Finding Obscurity (24 page)

“She snores like a
grizzly bear, doesn’t she?” a deep, rumbling voice said from across the fire.

I jumped, dropping the
granola bar on the ground, and spun around to face the man watching me
curiously on the other side of the flames. My heart lunged into my throat as he
tossed another log onto the fire. For a minute the sparks were shooting through
the air and blocked my view of him sitting there like there wasn’t a care in
the world.
 
His head tilted to the side,
studying my reaction and wondering what I might do. I knew that if I ran, he
would catch me before I made it to the trees.

“Are you going to eat
that granola bar? I heard your stomach growling for hours, so you have to be
hungry. You need to eat because I don’t want you passing out on me before we
can get you out of here. I’m sure its fine – even after the five-second rule –
or you could just peel off the part that touched the dirt.”

“What… I…” The words just
couldn’t form from my mouth. I was so shocked that my brain couldn’t
communicate properly with my tongue.

“You and Paige had quite
the fight to get you out of there. The poor girl is worn out, and even though
we should leave soon, I’ll let her catch up on sleep.” He grinned and stood up.
“Did you get the lily I left for you?”

“You left me that?” I
wanted to scream and run at the thought of the crazy coincidence of this man
leaving the flower in my bedroom.

“Of course. I didn’t mean
to scare you with it. If you don’t calm your heartbeat, you could have a panic
attack and you’re already short on blood right now. We don’t want your emotions
getting out of hand and you accidentally shocking me, do we?”

I shook my head and tried
to calm my beating heart, because the resemblance was uncanny. There was no way
this day could get any crazier than right now. Aquamarine eyes stared at me
across the fire, along with those sharp cheekbones and dark hair that I know
all-too well.
 

“I’m Alistair Ryder. Nice
to finally meet you, Lily.”

About the
Author

Emma lives in Indiana with her
husband and three crazy cats. When she’s not busy writing her next novel, she
enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to music, taking naps,
or curled up with a good book.

Would you like to learn more about upcoming books? You can
find me online:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authoremmashade

Website:
 
www.emmashadeauthor.com

Twitter:
 
https://twitter.com/ShadeEmma

Did you love Finding
Obscurity? Finding Clarity is available now!

Half vampire, half conjurer, Lily Canton might be the most powerful
creature on earth. That is, if she could control her powers. Hunted for her
unique lineage, Lily must learn to harness her abilities and fight off those
who would manipulate her for personal gain.

Haunted by the memories of her horrific kidnapping, Lily struggles with her
return to normalcy. If, of course, being an out-of-control conjurer could ever
be considered normal. Even her love life is a jumbled mess. Ashton, the sexy
vampire who first stole her heart, claims her as his mate. Yet Lily can’t deny
the electricity between her and gorgeous conjurer, Blake. Both men will stop at
nothing to have her, but only Lily can decide to whom her heart truly belongs.

The men in Lily’s life aren’t her only problem though. Con, the vampire
madman, is out there somewhere. He knows her secrets and he’s hell-bent on
revenge. When she’s
forced into hiding, tempers flare, boundaries are
crossed, and love will be tested.
But there’s no place to hide when Lily’s mind becomes the battlefield.
Con invades her thoughts and dreams, tormenting her with a deal that could mean
death.

Do secrets have the power to kill? How far will Lily go to protect the ones
she loves?

CHAPTER ONE

Finding Clarity

© 2013 Emma Shade

Life is a lot like a bicycle. At
first you’re riding along without a care in the world, and somebody throws a wrench
in your spokes. You tumble and fall headfirst into the concrete, scraping your
knees and grating your palms as you catch yourself. Is it fair? No. But life is
never fair, and I’ve had enough wrenches in my spokes lately to last a
lifetime.

As I stared across
at Ashton’s brother over the flames, I wasn’t sure how many surprises I could
take. First, I learned I was a conjurer, which is a fancy word for witch, and I
was supposedly a powerful one. However, I couldn’t control my power to save my
life. I blame that mostly on my birth parents. My birth mother was a conjurer
and my father was a vampire. They weren’t even supposed to have children, but
here I was. It was an ill-fated affair that would end in disaster, murder, and
dark secrets. Vampires and conjurers hated each other. I was still trying to
figure out the reason for the loathing between the two.

Of course in the
middle of this hot mess known as my life, I fell for Ashton Ryder, the sexy-as-sin
vampire and owner of the popular dance club, Revive. Though I’d sworn to never let
anyone get that close to me, I’d fallen hard and fast for Ashton. He wanted me,
even though I was half conjurer. He loved me no matter what I was, and wanted
to be my match, another word for mate, kind of like being married in the
vampire world.

