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

by Nichole M. Bridges

  "James, I can move you with my mind," I said flatly.

  “Please stay here?” He said, changing tactics.

  "Not going to happen," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

  “Shit,” James said and slumped forward.

  I patted him on the back, “I can track Marek without you, but it would be easier if you just showed me where he is. Besides, if I collapse on the way, you can carry me.”

  James groaned then stood up. “I’ll show you.”

  I beamed a smile up at him, and he just shook his head. I caught a hint of a smile as he turned away.

  He led me down the hall and into a small chamber outside the hospital wing. There was a guard and a large metal door that more closely resembled a vault. I recognized the Guardian as Johnson, whose team was overcome by Asher the last time we faced him.

  “Why is she here?” Johnson asked James.

  "You can speak directly to me. I'm capable of answering for myself." I said slightly miffed at his lack of acknowledgment and assumption that James was in charge of me.

  "I apologize, Ms. Summers," He said.

  My eyebrow quirked up. I was used to the title the vampires had given me and expected to be called madame.

  “Madame Summers is here to help with the interrogation. I’m sure Marek is aware she is here and would not want you to prevent her entry.” James stepped in and said.

  My lips formed a slight smile even though I was trying to keep the emotion off my face. I felt Marek approaching, and I hoped he wouldn't protest.

  "I was given strict instructions not to let anyone in. I'm sorry." He said, but he didn't look sorry.

  "I would stop talking now, Luke," James recommended.

  James must have noticed that my fists were balled up, and my nostrils were flaring. James is a smart man.

  My anger fizzled when the vault door creaked and began to open. I could feel Marek on the other side, and he wasn’t happy. I couldn’t tell if he was upset with me or the situation. Unfortunately, I was about to find out the hard way.

  His eyes met mine when the door swung open. He looked better, but it was clear he hadn't fed or had any time to rest. Half his face showed clear signs of the burns, and his clothing was in tatters where the acid had eaten through.

  Viktor walked in behind him, and James had to grab me before I went after him. Viktor gave me a smug look, and before I knew what I was doing, I had slammed him into the wall.

  “Ember,” Marek said sternly.

  "He made my sister a vampire," I said to Marek, and he raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

  “I saved her life,” Viktor said in his defense.

  "You are full of shit, Viktor," I said with venom in my voice.

  “Hear him out,” Marek said.

  I gave him a withering look, but he just tilted his head as if challenging me to make him butt out.

  “Fine, how?” I asked Viktor.

  “Put me down first,” Viktor said.

  I huffed out a big breath and let him go. I didn’t put him down, I dumped him on his ass.

  “You may regret that,” Viktor said.

  "Spit it out, Viktor. I'm in no mood to be respectful to a vampire that not only kidnapped my sister but tried to kill me." I said.

  He bent at the waist in a tiny bow. It was more than I ever expected from him. Every interaction I had ever had with him was arrogance and disdain. I didn't think he was capable of showing respect.

  “We had an incident at the compound in Phoenix that left your sister critically injured. As I alluded to in the letter, a third party who is interested in you infiltrated the building and got to your sister. By the time I arrived, she was near death with no way to revive her but bring her into this life. Shortly after we arrived back in Denver, we ran into Asher Sanz, and he took dear Natalie away." Viktor said deadpan as if it were true.

  I laughed, “That is quite the story Viktor. Why lie?”

  “It is true,” He insisted.

  I looked at Marek and then at James. They both looked convinced, which confused the hell out of me. Viktor was not a trustworthy character.

  “How are you convinced by his story?” I asked them both.

  "I spoke to your sister. She confirmed it all." Marek said.

  Viktor was looking smug, but I didn't buy it.

  "Keep grinning Viktor, and I'll be happy to start a barbeque with you as the kindling," I said, threatening him.

  "Ember, there is no need for that," Marek said, scolding me.

  I took a deep breath. Marek was frustrated with me. He was probably upset that I interrupted his interrogation as well.

  "Fine," I said.

  I ran my hands over my face and pulled my hair back. It didn’t help clear my head at all.

  “Come with me,” Marek said.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me past the vault door. I noticed everyone else stayed behind. I wondered if we were going to see Asher, but I didn't ask. Marek wanted me away from the others for a reason, I was sure.

  He led me through a few corridors and then into an area with several metal doors. They were reinforced but had a residential look to the exterior. I expected to see Asher when he opened one of the doors, but instead, it was a living room with what looked like a bedroom off one of the walls. I sensed a vampire coming out of the bedroom and was shocked to see my sister.

  “Em!” She yelled and ran over to me.

  Marek stopped her before she got to me.

  "I'm okay, Master Volkov." She said to Marek.

  “Natalie,” I said on a sob.

  It seemed like it had been forever since I saw her looking like herself. She was very different now but still my sister.

  Marek let her go, and Natalie walked over slowly, eyeing him. He nodded, and then she flung her arms around me. She pulled me in a little too hard, so I backed her off with my power. She gasped.

  “What was that?” She marveled.

  "I have a few tricks that I didn't have before," I said, smiling.

  “No way! What can you do?” She asked.

