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EMBER
What a strange group of people. I didn’t hesitate when Cassian asked for my help, but now I started wondering if I should have stayed at home. I was used to being on my own. Since Cassian disappeared I didn’t really make friends, and the only interaction I had was with random one night stands and people that needed my help. It was boring, but it was routine, and now I couldn’t help but think that I’d walked into a whirlwind. Cassian had barely changed, still just as attractive as he had been when I met him. We hadn’t had time to catch up, but his aura was still the same warm orange and red that it had always been. It was tinged with gray, but I assumed it was because of the trouble they seemed to be in. And there was the undeniable silver strand that ran between the three of them. It shimmered and wobbled every few seconds but it was beautiful.
Griffin was gorgeous, definitely my type—except for the whole fated mate issue, but he was something to look at. His aura shimmered with a deep purple and specks of light. I could tell that he was arrogant but beneath that he was a good person—soft, actually, and his silver strand shimmered a little brighter. It was beautiful and I couldn’t help but glance at him every few seconds. It was innocent, but I could feel the jealousy emanating from Emily whenever I looked at either of the guys.
She was exquisite, I’d never seen an aura like hers before, and even though it might take a while to gain her trust, I could feel myself gravitating toward her. Her aura was a bright red, like a flame that burned in the dark. The red changed to gold and then back again. There was a glimmer of darkness on the edges. She walked on the edge of good and bad and I hoped that she would lean toward good. Chaos was rife in her aura, control was like a small blip that she was holding on to. The moment I met her, I knew I’d be friends with her, but I wanted to get her riled up a little first. It wasn’t fair that she had two gorgeous, protective werewolves hanging off of her every word. I could see why they did, and I wouldn’t get in the way of fate, but I wasn’t one to back down from pushing buttons.
When Morgan walked in though, everything changed. It was the first time an entire room was flooded with darkness. It was like looking into a starless night, pitch black. But holding on to the edge was a glimmer of silver. Not like the bond, but light that hadn’t completely disappeared. Whatever she was into could be stopped, but it was like the darkness was holding onto her. There was no warmth or friendliness, and my skin crawled when she walked past me. I didn’t want to track anymore, I wanted to get out of there, but I wasn’t a pansy, I could push through it, and hopefully she would leave soon. I rubbed my hands together and then my arms trying to get rid of the discomfort that had settled around us. Emily smiled at Morgan hesitantly but didn’t get a response.
“I thought you were busy tonight?” Griffin asked Morgan quietly.
She shrugged, “I was worried about you after the woods.” A flash of green pierced to the darkness, she was lying.
I cleared my throat and dipped a finger into one bowl and another finger in the other. The blood had cooled and felt sticky. I cringed at this part whenever we were missing a personal item of the target. I was about to start when Morgan leaned forward, she looked at the map.
“Who are you tracking?” She asked and for some reason, I didn’t want to explain. I wanted to tell the others to hush too, but Emily started explaining before I could say anything.
“We’re trying to track Samara with Lyrica’s blood. Did Griffin fill you in on what happened?” Emily asked and Morgan shook her head, glaring at Griffin. Emily explained and even I felt shocked at the horrific way this Lyrica was murdered. I could see it in my mind, but the murderer was hooded and I couldn’t see any features. “We might be able to track her with my blood and Lyrica’s. It’s a far cry, but if it works, it would really help us.”
I watched Morgan’s face closely—her eyes widened slightly. She crossed her arms, and the expression disappeared almost immediately. I’ve always been good at reading body language, sometimes I think it's part of my gifts and something I don't share openly. People usually close off when they know someone is watching, and that would defeat the purpose of reading people.
In the human world, I am the definition of a psychic, but in this world I am just short of a witch. I glanced at Cassian. We had a history, and even though we shared a few intimate moments, he was just a friend. He saved me when my uber religious parents kicked me to the curb, and I was practically homeless. It was tough being different, I never really felt like I fit in anywhere, but instead of being miserable about it, I embraced it. My life was never dull and I met interesting people that were mostly good.
And then there were a few like Morgan…
Focus, you have a mission. I drew an ‘X’ on my forehead, each line with different blood, and then removed the pendant from my neck. I held it over the map and as I focused on who I was tracking, it started to spin in a tight circle. The room faded out, along with everyone around me, except for Emily. She watched intently and I smiled slightly. I loved seeing the fascination when people saw the gifts work for the first time. It spun and spun and while it did its thing, I poured the blood into one bowl. Suddenly the pendant stopped, which meant it was time to track.
I poured the blood into the center of the map, and for a moment nothing happened. Then the pendant swung gently. It was working! I doubted it would because of the lack of personal items, but it was working. The blood moved. It stretched and contracted and formed a line. The line started to move on the map—it would stop when it reached the location. My breath caught as it circled in the city, but then it started to inch out of the city lines. I could feel it reaching the end. The blood suddenly splattered over the whole map.
“What the?” I asked and the room came back into focus. Four faces stared at me, their faces questioning.
“What happened?” Emily asked, looking between the map and me.
I shrugged. “I have no idea, it’s never done that before…”
Emily dropped her head in her hands and groaned. “Why is the world against us? Every time it seems like we’re making progress, everything goes to shit!” Frustration rolled off of her and her aura glowed brighter, chaos roiled and I could only imagine what it would be like if she got really angry.
“Can you try again?” Cassian asked while putting a comforting hand on Emily’s shoulder.
“No, it's gone. The tracking has disappeared and the blood has lost its potency,” I said quietly. “I’ll see what I can figure out in the morning. If I remember correctly, your curfew is almost here.”
Cassian and Griffin looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was close to midnight, and there was nothing else that I could do. I stood up and gathered all of the items. I washed the bowls and threw the map in the trash. Morgan had been silent but now she hopped off of the stool and grabbed her bag.
“Well, I need to get back. I left my phone at the bar.” She gave Griffin a hug and rushed out of the door. My eyes narrowed at her sudden departure. A few quiet moments later I started toward my things. I had to find a place to sleep. Getting back to the room I rented was quite a long trip, and it was getting late. The area I lived in wasn’t all too savory.
“Why don’t you come to the warehouse with me? You can sleep there,” Cassian suggested.
I grimaced at the thought of going back there. “And see your super welcoming pack? No thanks. I’ll be okay. There’s a 24-hour place close by, they should still have space for the night.”
“You can stay here, both of you. You can take the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch,” Emily said, her voice was tired and hollow, but I was happy that she might warm up to me after all. “If Griffin’s okay with it of course.”
Griffin stopped mid sip of a beer that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Sure, the more the merrier.” He winked at me and I couldn't stop from chuckling.
Emily glared at him and turned to Cassian. “Will you stay too?” she asked and he nodded. “Perfect. Anyway, thanks for trying Ember. We’ll just keep trying. I’m beat. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
Without another word, she crawled onto the couch and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Cassian and Griffin watched her for a few moments. I cleared my throat and dragged my small bag to the bedroom.
I kissed Cassian on the cheek as I walked past, then Griffin too. “Thanks for letting me stay. Good night and good luck with your werewolf thing.”
