Fire in the Darkness (11 page)

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” My voice was playfully sinister. “When I say run, you run, and this time we’ll see who gets the other first.”

“
Brycin
?” Eli’s voice rang out behind me. I was so focused on my prey it was hard for me to take my eyes off it. A repeat of my name forced me to turn around and acknowledge Eli, who stood back on two legs in nothing more than a pair of shredded pants. When my eyes met his, his head jerked back and sucked in a hiss of air. He stood there with blood all over him, staring at me
.
I’d never seen him look so visibly
startled
before, and something about it made me feel unsure and frightened.

“Ember, move off him.”

“Mine,” my mouth uttered before I even realized I’d spoken.

“Now,
Brycin
. That’s an order.”

I wanted to protest, to declare my rights to the kill.
It had attacked me. I have the right.
But my objections never made it out, feeling the weight of his authority. Once more I looked down on Vek. The longing to destroy him was strong, but Eli’s demand was stronger. Bitterly I stepped off of him, standing up, angry that Eli was taking my kill away from me. He walked up to Vek, tugging the knife from
his sheath, and
leaned down over Vek’s body. Vek watched him nervously; the confidence he held earlier had vanished.

“I gave Drauk the same message. Forget you know anything about her. If I see or even sense a hint of you boys around, it will become my mission to hunt each and every one of you down. I will find a way to ensure your death is as painful and slow as possible.” Without fanfare Eli shoved the knife in Vek’s gut, pushing it down so hard the knife stuck into the wood floor underneath him. Vek howled with pain before his body twitched and went limp. The wretchedness of this scene made something in me snap. The calm and nonchalant violence happening in front of me created a sick feeling in my stomach. How cold and calculated Eli’s actions suddenly seemed, when moments ago I had wanted to do the same. I gasped for air, nausea flushing through me. My body started to shake violently.

Holy crap, what is wrong with me? I had wanted to hunt down this creature and gut him like a pig.

Eli turned back to me and pointed to Vek. “We need to move. The knife will only postpone him for a few hours, Drauk will be even less.”

“Huh?” I didn’t understand. His words seem to jumble in my head. What did he mean postpone?

Eli’s gaze truly settled on me. “
Drochrath air
!” Eli rushed to me, his hand going to my neck. Placing his palm on my neck, he tried to stop the bleeding. My blood seeped through his fingers, staining his hand. My body was shaking so badly, his hand rattled against the wounds, smearing my blood over my chest.

“ELI!” Gabby’s guttural scream from outside froze us. “Get out here now!” Eli pulled away from me and darted towards the door. It took me several more seconds to react and by the time I made it to the door, he was already outside kneeling on my driveway across from Gabby. A body lay in between them.

Jared!

I could hear Gabby prattling on. “I only left him for a minute.” She bit at her fingernails. “He’s going to be okay, right?”

My feet stumbled down the front steps, quickly moving to where Eli and Gabby crouched. Vomit burned at my throat as I looked over Eli’s shoulder. Jared's torso was torn up, blood and bone oozing out of the strips of the shirt that were left.

“Oh, my God.” My hand flew to my mouth.

“Get in the car now!” Eli ordered over his shoulder, gathering Jared into his arms. I stood there frozen, unable to move as my eyes roamed over Jared’s form. My stomach heaved.

“Ember, move now,” he yelled.

I forced my legs to move and ran to the car, throwing the back door open so Eli could place Jared on the seat. Merely that little action made me dizzy, and I clung to the car. Feeling weak, the blood loss was taking its toll. My adrenaline receded.

Cooper raced around the corner. “They’re gone, but they'll be back soon with reinforcements,” he shouted. “How’s J?”

“We need to get him to Owen.” Eli placed Jared’s limp form on the back seat. Then he turned to me. “You, too.” Eli motioned for Gabby to give him her hoodie. For once she didn’t hesitate or argue and threw it to Eli. He balled it up and pressed it on my neck. “Hold it there. Tight.”

“Come on, we need to get out of here,” Cooper urged.

“Grab her bag from the house while I start the car.” Eli nodded toward the house. Cooper dashed so quickly up the stairs my eyes could barely follow him. He returned just as rapidly with my duffel bag slung over his shoulder. “All right, let’s go.”

We piled in the car: Cooper in the far back, Gabby with Jared’s head on her lap in the backseat, and Eli and I in the front. The SUV tore out of the driveway, swerving onto the main road at full speed.

“
We knew somebody would be
watching the house
! Why did we even come?”
Gabby
demanded
, brushing Jared’s hair off his forehead.

“Because.” Eli shot her a steady look through the rearview mirror. His Alpha presence filled the car.

I was curious as well, but his authority also shut me down.
Leaning my head back onto the headrest, I
tried a different angle
, “Are they working for the Queen?”

“No.” Eli shook his head. “They work for themselves.”

