Ember & Flame (Bloodlust Book 2) Read online

  By

  J.M. Adele

  Ember and Flame

  J.M. Adele © 2019

  All rights reserved

  This work is protected under copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author of this book.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner, without permission or sponsorship, and with acknowledgement of their trademarked status, and trademark owners.

  Edited by CREATING ink

  Cover Design by Book Flare Publishers

  Cover photo from Deposit Photos © Dmitri Lobanov

  Proofed by Fiona Dreaming Proofreading and Formatting

  Formatted by Book Flare Publishers

  Kindle Edition

  For my Gems who volunteered for the torture of beta reading a cliffhanger.

  Here is your closure. Thank you!

  #sorrynotsorry

  If you’re reading this before reading Ashes and Dust, please stop. You need to read Ashes and Dust first. Sorry, but them’s the rules. Don’t spoil it for yourself.

  Grab Ashes & Dust HERE.

  If you’ve read A&D, carry on! Thanks for reading.

  Chapter One - Polo

  Chapter Two - Running on Empty

  Chapter Three - Plan A

  Chapter Four - Visitors

  Chapter Five - Team Player

  Chapter Six - Sprung

  Chapter Seven - Answers

  Chapter Eight - Defection

  Chapter Nine - Suspicious

  Chapter Ten - Fuckery

  Chapter Eleven - Sloppy

  Chapter Twelve - Prophecy

  Chapter Thirteen - Wait Up, What?

  Chapter Fourteen - If Only the Trees Could Talk

  Chapter Fifteen - Don’t Be Daft

  Chapter Sixteen - Ancestors

  Chapter Seventeen - Well Played, Asshole

  Chapter Eighteen - The Seal

  Chapter Nineteen - I’ll Take That, Thanks

  Bone and Blood - Prologue

  Titles by J.M. Adele

  Acknowledgement

  About the Author

  Polo

  Shiloh leapt over the terrain, her ribcage surging for air. Devlin followed closely.

  Abandoning the car at the quarry, she hit the road, speeding faster than a blink on the smooth surface. She thought of her time with Seth. The declarations of love. The tender caresses. The stolen moments before dawn.

  All lies.

  He’d been grooming her, and she’d invited him in.

  But why? Why had it taken so long for him to bite?

  She wanted to hurl boulders at the earth until a crater formed, a small-scale example of the destruction inside her chest.

  That had been his voice at the pool before she’d been attacked.

  Marco?

  Marco?

  Marco?

  Oh, God. What had he done to Lanie?

  They reached the house, finding Lanie’s window open. Devlin jumped through first. “She’s not here.”

  Shiloh’s mood darkened further, and she lashed out at the nearest target. “Why are you here? I don’t need your help.”

  He ignored her, reaching for the cell phone on the bed.

  “Don’t touch anything.”

  The laptop was still open on the desk, its screen lighting up when she tapped the mousepad. Seth’s face stared back at her with the details of his description, and where and when he’d last been seen. Nearly two years ago, he’d gone missing from downtown LA. And his real name was Jax.

  The closet door was ajar, but that wasn’t unusual. The bed was neat. Mostly. There was a creased indent near the foot. Maybe Lanie sat there during our phone call? Nothing around the room looked amiss—apart from the gaping window. Lanie didn’t like it open.

  Seth—no, Jax must’ve jumped in and snatched her. Lanie wouldn’t have even had a chance to scream.

  Shiloh sank onto the mattress, her bleak stare aimed outside to the house across the street. He wouldn’t have taken her sister there. Too obvious.

  “Do ya still feel the pull towards him?”

  Her eyes snapped to Devlin’s. Of course! She’d been so worried about her sister and focused on getting to her that she hadn’t thought of the connection she had to Seth. They’d always find each other. He wouldn’t be able to go far.

  Tuning into her senses, she tested the elastic membrane, feeling it stretch. “It’s weakened.”

  “Follow it before it vanishes.”

  Diving out the window, she tumbled on the grass, springing up to speed off. “Why is it fading?”

