Ember (The Seeker Series Book 1)

by Ditter Kellen

  “Where is Ember?”

  Her heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest. “I don’t know.”

  He yanked her head back by the hair, wringing a cry from her throat.

  “I swear I don’t know. They didn’t tell me where they were going. Please just let me go. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

  “Shut up!” The feel of a blade pressed against her throat created terror unlike any she’d ever known. “Oh, God. Please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything you want.”

  “Here is what you’re going to do…”

  * * * *

  Ember swallowed the last bite of her second sandwich. If she’d been told a month ago that she would be eating peanut butter and jelly less than an hour after drinking blood, she would still be vomiting.

  “Why am I so hungry?” She questioned Angel while cleaning up her mess.

  “Your body is in a constant state of craving. And the fact that you are pregnant will probably drag it out longer than normal.”

  “You’re pregnant?” Shon’s deep voice startled Ember as he entered the kitchen from behind her.

  “Any word from Laura?”

  He stopped in front of her and dropped a kiss on her head. “I’m not sure whether to congratulate you or turn you over my knee. And no word yet.”

  “Nobody is spanking anybody,” Angel growled from his position at the bar.

  “Relax, Dimitrov.” Shon took a seat on a vacant stool next to the elder vampire. “You do know that stress is the number one killer in America, right?”

  Ember smiled. She couldn’t help it. “Are you hungry?”

  “No, thank you. I ate on the way over. Nice little brunette on the corner of Canal and Porter.”

  “Okay then. Sorry I asked.” She shook her head and strode toward the archway leading to the den. “I’ll be back.”

  Angel was suddenly in her path. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to use the restroom.”

  He nodded and strode back in the direction of the kitchen with a blush staining the back of his neck.

  Ember’s cell vibrated from her pocket the moment she shut and locked the bathroom door. Fishing it out, she checked the screen. Laura’s name appeared, leaving her dizzy with emotion.

  She brought the phone to her ear and opened her mouth to speak.

  “Do not say a word or I will kill her now,” a soft voice rasped from the other end of the line. “I have your precious Laura here with me. You have half an hour to get to The Hedger or she dies.”

  “Ember, don’t listen—”

  Laura’s words were instantly cut off.

  “You now have twenty-nine minutes.” The phone went dead.

  Ember slapped a hand over her mouth to hold back a cry. How was she supposed to leave without Angel knowing? He could hear a pin drop from another room. She would need a diversion to get past Shon and him both.

  A thought occurred to her as she glanced back at her phone.

  I’m sorry, Angel. She swiped her thumb across the screen and dialed 911.

  Chapter Five

  “What are your plans for my cousin?”

  Angel could hear the underlying tension in Shon’s voice. He wasn’t sure if it had to do with Ember’s pregnancy or Laura’s disappearance. Probably both, he presumed, lighting a cigar.

  “Ember and I will be married as soon as it’s feasible to do so.”

  “How will going through the change affect the baby?”

  Angel had thought of nothing else since yesterday. “The baby was conceived in the past twenty-four hours. I’m fairly positive there will be no disturbance to the fetus.”

  Shon raised a brow. “Fairly positive?”

  “There is no way to know yet. I will have her examined when I take her home.”

  “Where is home?”

  “Alaska and Washington.”

  “What the hell for?”

  Angel’s lips twitched. Ember’s cousin definitely lacked couth. “I spend my winters in Alaska since the days are shorter there, and summer is spent in Washington where it practically rains year round.”

  “So you don’t require as much sleep.”

  “Exactly.” If Angel had to live the rest of his life in Florida, he’d die of cabin fever. Not only were the days longer in the Southern state, but the temperature was downright blistering. Even indoors.

  “Have you told Ember about this plan to move her between a torrential downpour and the ice age?”

  “She will grow to love it. The sun is not our friend,” Angel pressed. “And you would do well to remember that.”

  “No shit, Sherlock. I haven’t seen the sun in days. Trust me, I remember.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Shon picked up the remote and thumbed his way through everything from westerns to scary movies, finally settling on the news.

  After five minutes of hurricane awareness and local shootings, Angel had seen enough. “I’m going to check on Ember.”

  “Good idea.” Shon glanced at his watch. “We need to hurry if we’re going to get the drop on the Seeker.”

  Angel tossed him a key he’d just pulled from his pocket. “There’s a case next to the fireplace with three automatic weapons inside. Get familiar with one.”

  Shon nodded and slid off his bar stool. “Any idea where he may be?”

  “No, but I have a feeling we’ll be hearing from him soon. He has Laura.”

  Sirens abruptly sounded in the distance and Angel glanced at Shon. “There are no other houses around for miles.”

  “Why would they come here?”

  Angel moved to the window and cracked the blinds. “I don’t know, but they are. I see the lights coming up the drive.”

  Shon switched off the television. “Cops?”

  “No. Fire trucks,” Angel responded, heading toward the door. Unlocking the deadbolt, he jerked the door open in time to see the taillights of his car heading out to the main road.

  It can’t be. He rushed to the bathroom with every horrific scenario running through his mind, only to find the room empty.

