Ember (The Seeker Series Book 1)

by Ditter Kellen

  Ember watched in a daze as he slipped from the room. She was sure he was keeping something from her. She just didn’t know what.

  Another bout of heat rushed through her, doubling her over. Sweat beaded her skin and goose bumps spread from her feet to her scalp. A throbbing began in her abdomen, quickly working its way to the juncture of her thighs. The need to have Angel take her again became overwhelming.

  She burrowed under the covers, unable to stop the moan that involuntarily slipped out.

  Angel was at her side instantly. The bed dipped with his weight as he crawled in next to her and pulled her onto his lap. “I got you. It’s okay.”

  It was anything but okay, Ember thought as that damn delicious scent of his drifted up her nose in excruciating torture.

  “Here, drink this.”

  She accepted the glass he offered. “What is it?”

  “Something to help you get through this. Now drink.”

  She did as instructed, swallowing the bitter-tasting liquid with a shudder. “That had to be the nastiest concoction I’ve ever had. What did you put in it? Battery acid?”

  “No. Just some antifreeze,” he teased, setting the glass on the nightstand. “It’ll alleviate your symptoms, but most importantly it’ll help you sleep and heal.”

  “You drugged me?” Another wave of heat passed through her body, stealing her breath.

  “I’m sorry, baby. It’s for the best.”

  Her eyes became instantly heavy, making it impossible to focus on her surroundings. Something tickled along the edges of her memory, something she knew to be important but too distant to grab onto. “Angel? He knows…”

  The room went dark.

  * * * *

  Angel held his breath in anticipation of Ember’s next words. She’d obviously remembered something about the Seeker. He tilted her head back to study her face. “Who knows?” But she was already limp, mumbling nonsequential words that made little sense.

  Dropping a kiss on her soft mouth, he eased out from under her, dressing her in one of his large T-shirts. As much as he enjoyed basking in her nudity, he knew she would appreciate being covered.

  With one last look at her beautiful face, Angel sprinted to the bathroom to snag his cell phone from the pocket of his pants. He swiped his thumb across the screen and dialed Laura’s number.

  She answered on a half ring. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. I gave her something to help her rest. We need to talk.” Angel knew they were next door without having to ask. He could hear their raised voices in anger.

  “Be right there.”

  Unlocking the front door, Angel leaned against the kitchen counter to wait on the duo’s arrival. No doubt Laura would be full of questions and anxiety, he thought with a deep sigh. This is going to be a long night.

  Ember’s cousin came barreling through the door less than a minute later with Laura right on his heels. “How is she?”

  “She’s sleeping.” Angel nodded toward the barstools. “Have a seat. Would either of you like a drink?”

  “You have no idea,” Shon muttered as he helped Laura onto one of the stools.

  Angel didn’t miss the look of longing in the guy’s eyes. He almost pitied him. Almost. “I’ve got wine and beer.”

  “Toss me a beer.”

  “You can still eat and drink?” Angel questioned while grabbing a can.

  “Not so much eat, but I can still drink a little.”

  He slid the can across the bar to Ember’s cousin while sending Laura a smile meant to put her at ease. “Anything for you?”

  “Just some answers.”

  Angel ran a hand through his hair. “Where to start.”

  “Try starting from the beginning.”

  Chapter Six

  Half an hour and a looming headache later, Angel finished reciting the details of the seeker to Laura. She’d listened with rapt attention and moderate interruptions, stopping him occasionally for a requested repeat. He could only imagine what she must be thinking. He didn’t have to imagine long.

  “That was the craziest shit I’ve ever heard.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s true,” Shon mumbled in a low tone. “And the longer this whack job’s identity remains unknown, the more in danger Ember becomes.”

  Laura’s eyes glittered with unshed tears, but she blinked them back. “What can I do to help?”

  Angel massaged his temples. “One thing we have in our favor is the Seeker’s ignorance of your knowledge about our kind. As far as he is concerned, you know only of a stalker known as the Watcher. We must keep it as such.”

  “Go on, I’m listening.” She nodded for him to continue.

  “I want you to go in to work in the morning and act as if all is normal. Tell your boss that Ember will be working from home for a few days and to give her assignments to Alan.”

  “What do I tell him when he asks why she won’t be coming in?”

  “I’ll leave that part up to you. I trust you will come up with something believable.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “She is female after all,” Shon piped in from his position across the bar. That won him a look from the other two occupants in the room.

  Angel shook his head at Laura when she opened her mouth to retaliate. “Don’t pay him any mind. He’s just baiting you.”

  Laura gave Ember’s cousin a look that promised retribution before turning her attention back to Angel. “I can handle Barry, but what about Alan? I know he will ask questions, probably even show up at her place nosing around.”

  Angel could barely speak around the growl rising in his throat. “Let him.”

  “What if he comes during daylight hours?” she questioned in a small voice.

  “He won’t.”

  Laura didn’t look convinced. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because he’s a coward who needs the darkness to slither around in. He wouldn’t risk being seen.” Angel could feel his fangs tingling at the thought of Alan being near Ember.

