Burning to Ashes Read online

  Archer turned and looked at Zane, his eyes glowing yellow. “Don’t call Selene that.”

  The vampire shrugged with an unrepentant smile.

  “You didn’t deny it, so that leaves you open to all kinds of speculation.”

  “Not dealing with this now.”

  Scarlet swallowed a fresh rush of jealousy. She was being stupid because Archer might not have denied it, but he didn’t want Selene being called his She. That had to mean something.

  Archer opened up the passenger door for her, cutting off her thoughts, and helped her in before moving to the back of the car and lifting the tailgate to chuck the bags in the trunk.

  “What? You don’t open the door for me?”

  “You are pushing me to my limit, here. Give it a break, okay?”

  Zane said nothing and got into the back seat of the SUV.

  “What are we going to do when we have to drive during the daylight?” Scarlet asked. She was trying to break the brooding silence that filled the SUV. They had been driving for two hours and it was starting to fray her nerves.

  “I don’t—”

  Zane leaned forward between the front seats interrupting Archer. “The windows are UV resistant to the point that I could sit in this car in the middle of the Mohave Desert, and I wouldn’t break a sweat.”

  “They are?” Archer turned his head to look at Zane.

  “Yeah, Dimi told me to order the SUV. Remember? I added some vampire modifications.” He shrugged.

  “You really wanted to get into the field and away from that desk, huh?”

  “Like you wouldn’t believe,” Zane admitted.

  Scarlet turned in her seat so she could look at Zane. “How long have you been doing the reception for Outsiders?”

  “Eighty years, give or take,” Archer answered.

  “No, eighty years, five months, ten days and fifteen hours,” Zane corrected.

  Scarlet smiled. “Maybe you shouldn’t have done such a good job. I think it’s probably a case of them finding your skills in the office, indispensable.”

  Zane snorted. “Then, it’s time they hire someone new. I’m done riding pine.”

  The SUV pulled out of a densely wooded road, and into a clear area, where the stars and moon became visible again. Scarlet felt a jerk inside her stomach, and intense pain radiated through her abdomen, spiking up into her torso and down her arms and legs. She bit back a cry of pain and curled forward. “Stop the car.”

  Archer reached out to touch Scarlet. “What’s wrong?”

  She flinched away from his hand. Any one touching her right now would feel like death. “Stop the fucking car!”

  Archer tugged the steering wheel, pulling the car on to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes.

  Scarlet groaned when the seatbelt cut into her, but she fought off the pain and scrambled to get the door open. She stumbled out of the SUV and hit the dirt, crumbling to her knees. Her arms wrapped around her stomach and she keened in pain, rocking to try to ease it.

  Archer was there a moment later, Zane right beside him. “Scar, what’s wrong?”

  She didn’t have the breath to answer him, but kept rocking, fighting her way through the pain. She didn’t know if she was going to throw up, or feint.

  She felt as if a glacier had taken up residence in her stomach, only to have it heated to boiling temperature and bubble, turning her gut into a caldron on an open flame.

  Archer stood over her, blocking the light, and the pain intensified. “Move,” she ordered sweeping his legs with her arm. As soon as the moonlight touched her skin, again, the pain eased to a bearable level.

  Archer knelt down on the ground next to Scarlet, careful not to block out the moonlight. “What do you feel, Scarlet?”

  “Ice…fire…so much pain.” Her voice was hoarse as if she hadn’t spoken in years.

  * * * *

  Archer was at a loss. He didn’t know what this new development was, or meant. Did it have something to do with Scarlet’s pyro abilities? Was her body starting to deteriorate because of the fact that she had started to burn in her own flames.

  “I’m sorry you are hurting.” He stroked her back, trying to sooth her.

  She flinched away from his touch. “Give me a few minutes, then we can go, okay?”

  Archer nodded, then spoke to Zane. “In one of the duffels is some bottled water and some granola bars. Can you bring them here?”

  Archer knew Scarlet hadn’t eaten in a while, and perhaps that was what was making matters worse.