  I laughed and moved with her to the small couch. Marek shadowed our movements. He didn’t trust my sister enough to give more space. New vampires were dangerous. She had proven that last night.

  I told her the whole story. Marek stood quietly and watched Natalie while we talked. About thirty minutes into our conversation, Marek interrupted. It was time to go. Natalie's feeding was due, and he didn't want me anywhere near her when that happened.

  I left promising Nat that I would visit every day. Marek appeared to dislike that idea, but no one was going to keep me from my sister now that I had her back. She wasn’t the same, but she was still my sister.

  Marek led me back out of the maze that was part dungeon, partly secured housing. He explained that when new vampires had trouble adjusting, the Council provided the locked down housing so that they could learn in safety. I was glad for it because the alternative was my sister set loose on the general public. That could mean dead humans, and I knew she wouldn't be able to live with that.

  “You should still be in the hospital,” Marek commented.

  “You should feed and rest so you can heal,” I replied.

  “I do not need blood,” He said.

  Vampire or human, all men are stubborn and don't like to admit when they are wrong. I could see Marek was struggling, but I didn't want to point it out. Vampires detested weakness, and their excellent hearing combined with our current location meant I had to be careful. So, I let his comment go.

  To my surprise, Marek led me to the elevators for the residents. I thought for sure he would try to make me go back to the hospital wing. Although I wouldn't admit it to him, I was still hurting, and all I wanted to do was lie down.

  He hit the button for a floor I hadn't been on before, and I looked at him, confused. I had fully expected to be going up to his penthouse. He ignored me, but I thought he was actually trying to hide the pain from me too. We were both
beat up from the fight with Asher.

  The elevator stopped at the second-highest floor, and I followed Marek out. He pulled out a key card and opened a door on the west side of the building. It looked nearly identical to Marek's penthouse except that the style was more rustic and a bit more traditional. It was a warm and cozy feeling.

  "Where are we, Marek?" I finally asked.

  “This is your suite,” He said and handed me the key card.

  I walked over to the windows and saw the same view I had seen from his apartment.

  “Is this directly below your penthouse?” I asked.

  “Yes,” He said.

  I walked back to him, and he didn't move. He just stared at me.

  "Why am I here, Marek? Asher is locked up, and Viktor is occupied. I could go home.” I said.

  “I would like you to stay here until you are fully healed.” He said.

  I was exhausted, but I didn't want to say that. I wanted Marek to stop trying to protect me when I didn't need protection.

  "Ember, please," He said and stepped closer to me.

  “Fine,” I said and stepped away to further explore the apartment.

  I ended up standing in front of the living room window again, staring at the gorgeous view of the mountains. It was so beautiful and peaceful that it held me as if I were in a spell.

  Marek walked up behind me and put his hands on my arms. He stroked up and down until I leaned back into him.

  “Are you going to stand until you fall down?” Marek asked softly.

  "I'm too tired to decide what to do," I admitted.

  He scooped me into his arms, and I didn’t fight him. I slide my arms around his neck as he took me down the hall past a guest bedroom and into the master bedroom. I didn’t get a good look at it admittedly. I could barely keep my eyes open.

  Marek set me down on the bed and started pulling off my shoes. I was wearing medical scrubs. The gorgeous dress from last night had been destroyed in the fight. Then after I got to the hospital, the nurses brought me these scrubs and some sensible shoes. They were an ugly shade of green, but at least they were comfortable.

  “Do you want a bath?” Marek asked.

  “Yes, but I’d probably drown from falling asleep in the tub," I said.

  Marek smiled at me then pulled back the covers so I could scoot in. I laid down, and the mattress felt like heaven. It was so comfortable.

  I looked up at Marek and said, “Are you going upstairs to rest?”

  “No,” He said.

  “Are you going to go back to torturing Asher?” I asked.

  “Interrogate,” He corrected.

  "Right. Wouldn't it go better after you had some rest?" I asked, hoping it didn't make him mad.

  “I am fine,” He said.

  “Of course, you are," I said, holding back from pushing him any more than I already had.

  He was a centuries-old master vampire, if he couldn't take care of himself, he wouldn't have made it this far in life. I had to stop trying.

  “James said you refused blood when the doctor wanted you to take more. Why?” He asked me.

  "I don't want the blood of some random vampire," I said.

  It made me feel nauseous at the thought of having an unknown vampire’s blood inside me.

  “It was an intravenous medical procedure, not a direct feeding.” He said.

  “And what if I suddenly start connecting to a random vampire and talking to him from miles away?” I said.

  “That would not happen,” Marek assured me.

  "Uh, huh," I said, not believing him.

  My life these days was nothing but weird things happening, and I didn't want to be tied to another vampire. I preferred to not be linked to any vampire, but if I had to pick one, I liked the one sitting next to me the best.

  He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. When he pulled back, he had a smile on his face. He looked very handsome when he smiled like that. I couldn’t help but stare up at him and want him to kiss me properly.

  “What are you thinking?” He asked.

  “Don’t you already know?” I said.

  “I cannot read your mind. I can only hear when you broadcast to me.” He said.

