Ember (The Seeker Series Book 1)

by Ditter Kellen

  She gasped with the first swipe of his tongue. He swirled it through her slit over and over before wrapping his lips around her swollen clit and sucking. She grabbed the headboard and ground against his face.

  Fuck. Angel came. The unexpected explosion rocked him beyond comprehension. It felt as if his seed were being wrenched from his body. His hips jerked with the force of it. Still, he feasted on her.

  “Oh God. Angel.”

  She fell forward against the headboard. If not for the hold he had on her ass, she would have bucked off his face. He slid one of his hands underneath her and pushed a finger inside her pussy.

  Ember’s body began to shake. Her thighs tightened around his head. He lashed her clit with his tongue before sucking it deep once again. Her scream vibrated through him as she rode out her orgasm on his mouth. It was the sexiest thing he could imagine, and he wanted her to do it again.

  Chapter Ten

  Ember couldn’t catch her breath. She’d just experienced a mind-blowing orgasm in under a minute, and Angel apparently wasn’t done yet.

  He lifted her slightly and looked up at her. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” And she did.

  “Don’t close your eyes and don’t tense up. I’ve got you.”

  She could only nod as she looked down into his gorgeous face.

  He slowly brought her back to his mouth. He flattened his tongue against her clit and sank his fangs into her swollen pussy lips. Ember gasped in surprise, but not pain. Instant heat surrounded the area like a raging fever. He withdrew his incisors and began to suck. With every pull from his mouth, his tongue raked over her clit.

  He’s branding me.

  Their gazes locked. Ember couldn’t move. He alone held her weight up as she lost herself in him. The edge of her vision darkened, and the only thing clear was Angel staring up at her with glittering eyes.

  Her ears began to buzz, goose bumps peppered her skin, and small electrical currents scattered through her body so fast she couldn’t tell where they originated from, only what they targeted. Her clit. And if Angel didn’t stop his onslaught, she was going up in flames.

  Everything in the room completely faded away but Angel and his amazing mouth. She could hear her heart thundering out of control, or was that his? She wasn’t sure anymore. Her gums itched, her nipples ached, her pussy clenched, and fire consumed her entire body.

  An orgasm slammed into her so hard she lost her hold on the headboard and her eyes rolled back. His growl was the last thing she heard before the room went black.

  * * * *

  “Baby, talk to me.”

  Ember’s eyes fluttered open to find Angel hovering above her, his lips nearly touching hers. Memory returned along with a throbbing need to have him inside her. She’d blacked out from pleasure overload.

  “That was…” She had no words.

  He covered her mouth with his and nudged her thighs apart with his knee before settling between them. His dick brushing against her opening prompted her to tilt her pelvis toward him. She wanted him in every possible way.

  The head of his cock entered her with some resistance. He was a big man, no matter how wet she was.

  He broke off the kiss. “Relax.”

  Ember took a shaky breath and wrapped her legs around his ass. She loved the feel of him stretching her.

  He pulled back some and eased into her deeper. They both moaned.

  Angel held her face as he slowly rocked his hips against her. He wasn’t dominating, taking, or demanding. No, he was making love to her with such gentleness it brought tears to her eyes.

  They had come together so many times throughout the evening Ember didn’t think she could come again. She was wrong.

  A fine sheen of sweat covered their bodies as they broke apart and rolled to their backs. Neither spoke for quite some time.

  Ember broke the silence. “Angel?”

  “Mmmm?”

  She glanced over at him, but his arm lay across his eyes. “It’s never been like this before.”

  A growl was his only response.

  “Great. I’ve said something wrong.” She moved to get up.

  He was on her before she’d finished her thought. “I don’t want to think about another man touching you.”

  “That was long ago, and it was meant as a compliment.”

  “It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. Vampires are very possessive creatures. Just knowing another man put his hands on you makes me insane enough I want to kill him.”

  “Okay, we won’t talk about that again. Besides, you’re the only man I want touching me.”

  “Good, because you’re it for me.”

  Her heart flipped with the knowledge that he thought of her as his. He definitely belonged to her, whether he knew it or not.

  Ember glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight, and she had yet to figure out how to get to the Miller place without Angel knowing. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Do you eat at all?”

  He lowered his arm and grinned. “Shall I demonstrate again?”

  A laugh bubbled up. “Not that. I mean food. Real food.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Well, I still do. I’m going to run home, get some food, and take a shower. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “Nonsense. I’ll be fine. I need an hour alone in the bathroom. You’re not a female. You wouldn’t understand.”

  He looked uncomfortable. “Oh, well, I… Hurry back.”

  Ember gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose and climbed out of bed. She dressed in her white shorts and tank top that she found wrinkled on the floor, and left through the sliding glass door. She felt guilty about deceiving him, but he wouldn’t let her go any other way.

  She entered her condo and hurried to the bathroom to fill the tub. Turning on the faucet to full blast, she quietly moved back to her bedroom to change clothes. With his Vampire hearing, Angel would be able to detect the water running. It would hopefully buy her enough time before he checked on her.

