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

by Nichole M. Bridges

  Blood was running down her face from where Asher had broken her nose. It seemed to be what was fueling her rage, but I was no expert on newly turned vampires. What I did know was that I was the only human close to her, and her instincts were telling her that she needed blood.

  Viktor stepped in and tried to hold her while yelling for her to gain control. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so scary. Natalie finally had the upper hand on Viktor, but she had to become a crazed vampire to get there.

  Natalie threw Viktor into the wall, dislodging several bricks where he crashed. I hoped Julien didn't get upset about that and rethink his offer of making me a friend of the coven. Satisfied that Viktor was down for the moment, Natalie turned back to me. As she leaped forward, I grabbed her with my kinetic power and stopped her mid-step. She looked like a crazed Barbie doll about to jump into her Malibu dream car.

  I resisted the urge to laugh because, really, this was insane. My sister was boring and cute and deserved the white picket fence and 2.5 kids in the suburbs. That would never be available to her now.

  Marek stepped up next to me and asked, “What do you want to do with her?”

  "I can hold her for a while, but not forever," I said.

  "Let her go, and I'll grab her. I can take her down without hurting her." He said.

  “I can help,” Viktor piped up in the conversation.

  "You are the reason she is here, Viktor. I think you've done enough." I said, seething with anger.

  “Let her go milaya moya. You can trust me.” Marek said.

  I could trust him. I spared a look for Viktor, who looked like he had a broken arm. It made me feel better.

  "I'll let her go when you are ready. Viktor, stay out of the way and let Marek handle this." I said.

  Viktor took a few steps back, giving Marek plenty of room to work with. Marek bit into his wrist then nodded to me. I didn't like what he was planning, but I followed his lead after giving him a look letting him know I wasn't happy about it.

  I released Natalie, and Marek subdued her by putting his bleeding wrist in her face. She latched on like a hungry puppy. While she drank, he took a pair of cuffs out of his suit jacket and restrained her.

  “Viktor, talk to her. Order her to submit.” Marek said while pulling out his cell phone.

  Viktor leaned down and started talking to Natalie while Marek spoke on his phone. He put his phone away, and a Guardian came running around the corner of the building.

  “This is Natalie Summers. Take her to the complex and put her on ice. This is her maker; he will come with you and assist. Under no circumstances is she to be harmed.” Marek said.

  The Guardian confirmed her orders and took control of Natalie. Viktor seemed to be helping.

  "Viktor, if you lose her or if she is harmed, I will kill you," I said, making it clear he needed to stay in line.

  "Do not worry, Ember. She is my daughter; I would do anything for her." Viktor said and started soothing Natalie so that she would release Marek's wrist.

  It was the kindest I had ever seen him be with her. Apparently, he liked vampires much more than humans because he had never been kind to her before he turned her.

  When Natalie released Marek’s wrist, she looked at me, but it was as if she didn’t recognize anything she was seeing.

  “Guardian Lopez will take good care of her and will not let Viktor do anything circumspect. She knows him.” Marek assured me.

  Lopez nodded to me and raised an eyebrow to Viktor. She clearly knew he wasn’t trustworthy.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  "Asher just took down another Guardian. We need to go," Marek said, pulling me away from my sister.

  She was out of it but appeared to be in good hands, so I followed Marek.

  We walked into a tornado of activity centered around Asher Sanz. A team of Guardians surrounded him, and random vampires who must have been part of Julien's coven were sprinkled around the yard fighting alongside them. It didn't look like they were making any headway.

  When I got closer, I saw James directing the team. Having fought Asher before, he was an excellent choice to lead the fight.

  Marek stayed next to me and pulled Caden over to cover my right flank. I'd rather have James in that position, but it occurred to me that with Marek guarding me, he was left to lead the team. I didn't realize he was that high in rank, but it made sense. Marek seemed to trust him more than anyone else.

