Fire in the Darkness (10 page)

As we drove, I realized I didn’t remember anything about what roads we had taken and how to get back. I was exceptionally good with directions, always had been, as if I had an internal compass. But, now my compass felt like it got knocked over. I scrubbed at my head, trying to clear it.

“We have a misdirection device and a protection spell over our land. No one can find us, and anybody who gets near will suddenly decide to go another way.” Eli looked over at me.

“So, how do you get back?”

“When we first executed the spell, we provided our names and a sample of our blood so it can recognize us. We are the only ones who know the way. The only way a stranger can find it is if we lead them in.”

“So that’s why you want to keep me there.”

“It’s not so much of a ‘want’ to as a ‘have’ to,” Gabby’s voice shot out from the back seat.

“Gabby,” Eli grumbled.

“What? None of us really want her here.”

“I don’t mind.” Jared shrugged.

“Oh, shut up,” Gabby shot at him. “The fact we are even going on this little field trip is ridiculous. Poor little
bitseach
can’t live without her blankie for the night?”

“What is the deal with the girls in your group?” I looked over at Eli. All her comments, even when she didn’t know I had heard, caught up with me. “Are they all such catty bitches?”

Eli exploded with laughter.

Before Gabby could verbally or physically attack me, I swung around to look at her. “Look, I get it, you don’t like me. Fine. Whatever your problem is with me, get over it because I’ve done nothing to you. I don’t like this any more than you do. I want to go home. I want my dad back and to see my friends. Instead I get to be treated like some Fae livestock, with my own personal dog collar, constantly being hunted down to be sold to the highest bidder. I’ve lost everything—my mother, Mark, my friends, my life. So, I’m sorry if I want my own underwear or a favorite T-shirt to get through this. You can continue to hate me. I don’t care. All I am asking is you back off for five minutes.”

Gabby pressed her lips together. My heart thudded several beats as she considered my request. Then with a sharp nod she sat back, my appeal accepted. The car was filled with an awkward silence. I felt embarrassed by my outburst but was also proud I stood up for myself and won.

“All right guys, we’re here.” Eli pulled up in the driveway. “Ember and I will go into the house. Cooper, I want you around back. Gabb, you and Jared guard the front. This will be a quick in and out.”

Climbing out of the car, I stared at the front of the house. It felt so familiar and so foreign at the same time. I was no longer the girl who used to live in this house. Hell, I was no longer human. Everything was different, though the same step still squeaked as we walked up. Nothing here had changed, but everything felt strange to me.

Eli pulled my keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, stepping aside to let me enter.

“How do you have my keys?”

“I’ve had them since the night in the forest. They were in
the
pocket of
your
jacket that was torn to shreds.” He motioned for me to enter the house.

The familiarity of the place hit me, stabbing into my soul like a dagger. Home. Mark. Seeing one of his jackets hanging from the coat rack and his running shoes at the door, waiting for him to return. Would we ever be able to come back here? Blinking back the tears I turned to head down the hallway. If I let myself have those thoughts I would end up lying down on the sofa and falling apart. Turning to head down the hallway, Eli’s arm came up, blocking me from moving.

“What?” I looked down at his arm then up to his face. “What is it?”

“I don’t know, but something doesn’t smell right.”

“Smell right?”

“I know your odor; I know this house’s odor . . .”

“Are you saying we stink?”

“Everyone has a scent. It’s not bad. Yours is a mixture of earth, cinnamon, and camp fire.”

“Camp fire? I smell like a campsite?”

“No, of deep, rich, smoldering fire.” He looked down on me. “Makes me want to have sex out in a forest next to a roaring campfire.”

I gulped so noticeably his lip inched up in the corner. “Ironic, huh? Ember, who starts electrical explosions and affects fires, smells like and is named after fire.” I always knew my name was different, but until recently I had never understood it was a key to who I really was.

Eli told me to stay put as he went ahead of me. He skulked down the dark hallway, his body hunkered close to the ground, prowling, reminding me of a jaguar. He disappeared into my room.

“Eli?” I whispered hoarsely.

“All clear,” he called back.

I entered my room. Of course, everything was as I left it. The three different tops I had tried on before the party were still spewed across my bed and floor. My books and papers were in messy disarray on my desk next to my laptop. A framed picture of Ryan, Kennedy, and me being goofy sat on my desk. I reached for the picture and held it to my chest. How different things were now. I looked at our silly expressions. We had been so carefree, untroubled, and ignorant then to the Fae world where Kennedy and I were actually considered “normal” girls. As much as we had felt different, we really had no clue how truly different we were. She still didn’t. Kennedy and Ryan were always on my mind, but lately more so, especially Kennedy. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of anything happening to her.