  Her body ached all over as she dragged on a pair of black jeans and a T-shirt. She opted for sneakers instead of boots in case she’d be required to run.

  Gathering her hair up into a ponytail, Ember took one quick look in the mirror and tiptoed to the bathroom to shut off the water.

  It’s now or never. With her heart pounding and stomach tight, she moved as silently as possible to the kitchen, grabbed her keys, and opened the front door. She stood there for a moment, listening, and then closed it quietly behind her.

  She walked softly down the stairs to the parking lot and unlocked her SUV. The unknown loomed ahead as she climbed in and turned on the ignition.

  * * * *

  Ember checked her rearview mirror for the hundredth time as she traveled up Highway 17. She’d driven this road so many times in the past she knew it by memory. The Miller driveway was less than fifty yards ahead on the right. She pulled over on the side of the road, shut off her lights, and got out. She’d go in the rest of the way on foot.

  A coyote howled somewhere in the distance, setting off a chain reaction of answering cries from a nearby pack. Ember rubbed her arms and moved forward, hoping they sounded closer than they actually were.

  Her chest hurt from fear, and her legs trembled so badly she found it hard to walk.

  An owl hooted from a tree next to her, sending nerves running through every inch of her body. She should get back in her car and leave, she thought as she forced one foot in front of the other. I must be insane.

  The house came into view around the next bend. It seemed to rise up out of the trees like a living thing. The long windows of the attic made her think of eyes staring back at her through the dark. Hello, Amityville.

  A small light flickered from a room on the ground floor. It had to be from a candle or a lantern, since the place was abandoned and wouldn’t have electricity. An old screen door hung haphazardly by a hinge as it sway
ed in the wind.

  Ember stood there for what seemed like hours, waiting for some kind of movement inside. When no one jumped out and yelled boo, she crept forward.

  The porch was a death trap with random places missing and old nails protruding from rotted pieces of wood. She climbed the concrete steps on rubber legs, lifting a foot to test her weight on the ancient decking. When it didn’t cave underneath her, she carefully inched ahead and pulled the tattered screen door out of the way.

  The rusty knob turned with some force, and the faded red door opened with a creak. Ember froze. Her pulse beat in her ears loud enough she was sure the killer—or even the house for that matter—could hear it.

  On high alert, she stepped over the threshold and studied her surroundings. There was a rocking chair to her right, moving a little as if someone had recently vacated it. Of course nothing would surprise her at this point. She half expected the house to demand she get out.

  A whimper came from a room off to the left. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Ember wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and turned in that direction, hesitating when she arrived at the entrance. She held her breath and carefully craned her neck enough to see around the doorjamb.

  “Hello, Ember.”

  To Be Continued…

  The Seeker

  EMBER YEARNS

  Book Three

  Ditter Kellen

  Chapter One

  Angelo Dimitrov was not a man to trifle with. Technically, he wasn’t a man at all, and Ember would do well to remember that. He had sensed her deception the moment she opened her mouth and released a lie right to his face. Going home to shower and eat, my ass. What are you up to, Miss Burns?

  His pet name for her had never felt more right than it did in that moment. She would understand the true meaning of burns when he finished spanking her ass.

  He sat on the edge of the bed they’d just made love in, listening for the shower to turn on in Ember’s condo. Being neighbors afforded him the luxury of keeping an eye on her, or an ear in this case.

  His hearing was acute enough to let him know she didn’t step into the shower she’d just started. It was easy for him to track her movements as she ventured from room to room. At any other time, her attempt at walking softly would have amused him. Not tonight.

  Angel dressed in record time, concentrating on the sounds coming from next door. The all-black attire he wore would aid him in slipping around unnoticed while investigating the little hellion who’d just left his bed.

  He opened the top drawer of his dresser and snagged a small velvet bag of lock-picking tools before catching sight of his reflection in the mirror. His fangs were still slightly elongated from recently sinking them into Ember, and his hair had a disheveled look to it. He plucked a rubber band from a glass catchall and pulled the strands back into a ponytail.

  The sound of Ember’s front door opening confirmed Angel’s suspicions that she was up to something. Not that he doubted himself. He’d hoped there would be a logical explanation for her dishonesty, such as wanting to call her friend and talk about the sex she’d just had…or shave her legs. Anything other than seducing him and then sneaking out at midnight like Catwoman attempting to best Batman.

  With a speed borne of a vampire, Angel was on her balcony and had the lock picked before she had time to reach the stairs. He slid the glass door open and blurred through every room that her essence still lingered in before coming to a stop in the kitchen.

  Ember’s purse lay on the bar next to a white envelope with her name scrawled across the front. He picked the piece of mail up by the corner and brought it to his nose. It fairly reeked of her fear.

  He opened it without apology and dumped the contents onto the counter. A picture of a dark-haired girl, along with a small piece of paper spilled out before him. Rage washed through him as he read the handwritten words. Be at the Miller farm off highway 17 at midnight tomorrow night. Come alone or Donna dies.

  Angel retrieved his cell from the pocket of his jeans and dialed Ember’s number. Perhaps if he informed her he was coming to take a bubble bath with her, she would discard whatever insane plan she had up her sleeve for fear of him catching her.

