In Embers (The Ember Series Book 3) (2 page)

~ Bother: Stone Sour ~

5 YEARS EARLIER...

Her silhouette danced before me, daring me to reach out and touch her. Her hair slid through the rushing wind hiding her beautiful face. As she stepped closer to me
, my heart came to life, roaring inside my chest like a fiery beast. Beating. Burning. Reaching...for her.

I’ve loved her from the moment my eyes first saw her. It was so clear now, so obvious. All I had to do now was embrace her. All of her. My hands filled with heat and a pair of flames painted over the scorching skin. Watching the flames flicker in front of my eyes I realized, it didn’t matter. My curse. My inferno. My haunting elemental ability. None of it mattered. All that mattered now was her. And only her.

“Max!” she screamed out, but I could barely hear it. I stepped forward and the fire in my hands twisted upward. The flames stretched for the darkening sky and she called to me again.

“Max!”

The ground began to tremble, shaking my bones in my feet and legs as if they were made of old crumbling paper. My balance fell away and my hands slammed into the ground in front of me as I toppled over. Thunder crashed the skies above and the earth split apart in giant cracks that crawled through the dirt in all directions.

“Max!” she screamed again, but now she was nothing but a fading shadow.

“No!” I cried out. The ground erupted violently with smoke and ash. It shot into the blackened heavens before raining back down onto my flaming skin. A foreboding darkness hunched over my back and shoulders, casting me in an impossibly large shadow. Glancing over my shoulder I saw the surrounding scenery take a new shape. An enormous mound of rock and debris bubbled up, covered in the same fiery cracks that were cut into the ground. The mound became a mountain in a matter of seconds before the top of it shredded itself in an explosion that knocked me to the devastated ground all around me. My flames disappeared leaving me gasping for oxygen. The skies caught fire. My bones filled with ice. I couldn’t move.

She was gone. I was alone again. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

My end.

Maui Community Correctional Center: Wailuku, Hawaii

Wednesday - 12:01
a.m. - December 29
th

“Get out of my head,” I mumbled, still fighting the images from my bad dream.

“Go back to sleep, Valentine!” the crabby correctional officer scolded.

“Ugh...” I groaned sitting up in my bed. I let out a small cough that tasted of sulfur. Placing my hands along the back of my sweat covered neck, reality finally caught up with me. It was only a nightmare. The same nightmare. I tried to steal a quick glance at my rude babysitter through crusted eyelids.

“I’m not going to tell you again!” he threatened.

“I can’t,” I mumbled. “Sleep is not my friend anymore.” My statement came out sadder than I had planned. I shrugged it off and studied my gloomy surroundings. My cell was small, cold, and smelled of mildew. The paint on the walls scratched away by the island’s humidity, and the tortured years of past prisoners. My mattress was so thin and dirty that I might as well sleep on the floor. That is, if I could sleep. These last few days that was impossible.

“You still having those dreams, huh?” Officer Fitzgerald eased his tone. He leaned against the bars of my holding cell with a small yawn. His dark features and brown eyes looked worn with too many nightshifts.

Giving him a crooked but fake smile, I said, “Yes.”

“Was it the one with your uncle?” he asked, curiously. “Or the other one?”

I just stared at him helplessly.

“Ya know, did you dream of...her...again?”

I said nothing. Silenced by my numbed heart. Petrified by the sweet angel who had haunted my dreams since she’d been away. Since that awful day that I lost control. Lost her. Lost everything important to me. My Uncle Frank. My new daughter. My fire. By the look on my face he could tell which of the two nightmares it was tonight.

Even still, I lied. “My uncle...again.”

It had only been a few weeks since my uncle had passed away of a rare form of lung cancer. A death sentence I never had the chance to heal with my powers. My mysterious healing touch was completely gone now, and so was my fire-starting ability. I was a superhero who wasn’t so super anymore.

“He was a good man,” he said, knowing I was lying to him. He played along, politely. “I miss him too.”

Officer Fitzgerald was a good guy, a straight arrow, even if he could be a bit of a grump during graveyard shift, but I still didn’t need to hear from him how loved my Uncle Frank was. It just made me hate myself more. It made me slip deeper into this hole I was in. After all, just like every other person in my life that I had loved and lost...it was my fault. His death was because of me...because of my curse.

