Igniting the Flame (The Ignited Girl Series Book 2)

by EJ Everette

  With no warning, total and complete darkness surrounds me, a sharp pain emanating from the base of my skull, and I fall, powerless to stop myself as my consciousness leaves me. Just as I am disappearing I swear I hear my name echoing through the night, but nothing can stop me from the void.

  17

  Chance

  When Rip called me earlier than expected, I immediately knew something was wrong. Not like I had much of a life these days anyway, always acting as guard for the princess while everyone else dug into the coven her Grams had been a part of and investigated every move our enemy made. They were coming closer than they had before, an urgency in them we hadn’t seen prior to the fire. It means they know. Gray had ignited and the whole army of Gash would soon be coming for her.

  Rip explained that Gray was fine, physically, but that after her breakdown and the idiot’s compulsive need to protect her forcing him to hold her through her tears, he needed space. No shit. We all felt the same pull from the girl. It was intense as fuck but touching her made it significantly worse. Almost as if our bodies needed something more from us after we made contact with each other. Rip was working with Dean to figure out why it was so rough while I, once again, played guard dog.

  If I was being honest with myself, I would just admit that the reason I hate this gig is because I want to be closer to her. I want to sit with her, hold her hand, hold her in my arms, protect her with my very being. Instead, I am stuck pacing outside the dang house every night or watching her cozy up to that damn human kid in the purest form of torture known to man. Add in that I do not want to be feeling any of this shit to begin with, and there you have it. One fucked up, asinine day after another for my foreseeable future. Gee, ain’t love grand.

  The only upside, aside from being able to see her more than the other guys (which they all hate) is I have time for my music. Most nights I sit at the back of the property so I can see everything but I remain out of sight. I bring my guitar and my headphones, plug in and strum. Music has always been an escape for me. A way to chase off the demons of my past. Back home, music can be found in the trees themselves, humming from their branches. It descends from the clouds every time it rains, the drops of water beating a steady rhythm accompanied by the sound of the wind, like strings plucked in perfect unison. This realm is too full of hate, selfishness, and filth to produce even the faintest version of music, so I am stuck creating whatever I can with the instruments around me. So far, the piano is my favorite. With it I can express extreme sadness, beat out anger on the keys, and send shivers through my body with the beauty of the combined sounds as notes ring out around me in every octave. As much as I would like to write new music on the piano, it is a bitch to lug around.

  I am just strumming the first notes of a song I recently finished when Gray walks out onto the porch in front of me. Her body stretches and turns, dressed in athletic shorts and a jersey tank that stops just above her navel. My eyes take in the sight while my head tries to deny any pleasure from the woman before me. Too fucking late. The back and forth of my emotions is not only exhausting, it is nearly impossible to control. One minute I want nothing more than to escape from it all, the next I find myself craving even a glance of her to satisfy the ache within me.

  She begins her jog down the driveway and I find myself grateful I decided to wear tennis shoes, jogging pants and a loose t-shirt tonight so I can keep up with her easily. I follow behind her, admiring her form. I may not want to have my life mapped out like the others, but I cannot deny the woman destiny has chosen for me is a sight to behold. Her body is tight with muscle, despite the fire’s damage which seems to have fully left her body. It brings me joy to see her better, no matter how I fight it. Gods she is beautiful. Her hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, it’s length still reaching to between her shoulders as it sways behind her as she runs. My eyes follow the swish of her hair before dropping lower, admiring her ass, firm beneath her spandex shorts. Damnit! Her body is like a siren, calling for me to express my praise at its existence. Soon enough she picks up speed and my mind wanders away from the allure of her body, thank gods, as I follow her. I remain far enough back she can still feel me but stay just out of sight.

  After last night, Mitch and I had decided it was best to convince the others we needed to get Gray on board with the plans we have been making. Had we not been there during her little date, she surely would have been taken and the human boy killed without a second thought from the demon scum sent to collect her. Her denial is only going to get her killed. The little princess needs to grow the hell up and accept that she is not the only one pissed about the hand life has dealt her. All of us are bound by the decisions of the council and fate herself. There is no rejecting the prophecy or hiding from destiny. I have tried, believe me.

  Gray picks up the pace again as we head away from the neighborhoods, turning down a stretch of road without sidewalks. I can almost feel her trying to run away from her pain. I do that, too, love. Unfortunately, running only brings short relief when your pain runs as deep as ours. Loose gravel crunches beneath my feet. She better be careful not to slip, a fall on this would be painful, definitely resulting in deep enough cuts to potentially leave scars.

  Fuck! There I go again. I cannot stop the overwhelming need to keep her safe. My body hums with the desire to be her protector. To have her look at me the way she does that kid. Or even the way she looks at my brothers. I have seen it. They are all enraptured by her, but the beauty feels the same pull to them. Of course, she despises me. Which is what I want, mostly. All the way up until the moment that I change directions, admitting my real feelings for a brief second, anyway. What a clusterfuck sandwich to deal with every day.

  My poor attempt at introspection is abruptly interrupted when I see Gray slow her pace to turn around, leading her back in my direction. Before I can react, a shadow falls over her, enveloping her completely. A damper!

