Page 18 of Embers in the Wind

Her eyes widen as she bites into a piece of toast.

“In fact, I do feel the same way. And I don’t live here. If we’re going to keep the peace, we need to safeguard certain things that have always been sacred, on both sides. It’s just how it’s going to have to be if we’re to keep from causing a war.”

Embry is thoughtful as we eat and reaches over to draw her sword from the sheath where she’s left it on the little table next to the wall. She turns it to show me the jewel tipped end. “This long- sword, it was given to me by my gramma. She received it as a gift from a vampire she fought side by side with years ago. The jewel changes colors depending on its surroundings.”

She crunches a piece of toast, taking a bite before arcing the majestic sword in the air. “This sword and my gramma will protect us. You’ll see.”

“I have no doubt that I will. How long were you friends with Lucas before you began dating?”

She glances up at me, places her sword down, and then takes a sip of coffee before answering. “Why do you want to know, so you can determine if I infiltrated the vampires at his suggestion, because of our friendship? Got cozy with the vampires’ matesto give him the low down on their pillow talk? That’s what you thought too, right?”

“Not trusting much, are you?”

“No, not so much. You didn’t answer the question, vampire.”

“Perhaps I thought it was possible before I knew you. I don’t think that anymore.”

“Well, you don’t know me that well, and haven’t known me for long. I didn’t do it just for your four-one-one. I wanted to help the vampires. I begged Lucas to let me come to work for the vampires. He didn’t want to let me but finally caved. He had always had a crush on me. I knew it, we both knew it, but his sense of loyalty to my grandmother kept him from acting on it for so long.

“I pursued him more than he ever pursued me. I should have just left things alone, maybe it was because back then he was kind, my best friend, and he worked for the vampires and made it sound so glorious. I remember the first time Lucas introduced me to Overmaster Descallia at Club Descallia. I was so nervous I could barely talk. That’s around the same time I met Lucianna.”

Club Descallia… now that’s a club I miss.And now Embry is front and center in my mind again, draped over a spanking bench in the lower-level sex club with not a stitch of clothes except for the flat of my hand to cover the creamy skin of her ass.

Chapter 16

Embry

Corvinus smirks, and his eyes have reddened. My eyes widen as his thoughts register.

My hand goes to my hip. “I saw that, vampire. Not funny.” But, just thinking about his hand on my ass in the lower level of Club Descallia has me wet and ready for him again. But we have work to do today, so I play it off coy.

His eyes narrow, and I need to remind myself that he knows what I’m thinking. No getting past that, unless I learn to close my mind off to this connection of ours and destiny seems to have put the kibosh on that. “No, not funny but thinking about you in the lower level of Club Descallia and spanking your ass while I have you lying over one of my personal room benches sounds more than appealing. I’ll take you there when we return to Chicago.”

My fangs descend with desire that I have to breathe through to quiet. “You do these things on purpose. Just to get a response, vampire.”

His eyebrow raises. “And what a lovely response it is, love.”

“We have work to do, if you haven’t forgotten.”

“I haven’t forgotten. But part of finding out the future is connecting it to the past, and learning about your integration to the vampires I believe may be key.”

I shrug. “Well, Overmaster Descallia was so intimidating back then. I guess he still is to people who don’t know him. He’s different with me though, since Lucianna and I are so close.” I sigh deeply, not wanting to think about her that hard, because every minute spent in that lower level while they thought I was a traitor slices my heart with pain. “Were so close.”

“Nothing has changed in that regard, Embry. You have to know that. She was the one that asked for Overmaster Descallia to send someone to look for you. He sent me because he knew I wouldn’t return empty handed and I don’t plan to fail.”

Maybe, but that’s not how it felt while I was barred from helping the vampires because they weren’t sure. “You know when Lucianna and I met, we kinda bonded deeply after being the target of a cruel and unusual attack. We wouldn’t have made it if the guys hadn’t transitioned us. It bonded us like nothing ever could, to Overmaster Descallia and Lucas, but to each other, too. We’ve been the closest of friends since then.”

Corvinus turns to me, his dark eyes gentle. “I remember hearing about the transitions. There was much speculation about how transitions occurred whether they were sanctioned by the committee, whether the way we did things was old and outdated and should be revisited. It’s still being revised. The masters have it on an agenda in the future, but after the warriors are put in place.”

I sigh. “Is Descallia going to get rid of his special ops team now that you’re putting the warriors back together again?”

He takes our plates while I clear our cups and take them to the sink before washing them all up while he dries. “I don’t know the answer to that question right now. The traitors on the warriors who betrayed us made it difficult to trust anyone inthose positions. We have a ton of applicants, good solid soldiers who will all make great combat vampires, but the real test is going to be their loyalty and ability to adapt to changing times.”

I grab a clean cloth to wipe down the kitchen. “It’s still hard to believe the rogues were able to get their devious claws into so many of our sacred groups.”

“The warriors who betrayed us didn’t believe in where we were going. That can’t happen again. Until we get the right ones in place, I for one believe we need to keep the special ops team. Probably after that too.”

I swallow through the lump in my throat. So very much has changed. “Silver and I won’t be on it. That takes two psychics out. Lucianna thought she could depend on him and me for so much. Now she’s probably second guessing everything that she’s ever done for us.”

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