  Devlin met her, stride for stride. “You’ve been fighting against his bind since . . .” His eyebrows dipped as he clamped his mouth shut. “He could be diluting your blood by feeding from another. Or, he could break the bond altogether by finding a new mate. The only unbreakable bond is between true mates.”

  “And we weren’t true mates.”

  “Nope.”

  Thank God. Sadness tainted her relief. She’d loved him with everything she’d had.

  What a fool.

  Shiloh and Devlin wove through the streets of LA, coming to a halt in an alley off South San Pedro Street in Skid Row. Rubbish scattered on the pavement as a cat jumped in fright, hissing at them.

  The membrane pulled her another few yards down the block to a six-story brick building. Roller shutters covered the windows along the width of the first floor, spray-painted in street art. The pattern was broken in the center by a set of double glass doors, sheltered under a portico. Craning her neck, Shiloh scanned the rows of window awnings, pinpointing where Seth was.

  “They’re in there. Third floor, back of the building.”

  “He’ll know you’re here.”

  “No point being quiet then.”

  “We don’t want her hurt. And we don’t wanna draw attention to ourselves.”

  Shiloh’s shoulders bunched as her gums ached. She wanted to rip out Seth’s throat. Tear it so wide that his head hung on a paper-thin hinge. Watch all the blood he’d taken from her drain away until the leech was a dried, shriveled shell. He’d awoken her darkness and she was desperate to feed it. “How do I kill a vampire?”

  “With a mortal wound. But you’ve gotta catch him first.”

  Going back to the alley for some cover, she bent at the knees and pushed off the ground, aiming for the fire escape. She crouched on the metal landing, rattling the window. Devlin pushed her aside before sending his elbow into the glass.

  “I thought we weren’t drawing attention to ourselves.” Shiloh narrowed her eyes.

  “Just get inside.”

  Crunching over the broken glass, she led the way through the rooms strewn with crippled office furniture and discarded equipment. Coming to a door, Devlin pushed it open.

  Shiloh’s lungs seized, trapping her breath. Lanie was perched on Seth’s lap, her head lolling to the side and her face swollen with bruises and cuts. One of his arms strapped around her waist, while his other aimed a gun in their direction. A couple of feet to the side, a woman’s body lay twitching on the floor, blood seeping from a gaping wound in her neck.

  “Polo, you blood-sucking bastard,” Shiloh spat, ready to lunge.

  “If you come any closer, I’ll kill her.” Opening his jaw wide, Seth tilted his fangs towards her sister’s exposed neck. “Even if you bury her, I won’t feed her. She’ll die.”

  “What
do you want?” Devlin growled.

  Seth’s fiery gaze turned on Devlin. “You know what I want.”

  Devlin ground his teeth. “You can’t have her.”

  “Neither can you.” A chilling cackle burst from Seth’s throat before he turned the gun in a blur, blasting a hole in the head of his twitching victim. The silencer muted the sound, but the vibrations still shattered through Shiloh’s body. Pointing the barrel between her eyes, he continued. “Pity your sister’s a bitch or I would’ve chosen her first.”

  Devlin took a step closer, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “You didn’t choose her, because she’s too young. You’re stalling. You know ya can’t turn her.”

  What the hell is he doing? Idiot.

  Seth switched his aim to Devlin. “Too young to bond, not too young to die.”

  “Ain’t no way you’ll kill her. You need her.” Devlin peppered smoke rings at Seth’s face as he moved in closer.

  Lanie moaned, her head moving an inch before flopping back down. Seth reacted by cracking the butt of the gun on the side of her skull, and Devlin lunged. In one blinding move, he’d ripped Lanie from Seth’s arms and shoved her towards Shiloh. She dove to catch her, eyes half on Devlin who was holding out a clawed hand. Seth’s body was thrown into the wall behind him without Devlin ever making contact.