  “Gray!” I shout, my feet tearing into the gravel beneath me as I push myself at full speed to reach her. From beside her, two more demons emerge. I watch as a brute lifts her now still body up from the ground where she collapsed. Shit. I have to get to her before they hurt her. My heart is hammering in my chest as I push my legs beneath me to reach her. I have never in my life wished I had abilities like my brothers until this moment. Not even in the middle of battles I was sure we would lose did I feel my insignificance more than I do right now. Right now when I need to be more than the weakest link. I need to be more for her. She is still too far away and the third demon is a fucking whistler.

  “Gray! Gray, wake the hell up! Gray!” My screams fall on deaf ears with the damper demon next to her. It would have stolen all sight and sound from her before rendering her unconscious. The brute hears me, turning to growl at my approach. Just as I am finally getting close enough to fight, another brute comes at me from the side, knocking me to the ground hard. The tiny bits of rock eat into my flesh, blood dripping from my elbow and shoulder from the cuts across my skin. Fully focused on my beauty, the brute comes for me. This time, at least, I am ready. I move at the last second before turning to throw a hard punch into the demon’s side. It howls in pain but these sons of bitches are strong, barely affected by each jab or kick I land.

  For what feels like hours the brute and I battle with the sound of the whistler’s chants in the background, creating a portal to steal my beauty away from me. The brute gets a solid hit to my right shoulder, sending me down hard once again. Pulling myself up, I notice the chanting has stopped. Fear grips me tightly, stealing my breath as I search for her. When I look in their direction, my heart leaps from my chest as Gray is taken through the portal in the arms of the brute holding her. The forge that undoubtedly tracked her to this location follows closely behind them. I can see the whistler waiting for the brute I am battling to finish me off so it can close the portal with them securely on the other side, leaving me here without her.

  Over my dead body.

  I push myself up in a
blur of speed. One, two, three… my jabs land hard and vicious against the hard leather-like flesh of the demon before me. While it recovers, I make a decision I know I might not live to regret, turning away from the brute before me to run. My long legs propel me across the ground, quickly eating the distance between where I was fighting and where the portal lay. The whistler, not a fighter and more a bitch for the other demons, moves back in fear at my approach. If they leave, if I let them close that portal, I may never find her. Already, the distance between us is ripping through my body. I can feel the strings so securely attached to my beauty as they are snagged and strained by our separation. No, I cannot let the portal close without getting to her.

  Sensing my purpose, the whistler takes back up a chant. This one causes the portal to close, slowly, as the demon spits out the rough gurgling sounds of its language. The brute behind me is barreling towards me, having fully recovered from my attack now. I have no choice in what I do next. With no thought to how I am going to make this work and zero fucks to my safety, my mind settles.

  “I’m coming, beauty. Hold on for me.” I push off with my left foot and send myself at top speed directly into the dark portal before the whistler manages to utter the last few words to close it.

  For a moment, there is only darkness. No sound, no sight, not even a sensation of temperature or texture around me. I think I am laying on a solid surface, but it is hard to tell. The damper. I must be close to Gray then. I have to get up! I can still get her and then we can find a way out of wherever we are now.

  Pushing myself forward, I attempt to find my footing. The feat is impossible, though, without the ability to feel. Fuuuuuuck!

  “Gray!” I shout. I think. But no sound comes from my mouth. None that I can hear anyway. I turn and shift, lost in the oblivion.

  Finally, the darkness begins to fade and I ready myself for whatever I find once my sight is returned. My body eases into a crouched attack position, ready to fight my way to save my girl. Screw the fate shit. Nothing else matters in this moment but getting to her. I could care less what some shitty ass prophecy from a lifetime ago says. I do not give two steaming heaps of shit about what the council demands. I just need her.

  Sounds like metal hitting against metal suddenly find their way to my ears and I freeze. A ringing sound continues around me as my hearing is fully restored along with my ability to feel the ground beneath me more firmly than before. My sight is returned in a blink. The black void instantly vanishes leaving a muted torchlight to reveal the scene before me. My pulse races, my heart dropping down low into my chest as the reality slams into me the moment I take in my surroundings. Harsh, bitter cold creeps into my skin from the cave-like stone floor and walls holding me in. Thick metal bars cover the only space not made of stone, trapping me into the cell with little hope of fighting my way out. On the other side of my new home, my captors sneer with glee. My eyes roam them for any sign of potential use. Keys? Nowhere to be seen. Of course, it does not even look like there is a lock on the cell. Or even a door. How did they get me in here? Neither of the brutes outside of the cell have weapons I can steal.

  “Where. Is. She?” I spit out, my breathing labored as I realize Gray is nowhere to be seen. A shade appears before me, sick satisfaction showing across its face. “I mean it you ugly fuck. Where the hell is she?!”

  Seconds tick by before the ringing in my ears becomes clearer, more distinct. Only, it is not ringing. It is the sound of someone screaming. Gray’s screams penetrate the air around me, echoing off the stone prison just to be hurled back at me. There is no way to escape them. No way to get to her.

