Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (41 page)

With so much on her mind as they begin the drive home, Amber is thoughtful and full of edgy energy. Anticipating something really big is about to happen, she feels destiny's inevitable yet terrifying call. She is the chosen one, the hope for all humanity. The power within her straining at the boundaries of her consciousness. Parts of her feeling a desire to give in, to let go and allow whatever is coming to take her, consume what is still human within her. Still the part of her that so desperately loves James can't...won't let go, she refuses to miss her chance to feel what has for so long been denied her.

Struggling with these dueling emotions, her silence gives him reason to believe the meeting left her with too much to think about. She seems tense and he is on edge as a result of it. He has noticed how sensitive he is to her emotions, almost feeling them rolling off her like steam off the surface of a lake as the temperatures drop at night, a swirling mist of subtle disturbance rising from the smoothness of her skin. She is truly vibrating with tension now and it has him wired too tightly. He senses her frustration, anger and fear, but also a tremendous desire, there is a heat rising from her resonating intensity from every pore. As uncomfortable as he is, he also feels aroused.

He pushes the petal down to get a little speed underneath them welcoming the release of the open road. The evening is quiet and clear. Feeling the road beneath them and enjoying the whine of dissatisfaction he hears as the car barely touches the surface. He feels they are invincible, untouchable riding the storm in their chariot of metallic blue flake and chrome. The speedometer pegs out and he doesn't know or care how fast he is going. Something is driving him to push harder, the engine growling in protest, Amber quiet and still, remaining in her own little world as they screech around a gentle curve barely holding the road and racing on through the darkness.

The endorphins rising within him, leave him feeling giddy as the city lights rise up in the distance. They are still a few minutes outside of town, still time to play for a bit, when the unthinkable happens. From out of nowhere a little red car is there, right in front of them, James twists the wheel in an effort to avoid hitting the vehicle but can't completely avoid it. He nicks the back right corner and the two vehicles twist and crumple under the massive impact. The speed of the Galaxy sends them underneath the other vehicle throwing it toppling over and over, they flip over once sliding wildly off the road sidelong into a huge tree. The sound of crushing metal and screaming fills the air.

A few moments pass before Amber realizes the screaming she hears is her own. She is pinned in the car, against the trunk of the tree, her body ravaged, blood pouring from her torn shoulder and a massive gash in her head. She can't see James, there is too much smoke, and blood in her face. She calls out to him barely managing to touch his hand. She senses his pain, his disorientation and knows she will soon lose him. She refuses to let that happen. Though she is in terrible pain and bleeding profusely, she gathers her strength focusing on him, sending the warmth within her into his body, healing the wounds that would have taken his life. So much damage, she becomes dizzy with the effort. Every ounce of her strength, her blood.. she uses to give him life and every ounce of her determination she spends forcing him away from the wreckage.

She has to force him to walk away from the vehicle, to stand up and walk away. He fights her bravely, he has no intention of leaving her there to die. She gives it every bit of her strength, telling him if he loves her, he will walk away and wait for her. Everything will be all right in the end. There is nothing he can do to save her now, if he loves her he will save himself. He still aches, but he isn't injured badly, she has taken his twisted and broken body and put it all back together. She is fading, he can see it, feel it, but he can't touch her. Can't reach her and time is running out so quickly.

He knows she will never make it out of that car. Smelling the gasoline, the burning of chemicals and rubber, he feels the heat of the flames. The blood still running down his face from his torn scalp; she has healed the brain and bone beneath. The medics will think him a goner until they find no severe internal damage, he will be a case for the books. He is completely oblivious to anything other than Amber. He needs to save her, to get to her, to free her from his mistake.

And then his life goes up in flames. He screams as the woman he loves goes up in flames in the wonderful car she lovingly gave to him. He watches as she disappears behind waves of billowing smoke and the flashing fire destroys all that he cares about in the world. He falls to his knees, but not a sound comes from him as he collapses into despair, guilt and rage consuming his sanity. He stands staring at what was his hope for a better life, for happiness. He aches inside and without Amber he knows nothing will ever fill the emptiness again. He will never allow it to.
Take care of Allie, she will need you,
he hears her whisper, and doesn't know whether it is his imagination or reality. He promises he will telling her good bye and how much he loves her through blood and tears that choke out his words. He can't take the chance she can hear him without telling her his heart.

The sound of the sirens fills the air reminding him there is another car nearby, he has to see if there is anyone inside he can help. He has to do his job. To protect and to serve. He caused this and he will pay for his actions. The other car is empty. There is no one in it when he gets there, no blood on the steering wheel, no airbag deployment and no shattered windshield. There is no evidence that anyone was even in the vehicle at the time of impact. He is puzzled and in his state of emotion he feels that he just might be a little crazy. He falls to the ground consciousness mercifully leaving his body.

When the medics take him, they check him thoroughly, convinced he won't make it through the night. The lacerations on his head and the multitude of puncture wounds on his body indicate a likely fatality. There is so much blood. Upon closer inspection, he seems to be in pretty good shape considering the impact. The other car is found deserted as he suspects and no owner can be found. The plates are from another vehicle, and it appears the red car is not even capable of running: There isn't even an engine in it.

