Claiming Emerald (5 page)

His heart was sinking in the silence as he stuck one of the skewers in the snow to hold the quilt in place. “Em?” he whispered. “Please give me some sign that you are still with me?”

There was no reply. “Please don’t leave me. Things between the four of us are perfect. You will leave me, Rory, and Salt lost in a world where death will not come soon enough. Rory will walk in the sun and Salt may do the same. I can’t do that. I can kill myself, but I don’t know how many of my race is left. I figured that at some future point, I would go out and try to hunt down a few females just to breed. I want to be with you. I love you. Don’t die on me. Don’t die on us. Please, Em.”

* * * *

Salt shoved his hair back from his face. “Who the hell is knocking on our door? I don’t want to deal with anyone right now.”

Rory nodded but stood up and walked to the door. He opened it, peering around the corner just in case the outer door was open. “What do you want, Kay? This is not a good time.”

“I know that. Can I come in?”

Rory opened the door further, and she walked inside. Salt glared at her with infuriated eyes but kept his mouth shut.

“I know that you are worried sick over Em. I just wanted to tell you that Russell was here. I think that he found her and he is trying to do something.”

“What do you mean?”

“He came into the kitchen with a very thick black quilt. I think maybe it was on Joel’s bed. He took a cleaver and some skewers that we use to make grilled veggies in the summer. He didn’t give me any details, but he rolled everything up in the quilt and asked me to tie it to his back. Then he turned into a cheetah and took back off into the snow. I’m not sure what he intends to do, but…”

Rory nodded. If Russell had gone back out then he had something in mind to help Em. Could she possibly still be alive out in the snow? “Thank you for telling us. Did he say anything else?”

She shrugged. “When I asked if he had found Em he said, unfortunately yes. I don’t know what that means. Can’t you feel if she is dead?”

“We don’t know for sure. She had my blood, but she also had Joel’s blood. The connection is muted between us. There is a possibility that Salt might know because Em is his maker, but…”

“The three of you really love her, don’t you?”

“Yes. We really do.”

“How is it possible that she loves all three of you?”

“Em is an amazing woman. If you had three children and a husband, would you love all of them?”

“Of course. That’s different.”

“Why is it different?” asked Salt. “It is love and it is an emotion that can be very versatile. Why should it be limited to a one man or one woman and their children? Do you think yourself incapable of loving more than one man?”

Kay seemed to consider Salt’s question. “I don’t know. I have only loved one man and we had no children. It was before the sonic. There are men here that I like and who I spend time with, but I don’t love any of them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully someday that will change. When it does, then you will know that it is possible to love more than one man. Why does one love have to end for another to begin?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think Em is a very lucky woman.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Kay. You might find yourself looking for greener pastures if you lived one night in Em’s boots. Even if you were a vampire, I don’t think that you would like her life as much you think.”

The sudden scarlet blush to Kay’s cheeks verified Rory’s suspicion that Kay dreamed of taking Em’s place. It would never happen. Kay would probably run screaming from the room when the whips and chains came out to play.

“I don’t know what you mean, Rory. I have to get back to dinner. I just wanted to let you know that Russell was here.”

“Thank you. We will see you when the sun goes down.” Kay stepped out and Rory shut the door. Salt was staring at him.

“What was the comment for?”

“To see what Kay was thinking. The bright blush of her cheeks told me.”

“I didn’t need to see her blush. She is lucky that I didn’t fucking tell her off. I appreciated her coming to tell us about Russell, but didn’t appreciate that she hung out to drool. How dare she think that she could replace Em? She had no fucking idea what she dreams of having. For her to question if Em loves us was infuriating.” Salt walked over and slid into the chair, putting his feet up on the central table. “Do you think she could handle it?”

“Handle what? Sex? No fucking way. She would be whimpering in ten seconds flat. She would be begging us to let her leave within minutes. Providing we take it easy. Of course if we did her like we do Em, she would be screaming bloody murder.”

“Yes, and it would take her a month to heal. Em heals in seconds, not weeks. What do you think Russell is doing?”