  “Ember’s not going to like being told she can’t go to work. That job is her life.” Shon’s declaration only served to piss Angel off more.

  “My job is her life,” Angel shot back.

  Shon held up a hand. “I’m on your side here, Bram Stoker. Don’t get your cape in a bunch.”

  Angel ignored the jab, turning his attention back to the editor. “Have you noticed anyone other than Alan acting suspicious or strange?”

  “Not really. Well, maybe Stanley the mail guy, but he’s always been strange. He has a major crush on Ember. And this new guy they just hired; he’s a real doozy too.”

  “What new guy?” Angel was instantly on edge. Ember had never mentioned a new employee.

  Laura blew out a breath. “The janitor, Frank. He seems to have a real hard-on for Ember.”

  Jealousy was instant and sharp. “Do you have his address?”

  “No, but I can get it,” Laura answered, coming around the bar. “Do you really think it could be one of them?”

  Shon followed suit, stopping just behind her. “Can you get it tonight?”

  “I can try.” She glanced over her shoulder before focusing her attention back on Angel. “Who will be here to protect her during daylight hours? I mean, don’t you think she would be safer in an office full of people?”

  Angel saw red. “Absolutely not. In case you’ve forgotten, that office seems to be his favored stalking grounds lately. She stays with me.”

  “But—”

  “I’m taking her someplace safe. End of discussion.”

  “He’s right, Laura,” Shon interjected. “Ember will be better off with him. He can take her out of here for a few days until we get the inside scoop on Stanley and Frankenstein.”

  A faint pounding noise echoed throughout the room, and all three of them stilled. The sound came again, louder this time. Angel held up a hand for silence and turned toward the door with his two guests right on his heels.

  As q
uietly as possible, he unlocked the door and eased it open. The detective standing in front of Ember’s condo was not something Angel particularly wanted to see at that moment. He motioned for the pair to hang back and stepped out onto the deck. “She’s not home.”

  Harper’s body stiffened and his hand hovered near his gun. He looked up with a glint in his eyes. “Heavy steps, Dimitrov. You could have been shot.”

  Angel wanted to tell him to shoot, that he’d be happy to decapitate him and feed the bullet to his offending, bodiless head. “I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

  Harper faced him with his feet spread apart and one hand resting on his weapon. The stance would have been intimidating to a mere man, but Angel was no ordinary man. He was a vampire and a very deadly one at that. He took a step forward.

  “Ember’s not here, Clay,” Shon announced as he stepped in front of Angel. She and Laura ran to pick up some things for the grill. You’re welcome to stay and eat. Ain’t nothing like a good ole southern barbeque.”

  Clay’s posture relaxed slightly. “Thank you, but I’m on the clock. She disappeared without a word today from a scene we were on. I just wanted to make sure she was okay.”

  “She always has been a scatterbrain,” Shon offered. “She probably got a call and hopped in the first cab that came along.”

  “Have her call me when she returns.” He turned to go.

  “Sure thing, Detective.”

  Angel remained quiet as Harper descended the stairs, got in his car, and drove away.

  Shon clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, big guy. Let’s get inside before Columbo changes his mind and wants us to fire up the grill.”

  Chapter Seven

  Laura Donovan had been an employee of The Hedger for more years than she cared to count. She was familiar with every room the building possessed, from hallway carpet stains to which elevator moved the slowest. Naturally, she would be in the lead on the snoop-fest she and Shon decided to go on.

  “Why are we getting off on the sixth floor? I thought Ember’s office was on the seventh?” Shon whispered from behind her.

  “You see that?” Laura pointed to a camera across the hall attached to the ceiling. “It hasn’t worked in nearly two years.”

  “Oh, I see. Is it true what they say about blondes?”

  Laura exited the elevator, assuming Shon would follow, and entered the stairwell. “Is what true?”

  “That blondes are—”

  The door to the seventh floor stairwell suddenly opened, and Laura’s heart jackknifed in panic. There was no way to get out of the situation they were in. She spun around to run only to suck in a breath as her feet left the ground.

  She was in front of Ember’s office before her brain could process what had happened.

  Shon gently set her on her feet. “Are you okay?”

  Not trusting her voice, she gave a quick nod.

  “Let’s hurry before he comes back,” he murmured, glancing around.

  His impatient sigh didn’t go unnoticed as she fumbled around in her pockets for the keys. It took several attempts to unlock the door with her unsteady hands.

  Once inside, she turned to face Ember’s cousin. “Who was that?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Martin Short with thick glasses.”

  “That’s Stanley, the mail guy.”

  “And what’s the mail guy doing here at this hour?”

  “Let’s follow him and see.”

  Shon presented her with his back. “Climb on.”

  She almost laughed at his suggestion. “I am perfectly capable of walking.”

  “So I saw. And a damn fine walk it is. But this is a hell of a lot faster, and we won’t be detected by the cameras.”

  Laura placed her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. She had to admit he smelled nice.

  “Hold on.” He gripped her hands tightly, crept back to the hallway, and exploded forward.

  If she lived to be a hundred, she would never be able to describe the sensation of moving at the speed of light. She imagined time travel would be similar.

