Burning Ember Read online

  “There is a way I could find out for sure.” His accompanying grin was lascivious.

  Scarlet gasped. She’d show him the color red with the mark she’d leave on his smug face with the flat of her hand.

  “That’s enough, Poe!” Archer stepped between them. “Scarlet is under my protection, so make sure you behave yourself. Why are you at reception anyway—where is Zane?”

  “Zane’s on a BeeBee. I offered to watch the front for him.”

  “A beebee?” Scarlet asked. Being around these two was like having to listen to a foreign language she didn’t understand a word of.

  “A blood break. He was hungry,” Poe explained.

  Scarlet took a moment to process that before she started laughing. “Now you are saying there are werewolves, and vampires. You are all insane.”

  Poe moved in a blur. He was around Archer, and before the Lycan could react, Poe had Scarlet in his arms, bent back with her neck exposed. His fangs had lengthened, and he had the inch-long weapons poised over her neck.

  “Still think we are insane?” he lisped around the fangs.

  Scarlet felt herself starting to freak out. The vampire’s eyes were glowing a deep blood red, and his grip on her was tight, so tight she couldn’t move. She struggled against him anyway.

  “I could drain you right now, Pyro, and I’m sure your blood would taste delicious.”

  “Let her go.” Archer’s voice was a low, warning growl.

  “I’m sure you would like it. My bite can be…orgasmic.” His breath tickled her neck, causing shivers to race along her skin.

  Poe’s braids whipped her face, and Scarlet landed on her backside as he was pulled off her with force. She watched as Poe’s back hit the wall and he slid down to sit on the floor, laughing so hard he had to hold his sides.

  “It’s not funny.” Archer stood over him, fists clenching and unclenching.

  Scarlet stared in awe at Archer. The tips of his fingers had four-inch claws on them and he looked bigger.

  Did he get bigger? Claws?

  “Yes, my pointy-eared friend. I am,” Poe said between chuckles.

  Scarlet sucked in a breath. His back was to her, but Poe was right, Archer’s ears were longer, much longer, and pointed and the tips tufted with…fur?

  His shoulder heaved with the deep breaths he was dragging in.

  “It’s too close to the full moon for you to pull stunts like that, asshole. Did you want me to rip you open and eat your heart?”

  Poe stood and shrugged. “I’d give you a belly ache, but I was trying to prove a point. I’m pretty sure it worked.” He pinned Scarlet with his red-eyed stare. “No one here is insane, little Pyro, and the sooner you realize that, the easier it will be for us to protect you.”

  She watched, fascinated as he formed words around his fangs. “Remember the boogie man under your bed when you were a child? Be very afraid, because every boogie man you’ve ever imagined is real. Welcome to the world of monsters and myths.”

  Scarlet heard what Poe said and felt real fear again, but it was muted by her fascination with Archer.

  He kept his back to Scarlet, and she suspected he was trying to hide his face from her.

  She wondered how his face had changed. A vampire had just held and pinned her down, and Archer was sporting an impressive set of claws. After everything she had experienced in the past few days, was there any way she could afford not to believe them?

  Poe sauntered over to offer her, a hand up. She refused it, getting to her feet on her own. He just shrugged as if it didn’t bother him and stepped away from her.

  “What’s all the noise about?”

  A new voice caught Scarlet’s attention and she turned to see who it was. She felt her jaw unhinge as she looked up at the biggest man she had ever seen. His light blond hair was cut short and ice-colored eyes stared out of a tanned face.

  Poe shrugged. “Just a demonstration, Dimi. There is no reason for you to leave your office, or your brooding.”

  “Thin ice, vampire, very thin ice.” Dimitri scowled at Poe. Then his eyes glanced over Scarlet. “You were successful, Archer. Now what? Are you going to hand her over to that psychotic bitch?”

  Scarlet’s head whipped to face Archer who still had his back turned. “What? Wait. Hand me over to whom?”

  “No.” He rolled his shoulders as if he was shaking something off, and turned. “I had no intention of giving her to Jasmine.”

