Embracing Ember (14 page)

“You thought you could get away from me?”

Ember’s heart ratcheted up, beating against her chest as adrenalin caused her skin to prickle from the fear the voice that intruded her silent musings provoked. Ember wanted to scream, to run, to hide, anything but be here in this moment with him. She turned around slowly, praying it was a figment of her overworked imagination, only to be disappointed when she saw Landon, his features still as beautiful as an angel. Tears leaked down her cheeks and she flinched as he reached for her, grasping her by the hair she had allowed to hang loose. He wrenched her to him, yanking on her hair so hard she cried out in pain.

“You belong to me, Ember. You only escape through death and I am the only one who can grant you freedom. But don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m going to keep you forever.” Landon’s grip tightened bringing her head back for him to peer into her tear streaked face. His face was contorted in fury, a look she knew all too well. It was the same face she saw before he nearly killed her, so despite his words, she feared he intended to grant her that freedom she so desperately wanted and needed from him. “We are going to walk out of here and you aren’t going to give me any problems. You will walk with me and should you decide to cause a scene. Not only will I punish you, but I will kill anyone who is stupid enough to intervene,” he snarled bringing her attention to the gun tucked in his pants hidden by his shirt with a painful tug of his hand. He grabbed her face, squeezing cruelly on her jaw, bringing her face close to his. “Do you understand?”

Ember nodded, or at least tried, but Landon seemed pleased with her acquiescence because he smiled and drew her closer to him, taking her mouth in a brutal kiss. He forced his tongue into her mouth, increasing her distress. Ember remembered a time when she passively allowed him to do with her body as he wished, but now she couldn’t. Landon didn’t taste or smell like Ceylon. Her mind and body protested and she wrenched away from his lips before she could stop herself.

Landon was furious. Ember knew well how he hated to be denied and he ensured that she paid for her insolence with a punch to her gut. Ember’s breath whooshed out of her as she fell to her knees gripping her abused stomach. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she attempted regain her breath, but Landon continued to kick and punch her in various places on her abdomen and legs never landing a blow to her face. He may have been cruel, but he was smart, never leaving a bruise where it could be seen. He picked her up and shoved her to the bathroom. Ember knew the routine, so she washed her face and prepared to plaster a fake smile on her face so no one would guess she had just gotten her ass kicked.

“Now, let’s go before that bastard alien returns. Don’t worry. I plan to punish you for staying with him.” Ember’s heart sank at the thought of never seeing Ceylon again. She knew this day would come, but had secretly hoped they would be together forever. She certainly never thought she would be taken back by Landon against her will. Ember turned and got her first good look at Landon, only now noticing he had on the uniform of an electrician. When he led her to the front door and retrieved a bag of supplies before exiting she understood how he had bypassed security. “When we get off the elevator, walk ahead of me as if you don’t know me. Wait just outside the door, Ember. Don’t you try to run, because I will kill everyone around and then I will search for that alien and kill him too.”

Ember’s plan of escape went up in flames at his words. She couldn’t chance Ceylon’s life. The guard at the front waved at her as she passed. She heard him talking to Landon for a few moments before Landon exited the building and took her by the hand. This was bad. This was very bad. She followed him without making a scene, all her options taken from her by the man who had ruined her life. Ember began to grow angry as he shoved her into the car that he had parked down the street. She was angry that he thought to control her. She was angry that he thought he could control her. She was furious and if there was one thing she had learned in her time with Ceylon, it was that she was capable of fighting back. Although terror held her in its clutches, Ember became determined not to let Landon get the best of her.

***

Maria sat in front of Dr. Langston her request for a leave of absence in her hand. She needed some time away from everything. Her job as a spy/nurse had taken its toll on her. Her memory of Silvius intruded upon every aspect of her life. She could feel him watching her, even though she never saw him. Maybe she was becoming paranoid. The Chief Nursing Officer, Linettee Collins stood by Dr. Langston’s desk, his words washing over her like acid. “You are taking a leave of absence after you spent time on board a Salinian ship; in fact, you stayed over twenty-four hours. After which you reported that you found nothing of importance besides the medical scanner which, we have been given full access to in order to replicate their technology.”

“Yes, sir. I need to go and see family. It is my opinion that the Salinian people have come for peaceful reasons. I saw no evidence of weaponry aboard their ship, but I probably wouldn’t recognize their weapons if I had seen them.” Maria could see the displeasure on Linette’s face, but what could she say, “By the way, they are here because they need females to further their population.” No, that would only cause trouble. She had once heard that a person was smart, that when faced with something, they could come up with opinions and solutions. People are stupid. Together people could panic causing something that may not be a problem to become a problem. She knew these people would think the worst of Silvius and his people, but Maria couldn’t allow that to happen. Silvius’s people were just the same as those on Earth. They were searching for a way to survive, and while those she had met, even Secundus, had been decent people, she knew they probably had their problems with crime, also.

“Fine, I’ll grant you your leave of absence, but if we find you have kept information from us, be prepared to face punishment,” Linette said, her nasal voice grating on Maria’s nerves. Her hawk-like features had always given Maria the creeps. Dr. Langston and Linette had both been in the same unit as Maria while they served and had strategically been placed at Trinity Heart because of Ceylon, Silvius and the other members of the crew were allowed to observe the healthcare system. She hadn’t liked them while overseas in Iraq and she almost smiled at how some things never changed. While Linette had always been harsh and manipulative, Dr. Langston had appeared friendly and trustworthy. It only hid his true colors, reminding Maria of a snake waiting for the strike. Maria nodded and handed over her request, and left after being dismissed.

