Burning Ember Read online

  Archer’s eyes narrowed. The demon had just reminded him of Dimitri’s loose tongue.

  “The source is Jasmine.” The payback he had dealt with that comment bit back. Dimitri reached for and threw the half-full bottle of vodka with supernatural strength and reflexes. It shattered against the wall behind Archer and Zane, splashing them both with the clear spirits.

  Archer flew to his feet. “Damn it, Dimitri. That nearly hit me.”

  “I told you to never to mention that bitch’s name to me again, and you go and have a meeting with her?” Dimitri’s accent was thick as he spat the words out.

  “It’s a pyro, so how could I refuse?”

  “Easy. You just say no.” The demon’s breath was coming faster, a sure sign that he was losing control.

  “Dimi, go to the safe room.” Archer paled. The last time Dimitri had lost control of his demonic nature, it had cost them a fortune to fix the loft.

  Dimitri stormed past them, yanking the door open and stalked into the safe room, which—not without irony—used to be a bank safe.

  He pulled the door shut, and Zane dashed past Archer to spin the wheel.

  “I hope to the gods he doesn’t destroy the intercom,” Zane said to Archer, who had followed him out the office. “Who is Jasmine, and what did she do to make him react like this?”

  “Oh, no, Zane. That is information you won’t be getting from me.”

  Archer turned to his own office with a sigh, wishing Dimitri hadn’t broken the bottle of vodka.

  Chapter Two

  Scarlet’s feet ached continuously in the cheap sneakers she’d bought from a discount store. They weren’t designed for this amount of walking, and she winced as she took another step on the cracked tar of the deserted back road.

  She wasn’t even sure where she was going. All she was sure of was that she needed to get as far away from Crossroads CT as she possibly could.

  That goal in mind, she’d been hitching rides from anyone that would offer one. She admitted to herself it wasn’t the safest mode of travel, but Scarlet had spent most of her life in and out of foster homes after her mother died when she was young. She’d never known her father, and because of her lack of parents and her system upbringing, Scarlet had learned to look after herself from an early age.

  She spotted a large stone next to the road, which looked like a good place to sit and rest her feet. She hitched her pack higher on her shoulder and walked towards the stone.

  “Only for a few minutes,” she muttered as she sat down on the stone. Scarlet pulled the backpack on her lap, opened the snap, and rummaged around in the bag until her fingers touched the wrapper of an energy bar. She took it out and peeled the wrapper open to take a bite.

  Scarlet didn’t want to sit still for long. Sitting still meant she wasn’t counting steps, and when she wasn’t counting steps, she was thinking, and when she was thinking, that horrible night came back to haunt her.

  Scarlet had been living in the Haven Shelter for Women for a month. She was saving up for the deposit on an apartment, and the woman who ran Haven had been more than willing to let Scarlet stay at the shelter as long as she helped out in the kitchens after her shift at the local diner was finished.

  She remembered going to bed in the dorm, struggling to fall asleep that night, feeling constricted and claustrophobic even though the night air coming through the barred window above her bed was cool. She’d attributed this to her boss being extra demanding that day, but eventually fell asleep.

  The sound of someone screaming her name in horror and the hacking gasps of people coughing woke her. The first thing Scarlet felt was intense heat. Her entire bed was in flames, the orange and red licks consuming everything around her, but not touching her at all.

  Scarlet had stared at the flame in fascinated terror until Jude stuck her arm through the flames to pull Scarlet out the burning bed. Jude pushed Scarlet to get her moving. “Move! Get out.”

  Scarlet had grabbed her bag out of the footlocker by the bed, then started helping Jude herd confused women into the open air. They stood outside, soot-covered, in shock, and watched the building burn to the ground as the fire department lost the battle against the flames.

  Scarlet had been standing near Jude and Philipa when she overheard them talking, and what they said made her make up her mind to run.