  Asher noticed me as we closed in on his position. He blasted a few Guardians with what looked like lightning then stepped toward me. Marek stepped forward, and so did Caden. They were the wall between Asher and me.

  “Finally, you come out to play Ember,” Asher smiled.

  "I couldn't let everyone else have all the fun," I yelled, jumping into the fray.

  To my surprise, the Guardians and Julien's vampires made space for me to step in. Marek and Caden stayed glued to my side as I moved forward, but they didn't hold me back. I spared a glance at Marek, and he inclined his head, giving me the lead.

  James settled in near Caden on my right, and I felt as prepared as I was going to be for this fight.

  I told the team to give me more space. I didn’t want to accidentally burn up an ally with my fire. As I moved forward, Asher focused solely on me, but his eyes darted from side to side as if he was looking for something.

  "What's the matter, Asher, lose someone?" I yelled, hinting about my sister.

  He narrowed his eyes at me but didn’t reply. Natalie had been a distraction to keep us busy while he worked his magic. I saw several items on the ground surrounding him and realized they were part of his arsenal.

  Asher threw what looked like stones toward a group of vampires that were clustered near the far wall. The rocks exploded into silver spikes, several of them finding homes in the nearby vampires. Their screams told me the myths about vampires and silver were true.

  Asher bent to pick up a small jar and made a move to throw it, but I caught him before he could. He was frozen in place but holding him was a struggle.

  “Nobody likes a party crasher Asher. Why are you here?” I asked as perspiration formed on my forehead.

  This guy was super strong and about to break out of my hold. I had to distract him with talk while I figured out my next move. The vampires circled around him now that he was immobile, but I couldn’t warn them that I was about to lose him. I told Marek with our bond. He nodded and moved out while James slipped into his spot on my left side.

  "Are you speaking with that vampire telepathically? My, my, you are valuable." Asher said, smiling.

  He had started to move his arm, and I couldn't hold him back any longer. I released him, and Marek crashed into him a moment later. Unfortunately, the bottle Asher held shattered, and the contents poured over Marek with a little on Asher as well. They both screamed in pain, but Marek was hit harder than Asher.

  I felt Marek's pain for a second before he shut down our bond. I lost my breath at that moment. The pain was excruciating. I watched as Marek writhed in the grass, and my anger boiled to the surface. It didn't have far to travel after seeing my sister as a vampire and having Asher attacking everyone.

  I ran toward Asher and pulled him away from Marek. If I did anything with them so close together, I risked hitting Marek too.

  Asher rolled away and got back on his feet. I had to ignore Marek then even though it pained me to do so. I wanted to wipe off that crap so it would stop burning him.

  “I’ve got him,” James said and kneeled down with Marek.

  That left me and Caden and a bunch of vampires who didn't know me. I felt a whip of air hit me, and a tall blonde vampire stepped up to where James had been.

  “Nice timing, got any cool tricks?” I asked.

  "A few," Julien said, winking at me.

  I focused on Asher and saw a line of burned flesh mark his left cheek along with splotches on his arms and chest. At least he got something of his own spell.

  "Come with me q
uietly, Ember, and I'll promise not to harm anyone else," Asher said.

  "How about you come quietly with us instead, and we promise not to harm you?" I countered, smiling.

  "Tempting but no," Asher answered, then flung more magic.

  Whatever it was, it didn't hit me because Julien lifted his hands and a wall of air formed to block it. There was a little smoke and then a poof, and the spell dissipated.

  "That was neat," I said to Julien, and he just smiled back.

  Asher's brow furrowed briefly, but that didn't stop him. He rolled up his sleeve and found the rune he wanted. He began to chant, but instead of letting him finish, I set him on fire.

  He stopped his chant and touched another rune to put out the flames. The moment his fingers left his arm, I tried to freeze him again. I was able to slow him down but couldn't hold him. He was going to break free and finish that spell.

  Just when I thought Caden was a useless statue beside me, he ran forward to engage Asher. James stepped up beside me to take his place. He grabbed my hand and squeezed.

