Ember & Flame (Bloodlust Book 2)

by J. M. Adele

  Devlin backed up and moved beside her, crossing his arms. “She pissed me off.”

  “I figured.”

  “It took half a millennium for you to show and she makes a wisecrack about you dying on the first night? It ain’t a fucking joke.”

  Her head spun so fast her neck cracked.

  Five hundred years?

  The cold war, civil war, the pilgrims arriving—he’d experienced eras that she’d only ever read about in books. She felt an inexplicable hollow in her chest at her exclusion from so many years of his life.

  He’d suffered an eternity.

  As she stared, the ghosts of years spent waiting for her haunted his eyes. The torture he’d endured, knowing his mate was unquestionably unobtainable, was an armor of pain for all to see. Then it hit her. It wasn’t possible for Shiloh to experience the next five hundred years, whatever wonders and horrors that entailed. He’d waited so long, and his wish would never be fulfilled.

  She rested her fork on the edge of her plate, not intending to pick it up again as her stomach pinned itself to her spine. “Did you ever wonder if you weren’t meant to be bonded?”

  His chest expanded before he dropped his chin and forced a breath out. “I didn’t want it. I called bullshit on the whole thing. But about seventeen years ago, I looked in the mirror and saw ya beside me. I knew you was comin’ then.”

  “You saw me?”

  “Your reflection. The way ya look now.”

  Oookay.

  “Why didn’t you come and find me sooner?”

  “I told ya, I didn’t want this. I knew my fate when I was born, and I wasn’t fuckin’ happy about it. You, being my mate? I knew it was a death sentence for you. I figured if I stayed away, you’d be safe.” He dropped his arms and walked to the wall of windows, turning his back. “You deserved a normal life. You had dreams. Ain’t no way I was messing with that. Salt Lake City was far enough away to divert danger. But I didn’t keep a close enough watch. He knows how to block me. He got to you before I knew what he was doin’.” Devlin turned to face her again, his jaw tight. “I made plans to come get you, but he found out somehow.”

  “You moved here around the time I was bitten, didn’t you?”

  “I arrived the same day.”

  “He knew.”

  “Yeah.”

  She pushed the plate away, the mouthwatering scent now sour in her nose. Something still didn’t add up. “What I don’t get is why it took him so long to bite. We were together for over a year.”

  Devlin’s eyes flashed red for a second and he closed them, pausing before he answered. “He couldn’t bite you before you turned sixteen, for starters. But he needed to be sure you’d accept his bond when he offered it. He needed to make you fall in love with him.”

  She clenched her teeth, trying to hold herself together, but it didn’t stop the waterfall of anguish pouring from her eyes. Oh, God. What the fuck had she done to deserve this? How had she not known something was off? How could I be so stupid?

  Devlin lifted her off the stool, cradling her in his arms. This solid man held her like she was an offering from God. How could she trust him when she’d been so thoroughly screwed over before? Because she just knew. And didn’t I ignore all those niggling feelings? When Jax had been so insistent on getting in her panties and she’d given in. When he’d started climbing in the window and she’d let him. Fucking stupid. She’d lost herself in order to please him. The devil.

  Was Devlin asking anything of her? He was asking her to trust her gut. He wanted her to be safe. To stay alive long enough for him to figure out a plan.

  Shiloh’s tears slowed, soothed by the rhythmic rocking of her body against his as he took them out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Whatever Jax had taken from her, she felt like Devlin had the power to give it back. If only there was a chance that she’d survive. She needed God to grant her a miracle. Wrapped in the blanket of Devlin’s power that surged with every beat of his heart, anything seemed possible.

  She sat up, finally noticing where they were headed, and her pulse jumped at the thought. “We aren’t going where I think we are. Devlin, no.”

  Carrying her through the billiards room and gymnasium, he paused at the doors to the pool area. Her body stiffened in his arms. He murmured in her ear, “Relax. I ain’t gonna make you go in the water.”

  “Can I get down now?”