  Jude spoke to Philipa in a quiet whisper, just loud enough to catch Scarlet’s attention.

  “Scarlet started it. I saw the flames burst out of her skin.”

  Scarlet stiffened, but the women seemed unaware that she was standing where she could hear them. Philipa leaned forward to hiss at Jude. “No, you’ve got it wrong. It must have been a faulty wire or something.”

  “I’m telling you, I woke up and the flames were coming out her skin.” Jude’s voice climbed an octave. “I’m not making this up.”

  Scarlet stepped away from the women and forced her body to move, even though the shock of what she’d heard froze her. Half-remembered dreams, or memories, flashed through her mind and she moved faster. It was her. She had started that fire and needed to get away before someone proved it and locked her away forever.

  The flashing headlights of a car brought Scarlet back to the present. She crumpled the empty energy bar wrapper and shoved it into her backpack as she stood and stuck out her thumb.

  The beat-up truck passed her and then slowed down to a stop. Scarlet ran to where it had pulled over to the shoulder of the road and reached the passenger window.

  “Hey there, missy. What are you doing on such a lonely back road? It’s all kinds of dangerous.”

  Scarlet put her hands on the open window and smiled at the elderly man behind the wheel.

  She said the name of the nearest town. “I’m looking for a ride to Glen Falls. Are you going that way at all?”

  “Sure am, missy. Why don’t you hop in, and we’ll get you there safe.”

  Scarlet gave him a brilliant smile and tugged hard on the handle to open the rusty door of the truck. She slid in and put her backpack at her feet, banging the door to close it again.

  “I’m Joe…Joe Denton.” He put his hand on the shifter on the steering column, sliding the old truck into gear and pulled onto the road again. “Me and the missus have a farm right outside Glen Falls.”

  He rumbled into easy conversation, making Scarlet feel more comfortable. “Thanks for the ride, Joe, I’m Scarlet.”

  “Scarlet…that sure is a pretty name.” He looked over at her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a smile. “Was your mother a fan of Gone with the Wind?”

  Scarlet turned her head and looked out the window. “Don’t know. She died when I was three. I don’t remember much about her.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Miss Scarlet.” He sounded genuinely sorry. “No child should lose a mother that young.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed, but kept her eyes on the flashing scenery. There was no point in dwelling on the fact that her mother had died and left her to fend for herself in a cruel world. One that only got more complicated as she got older.

  “So, you heading out to family? You are a bit young to be hitching, aren’t you?” he added.

  Scarlet closed her eyes for a moment and reminded herself that the old man was doing her a favor, and that getting snippy with him because he was being too nosy was probably going to get her kicked out his truck.

  “I’m twenty five, so I’m not that young, but yes, I am going to family.” She turned and gave him a half smile, trying to hide the anger in her tone. “I’m planning on catching a bus in Glen Falls. I have an aunt in Boston.”

  “Well then, I’ll drop you at the station. It’s on my way home anyway.” He gave her another smile and let the subject of her age drop.

  “So what do you farm?” Scarlet decided that getting Joe to talk about himself was the best way to stop him from asking questions about her.

  “It’s just a small dairy farm. Nothing fancy.” He glanced over at her. “Me and
the Missus, and a few hands.”

  She could hear the pride in his voice. It might only be a small farm, but she could see he loved it and worked hard to make it a success.

  “And the Missus? Tell me about Mrs. Joe.” Scarlet gave him a real smile.

  “Well, we’ve been married forty years this spring.”

  He started to tell her about his life, and the trip to Glen Falls went past faster than she would have thought.

  Joe rambled on amicably about his home, family, and farm. He was a natural storyteller, and by the time they pulled into the bus stop at Glen Falls, Scarlet was sorry she had to say goodbye to the old guy. “Okay, Miss Scarlet.” To her chagrin, the name had stuck and he’d been calling her that the whole way. “This is the bus depot. Are you sure you don’t want to take me up on the offer of a place to stay for the night? The Missus would be happy for the company.”

