Burning to Ashes (2 page)

“Scarlet is new to our world.” Zane defended, but he was pinned with a withering stare and didn’t go any further.

“If he dies, I will eat your heart,” she spat.

Scarlet bristled and felt her hands start to heat. “Who the hell are you to threaten me like that?”

Selene tilted her chin up and spoke in a calm voice. “I’m Archer’s
She
.”

Zane gasped, and Scarlet frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means that Selene is Archer’s one true mate. The closest human term would be wife, but it’s much more than that,” Zane explained his voice laced with disbelief.

“What?” She stopped the word from coming out in a shriek at the last instant, so it came out in a breathless rush.

How dare Archer get all hot and steamy with her if he had a wife? The kiss was a farce. He was a cheating bastard, and if he wasn’t already unconscious, she would have wrung his neck.

“I’m his—” Selene started.

“I heard you the first time.” Scarlet was beyond pissed, and she didn’t care how rude she was being. The burn in her hands was getting worse. She knew she had to calm down or she was going to start flaming again. “I don’t want to hear anymore.” She waved a hand in Archer’s direction. “Do whatever you came here to do.”

Scarlet walked over to the armchair next to the spot the destroyed TV had been and sat down, her spine stiff, her mind in turmoil. To think, she’d been developing…something. No, not feelings. She wasn’t going to admit to that. Lust—yes, that was it. She lusted after him, that was all, and hey, he wasn’t the last good-looking guy in the world. Scarlet’s eyes moved over Zane.
He
was hot.

She had to suppress the urge to snort. Zane was hot, yes, but he did nothing for her, at least not the way Archer did.

This is stupid. Watch that b—woman to see what she is doing.

Selene unzipped the cooler bag, and reached into it for an opaque glass jar.

She opened it and the hairs on Scarlet’s arms rose. She felt power coalesce around her. The room was soaked with it. Whatever was in that jar was potent to an extreme.

Selene dipped two fingers into the jar and scooped out a piece of… Well, it was meat—raw and red, a bloody pulp that made Scarlet fight the urge to gag.

“What is that?”

“It is part of the heart of the first Lycan.” Selene moved the gelatinous mass towards Archer’s lips, put the jar back in the cooler without the lid and opened his jaw. She then put the scoop of heart into his mouth and closed his jaw.

“Now what?” Scarlet felt like her body was buzzing from the power that drenched her nerve endings.

Selene dipped her fingers into her own mouth sucking the blood off them with closed eyes and a blissful expression. She closed the jar and zipped up the cooler bag again, then placed it with care on the side table of the bed.

“Now we wait.”

Scarlet inched forward to the furthest edge of her chair, her body taut like a spring under pressure, waiting.

Archer’s back bowed off the bed and he gasped. It looked like someone had hit him with cardio paddles.

A slow smile spread across Selene’s lips as he collapsed back down to the bed.

Scarlet shot out of her chair, and Zane took a few steps closer to Archer.

Selene took the wadding off Archer’s chest and they all watched in amazement as the wound knitted closed.

“Fuck me. That’s CGI at its best,” Zane muttered.

“Nifty, huh?” Selene gave him a dazzling smile. “He’ll be fine now, but I still want to know what caused this.” She glared at Scarlet, and Scarlet felt uncomfortable under the intensity of the stare.

“I didn’t hurt him,” she said through clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t hurt Archer.”

“That remains to be seen. If you
did
hurt him—”

Her threat was left unspoken because Archer’s eyes snapped open.

“She didn’t do this.” His voice sounded rough, and he cleared his throat.

Selene snapped her head around, then threw herself over Archer’s chest. “Archer, baby, you are okay.”

Scarlet smelled something burning and dropped her eyes to her hands. She’d clenched the sleeves of her shirt in her palms, and tendrils of smoke were drifting up from the fabric. Scarlet unclenched her palms and rubbed them across the seat of her jeans to quench the tiny flames dancing on her skin.