  “Liar.” Dimitri’s voice was a deep rumble.

  “What? Do you mean Jasmine, the woman from Haven Shelter? I’m not going near there again.” Scarlet started backing towards the elevator.

  Poe’s hand shot out and caught her arm. “Relax. You don’t have to. I agree with Dimi’s assessment of Jasmine. That one is evil.”

  “No she isn’t,” Archer shot back defending the fallen angel. When all three turned and scowled at him, he amended with, “Well, not completely, but I’m not going to give you to her, Scarlet. I promise you, I’ll help you and we need to get the Kalick off your head before we decide anything else.”

  Dimi shook his head. “I want to go on record. I think it’s a bad idea to try and help the pyro.”

  “I have a name. It’s Scarlet.” She was amazed when the words came out her mouth, and impressed with her new- found courage when the huge man pinned her with a stare that made her blood run cold. She refused to break the stare first. He did, when he turned his gaze to Archer. “But, if you are determined to try and tame your new pet, we have to get the Enforcers off your trail, and that means Poe will have to go to court.”

  Scarlet started to splutter.

  Pet.

  This place was not going to be good for her volatile temper. She had wanted to hit someone twice in less than fifteen minutes.

  Poe released Scarlet’s arm and sighed. “You owe me for this, Archer. I hate going into that nest of vipers.”

  “I know” Archer replied. “It will make up for the stunt you just pulled.”

  He walked over to Scarlet. “How about I take you to your room, then you can have that shower and bed you wanted earlier?”

  Before she took up Archer’s offer, Scarlet considered telling Dimitri where to get off for referring to her as Archer’s pet, but decided she was just too tired to deal with an arrogant ass. “That would be nice, thank you.” She smiled at Archer, and was surprised when all three men stared at her.

  “What? Do I have something stuck in my teeth or something?” She then lifted her hand to cover her mouth.

  “No.” Archer shook his head. “It’s nothing like that.”

  “What he should have said is, you are quite beautiful when you smile, even when you look like a homeless waif.”

  Scarlet gritted her teeth and did a mental ten count. That was such a back hand compliment it was more of an insult.

  “Come.” Archer walked towards the passage. “I’ll take you to your room.”

  Scarlet looked at Poe and Dimitri again, then ducked her head and followed Archer down the hall.

  Chapter Seven

  Archer showed Scarlet to her room, telling her he was right across the hall if she needed him. She’d nodded numbly, too tired to think with any coherence.

  Once he’d left, Scarlet had moved around the space in awe. The room looked like something out of a period drama. The bed was huge—a dark wood-framed four-poster, with a thick fluffy mattress and a dark blue comforter that looked inviting. The rest of the room’s furnishings matched the bed, and at the foot of the bed stood a large, carved chest. The rug on the polished wood floor looked like it might be Persian. Even the vanity was stunning. Elaborate pieces held the mirror in place, and Scarlet took the time to run her fingers over the artisan-carved ebony.

  Then, she saw herself in the mirror. Her hair looked like some bird had been nesting in it with twigs and pieces of foliage sticking out of the knotted mess. She raised a hand and pulled out the twigs, her face heating when she realized that this was what she’d l
ooked like when Archer had first seen her. Her face was smudged with dirt and blood from the numerous scrapes she’d picked up in the forest, and her clothes were torn in several places.

  To make matters worse, she’d lost her pack at some point, so she didn’t even have a change of clothes.

  Scarlet moved away from the mirror and over to the bed, itching to know if it felt as soft as it looked. She toed off her sneakers and climbed up onto it. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she snuggled down into the dark blue comforter.

  “This bed is heaven,” she purred as she rolled to make herself more comfortable.

  She started drifting, but images of the things she’d seen in the forest made her eyes snap open again. She rolled and punched the pillow, frustrated with her inability to get the rest she needed. Her body was aching with the sleep debt she’d built up, and she didn’t need to dwell on things that were past.