Then there was
Blake Moore, a powerful conjurer guaranteed to have skeletons in his closet. Blake
was an enigma. Sexy, powerful, and confusing - all wrapped up with a nice,
shiny bow. He pushed his way in and rooted feelings deep down inside my heart.
I shouldn’t have any feelings when it comes to Blake but, like I said, life
isn’t fair.

I’d found two glorious
friends along the way. Sam Arbor and Carlotta Brown showed me true friends do exist.
Real friends never assumed, always listened, and never judged you. A few years
ago, you would have never caught me out in public, let alone making friends. But
here I was, missing the friends who had crept into my heart.

I had been kidnapped
by Stacy and Con in an ill-conceived attempt to use me to further their evil
plans. Paige, the last person I expected to be a hero, saved me. Paige was a
smartass bitch who didn’t give a crap what you thought of her. I still wasn’t
sure what to think of her just yet.

All that mayhem
led me to sit where I am now, parked in the middle of the woods, staring at
Ashton’s long, lost brother, Alistair. Could my life get any more confusing?
No? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

“I’m Alistair
Ryder. Nice to finally meet you, Lily.” Alistair stared back at me over the
campfire, waiting for my response.
Alistair had vanished without a word to his
own brother, and had been missing for over fifty years. It turned out he was
the one who had dropped me off after my parents were murdered. He was behind
the rescue attempt today, though I’m not sure what he had to do with Paige. It
was another mystery I was determined to solve.

“What are you doing here?”

Alistair smirked. “I’ve always been around.
You just never paid attention over the years. I’ve watched as you danced at
your first recital, had your first date, and graduated school.”

“That’s
kinda
creepy, Alistair.”

“I made a promise to your father that I
intend to keep. Creepy? No,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t take promises
lightly.”

“You’ve been following me around almost my
entire life? Why haven’t you let Ashton know you’re alive? He assumed you were
dead after all this time. Do you know what that did to him? How can you do that
to your own brother?” I said.

“I miss him every day, but I couldn’t show
my face until now. Please understand why I couldn’t be spotted. It was best to
stay hidden to keep your secret buried. You have no idea what will happen when
everyone knows who you are. It’s even more dangerous now that Con knows and has
escaped.”

I shivered at the mention of Con. He was a
sadistic man who wanted to keep me for his little sex pet and blood bag.

“Why don’t you tell me what the big deal is?
Sure, I’m a mix of both vampire and conjurer.
Woopy
freaking do.” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “One thing nobody will tell
me is what a conjurer really is. Why do you hate each other? All I’m left with
are these lingering questions.”

“
Woopty
freaking do?
Lily, let’s not be so carefree about this. It’s a serious
matter.”

“Then fill me in, Mr. Serious. What in the
hell is a conjurer?”

“Well, what you are is quite simple, really.
A conjurer has had many names over the years. Witch, sorcerer, wizard, shaman,
and whatever else you can think of along the same meaning. Each person born
with those genes have different abilities, ranging from controlling the weather,
to something as simple as moving objects with their mind. But, like everything
in this world, being powerful comes with a price. Usually that price is their
life.”

“Why would it matter how powerful you were?
I know two powerful ones who are still living.” I glanced at Paige, who shifted
a little with a snort in her sleeping bag.

“Ah, yes. Paige and Blake are still alive.
That’s because they don’t abuse their powers. They stay out of sight and out of
mind. Think of it like this…if you rob a bank, do you boast it to everyone, or
stay silent?”

He had a point. Was that what was expected
of me? Stay silent and be a good little girl? I had a problem with that. I’d
stayed a recluse for so long that I was done with it. There was no way I
couldn’t stand up for what I believed in anymore. Sure, I’d rushed headfirst
into friendships, romance, and sharing my secrets in the past month or two. But
I wouldn’t change it for the world. Taking that plunge without regrets is what
made me who I was today.

“So what does that mean for me? Am I
supposed to stay silent again? I can’t be in the background anymore, being that
scared little girl under the bleachers. I just can’t.”

Alistair frowned. “It means that once the
secret is out, everyone is going to either try to kill you, or use you for their
own propaganda. The storm is already brewing. You’ll have two sides wanting you
to choose. What side will you be on, Lily?”

