Ember (16 page)
Authors: Kristen Callihan
Tags: #Fiction, #Historical, #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy
“
O
f
c
o
u
r
s
e
I
’
l
l
be
p
r
o
u
d
.
”
M
a
r
t
i
n
k
i
ss
ed
h
er
c
h
ee
k
.
“
Y
ou
a
r
e
so
b
ea
utiful
,
”
h
e m
ur
m
ur
e
d
.
T
h
e
rough
tips
of
his
fing
e
rs
tr
a
c
e
d
th
e
spot
h
e
kissed
as
though
h
e
’d
l
a
id
cl
a
i
m
th
e
r
e.
“Lik
e
a
chin
a
doll
.
”
He
kissed
h
e
r
m
outh
,
th
e
n
sigh
e
d
.
“
I
’
m
going
to
ma
k
e
so
me
thing
of
m
ys
e
lf
,
Pa
n
.
T
h
e
n
I
’ll
buy
you
lov
e
ly
dr
e
ss
e
s
a
nd
show
you
off
to
th
e
who
l
e
world
.
”
S
o
me
thing
insid
e
h
e
r
knott
e
d
.
“
I
don’t
n
ee
d
th
a
t
.
I
just
n
ee
d
you
.
L
a
ughing
w
ith
me
lik
e
a
lw
a
ys
.
”
“
B
u
t
y
ou
do.
Y
o
u
’
r
e
m
o
r
e
bea
u
t
i
f
u
l
t
h
an
a
n
y
of
t
h
e
f
l
a
s
h
w
o
me
n
pro
me
n
a
ding
h
e
r
e.
”
H
is
curls
bounc
e
d
as
h
e
toss
e
d
his
h
ea
d
in
th
e
dir
e
ction
of
th
e
fin
e
l
a
di
e
s
a
nd
g
e
ntl
eme
n
strolling
f
a
r
off
in
th
e
dist
a
nc
e.
T
h
e
a
ngry
look
in
his
e
y
e
s
ea
s
e
d
.
“
Y
ou
know
you
a
r
e.
”
“
W
h
a
t
does
th
a
t
ma
tt
e
r?
”
sh
e
a
sk
e
d
.
“
M
y
f
a
c
e
h
a
s
n
e
v
e
r
gott
e
n
me
a
nywh
e
r
e
but
into
troubl
e.
”
He
s
m
il
e
d
.
“
O
n
e
day
it
w
ill
get
us
th
e
world
.
W
ith
your
b
ea
uty
,
a
nd
m
y
br
a
ins
,
th
e
r
e
is
noth
i
ng
w
e
c
a
n’t
do
.
”
“
And
if
I
lost
m
y
looks?
I
f
this
a
ll
f
a
d
e
s?
W
h
a
t
th
e
n?
”
S
h
e
s
a
id
it
li
ght
l
y
,
but
a
sudd
e
n
f
ee
ling
of
f
ea
r
ma
d
e
h
e
r
br
ea
thl
e
ss
.
“
My
beau
tif
u
l
r
ose.
”
He
t
ouched
he
r
f
ace
aga
i
n.
Rea
ll
y,
he
had
t
he
mos
t
ex
tr
ao
r
d
i
na
r
y
ab
ilit
y
t
o
b
l
ock
ou
t
he
r
end
of
t
he
conve
r
sa
ti
on
when
he
got
on
a
t
ea
r
.
“
I
don
’t
know
why
you
won
’t
l
e
t
me
ca
ll
you
Rose.
”
“
Y
ou
k
n
ow
w
h
y
.
”
H
er
i
n
s
i
des
t
w
i
s
t
ed
h
a
r
de
r
.
“
I
do
n
’
t
l
i
k
e
it
.
And
it
i
sn
’t
even
my
name.
”
“
I
t’
s
pa
rt
of
you
r
name
!”
He
l
eaned
i
n.
“
Rose.
”
“
Don
’t
,
Ma
rti
n.
”
S
h
e
look
e
d
awa
y
a
nd
blink
e
d
up
into
th
e
p
a
tchwork
of
sky
a
nd
e
v
e
rgr
ee
n
n
ee
dl
e
s
ov
e
rh
ea
d
.
Nea
rly
two
d
e
c
a
d
e
s
of
dist
a
nc
e
could
not
dim
th
e
p
a
in
of
h
e
r
gr
a
nd
m
oth
e
r’s
long
-a
go
w
ords
.
We
c
a
nnot
continu
e
to
c
a
ll
h
e
r
R
os
e,
”
G
r
a
nd
m
oth
e
r
s
a
i
d
.
S
h
e
h
a
d
c
o
m
e
t
o
t
o
w
n
a
ft
e
r
M
o
t
h
e
r
'
s
f
un
e
r
a
l
,
w
a
n
t
i
n
g
t
o
s
e
e
f
o
r
h
e
r
s
e
l
f
w
h
a
t
h
a
d
b
e
c
o
m
e
o
f
h
e
r
s
t
e
pd
a
ug
h
t
e
r
'
s
c
h
il
d
r
e
n
.
M
i
r
a
nd
a
'
s
m
o
t
h
e
r
h
a
d
n
e
v
e
r
li
k
e
d
t
h
e
w
o
m
a
n
.
M
ir
a
nd
a
did
not
lik
e
h
e
r
e
ith
e
r
.