  “No,” he replied. She squirmed, but he put a stop to her defiance with his lips on hers. “Don’t. I saw your face after you got back in the pool. You won, babe. That was your Olympics, right there. I ain’t letting that fucker take that away again.”

  Shiloh’s body stilled as his words filtered through. Her brief moment of triumph played on her mind. She’d broken the lock Jax had put on her fear. Did she really want to play the victim for the short amount of time she had left? Hadn’t he taken enough?

  Devlin nodded at the doors and they swung open.

  “How do you do that?”

  “The doors know I’m boss.”

  “You can speak to inanimate objects now?” She couldn’t hide the sarcasm in her voice.

  “I can command most things. I tried to remove the bullet outta my shoulder while I waited for you, but I fucked up. Severed an artery or somethin’.”

  She gulped at the memory of all that blood as it aroused her hunger and pricked her fears. But a bigger dilemma eclipsed her reaction. If he had power over things, why hadn’t he ended Jax before she’d gotten involved? Why hadn’t he crushed the soul-stealing leech to dust?

  She didn’t get to voice her question before he’d put her on a chair and stripped off his shirt and jeans. The fabric wiped her brain clean as it fell to the tiles. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to seeing his exposed form in all his sinewy strength. At least he had underwear on. Although, she almost wished he didn’t.

  She stared at his back as he sat on the edge of the pool before easing into the water. Hidden partially by his long hair, freckles scattered dark patterns on each shoulder. He disappeared under the surface, but her eyes remained fixed on the spot where he’d been, a freeze frame of those beautiful imperfections on her brain. In her imagination, she’d already extended her tongue to lick them. Shiloh had to clamp her teeth together to stop her flesh from following suit.

  Shiloh and Devlin’s connection was a living breathing being in its own right. Even against insurmountable odds, it would not be denied.

  It doesn’t even matter. She couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Insurmountable odds would win in the end.

  He treaded water in the center of the pool, the lights reflecting off the contours of his body. “Are ya getting in or not?”

  She had to clamp her eyes shut. “I’m not wearing a suit.”

  “Neither am I.”

  Believe me, I know.

  Shiloh bit her lip, thinking she was insane for even contemplating getting in after the dark shadow he’d cast over her first attempted return. But he was right. That cool liquid was her happy place. If he’d delivered his revelation while she’d been in bed, would that mean she’d never sleep there again? No. Shiloh needed to sever the association she’d formed between the pool and tragedy. If anything could do the job, it was the allure of his mostly naked form under the surface, and his beckoning eyes.

  He’d discarded his clothes like it was no biggie. Could she do the same? Which underwear did I put on? White lace wouldn’t have been such a good idea—but black cotton, that was passable. Luckily, she’d gone for conservative after her shower. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her in a swimsuit before. A black bra and panties were pretty much the same, right?

  “Turn around. I’m not giving you a strip show.”

  His shoulders jerked with a shrug before he complied. “Whatever you say.”

  She spun away and undressed, peeking over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t looking. His arms moved in slow circles, keeping him afloat, but other than that, he wasn’t budging. She slipped in
to the water behind him and kicked her way to the deep end.

  He still didn’t turn.

  “You can look now.”

  “I know.” Instead of facing her, he sank under the surface before bobbing back up and rolling into a float. “Why do ya like the water so much?”

  “In the water is where I excel; why wouldn’t I love it? It tests me repeatedly, and I push my limits until I do better.”

  “You ain’t reached your full potential yet.”

  And I won’t. Not now. She didn’t voice her thoughts. What was the point? Besides, her throat was too tight to let anything pass. Silence hung like a noose between them.

  “I never liked swimming much.”

  She blinked as his words brought her mind back to the present. “Why?”

  “It reminds me of being in my mother’s womb.”

  What? She narrowed her eyes at his floating form, his hair like a cloud of ink in the water. “You remember?”

  “Everything.”

  That’s not normal. Nobody remembers that. What the hell is he?

  Her heartbeat sounded a staccato as she reached for purchase on the tiled edge. “You weren’t born human, were you?”