  Archer got up and fetched his jacket out of the car, then wrapped it around her shoulders.

  She groaned and rocked forward again.

  “We have to get moving soon, belan. Do you think you’ll be able to travel?”

  Scarlet hissed and panted, rocking her body forward and back, but she nodded. “Give me fifteen minutes. Let me ride out the worst of this, please.”

  Archer stroked her back again. “Okay.”

  “I’m praying that this pain starts to ease. What is it?” Scarlet asked as she curled forward again.

  “I don’t know.” He was stumped. “I’ve never met a pyro before, Scarlet. I don’t know if this is normal. Your mother—”

  “Died in a fire when I was three, but I don’t remember anything about her.” She groaned.

  Zane appeared with the water and the granola bar. “So, no history to call on, and no one we can ask right now.”

  Archer took the bar and tore open the wrapping. “Take a bite, belan.” He put the bar by her mouth, but Scarlet moved her face away.

  “You have to eat. It might be that you’ve burned too much energy with your fire earlier.”

  Scarlet took the granola bar from Archer and took a small bite, chewing carefully.

  * * * *

  He was right…the pain started to ease up a bit.

  Zane had a strange look on his face. “You say your mother died in a fire?”

  She nodded as she took another bite of her granola.

  “Then, your mother had to be a pyro. Do you know your father?”

  “No, and he is listed as unnamed on my birth certificate.” The pain was easing for sure. She could breathe again without feeling as if someone was driving steel spikes into her chest. She took the bottled water from Zane and twisted the cap off so she could take a swallow.

  “It’s a good bet that your mother was a pyro, then. That’s where you inherited your ability.”

  “You mean death sentence.” Scarlet stood and tilted her head back, letting the rays of the moon take the pain away further.

  When no one commented on her statement, she opened her eyes and looked at the males. “I feel much better, so we can go now.”

  They got into the SUV, but as soon as she was out of the moon’s rays, the pain started up again. Scarlet kept taking bites of the granola bar, and it seemed to help a little.

  The pain was in spurts, like cramping, and that, Scarlet could deal with.

  “You are still in pain.” Archer didn’t ask her, he told her.

  “Yeah, but it comes and goes, though it’s not as debilitating as it was a while ago.

  “Are you sure? We can stay here a bit longer.”

  “No, let’s go.”

  Archer started the SUV and pulled onto the road again.

  His eyes were on her more often than the road, but they made progress anyway.

  Scarlet clenched her teeth and tried to relax her body as she leaned back in the car seat.

  “It’s getting near dawn. Shouldn’t we find a place to stay for the day?” Scarlet didn’t want to admit the pain she’d been through wiped her out. All she wanted was a soft bed, and some sleep.

  “Yes, there, we should be on the outskirts of a town soon. I’m sure there will be somewhere we can stay.” Archer shifted the gears. “I’m tired and I need some rest. You are driving this evening Za—” The car died, the engine cutting out without warning.

  Chapter Four

 
“What the fuck?” Archer pumped the gas, and the car jerked and shuddered to a stop.

  “Why did the car cut out?” Scarlet asked with a frown.

  “I don’t know, the gas tank is still over half.” Archer checked the dials, and turned the key in the ignition.

  Nothing.

  “Arch…” Zane pointed past Archer out of the front window of the SUV.

  Scarlet looked up at the same time Archer did. A small building had the words Billy D’s Dump painted on a rusted sign hung at what Scarlet guessed must be a thirty-degree angle from the front of the building.

  The place appeared to be run down, and looked deserted until you noticed there was light coming out of the very edges of the windows, as if someone had covered them or painted them closed. A black Impala was parked in the dirt parking lot.

  “That car looks familiar, doesn’t it?” Zane asked, and something in his tone told Scarlet they were facing friend, rather than foe.

  “Well, let’s go see what they want.” Archer unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door.

  Scarlet walked behind Archer and Zane as they approached the dilapidated road side bar and diner.