  She felt uncomfortable and dirty. She needed a shower. Maybe then she’d be able to drift off, but she had no clean clothes. She didn’t even have a toothbrush.

  A sound of annoyance escaped her throat. This just wasn’t going to work. She’d never get to sleep.

  A soft knock at the door got her attention. “Yes?” she called out as she slid off the large bed.

  A man’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. “Scarlet, it’s Zane, I work and live here, too. Can I come in?”

  Blood break Zane?

  “Umm…” She remembered that Archer was within scream distance if she needed him. “Okay.”

  The door opened and Zane came in, weighed down in packages. “Hi.” He gave her a bright smile as he moved over to the chest at the foot of the bed. He put the packages down and then turned to her. “I hope this doesn’t offend you, but I thought you might not have much when you got here, seeing that you were on the run when Archer went looking for you.” He opened one of the bags.

  “So I went shopping.” He looked up at her again. “I think I have the sizes right, though some things might be a bit big, but we can always go get more.”

  He was unpacking clothes and other necessities out of the bags. He took out a toothbrush and toothpaste, then body lotion and other things women used to pamper themselves.

  “Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but…” Scarlet walked closer to pick up a bottle of bath salts. “How do you know so much about shopping for a woman? Or are you gay?”

  Zane laughed. “Not gay, but…” His face sobered. “My mistress used to make me go shop for her. So I have an idea what women like.”

  “Aren’t you a bit young for a mistress?” Scarlet was confused. He sounded modern, but then he used a word that came out of another age.

  “Not that kind of mistress.” He shook his head. “I was a slave.” His expression became tense, and Scarlet realized she’d just touched on something that caused him pain.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “No, it’s okay.” He tried to smile at her again, but failed. “Back to the stuff. I’ll leave you to go through the rest. I’m sure you’ll feel better having a few things that are yours.”

  “Thank you.” Scarlet was sincere in her thanks. What he’d done by shopping for her was not only sweet, but considerate as well. She knew she’d get on well with this vampire.

  “No thanks necessary, just glad to help, but…” He moved toward the door. “I’ll leave you to it now. I’ve been away from the main desk too long already. I have pizza orders to take.” He laughed.

  She didn’t get it, but she smiled anyway. She was eager to go through the bags and see what else Zane had gotten for her.

  Once he was out the door, she dove into the packages, smiling wider with each new treasure she unwrapped. He’d even gotten her the most gorgeous lingerie that made Scarlet blush a little, but she shrugged off the embarrassment, since she’d never had the money to own such pretty things. She glanced at the closet, then decided to pack the stuff away. She had no backpack to put the clothes in, so she might as well put the rest in the closet.

  Then she went into the luxurious en suite bathroom, and tapped a deep bath, giving it a generous dose of bath salts. She stripped off her ruined clothes and sank down into the tub, sighing and closing her eyes in pleasure.

  Scarlet lay in the bath for about an hour, tapping more hot water every so often, before she was ready to get out. She grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it around her. It was a little small, only reaching mid-thigh, but other than that, she felt wonderful after her bath, invigorated and relaxed at the same time. Scarlet was sure she’d have no trouble sleeping now, but first she wanted to pamper her skin a little more and run a brush through her wet hair.

  She left the bathroom still wrapped in the towel and sat down at the dressing table. Picking up the brush, she started to work through the wet tangles of her long hair. Then, she reached for the body lotion to rub all over her skin.

  * * * *

  Archer lay on his back in bed, a sheet pulled over his lower torso, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on his bare stomach. He’d been trying to get some sleep, and he’d been failing. His mind wouldn’t quiet down—or rather his beast wouldn’t quiet down. Archer couldn’t shut the creature up, and it was all because of the little brunette in the room across the hall.

  Why was his beast so sure that Scarlet was Archer’s She?

  Werewolves had one destined mate—one person who would be the Lycan they would spend the rest of their immortality with, and it was the beast in the lycanthrope that recognized the beast in their mate. This was what had Archer confused. Scarlet had no beast. She wasn’t a Lycan or a Therin, one of the other shifter types.

