mind, but differently than just moments before.
"Use it. Show me the vision." Marek said. His voice was husky, even from the far side of the room.
Before I thought of anything else, I recalled the vision and pushed it down the lines of our bond, opening it up completely. I didn't grab the connection this time; instead, I just poured the images down the pathway.
I opened my eyes and found Marek seated on the floor in the corner of the room. His head was in his hands, and he was shaking. He didn't look well.
"What just happened?" James asked.
Marek looked at him for a moment, and James gasped. He looked at me then back at Marek.
"Let's take a walk," James said, pulling me out of the room.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked, trying to look back at Marek as we went through the door.
"You are. Let's go." He insisted, yanking me by the arm into the hall.
As soon as the door closed, I felt more lucid, and the realization set in that I had done something wrong.
"What did I do?" I whispered and looked up at James.
"I didn't think it was possible, but you rolled him," He responded.
"Rolled him? What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
Marek was an old vampire with lots of power. It couldn't be what I thought.
"Here, sit down," He said as we came to a bench near the elevator.
I sat and looked up at him while I waited for him to answer.
"You took control of the bond. It shouldn't be possible with a vampire that strong." He said. He looked half proud and half scared.
"That can't be a good thing," I said, knowing that a powerful vampire like Marek would not want to be controlled.
Although, as soon as I thought it, I could feel him again. He was angry but not with me, and there was also something else. Something that he wanted desperately. I dropped the thread between us. I didn't want to know what it was.
"No, master vampires don't give control willingly to just anyone, and I think he may have done it by accident. He doesn't usually make mistakes like this." James said.
"So, you are saying he gave me control?" I asked. Although I was confident that wasn't what happened. I kept that thought to myself.
"Yes, it's the only way it could have happened. I had to step in, or he would have…" James shook his head but couldn't finish the thought.
"He would have what?" I insisted.
"If he had bitten you back, the bond could become permanent." He sounded like he didn't want to tell me how close I had come to becoming irreversibly connected to a master vampire.
"Crap," I said, cringing when I felt Marek respond through our bond.
He wasn't happy that James was telling me and I wasn't pleased he could understand what was going on.
"More than crap. That kind of exchange only happens to bonded mates or those preparing for the change." James said. "That isn't something you want to do without a full understanding of what you are getting yourself into."
The thought of binding yourself to a vampire forever was hard to imagine. It obviously happened but not to anyone I knew or had ever heard of. Granted, I was new to this life, so my experience was minimal.
"What were you doing, Em?" James asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Don't judge me, James. Marek wanted me to try sharing my visions directly with him, but the bond was too weak. He made it sound like it was no big deal to renew it." I said.
"It's a big deal," James said, stating the obvious.
"Clearly," I said, feeling angry with James.
What happened wasn't his fault, but I couldn't help but feel if he hadn't missed his flight that James would have been there to stop this from happening in the first place. Maybe that was my real problem. James wasn't there for me, and I had to rely solely on Marek.
"Shit, I need to talk to him," I said and stood up to go back to the room.
"Ember wait," He said, grabbing my arm.
"Let me go," I said and put the force of my kinetic power into it. He dropped my arm instantly, wincing like it hurt. That was interesting…I could get used to that.
When I opened the door, Marek was still on the floor, but he looked better. His eyes were closed, and his head was tipped back against the wall. When the door closed behind me, he looked up. His eyes piercing with emotion that I couldn't comprehend. I'd never seen him this way before.
"Are you okay?" I asked tentatively.
The look in his eyes at that moment told me he was both happy and angry. I could feel the emotions simmering along with our connection, but it wasn't clear to me yet how to interpret those signals.
"I'm sorry, whatever I did…" I said lamely.
He smiled, which stopped me from thinking clearly. I blinked hard to make sure I saw that right. Marek didn't smile often.
He stood without effort and walked over to me. He took my hand in his lifting it to his mouth. He kissed my palm, and a zing of heat flooded through my body. At that moment, his presence overwhelmed me. I couldn't think of anything but the warmth I was feeling and the intensity of his stare.
"You may regret what you did one day, but I do not." He said.
I knew he was telling the truth. He wanted me to be bound to him forever. I took a step back, and he laughed.
"You already do," He said, closing the distance between us again.
Marek touched my cheek lightly and ran his thumb along my jaw. The movement sent waves of pleasure through my body. It felt somewhere between the warmth of a hug from someone you love and a sexual invitation.
He said, "It is late. You should go to bed. You need your rest."
All I heard was "b
ed," and I felt a blush on my cheeks. I turned my head and closed my eyes. I had to shake this feeling and get my brain to function again. At that moment, I realized that I really was exhausted. Whatever had just happened confused me, but I wondered why Marek was so intimate with me. Was it the bond?
"You'll understand soon enough." He said, answering my thought.
I gasped in shock, and a quirk of a smile showed on his lips before he stepped away. The distance allowed me to take a deep breath and clear my head. James chose that moment to come back into the room. I didn't know what to do next, so I followed Marek's suggestion and went into the bedroom. Talking to either of them further felt like it would be even more exhausting.
Chapter Three
My fingernails got caked with dirt from crawling under bushes, not my usual kind of activity. I'm the one usually sitting at a desk all day researching for a legal firm. We hired private investigators to do the dirty work, but this wasn't for the practice. I was searching for my sister. I was trying to be sneaky and see into this building without being seen. James was playing lookout. We were on our own yet under strict orders not to enter the building.
Marek wasn't here due to what you could call a fatal sun allergy. He could stand more sun than most vampires, but Phoenix, Arizona wasn't called the Valley of the Sun for nothing. Marek couldn't risk prolonged sun exposure unless we were sure of Natalie's location; thus, our present reconnoiter without him.
While I slept last night, Marek did some recon on his own and narrowed things down to a few buildings that James and I were currently checking out. I was supposed to use my powers to determine if Natalie was in the building, but that attempt backfired. I couldn't figure out how to use my gift and try as he might, James couldn't get me to use it either.
I cursed under my breath as I scraped my knee and wished I was wearing jeans. It was too hot for that, but a girl could hope. I approached the window carefully, and the muck covering the glass combined with the embedded wire within the glass made seeing anything in the interior of this building sketchy at best. I strained to hear as much as I could, but the building's air conditioner was roaring nearby, cutting off any sound that might be there.
Ember's Shadow - Into the Darkness (an Ember Summers novel Book 2) Page 2