Second Alliance_Ember Lane

by Kelly Goode

  ‘She said don’t put your shoes on for fifteen minutes,’ Mrs Chambers translated.

  ‘Is that all she said?’

  ‘I think there might have been something about you being a baby with troll feet. I spent a number of years travelling around Asia with Virgil so speak the language well.’

  ‘Did Colleen go with you?’

  ‘No, this was before I fell pregnant. Once Colleen was born, Virgil decided my place was at home.’

  ‘And you disagreed?’

  Mrs Chambers sighed. ‘Colleen didn’t like me much. We never really bonded, but she adored Virgil. He could do no wrong in her eyes. Even when he left us for weeks to concentrate on his newest protégé, she would always be there waiting for him to return. I guess it’s true what they say about daddy’s little girl.’

  I shrugged, as I thought about Roger. I hated spending time with him, but then again, he wasn’t my father.

  ‘Every girl needs her daddy,’ Mrs Chambers continued, ‘and I all but ignored Colleen. Virgil practically kept her locked up until she was eighteen. She lived in a bubble – his bubble, but eventually the fairy tale wore thin and she rebelled. She turned to magic and that coven for the attention she craved.’

  ‘You knew about the coven?’

  ‘If I’d been a better mother, I would’ve helped her with her powers, but the truth was I didn’t care. I didn’t like to be around Colleen for too long, so I was glad when she went out or stayed in her bedroom practicing spells.’

  ‘What about the pregnancy?’

  ‘I swear I didn’t know about that until yesterday. Colleen told me a few months ago that she’d met someone. A man linked to the coven. She professed to love him, but I told her not to make the same mistake I did. I think…I think that’s why she was killed. Because of the baby, I mean. I think he was already married, or getting married.’

  The woman’s voice broke and she started to cry. I reached for her hand.

  ‘It’s going to be ok, Mrs Chambers. Do you want me to call your husband? Get him to pick you up?’

  The tears turned to sobs and then into laughter. Quiet cackling that chilled me to the core.

  ‘No, don’t call my husband. I’m fine,’ Mrs Chambers replied, before lowering her voice. ‘I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’m glad she’s dead.’

  ‘I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. You’ve been through a severe trauma. You need help, counselling, someone to talk to.’

  Mrs Chambers stared at me with slightly glazed eyes. She was obviously on some sort of medication – prescribed or not.

  ‘It’s true, Ember. I’m glad she’s dead. Some women aren’t supposed to have children, I realise that now. Colleen was the biggest mistake I ever made. Something was wrong with her from birth. She was a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing. That’s why she turned to magic. It’s my fault she joined that coven, and now she’s dead. That’s karma.’

  Mrs Chambers picked up her tea and started sipping it.

  ‘I…I need to go,’ I said.

  ‘You’ll smudge your pedicure.’

  I stood up and picked up my shoes. My legs felt a little weak as I walked barefoot towards the exit. I was sure the paint on my toenails was dry enough to put my trainers on, but I didn’t want the beautician chasing after me.

  ‘You’re just like her, Ember,’ Mrs Chambers called after me. ‘There’s a piece missing from you too. You covet the darkness to fill the void, but a love like that demands a sacrifice. Colleen paid the price for her love.’

  ‘Goodbye,’ I stuttered as I opened the door. ‘I think you should talk to your doctor. You’re not thinking straight…’

  ‘On the contrary, for the first time in years, my mind and conscious is clear,’ Mrs Chambers replied, inclining her head as she studied me. ‘But I do wonder whether your mother thinks the same as me.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I wonder whether she wishes she’d ripped you from her belly when she had the chance.’

  60

  Harvey was relieved to find the white demon clothed this time when he faced him. His heavy jeans and winter coat concealed his muscular form, and he’d attempted to cover his bulbous head with a baseball cap, but his skin was too pale to pass off as human – and he was still missing his nose.

  ‘What do you want?’ Harvey asked, pressing harder against the wound on his stomach.

  The demon licked a droplet of blood from his clawed fingers – Harvey’s blood – and smiled.

