Ember's Shadow - Into the Darkness (an Ember Summers novel Book 2)

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Ember's Shadow - Into the Darkness (an Ember Summers novel Book 2) Page 4

by Nichole M. Bridges


  He shocked me again by pulling me into his arms. It was so gentle compared to the hot flood of emotions I could feel coming from him.

  He cradled my head into his neck and whispered into my ear. "You are my poison too."

  He struck so quickly I didn't have time to defend myself. I felt his teeth enter my skin, followed by an instant burn that made it feel like my neck would catch fire. I cried out in pain only to be pulled out of pain and thrown into bliss. Each swallow of my blood down his throat had an echoing pulse in my body that could only be described as near orgasmic.

  My arms moved from trying to push him away to pull him closer to me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he lifted me off the countertop. I felt him carrying me but didn't know where, and I really didn't care. Distantly I felt my back push into something soft followed by the weight of his body on mine. I ground my hips into his and felt an answering thrust from him.

  Our clothes were in the way, but I couldn't seem to move enough to take them off. The pleasure changed shortly after, and I had a moment of clarity. A vision of me lying dead with my family weeping beside me gave me enough strength to try to push Marek away. He didn't budge and sucked so hard on my neck that I almost wanted him to keep going.

  With my last ounce of strength, I placed my hands on his chest and told him to stop. His drinking slowed, and I realized that his teeth were no longer in my neck. I didn't waste any time. I summoned my power and unleashed it into his chest.

  Marek flew from the bed and hit the wall. I realized after using my power that I was too weak to move. I had lost too much blood.

  "Do you understand now?" he asked.

  A cold coil of truth pooled in my abdomen. This wasn't Marek going out of control. This was my punishment. It wasn't the first time he chose a demonstration to make me see something.

  "Yes," I said through gritted teeth.

  He walked over and sat beside me on the bed. "Do you have the strength to fight me now?"

  I shook my head no, and he smiled.

  "So, if I decided to take advantage of the situation, you could not stop me?" He said with a wicked smile.

  "You know I can't," I said with gritted teeth.

  He stroked a path from my temple to my breast, and God help me, but my body wanted him to keep going. My body was still thrumming with desire from before.

  "This is what they can do to you. This," Marek said, running the tip of his finger around my nipple, "is why you need me."

  Tears fell from my eyes as I used the last of my strength to push on his chest.

  "This is why you should stay away from me," I said and funneled all my power into that one hand.

  He was not only pushed off the bed, but we would have to explain a hole in the wall. He laid in a heap, not moving, and I was able to pull my phone out of my pocket. I texted James that I needed help and hoped that he would arrive before Marek woke up.

  Chapter Four

  My vision swam as I sat up to get a better look at Marek. He still wasn't moving as I struggled to prop myself against the headboard. I didn't feel as bad as I thought I should and almost believed I could stand. I strained my ears for any sign of breathing, do vampires breathe? Or any sign of movement that might tell me Marek was conscious.

  What I heard was the door to the hotel room open, and James yell my name.

  “I’m in the bedroom,” I said with a much too raspy voice that almost gave out.

  He was at the door in a blink of an eye. I felt too terrible to be shocked by it.

  "What happened?" He asked, rushing to the bed.

  He stopped before he got there when he saw Marek's half-hidden body. Part of him was actually inside the wall.

  "He attacked me," I said, fighting off angry tears.

  James stepped over Marek cautiously then sat on the bed to gather me in his arms. He kept looking at Marek as if he would explode at any moment.

  "Tell me what happened." He said, lifting my chin so he could see in my eyes.

  As I started to speak, Marek stirred. "She will do no such thing."

  Marek sat up slowly, rubbing his chest where I had used my power on him. I flinched but stayed where I was. I knew I could defend myself. If I could knock out a vampire as powerful as Marek, I could do anything I needed to survive.

  "I want you out of here," I said and was proud that my voice didn't waver.

  Marek looked at me then at James and smiled. “You can be sure that she will be better able to defend herself next time.”

  My confusion was temporarily shattered by the sight of a burn mark the shape of a hand on Marek’s shirt. It obviously hurt because he touched it tenderly.

  “What did you do?” James asked quietly.

  "Nothing she did not need to learn." He said, then tugged off his shirt.

  I’m not sure if I was more shocked by the perfect imprint of my hand on his skin or by the sight of his naked chest. The view was better than I expected, and the sudden surge of lust made me uncomfortable.

  Marek met my gaze and smiled. Leave it to him to make an already uncomfortable moment even more uneasy. I didn’t know where to look after that until I met James’ gaze. He was looking at me like I was an alien. That’s when I got mad.

  “What?” I shouted at James.

  He lifted his hands and backed away from me. Marek just smirked and leaned against the unbroken section of the wall crossing his arms casually across his stomach. A stomach that was tight with well-defined muscles. The smugness on his face made me angrier, and I jumped off the bed to come at him. I was there before I had a chance to think about what I was doing.

  Before I could do anything, Marek said, “You recovered quickly.”

  There were so many things that I wanted to say to him, but nothing came out. All I could do was look at the shiny red burn marring his beautiful chest. The rest of his skin was creamy white and smooth, but the mark drew my eye more than anything else.