  “No.” He flipped over and swam to the shallow end, pulling himself to sit on the side of the pool. “I don’t mean to scare ya. I wanna tell you the truth. What I am. I ain’t gonna hurt you. If I had my way, you’d be home with your family, and we’d have never met.”

  “You said that you weren’t re-born. What are you?” Her words came on shortened breath, but he heard them well enough to answer.

  “There ain’t no word for it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “All I know is, my mam was a Lilin. The daughter of Lilith and the angel of death, Archangel Samael. And my father was an ancient vampire. The first vampire. The virus that causes humans to turn, it started with him. But I got the virus through his genes, not a bite. I got no clue how he fathered me. There ain’t been no vampire babies since, and the virus kills children. You gotta be at least sixteen. So I guess I’m somethin’ else.”

  Yes, you are.

  Shiloh didn’t think it was possible for his eyes to get any blacker, but they did.

  She followed his lead, not moving, not saying anything, while inside her neurons were firing off all sorts of warning signals and justifications.

  His grandfather was the grim reaper. His mother was a Lilin—the daughter of Lilith. Wasn’t she a demon? His father sired the entire vampire race. What. The. Fuck?

  If she hadn’t seen Devlin’s power—felt it engulf her—she wouldn’t have believed him.

  He sat before her, flesh and blood, watching . . .

  She didn’t bother hiding her shock—her galloping heart, her white knuckles. They both knew he’d dropped a bomb.

  He was a mix of heaven and hell.

  The vengeful side of heaven.

  The seductive side of hell.

  This was the match fate had chosen for her?

  Why? Why me? How am I in any way his equal?

  And how is he possible?

  “My mother told me I was gifted from the gods. I was born to end the spread of the virus. I carry it, but I can’t pass it on. I don’t know how it’s possible, but apparently throwin’ a Lilin into the mix changes shit up.” He shrugged, one side of his mouth quirking. “I’m a fucked-up crossbreed.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Why not? It’s the truth, ain’t it? I’m the first and last of my race. My parents weren’t s’posed to be able to bear children, but here I am. I feed on blood, but didn’t go through no turnin’. I ain’t never turned a human. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. I’ve killed plenty of ’em. The hunt gets me high.” His eyes flashed red as his chest expanded. “I got powers that can crush a person’s skull without me touching them. You got shafted when they paired us up.”

  Was he trying to scare her? Or make her feel better about the fact they’d never be together? She was in a pool—the surroundings similar to the scene of her death—and yet she felt safer than she ever had.

  “You offered me and my family protection. You helped me save my sister. I don’t believe you’re all bad.”

  “I’m the reason you need protection. They killed my mother when they found out about me. Burned her at the stake. My aunt hid me away. When she died, I came to the US. I been at death’s door more times than I can count. The people who tried to end me have paid for what they did. All bar one.”

  He growled his last statement. A storm rolled across his features, casting the sharp angles in shadows as a wave of water barreled towards her. She ducked under the surface just before the small tsunami hit, splashing over the side of the pool and flooding the area.

  Whoa. She stared wide-eyed at the carnage of strewn deck chairs and toppled planter boxes.

  “Fuck.” Devlin’s curse echoed around the room.

  Spinning around, Shiloh found Devlin glaring at the mess. She swam towards him, taking her time as he watched her, caution in his guarded gaze. Standing when she got to the shallow end, with the water now barely up to her thighs, she pushed through the field of energy still vibrating around him. “When you say they paired us up, what do you mean exactly? Who’s they?”

  “Heaven. My mother said my birth was predestined. That I was s’posed to lead a new race. More powerful than vampires. Eventually, they’d cease to exist and there’d be no need for humans to die no more. We can’t turn ’em and we can’t use their blood. I need vampire blood to feed, for now, until another of my kind is created. Forming a bond with my true mate was supposed to continue the race and unleash my full power.”

  “Your full power?” There’s more?

  “Yeah. I ain’t sure what she meant by that. But a shit ton of vampires don’t wanna see that happen.”