  She wasn’t even a Skin-Walker, so he didn’t understand what his beast was making such a big ruckus about.

  One thing was certain. Archer was reacting to Scarlet the way the lore said he’d react to his She-Wolf. He had a fierce need to protect her. Her scent alone made his beast want to rip out of his skin, and it wasn’t even full moon yet.

  He found her sexy as hell, bedraggled or not. He could see she had curves in all the places he liked, and he’d found himself getting hard on more than one occasion when they were on their way back to Outsiders Inc. Even her messy hair—he wanted to comb all the tangles out with his fingers, and then make more tangles.

  He stifled a soft groan, and shifted as his body reacted to his thoughts.

  “Damn it.” He couldn’t afford to get hard every two seconds. There was work to be done. He had to find a way to protect her, and pouncing on her every time he got a hard-on wasn’t in the game plan.

  He’d heard the foot falls in the corridor, and tensed as someone knocked on Scarlet’s door and heard the words…

  Scarlet, it’s Zane, I work and live here, too. Can I come in?

  Archer tried to relax when Scarlet said okay, but his beast was having none of it. He’d wanted to jump out of the bed and go and find out what the hell business Zane had in Scarlet’s room.

  Mine, she’s mine, his beast had insisted in his head.

  Jealousy? No it can’t be.

  He could try to deny it all he wanted, but his claws had started to lengthen and his fangs had slid into place. He’d only relaxed when he heard Zane leave Scarlet’s room.

  “Frigging hell, what’s with the weird-ass reactions?” he muttered under his breath.

  This wasn’t the first weird reaction since they’d gotten back, either. When Poe had swept Scarlet into his embrace and promised her an orgasmic bite, Archer had turned instantly. His beast had been so infuriated, Archer thought it would take control completely. It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed not to kill Poe, and he was like a brother to Archer. Something was very wrong here, and he added it to the list of things he had to find out.

  Archer was just starting to drift off when a piercing scream pierced the air. He was up, and out of the bed instantly. He pulled his jeans on, half zipped them and didn’t bother to button them as he yanked ope
n his bedroom door and slammed Scarlet’s open with equal force.

  She saw him and vaulted into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and babbling incoherently.

  Archer noticed two things immediately. Scarlet had only a towel wrapped around her, and as she jumped into his arms, the cloth came loose, slipping off her so that her naked body was pressed against his bare chest. He grabbed the towel before it could fall away completely, and covered her back while he held her against his chest speaking in soothing tones.

  “Scarlet, calm down. Where is the danger?”

  If there were real danger, he’d have to get her off him, so he could fight.

  “It’s there. It’s going to bite me. Kill it now!” she screamed in his ear, making him wince at the volume.

  “What’s there?”

  “Who’s being murdered?” Dimitri asked from the doorway as Zane came skidding to a stop next to him.

  Scarlet pointed one arm at the offending furniture piece without moving her face buried in Archer’s neck. “There. There on the vanity.”

  “Ohhhh.” Zane started laughing as he walked past them toward the vanity.

  “It’s not damn well funny,” Scarlet hissed at him.

  “It’s just Duchess Elizabeth Constantine.” He put a hand out on the dresser, and Scarlet turned her head to watch the tarantula climb neatly onto his hand and scurry up his arm.

  She shuddered and clung tighter to Archer.

  “Duchess what? You are telling me you name your spiders?” Scarlet was horrified.

  “Not in general, no,” Archer said as he stroked Scarlet’s back over the towel. “But, Fluffy as we affectionately call her, belongs to Poe. She’s a Goliath Bird-eater.”

  “She’s also an excellent escape artist.” Dimi crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve woken with her on my damn pillow more than once.”

  Scarlet shivered in Archer’s arms.

  “She’s harmless, Scarlet. She won’t bite you unless you threaten her, and her venom isn’t toxic at all.”

  “Don’t care, can you get her out my room please.” She looked at Zane, then shuddered again when the spider settled on his shoulder.