  Plastered halfway up the exposed brick like a squished bug, Seth gripped the gun, aiming at Devlin, and pulled the trigger. Devlin stumbled back with a shout, grabbing at his chest where blood spilled down his shirt, as Seth dropped to the ground in a heap.

  Shiloh’s eyes popped, struggling to keep up with what was happening. Adjusting her sister in her arms, she spun and tore out of the building. She needed to get Lanie to safety.

  Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

  Sprinting to the nearest hospital, she prayed for Devlin to be okay. Whatever he was, he wasn’t human. The way he’d thrown Seth against the wall without even touching him . . . he was powerful. Formidable. Scary as hell. If anyone had the capacity to end Seth it’d be Devlin.

  But she couldn’t worry about him. Her priority was Lanie. And looking at her sister’s disfigured face, she cursed herself for not running faster.

  The tug towards Seth continued to pull at her back, slowing her pace.

  The bastard was still alive.

  _____

  “I knew that boy was no good.” Her dad whacked the indicator so hard Shiloh thought he might rip it off.

  You have no idea. She leaned her head on her palm, watching the suburban scenery whisk by as they drove home. “You never told me.”

  He grunted and turned into their driveway. “I don’t want to leave you here on your own with him still on the loose, but I need to get some things for your mother and sister. Mom won’t leave her side, and I’m tempted to handcuff you to me so you can’t go anywhere either.”

  “Dad, I’m tired. I’ll be fine. You’ll only be an hour or so, anyway. I promise to be good.” It wasn’t a promise she was planning to keep. As soon as he left, she was going back to find Devlin.

  “I’m putting the bars back on your window.”

  “Okay. If that makes you feel better.” Won’t stop me. Or Seth. Jax. Whoever the hell he is.

  “I’d rather brick it up. Even better—we’re moving to a remote island.”

  She almost smiled. “You can’t lock me up like a prisoner. I’m not the criminal here.”

  Setting free a sigh, he turned off the engine and gripped the wheel. He bowed his head, his shoulders shaking as tears dripped into his lap.

  Her heart sank in her chest. “Aw, Dad.” After unbuckling her seatbelt, Shiloh leaned over the gear shift, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “I can’t go through that again, Shi.”

  She rested her forehead on his shoulder, cursing the day she’d set eyes on the devil.

  “Let’s get you inside.” Her dad lifted his head, swiping his tears on his shirt.

  “Okay.”

  After she gave her dad another hug and assured him for the fiftieth time that she’d be okay, he finally left. Her thoughts turned to the dark vampire. Was Devlin okay?

  Detective Carter had come to the hospital to get her statement, while Lanie lay in an induced coma due to swelling on the brain. Shiloh hadn’t told Carter about Devlin, wanting to keep that off the record. But, not knowing if he was okay, maybe she should have. If Carter knew anything she hadn’t shared it, or let it show on her poker face.

  Shiloh dashed up the stairs, swinging her bedroom door wide.

  Devlin. Sprawled across her bed, he was playing with one of her trophies. He looked one hundred percent intact, although she’d witnessed the bullet hitting him in the shoulder. If he’d fed, he was probably already healed. Who knew what he was hiding under his clothes and inside his skull? She didn’t want to know.

  Liar.

  The potent smell of his blood permeated the air and awoke her hunger, but she fought against it. She’d be damned if she let the beast inside rule over her will. That only led to misery and vulnerability at the hands of predators far more dangerous than her. Devlin had been hurt, blood staining his shirt. That was the only reason the lure was stronger, more intoxicating.

  Delicious.

  She cleared her throat and jammed her hands on her hips. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” His eyes flickered with red spots, a clear sign he was lying, but if that was how he wanted to play it, she was willing to move on. She had a million questions that needed answers.

  “Good. Then start talking.”

  Running on Empty

  “What do ya wanna know?” He rubbed a thumb along the nameplate on the trophy, staring at it like if he kept rubbing, a genie would pop out and grant all his wishes.

  The trophy wasn’t a magic lamp; it was a relic of a life extinguished. If he wanted his wishes granted, he’d come to the wrong girl.