  Before I could stop myself, I reached for it. Marek flinched slightly, and I held my hand about an inch away from his chest. The mark was a perfect match to my hand, and I could feel the heat coming from it. I lowered my fingers onto it and felt the shiny welt. It was warm to the touch.

  Marek's breathing became ragged, and I met his gaze. Touching it was hurting him, but he didn't say a word to make me stop. His stomach muscles were clenched tightly, and his fists were balled.

  "You could tell me to stop," I whispered.

  His lips turned up on one side in a half-smile, but he didn't say anything. I lifted my hand from his chest, but he stopped me by grabbing it. His hand clamped around my wrist like a vice, and it reminded me of the unbelievable strength he possessed.

  “Do not move.” He said.

  "But I'm hurting you," I said, confused.

  Our voices were soft, but James was close enough to hear us if he wanted to. Marek’s eyes darted toward James then back to me. He tightened his grip on my hand briefly then let it go. I dropped my hand to my side and took a step back. He didn’t move or say a word. His reticence confused me.

  “Why did you do it?” I asked.

  The smile left his face so quickly I thought I may have imagined it in the first place. It was with a blank look that he spoke to me.

  “You must learn to control your powers and resist the compulsion of a vampire. What better way to learn than with a real-life situation?” He said.

  I blinked back the tears that were threatening to overtake my resolve. Crying would not be appreciated by Marek, and I needed him to see strength from me right then.

  "An exercise could have been done with my knowledge and in a safer way than what just happened," I said and was proud that my voice didn't crack.

  My fingers traced the wound on my neck and found that it was mostly healed. No puncture marks were evident, just a trail of blood was left to show what had happened. Marek caught my hand and brought my fingers to his lips.

  "If I had not made it safe, you would not be standing here now w
ith nothing but a smear of blood on your neck." He said, then licked my fingers clean of blood.

  I should have been appalled and disgusted by it, but my traitorous body throbbed in pleasure, remembering how it had felt to have him drawing my blood into his mouth. I recalled the feel of his tongue as it encouraged the flow and how his lips moved in time with his swallows. The thrust of his hips against my body, and the strength of his arms as he held me made my entire body hum with the memory.

  I was ready to throw myself back into his arms. It was that knowledge that allowed me to pull my hand free and turn my back on him. James looked at me and the expression on his face was one of disappointment and pain.

  He moved toward the door and said, “I’ll leave so you can get cleaned up.”

  He closed the door when he left, leaving me alone with Marek again. His action was reckless for a Guardian, and I realized that I knew that only because Marek was thinking it at that moment.

  I felt Marek move behind me, and I froze as his hands touched my shoulders. He pushed my hair away from my neck.

  “What are you doing?” I asked him.

  “You do need to get cleaned up.” He said then started to lick my neck.

  I stayed still and tried not to enjoy the feel of his tongue on my skin. My body wasn't listening to my mind, and my brain wasn't able to protest.

  "I can clean it off myself," I said but didn't step away from him or push him away.

  “You could,” he said as he licked a path up to my jaw, “but you would have to remove your clothing.”

  Looking down, I saw that my shirt had blood on it too. How did I not notice that before?

  "My shirt has to come off anyway," I said.

  Marek pressed closer against my back and moved his hands to my waist. His fingers found their way to the edge of my t-shirt, and they slid under it so slowly that it was a few minutes before I realized it had happened.

  "Then, take it off," Marek whispered.

  I moved my arms, and he pulled up on the fabric at the same time. Within seconds he had my shirt off and turned me around with my hands resting on his chest. His skin was warm, and the mark I had made was almost gone.

  "It's almost healed," I said, moving my fingers to the few marks that remained.

  “The blood of a powerful Seer can do many wondrous things.” He said.

  A stab of pain in my chest from the thought of how he used me sobered me up. This intimacy between us needed to end. I didn’t have to be a Seer to know any sort of relationship with this man would be suicide.

  “It wasn’t just a lesson,” I snapped and tried to pull away from him.

  He pulled me back against his body so hard that I lost my breath. My breasts and stomach met his bare skin, and molten warmth that felt like hot caramel sliding down my body hit me instantly. It was exquisite and yet painful at the same time. This wasn't a man I wanted to be attracted to.

  "No, but you do not wish to know the reasons for the things I do. You would not be able to cope with that sort of truth…yet." He said, then released me and left the room.

  My body shivered from the sudden chill, and I wrapped my arms around myself. I needed to get myself cleaned up but couldn't bring myself to move. There was something about the way Marek spoke to me that triggered something in my subconscious. It was a part I couldn't access directly, but it triggered my power none the less.

  The sincerity of Marek's words brought with them a vision that I didn't want, but like any Seer, I was a slave to the power. I had enough presence of mind to reach out for the wall to steady myself.

  As my vision came, I found myself standing in a large room full of people I didn't know. They all moved with a similar grace that I had come to expect from Marek, which meant they were most likely vampires. I expected to feel panic while in the presence of so many otherworldly creatures, but instead, I felt calm and protected.