Someone placed the car there, in the lane of traffic, with the intention of causing an accident. It required a car trailer to make it happen. The car had no lights and would have been difficult to see before it was too late. The most evil part of the accident was the trunk full of sand and rocks that weighed down the small car, the whole scene had been staged to cause some real damage to whomever hit it. The accident was not his fault. It was in fact not an accident at all. The fire department managed to get the car fire out but could not locate Amber, "
she must have crawled out of the car"
, they said. They will continue to search for her. James feels his heart stop and then it begins racing within his chest, he is full of fear and anguish and nothing is clear right now, but a small part of him begins to believe she may be out there somewhere alive, he can't let go, wont let go until he puts her in the ground. She is capable of amazing things, maybe..just maybe..

He knows logically there isn't any way she could have gotten out, but no one is listening to his ravings. They give him a sedative forcing him into a drug induced stupor. He endures a rough night of testing and observation. They have to make sure he hasn't been drinking since he is on the force the law requires a complete toxicology report. When that comes up clean they will all wonder what caused his frantic ravings, somewhat understandable under the circumstances but disturbing none the less. No evidence of Amber being in the car with him will ever be found. They will all assume he is over stressed or tired and that when he hit his head he thought she was there with him when he was out on that joy ride all alone.

Amber wakes watching from the treetops, her last memory the flames coming towards her, her flesh burning and her body fighting to survive. Even as she knows there is no hope for survival, as the blood drains from her body and the weakness sets in, she struggles for breath, for life, for love. She doesn't want to leave him. She calls out to him with her mind, begging him to take care of Allie. She can't leave him. She has to make it out for him, he will never be able to forgive himself if he thinks he killed her. She thinks of his warmth, his tender kiss and she imagines the way it feels to touch him, and to make love to him under the moonlight. She finds comfort in these thoughts and the pain moves somewhere outside of her mind.

The memories are so clear she feels as if he is right there with her. She can feel the searing pain of the fire, but his love protects her, she focuses inward on his voice, telling her how much he loves her. That he will wait for her. She gags on her last breath, fighting to have just one more moment, one more memory before the darkness takes her. And then it is over, there is only darkness, only silence, she has lost this battle.

When the flames swirling around her cease to burn her, she wakes watching their flickering and realizes they have become a part of her, she is like the mythical phoenix, rising from the death fires to live again. To truly live. She holds the flames and watches them dance between her fingers. They are beautiful as they swirl around her body, untouched by pain she illuminates the world around her. She is the warmth, the consuming energy and the hunger of the flames, the wild and free spirit of the bird whose long and glorious feathers swoop behind her in arcs of trailing sparks. She has become a Goddess, a power beyond all comprehension. She feels everything around her, the subtleties of movement, the energy of life, the vibrations of fear. None of it escapes her. She has to get home to James, to her Allie, to everything that waits for her. She has been forced into her awakening but she will not let it take away the life that she wants most. She can have it all, she will not let the power change her.

She doesn't realize how she gets there, in her urgency to get home, she merely desires to be there safe in her bed and that is where she finds herself when she wakes. She and Allie side by side asleep safe and warm when James comes home in the morning. He nearly has a heart attack seeing her lying there, with not a scratch on her. He practically attacks her throwing the covers off to see her body, to check her for injuries. He kisses her, and she wakes startled, kissing him back. He doesn't understand any of the events of the previous night, but he is so happy she is here and they are both ok. He thought he lost her, and is willing to accept any scenario where she is still safe.

Allie is not reacting to Amber as she did with Rissa, she actually grew more attentive, more protective. The two can feel each other, read each other's minds in a way. They are inseparable. It is a good thing Amber left Allie home for the evening or perhaps the situation would not have ended so happily. James begins laughing, and crying, he is so overwhelmed and unbelievably happy. And then the fear hits him, he remembers watching her die, he saw it happen, knows the extent of her injuries, he knows she was with him last night, she was the reason for the trip in the first place. He can't put two and two together and his shock shuts him down. He slides into bed next to her sleeping. For the entire day they sleep, holding each other as if the world depends on it. For them in many ways it does.

Rissa heard about the accident and is out of her mind with worry, she can't find any information on Amber. The accident has been plastered all over the news, James is not at work and no one seems to know where he has gone since his release from the hospital. They have no record of Amber having been there, and there is no information to be found on her condition. Rissa heads to their house and there is not a sound when she rings the doorbell, not even the dog responds to her pounding. She can't feel her friend, she can only hope and pray she is still alive. Rissa is desperately worried and can't even spend a moment imagining losing both of her friends, she is still having nightmares about Dawn.

Despite the dullness of her emotions, they are still there, and even vampires have nightmares. The world is a place full of things that go bump in the night and even the most powerful creatures have something to fear. There is always a skeleton in the closet pounding to get out, or a memory locked in a trunk at the end of the bed. What was does not ever go away and what is isn't always what it seems to be. The world is full of mysteries and becoming one of them does not change the burden of not knowing what else is out there.

Rissa has already realized her condition is as much of a curse as it is a gift. That for every day she lives, she has to take from something else. That each breath costs someone else or something else just a little bit of life. She can control how much she takes, and from what sources, but she is still judging and sentencing people with serious consequences. The sunlight feeds her throughout the day, but without taking actual life energy from a living source, she will not make it through the night.