  I assumed that meant Marek was okay. I could feel Marek was further away now but couldn’t get a good read on how he was doing. I had to trust that James took care of him.

  Caden got in a few good hits and knocked Asher to the ground. I ran in and pushed Asher back with my kinetic power. He actually sunk through the grass and into the dirt below.

  “Impressive,” Julien smirked.

  I shot Julien a smile, but in my distraction, Asher escaped our hold and struck Caden so hard he flew through the fence. Then he shot into the air and turned on me. Julien put up a force field of air in front of me, but it wasn't enough to stop Asher's magic.

  My bones started to ache, the pain increasing slowly. I froze Asher in place, but it didn't matter, the pain just kept coming. It felt like every bone in my body was about to crack. I fell to the ground, and when I hit, the pain increased again. I couldn't stop the screams from coming after that.

  “Ember!” I heard James yell, but I couldn’t see him.

  I was consumed in pain, and with every breath, it grew stronger. I knew Marek had been hurt, but he was the only one that would be able to hear me if I reached out. I opened our connection and felt his pain immediately. It was followed by his fear and anger. I tried to think words, but I failed. The pain was too intense.

  Someone grabbed me, and I screamed when the movement ratcheted up the intensity of the pain. I reached out with my senses, looking for Asher. I had to take him down in the hope that it would end this pain.

  I found him right in front of me, and I concentrated on making him burn. I focused with enough intensity to burn his body to ash. I heard screams and hoped none of them were our team.

  Some of the pain receded enough that I could open my eyes. Arms etched with chemical burns surrounded me, and I realized it was Marek who had come to me. I wanted to turn and make sure he was okay, but I couldn't do that until I was convinced that Asher was dead or out of commission.

  Asher was working on the flames and gaining headway in putting them out. I stood with help from Marek and focused on holding Asher's hands out to his sides with my kinetic power while making the fire burn brighter. He screamed when he felt the flame licking up his torso and into his face. I poured more of my energy into those flames, making them turn blue. It looked awesome if you ignored the fact that a man was burning alive.

  “Let him go milaya moya,” Marek whispered.

  "No, he will kill me. I can feel it." I said.

  “We need him alive,” he insisted.

  Asher fell to the ground, and I fell with him. I could feel something running down my face, but when I moved to wipe it away, the pain intensified.

  "Let go now, it is a death curse," Marek said urgently.

  I wondered what a death curse was, and my distraction allowed the flames to die down a bit and turn to a normal yellow and red. The pain in my body lessened. Maybe he was right…I let the fire go but kept hold of Asher kinetically.

  “Take her,” Marek ordered someone.

  I tried to protest until I saw who had stepped in. James looked a little worse for wear, but compared to Marek, he was practically injury-free.

  “Hey there, badass. Let me help you." James said.

  He helped me limp over to a garden bench where he sat me down. It hurt to do it, but it felt better than standing. My left leg wasn’t working right, and I suspected it was broken.

  James started inspecting me for injuries and found so many he pulled out his phone and asked for an ambulance. I stared at where Asher was smoldering and was shocked to see him move. Marek pulled him off the burned ground and cuffed him. The Guardian team stepped in and finished subduing Asher.

  Marek looked like hell. Half his face was burnt, but I could already see parts of it healing. Most people wouldn't notice he was limping, but since I was used to seeing him glide around like he was on ice skates, it was noticeable to me.

  He looked up and caught my eye. One tear slipped out of my eye, and it pissed me off. I didn't want to cry. I tried to move to wipe it away only to realize one or both of my arms must be broken.

  A second later, Marek was there, wiping the tear away for me. Seeing him up close was worse. He looked like acid had been poured over him, and I guess that is precisely what had happened. I didn't know what Asher's spell was meant to do, but clearly, maim was part of the effect he was going for.

  "Jesus Marek," I said, looking at every place the acid spell had hit him.

