Fire In The Darkness (Darkness Series #2)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  “What?” I asked. “Is it bad? What’s wrong with me?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with you per se.” He sat down in the chair next to my bed, his face turning serious. “You keep changing. The combination of your blood and Eli's has morphed your DNA again.”

  “What does that mean?” A strange feeling came over me. My skin prickled. It was an odd sensation, like I was being watched but not by either Jared or Owen. Rubbing my arms I let my eyes scan the room. Nothing. I was being silly; my emotions were just running high.

  “I told you before mixing blood between different Fae species has never been done. Humans, if given the wrong blood type, would likely die. Their immune systems would attack the red blood cells in the donor blood if the bloods were incompatible. Fae can only take blood from the same species or we can die. This has always been the case, until you. I don’t know if it is a Dae quirk, which allows this, or if you are just different. But, surprisingly, your own blood has not only accepted Eli’s, it has taken it on as its own, creating another strand in your DNA.

  “Since you didn’t die from Eli’s blood, I figured your blood would dilute his until it matched yours. And maybe, only at the beginning, you would show symptoms or traits like ours before going back to normal. You aren’t merely taking on our traits, but merging your traits and ours into your own special category. You are still Dae, but now you have a strand of Dae and Dark Dweller along with your Dae DNA strand.”

  Alarm was seeping through my forced-calm exterior. “Okay, your lips are moving, but all I hear is blah, blah, blah. Dumb it down for me.”

  Owen’s mouth cracked into a smile. “You don't need anything dumbed down, Ember, but I'll break it down." He sat forward, clasping his hands together. “You grew up familiar with human anatomy so I'll start there.

  “Simply put, humans have DNA in every cell. Each DNA helix is made up of two twisted strands with twenty-three pairs of chromosomes. Well, Fae anatomy has similar DNA cell structure, but ours are made up of eight strands, plus or minus, depending on the type of Fae you are.

  “There have been a few discoveries of some humans having three, sometimes four strands, and studies have shown that humans who have more than two strands have ‘special abilities.’ They are looked at as medical marvels. Those humans probably have Fae heritage somewhere in their background. There was a time when Fae mixed with unsuspecting humans much more freely.” Owen gazed over his shoulder at Jared. Jared looked bored and restless, flipping through a computer gadget magazine. “Jared, for instance, because he is part human, has six strands.”

  I kept hearing how Jared was half human, but I never heard about Jared’s mother. I knew there was a story there. Curiosity won out. “Was Jared’s mother aware of what you were?”

  Owen bristled. His jaw snapped together as his eyes flashed, his pupils elongating. It was the first time I ever really saw the Dark Dweller part of him. It was more unsettling than seeing it in any of the others. With Owen you could almost forget what he was; with the others that was never the case. Owen obviously had worked hard at hiding his predatory nature. His reaction solidified there was more to the story and more to Owen than met the eye. What was his story? What caused him to react so out of character? My gut told me it was not a happy story.

  “No. She was not aware of what we are.” Owen’s tone was clear—do not push.

  Clearing my throat, I went back to the original topic. “Okay, I am getting everything so far. Humans two, Fae eight. So what’s weird about me?”

  “Our DNA can copy itself but does not usually form new DNA molecules. This is where you differ. When I first tested your blood, you had ten strands per helix, which seemed high, but might be normal for a Dae. You no longer have ten.”

  “How many do I have?”

  “You have thirteen.”

  Stunned, I sat with my eyes and mouth open wide. I heard his words and understood them, but my brain was having a hard time comprehending the information.

  Thirteen strands in my DNA? Guess I couldn’t play the human card anymore.

  "They are also different. You have made new DNA molecules."

  “What does this mean for me?”

  “This is all so new to me, so I am not sure. But your test results show you are extremely healthy and strong. Even more so now.” He opened up his hands in a display of bewilderment.

  I had barely gotten used to the idea I was a Dae, now I was something different?

  Sensing my fear, he quickly added. “Don’t worry. You are still Dae. Think of it as you are Dae with Dark Dweller on the side.”