  ‘Well put it this way, if I’d I wanted you dead, you would be. I could have ripped your spine clean out, rather than just cutting you a little.’

  ‘So if you don’t want to kill me, I’ll repeat my question. What do you want?’

  ‘I want to meet the demon who has taken it upon himself to be judge, jury and executioner.’

  ‘And now you have.’

  ‘No, I want to meet the real you. The one you keep hidden inside.’

  ‘Not going to happen.’

  The demon laughed.

  ‘You can’t keep him caged forever. He’s a part of you. Release him.’

  Harvey shook his head, even though he felt his skin tingling and stretching at the provocation. He tried to pacify his inner-demon, but it was a losing battle.

  ‘I’ll release him, if you tell me who summoned you,’ Harvey proposed but the demon shook his head.

  ‘I was promised three witches. It doesn’t matter who summoned me.’

  ‘It matters to me,’ Harvey said, trying to curb the roar in his head as his bones elongated. They clicked painfully against each other as they shifted shape beneath his skin.

  ‘Once I have three souls, I’ll go back to hell.’

  ‘You already have three souls.’

  The demon adjusted his baseball cap.

  ‘No, I’ve only claimed two brides. The redhead will make three and then the triangle will be complete and I can return home. Are you willing to travel through the dimensions to find me? You know what awaits you in hell.’

  Blood pounded in Harvey’s ears, which was ironic considering his heart no longer worked. He couldn’t hold onto his human form for much longer. Laughter ricocheted through his head and he wasn’t sure whether it belonged to the demon or to him.

  ‘Fuck you,’ Harvey growled as the skin on his hands split. Claws protruded from where his fingers had once been. He used them to rip his T-shirt from neck to hem, exposing his swollen abdomen. The stab-wound healed, as his muscles rippled in anticipation of his demon taking control.

  He was close to changing.

  ‘Your demon will have some fun and keep you out of my way while I squeeze the life out of the fire-witch.’

  ‘No.’

  Harvey gritted his teeth as a sharp pain cut across his shoulders. He cried out as the skin split and a pair of huge, black wings erupted from his shoulder blades. He couldn’t reverse the transformation now. The evil coursed through his veins like a drug.

  Somewhere in the back of his mind, the smallest part of his conscious knew that Ember needed him, but that faded once his demon fully emerged.

  61

  I stood outside the shooting range in a state of stupor. I couldn’t even summon the enthusiasm to go inside and shoot a few rounds even though I knew it would make me feel better. Mrs Chambers’ words filled my head like an incantation.

  There’s a piece missing from you too.

  ‘Where’s your bodyguard, bitch?’

  I jolted from my trance to see Perry walking towards me. He filled the narrow corridor with his height and bulk, meaning I’d have to pass him if I wanted to go back to the main part of the building.

  ‘Keep walking, Perry. I’m not in the mood.’

  He stopped beside me and sniffed the air.

  ‘Oh, I think you’re in the mood for something, bitch.’

  I clenched my hands into fists, feeling them heat and crackle.

  ‘Don’t call me that.’

  Perry smiled cruelly.


  ‘I’ll call you what I like, and like all good bitches, you should be on your hands and knees for an alpha.’

  I pushed back my shoulders and squared up to the much larger man.

  ‘Well when you see one of these alphas, be sure to let me know.’

  Perry’s face twisted in anger at my insult.

  ‘I could rip you to pieces-’

  ‘And I could incinerate you until your eyes popped out of your skull,’ I cut in. ‘I’m not afraid of you.’

  Perry leaned closer, but I stood my ground. His eyes flashed amber and for a second, I wondered whether I’d pushed him too far.

  ‘You should be afraid. You should be very afraid. We’re not always going to be constrained by this unit, Ember. I already have your scent imprinted.’

  Perry reached out and took a strand of my long, red hair between his fingers.

  ‘I’m a tracker,’ he continued. ‘That’s why they sprung me from the detainment unit. Hunting a demon was difficult but I did it. Stalking you will be easy.’

