Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (9 page)

James is looking forward to a quiet evening with Amber, and hopes the lousy weather has not changed her plans too much. There has been no information on the Sisters case and he pushes it to the back of his mind for the time being. He is not going to let anything distract him from this night. He needs some time to relax.

As he walks up her sidewalk he begins to feel butterflies. Wow, it has been a long time since a woman has made him feel like this! He remembers the way it felt in high school brushing up against a girl he liked. The tingly sensation, the rapidness of his heart beating in his chest, the sweaty palms and the inability to speak coherently. Thank goodness those awkward days are gone. The excitement and anticipation is so fresh and he’s enjoying every minute. He savors the exquisite torture of his desire, his longing for her touch, the tension and the thrill.

Amber opens the door with a huge and welcoming smile, and her soft sweater catches his attention immediately. The pink contrasts beautifully with the warmth of her hair and her eyes sparkle with intensity. Her body is truly stunning.

"Come in, come in, can I get you something to drink?"

"Soda or water would be great, I could still get called in tonight."

"Okay, do you mind if I drink some wine? I cracked open a bottle to go with the fillet."

"Mmmm… No, please feel free. I’d certainly be joining you if not for this case being so unpredictable."

Amber pours him a soda and he follows her into the kitchen. "
Anything I can do to help you?"

"
Nope, it’s time for you to just have a seat and relax."
He sits on one of the bar stools where he can chat as she finishes the final preparations. He appreciates the smell of onions and mushrooms simmering in the light wine and butter sauce. The steaks turn out a perfect medium rare and are seasoned to perfection.

He has not treated himself to a nice meal in a long time. "You sure know how to make a man feel special, it’s been a long time since I ate anything that good, looks like I got a bit carried away!"

She’s taking her time and feeling pleased that he seems to enjoy her cooking. "
I made dessert too, so save a bit of room!"

"Figured we could watch a movie, but I didn't know what type of things you like. You get to pick this time since the one I picked last time was kind of a flop." Amber says. He pulls up the pay per view options and chooses a crazy comedy movie. She smiles at his choice and sits down to relax and share some laughs with this wonderful guy. The lightness of the evening is just what she needs and she senses he needs it too.

Cuddling on the couch through the entire movie and then through a second one; neither wanting to move. Amber falls asleep in his arms and he holds as still as he can for fear of waking her. Morning finds them still curled up together on the couch, her back cradling against him, his arms wrapping around her. She enjoys the peace and silence of a rare dreamless sleep, he feels strong and protective watching over her. The light invading the room returns them to reality and they reluctantly prepare for the day. He is not prepared and will be going to work in yesterday's clothes, at least he has some at the office he can change when he gets there. Amber quickly changes, brushing her teeth and running a brush through her hair, she offers James a muffin for breakfast.

They are running late and must get to work; no drawing for her this morning. Leaving her with a hug and one splendidly passionate kiss, he shifts gears to focus on the work day ahead. He hopes to sneak in a visit for coffee later.

When James reaches the office, he’s surprised to see everyone already there, in his office discussing the photos on the wall. The job for the day consists of interviewing the parents of the murdered girls. He wants to visit the families of the girls that are still missing as well, but is not sure if they will be able to accomplish more than one or two today. The parents have already been in once to claim the girls’ belongings and to sign the releases for their bodies. James and his team held off allowing the families time to deal with the reality of the situation, he wants them to be as clear-headed as possible for his interview. Even the smallest details can be important and he really needs something new to go on.

It is over an hour’s drive to the first family’s home. The girl, Elizabeth, was only nineteen years old when she disappeared. On the day she went missing she didn't show up for school. Her car was parked in the community college parking lot with the keys still in it when it was found. No one saw her or noticed anything abnormal in her behavior the day before. There is no evidence in the car to suggest there was a struggle and her purse and books remain in the passenger seat. It literally seems she disappeared into thin air. No one knows what happened. Elizabeth's mother is a short Hispanic-looking woman with slightly graying hair and huge brown eyes. It strikes James as odd how different this woman looks from her daughter. Perhaps she’s adopted… He intends to ask about it later when it will not look so obvious why he is asking.

The mother invites James to look at Elizabeth’s bedroom, where everything is still as it was on the day of her disappearance. The police already took a look at the room but did not remove anything during their original investigation. Her desk drawers contain a variety of journals and notebooks which could easily contain clues to her habits, friends, and other helpful information, but according to her mother, no one took anything. She remembers one of them flipping through some of the journals and deciding there was nothing useful. James is disgusted by the lack of thoroughness and wonders who the genius is that led the investigation.

There’s a box of photos under the bed, lots of the girl making silly faces with her friends but many of the people her mother doesn’t know, and she launches into a rambling reflection. "
I guess she had a life of her own, but I still feel guilty that I did not keep better tabs on who she was hanging out with and now she’s gone. I thought I did everything right, raising her with morals and religion. She was an honor student and a very good girl, she did anything to help out her sisters and brother."