“I told you the story how he helped me with a flat tire my rookie year on the force, didn’t I?” he continued, oblivious to the giant frown hanging from my face.

“Yes,” I sulked.

“In the pouring rain, he came to my rescue...”

“I know,” I snapped. “You’ve mentioned it before.” I didn’t want to hear anymore. I couldn’t bear to hear anymore. Finally, he realized the pain I was in.

“Sorry, Valentine.” Officer Fitzgerald removed a a folded newspaper from his back pocket and slid it to me through the cell’s bars.

“What’s that?” I barely asked.

“Looks like your court date has made the news. Front page.”

“Perfect,” I said, feeling sick to my stomach. “What’s it say?”

“That they’re blaming you for the event in downtown Hana. That you were the cause of the explosions that killed over a dozen people...”

“People? Don’t you mean mercenaries? Kidnappers. Killers. Scumbags,” I growled.

“Max, they were still human beings...even if you were only defending you
rself and your friends,” he stated as fact.

“My friends,” I whispered.

“They still haven’t found Samantha yet,” he cringed, not wanting to upset me more than I already was.

“Sam...”

Samantha Summers, the mother of my baby girl, Madison Lee. Sam’s golden blonde hair and forever green eyes easily qualified her for the island girl next door. My possible soulmate had been kidnapped shortly after the catastrophe in Hana. She had saved me from a painful death at the hands of a vengeful man who wanted to steal my unique powers. Now, she was gone, and so was my fiery touch. I hadn’t seen our daughter since that day either. Samantha sent her away with the last person I ever thought possible...Asia.

“And Asia?” I asked, already knowing the answer. He nodded no, looking away from my angry eyes.

Asia Michaels, the stunning and powerful girl who could control Mother Nature with the slightest nudge of her emotions. Tall, dark, and impossibly beautiful, she was my elemental opposite and haunted me completely. Sam, Asia, and I were caught in a love triangle that had become out of control. A romance that seemed to be tearing us all apart, like some silly melodrama you’d read in a YA book. Sam and Asia hated each other. Needless to say, I couldn’t believe it when Sam had asked Asia to hide little Madi away until it was safe again. After the destruction I had caused to the public I wasn’t sure how soon that would be. The thought of not seeing my daughter was unbearable, but I knew Asia would never hurt her. She would protect Madi with her life. Madi shared the same mystical connection I did with Asia. As if they were bonded on some magical level
.
No one’s seen either one of them since they disappeared.

“Where are you, Asia?”

Outside the correctional walls, thunder rattled the island. It sounded menacing, yet comforting. With a chill along my skin, I leaned back on my mattress and pretended I was back home in my bed. I spent the rest of the night waiting for the smell of rain to tuck me in.

~ Here Comes The Rain Again: Eurythmics ~

Thursday dusk - 5:43 p.m. - December 3
0
th

Asia:

“Geez…the things you do for love…”

The decadent city o
f
Duba
i
reflected its vulgar wealth from over my shoulder. Lightning slid along the building rainclouds above me, signaling my mood. I was nervous, yet excited. I had been searching for Samantha for ten days now. Ten long and frustrating days. Her kidnappers had more money than me, which is almost impossible since I was filthy rich. And that gave them a slight advantage over me. When money is no object you can basically disappear anywhere. You can become a ghost.

Standing on this baron hillside looking down on the giant warehouse factory that wasn’t supposed to exist, I inhaled a long breath. Over one hundred miles from the nearest town this hidden building was basically a fortress. Security was everywhere and it made me anxious.

Feeling the gentle vibration of my cell phone from my back pocket, I reached down and answered the incoming call. “Yeah.”

“Asia, it’s me, Vivian,” the worried voice announced from the tiny speaker of my phone. I rolled my eyes. I had been in contact with her for over a month now and she always introduced herself when we talked over the phone. As if I would ever forget the name of Max’s mother.

“I know,” I huffed, and positioned myself in the moving shadow cast down from the clouds. The sun fell away, shading the landscape in a gray haze. The phone line filled with fuzz as the electrical charge in the restless clouds intensified.

“Have you found her?” Vivian asked.

“Yes.”

“Thank God…” she sighed.