Archer seemed taken aback by the display, not knowing where to put his hands. He settled for patting Selene on the back, but the movement was awkward. He reached for her shoulders and pushed her back so he could sit up, his eyes taking in everyone in the room in one sweep.

“Selene, what are you doing here?” His tone was cool as his eyes found and pinned Zane.

“The vampire called me. He said you needed my help.”

“And how did he know to call you?” Archer asked, but his eyes were still scalding Zane, making it clear his question was aimed at the vampire.

Zane swallowed. “Don’t be pissed, Archer.”

“How did you know about Selene?”

“Well, I didn’t know she was your
She
.” Zane was trying to save his hide, and it worked.

“What?” Archer rose from the bed in fluid motion and glared at Selene, then back at Zane.

“Who told you that?”

“Selene did,” Scarlet said in a dark angry voice. “And now that you seem to be alive, I’m going for a walk.”

“No you aren’t,” Archer shot back.

“Try and stop me, and your wife will have to feed you more of that goop.” Scarlet marched to the door and yanked it open.

“Go with her, Zane,” Archer instructed. “I have something to clear up with Selene.”

Zane darted after Scarlet, nearly tripping on her heals as she stepped through the door.
 

Chapter Two

Archer waited for the door to close before he turned back to Selene. He stared at her for a moment, taking in her familiar form. It had been many years since he’d seen her, and she hadn’t changed at all. She was still breathtaking in her beauty.

Named for the moon her hair resembled, Selene could have chosen any male for her own. At least until she found her
Wolf
, but Selene had wanted
Archer
.

They had been cubs together, an inseparable small group—Archer, Selene and Archer’s adopted brothers Søren and Tor. As they grew older, everyone had believed that Archer’s wolf would choose Selene as his
She
. For a while, Archer was sure of it, too. He had loved Selene in his own way, and he’d been sure his other self would, too. The wolf inside of him had even started rumbling in pleasure whenever Selene was near. Then, Archer had the vision.

After that, his lycan had refused to acknowledge Selene at all, and Archer found his own attraction to her fading. He realized he loved her more like a sibling than in any romantic way.

That was where things went wrong in a hurry. Selene’s beast had chosen Archer, and she refused to look any further.

Amongst the Lycan, the male werewolf was the one who chose his
She
. It was unheard of that a female’s wolf would choose, but then Selene had always been headstrong, and Archer suspected it was more her choice than that of her accord mate.

The situation had deteriorated after that. Selene’s parents were higher in the hierarchy of the pack than Archer’s, and she was their treasured only child.

Selene’s parents had demanded that Archer take Selene as his
She
. When he had refused, the pack had come to a decision and gave him an ultimatum—Selene, or banishment.

Archer faced the choice and knew if he chose Selene, his accord would fail. When it failed, Archer would die, or worse, lose his mind. He chose exile.

“Archer? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Selene spoke, drawing him back to the present.

“Of course I am, and thank you for saving my life.” He tried not to frown, but failed.

“Then why are you scowling at me like that?”

“You told them you are my
She
.” He glanced at the door. It was a statement, not a question.

“Why would that matter? They are a vampire and a pyro… They are beneath us. I’m glad the vampire called, though. Now I can take you home, and you can take your rightful place as my
Wolf
.”

Archer’s arms folded over his chest. “I’m
not
your
Wolf,
Selene, and we both know that. My wolf does not recognize you as my
She,
and you know yours does not recognize
me
.”

Selene looked away from him for a moment. “That doesn’t matter, Archer. We are meant to be together. We have been since we were cubs.”

He shook his head. “No.”

She looked at him a moment, then gasped. “You have found your
She.
”

He didn’t deny it as he held her gaze.

“Who is it?”

Color was rising in her cheeks and the fine hairs on Archer’s arms stood up at the feel of her power filling the small motel room.

He saw her clench her fists, her claws digging into her hands.

“Who it is doesn’t matter. All that matters is the choice has been made, and he didn’t choose you. I told you years ago, and we aren’t meant to mate.”

“I’ll kill her,” she threatened around her elongated incisors.