  Angel’s howl split the night, ricocheting off the walls of the nineteenth-century home surrounding him. Ember was gone again, along with his unborn child.

  Shon suddenly appeared in the doorway. “What is it?”

  “Ember’s gone.” Angel handed him the note she’d left for him next to the bathroom sink.

  He read it aloud. “Gone to help Laura. I’m sorry. There was no other way.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Shon snarled, crushing the piece of paper in his hand.

  The firefighters began pounding on the door. “Polk County Fire Department.”

  “Get rid of them,” Angel growled, running a hand through his long hair. “Before I do something I shouldn’t.”

  Angel couldn’t remember being as pissed as he was in that moment. Why Ember couldn’t trust him was beyond his comprehension. Hadn’t he proven himself to her already?

  He wasn’t sure how long he stood there fighting his emotions before Shon returned. The guy looked about as bad as Angel felt. “Thanks for handling that. I didn’t trust myself in front of them.”

  “No problem. You have to admit it was clever of her. Stupid, but clever. Now how do we catch up to her?”

  Angel didn’t answer. Snatching up his cell, he began swiping through his contacts until he found the name he sought.

  “Who are you calling?”

  His fangs were elongated to the point his words were distorted. “The one I should have called when this first started. Vlad.”

  “Fuck me. Dracula?”

  “She leaves me no choice, Shon. I almost lost her to that maniac once. I won’t lose her again.” Angel held up his hand, indicating the call went through.

  “Good evening, Angelo.” Vlad’s cultured voice came over the line.

  Angel was temporarily speechless. He’d not heard the elder’s voice in more years than he could remember, and it hadn’t change a bit. “Sire
.”

  “If you are calling about your father, his plane has yet to land.”

  “It’s not about Father.”

  “Oh?”

  “It’s Ember.”

  “Problems with your Halfling? Women are difficult creatures, Angelo. You must learn to be more assertive where they are concerned.”

  “She is no longer a Halfling, Grandfather. And she carries my child.”

  Vlad was silent for so long Angel thought he’d hung up. “Did she conceive as a human or vampire?”

  Angel wanted to point out that they were running out of time and the longer he stood there chatting the longer Ember was in danger. “Both. She went into heat during the change.”

  “Impossible,” came the soft response.

  Angel ground his teeth. “I need your help.”

  “To my knowledge that has never happened before,” Vlad continued as if in a daze.

  After letting that piece of information soak in, Angel got to the point. “The Seeker has Ember.”

  “How did this happen?”

  “She disappeared less than ten minutes ago not long after she found out the Seeker has a close friend of hers.”

  “How can you be certain the Seeker has your Ember?”

  “She left a note,” Angel ground out.

  “Give me your location.”

  He rattled off the address. “I can’t just sit here, Sire. I need to look for her.”

  “You will not find her tonight. Stay where you are. I will be there before sunrise.” He hung up.

  Angel tucked the phone back into the pocket of his jeans and brushed past Shon. “Let’s go.”

  “Right behind you, Hoss. Where to?”

  He kept moving. “I don’t know yet, but my blood flows through her veins. I found her once through our bond; let’s hope it’s enough to find her again.”

  “You can locate someone by their blood type?”

  Angel threw open the door. “How do you think Gina tracks you down so easily?”

  “Shit.”

  “Exactly.”

  They reached Shon’s car, and Angel slid into the passenger’s seat as Ember’s cousin climbed behind the wheel. Shon inserted the key in the ignition. “Where to?”

  “The Hedger. We need to get addresses on Alan Boyd and Frank the janitor.”

  The vehicle bumped along the gravel drive as the gate closed behind them. “Do you really think Alan could be the Seeker? Shon asked with a white-knuckle grip on the wheel.

  Angel knew how hard Ember’s cousin fought for control. He himself had to refrain from ripping the car apart in his rage. “I have no idea, but according to her, Alan asserted himself into her life from day one. It’s worth looking into.”

  Shon ran a hand down his face. “You’re right. It’s a start.”

  * * * *

  Ember pulled into the parking lot of The Hedger and switched off the engine. Laura’s car was nowhere to be found. Of course Ember hadn’t expected her to be there.

  Angel was going to wring her neck for coming here alone, but she’d had no choice. The Seeker would have killed Laura if Ember hadn’t done exactly as she’d been told.

  She slowly got out of the car and scanned the surrounding area. With no movement in sight, she attempted to expand her senses to no avail. She might as well hold up her hands and shout, I am here!

  That’s not such a bad idea, she thought with more bravado than she felt.

  Lifting her arms out to the side, she took a shaky breath. “Hello?” When no response came, she opened her mouth to call out again. A quick, sharp pain to the back of her head dropped her to her knees.

  Her world turned black.

  * * * *

  Angel jumped from the car before it came to a complete stop. His car sat in a parking spot at the back of the building with the driver’s side door standing open.

  The smell of Ember’s blood invaded his senses, shooting heat behind his eyes and elongating his fangs. “No…”

  Shon appeared at his side. “Why would she come here? She had to know he would take her. She’s pregnant… She wouldn’t do something so careless.”