  “So I’m a Fay-Demon-Dark Dweller mix? I am a mutt of the Fae world?” I screeched. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Afraid not,” Owen replied.

  “Awesome . . .” Jared spoke up from the other side of the room. “Ember, the Otherworld's wonder mutt.”

  Both Owen and I turned to glare at him. His smile grew bigger.

  “Not helpful, Jared.” Owen shook his head.

  “Why? That’s so cool. You are even more powerful. You could probably kick anybody’s ass now that you have some of our traits.”

  “Jared,” Owen’s tone warned. Jared sat back sulking but stayed silent.

  What I had done back at my house when I went all psycho-predator on Vek’s ass was not a Dae trait. Something else triggered it. My new Dark Dweller gene? But, I had felt a spurt of my Dae forces in there. I felt them try to push through their bracelet barrier. I could still feel them pushing against the iron hold and getting stronger.

  “Would being part Dark Dweller counteract some of my Fairy or Demon traits?”

  “Counteract?” Owen looked at me curiously. “I wouldn’t think so . . . why do you ask?”

  “Well, it’s not something I really thought about till now. I assumed it was a Dae quality or maybe every Fay eventually grew immune after a while . . . but I’ve noticed the effects of the iron have been wearing off. It hits hard at first, but after a day or so I feel my energy starting to come back. My powers are trying to push through.”

  Owen’s eyes widened. “Fay never become immune to iron.” He paused, taking in what I said. “I have no medical experience with Daes, so I cannot say for sure, but as far as I know they don't either. Being only half Fay doesn’t take away the allergy to iron. If this is happening to you, then it is something I need to look into. It could possibly be the Dark Dweller DNA making you resistant to iron, which would make sense.”

  “Meaning?”

  “After Lorcan attacked you, you were not only dying from blood loss but from the toxins in your blood.” I nodded for him to continue. “Dark Dwellers carry highly poisonous toxins in our nails. A tiny scrape would render you extremely sick and Lorcan did way more damage. But it wasn’t until you had Eli’s blood that your fever went down.”

  Growing up I never got sick, not even a cold. I didn't know it was because I was Fae. So the two times I had gotten sick, I had found it odd. Now I understood. Each time had been right after a scratch from a Dark Dweller, first from Eli, the second from Samantha.

  “When did you first start noticing your immunity to iron?” Owen inquired.

  Trying to recall my past experiences with iron, I leaned back against my pillow. I always thought it was an allergy growing up, so I avoided contact with it as much as possible. Looking back through my memories, I could not recall a time when I was indifferent or could function around it until Lorcan had me in the iron bar cell. I also became used to the cuffs the Queen had on me. I looked down at the goblin trinket wrapped around my wrist. All those times occurred after Eli gave me his blood; it was the Dark Dweller blood, which created a resistance to it over time.

  I told Owen what I remembered and this only seemed to confirm his theory. I had changed; it was fact. Eli had altered more than my DNA. He had changed me. I couldn’t deny he was genuinely a part of me, rooted in my DNA and blood. It was unclear if it was a good thing or not.

  “I also suspect that is how you were able
to bring him into your dreamscape.”

  “But you said only Fay can dreamscape. He's not Fay, and I have his blood, he doesn’t have mine.”

  “That is true. But, sometimes things aren’t black and white. Magic’s certainly not. Your connection to Eli goes beyond blood or DNA.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Logically, if you are part Dark Dweller now, I should be able to sense you or even communicate with you in my head. I cannot. Dark Dwellers are similar to wolves in that we work as a pack. We can communicate and sense each other from vast distances. I should be able to sense Eli’s blood in you, but it’s as if your Dae traits are disguising it."

  I filed this new information into my constantly updated “Fae File.”

  The room was silent. I looked over at Jared; he had been silent far longer than normal. His head bobbed as he drifted off to sleep. A small smile toyed at my lips. He was like a puppy, all bounce-n-go then falling asleep mid-sentence. Wish I could do the same, I thought, but my mind would not let me rest.

