Ember Rains

Not Alone

“You’re okay, You are safe.” I said, squeezing her hand lightly.

“How did you do that?” She whispered, shocked.

“Tyler, hunny, you want some pizza and we can go turn on a movie?” Rowan asked suddenly.

I felt Myra stiffen then said quietly, “She knows I need to talk to you. He’ll be right there, you’ll be able to see him.”

She relaxed slowly then turned to Tyler, “You can if you want to.”

“Okay,” He responded hesitantly. 

Then he smiled at Rowan and walked slowly over to her glancing back. He froze halfway there then turned back to glare at me.

“Don’t hurt my mommy.” He growled.

I heard a couple of people chuckle, but the anger and pain in my chest stopped me from seeing any humor in his attempt at a threat.

“Never.” I responded seriously.

After a minute of scrutiny he nodded one quick jerky motion before he turned on his heel following Rowan into the living room.

Myra watched across the room and through the archway while Tyler sat next to Rowan on the couch and she handed him a plate full of pizza.

I wondered if she had even noticed that everyone else had dispersed as well.

“He’s safe, you know. You both are safe here.” I said confidently.

“You keep saying that.” She whispered, still not looking at me.

“I’m waiting for you to believe it.” I responded smiling slightly down at her.

“Don’t hold your breath.” She pulled her hand back and chuckled humorlessly.

I wondered when I would stop feeling so angry at whoever had hurt her so badly.

‘Never!’ Brooke snarled

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, flinching slightly away from my anger.

“No, I’m not upset at you. I am, however going to hunt down anyone who ever hurt you.”

She studied me for a long minute before turning back to Tyler.

“I know what you can do with fire.” I said  calmly. I reached out to brush my fingers down her arm, but she shied away from my touch.

“I have never been very good at controlling it. I am so sorry, I can’t believe I burnt the Alpha. I’m going to get us killed.” She spoke quietly. As she finished speaking she looked down at her hands with a fear, I recognized all too well.

“I can help you control it. Logan would not hurt you. You are far too important.” 

“You cooled me down, you didn’t get burnt.” She met my calm gaze with her own almost frantically confused one.

“I can do what you do just with water, I’m called a maitre de l’eau. You are a…” I started but she interrupted looking back down. 

I was noticing she couldn’t hold my gaze for more than a few seconds.

“Maitre de feu, my mom used to call me that.” Her voice was low and quiet, but somehow still clear as a bell.

“Yes, so your mother knew what you were? Did she ever teach you anything?”

“No.” Her sharp tone was such a change in direction that I actually started in surprise.

“Okay well,” I explained after I had recovered. “The most important thing is that you learn to control your abilities. They are linked directly to yours, and your wolfs, emotions. She will have to learn to control her emotions as well.”

“Why can’t I burn you…” Fear flashed across her face and I watched as she slowly relaxed. I wondered if she was talking to her wolf.

“What does your wolf say?” I asked, Brooke’s curiosity overwhelmed me.

“She…” She looked up confused, “She doesn’t think I need my defenses against you. She's trying to convince me it’s okay that I can’t hurt you…”

I smiled widely at that, “Well then Brooke and I thank her, but you could hurt me. Since I can counteract your gift it takes an immense amount of will, or a very strong emotion to hurt me. However if it makes you feel better, you could.”

“Brooke…” She murmured, smiling lightly.

Brooke bristled with excitement, even I had to admit something about the way her lips formed the word was exhilarating.

“What is your wolf's name?” I asked after clearing my throat.

“Ember.” She said.

Suddenly, she winced slightly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.

“What do you want from me…” She choked out, tears slowly filling her warm, brown eyes.

“I already told you Myra. I don’t expect anything from you. I… We just want to help.” I said sadly, as Brooke whimpered in the back of my head.

“I don’t have anything to give you.” She insisted quietly.

“All I want is for you to trust me when I say, we are not going to let anyone hurt you, or Tyler.” I said calmly.

“I can’t do that now, maybe not ever.” She said shifting away slightly before meeting my gaze. “Even if you are my mate, I won't let anyone hurt him ever again.”

“You both feel that way?” I asked to fight off the hurt.

She winced noticeably, “We both want him safe, but for the first time we don’t agree on how to achieve that…”

I nodded slowly. “Then it’s just you I’ll need to convince.”

I could tell she didn’t believe me but I would prove myself to her if it was the last thing I did.

“Can I look at your injuries?” I asked after a long silence.

“No, I’m fine. I just need some sleep. They’ll be gone by tomorrow.” She shrugged.

“Then let me take you to your bedroom.” I offered.

“No, it’s only five. Ty wont sleep yet.” 

My first thought was to suggest that she go to bed while we watch Tyler. However, I remembered what she had just said, so I changed tactics.

“Then how about you lay down on the couch with him? You can sleep and heal while he enjoys a movie.” I pleaded.

At that moment, I realized how exhausted she really was. The skin under her eyes was a deep purple and her eyelids drooped. I wondered how long they had been running and doubted she had slept more than an hour or two at a time for days.