  “Nooooo!!!!” I growl out, pain ripping through me at every sound of anguish from her mouth. She sounds so far from me, yet her wails are all I can hear.

  “Let her go! Fuck! Stop this! Take whatever sick shit you need to release out on me but let her the fuck go!!” I beg. The shade’s sneer grows as it turns to walk away from me, leaving me with the brutes outside of my cage and the piercing cries of my beauty to keep me company.

  If I thought it was torture to sit and watch her before, unable to hold and comfort her, this is a whole other level of Hell. My flesh burns with the realization that I am no use to her. I pushed her away from us, from me. I let my own bitterness, my past, keep me from the precious few moments I could have had with her. If only I hadn’t been such an asshole. We could have been running together. She would have trusted me. Instead, I let her be captured. I let them get her. And now, I have to live with the sound of every torturous pain they inflict on her until one of us dies.

  One thing I know for sure. I have to find a way to fix this. I have to find a way to rescue my beauty and get us out of here. I have to. I need to tell her all the things I won’t even tell myself. And if I fail, if she dies…

  Then I will follow her wherever the next life takes her just like I followed her here. Because fate may have a lot to say in how the world plays out, but in this moment I know with complete certainty that I choose her, no matter what else comes for us. I choose her and I will always choose her.

  18

  Rip

  Tossing and turning, my mind teeters on the edge of some great knowledge I cannot seem to grasp before finally pushing me to wake up. Looking over at the clock I notice I have minutes left before my alarm is set to go off. Might as well pull myself out of bed and get started for the day. Chance should be returning any minute with an update on Gray, once Mitch relieves him. I know I will need to change out with Mitch in the late afternoon and just the idea of being close to Gray again, even if it is still hours away, gets my heart beating faster than before. Holding her yesterday as she let herself break… that is the most like a guardian I have ever felt. It did something to me. Changed something inside of me. My heart decided it was time to push through the barriers she has erected to keep us out and claim her as ours. Too bad I have no idea just how that is going to happen, yet. Regardless, that vulnerability in our girl meant something.

  After I shower and throw my usual straight jeans on, my eyes roam my closet for a shirt I think Gray will like. Damn, do I have it bad. I have been choosing my own clothes just fine for decades but lately my hands fall to the blues and greens she seems to like more each time I know I am going to be near her. Today I select a deep red tee that fits tightly over my torso and a light blue button up I throw over it, leaving it open across my chest. Lately the guys have all been spending extra time in the gym to work through the frustrating as hell situation we are all in, and I am grateful I have joined them more than usual, seeing the results in the fit of my clothing. Remembering the way Gray looked at us all at the beach just a few weeks before, I smile in anticipation of her appreciation of my attire.

  Shit. How my life has shifted since this girl showed up. When you go from battle meetings, all-nighters researching enemies of various sorts, dangerous missions, and strategic planning sessions to what would legally qualify as stalking a girl all while paying extra attention to how you look just in case the subject of your obsession looks your way… let’s just say, times have changed. Truth be told, aside from the fact that the girl of my dreams and future mate refuses to be near me (or my brothers), I prefer this life over any other.

  Rustling sounds echo through to my room indicating at least one other person is awake in the house. Time to go get started on breakfast. Usually Chance would cook, but lately he has had to pull more shifts than the rest of us, and I feel shitty asking him to make breakfast when I know he has been up on guard duty all night. I open my door and make my way to the kitchen, my bare feet shuffling across the hardwood floors until they reach the cool tile. Fishing around in the fully stocked fridge, I stack eggs, bacon, cheese, peppers, and the leftover dough from biscuits a few days ago precariously into my arms. Who needs to take two trips? I make it to the counter and lay out the food in order of prep, grabbing a few pans to get things started. I am just finishing the bacon, the biscuits already baking in the oven, when the front door slams
open, startling the shit out of me. The sudden crashing sound causes me to drop the two eggs I was meant to crack into the bowl in front of me, directly onto the floor. Shit!

  “Chance! Chance are you fucking here?! God damn it, Chance!” Looking up from the egg mess at my feet, I notice the cause of the commotion is Mitch, and he looks pissed. Wait, what the hell is he doing here? He is supposed to be with Gray. And why is he calling for Chance? Did he not just relieve him this morning? Leaving the ruined yolks, I stomp into the living area. We have a system and I want to know right the fuck now why Gray has been left alone. Anxiety grips my chest, fear for her safety my top concern as I seek out my brothers.

  “Where the fuck are you?! Chance!” Mitch is tearing around the house, his large frame smacking into the walls and furniture in his attempt to locate Chance.

  “Dude, Chance is not here,” my brother stumbles out of his room, hair a mess from sleep. “He is supposed to wait for you to tag-team out.”

  “Yeah that may be the plan but the fucker is gone. I searched everywhere and he has yet to answer his phone despite all twelve of my attempts to call him.” Mitch is still thundering around as if Chance might just be hiding behind the couch or some crazy shit like that.

  “This doesn’t make any sense. Where would he be?” Maybe Gray had somewhere to be early this morning and his phone died so he was unable to tell us? That does not sound like him, though. In the past few days of our routine, Chance has been punctual and extremely reliable with his communication.