Page 8 of Embers in the Wind

The purple in her eyes sparks under a streak of lightning as it flashes across the sky. “I hardly need nor want a vampire lord to tell me what to do. I have lived under the rules of the masters,lords, and warriors for far longer than I should. Now, I take care of myself, I depend on myself, not the males of this world. Understand that, vampire?”

The beating of her heart begins to wane, lack of blood threatening to take all of her energy with no notice at all. She opens the door and walks outside, hefting the longsword with the jewel-tipped handle I’ve been warned of before. But lifting that steel takes strength, stamina, and energy that Embry no longer has and her eyes only flutter once before she slumps over and toward the ground.

My arms cradle her fall, drawing the young vampiress into the folds of my cape’s protection, wishing for not the first time tonight that I had not given my word to Romano. A promise that I cannot go back on without severing our friendship and driving a wedge even further between the witches and vampires, which will never do.

Not for the pureblooded vampires, the witches, or the future if there comes a time we must battle the rogues again. Overmaster Descallia is wise, and there’s a reason he’s allowed concessions over this land and allowed the trust, however tenuous it may be.

He is right, now is the time for healing among the groups after so many battles. This land is the only point of contention at the moment, and I will tread softly in order to keep the peace. No matter that I would much rather be in the comfort of my estate than walking through the door of a witch haven without an official invitation and with a very skilled warrior and her blade of steel in my arms.

I’ve heard all the horror stories about opening a witch’s door without being asked to enter. Yet I need to get her comfortable and find a source of blood. Hopefully in that little knapsack that she carries, although I can hardly fathom that she’ll have enough to sustain for long.

I approach the door with hesitation with the vampiress in my arms, and at first, I think I’ve lost my mind, or at least that it’s playing tricks on me after such a long and relentlessly fiasco-filled day. The melodic voice speaks in Embry’s voice, yet she remains fast asleep.I’ll invite you inside, but only because the cavern will protect me from any of your tricks, vampire.

It’s not as though vampires communicating telepathically is new, quite the opposite, but nothing of the like has ever happened to me. My black boot pushes the heaviness of the green door, moving it slowly, not knowing what I’ll run into on the other side. It protests, squeaking loudly as I enter, while bolts of lightning fly through the sky as though sending a message to the witches to let them know that an intruder is near.

The damnable Mystic Forest, a pain in the vampire’s ass since the dawn of time. A place that centuries ago would seclude us, and keep us safe from prying eyes, at least until the intruding witches decided that it was a pristine place to live too. Now the creatures are torn between allegiances. It’s no wonder they run whenever they see either side.

The cavern is empty other than some furniture that’s seen far better times, but the bed along the far wall will do while I find the vampiress some blood. I walk with her in my arms and her heartbeat is so slow that it feels as though it stops beating against my chest.

I lay her down gently and scan the small living space for her knapsack, unzipping it to take a look inside. Nothing but two small zipper bags of blood in the side compartment, which at the onset of her journey were probably full.

This will never be enough. My jaw tightens as her head turns, rousing from the fog but without the strength to open her eyes. She’s fading fast and there’s only one thing to do.

I tell myself it’s to ensure she can make the journey back home, so that I can finish the mission, and not because the lovelypurple-haired vampiress can speak to me without words at all, or because the feelings of protection for her seem to grow with every passing minute.

Somehow even as enemies and adversaries, our souls can communicate.

I don’t believe in fate, fated mates, or any such nonsense of the kind. And I certainly have no personal interest in anyone who betrays their kind or runs from the truth, or any of the other things the young vampiress is said to have done.

Yet, when I look at her, I see resilience, determination, a resolve to follow her heart wherever that may take her. Even through the dangers and lurking creatures of the Mystic Forest with a vampire lord on her tail.

But she made the journey and did it all by herself. Maybe with a few navigational tips from the friendly forest creatures along the way, but by and by, she did it by herself when others far more seasoned than her would have likely failed.

I have no doubt she’ll hate it when she learns what I’ve done. But there’s not a choice now without blood of any other kind. I grab my pocketknife and deftly open a vein, allowing the blood to pool on my wrist before tipping it and opening her delicate pink lips so my lifeblood can pour into her mouth and give her nourishment to sustain.

Little by little her color returns, and in short order her pulse has returned to normal. The rumors of yesteryear say vampires don’t have a heart. The purebloods’ hearts beat just as soundly as the humans’, only our hearts will turn dark, death taking over if left without sustenance, and left to that, we’ll be just like the rogues. Killing and maiming for any sources of blood they can get their hands on.

No, nothing like that is going to happen to the purple-haired beauty, not on my watch. Whatever the reason, I’ve been asked to bring her home and I will keep her safe, from the creaturesof the forest, the witches, and the rogue vampires, but after watching her take my lifeblood, I’m not certain I want to keep her safe from me.

Chapter 8

Embry

My mouth is so dry, and when I roll over to grab my pillow, my arms wrap around a living, breathing thing. A very muscular vampire lord who has somehow made himself comfortable in my bed.

I sit up in bed immediately, almost hitting my head on the slanted ceiling that’s far lower on my side of the bed by the wall than his side. “What do you think you’re doing?” I glance around, trying to remember what happened, seeking out gramma in her now empty chair.

The vampire lord rolls, his legs tangled in the sheets, as his dark and intense eyes meet mine. “You passed out and needed blood. You only had a couple packs in your bag, far too low in supply. I had to give you some of mine and needed to recharge with sleep and rest.”

He’s still dressed, I’m still dressed, maybe no shoes, but other than that, all is intact. Now I remember. And I am feeling a hundred percent better. “Where’s my grandmother?”

His eyebrows raise. “I’m not sure. Who is she?”

I suck in a deep breath. “Do not play games with me. What did you do with her? She was here when I opened the door. Ipass out, you give me blood and she’s nowhere to be seen.” My chest heaves with panic. “Pretty fucking suspicious if you ask me.”

I literally crawl over the top of his legs to get out without bashing my head on that confounded slanted ceiling.

He laces his fingers behind his head, arching an eyebrow when my calf brushes his junk as I get out of bed. “I didn’t see anyone when I carried you into the cavern. Are you sure she was still here? You were pretty low on blood, so low that you were barely breathing. An apparition perhaps?”

---