  “Unless he threatened Laura’s life. Ember wouldn’t come here otherwise. Come on,” Angel murmured. “We have work to do.”

  Chapter Six

  Ember awoke to the sound of voices. She kept her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep while straining to listen. Her head was definitely about to split off as she lay still, trying to listen.

  “Ember? Are you awake?” Laura’s whisper came from close by, and Ember cracked open her lids.

  “Oh, thank God you’re alive. I’m so sorry, Ember. Please forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive,” she croaked in the barest of whispers. Ember turned her face in the direction of Laura’s voice. The editor lay on a bed about three feet away with her hands bound above her head.

  Tears spilled from Laura’s eyes. “He’s going to kill us.”

  “No one is going to die,” Ember swore as she tried to sit up only to realize her hands were bound behind her back. She tested her bonds, but was too weak to break the chain.

  “I see you’re awake.”

  Ember stilled. Shock invaded her mind, freezing her system. It can’t be true.

  “What’s wrong, Miss Wells? Cat got your tongue?”

  Ember slowly turned her gaze toward the door. Her heart beat so hard, she feared he would hear it. “Clay?”

  “You sound so surprised.” He stalked into the room, stopping next to Ember’s bed.

  She stared up at him without blinking. “I don’t understand.”

  “You will soon enough.” He reached out and gently ran his fingertips across her cheek.

  Ember jerked her head to the side. “Don’t.”

  Clay backhanded her hard enough she saw stars. Her teeth connected with her bottom lip and the copper taste of blood filled her mouth.

  “Leave her alone!” Laura screamed, straining against her bonds.

  He ignored her, focusing solely on Ember. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?”

  “What did I ever do to you?” Ember wanted to keep him talking until she could figure out a way to escape. She couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around Clay being the Seeker.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed, his hip touching hers. “Poor Ember. You were just a ploy really until you wallowed with that piece of shit, Dimitrov. Have you fully turned yet?”

  Her fangs shot down as he tried to lift her top lip. He snatched his hand back and jumped to his feet. “Bitch.” Pulling a knife from his back pocket, he moved toward Laura’s bed. “You think to bite me? Let’s see how cooperative you can become.”

  Ember’s racing heart pushed the blood through her system at a rapid rate, spiking her adrenaline and strengthening her body. She yanked her arms forward with a mighty heave, snapping the chain that held her wrists.

  “Don’t touch her,” she snarled, bursting from the bed with claws extended. She would rip out Clay’s throat with her fangs if he touched one hair on Laura’s head.

  What happened next would forever be a blur. Ember was suddenly thrown across the room with the force of a truck. Her head smacked the wall, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap.

  “I bet that smarts.”

  Ember couldn’t have heard right. Her arms trembled as she tried to push herself up to her knees. “Gina,” she wheezed. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Ah, a smart mouth. He would have grown tired of you, ya know,” Gina taunted, studying her nails. “Once he no longer found you amusing, he would have given you to another. Tossed you out like yesterday’s garbage.”

  “Like he did you?”

  Gina’s hand was instantly around Ember’s throat, holding her in the air a foot off the floor. “You know nothing of me, you little tart.”

  Ember grabbed on to her wrist but was no match for the elder vampire. Her vision blurred until the light faded from her eyes. Angel…

  * *
* *

  Angel rapped his knuckles on Alan Boyd’s door for the third time. There were no lights on in the house, and several days’ worth of mail sat on his porch.

  “He’s not home,” an older woman’s voice announced from the other side of the fence.

  “Do you know where we can find him?” Shon questioned, lumbering off in her direction.

  “You the police?”

  “No, ma’am. We just need to speak with him.”

  She pushed her glasses up on her nose and pulled her robe together at the collar. “He hasn’t been home in days. I’ve been getting his mail for him and setting it on the porch. It’s still there, so I know he hasn’t been here.”

  Angel pasted on a smile and sauntered up to the fence. “And your name is?” He extended his hand.

  “Oh my.” She blushed, laying her small palm against his. “Esther…Esther McDonald.”

  He brought it to his mouth and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Angelo Dimitrov. Nice to meet you.”

  Angel could almost feel Shon’s theatrical eye roll. But there was one thing he’d learned early on in life; he could catch a fly quicker with honey than he ever could with shit.

  He ignored Ember’s cousin and kept his focus on the elderly woman in front of him.

  “You ain’t from around here are you?” She pulled her hand free and tucked her flyaway hair back into the bun at the base of her neck.

  He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the fence. “No, ma’am, I’m not.”

  “You have an accent,” she pointed out as if he were unaware.

  Angel kept his smile in place. He wanted nothing more than to be on the road looking for Ember, but Alan’s curious neighbor may have information that could be useful. “I’m from Bulgaria.”

  “That’s wonderful.” She beamed. “I’ve always wanted to go some place exotic. I bet it’s nice there. So, what kind of trouble is Alan in?”

  Now, we’re getting somewhere. “What makes you think he’s in trouble?”

  “Well, you’re not the first one to come snooping around here recently.”

  It took considerable effort for Angel to remain propped against the fence appearing relaxed when he felt anything but. “Can you tell me about the last visitor?”