  “I will heal,” He assured me.

  "You need blood," I said, leaning forward.

  “You need blood more than I do,” Marek said and pulled out his knife.

  "I don't want to hurt you," I said, shaking my head.

  “Declining my blood in public will hurt me more,” Marek said in my mind.

  "Okay," I said, giving in.

  More vampires were walking around outside now that the skirmish was over. Vampire society was built on strength, and a vampire's offering of blood should not be refused.

  He cut a deep gash in his wrist, and blood began to pour out of it. Several heads turned our way, but I ignored them.

  “I need your help. I think my arms are broken.” I said.

  The look on Marek’s face was of pure anger. I knew he was thinking of killing Asher himself, but he held back. His duty was a rising force in his decision making if what I could tell from our bond was any indication.

  Marek sat down beside me and cradled me while holding his wrist to my lips. I latched on right away and started feeling some of the pain go away with each swallow. After a few minutes, I could tell the pain was consuming him, and I pulled back. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't make me drink any more.

  Marek was still holding me when James showed up with paramedics and a stretcher. He tested lifting me, and when I didn't cry out in pain, he moved me over to the stretcher. It hurt but tried to keep it hidden. There were too many people milling around to witness my weakness, so I sucked it up.

  “Are you riding with Ember? One of us needs to ride with Asher,” James said.

  “I’ll go with Asher. You help them heal her.” Marek said.

  Marek looked at me, and I smiled to let him know it was okay for him to leave. He was the head of the Guardians. It was his duty to ensure a dangerous man like Asher made it to lock up. He escaped once before; Marek would be sure it didn't happen again.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Iopened my eyes to a familiar ceiling and the beeping of hospital monitors. The ambulance ride was rough even after having Marek’s blood and James’ healing treatments. When the doctors took a look at me, they found I had hundreds of microfractures in most of my bones. It was worse in my arms and legs. They were shocked I had been able to walk and thanked James for making me come in on a stretcher.

  It could have been much worse if Marek hadn't talked me out of burning Asher alive. Asher had a death curse of some kind that partially triggered when I turned up the h
eat on the flames. Marek's quick thinking saved me because it would have killed me in a slow, excruciatingly painful way otherwise.

  I chanced moving an arm and didn't feel any pain, so I tested my foot. When that didn't hurt, I rolled over onto my side. It hurt a bit but not more than being sore.

  “Hey there. How are you feeling?” James asked.

  "A little sore still but much better than I was," I said.

  “Good, we were worried.” He said.

  "How's my sister?" I asked, hoping she made it here.

  “She is fine as long as we keep humans away from her. New vampires need time to learn control. She is too new to be able to do it yet.” He said.

  I tried not to dwell on the fact that my sister was now a vampire. The implications were severe for her life and my family. I couldn’t think of a way to explain her condition to the family, so I put it out of my mind.

  "How is everyone else?" I asked, thinking of Marek and all the Guardians who had been taken down.

  “Mostly fine. A few will need some time to heal. No fatalities.” He said.

  “Good,” I said and sunk back into the bed.

  It was exhausting to use my powers, and I had almost literally burned myself out. If Marek hadn't been there to stop me, I would most likely be dead now.

  “Marek has been interrogating Asher all night,” He added.

  "He what?" I asked, sitting up.

  "Ow, that hurt," I said, feeling the pain of moving.

  “You didn’t think he would put him in a cell then walk away, did you?” James asked.

  “No, but he was hurt really bad. Did he find anything out?” I asked.

  "No, and he will keep at it until he has the answers he wants," James said.

  I wondered how long it would be before Asher caved if he caved more likely. A vampire can last a lot longer than a human, but Marek was severely burned in the fight. He would need blood to heal and time to rest. As much as I wanted answers to who hired Asher, I wasn't sure Marek should keep at it.

  “Show me where they are,” I told James sitting back up.

  "No, no, no. You are staying here." He said, pushing me back into the bed.