“No.” Archer rose to his full height, and stepped closer to the female, dwarfing her with his presence. “You won’t touch her. You cost me my home and my family…everything I’d ever known. That, I forgave you for. Touch my
She
and I will kill
you
.” He interwove the words with a low growl as his beast’s voice joined his in warning.

* * * *

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Scarlet flung the words over her shoulder as she stomped into the parking lot.

“Says the woman currently throwing her toys out of the crib,” Zane threw back at her.

She stopped, and turned to glare at the vampire.

He shrugged. “What? I’m just sayin’. Jealous much?”

“I am
not
.” Scarlet felt her cheeks heat. Was she letting the green-eyed monster get the best of her? It wasn’t as if she and Archer were in a relationship. He felt the need to help her—so what? He wasn’t signing on for a lifetime, or even a few months.

Rather than admit she was jealous, Scarlet turned and started walking into the deepest part of the parking lot. The weak florescent lights that shone on the cars were making her feel nauseated. She would rather feel the moon’s rays on her skin instead. She had a suspicion they would clear her mind.

Zane followed her through the parking lot until she stopped in the dark and tilted her face to the moon.

“I get the feeling that Selene might have been lying,” he said in a soft tone.

It was Scarlet’s turn to shrug as she looked at him. “What does it matter? Archer and I have nothing going on.”

Zane’s lips curled in a way that made Scarlet realize that the woman who would get this man, was going to have heart palpitations every time he smiled.

“Who are you trying to fool? Yourself? Because I’m not buying what you’re selling.”

“Let it go, Zane, please.” She tilted her head back up to the moon and drew a hungry breath. Something deep in her mind unfurled and stretched in the silver rays.

What was that?

Scarlet looked back over at Zane, and wondered if his presence was what caused the feeling.

She was about to ask him when his eyes widened, and he rushed her. Scarlet had no chance to react as he threw her sideways. She fell to the ground, and rolled to watch him summersault, and launch a kick into the face of the man who had attempted to grab her from behind. Had Zane not seen him, Scarlet would not have noticed.

Their attacker recovered from the kick, and swung a punch at Zane. The vampire ducked it with no effort, and retaliated with a left hook, staggering the attacker.

Scarlet scrambled to her feet. She knew there had to be more than one. Her luck was bad enough tonight that there was probably an army hidden in the darkness. She strained her eyes to see more. She was right—more men attacked Zane, trying to remove the threat he posed from the situation.

“Scar! Behind you,” Zane yelled out, between breaths as one of the men connected a solid punch in Zane’s gut.

Scarlet gasped as the second assailant grabbed her left arm. “I’ve got the bitch,” he crowed out to his accomplices.

Scarlet spun, slamming her right elbow into his solar plexus, where the man doubled over, gasping for the breath she’d stolen.

Someone grabbed her hair and it felt as if her neck would snap as someone else yanked her head back. With tears streaming down her face, she pulled her head forward, leaving a chunk of hair in his hand.

Scarlet flattened her palm and spun, connecting with the other man’s cheek. He screamed as her hand left a burn mark across his face that glowed orange in the dark. He stumbled back from her, then launched another attack.

* * * *

Archer’s warning to Selene was punctuated by a man’s base scream. Both of their heads snapped toward the door, but Selene moved faster than Archer, using her body to barricade the front door of the motel room, so that Archer had to get past her to get out of the room.

“No.” she emphasized the n sound in the word. “I will not let you leave here. You are coming home with me.”

“I’ll warn you once to get out of my way, and then I’ll physically remove you. The choice is yours.” He stood with his feet planted in front of her. If she knew him half as well as she claimed to, she’d know he meant to get out of that room and no one was going to stop him.

She shook her head, her silver hair shifting over her shoulders.

“You have to come home with me. I’ve waited long enough.” She reached for him. “I need you, baby. I need you like I need oxygen.”

“Find someone else to need. I’m not on your list anymore. I never was.” Every second he had to waste talking to Selene meant that Scarlet could be getting hurt.