Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1)

by Gray-Fee, Krista

  She kisses him on the cheek as he leaves and he feels a cold shiver run through his body, perhaps a bit of intuition telling him to beware far too late. Good, she thinks, serves him right for going home with a stranger. He hasn't even asked her name. She knows he is a married man and will pay hell for not going home last night. She in her euphoric state of revelry and playfulness is basking in her ability to ensure his punishment will be fitting to his crime. While he is resting on her bed she is spending her time texting his wife and telling her where her husband is and more importantly, what he is doing. It is unfortunate for her prey that she is psychic, and already a bit predisposed to disliking men in the first place. They make it so easy to extract just a tiny bit of revenge for all the shit they have done.

  Your husband is here spending the night with me--I am not the first--just thought you should know--come by if you need proof....

  She uses his phone to send the message knowing that will inspire even more curiosity on his wife’s part. His wife spends the better part of an hour watching their shadows through the lighted window. She is watching as Rissa dances with him, kissing him, sucking him dry, his wife seeing only red. He will go home to an empty house and she will be much happier for it. Rissa has not left him much to live for and she knows he will likely be gone before the week is out. It is amazing how men respond to the brutal realities of their own actions. They live happy as clams in denial of their darkness, but when the mirror reveals their ugliness they cower in the corner and give up on living without a fight. This man is a complete dog and deserves what comes of this, she feels no guilt for her part in his undoing.

  Another one bites the dust... she is humming the song as she prepares the shop for the daily grind. Rissa is in a fantastic mood. She has found her calling, to rid the world of cheaters, rapists, and addicts. She doesn't have to kill them, just allow them to destroy their own lives. The vamp can simply watch and be there preying on their weaknesses as they are revealed. They will throw themselves at her and she will simply oblige their desires. She will pull out their darkest dirtiest secrets and fly them like a flag for the whole world to judge. Rissa will let them punish themselves as they realize all that has been lost. She will let their wives, girlfriends, and everyone else out there punish them, she will literally become the hand of justice. Men of the world beware, someone is watching who can see the truth behind your fancy suits, smooth lines and cruel intentions. The change has made her feel somewhat detached but still she can avenge the hurts she and women like her have suffered. She likes the idea of calling herself a vamp with it's double entendre, it suits her well.

  Amber pushes open the shop door to find Rissa deeply in thought with a broad smirk on her face. Her friend must have had some night last night. "That is some smile, you must be thinking about something wonderful ."

  Amber's voice breaks the spell of Rissa's thoughts and she focuses back on the here and now.

  "Have a good night?" Amber asks.

  Rissa answers,"You don't know the half of it, but you know me, I'm not the kind of girl to kiss and tell, though.. I already know that you are"!

  They have a good laugh over this while Rissa makes Amber her morning coffee. "Want to make that coffee cake your man has been raving about?"

  "Sure, that sounds really good. I might have to run and get a couple things but we should have just about everything in the back..I'll go check."

  The coffee cake is ready forty-five minutes later and though Amber makes four batches it's a total sell-out.

  "This will have to be a permanent fixture on the menu! Rissa says, I only wish I’d gotten to try it. I do miss eating and I can't even imagine an eternity without chocolate and wine. There is always a price to pay for everything...Such a bummer."

  Amber laughs exuberantly. Rissa flushes with an intense glow in her cheeks as she thinks of other pleasures of the flesh, she has never made love to a man but if this is what it's like, she admits she's been missing out.

  Rissa and Amber spend their day pondering the humor of all the hype about vampires. Perhaps, Rissa wonders out loud, "I am something entirely different. I might be a Sucubus, although I don't have to sneak into anyone's room, they quite willingly invite me. I also don't turn them into empty husky shells or anything creepy like that. I just have a little nibble and send them on their way. Or maybe a Banshee, without the screaming and luring men to their doom. Hungry ghost sounds like the perfect description of what I truly have become. I didn't really find anything in the book that described what the possible changes of our awakenings would be. I wish I had a guide book. I might have to try this drinking blood thing, although it doesn't seem like a good idea since the mere thought of it makes me want to hurl. Funny, I can still feel sort of hungry, sort of nauseous and not to be too facetious they don't really seem like ghost pains." Maybe if I were drinking blood, I wouldn't have to feed so often. It seems the energy I consume doesn't last very long."

  "Your world hasn't changed much Amber, and now that I understand the process more, I realize how wrong I was. I remember thinking the blood-letting ceremony was your awakening, but it seems it was merely a show of the power you already have. Rissa gazes hard at Amber. You realize when you give in to your power, you're going to be one hell of a bad-ass."

  Amber waves it away. She's not ready to allow anything to change in her world. She doesn't want to be a Vampire, or a Shifter, or anything else unexplainable and unpredictable at all. The mere fact that she doesn't even know what she will become makes her uneasy. She is happy with who she is, and where her life is going, why can't she just have her happiness? She doesn't see any need for more change.