“Grab what you need while I check the rest of the house,” Eli said, breaking into my thoughts. He headed out my bedroom.

Not hesitating, I grabbed my duffel bag, stuffing in clothes, shoes, and basic necessities. I forced myself not to think about the fact this might be my last time in my room. At my desk I grabbed my sketch pad and paused. A sensation scoured over my skin. My internal alarm ringing. I wasn't alone. Subtlety, my eyes drifted, inspecting every cranny of my room.

“Eli?” I called out. Silence.

I trusted my internal warning. It had kept me alive while I was on the streets, running daily from Fae and humans. Dropping the pad, I spun around, my feet scrambling for the door. From under my bed, long, white, scaly fingers scurried out wrapping tightly around my ankle, pulling me back. A choked scream popped in my throat as I fell to the ground. Tugging against the boney hand, which seized me, I stopped as a shape whizzed out of my closet, shutting my bedroom door, closing me in.

I peered up at the individual in front of me. I shouldn’t have. I really shouldn’t have.

My heart crashed against my ribs. The mere sight of the creature made me almost lose bladder control. It was tall and skinny with pasty, white skin and a bald, patchy head. Veins and scars were lumped around and under the skin. Sharp, pointy ears protruded from its head with red, bulging eyes and a bulb nose. Lining its mouth was what looked like hundreds of needles sculpting down into long thin piercing teeth. Vegetarian, he was not.

Holy crap on ash bark . . .

“You look as juicy as I hoped.” The monster licked his lips, his voice nasally and strange.

“She does,” a voice spoke from under my bed. A similar creature crawled out, letting go of my ankle.

Oh shit!

Both reminded me of the Orcs from
Lord of the Rings
. Skinny, needle
-
mouthed Orcs, except both were dressed in my clothes from head to toe. Mine. It was disturbing and wrong. To see my favorite newsboy cap on the creature that stood blocking the door made me feel dirty. He also wore a scarf, yoga pants and a sweater. The one from under the bed was in a pair of my sweats with the dress I wore to my last school dance wrapped around his neck. It made me feel sick.

The creature by the door swung my scarf farther over his shoulder. His sharp teeth curved up in a disconcerting smile. “Our odors are disguised by being wrapped in yours.”

I stood up moving farther away from the two beings
and kept
low and ready to fight for my life. Anticipation hung in the air, each waiting for the other to act. Their muscles were coiled and ready to pounce just as my bedroom door burst open, slamming one against the wall. Eli sailed through, immediately putting himself in front of me.

“Well, well, well . . . look who we have here?” The one by the door straightened himself up and stepped farther into the room. “Elighan, you are the last person I expected to see here. It has been a long time. Thought you guys were dead.”

“Had the same high hopes for you, too, Drauk,” Eli said stiffly. “What brings you here?”

“Looks like the same thing as you,” Drauk sneered as his eyes inspected me like a starving animal. It made me step back. Eli pulled me tight to his body.

Drauk began to laugh. “Look, the poor little lamb thinks she’s safer with you. Oh, if she only knew.”

“Well, we both know the truth. So why don’t you do the right thing and bow out. You know you don’t want to fight me.” Eli’s tone was cold and cruel.

“I will fight you in this case. Do you know what she is? The power I can get from her? I was here first. This one is mine, Elighan.” Drauk stepped even closer as the other one pulled out a knife.

“You’re making a mistake,” Eli warned. “You really think you and stupid there can take me?”

“And you are stupid if you think we didn’t come equipped. I smelled that other Fae had been here before. We were prepared. As we speak, my friends are introducing themselves to yours.”

Eli stiffened but didn’t move from his place. It didn’t stop me from detecting his sudden fear for Jared before he locked down his emotions.

“My men and I will have her. With her capabilities, we will be able to fight the Queen. Don’t tell me that's not something you want as well? It is a win-win. Revenge on both her kind and the Queen.” He looked to be salivating at the idea. “I don’t want to fight you, Elighan, but to gain her powers I will.”

“
Mine
,” Eli growled so deeply I could barely hear what he said. “You will not touch her.”

