Fire in the Darkness (4 page)

The President stepped in, declaring the Seattle area a Natural Disaster. The National Guard set up a perimeter around the city, but they couldn’t control the hold the gangs already had on the city. You had to learn fast to survive. It was kill or be killed. You stayed away from particular areas and never ventured out at night, not if you could help it. I, on the other hand, couldn’t always follow that rule. With a price on my head and a Dark Dweller on my ass, I had to be constantly on the move.

A part of me now was relieved Eli had finally caught me. My pride would never have let me go to him any other way. Although my brain was set on being okay without him, my heart had never fully succumbed to that mindset as much as I wanted it to. I sat next to him again and felt calm and content in a way I couldn’t explain. That pissed me off more than anything. Why did logic and reason go out the window with him?

THREE

The farther we drove out of Seattle, the less damage there was. This was the first time in four weeks I had ventured out of the immediate carnage. They were taking me back to Olympia, and I felt sick at this prospect. Getting close to my home suddenly made everything so real. Deep down I wanted to believe Mark was there and life was going on for him and my friends. Driving down the familiar streets into Olympia caused the truth to collapse heavily on me. Mark was gone. I couldn’t go back to my old life or friends. I missed Kennedy and Ryan so badly it left an ache rotting in my bones. And the thought of Mark was like acid being poured into my lungs. He had helped me through each day. I could not surrender to this paralyzing guilt when he needed me. The Queen was keeping him prisoner in the Otherworld—the perfect bait to catch me. She knew without a doubt I would come for him. She was right. I would, but I had to be smart about it.

Venturing deep into the unpopulated, rural woodland of Olympia, we turned down a dark, creepy, dirt road. We bounced down this gravel lane for at least fifteen minutes before I saw the twinkling of house lights flickering between the trees. Coming upon an expansive ranch-style house with several cabins off to the side, I immediately recognized it. Not too long ago, I had climbed out the bathroom window of one of those cabins, trying to escape.

“You have electricity?” I leaned forward to get a better view.

“We have always generated our own electricity to keep our compound self-efficient. What the electrical burst did was far reaching but did not affect us too much.” Cole's eyes looked back at mine through the rearview mirror.

As we pulled up to one of the side cabins, the car headlights landed on a girl leaning up against a post. Her facial expression, even from where I sat, was streaked with rage.

“Shit,” Cooper sighed and looked away from the girl.

“You didn’t tell Gabby?” Eli looked over at Cooper with raised eyebrows. “Shit, man.”

All the guys, including Cole, looked anxious, which made my blood level rise. The girl was striking, even more so because she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Her blue-black hair was cut short in a pixie style. Most girls couldn’t pull it off, but she had those high cheekbones, a perfectly proportionate oval face, tiny nose, and rich brown eyes. The only adornment on her face was an eyebrow piercing. Just like the boys, she could have modeled for a magazine.

“Oh man, she is gonna kick your ass.” Jared’s head popped over the seat next to my head with a snicker.

“And then she’ll kick your ass when she gets done with mine,” Cooper retaliated, wiping the smile off Jared’s face.

“Who is she? Another girlfriend or something?” I couldn’t cover up the sheer dread bleeding into my voice.
Not again.
I couldn’t take anymore of Eli’s old or present flames.

“No, worse,” Cooper replied. “She’s my twin.”

“And she doesn’t like being left out of things—I mean
really
doesn’t like it.” Eli breathed out heavily.

My head turned back to the girl. Besides the fact she obviously dyed her hair, everything else about her was similar to Cooper—face structure, eyes, lips. She was shorter than Cooper and about three inches shorter than me. She was a skinny thing, but you could see the muscles cutting her lean frame under her punk rock t-shit and tight, ripped, black jeans. Tattoos peeked out through the gaps in her clothes.

The moment Cole opened the door and everyone piled out, swear words spewed from her mouth. “I can’t believe you guys. You are such sexist assholes. Leave the helpless, fragile girl at home?”

“Gabbs, there is nothing helpless or fragile about you.” Eli laughed as he got out of the car.

“That’s right. Remember just ’cause you’ve grown into the size of a sasquatch doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass.”

Sasquatch? Oh God, don’t tell me they’re real?
I looked worriedly over to Eli, who shook his head.

At least not in the way you think of a sasquatch,
his eyes relayed to mine. He said nothing personal, but the wordless communication between us slammed my senses. The fact we could do this was something that still baffled me. Almost from the moment we met, we had the ability to interact with our eyes, to know what the other was thinking without speaking a word. After so long without seeing him, it felt very intimate and unnerving.

“Sorry, Gabbs, it all happened so fast, I forgot.” Cooper shrugged.

Gabby stomped up to Cooper and sucker punched his arm. “That’s for forgetting to contact me,” she said and then punched him again. “And that’s for me missing out on the fun.”

Eli grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the car, keeping his grip firm, almost causing me to fall out the door.

Gabby’s attention jerked instantly to me. “So this is the infamous
páiste gréine
?” Gabby cocked her head walking closer to me, looking me up and down.

“Gabby,” Eli said warningly.

“I’m assuming she didn't say something flattering?” My eyebrows narrowed.

She smiled in response then added, "The
bitseach
is smarter than she looks."

“Eli, we’ll put Ember back in the infirmary for now.” Cole’s powerful voice broke through the tension between Gabby and me. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Eli nodded, grabbed my arm, and tugged me towards the cabin I had been in before.

“You know getting pulled, dragged, and pushed around isn’t getting old or anything.”

“And having to pull, drag, and push you around is not getting old for me either.” He huffed, his hand clamped down tighter on my bicep as he propelled me into the small room, flicking on the light. The room was tidy and clean as if I had never used it. “And keeping you out of trouble has been like a vacation.”