  "That's a bummer. It was a doozy." I said, smiling.

  He laughed, and my body decided it would be an excellent time to throb in a sensitive area that eliminated my ability to think. I was already in a bed, so it wasn't that much of a leap to want him in it with me. Marek raised an eyebrow, and I squirmed. It was one thing to be attracted to him, it was something else entirely to have him know about it every time it happened.

  "Madame Summers, I believe you are aroused," Marek said, grinning.

  "What's this madame stuff?" I said otherwise, ignoring his comment.

  I tried to roll onto my side, and a sharp pain stopped me abruptly. Marek stopped me from moving and tried to find the pain. His nimble fingers traced my ribs until he found the one that was still broken. The doctor had mentioned that without an additional dose of vampire blood, the remainder of the fractures would take time to heal. I had hoped he meant hours not as slow as an average human heals.

  "I can feel the break," Marek said, looking severe.

  "A side effect of being human is we take longer to heal. Pushing on it doesn't help the pain, Marek." I said, pulling his hand off of me.

  I swallowed the pain and rolled back over. Laying on my back helped incrementally. I just needed to be able to breathe, and sleep would do the rest. I told Marek as much, but he didn't agree. It wasn't surprising.

  “Take my blood.” He said.

  "I'll be fine," I said, panting slightly through the pain.

  "Why refuse?" He asked, confused.

  "I'm tired, Marek. Can we have this discussion another time?" I asked.

  “I will call in a healer instead.” He offered.

  “I just want to sleep,” I told him.

  His lips pressed into a hard line. He wasn’t happy with me. He nodded and stood up to leave. He lingered at the door for a moment then walked away.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Iwoke in the middle of the night, having been startled by a noise. I jumped out of bed and immediately regretted not taking more blood when Marek offered. The pain in my ribs made it hard to breathe, but I didn't let it slow me down. There was a vampire in the apartment who wasn't Marek, and I was still on edge from our battle with Asher.

  You really can't sneak up on a vampire, so I didn't bother. I walked down the hall, ready to use my power if I needed it. It was dark, but the faint glow from the windows helped me see the outline of a man sitting on the couch.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked, flipping on the lights.

  "Sorry, Madame Summers. I didn't mean to wake you." Caden said, shielding his eyes from the light.

  "Don't most vampires move silently?" I asked, sitting next to him.

  “I didn’t realize the front door would slam.” He said.

  He looked apologetic, but I was confused about why he was here. I assumed either Marek or James would be around.

  "You got the short straw, then, huh?" I asked.

  "Marek doesn't trust anyone else with you other than James," Caden said.

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  "I think you know," He said, giving me a look like I was dense.

  "I'm actually surprised anyone would be here at all. With Asher locked up and Victor otherwise engaged, I don't see the point." I said.

  Caden regarded me for a moment before he spoke, “You are a high-level asset. You will always have protection from the Council.”

  “Are you saying I’ll have a bodyguard forever? I don’t like the sound of that.” I said.

  My mind was spinning with how intrusive it would be to have someone around all the time. Although I have managed to make the James and Marek show work so far, I didn’t want to be tied to the hip with them for the rest of my life.

  "You will have our protection for as long as Marek deems it nec
essary or for whenever you request it. It isn't as bad as you think. Most of the time, you won't even know someone is there. We are trained to blend in." He assured me.

  "I don't see that as the benefit you think it is," I said.

  “It won’t be a burden, really.” He assured me.

  He laid his hand on mine and squeezed. It was reassuring, and he seemed like he would be a good friend.

  I moved to stand up and felt a sharp pain in my side again. That rib wasn’t healing like I expected it to.

  "What's wrong?" Caden asked, moving to inspect my injury.

  "It's a cracked rib," I said, trying to breathe shallow so as not to anger the bone.

  “I’ll call for the doctor,” He said and pulled out his phone before I could protest.

  I had to admit the pain was growing worse like it wasn’t healing at all. I had ingested a large quantity of Marek’s blood and that combined with the other healing treatments should have been enough.

  While I sat as still as possible, Caden told the doctor what was happening. The look on his face didn't make me feel any better. Something was wrong, and I had a feeling I was the center of the issue.

  I felt a tug on the bond and knew Marek was on his way up to the apartment. He had sensed my pain even though I had been blocking it from him. I must have slipped.

  “What did the doctor say?” I asked when Caden put his phone down.

  “He said to keep you still until he gets here,” He said.

  "That sounds like a good plan because if I move, the pain gets a lot worse," I said through gritted teeth.

  Caden helped me lay down on the couch and find a position that didn't jab me with more pain than I could stand. As I lay there, the pain increased and felt hot too. I didn't think this was a normal broken rib situation.

  Marek arrived within seconds of me lying down, and the look on his face told me this was a serious situation. His lack of stoicism made me panic.

  “What is it?” I asked him.

  "You are blocking me. Let it through. I must know what you are feeling." He said, kneeling next to me.

  I thought about fighting him on it but gave up because it was too exhausting to keep blocking him. When I let it all go, he bent over and grabbed his side like he was the one hurt. The look of shock on Caden’s face brought my panic to a head.