  Rissa is in a sarcastic and humorous mood and can't stop chatting on some wild tangent about a series she used to watch as a child, the lead character being the only man she can remember ever having an actual crush on.

  "It seems to me that even with our relatives hiding throughout the years, there would have been sufficient information to get at least some of it right. Maybe we are the cause of the infamous X-Files and it's truly our people that are carefully and methodically leading the public in a massive campaign of misinformation. Unfortunately this makes it hard for me to find out what the heck is going on. Thanks, guys...She makes the sign of the cross. What a funny gesture that seems to be now. Irony is everywhere, and habits die hard. I need to go see the elders, they are having a meeting in a few days when the energies align. The alignments of the planets are very important to them, it's how they manage to stay hidden from his sight. It's how they have survived this long, there are no exceptions to the rules. When it's the proper time there is too much interference for him to focus in on their power. I wish I could have taken you to them sooner but it was not safe, for you or for them."

  "I understand," Amber replies. "I can see if there's anything later in the book that we missed, we didn't actually get all the way to the end. The library is full of others as well, it's possible that a guide book exists. Feel free to come over anytime you want to look at them, I would bring them to you, but I'm sure they're in a protected space and if they leave the house something terrible will happen. If I've learned nothing else in life, I always trust my instincts, they rarely do me wrong. There is something special about the house, it makes me feel protected as well, like there is a shadow over it keeping it hidden from sight."

  "This seems to be the major theme of the day, our current goal is absolutely to stay hidden, but what is the next step? How do we intend to take on someone, something so powerful? We don't know anything about what he truly is capable of. Perhaps after we meet with the elders, there will be more answers. Maybe they will know what our journey entails, if nothing else we need a place to start the search. There are so many questions that still need answers. Who is he really? What is his purpose? What can he do? What are his weaknesses? To begin the short list. There is so much more I want to understand"...Rissa's voice trails off as she falls back into thought.

  "Are you sorry you took on the
change? "Amber asks with great sadness in her voice. "It seems to me you have lost so much.... What was it like taking your own life, not knowing what would come next?" ... Sensing things are going in a bad direction..Amber tries to lighten the moment.."At least Awakening is better than a day at the spa, you look spectacular"! Rissa remains deeply contemplative. She's not upset, instead she's struggling to remember what life was like before this all happened.

  Rissa looks deep into Amber's eyes simply saying, "It was worth it"....The intensity in her gaze and the passion in those words gives Amber a shiver that settles deep within her.

  The serious moment is broken by James, Tanner, and Joanna walking through the door.

  "We thought we would come visit you guys and get some of that amazing coffee cake we heard you made to take back to the office"!

  ?How much time do you have? "Amber asks, "I’ll have to make you another batch. We sold four batches this morning."

  "Wow," James says, "I told you it would go over big. Sure we can wait, not much going on at the station now, I'm almost off and this weekend these two are heading out of town to check out a lead on an organization that sets up adoptions out of country. We aren"t letting this case drop, but we have to keep all our research on our own time."

  Those two are taking a mini-vacation, they might even run off to Brazil if the information seems legitimate. How amazing would that be? I’ve been saving up my vacation time for something worthwhile. Maybe we can make a double date of it? That snake that bit Allie was from Brazil you know. I did my research, and normally it's one of the most deadly poisonous creatures around. I don't know whether it was meant to be a clue, a warning, or something else, but if it was de-venomed it makes sense it may have been left as a clue.You keep saying someone is helping you along. Maybe someone wants you to know there's something there for you to find. Maybe it's where our missing babies are now, the orphanage where the other girls were taken years ago.

  It seems there is a long list of reasons to travel into the jungles of her memories, she is not sure she wants to know the answers badly enough to open the doors of her mind that wide. Amber explains the scheduled meeting with the elders and the importance of timing it just right, she won't be able to leave this weekend, but possibly by Monday she can be ready to head out for a little while.

  "Rissa, will you be ok at the shop without me for a while?

  "Of course I will, I don't even need to sleep now." She laughs and the others are left a bit out in the cold. Amber and Rissa don't feel her condition should necessarily become a subject of too much talk. Rissa needs to keep some of her secrets. Though James knows some details of her condition, and has heard some initial speculation he hasn't been too keen on asking for more details. Ignorance is bliss and he is living in heaven. He's not ready to accept that this woman he has known for so long is some kind of life sucking monster.

  Amber gets the coffee cake started, pops it in the oven fixing everyone up a cup of coffee for the wait. It will only be about half an hour and it will be good to have a bit more to sell for the afternoon crowd. For some reason everyone seems to think four is an excellent time to get coffee if you work downtown. She still can't figure how they get any sleep at all. She hopes she can catch a ride with James when he leaves, he might be able to drop her off at home, or if she is lucky maybe he won't even need to go back to work except to drop off his friends. He is on the same page smiling at her saying he can call and check in on the way. If he isn't needed they can take Allie to the park for an afternoon run and some social time with the other dogs.