  “Shouldn’t we make a noise to let whoever this is know we are here?” Scarlet was wary of any new meetings, since she didn’t have the best track record when meeting new Eternals.

  “Oh, they know we are here,” Zane assured from just ahead of Scarlet. “It was a technophage that killed the car.”

  “That ass better make sure the car starts again,” Archer grumbled under his breath.

  “Okay, I feel dumb for having to ask, but what is a technophage?” Scarlet asked.

  “They are like what science fiction calls a Technopath. Technophages are able to control anything mechanical or electronic with their minds,” Zane answered.

  Archer supplied the rest of the explanation. “But the difference between a path and a phage is that a technophage has the ability to—like a virus—destroy what they are controlling.” He pushed through the front door of the diner.

  “Tate, you asshole, why are you messing with my car,” he bellowed.

  “Nice to see you, too, Arch, long time.” Tate sat—no, lounged would be a better word—on a dining chair, his booted feet kicked up onto a table in front of him. His bright purple hair—Scarlet did a double take—yes, bright purple, was long in the front, and short and spiked in the back. Wisps of his hair played at his chiseled jaw line. He had a ring right through the center of his bottom lip, and another in one in his eyebrow, his deep violet eyes mostly hidden by his hair.

  Scarlet, so absorbed by this man, nearly missed the rest of them. A man and a woman were playing pool at a table in the corner. The woman had corn-colored hair up in a girlish ponytail. She was bending long over the pool table to take a shot, taking a quick glance at Archer and the rest before her attention went back to the pool table.

  The man with her had hair that was so deep auburn, it was almost black, with only the slightest highlights of red flashing in the overhead lights as he leaned casually on his pool cue.

  The last man was sitting near Tate. He’d turned the chair so the backrest was in front and had straddled it his chin resting on his folded arms. His blond hair curled around his features and he looked like an angel. For a split second, Scarlet thought he must be one, but she didn’t see any hint of shadowed wings.

  “You do know I own a cell phone, right?” Archer asked with a raised brow.

  Tate dropped his legs off the table and stood to take Archer into a bear hug. “What’s the fun in that, dude?”

  Archer shook his head and sighed, but he had a grin on his face.

  Tate hugged Zane, too as the others moved closer, and the blond man stood to hug Archer.

  Scarlet stood back, not wanting to draw any attention herself.

  Tate nodded his head in Scarlet’s direction. “I see you’ve got the pyro.”

  “Yes.” Archer actually smiled when he said that, which surprised her.

  “Scarlet, this is Tate, the technophage we mentioned. This is Heath, he’s a precog.”

  Scarlet nodded at them as Heath watched her with a strange look on his face. “This is Erik, he’s a blood mage.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Scarlet asked. Precog was easy enough to understand, but what the hell was a blood mage?

  “A blood mage can manipulate the DNA of any creature,” Zane said. “Scary, badass, blood mages are.”

  “You know it.” Erik grinned. “But we have more abilities than just DNA manipulation.”

  “And the beautiful lady is Sophia, she’s a Sprite.”

  “A fairy?”

  There were some coughs into hands at that point, and a glower from Sophia.

  “From what I can see, you don’t know much about the Eternal, so I’ll forgive you this time, but never…I mean, never call me a fairy again.” She clasped her hands together and slowly drew them apart.

  Scarlet’s jaw must have dropped when lightening arched between Sophia’s palms.

  “I’m the high atmospheric lighting type of sprite, not the fairy type.”

  “Got it.” Scarlet swallowed, and made a mental note not to open her big mouth for at least an hour. Her pain had eased. She didn’t need to give anyone here an excuse to bring it back.

  “But where are our manners. Pull up a chair, Arch. Erik, go get the Tequila,” Tate ordered as he sat back down and Archer pulled some chairs closer.

  “Not that I don’t enjoy visiting with you all.” Archer sat down stretching his long legs in front of him. “But we have a bit of a time limit on our mission.”