  Scarlet had almost agreed when he’d made the offer, but she liked Joe, and she didn’t want to risk what had happened at the shelter.

  “No, thank you, though I do appreciate it. I’m going to catch the first bus I can.” She opened the truck door with a loud creak and stepped out, hoisting her backpack over her shoulder. “Thanks for the ride.”

  He touched the brim of his hat, and nodded his head. “Sure thing.”

  She pushed the truck door closed with a creaky thump and stepped away.

  Joe waved goodbye as he pulled away from the curb, and she returned the wave, feeling alone again. He’d been good conversation once she’d steered him away from asking questions about her past.

  She looked up at the well-lit bus depot and breathed out a sigh. She did not intend to catch a bus, but it was a good enough place to pass the rest of the night. It was safer than the street, at least.

  Scarlet climbed up onto the curb and pushed her way through the doors.

  Looking around, she took in the small bus depot. There was no one around except for a sleepy looking clerk behind the iron-barred window of the ticket counter. He was reading something and she was sure he hadn’t even noticed her come in.

  There were rows of wooden benches that looked like they were designed to be as uncomfortable as possible, along with two doors that led to the men and women’s rest rooms.

  An old, abused vending machine took up one corner.

  She found a bench in the other corner where her back was to the wall and pulled her backpack up. She put it between her head and the wall and leaned her head back, closing her eyes, hoping she could get some sleep.

  Scarlet must have dozed off because she woke with a start to the sound of squealing tires and raucous laughter.

  “Aw, come on J.D, there’s nothing to do at the bus station.”

  “Shut up, Dwayne. Bill is working tonight and I want to have a talk with him about Sally.”

  Scarlet strained to see out into the dark parking lot where three men were stepping up on the curb.

  As they pushed through the door of the bus station, she felt a flicker of tension. The young men were in their early to mid-twenties, and not one of them were small.

  What do they eat around here, super growth formula? Scarlet asked herself as she prayed they wouldn’t notice her.

  “Gees, JD, are you ever gonna get over Sally?”

  It was the same voice as before and she saw it belonged to a tall blond man—he must be Dwayne.

  His question was answered when one of the men grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him into the nearest wall.

  “Don’t you even say her name, you asshole.” He lifted the obviously frightened Dwayne up higher, sliding his back up the wall.

  “Um…su-sure thing,” Dwayne stammered his agreement.

  Scarlet sank back farther in her chair and wished she could camouflage herself. She could smell alcohol from where she was sitting and she knew these men were trouble looking for a place to happen.

  As if her thought had caught their attention, the third man looked over and noticed her sitting there.

  “Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing.” His grin was lascivious. “Hey, guys quit your bickering. I found a new toy for us to play with.”

  “What are you talking about, Pete?” J.D turned and noticed Scarlet. He let Dwayne slide down the wall. “Hello, baby.” He sauntered over to Scarlet. “Now we are going to have some fun.”

  Scarlet looked at the clerk behind the bars. “What are you waiting for, call for help.”

  J.D didn’t look at the barred ticket booth, but rather raised an arm and pointed in the clerk’s direction and threatened, “If you touch that phone, you will be shitting your teeth for a week.”

  Bill, the clerk, dropped the phone he’d put to his ear and backed up to the back of the booth.

  “Coward.” Scarlet muttered under her breath, then stood so she could face the threat.

  It didn’t help much that she was only five-foot-three and all the men stood a foot taller than her.

  J.D stepped in closer, invading Scarlet’s personal space. “So, baby, what do you say we go somewhere quiet and get to know each other?”

  “I say, why don’t you go home and sleep it off, before you do something you will regret.”

  Her answer had all three men laughing.

  “Oh, baby, this isn’t something I haven’t done before, and I’ve never regretted it. So…” he reached out a hand, and wrapped it around her forearm.