  When she pulls the coffee cake out of the oven, the smell wafts throughout the store. It must have been a magnet because at that precise moment the afternoon crowd begins to meander through. Amber cuts half the cake, boxing it up for her waiting friends. She sells the remaining slices within just a few minutes.

  "I don't know what you put in that stuff, but it's addictive," one man says as he inhales his still-warm confection. She feels kind of sorry for everyone who thinks it's so special, since it is ultimately one of the most simple concoctions she knows how to make. They must not have anyone in their lives to bake for them she muses. She smiles that the world is still allowing for some things in her life to remain both precious and simple. Amber thanks Rissa for letting her go.

  The group leaves together in the cruiser and Joanna and Amber have a great laugh over what it must look like with the two women and the dog in the back seat and the two handsome detectives in the front. What you see is not always what you get. When it comes to cruisers the people in the back might actually be simply going for a ride. Amber realizes halfway through the trip she is trapped, the idea doesn't settle well with her, and she grows quiet. Allie notices her anxiety resting her head in her lap. She knows it's an unnecessary stress, she has control issues. She doesn't like being in any situation where she can't get away if she needs too. It seems after spending her whole life running she has developed an instinct for always having a plan of escape no matter where she is. She always knows where the exits are in a restaurant or store and she usually has a really good idea of who is around her at all times. Her running skills have been honed to a sharp edge and it is difficult to catch her off guard. She suffers through the rest of the ride telling herself she will avoid riding in his work car whenever possible. She shouldn't take any unnecessary risks if it can be avoided.

  Once they reach the precinct, the girls grow talkative again. The guys are laughing at some joke the girls have missed, probably for the better and James determines they are free for the afternoon.

  "See you tomorrow," he says, as Tanner and Joanna head back to work in their separate departments. "There's a piece of cake here for you too," he says to Amber, handing her a pretty little box.

  "Oh, I guess I didn't even realize I did that. That’s a good thing, I’m really hungry." They head for the park to eat their snacks and watch the dog play. She gets along splendidly with other dogs and the park is a wonderful place for her to run off some of her energy. Big dogs need lots of space and stimulation.

  They sit quietly for a while in the grass watching the dogs running around their leash free zone. It's a wonder there are no fights. The dogs treat this place as if it's the most splendid activity. They zoom around chasing each other and bounding in circles. They chase frisbees, balls, and tails as the sunshine pours down on them. The park has been designed with a wonderful doggie water fountain providing fresh and clean water for them to drink and splash around in. This truly is a puppy paradise, much like the parks where children play, the doggie parents sit around watching their canine children play, with a mix of pride and concern.

  Amber catches a glimpse of a man sitting off by himself, a camera in his hand and a hooded sweatshirt pulled up over his head. He doesn't have good intentions. He is scouting out animals to steal for his dogfight ring. Amber sees his thoughts and plans playing out in her mind. It's as if she can jump inside his head. When his focus lands on Allie, she loses her ability to remain still. Standing she walks directly over to him. She stares into his eyes and with venom in her voice tells him to leave and to never come back. He's not smart enough to feel the power behind her threat asking her with a sharp smart tone, "And what are you going to do about it if I don't?"

  Amber puts a hand out laying it on his shoulder.. before he can push her away, he begins to feel the burning in his head, a searing pain as if a red-hot poker has been pushed into his eye socket. His heart immediately begins pumping hard within the confines of his chest. He is helpless to move away from her. James thinks it looks as if she's having a heated conversation with the man, until his knees buckle and he begins crying and begging for mercy. She stands over him, her face as cold as stone.

  "Don't ever come back here again," she says "and if I ever see you near another dog, I will finish what I started." James is at her side immediately and he is worried, but doesn't really grasp the situation. She will have to explain some of it to him later.

  She grim
ly smiles at the man telling him it is a pleasure to meet him and she is terribly sorry he isn't feeling well. Perhaps next time we meet, you will be feeling better. She calls Allie to her side walking off with James. The little dog responds immediately and falls into step with her on the way back to the car. Amber has taken from him, and with whatever she has pulled out of him, her energy level has increased. She feels vibrant and unstoppable. That was actually quite fun, she thinks to herself. She wonders if this is similar to what is happening with Rissa.

  Later Amber sees the results of her actions causing her to think a little more before making a move in the future. She realizes the connection she has made drawing on this man, she can feel his terror and his demise. She was right, he had been there to pick up a couple of dogs, and he had every intention of letting them fight to the death; what Amber hadn't known was the fact he wasn't a willing participant in the games. His brother is a part of a gang running the circuit, who buried himself in an insurmountable pile of debt betting on the dogs. The two boys were forced into trading dogs as payoff so they wouldn't be killed. Wasn't the life of a couple dogs insignificant in comparison to the lives of he and his brother? He felt there was no other choice, though he hated the fights, knew it was wrong...what else could he possibly do? Amber feels a tinge of guilt, but only for a moment.