  The room spun as they suddenly stopped and the surrounding colors seemed to catch up with them.

  “Can you stand?” Shon questioned, lowering her feet to the carpet.

  “I think so. Why are we on the first floor?”

  “We’re going to wait for Igor to leave and see where he goes.”

  That won him a thump to the back of the head. “Not nice. He can’t help how he is.”

  “Really? He can’t help creeping around the office halls late at night? All he’s missing is a humped back and some organ music.”

  “What’s taking him so long?”

  “He’s probably feeding Frankenstein. Speaking of, where is the janitor’s closet?”

  “His name is Frank. And it’s three doors down on your right.”

  “Come on.”

  Hugging the wall to stay out of camera view, they made their way to a door that read EMPLOYEES ONLY. With slightly steadier hands, Laura unlocked it and stepped inside.

  “What exactly are we looking for?” she asked in a hushed voice.

  “Anything that isn’t cleaning paraphernalia. Papers, pictures, addresses—”

  “I get it. Let’s just hurry. This place gives me the creeps.”

  After several minutes of searching, Laura noticed a pair of janitor coveralls hanging from a nail on the back wall with something gray peeking out of the top pocket. She carefully pulled it free and her mouth fell open.

  “What is it?” Shon sidled up beside her.

  Holding it up in the dim light, she read, “Woman found strangled in her home.”

  “Put it back exactly like you found it.”

  “But—”

  “We have to get out of here. Now.” He turned to go.

  “What’s wrong?” She moved in front of him, blocking his path. “Look at me.”

  “We can’t let him know we saw it. We have no evidence he’s involved, only a clipping of one of the murders.” He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  “You don’t find that strange?”

  “Of course I do, but it’s not enough to go on. Hell, half this county is in possession of that same article. Come on. Let’s go see what Stanley’s doing.”

  “What if he left?”

  “He hasn’t. He’d have to go past this door to exit the building, and I would have heard him leave.”

  Laura was still baffled by Shon’s change in demeanor. “Is Ember a vampire also?”

  “Not yet, but she’s well on her way.” He looked everywhere but at her.

  “Can anyone be turned?” Laura wasn’t sure why she asked, but if curiosity killed the cat, she was sure to die from the same affliction.

  “I don’t have the answer—”

  “Look at me.”

  “Laura…”

  She noticed his fangs peeking out from under his top lip, and her heart stuttered. Her hand automatically went to his face. She could no more stop it than she could stop her next words. “Do you need blood?”

  He jerked back with a hiss. “Don’t touch me right now. I have to get out of this confined space. It’s too close.”

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what he meant. His gaze lifted, and Laura stared in shock at the red swirling around his pupils. Suddenly afraid, she skirted around him and hurried back to the hall.

  “Don’t fear me. I would never hurt you.” He spoke from behind her.

  “I know. Let’s just do what we came here to do.” She entered the stairwell without looking back, not sure what she would see.

  Neither of them spoke as they moved from floor to floor. Shon checked each one for signs of Stanley while Laura waited on the stairs. With no evidence of him in the top half of the building, they worked their way back down to the second floor.

  Shon piggybacked Laura past the security camera to Alan B
oyd’s office and set her on her feet. “Do you have keys to his office, Blondie?”

  Laura ground her teeth. If there was one thing she hated to be called, it was Blondie. She dug out her keys and inserted the correct one into the knob. It opened before she could turn it. “That’s strange. It’s always locked after hours.”

  Ember’s cousin was instantly in front of her, flipping on the light. The sight that greeted them would be sure to make the morning’s paper.

  She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. Stanley’s body lay curled up on the floor with his head bent at an awkward angle. It was obvious his neck had been broken.

  She fished her cell phone out and selected Clay’s number.

  “What are you doing?” Shon snatched it from her before she touched the Send key.

  “Calling the police.”

  “And tell them what? That you found the very same man dead that you were up here spying on at midnight?”

  Tears stung her eyes. “We can’t just leave him like that.”

  “We have to. He’s gone, Laura. There’s nothing we can do for him now. Come on. I need to get you some place safe.”

  “But the killer could still be in the building. We have to continue looking.”

  “He was gone before we ever made it out of that stairwell.”

  “Maybe the security feed will—”

  “There won’t be anything on the security feed. He’s too smart for that.”

  “How can you know that? We have to try.”

  “He hasn’t stayed one step ahead of us all this time by making mistakes, Laura.”

  She knew he spoke the truth, no matter how much she hated to hear it. “I wonder how he got Stanley to come down here.”

  “I don’t know, but he wouldn’t have left any evidence behind.” He bent and went through Stanley’s pockets. “Just as I thought. Nothing.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ember awoke to the sound of voices in the other room. It didn’t take a genius to realize they were arguing or what the disagreement happened to be about. Between the colorful adjectives and the mention of another death… Yeah, the Seeker was somehow involved.

  Blinking to clear her vision, she swung her feet over the side of the bed to the floor. Dizziness was instant, circling her sleep-fogged brain and threatening to trigger her gag reflex. She took several deep breaths and stood, holding onto the headboard for support until the room stopped moving around her.