  A buzzing noise immediately sounded from the depths of her abandoned purse, and Angel ground his teeth. She’d left without her phone. He was definitely going to wring her pretty neck when he got ahold of her.

  The purr of Ember’s SUV brought him out of his murderous contemplation. With a quickness that surprised even him, he sped back the way he came, slid the door shut behind him, and sailed off the balcony to the ground below. He waited until her taillights disappeared from view before jumping into his car to follow her.

  Angel drove with his headlights off, staying as close to Ember’s car as he could without being seen. The white-knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel made a poor substitute for Ember’s neck. After everything he’d told her about the numerous murders involving the Seeker, she’d run off in the middle of the night, playing superhero without a cape. “Damn you, sweet cheeks, what are you thinking?”

  He figured the only good that could possibly come out of her foolish stunt tonight was his chance to get the drop on whoever sent her the note. If Ember had trusted Angel with it to begin with, he might have been able to pick up a scent from the envelope before she’d contaminated it.

  After ten minutes of tailing his spitfire photojournalist, her brake lights lit up. He slowed to a stop as she pulled off the side of the road and exited her vehicle.

  Angel parked his car near the tree line a short distance from Ember’s and crept through the woods parallel to her. He watched her climb the steps of an old abandoned house and disappear inside. She had to be the bravest woman he’d ever known…or the craziest. The jury was still out on that one.

  * * * *

  Ember’s heart pounded so loud it drowned out the whimpering she’d heard upon entering the house. The half-open bedroom door a few feet ahead represented one of her biggest fears. She’d always been afraid of windows at night, and dark closets. Definitely abandoned structures resembling a Nightmare on Elm Street, she thought, staring at the shadowed entrance. But an innocent girl’s life was at stake, leaving Ember no choice but to swallow her terror and pray her trembling legs didn’t collapse beneath her.

  She somehow fought the urge to run and slowly crept closer. The whimpering had stopped, and the silence became deafening, enhancing the sound of her choppy breathing. Her muscles tensed for flight as she arrived at the doorway to her doom. It took everything she had to inch her head forward enough to see into the dreaded nightmare beyond.

  Her gaze flew around the room, touching on everything from a broken chair barely standing, to a set of old bunk beds without mattresses before coming to rest on a face she would know anywhere.

  “Hello, Ember.”

  Shock rendered her speechless. She barely had time to register the unbelievable truth she stared at before a shadow blew by her with the force of a tornado, spinning her in a circle. She ended up on her ass as something crashed into the wall with enough power to rock the house.

  What the hell?

  Ember scrambled to her feet in time to see two forms racing around the room faster than her eyes could track. Dust clouds kicked up, and debris from random pieces of furniture shattered the remaining glass adorning the windows. It took her a second to register what was happening, and another to spring into action.

  “Angel, no.” Ember was surprised by the strength of her voice. She didn’t need a visual on her sexy vampire, who was currently pulling a Tasmanian devil in the room to know it was him. She could sense him.

  The fighting came to a sudden halt with the big Bulgarian straddling his victim. Angel snapped his head up, his glittering red gaze locked on Ember. With his fangs elongated and his eyes glowing in the moonlit room, her vampire held no hint of humanity.

  The softness of his voice was chilling and deadly. “He dies.”

  Angel was suddenly heaved up an
d tossed across the room to crash through a window onto the porch beyond. The rotted boards splintered apart on impact, leaving the ground beneath to break his fall. A gasp barely escaped Ember before he exploded back inside in full-on kill mode.

  The loud crack of bone breaking ricocheted off the walls as Angel slammed into his target, blasting the guy with enough power to shatter the bunk bed frame he smashed into.

  Angel was on him again before Ember could take a breath. She rushed forward, stumbling over what was left of the furniture as her beloved Bulgarian jerked up a piece of jagged wood and lifted it over his head.

  A scream burst from her lungs, and she sailed through air to land on his back. Her breath left in a whoosh as she connected with an unforgiving wall of vampire muscle.

  “Don’t kill him,” she choked out, grabbing onto his raised arm. “He’s my cousin.”

  Angel froze but didn’t lower the makeshift stake. “Your what?”

  “You heard me. Please let him go.” She couldn’t wrap her mind around the scene in front of her. Here she was in an abandoned house in the middle of the woods with two of the most important men in her life currently trying to kill each other.

  A pissed-off Angel slowly got to his feet with her still clinging to his back. “You have some serious fucking explaining to do, Ember Wells.”

  The fact that he’d used her real name wasn’t lost on her. It was a testament to his rage.

  She released his neck and dropped to her knees in front of her cousin. He was sitting up with one arm across his stomach as blood poured from his nose to drip off his chin. How he was still alive was a mystery. He’d just taken one hell of a beating from an enraged vampire.

  Ember lifted a hand toward him before letting it fall back to her lap. “Are you all right?”

  Shon staggered to his feet with a hiss. “He hits like a girl.”

  Angel was instantly in his face. “You better start talking before I break the rest of your ribs.”