She made it to her car before she collapsed in tears, the stress of keeping such secrets taking its toll. Even her stomach seemed to be reacting to the increased stress. She was vomiting and add that to her new constant fatigue and she had become all but useless as an emergency nurse. Her colleagues had started asking her if something was wrong. She knew then that she had to get away. Forget about Silvius and what they had done together. But letting go was so hard when Silvius was perfect for her, called to her in ways she didn’t know someone could. Her body always heated, readying for him any time she thought of him. Even now when her world was in turmoil her nipples pebbled at the thought of him taking them into his mouth and her pussy wetted with her juices at the memory of his big, hard cock driving into her channel until she screamed from her orgasm.

Maria had to leave, to hide somewhere until she didn’t dream of his touch.

TEN

Ceylon walked into the apartment allotted him and immediately felt her absence. Ceylon called out for her, knowing she wouldn’t answer, but praying with every fiber of his being that she would. He had felt as if something were wrong all day and made himself stay and listen to Dr. Langston drone on and on about how the implementation of the medical scanner would be both beneficial and harmful to the healthcare system. Each moment was like agony to his senses, but he told himself his worries were ill-placed, and that Ember was fine. He had heard and read of the symptoms that a mother felt when she noticed her child was missing, had even sedated an unlucky woman in his first year as a healer who had lost her child, but he had never felt it before now. The panic was overwhelming and only his need to find Ember kept him grounded enough to remain calm enough to rationalize through what was happening.

Her artwork was scattered over the kitchen table, small colorful pictures that seemed geared toward children. He knew she had secretly used her art to save money for the time when she would finally get away from Landon, but she had never shown him any of her artwork. The disarray of the art and the overturned furniture in the kitchen made his heart race faster. He pulled out his communicator and contacted his ship, hoping beyond hope that Ember was fine and she had just left to go shopping or something.

“Secundus?” Ceylon growled impatiently. Of all the crew to answer, he was least thrilled it was Secundus.

“Yes, this is Secundus. Ceylon, is there a problem?”

“I need you to tap into the security feeds we had placed through this residence. I can’t find Ember.” Ceylon knew the panic was starting to seep through into his speech, and just hoped that Secundus would do as he asked.

“Okay. I assume you want today’s feed, correct?”

“Yes. I just need to know that she is okay.” The wait was agonizing. Only the knowledge that it would take Secundus a small amount of time to go through the various feeds kept him from screaming for him to hurry.

Secundus broke the agonizing silence with a growl of fury. Secundus’s next words made Ceylon feel as if the world had disappeared beneath him.

“What is it?” Ceylon asked when Secundus didn’t tell him what was happening.

“Some male has your Ember. He hit her a few times but she appears uninjured. He dragged her from the residence and got past the guards. What would you have us do?”

Ceylon only momentarily wondered why Secundus seemed so willing to help. For as long as he could remember Secundus had been ornery and difficult to be around. It had amazed Ceylon that he had been one of those selected for a diplomatic mission. The only person that Ceylon had noticed not being intimidated by Secundus was Lindsay.

“We need to know who this person is, but I am pretty sure it is her ex-mate, a male called Landon. We have to include the Earth authorities, but I want to search for her also. I can’t lose another mate,” Ceylon stated his voice breaking with the thought of losing Ember. She had become his heart and it wouldn’t beat without her.

“I’ll get everyone involved, although we can count Silvius out. He has been keeping an eye on the little nurse you brought on board with Ember.”

“Okay. Thanks. I’ll see you all in about an hour.”

Ceylon looked out the window and the beautiful colors painting the horizon as twilight fell upon Earth, it would be dark soon, like his life would be if he didn’t find Ember.

***

Ember stared at Landon, not believing she had let herself be caught in this never ending cycle. Again. She felt hopeless as he dragged her roughly into his late parent’s farm house that Ember thought he sold after their deaths about two years ago. He so graciously explained with his fists that she was to blame that they couldn’t go back to the house he bought, because she couldn’t do without going to the hospital after her punishment.

“Undress, Ember. I am going to remind you who you belong to,” Landon said as he roughly pushed her onto the bed. Ember’s panic that had receded at the familiarity of being with Landon came back with a vengeance. Of all the tortures he put her through; the taking of her body after she said no was one of the worst. No matter how much she washed afterwards, she still felt dirty and violated.

After Ceylon had taken her, claimed her body in a way she had only read about in a few romance novels, she could never allow herself to be subjected to that again. Her anger found its roots in that thought, blooming into a rage that he thought to take her as if she belonged to him.

I belong to no one, but myself and who I choose to give myself to.

Ember decided that she wasn’t helpless. She would not wait to be saved and if Landon thought she was just going to roll over and take it, then he had another think coming. “No.”

Ember almost laughed at the look on his face at being denied. She stood and crossed her arms, to stare him down. Yeah, he could probably hurt her, kill her, hell he could probably take by force what she denied him, but that would be the only way she would submit to this bastard.

Ember’s face burst with pain when he back handed her, knocking her to the floor. She gasped in pain as he yelled at her, his fury evident in the tone of his voice. “You insolent bitch, when I am through with you, you will have no doubt who owns you.”

He grabbed her by her hair and lifted her up to his face, pressing his mouth on her now bruised lips, attempting to force his tongue into her mouth. She opened her mouth and he plunged inside. After a brief moment of panic she bit down capturing his tongue between her teeth and biting down until she tasted the tell-tale coppery taste that signaled she had drawn blood. He pulled away from her, releasing her hair. She dashed around him, but she wasn’t quick enough. Landon grabbed her arm and slammed her to the ground before spitting in her face causing a brief satisfaction at seeing the blood that coated his mouth. Then he was on her. Punching her and kicking her. Ember curled into a ball and prayed for rescue, for him to grow tired of the beating, or for just plain rescue. His punishing hits lasted long after she allowed unconsciousness to take her away from the pain.