“How did the Strighoul find out about her?” Cooper demanded from the back.

“I don’t know.”

“What the hell is a Strighoul?” I asked.

“Strighoul are bottom feeders, a cross between a type of ghoul and vampire. They are dark Fae who feed off other Fae's powers. They’ll eat humans too, but they don’t get much from them. They prefer Fae.” Eli looked over at me. “When they consume you, they consume your forces and strengths.”

“Vampire?”

“Not in the way you think. They are energy eaters. They are nothing like what pop culture has turned them into. These guys don’t simply drink your blood; they eat you to possess your life force. And I mean they eat every part of you.”

“Like cannibalism . . . okay, wow.” So, Vek tearing at my throat and Drauk’s talk of “having me” were literal, as in a need for dental floss after. The Strighoul wanted to eat me to take on my powers. “Daes are extra tasty, huh?” I tried to joke.

“No. Extra powerful.” Eli glanced quickly over at me. “There are only a few select species that cannot be controlled by the Queen and also have that much power. When the Strighoul consume you, they take on those same powers. The powers don't last, but even if it's for a short duration, it's worth it to them.”

I cringed at the thought, but I was trying to keep my eyes from closing. It was getting harder to stay awake. Pain throbbed though my body. There was so much I wanted to know, so much I needed to understand, but my lids drooped farther. I gave in, letting sleep come.

Once again I found myself standing by the waterfall. I didn’t like Torin bringing me here. It felt intrusive to something I had shared with Eli, just like I wouldn’t have liked Eli showing up at the forest where Torin and I usually met.

“Torin?” I couldn’t hide my annoyance.

“Yes, mo chuisle?” His voice rippled over the air and my skin tingled as he stepped from the shadows.

“Don’t call me that.” I pulled away still disgusted and upset with him.

“What should I call you then?” He moved in closer, his gaze landing on my neck. “You are hurt again.”

“Is it all that surprising?” I replied.

“No, not really.”

“So what do you need? I’m kind of the middle of something right now.” My words were clipped.

“I was going to ask you that. It is not me who is intruding.”

“What do you mean?” I paused and looked around “Wait—are you saying I’m doing this?”

“Yes.”

“How?” I was stunned. I knew how to dreamscape?

“The ability is part of your nature; it’s who you are. You talk like you have accepted what you are, but your mind has not. Stop fighting and you will find a lot more things will naturally come to you.”

This was probably true. But would anyone be able to accept they weren’t human so easily? My entire life was lived as a human among humans. True I had never felt like I fit in, but I never imagined I wasn’t human.

“So, I’m the one doing this?” I repeated.

“Yes, you are bringing me in. You brought me in last time as well. This is your dreamscape, Ember, not mine.” He motioned around. I brought him to the waterfall? Chagrin flooded my face. Now I understood why the place was different. This was the spot I had subconsciously picked for a dreamscape? I did not like the implications.

“I was actually in the middle of training,” he continued, looking at me acutely. “You are more powerful than I thought. Last night proved that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact you brought Elighan into the dreamscape, also.” A frown lined his forehead. “It doesn’t make sense. You should not be able to do that. Your ties to him are too strong.”

“Why shouldn’t I be able to?”

“You and I are Fay. We have this gift so it is easier to bring each other in, but Elighan is not Fay. He is not even a Demon. You should not have any connection with him. It has never been possible for different species to connect like that. Think of it this way. You and I are on the same frequency. In the human realm you would say we're on the same channel. Elighan’s kind are not only on a different channel, but a
completely
different system. I don't understand how you were able to pull him into your dreamscape.”

I decided not to tell him about the blood, that the bonds between Eli and me were more than feelings. Blood had bonded us in a way I was not terribly comfortable with. I rubbed at my face, feeling the strain of everything. Why was I capable of things others found odd? Things I hadn’t even tried to do.

“You are bleeding badly.” Torin stepped up even closer to me, his hands cupping my neck. I knew I wasn’t bleeding here in the dream, but he was able to see through to reality. “Let me help you. I can heal you faster.”

I jerked back out of his grasp. “I’m fine.”

“No, you are not.” He shook his head. “Please, Ember, trust me. I can help you.”

Speculation did not leave my face as he reached for me again. Torin’s hands moved up my
chin
and tilted my head back. His lips covered mine, inhaling me as he brought me into a deep, toe-curling kiss. My insides suddenly felt full of light and warmth. A tingling zipped up my spine and through my neck.

“Lucky me. I did land on the porn channel this time. But I think I’ve seen this episode before.” As I broke away from Torin, I saw Eli leaning against a tree a few yards away.

Torin huffed with irritation at the interruption. His hands dropped from my face to my hips, possessively, keeping close to me. It was an unstated claim—his territory. “
To what
do we owe the honor, Elighan?”