I pulled out of his grip. “What do you mean keeping me out of trouble?”

“You think you made it this long without help?” He cocked his head. “I was always there, Ember, even if you didn’t see me or let me get too close. There were more things after you than you ever knew. There was an onslaught of them daily, and I fought most of them back." He tapped at his chest. “Do you know what a huge pain in my ass you have been for the last four weeks?”

"But, I didn't feel you there the whole time."

"After a while I learned to stay far enough back so you couldn't sense me and run. I got real tired of you running and putting yourself in more danger. I couldn't keep them all away from you, but it was easier when you stayed put."

My mouth hung slightly ajar. Here I’d patted myself on the back for escaping the Fae who had been hunting me, and I’d only dealt with a small percentage of them. Gratitude, confusion, and anger weaved together in my chest. “You’re my hero, Eli. Is this what you want to hear? Oh yeah, except for the part where you only did it so you could use me as a nice bargaining chip to the Unseelie King.” If he was shocked by my words, he didn’t show it. “What do you guys get out of the plan anyway?

“An ally.”

“So, it’s true then. You used me. Pretended to care. For what? Simply to get close to me?” I looked at him steadily, “Why bother going through all that?”

“I had to know for certain who and what you were.”

Bile rose from my stomach. “You are disgusting. I would have respected you more if you had simply kidnapped me like Lorcan had. He may be psychotic, but he was upfront and honest about his intent. He didn’t have to fake seducing me merely so he could learn about me. Was sticking your tongue down my throat the only way you could figure it out? Funny, I don’t remember having any powers in my tonsils.”

Eli’s eyes narrowed into slits and moved in closer to me—a wild cat stalking its prey. “I’m thorough.” He was suddenly inches from me, making me stumble back into the wall.

“Yes, you take your job quite seriously. You should get a raise.”

“I get plenty of those.” He looked me straight in the eye as he backed me farther against the wall.

“Really? It must have been cold then.”

His hand struck the wall, next to my head; his other hand following suit on the other side, locking me in.
You really wanna play this game with me again? You didn’t fare so well last time,
his gaze transmitted. I held my chin high, making sure I didn’t flinch as I looked back at him. “You enjoy playing with fire, don’t you? The power is addicting—you crave it.” The truth of his words flooded me. I grit my teeth together even harder. He leaned in; his lips so close to mine the heat off them tickled my own. I pressed my head back into the wall to hold myself back.

“You think you’re so irresistible? You think this shit gets me all wet in my panties like all the other girls? Remember I’m not human. So, why don’t you go play with something you can handle?”

We stared at each other in a dead-lock before I pushed his arm away, lunging for the door only a few feet away. As I grabbed for the handle he pushed me up against it. My cheek bit the wood, burning as it slid across the door. His body pressed into my back. A small whimper escaped me. It wasn’t from fear. No, it was my damn, stupid hormones disobeying me so ardently again.

“And do you think you were anything more to me than a job? It was my duty. Whatever it took.” His breath was heavy on my neck.

Closing my eyes, anger, disgust, and desire battled through me making it hard to breathe. All of my emotions evoked passion, which was the last thing I wanted when I was around him. He moved in tighter. I bit my lip. “Get off of me.”

“See, again I know that’s not what you really want. I can feel you, Ember; my blood is in your veins now. You can’t lie to me,” he said into my ear.

“Please leave me alone.” I tried to keep the pleading from my voice.

“That is no longer an option. Not since the Queen is after you.”

“Yeah, and your own brother is the one who turned me over to her.”

“Something I should have foreseen. We were so concerned about Lorcan coming to get you we didn’t realize he was already here. Waiting. Lorcan is impulsive and has tunnel vision. He has never seen the bigger picture.” Eli flipped me around, pushing my back into the door. It didn’t hurt. I could handle a lot more than ordinary people, but the fierceness in which he did it left me gasping for air. “By the time I got to Lorcan’s hideout, you were gone.”

He had come for me that fateful night and I could feel the mixture of sadness and betrayal emanating from him. I couldn’t stop the words forming, “I’m sorry.”

A fiery expression strained his features. “You’re sorry?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Your brother betrayed you. I know how it feels to be lied to and deceived by family.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t need your pity.”

Anger rose again, and I seethed out, “Fine. No problem. Get out of my way.”

He didn’t move. I shot my fist into his gut. Not even flinching, he finally stepped back, letting me go. Yanking the door open, almost ripping it off the hinges, I started to bolt out. My body collided with a wall of flesh. Cole’s hazel-green eyes and sexy face looked at me with slight surprise. I immediately jumped back.

“Eli,” Cole asserted, seeming to know whom to blame for my retreat. “Play nice.”

“I was.” Eli turned and walked farther back into the room.

Cole carried clothes as he motioned me back into the room. I obliged, but begrudgingly. “We’ll get you other clothing to wear, but until then I took these from Samantha’s old room. I figured you’d want to clean up and put on some warmer clothes.”

Samantha was another Dark Dweller who had followed Lorcan. Her obsession with Eli had made her hate me beyond the normal disgust of Daes. Even though his interest in me had been a lie, she wanted to follow any course that destroyed me. Lorcan provided it.

“Are those Samantha’s? No.” I frowned, immediately shaking my head. I resisted the idea of wearing anything belonging to her. I didn’t really have room to complain, since all I had was a torn t-shirt, hoodie, and jeans matted with weeks of dirt and grime. But I felt more comfortable in the dirty clothes than something of hers.

“Use them until we can get you some other clothes.” Cole tossed them over to me. “I think you remember where the shower is located. We’ll be out here when you’re done.” His nose scrunched. Obviously I smelled really bad. I nodded, holding the ball of clothes tighter to me as I headed for the bathroom.