  Heath waved his hand, dismissing the problems they faced. “Yeah, yeah, your pyro—sorry, Scarlet—is going to burn up in her own flames. You need to train her, and she has a death sentence hanging over her head.”

  That made Archer’s eyebrow chase his hairline, and Zane burst out laughing. He sobered instantly when Archer pinned him with a killing look.

  “I didn’t say anything to anyone, but Heath is precog, remember?”

  “My abilities have nothing to do with this, though…” He stared at Scarlet. “Your near future is going to be something else.” He looked back at Archer. “Scarlet is the worst kept secret I’ve ever heard of.”

  “She’s why we stopped you,” Sophia added.

  “Explain.” Archer pulled his knees up and put his elbows down on them, leaning forward, intent on what they were going to say.

  Scarlet watched as his dark hair fell forward, caressing his chin. She was tempted to reach over and tuck his hair behind his ear, so that her fingers could do the caressing instead.

  Erik appeared with a bottle of Tequila under one arm and both hands filled with shot glasses. He put them down on the nearest table and started pouring while Tate explained.

  “Heath has been undercover for a while.”

  “What a twisted bitch,” Heath muttered under his breath and stifled a shudder.

  “Let me guess.” Zane folded his arms across his chest. “Jasmine.”

  “Yeah, what did Dimitri see in her?” Heath shook his head in puzzlement.

  “Can we get back to the explanation, please?”

  “Keep your panties from twisting, Arch. We’ve got all day.”

  Scarlet turned toward the windows and could see sunlight starting to soak the edges of the thick cardboard someone had plastered over them

  Archer reached forward with a long-fingered hand, and picking up a shot glass, tipped his head and the contents back, then slammed the glass down on the table upside down. “Talk.”

  “We were hunting a bounty on a rogue wizard who is working for Jasmine, or that’s what the word on the street was, so we sent Heath in undercover.” Tate paused to swallow a shot.

  “He is the prettiest of us, after all,” Erik added, then had to duck as Heath took a swing at him.

  “What? I thought I was the prettiest. Now my feelings are hurt.” Sophia pretended to pout, and Scarlet found herself chuc
kling at the banter.

  “What I found out…” Heath gave Sophia and Erik a dirty look. “Was scary, and that’s an understatement.”

  Zane leaned forward in his seat. “Spill already, the suspense is killing me.”

  “Jasmine is trying to turn herself into a goddess,” Heath finally said.

  There was utter silence as his statement sunk in.

  Zane ignored the glass on the table in front of him. “Okay, so maybe I’m too impatient. How about some details, Heath.”

  Scarlet looked at her glass, then thought better of it. She was already tired. Drinking now would render her comatose.

  “She’s hooked up with a necromancer,” Tate said.

  “And she’s stealing powers from other Eternals.”

  Zane gasped at that.

  “That’s why she’s so desperate to get her hands on me? She wants my fire abilities?” Scarlet’s heart rate had spiked.

  “Yes, the necromancer would kill you, then revive you enough for her to transfer your powers to her,” Tate explained.

  “You’d end up a zombie working for her.” Heath put his chin back down on folded his arms.

  “Fuck that plan,” Zane barked.

  Sophia spoke in a soft tone. “That’s not the worst.”

  “She’s created a cult of humans to worship her.”

  Scarlet looked over at him, confused.

  Archer cursed under his breath.

  “That’s worse than me being a zombie?”

  “If she’s worshiped, her power grows.” Sophia stood, and reached for the bottle of Tequila.

  Heath sat up straight. “With every prayer uttered, she becomes more and more powerful. Soon, no one but a God would be able to stop her, especially if she’s stealing powers from Eternals.”

  “And that’s not even all the rules she’s breaking by letting human’s know we exist,” Zane added.

  “She’s not,” Erik said. “Letting them know about the Eternals, that is. She’s convincing them she’s a God. Telling them about immortals would contradict her lies.”

  “Good point.” Archer stood as if he’d become restless, and Scarlet watched as he started to pace.