Ember Learns (The Seeker)
Loose Id Titles by Ditter Kellen
The Seeker 2:
EMBER LEARNS
Ditter Kellen
www.loose-id.com
The Seeker 2: Ember Learns
Copyright © February 2014 by Ditter Kellen
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
eISBN 9781623006756
Editor: Kierstin Cherry
Cover Artist: Syneca Featherstone
Published in the United States of America
Loose Id LLC
PO Box 809
San Francisco CA 94104-0809
www.loose-id.com
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning
This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id LLC’s e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.
* * * *
DISCLAIMER: Please do not try any new sexual practice, especially those that might be found in our BDSM/fetish titles without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Neither Loose Id LLC nor its authors will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury or death resulting from use of the information contained in any of its titles.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to a small handful of people who made writing it fun, interesting, and endearing.
Thank you to Loose Id for making this happen for me. And to my editor, Kierstin Cherry, for rocking it the way you did! I am a fan for life.
I would like to say a huge thank-you to Sheri D. Louther for doing such an amazing job of beta reading and holding my hand through the rough spots. She’s a wonderful person and a great friend. I love her immensely.
Thank you to Cathe Green for being such a beautiful person and loving Angel as much as I do. And for being my sounding board through the tears. She means the world to me.
Christian Boeving, aka Angel. What a perfect muse he is. He became Angel the moment I saw his picture over a year ago. He had the look, the personality, and the protectiveness I saw in Angelo Dimitrov. Becoming friends with him cemented that fact. I adore Christian and look forward to working with him in the future.
Chapter One
Laura Donovan pulled onto the parkway, cursing the oncoming traffic and her night-vision handicap. For the third time, the editor of
The Hedger
picked up her cell and called Ember.
Voice mail. Damn it.
It felt like an eternity before the beep finally sounded. “Hey, Em, it’s me. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent. I’m on my way to your place now. If you get this message before I get there, call me. There’s been another note, and I had to notify Detective Clay. See you soon.”
Laura hung up the phone and laid it on the center console so that she could concentrate on the road. She hated driving in so much congestion after dark with her night blindness. She didn’t do it often, but this was too important.
Ember was no doubt going to be pissed about Laura involving Clay, but she’d just have to get over it. A second note had been left on Laura’s porch when she came home from work. Her stomach clenched as she remembered the scrawled words:
Your friend would be more beautiful wearing my hands around her throat.
She shuddered and snatched up the cell again. A horn suddenly blared, and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. The phone ended up somewhere on the floor as she grabbed the wheel with both hands. “Fuck.”
The exit she needed to take was fast approaching. Laura put her blinker on and swerved over to the right-hand lane, cutting someone off. More horns blasted, and headlights flashed. She bit her lip and glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry, people. I’m in a hurry.”
Like they can hear me.
The road seemed to appear out of nowhere. She tapped the brake and sailed onto the off ramp, grateful for her SunPass so she didn’t have to stop for the toll.
Traffic was almost nonexistent once she left the parkway, and she sighed in relief. Her vision was a hell of a lot better without all the lights in her eyes.
A couple minutes later, Ember’s condo came into view. Laura pulled in next to her friend’s SUV and switched off the engine.
Everything was quiet and peaceful looking as she climbed out and shut her door. Clay’s vehicle wasn’t in the parking lot, which meant he might not have gotten the message she’d left him.
Laura rushed up the stairs and rang Ember’s doorbell. She waited a beat before rapping on the door with her knuckles and pushing the button again. “Ember. Are you in there?”
When no answer came, she jogged back down to her car and plucked her cell from the floorboard to try the detective again.
He picked up on the second ring. “Harper.”
“Detective? It’s Laura Donovan. Did you get my message?” She propped the cell against her shoulder and headed back up the stairs.
“I’m on my way. What’s going on?”
“The Watcher is back.” She could barely say the name without feeling sick.
“I’m sorry. Did you say the Watcher?”
“Yes.”
“Carnley is sitting in prison, Miss Donovan.”
“Just please hurry. Ember’s not answering her phone or the door.”
“I’m one minute out. Stay on the line with me until I get there.”
“Okay. I’m not going anywhere.” She paced back and forth in front of Ember’s door.
A moment later, she saw lights coming up the street, and she sagged in relief when the detective’s car entered the parking lot.
“Up here.” Laura waved and ended the call.
Clay exited his vehicle and approached the stairs. She didn’t miss his solemn expression or the way his gaze seemed to take in his surroundings. At any other time she would have appreciated the picture he made in his low-slung jeans and snug-fitting shirt.