  “It baffles me why I can’t feel you. Are you aware of my presence?” Owen brought me back to him. It sounded funny since he was sitting right next to me, but I knew what he meant. I closed my eyes and concentrated on anything that sensed or recognized the blood in him. I felt nothing. No, wait, I did feel something.

  Eli. Even though I couldn't pinpoint his exact location, I could sense he was near—just like I knew he was getting close to me when I was on the streets.

  “He's the only one you feel, right.” It wasn't really a question. “Is there anything else you haven't told me yet?”

  There was one more thing that came to mind. Something that had always been there but I hadn’t questioned too much before. “Almost from the moment I met Eli, we've been able to ‘understand’ each other.” I looked down at my curled fingers, feeling suddenly vulnerable. “I don't hear his voice in my head or anything, and I have to be looking at him. But many times I can understand what his eyes are saying to me. We can communicate without speaking.”

  Owen sat up straighter in his seat. “Neither of you thought to tell me this?”

  “No. At the time I didn’t want to think about what it really meant or how it was possible; then it became so natural.”

  “Eli never brought this to my attention either.” Owen pressed his lips together. “You’re saying this started before he gave you his blood?”

  “Yeah, way before—when I first met him.”

  Owen sat back in his chair. “This is another occurrence that should be impossible. You should not be able to communicate with him like that at all, especially if it was before you received his blood.” We both sat in silence. Owen’s mind seemed to be working at a million miles a second. Only the soft snores of Jared broke the quiet. Finally, Owen shook his head. “Like I said, you and Eli have a connection going way beyond DNA or blood. Some things cannot be explained by logic or science. You two have something no one can define. I understand his struggle now.”

  Long after Owen left, his words stuck in my side like a thorn. There were so many things that should worry me, but one detail kept repeating in my mind. It was what he said about Eli and I having a connection that went beyond blood and DNA. I always felt drawn to him. Lately, I thought it might be because of his blood, but it was more than that. Even before we had been connected. I couldn’t explain it, describe it, or rationalize it. It was there and I doubted it would ever go away, which terrified me. I didn’t let people in and I didn’t like depending on or needing people. Even with my friends I had always kept up a slight barrier. It kept me safe. But Eli wouldn’t stay behind the barriers I put up. Like a ghost, he slipped through my thick walls, leaving me with overwhelming desire for him. With just one image I could recall exactly how his lips felt on mine, how his hands felt on my body.

  “Hope those thoughts causing you to smile like that have me naked in the shower and you're scrubbing me down.”

  My head popped up to see Eli in the doorway, watching me. Humiliation flooded my cheeks a deep shade of pink. A satisfied smile took over his lips. He knew he had caught me. He was not too far from what had been playing in my head.

  “Come on.” He jerked his head toward the exit. “We are going to test your Dark Dweller skills.” Owen had obviously talked to Eli, and probably Cole, about his latest findings.

  “Can I come?” Jared said sleepily, his eyes only half open.

  “No. You have to keep resting, but I’ll take you out as soon as you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready now.” Jared sat up, rubbing his eyes.

  “Okay, what I meant was, as soon as your dad gives the okay.” Eli went over and rumpled Jared’s hair.

  “Jeez . . . I am so sick of being treated like a kid.” Jared huffed but settled back into his pillows. He might have been irritated, but he respected the authority of his Alpha.

  Grabbing my jacket and shoes, I followed Eli out the door.

  TWELVE

  “Eli?”

  “You can do it.” He leaped onto the boulder. “Jump.”

  “Yeah, right. It’s pitch black out here. I’m not half cat, you know.”

  “Neither am I.”

  You sure? From what I’d experienced, Dark Dwellers had a lot of jaguar-like qualities, except a million times more frightening.

  “Come on . . .” There was a dare in his tone

  Never one to back down from a challenge, I stepped back and made a running leap. My hands gripped onto the boulder as my feet slipped and faltered over the smooth surface. Right as my fingers were slipping from their hold, Eli’s hands wrapped around my wrists and with a tug he pulled me over the peak. I stumbled into him. We both didn’t move, his hand had moved from my wrists to my waist to catch me. Subconsciously, or not so subconsciously, I licked my lips nervously. Clearing his throat he stepped back away from me.