God? Ha, SHE had nothing to do with this
.
I let a small smile curl upon my lips.

Vivian continued with her worry. “Are you sure you can handle this by yourself?”

“Yes,” I said, point-blank. The thunder agreed. Vivian finally realized it wasn’t the best time to talk.

“Okay, Asia. Call me when you have her.”

Taking a deep breath in, “I will.”

Slightly annoyed by my distant demeanor, Vivian politely said goodbye. Just before she hung up though, I asked her one simple question. “How is he? How’s Max
?”

After a few seconds of silence, she finally answered me, “Lost.”

“Don’t worry, Vivian, I’ll be back soon.” I quickly hung up the phone and slid it back in my pocket. My chest tightened with worry. My Max. The image of him behind bars infuriated me. I needed to get back home to Maui. He needed me. I needed him. Thunder rolled over my head again as the first drops of rain drilled into the desert sand. I pulled my dark hair into a snug ponytail and whispered.

“You better still be alive, Sam.”

MINUTES LATER…

Sneaking in wasn’t an option. This facility was too high-tech. It had to be blanketed with every kind of security measure. If they didn’t already know I was coming, they would as soon as I powered up. Sure, I could call up a massive hurricane and rip this building to shreds, but that was too risky. Sam could be hurt by my assault. Not an option. She may be the thorn in my relationship side with Max, but she trusted me with their daughter, Madison. I had to repay that. I had to save her. Though it enraged me, Sam really was a good person. I could see why Max had such strong feelings for her.

Reliving the moments before Sam’s kidnapping was extremely painful. Seeing her gun down the evil bastard that tried to kill our beloved Max, was tattooed in my memory. As she stood over a lifeless Max, and very dead body of his attacker, she was swiftly led away by Maui’s finest. Under arrest for the murder of one of the richest men in the world, Mr. Hitoshi Ryoyo. He was obsessed with Max and the idea of harnessing his fire-starting abilities for the almighty dollar. Thankfully, Sam stopped him.

Unfortunately, no one ever saw Sam again, after that. They found the abandoned police car she was taken away in, but that was all. Someone had pretended to be part of the Maui police department. They knew that Sam would be the best leverage to acquire Max in the future. That same someone was the head of Wahlberg Inc., Avery Wahlberg. A real horses ass. Now, staring up at the spinning lens of the facilities main security camera, I let out a small smile and a wink.

“Avery…” I said, in a thick whisper toward the camera. He would be shocked to see me. For many reasons. First, this facility, this building didn't exist…at least not on paper. It was supposed to be a secret. It was an illegal structure, catering to many illegal things; weapons, drugs, and God knows what else. Second, he wouldn’t expect me to come on this rescue mission alone. Third, he and I had a bit of a bumpy past.

I killed his little brother.

Without any warning I found myself surrounded by thirty men decked out in full riot gear and giant guns. They were understandably agitated and screamed at me in another language. With a quick glance around I began to giggle.

“You boys want to play?” I teased. They all tightened in their stances and locked their laser-sighted weapons on me. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

I stomped my right foot down, driving my boot into the ground. A blast of electrified energy exploded in all directions, sending the guards spinning in the air. Each one tried to react, but it was no use. I had spent way too long mastering my exceptional elemental gifts. They didn’t have a chance against me. With a clap of my hands lightning rained down over them, knocking them unconscious instantly.

“All played out, huh?” I asked. From directly in front of me the giant wall pulled open, revealing a brightly lit corridor. More guards ran up with their automatic weapons ready to fire. Quickly, I put my hands in the air.

“Freeze!” one soldier demanded. With a shift of my hips, and a smirk along my lips, I gave up.

“No prob, handsome,” I purred. He lunged forward, jamming the barrel of his gun into the space inches from my face. I smiled bigger. “Take it easy. I come in peace.”

“Shut up!” he spit.

Slowly, I
nodded to my victims everywhere. “They come in pieces.”

He looked around at all the motionless bodies scattered outside the facility, some of them still smoking from the lightning bursts, and angrily grunted my way.

“You’re as dangerous as we’ve been told,” he squinted.

I shrugged my shoulders.
“Probably.”

He hollered, “Don’t move!”

My face fell deadly and I whispered, “Where’s Avery?”