Chose a side? What
good would that do? It would accomplish nothing but more prejudice. I had
Ashton and Blake to think about. Could I give one of them up? No. “Neither
side, Alistair. I want to be my own person, and nobody is going to tell me what
to do. Not anymore.”

“You may not have
a choice. Some of these people make it hard to say no.”

“Like the mob or
something?”

“Lily, you have no
idea. Worse.”

“So are you going
to answer me as to why these people hate each other, or not? Am I supposed to
just sit here on my ass and listen to this bullshit?”

He rubbed his face
in frustration, letting out a noisy breath. “I’m not, as you so eloquently put
it, bullshitting you. There’s a lot to learn. All in good time, Lily.”

Paige started
shuffling up to a sitting position with a yawn. “Do you guys have to talk so
fucking loud? Can’t a girl get some beauty sleep around here?”

Alistair gave her
a raised eyebrow, leaning back on his elbows. “I’ve been up all night.”

“I was the one
used as a snack pack for a vampire for a few days. So sue me.”

“What time is it?”
I went to reach for my cell phone, but I’d left it in the hotel where I had
been kidnapped. “Can I use a phone?”

“Sure.” Paige
yawned again before pulling out her phone.

“Thanks.” I snatched
the phone from her and walked towards the edge of the trees to make the call.
They would hear me even if I walked across the pond, but I didn’t care.

It had been
countless days since I’d spoken to anyone, besides the dream of Blake. I just
had to hear Ashton’s voice. I felt lost, hopeless, and frightened without him.
He was my anchor and my shield. How did I not see that?

“Hello?” Ashton’s
deep timbre rolled softly over my skin, triggering a shudder deep down into my
soul. It was the best sound in the world. A chorus of angels wouldn’t measure
up to how wonderful his voice was to me in that moment.

“You don’t know
how great it is to hear your voice.”

“Liliana! Baby, where
are you? Blake told me you’re okay, but wouldn’t tell me anything else. No
matter how many times I threaten the bastard, he won’t give. I’ve been going
insane with worry.”

I sighed and all
the weight seemed to lift off my shoulders. There were times during my
kidnapping I wondered if I would speak to him or anyone again. I’d been beaten,
drugged, and bitten by Con. It was a wonder I made it out alive. “I’m fine. Not
really sure where I am, but don’t worry. Stacy is dead. Paige did an awesome
rescue attempt, or I would’ve been halfway across the world with a vicious
vampire.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,
even though I wish you were in my arms right now. I just couldn’t imagine my
life without you. My life was an empty shell until I met you, Liliana. I
would’ve searched the ends of the earth to bring you home. Now that I know
you’re out of harm’s way, I’m out for revenge. Who was the vampire?”

“His name was
Con
. That’s all I remember. Things were really a blur. They
kept me drugged most of the time. I know he said you knew who he was though.”

Ashton growled. “I’ve
met so many people through the years that the name doesn’t sound familiar. But
when I find him, he’s a dead man.”

The sky was
starting to lighten from the sunrise, and I glanced back to see Alistair
watching me like a hawk. “Ashton, promise you won’t freak out on me?”

“Of course, Liliana.”

“Okay, your brother
is alive and well.”

“How do you know
that?”

“Because he’s here
with me.”

There was silence
on the line for so long, I looked at the phone screen to make sure I hadn’t
lost him. Then Ashton’s voice boomed through the speaker. “He’s
there
?
Let me talk to him. Let him
explain
to me where he’s been for the last
fifty
years. I want to know what he’s doing involved in this, and why!”

“I don’t know if
that’s a good idea. I think it’s better if you see him in person.”

Alistair stood and
walked in my direction, shaking his head. When he reached me, he tried to grab
the phone out of my hands, but I slapped his hand away. “Time to go, Lily.
We’ll take you to Ashton’s club. Tell him we’ll be there by nightfall.”

“Is that him? Is
it?”

“I’ve got to go,
Ashton. I miss you, and tell everyone I’m okay. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Liliana, please…”

I hit the end
button and stared at the display. It was wrong of me to cut him off so quickly,
but some things were done better face-to-face. His brother showing up after all
these years was one of them.

“He won’t call
back, because the number shows private,” Paige said softly, taking the phone
from my shaky hands.

I was waiting for the
phone to ring, and she knew it. I nodded and headed back to the fire, kicking
dirt in frustration. The feeling of guilt swamped my heart after abruptly
disconnecting the phone with Ashton. I’d been waiting days to hear his voice.
And what did I do when I heard him after all this time? I hung up on him the
second things got messy. Would I always run when turmoil reared its ugly head?