  “So, I thought we could do some training up here.”

  “Up here? It’s night time. What kind of training were you thinking?” I swiveled around taking in what little elements the moonlight let me see. Trees grew in and out of the boulder graveyard. Rock clusters of different sizes and shapes jetted out from the earth.

  “I thought I would test your balance and agility.”

  “O-kay.” My eyebrow cocked up. “Or did you just want to see me plant my face into a rock, which is the more likely scenario?”

  “I’m not saying that wouldn’t brighten my day as well. But I’m certain you will stay more upright than you think.”

  “Glad someone has confidence,” I replied. “Okay, Master Yoda, show me what tricks you want me to do.”

  He grinned wolfishly.

  “Mind out of the gutter, please.”

  “Oh, like yours is ever above ground.”

  “True.” I smiled with a slight shrug. “But let’s focus on the reason you have me jumping boulders in the middle of the night.”

  Without warning, Eli bolted across the top and jumped into the darkness. He moved so silently and quickly the only reason I knew where he went was because I had been watching him. “I hope you don’t want me to do that.”

  “I do,” his voice came from behind me, whispering into my ear.

  “Holy shit!” I jumped, swiveling to face him. “How the hell did you get behind me so fast?”

  He smiled. “I want you to let go of everything you think you should be and be who you really are.” He stepped closer to me, looking more predatory. His pupils had shifted to the diamond shape. He was all masculine and virile, scary and dangerous.

  His hand closed down on my hip, pressing me closer to his body. Lust clouded my thoughts. Feeling a little dizzy, my eyes fell closed. Need and desire overtook me. My body leaned into his, my head tilting up, preparing to feel his mouth close down on mine.

  When he didn’t kiss me, I opened my eyes to see him smugly looking down at me. Heat submerged my face in embarrassment. “If you want me to kiss you, you have to earn it.” In one swift movement Eli spun me
around, swatting me on the butt. “Your turn.”

  “Egotistical much?” I grumbled, but focused on the darkness where he had jumped.

  “You might not be able to see in the dark like I can, but you should be able to sense what is around you. Feel it. You have earth powers and are connected to it and now you have Dark Dweller traits. You should feel the earth and see it here,” Eli tapped at my temple, “even if you can't actually see it. Close your eyes.”

  Eyes closed, I breathed in deeply, letting everything go except for my connection to the rocks and forest around me. It took a bit, but eventually I started to absorb my surroundings. They were alive and talking to me—not with words, but with impressions. I could sense the life around me, reaching out to me, creating a 3-D map of the landscape in my head.

  “I think you got it,” Eli breathed into my ear. My lids rose slowly and then snapped wide open. Trees leaned toward me; tendrils of plants had slithered up the rock. Their leafy limbs were caressing my shoes. “They recognize you and know you are a part of them. Let them guide you.” Eli’s hand pressed against my back, pushing me forward.

  I shut my eyes, letting the earth direct me. I took off and leaped into the black void. Silently, my feet planted themselves on the ground; my body crouched down ready for its next movement. It was simple, as if my body always knew what to do. Something in me stirred. This was different from what I usually felt when my Dae traits came out. This was more in my muscles and reflexes. I felt like I could jump or pounce on anything. Eli had stated firmly that Dark Dwellers were nothing like cats, but I couldn’t deny the feline stealth I felt in my movements.

  Eli soundlessly landed next to me. “I think I knew for a while something in you had changed. But the moment I saw you with Vek yesterday, your eyes told me for certain.”

  “My eyes?”

  “Yeah. Normally your eyes turn black when your powers take hold. It was the reason I dragged you away at the Outdoor Adventure Rehabilitation at Silverwood a few months ago. Your friend, Josh, saw them change. I couldn’t let him confirm what he saw, so I pulled you away,” Eli said. Thinking back, Josh’s reaction made sense to me now. So did Eli’s. “When I saw you with Vek, they turned black but this time they also changed shape. Your pupils went vertical.”