  Scarlet twisted her wrist pulling out of his grip. “So, go, and leave me alone. If you don’t, I will make you regret it.”

  She was terrified, but she wasn’t going to show it, and there was no way she was going to let him take her anywhere. If they were going to try to rape her, they’d have to do it here.

  “You’ve got spirit, baby, I like it, and you sure are a pretty little thing with those big blue eyes and all that long dark hair.”

  He moved faster than she expected, grabbing her braid in the nape of her neck forcing her head back. Holding her there with one hand, he mashed his mouth down on hers with such force that her teeth cut her lip, and her mouth was flooded with the copper taste of blood.

  She pushed at his chest with all her might, but he was like a brick wall, and there was no way she was going to move him unless he was cooperating.

  He lifted his head. “See, I knew you’d like it.” He grinned down at her.

  “Let go of me, now.” Her breaths were ragged with fear, and she was still trying to push him away, which made him tug harder at her braid, pulling the little hairs in the nape of her neck. Scarlet’s eyes watered from pain, and she started to get mad. “And look, such a nice set of tits.” He reached up with his other hand and squeezed Scarlet’s breast so hard it made her flinch.

  She shifted her eyes to see if Bill had picked up the phone again, but he was still huddled in the back of the booth, not moving. “Help me, you coward!” she yelled at him as he shook his head from side to side, his eyes wide with fear.

  J.D squeezed again and Scarlet hissed in pain.

  “Wohooo, this one’s going to be fun,” Dwayne crowed, and high-fived Pete.

  “I’ve got her after, JD.”

  “No. You. Wont.” Scarlet felt pure fury burn through her veins, her helplessness, and terror adding to the feeling. Her skin started to feel hot as if she was running a fever and her eyes burned. She let out a pent-up breath, and the heat burning her body eased.

  “What the—” Pete gasped.

  The benches in the bus station terminal were on fire, huge leaping flames crawling across the floor toward the three men and Scarlet.

  J.D let out a yelp of pain as his hands started to burn. “Oh, God, I’m on fire!” he screamed, letting go of Scarlet.

  “Drop and roll,” Dwayne yelled out.

  “Not in here, moron, the place is burning.” Pete grabbed J.D by the shirt and pulled him through the door as the other man screamed in agony.

  Scarlet saw Bill scramble to unlock the door to the ticket booth. Seeing this, she decided it was time to g
et the hell out of there before the fire department and the cops arrived. She grabbed her backpack and dashed through the door. The boys were too busy trying to put out the flames burning on J.D to notice as Scarlet escaped into the night.

  Chapter Three

  The occasional dull thump of Dimitri destroying the safe room reached Archer’s office as he sat with the package delivered earlier that day. It was still unopened because he had a gut feeling who had sent it. All he had to do was expose the contents to prove himself right.

  “No use waiting,” he muttered, and tore the paper covering the box.

  The scent hit him hard, causing Archer’s beast to throw itself to the fore, his fingers piercing the cardboard of the package as his claws shot out.

  What the fuck?

  Archer forced his beast back into the recesses of his mind. “Simmer down, buddy.” He concentrated on shifting his hands to human form.

  He pulled a piece of folded paper out of the box. Opening it, he could smell faint traces of Jasmine’s perfume, but the aroma of the package contents overwhelmed the floral of the fragrance.

  Archer,

  This is the only thing I can give you with Scarlet’s smell on it. The fire destroyed any other traces of it at the shelter. The uniform comes from her locker at the diner she was working at.

  Sniff her out and bring her back, doggy.

  J

  Archer tossed the note on the desk with a muttered bitch and reached into the box.

  His fingers closed around the material of the uniform and pulled it out of the package. Scarlet’s fragrance rocked him back into his chair, forcing him to tamp down his beast’s response again.

  Archer held the material up and, without thinking, rubbed it against his face, burying himself in the scent. He felt the inane urge to roll around in the smell.