  “I want to know everything!” Shiloh threw her arms up, wanting to strangle him. “I have no idea what the hell is going on. The only thing I do know is that Seth’s not dead. I can still feel him, but only just. Where is he?”

  “Gone.”

  “Gone? Gone where?”

  “Your guess’d be better than mine.” His fire-lit eyes perused her for a second before he fixed them back on the shiny object in his hands.

  “What happened after I left?”

  “He threatened me. I threatened him. Yada, yada, yada. He took off. I came here.” The sheen of sweat on Devlin’s forehead collected in beads.

  Okay, so he wasn’t going to tell her. But why hadn’t he gone after Seth? “Why did you come here?”

  “Not a clue.” The trophy fell from his fingers. Red eyes flicked to hers before he shut them, leaning his head back on the pillow and clasping his hands over his chest. She watched his ribcage move in shallow bursts. If he’d come straight here after getting shot, he hadn’t had a feed. His eyes told the truth in their rising crimson tide.

  She lurched forward, yanking his hands apart, and pulling open his jacket. His grunt held no power. He’d folded a hand towel and tucked it over his shoulder. Red pools of blood soaked the snow-white fabric beyond redemption.

  Springing to her feet, she ran into the bathroom to grab another towel, calling over her shoulder, “Shit! You’re not okay. You haven’t fed. You should’ve healed by now.”

  Dragging the trash can over, she dumped the soaked cloth, replacing it with the clean one. “Here, take my vein.” Placing a forearm on the temporary bandage, she leaned as much of her weight on the towel as she could before she offered her other wrist.

  He opened his eyes, two depthless black holes capable of consuming her. His jaw levered open, fangs extending in sharp precision, apparently eager to strike. Her hips pulled away, the flight reflex charging through her nervous system, but her arms held firm. He needed this. She stood by her offer, even as she trembled in fear of the beast that had awoken beneath her.

  “I c-can’t.” Hi
s eyelids slammed shut as his nostrils flared.

  “What do you mean?” She pushed her wrist closer, ready to slit it herself and pour life back into him if she had to.

  “You’re bonded to him. I can’t take your blood. It’s contaminated. It will kill me.”

  Fuck. Contaminated. As if Seth had injected her with something to ward off anyone else. That was what he’d meant at the club.

  She took her wrist away from his mouth and pushed with both hands on his shoulder while her brain scrambled for a solution. The possibility of watching him die was far more terrifying than becoming his prey. She pushed even harder, arms aching and brow furrowed as she prayed for help.

  Carter.

  The detective had given her card to Seth. Shit, shit, shit.

  “Do you have Detective Carter’s phone number?” she barked.

  “Sienna. Yeah.” His words faded out on shortened breaths.

  He opened his eyes again. The only clue that he’d focused on her was a slight tilt of his head. There was no telling what was happening behind those ocular voids. She recoiled, instantly ashamed of her hypocrisy. He only reflected her true nature: stripped of all humanity. She and he were one and the same.

  “Where’s your cell?”

  In answer, he tried to roll his hips, but flopped back like he was unable to hold up his weight. His chest jerked with a sodden cough. She needed to hurry. She wasn’t a doctor, but any fool could see he was in bad shape. Slipping the phone out of his pocket, she grabbed his thumb, using his fingerprint to unlock the device. She scrolled through the contacts while pushing on the towel until she found Sienna, and hit the call button.

  “If this is a booty call, I’m working, Dev.”

  “Uh, Detective Carter? This is Shiloh Howard.”

  “Shiloh? Where’s Devlin?” Carter’s voice went from hushed to all-business.

  “He’s been shot. He’s bleeding.” Blood pooled between her fingers and ran into the dips between her knuckles. He grunted as she pressed harder. You can’t die. “A lot. Can you hurry? We’re at my house.”

  “And you can’t feed him because you’re mated. Shit. I’ll be . . .” The sound of rushing air drowned the urban din in the background. “. . . I’m here. Let me in.”