“I have no idea. I hope he’s using the quilt to shield her.”

“Is it really possible that she survived?”

“I have to think so, if he went back to her. I hope so.” Rory stood, pacing around the room. “I feel so fucking helpless.”

“Me, too.”

* * * *

Russell reached the beginning where Em had entered the snow. The snow had turned into a solid sheet of ice, but it was speckled with black flakes and strips. Russell picked one off and sniffed it, the scent turning his stomach. The ice-laden patch was filled with pieces of burned skin.

Getting down on his hands and knees, he draped the quilt over his back. He began to slowly, painstakingly chisel away at the ice with the cleaver. He dreaded the sight before him, still not knowing if she was dead or alive. It was very possible that he had spent half the morning to dig her out, only to be retrieving the completely lifeless body. Em had not made a sound as he tunneled around her enclosure. He had tried to speak with her on a few occasions, but the silence he got in return was overwhelming.

Russell did not want to begin his life over. He was happy for the first time since the sonic. Em made him laugh and even when she made him angry, it was an emotion that he could not hang onto.

The cleaver broke through and he hesitated for a moment. Did he really want to see her black and charred? If legend held true, she might have faded away to dust, but somehow he didn’t think so. Em was not the type to wither away and leave the world without someone mourning her death. She might not want a funeral, but…hadn’t she said something once about being cremated? Russell wasn’t even sure if that could be done without a high heat furnace.

He was hesitating to break away more of the ice. With a reluctant swing of the heavy blade, he made it bigger. Each slice through meant that with one more blow he might see her fate. Would she even look like his Em anymore? He turned the knife sideways and cut through the bars of ice he had created. The tinkle of chunks as they fell into her cave sounded like breaking glass.

Em was just as he had feared. Her face and hands were blackened, and her clothing was melted to her body. The inside of her enclosure had been melted solid and she was sealed within it.

With a heavy heart and a determination to simply bring her home, Russell continued chopping.

* * * *

He had wrapped the ice block in the quilt and had dragged it back to the fortress. He had no way to know if she was dead or alive, but she had made no attempt to move. Russell had removed as much of the ice as he could, but with no pulse to feel for, he was at the mercy of Rory or Salt to say if she was actually dead.

Shoving the door open, he hauled the satchel to the top stair and then shut the door. The inside of the main room was warm and filled with people. They were all sitting at the various tables and chairs, eating from a wide buffet of food. His stomach growled in hunger, the sound causing those closest to the stairs to turn and glace at him.

“Could someone grab me a towel or a blanket?” asked Russell in a somewhat gruff voice.

Janet had a shawl around her shoulders and she quickly brought it to him. Russell wrapped it around his waist and then shifted back into a man. Janet gestured to the satchel with her head. “Is that Em?”

Russell nodded. “I have to get her to Rory and Salt. I have no way to know if she is alive or dead.”

“Do you need help?”

“No. What I would really like is a plate of food. Could you get me one?”

“Of course.” Janet turned and hurried down the stairs, going to get him a plate.

Russell shifted the corners of the quilt up over his shoulder. He had no intention of allowing the humans to see Em in her present state. The sight was simply too gruesome. He walked slowly down the stairs. He was cold and exhausted. Grief had added to his weariness, making her feel far heavier than she actually was. As he walked through the hall, everyone turned their eyes to him. He knew that they were looking for some show of encouragement, but he had none to give. Janet followed him down the hall with the food in her hands. She had piled his plate high with a variety and if he had been less distracted, he would be more eager to eat. The only reason he was even doing so was because his stomach was demanding it of him.

Janet knocked on the door, but there was no answer. “What do I do?”

“It should be open.”

She tentatively put her hand to the knob and slowly turned it. As he had predicted, the door slid open. Salt was asleep on the sofa and Rory’s head was flopped onto the back of the chair. They had obviously waited as long as they could and then had passed out from the sun. Russell suddenly realized that it might be nightfall before he had an answer.