  He inhaled my hair, and I trembled slightly. I lifted my hands, ready to conjure a fireball for protection, but the sound of footsteps caused Perry to pull away.

  ‘Apples,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll follow the apples and then I’ll find you, and there will be no one to protect you. No Harvey. No Carter. No Ghent. You think you have them wrapped around your finger, but not me. I see you for what you are. I see the bitch that needs taming. There’ll be no one to interrupt us next time.’

  Perry licked his lips suggestively, so I twisted my hands together and expelled a warning flare. The flames singed his arm, which provoked his wolf and caused his fingernails to sharpen into claws.

  ‘Back off,’ I warned. ‘I don’t need anyone else to fight my battles.’

  ‘And yet one of them always appears to save you,’ Perry replied, as Carter stepped into the corridor.

  ‘I can save myself.’

  Perry laughed. ‘Sure you can. I enjoyed watching you in the shower by the way. You’re a fine specimen for a bitch. I could’ve slit your throat…but my hands were already full and I was having too much fun.’

  My eyes widened in alarm.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Carter asked. ‘You’re not authorised to be down here.’

  ‘I was just leaving,’ Perry said, concealing his claws inside his trouser pockets.

  Carter’s eyes narrowed as he spotted the flames flickering from my fingers. He advanced towards us, and Perry took off in the opposite direction. Carter was going to follow, but I held him back.

  ‘Let him go.’

  ‘What did he say to you?’

  ‘Some crap about making me his bitch.’

  Carter clenched his jaw and made a move to follow Perry again, but I stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

  ‘I said let him go. He’s not worth it.’

  ‘He shouldn’t talk to you like that.’

  I smiled tightly. ‘Perry is all bark, and no bite. He doesn’t like the fact that I have a bigger pair of balls than him.’

  Cater raised his eyebrows and I lifted my hands.

  ‘Fireballs,’ I explained, showing him the sizzling globes resting on my palms.

  Carter laughed and then he kissed me. It was unexpected but not unwelcomed. His soft lips moulded to mine, encouraging a response. I remembered to extinguish the fireballs before wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back.

  Carter groaned as he pulled me snug against him.

  ‘We shouldn’t be doing this,’ he murmured, reluctantly pulling away. ‘There are cameras.’

  ‘You started it,’ I reminded him.

  ‘You’re right. I’m sorry. Tell me about your meeting with Mrs Chambers while I try to forget how much I want to take you back to my room.’

  I froze as Mrs Chambers’ words once again filled my head like a bad song I couldn’t ignore.

  ‘That was a joke, Ember,’ Carter said, misreading the alarmed expression on my face.

  ‘Do you think there’s something missing from me?’ I blurted.

  ‘What?’

  I bit my lip, realising how ludicrous I sounded. Carter’s light blue eyes focused on mine, his confusion evident in the creases on his brow and frown lines around his mouth. The scar on his cheek deepened as his jaw worked.

  Carter had shared the story of how he got the scars on his face with me. A female werewolf, a recruit that he’d grown close to, had attacked him. He had mental scars from the incident too, and he certainly didn’t need any more emotional baggage from me.

  ‘Nothing. Forget that I said anything. Mrs Chambers admitted she knew that Colleen had been seeing someone. Someone linked to the coven. She thought he was married, and that was why Colleen was targeted.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Carter said. ‘An illicit affair as a reason for a murder. It’s possible.’

  ‘I guess I should go home,’ I replied. ‘Unless you think I should report to Agent Myles.’

  ‘Agent Myles is out. You could stay.’

  ‘I could stay,’ I repeated, and as Carter took my hand and brought it to his lips, the stubble on his chin tickled my skin. ‘But only if you shave.’

  ‘Done.’

  62

  ‘Did you ever envisage a time when you’d be lazing in bed with me on a Friday afternoon, Agent Liam Carter?’

  Carter slid his hand up and down Ember’s spine, savouring the feel of her smooth skin beneath his roughened palm.