  “Jax.”

  “He’s at the front of a long line.”

  “You’re fighting a war on your own. The people on your team are the enemy. I’m the enemy.”

  “I got no intentions of wiping out the vampire population. I need them to survive.” He rubbed a thumb across his stubble. “I gotta stop assholes like Jax doin’ what he did to you. That ain’t right. Stealing souls. Turning a human is one thing. Keeping a piece of their soul prisoner, that’s another.”

  It was evil. There was no pretty way to spin that twisted shit. She shuddered before going over what he’d said, sorting it all out in her mind. “You can’t change humans into vampires, and you can’t drink human blood. So if you’d come to me when I was human, we wouldn’t have been able to be together anyway.”

  “No.”

  “Did you—” Her throat clamped shut as tears pricked her eyes. She took a minute. “Did you let . . . him bite me?”

  “Yes.” He stared at her under heavy brows, eyes as black as night.

  She choked.

  “It was the only way. He would’ve killed you and left you to rot if I had tried to stop it. I was s’posed to stop the bond. You responded to me . . . in the coffee house, but he blocked me. I dunno how.”

  “We need to find out how. If we do, maybe we can stop him.”

  Footsteps splashed through the puddle of water near the entry. “Uh, boss?” Lock entered, the tension in his body an entity of its own, weighing heavy in the air.

  Shiloh backed towards Devlin, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Later, Lock.” Devlin almost growled.

  The man held up a cell phone. Shiloh’s cell phone. “We got comms.”

  “Who from?”

  “Jax.”

  Dread poured its heft into Shiloh’s limbs.

  “He’s got the sister.”

  No! No, no, no, no.

  Shiloh’s gut hollowed out as Devlin’s arms clamped around her. He bellowed out a roar that rattled the windows and blew Shiloh’s hair forward to cover her face. She clapped her hands over her ears and wrenched out of his hold.

  Shoving to his feet so fast the tiles crac
ked under the pressure, his eyes burned with fire from the pits of hell and his voice sank to match. “He’s gonna wish he was dead.”

  Defection

  Lanie released a hacking cough, her esophagus burning as something hard was pulled out of her mouth. Sifting through the fog in her mind, she fought against her heavy eyelids, trying to pry them open. Wha—? Ugh. What’s going on? Patches of light and shadow filtered through her stubborn lids. Unrelenting electronic beeps speared the quiet. Bitter plastic coated her tongue and nostrils. She searched her brain for feedback from the rest of her body. The reply was a suspended pause. The fog had infiltrated her flesh, diminishing her capacity to move, or feel.

  The beeping stopped. A rush of cool air accompanied the removal of a weight covering her. Dull objects glanced off her skin, as though she was wearing a padded suit, their touch barely alighting her nerve endings. She was flipped forward and bent over a hard object, before falling backwards into an awkward landing. Unable to control her movements, she was as useful as a puppet. But her body was folded in two. She knew that much. Her lungs couldn’t expand properly. One nostril was blocked by the pressure of her kneecap.

  Wherever Lanie was stuffed, it started to move, the squeak of wheels coming from underneath her. With her cognition muted she couldn’t garner any fight or appropriate response. But somewhere deep inside, she was screaming. Sweat beaded on her lip, making her face slip to the side of her knee and freeing her airway a little more.

  It still wasn’t enough.

  Her consciousness slipped in and out of darkness, unable to keep its hold on reality.

  _____

  “Lanie, my love. You’re finally awake.”

  She blinked her eyes, a wood-paneled wall filling her blurred vision. Where am I? Groaning at the cacophony of aches as she rolled to her back, Lanie cursed herself for moving.

  That voice is familiar. What is that smell?

  “I’ve made you some soup. You must be starving.” Seth’s face came into view, a beautiful smile in place. “Hi, Sleeping Beauty.”

  Her vision warped in and out of focus, but she had a perfect picture of him in her mind. He’s so freakin’ gorgeous. “Hi,” she croaked. “Where’s Shiloh?”