James hesitates, then inquires if Elizabeth is adopted. "Yes, she was, just like all of our children, we’ve taken in six over the years and all of them ended up staying. I could not have children of my own, but I have plenty of love to give. Why do you ask?"

James pauses a moment before replying. "I’m looking for her father, and would like to ask him some questions, do you know who he is?"

"No, I’m sorry, we don't know who her mother is either, all our children are closed adoptions. They don’t share any information regarding where the kids come from."

"Do you have the attorney information, who handled her case?"

"Not off-hand, but I can see if I can find her original paperwork from when she was brought to us. Elizabeth was an emergency foster, she was supposed to live with us temporarily while child services found a suitable home for her, but we just fell in love with her beautiful big blue eyes, we knew she was something special from the moment we laid eyes on her. She was smart and polite from her very first words. She learned quickly and was extremely affectionate. Whatever happened to make her available for adoption had not affected her personality at all. So many of the children are emotionally damaged and insecure. She was our little angel. Perfect in every way. When they told us six months later that she had been released for adoption we immediately petitioned for permanent custody. She was doing so well in our home that they made it permanent that same month. There were no objections and no one else attempted to take her from us. Actually she was the easiest of our children to finalize. I'm not sure how any of this is relevant?"

James waits a respectful moment. "I would like to speak with your husband too if that’s possible."

"I’m sorry, he passed away a few months ago, he had a stroke, and died at the hospital four hours later. He took Elizabeth’s disappearance really hard, and I think it was really a broken heart that took him from us. He never was the same after she disappeared. Well at least now I know she’s not out there suffering anymore, she has found her place beside God and no one can hurt her ever again. I hope I have been of some help to you, I know I did not give you much, but please feel free to take the journals with you and anything else that you think might help. My door is always open. Just find out what happened to my baby!"

"Thank you, I would like to take some things from her room, I am just going to get an evidence box. Please feel free to come in and help me sort through."

James spends the bulk of the afternoon getting to know who Elizabeth was and how she lived. The papers, notes, photographs and journals he finds are placed in the box for review. He will know everything there is to know about this girl, and he will find whoever killed her. Elizabeth’s mother tells him, "
if they find the baby she will gladly care for her grandchild.
" She walks out to the car with him and thanks him for spending so much time with her, saying; "
at least it feels like you actually care about what happened and that makes me feel some semblance of hope that justice may be served."

Amber has to run part of the way to make it to work on time. The weather has returned to its previous glory and she is exhilarated when she walks through the door. She must look happy because Rissa gives her a huge grin and says, "tell me everything!"

"Oh, there really isn't much to tell… I fell asleep on him and we were both nearly late for work."

"You slept together already? Isn't this only your second date?"

"Well, technically I think it might actually be our first date. The rest has been unplanned happenstance. And technically we slept together, but we didn't "sleep" together as you put it. It was innocent. Not that I haven’t thought about it"… Amber winks and the girls sit down together enjoying their morning coffee. The store is open but it’s turning out to be a slow morning.

Amber takes the opportunity to ask Rissa about the pendant her grandmother wore.

"So this religion you are a part of, my grandmother had a pendant like yours, does that mean she was in your Circle too?"

"Yes and no," Rissa says, "it’s a bit complicated for those not a part of it to understand. You could think of it as a universe that contains many galaxies, and within those galaxies are planets. Each Circle is merely a planet that functions within its own galaxy, moving around within the bigger picture. She was part of the larger galaxy that is outside of ours. She was a Watcher. Some would say a protector of sorts. She was an amazing woman, Amber, and I wish you could have known her better. You would have loved her."

"I am certain that I would have loved her dearly. Her home is so full of how much she cherished nature and the simple things in life. You should see her library. The books in there are spectacular, all leather-bound and full of handwritten pages. She has every book on folklore and early civilizations that could possibly exist. She must have been very interested in ancient traditions. Some of the books are even written in other languages. I have not had much time to peek at them yet, but what I have seen is impressive."

Rissa is filled with foreboding, for those books hold more secrets than even she has ever had access too. She knows given the right knowledge Amber will become a very powerful force and it is imperative that she not become a force on the wrong side when the war begins. Rissa knows how precarious the balance is, and what she must do to protect it.

Amber stands helping a customer and immediately passes out cold. The images flashing in her mind are crisp and clear. There are sirens in the distance and she can hear a man screaming out in the darkness. "
Margie, baby I'm sorry, Margie!"
She feels the warmth spreading between her legs, the pain growing in her back and abdomen is excruciating.

"She’s going to have a baby!”No, not yet, it's too early... Save him! It’s too early"…

"The ambulance is almost here, baby, I can hear it, can you?"

Feeling the rushing pain again, she knows the time is near. There’s nothing she can do to stop it, feeling desperation and misery. She cannot lose this child. "
Please God, take me instead
," she screams and the pain backs off again.

Taking a deep breath as the medics arrive she prepares for the next wave. They scramble her into the ambulance before the next contraction and as it comes on she cannot hold back the screams. "
Please save the baby!"