Em opened her eyes screaming. Russell ran to her, shutting off the heater and dropping to his knees before her. “You’re alive.”

“Ah. Ot.”

“I know. You were encased with ice. I wanted to melt it off to see how much damage there is. What do I do?”

“Ory.”

“I can’t wake him up. I have been trying on and off since I got back.”

“Ungry.”

“You’re hungry?”

“Es.”

Russell realized that it must be too painful for her to move her lips. “Shit. I didn’t want the humans to see you like this.”

“Ennis.”

“Dennis. He will be the least freaked out. What about one of the women watchers?”

“Ah.”

“Okay.” Russell got up and hurried down to Wesley’s room. He knocked on the door. Dennis answered wearing only a thong.

“You’re back. Did you find Em?”

“Yes. She is badly burned. She asked me to get you. She needs to feed.”

Dennis grimaced. “Wesley fed from me last night. Did you ask Samantha, Marilyn, or Leeah?”

“No. Em is in pretty bad shape. I was reluctant to ask anyone else.”

“I would ask them before you go to the humans. What did Rory say?”

“I can’t wake him up. I think that he and Salt stayed awake as long as they could and now they are both out cold.”

Dennis nodded. “See if the other three are awake. They may not know about sunburned vamps, but they might.”

“Sunburned is a very general term. Em looks more like she was charred over an open flame.”

Dennis grimaced. “She will heal. Go talk to the others.”

With a nod, Russell headed down the hall. He knocked on Adrial’s door. Samantha answered and frowned. “Did you find Em?”

“Yes. She is in bad shape and she needs to feed. I don’t want you to see her, though. It will give you nightmares.”

Samantha walked back into the room and returned with a sleeping mask. She smiled. “Will this work?”

“You are a genius. Can you go get a few others for me? Ask them to wait in the hall until I get them. I can blindfold each person before they walk into the room.”

“No problem.” Samantha headed down the hall and Russell walked back to check on Em.

Russell explained to Em what was going to happen. Em was awake, but he had no idea how she was going to feed with her lips all burned. When someone knocked, he looked at her. Em could obviously see him, but one of her eyes was burned shut. “You sure?”

“Ah.”

* * * *

Em watched in silent agony as Russell walked to the door. It was little more than his thick shape and his distinct voice that made him identifiable. The woman who walked in had a thin waist and large breast, but Em wasn’t sure if it was Marilyn or Leeah. She expected a reaction of gasping surprise or stunned inhalation, but got none. When they got closer, she forced herself to move her mouth to speak clearly. “Lips. Prick her finger.”

Russell obviously understood her because she felt the warmth of blood drip onto her torturously burned lips. Em had to suppose that all the pain her men had inflicted on her over the years was now helping her to cope. Her pain tolerance scale must be off the charts. The blood helped some, her face still feeling scalded and taut. She could only imagine what she looked like. “More.”

The blood fell in small forced droplets, the woman grimacing softly as the prick in her finger was milked by Russell. If Em was capable of laughing, she would have. She would love to switch places with whoever was standing over her.

Reluctantly moving her mouth, she discovered that the skin had gained back some of its flexibility. She had been keeping her fangs at bay, but now she let them come forward, snapping into place in her mouth. Russell took the hint and asked the woman to kneel.

She did, a looming shadow over Em’s body. The woman lowered her head to Em’s mouth. Em sunk her fangs into the woman’s throat. The blood was enthralling, intoxicating as it hadn’t been in years. She needed it to heal, needed to be well and out of the agony that seared through her flesh like a roaring fire.

“Em. Stop!” commanded Russell.

She didn’t want to stop. It tasted so good. Roaring pain that caused her to open her mouth on the verge of a scream ripped through her arm as Russell squeezed it. The distraction worked, her fangs retracting long enough for the woman to sit up. “Em, I can’t see you. Russell said that you are badly burned. I hope I helped.”

“Thank you, Leeah. Are you okay? I didn’t take too much, did I?”

“I’m fine. I’ll go wake Jace up and he will give me a little to heal me.”