  A voice next to me startled me into turning to see who it was. Marek stood in a pose that could only be considered regal and spoke with a blond man of a height that was at least four inches more than Marek's own height. His hair was long but not feminine at all, and he kept nodding in such a way that felt like a bow.

  I couldn’t understand any of the words they were using since it was a language I didn't know, but what I could surmise was that this tall blond was going to do a favor for Marek. He was happy to do it from the way he was reacting, and I was more than a little curious as to why. Marek pulled me to his side, and my shock at the physical contact mixed with the blur of the vision had me wondering why I was experiencing this.

  My eyes drifted around the room, looking for anyone I might know but came up empty. The only person in this room that I was familiar with was Marek.

  "Alone at last," Marek said, and I turned to look at him.

  He was smiling in that way that told me he was pleased to be looking at me. It was a smile I had only seen once before, and my breath caught at the emotion that poured through our bond. It felt like love, but that wasn't possible. A vampire doesn't love. They manipulate. Marek had proven that to me just moments ago.

  The vision shattered, and I was once again in the hotel room. I stumbled a bit and walked into the bathroom. Instead of a shower, I drew a bath so that I wouldn't have to stand longer than necessary. My balance wasn't precisely right after the attack or what Marek called a lesson. The thought sent a surge of anger through me.

  After stripping off the rest of my clothes, I got in the tub and started to wash. Most of the blood was cleaned off me, and the thought of how it had been done made my body quake. I shook off the feeling and relaxed into the bubbles. I had more things to consider than how a vampire could elicit a sexual response from me.

  My mind got stuck on that vision and how it didn't seem to have any relation to our current search for my sister. Marek was very comfortable with all those people, and it appeared that even I had a place there, which was quite odd. I couldn't imagine a time when I would be comfortable around that many vampires, especially since I didn't think that many even existed.

  My dream journal is where I would file that vision. I used to write down all the dreams I had so that I wouldn’t lose any detail after the initial vision faded. Now I use it to write down all my visions, awake or asleep. The last notation I had made was about my sister.

  She was in hell with an evil vampire, and I was in a posh hotel having lustful feelings. I should be the one in hell.

  A knock at the door made me jump and kicked my heart to race. I called out instead of going to the door. I didn’t want to be naked in front of either of the men in this hotel room.

  “What do you want?” I yelled.

  “Are you okay?” James asked from behind the bathroom door.

  “I’m fine,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

  “Are you sure?” He asked.

  I got out of the tub and opened the door a crack. "I'm fine, James."

  His eyes were filled with worry, and it might have been my imagination, but I thought he was on the verge of tears.

  “Are you really?” he asked.

  I pushed the door open and walked back to the tub. As I sunk back into the water, I remembered the last time I had been in the bathtub with James in the room. It was after I shot my boyfriend, ex-boyfriend now. Nikko is a werewolf, but I didn't know that at the time. He had lost control and started coming after me. If the Guardians hadn't been there that night, I might have been killed.

  James was important to me, and if what he saw happen earlier changed things, it would hurt.

  “Thank you,” James said from the doorway.

  “For what?” I asked.

  "For letting me in," he said.

  I turned to look at him. He looked scared. I reached my hand out to him.

  “Stay in here with me?” I asked and hoped like hell he would do it. I really didn’t want to be alone despite my earlier behavior.

  "Em, that's not a good idea," James said, drawing back out the door.
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  "Please, James. I don't want to be alone right now." I implored him.

  James wouldn’t look at me, but he also didn’t leave the room.

  “James,” I said with more urgency.

  He looked out toward the living area. Whatever he saw decided things.

  "For a bit," James said.

  He walked over and sat next to the tub. He took my hand in his, and I felt better instantly. I needed his support.

  "Thank you," I said, smiling up at him.

  He was quiet for a while before saying, “you exchanged blood with him.”

  It was a simple statement, but it brought me to panic. James had said that having Marek take my blood after I took his blood would mean something.

  "What does it mean?" I asked, trying to hide how terrified that statement made me.

  “Do you feel different?” He asked.

  “No, why didn’t you answer the question?” I asked.

  James dropped my hand and stepped toward the door. He looked hurt, but somehow it amplified my panic.

  "It isn't my place to discuss that with you, Ember." He said, then left the room.

  Although I was in a tub full of hot water at that moment, I felt cold. I needed James in a way I didn't understand until that moment. He was the humanity and warmth now that I had shut Nikko out of my life. James was starting to fill that hole for me, but Marek complicated it all.

  Thinking of Nikko brought a tear to my eye, and before I knew what I was doing, I had connected with him, mind to mind.

  "Shit, Ember, what are you doing?" Nikko said, out of breath.

  "Sorry, I was just thinking about you, and then there you were," I said, confused. How did I do that?

  “Are you okay?” He asked, sounding concerned.

  “I’m okay. Well, sort of anyway.” I said.

  He was at the gym. That explained the heavy breathing.

  “You could have called,” he said, laughing.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, pulling away.

  “Wait! Don’t go.” He said.

  I could feel his love pouring through the connection. He still loved me deeply. More tears fell down my face.

 

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