“Okay.” She sighed after only a second of thinking it over.

After getting her settled I walked down the hall knocking roughly on the last door to the right.

“What can I do for you, Rich?” Logan asked as I pushed open the door.

I noticed as he looked up at me he winced slightly, so my displeasure must have been obvious.

“Cut the shit.” I spat, “Why didn’t you warn me?!” I yelled, throwing my hands up in frustration.

He sighed and ran his hand over his face. “Calm down, okay. I thought he would be gone before you got back.”

“Well, he wasn’t.” I let out an exasperated breath. “I walked my mate straight into the line of fire. What if he had decided to attack?”

Logan shocked me with a light chuckle. “You would fill his lungs with water while she burnt him alive.”

I couldn’t help but grin at the idea as I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Tyler almost walked right to him.” I shivered miserably.

Logan frowned, clearly disturbed by that thought. “So Azrael knows what she is? Is that what you meant by saying that explains a lot earlier?”

“Yeah, and I could sense something was different about her. Not to mention when her wolf runs its fur looks exactly like flames.” I grinned slightly, then sighed. “He knows she is something. He can’t know what, but with the amount of power she was withstanding…” I shook my head.

“Do you think she would go with him?” His eyes darkened slightly.

Brookes growl escaped my lips at the hint of a threat. Logan raised his eyebrows surprised and I took a calming breath thinking hard.

“Maybe,” I had to admit reluctantly. “If he can convince her and Ember that Tyler would be safer there.”

Logan nodded, calm as ever, “Your mate bond won’t stop her?”

“No,” I moaned. “She’s too guarded to feel it.”

He nodded understandingly then took a deep breath, “Okay then we have to make sure she knows they are both safe here, and you have to get through to her before Azrael decides to try.”

I nodded slowly, “I have a favor to ask from you.”

He c****d an eyebrow grinning at me, “Since when do you ask?”

I couldn’t help but grin back at him as I shrugged passively. This is how it was supposed to be with him. He really was my brother in every way, blood aside.

He laughed then shook his head as he spoke, “Go ahead and ask.”

“I need permission to offer them temporary membership.” I said, suddenly serious again.

“Why? Everyone here knows who she is. She won’t need it here.” He frowned at me confused.

“She doesn’t trust us. She is very independent and I doubt she’ll be happy just staying here and having everything handed to her.” I responded slowly.

“Well I could talk to her about it later.” Logan started then stopped meeting my gaze. “But she’s afraid of me… Right.”

He growled quietly then crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m sorry.” 

“No I get it I just hate the a***e of power and it is becoming so common. Werewolves are becoming even more greedy and power hungry than humans. We do more damage to, give in to the bloodlust and beat down anyone smaller than us. It pisses me off, and seeing it first hand…” He cringed, falling back into his chair with a groan, “It just makes it that much worse.”

“Hey, we do nothing like that. We are not power crazed like them. So, none of that ‘we’ stuff.” I sighed, sinking into one of the chairs across from him.

“I know.” He stared at me, “How are you Richard?”

“I’m…” I frowned unsure. “I don’t know man.”

“You want to talk?” He asked, leaning back and crossing his arms.

“I’m so happy she’s real, and she’s here but…” I sighed looking up. “I’m hurt that she can’t trust me, and I want to kill whoever…”

I groaned, unable to put the rest of my feelings into words. He nodded, “I’m sorry dude, I can’t even imagine.”

“Also I don’t understand why she was running from that guy when she could easily have beaten him.” I added looking back at him.

“Right, I never did get the whole story.” He said thoughtfully.

I proceeded to tell him the whole story. From when Rowan and Zane met me in the woods till I walked into the kitchen with Myra behind me. I expressed my confusion as to why someone with such power would run from a lone wolf.

“You should not have run ahead of Zane and Rowan.” He frowned at me. “Myra seems badly injured. She probably felt they had a better chance of out running him, as opposed to fighting.”

I nodded seeing the truth in what he was saying. Ember must have been very very weak if they thought they might not win. If that were the case I wondered how much farther she could have run. 

‘What if we hadn’t run ahead? Would we have lost her?’ I thought painfully.

Brooke snarled in the back of my mind, ‘Don’t even think it.’

Logan apparently on the same line of thought frowned, “I guess it was good that you got there as fast as you did.”

I nodded, wincing at the image in my mind of a small fiery red wolf lying motionless on the forest floor with Tyler crying over her.

I shook my head and shivered violently.

‘I want to see her! I need to make sure she’s okay?’ Brooke whimpered.

‘I know I do too.’ 

“I’m going to go check on her…” I stood shaking.

He nodded, smiling slightly, “I see the bond is still strong for you despite her walls.”

“Oh I can feel it just fine, and I think her wolf can. She keeps telling Myra they are safe here.” I smiled as I backed to the door then hesitated with my hand on the knob.

“Good, and go be with your mate Richard. You deserve that more than anyone I know.” He nodded as if something finally made sense to him.

“Thank you.” I said before pushing the door open and hurrying down the hall back to the living room.