“Holy shit, you're protecting her.” Drauk stood in shock, absently rubbing the scarf around his neck. “Wow, your time here on Earth has made you a pussy. Have you actually forgotten what her kind is capable of? What they’ve done to you? I would never have thought you would go soft. At one time we weren’t so different, you and I. But now? You are not what you used to be.”

I suddenly felt Eli’s nails grow, breaking through the fabric of my hoodie. “Run to the car and get the hell out of here.” He shoved the car keys in my pocket before pushing me to the side. His face was already half changed as he lunged for Drauk. I couldn’t move, engrossed in watching Eli’s body transform into a Dark Dweller. Eli had changed only partially in front of me before and in darkness. I hadn’t been able to see him change when he fought the phooka so I’d never seen the whole transformation. It was disturbing, fascinating, and somehow beautiful all at the same time.

Mesmerized, I watched his clothes tear. His body curved and twisted into another shape. A sleek, black creature emerged around the size of a large panther. His presence made everything feel dwarfed by comparison. Every muscle moved tightly under the midnight-colored coat. His jaw was longer than a wild cat's, with razor sharp teeth. His spine was lined with small, sharp, spiked horns. Anyone who got near or fell on them would be no more than a shish
-
kebab. There was also something about him that reminded me of a wolf. But neither panther nor wolf seemed to define him. His movements were graceful and stealthy. A deep, vibrating growl shook the room. Nails curved like sickles, ripped at the floorboards as he moved closer to Drauk. His eyes flared red.

“Get her, Vek,” Drauk screeched over his shoulder to the other, pointing at me. This finally broke my trance on Eli. In a breath, Vek bounded toward me, his hands grappling for me as I darted out of his reach. I turned and ran out the door, sprinting down the hallway for the front door. Grappling for the wall, I skidded around the corner,and my feet slipped on the smooth hardwood. I hit the floor with a thump. Vek was on me the moment I landed, straddling my back. My pulse throbbed loudly in my ears, my body reacting in alarm to the foreign, male body on me. Panic raged in my chest, paralyzing me. I recalled what had taken place the last time I had been in a predicament like this—what the men at Mike's Bar had tried to do to me. This was not quite the same, but my mind had trouble grasping the difference. My body went into defense mode.

Vek grabbed my hair yanking my head back making me whimper in pain. He jarred my head sharply to the side so I could see his face. His lip curled up and the pointed teeth reminded me of a shark’s mouth. “I’m going to enjoy this. I should let you know now, I’m a messy eater.” His mouth came down clamping on my exposed throat, his teeth sawing their way through my flesh. A bloodcurdling scream came from deep inside me, my body thrashing against him. Blood spurted down my neck, pooling onto the floor. A strange tugging sensation pulled at my insides—my essence being pulled out of my body as he bit down again.

My powers rattled the iron cage it was locked in. I could feel them pushing and throwing themselves against the invisible barrier. A little slipped through, but not enough to really help me.
Was this the way I was going to die? A buffet meal for a dark Fae?

Sounding like a wounded animal, I heard myself cry out. Tiny dots flicked across my vision.
Oh Jesus, I am going to die.
A rushed frenzy whirled inside me at that realization. Abruptly, a deep growl tore out of me. My vision narrowed. In a flick of a switch, I was no longer afraid.

I was pissed.

At my rumble, Vek tore his teeth from my throat in time to see my fist slamming into his face, crushing his nose back into his head. A high-pitch squeal echoed through the room as he fell off me. Clambering to my feet, I felt my blood drip down my neck and soak my clothes.

Vek screamed at me in some strange language, but I got the gist—their version of “bitch.” All I needed was a cue stick and I’d be back in the bar with Pock. But, unlike Pock who had stayed down, Vek jumped up, lunging for me again. I wheeled back, escaping his long fingers. As he continued to dive for me, I twisted, put my back to him and clapped my arm around his neck. With a sharp yank down, he flipped over my head and onto his back. Instantly lurching, my feet slammed into his chest as I came down on top of him, pouncing like a cat. Without thought, I pulled the knife from the sheath on my leg, sliding it under his jugular. Energy buzzed through me.
Kill prey. My prey. My kill.
This repeated in my mind. I had the sudden urge to let him go, so I could track him down and play with him a bit before I killed him. That sounded fun . . . to hunt him down and let him squeal like the pig he was before I obliterated him. The desire was so deep in my soul I knew I would do it.