In no time, he stood next to her and took up her place, ringing the doorbell.
“It’s not like her to not answer her phone.”
“Where’s this note you mentioned?”
“Here.” She retrieved the piece of paper from her bra and handed it to him. “Sorry, I always keep things there.”
“‘Your friend would be more beautiful wearing my hands around her throat.’” He folded it up and tucked it into his pants pocket. “Do you know which condo the manager lives in?”
“Yes.” She could have kicked herself for not thinking of that to start with.
“Show me.”
* * * *
Ember’s heart pounded painfully fast. She was suffocating on disbelief and more than a little fear. She’d thought Angel was her protector, but now…
Time seemed to stand still while she remained on her knees, in her bedroom, facing the sliding glass door.
It can’t be.
A hand touched her shoulder, jerking her out of her frozen state. She scrambled to her feet and spun around. “Angel?” She took a small step to the side. If she could make it to the front door, she might have a chance. “How did you get in here?”
“The same way you did.”
She gaped at him. “Don’t fuck with my head. I left you next to my car.”
“If you will allow me to explain—”
“Explain what? That you’re crazy?” Tears sprang to her eyes. She had almost fallen in love with a madman. One who resembled a Greek god and smelled like heaven.
“Ember…” He reached out to her, and she jerked back.
“Did you enjoy fucking me and watching me suffer?”
He flinched. “You have it all wrong.”
“Then why don’t you tell me, Angel? Or is that even your real name?”
He stepped closer until she could feel the heat from his body, smell that wonderful scent that made her want to sink her teeth into him.
She stood immobile as he leaned in slowly, barely brushing her lips with his. After everything she’d been through tonight, it amazed her; she still felt attraction for him—this stranger who in all likelihood was a copycat serial killer.
He didn’t kiss her. Instead he angled his head until his mouth was next to her ear. “I can’t expect you to trust me yet. I’m asking you to give me time to prove myself to you. There are things you don’t know. Things I can’t reveal to you right now. Just give me a week. Please.”
“What things?” She could barely think with him standing so close, his face touching hers.
The doorbell ringing hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ember, but it didn’t seem to faze Angel one bit. Now that the pounding in her heart had subsided, she could hear Laura’s muffled voice. It washed over her in warmth born of relief.
“Don’t answer it.” His lips skimmed along her jaw to the dimple in her cheek. He dipped his tongue into the tiny groove, wrapped a hand in her hair, and took possession of her mouth.
Between his delicious scent and the taste of him, Ember’s entire body felt liquid. She wanted him with a passion that bordered on desperation.
An image of the folder she’d found earlier in his kitchen invaded her mind along with the consistent pounding on the door, and she tore her mouth away. “You’ve been watching me. Did you send the note too?”
A dangerous glint shone in his eyes. His body went eerily still. “Note?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t—”
He grabbed her shoulders and squeezed. “What are you talking about?”
“Someone left a threatening note at Laura’s place a day after a manila envelope arrived.”
“What was in the envelope?” He seemed so genuine she wasn’t sure what to think anymore.
“Two photos. One of a dead woman’s body and one of me at the crime scene. You really didn’t have anything to do with that?”
“No, I didn’t. You have to believe me.”
She wanted to. “I—”
Clay’s voice penetrated her confusion. “Ember? Are you in there? We’re coming in.”
A low growl came from Angel. “Get rid of him.”
The sound of a lock clicking could be heard in the silence. Clay yelled just as he threw the front door open. “Hello?”
Ember jerked away and started across the bedroom. Before she reached the door, the detective came barreling into the room. His gaze locked on Angel, and he stopped short. Something flickered in Clay’s eyes, but it was gone so fast Ember wondered if she’d imagined it. He glanced at her briefly, turned on his heel, and ducked into the hallway, nearly running into a frantic Laura.
“Oh my God, are you all right?” The blonde darted around Clay and wrapped Ember in a bone-crushing hug.
“Yes, I’m fine. What are you two doing here?”
“I’ve been calling and…” Laura’s voice trailed off. She spotted Angel standing near the sliding glass door.
Ember pulled back and faced him. It was now or never. Should she turn him in or risk her life with a stranger who had evidence in his condo that could place him at the scene of a very recent murder?
The gorgeous Bulgarian stared back at her with a gleam in his eyes. She felt it was a challenge, a demand for her trust whether she wanted to give it or not. Something happened to her in that moment that couldn’t be explained. An unseen force passed between them in a silent battle of wills that she ultimately lost.