  ‘Do you want the honest answer?’ he asked, inhaling the scent of her long, red hair as it fanned across the pillow beside him.

  ‘Always,’ she replied, kissing his chest and causing his muscles to tighten beneath her warm lips.

  Carter smiled. ‘Then the answer would be no.’

  A few months ago, his life had consisted of only one thing – his job. He’d lived and breathed solely for The First and Only team. Now he wasn’t even sure that he wanted to stay after the internal investigation concluded. That thought should have unsettled him, but with Ember’s naked body pressed against his, it barely registered.

  Ember propped herself up on her elbows, using his abdomen as a rest. She scanned his face, as if searching for something else from his answer.

  ‘What?’ he asked, suddenly feeling exposed beneath her clear, green eyes.

  ‘I was just thinking,’ she replied, the expression on her face telling him that something was bothering her. ‘Why now?’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Why are we doing this now? Harvey said-’

  Carter sat up, forcing her to relinquish her comfortable position.

  ‘Never start a sentence with Harvey said. Especially not when you’re naked in my bed. I hate the fact that monster is free to breathe the same air as you. I hate the way he looks at you, as if he still has a claim on you…’

  Carter’s voice trailed off as Ember’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘That’s not fair,’ she said. ‘Harvey was a…a…mistake.’

  ‘A mistake that’s constantly there, like a toothache I can’t get rid of.’

  Ember sat up too, adjusting the sheets to cover her breasts.

  ‘Everyone has exes, Carter. Don’t tell me I’m never going to bump into one of your conquests in the corridor.’

  ‘I highly doubt it,’ he muttered.

  ‘You’ve never slept with someone at work before?’

  ‘Never.’

  Ember’s face softened slightly at his admission. She reached out and threaded her fingers through his.

  ‘So this rule-breaking is a big thing for you?’

  ‘Bigger than you can imagine, Ember.’

  ‘Which brings me back to my original question, why now?’

  Carter rubbed his hand across his face. There was a simple answer to why now, but he wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. He had a good idea what Harvey had insinuated to put doubt into Ember’s mind – that Carter had only slept with her to stop him worming his way back into her
affections. There was some truth to that, but it wasn’t the only reason. So how did he tell her that without coming across as a complete arsehole, or worse, a mushy teenager?

  ‘I don’t normally do this, Ember,’ he eventually said, his words sticking in his throat when he spoke.

  ‘What have sex? You’re not a monk.’

  Carter shook his head. ‘Of course I have sex. I just don’t…’

  He stopped. His stomach twisted into knots as he thought about how meaningless his other one-night stands had been compared to Ember.

  ‘Put it this way,’ he said, clearing this throat. ‘You’re the only person I’ve ever slept with more than once.’

  Ember’s brow creased in confusion.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Carter clenched his jaw. She wasn’t making this easy for him. Didn’t she realise it was hard for him to talk about things like this?

  ‘I mean I’ve never had sex with the same person twice.’

  ‘Never?’

  ‘The lifestyle I lead doesn’t leave me much free time. When I want to meet a woman, I go to a club or bar and I know it’s going to be a one-night thing. No names. No phone numbers. No plans to see them again. It’s less complicated that way.’

  Carter got out of bed and pulled his trousers on, hoping he might regain some composure with his clothes on. He was a soldier for fuck sake. He killed creatures. He led men. He didn’t analyse his feelings.

  ‘Shit! I don’t even know why I’m telling you this,’ he said.

  Ember was looking at him as if he’d just grown two heads.

  ‘You’ve never had a girlfriend?’ she asked.

  ‘No.’

  ‘That’s…’

  Her voice trailed off, as if she was searching for the right word.

  ‘Pathetic,’ he suggested.

  Ember shook her head. ‘I was going to say sad. You’ve never dated? Taken a girl to the movies? Gone on holiday? Met her parents?’

  ‘No. It’s always been about the team, not the individual, and I was fine with that. Until you arrived in the briefing room and blew my perfectly ordered world away.’

  Ember inclined her head to one side as she studied him.