The Mark of Fallen Flame (Weapon of Fire and Ash) Read online

  Just outside the door, she felt her body react. Her heart skittered, her skin tingling, hot and cold warring inside her.

  Rowek slouched down in his chair, his head bowed as he studied something in his hands. She swallowed hard, and her feet moved before she knew what she was doing. As she set her bag onto the desktop, she caught a ghost of a smirk playing on Rowek’s lips.

  The class was the same as the others had been, slow. Sitting beside Rowek felt like the room was pulsing with energy. She could almost see the currents arcing between them.

  His hand twitched on the tabletop, mere inches from hers. What would happen if I touched him again? Just brushed my fingers against his…

  She held her breath as her hand slid closer, trying to keep it from trembling. Anticipation swelled, and the air between them grew thick with it. Rowek didn’t seem to notice her hand advancing until their skin brushed together. Warmth filled her fingertips, and they tingled.

  No power to drain.

  Her brow furrowed. Rowek looked at her questioningly. She gave him an embarrassed smile as she quickly withdrew her hand.

  When the bell rang, Emma sprang out of her chair and raced for the door before Rowek could ask why she had randomly touched him.

  Surely it wasn’t just my imagination, she mused as she fought through the crowd to her last class of the day.

  When Emma sank into her chair, feeling more exhausted than she had in a long time, she watched the door, worrying her bottom lip. People with plain faces that she paid no notice to filtered in. Even after the bell gave its shrill blast, she waited, wondering if he was just late.

  Her mind wandered to this morning when Rowek had nudged her. The power she had felt from him had been real. And the hunger inside her had awoken, demanding more.

  So why when she touched him again, was his power vacant? It was clear whenever he was in the room that he was something other. Not the same kind of evil she had experienced in the alley. But something more than just a seventeen-year-old boy.

  When the final bell rang, Emma slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way out of the building. A flicker of disappointment surfaced when she realized she wouldn’t be able to ask him anything until tomorrow.

  In the parking lot, her mother’s vehicle was nowhere to be seen. Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw a text. Won’t be able to make it on time, I’ll see you at home. Hope you had a great day. Be safe.

  Emma sighed as she shoved her phone back in her pocket. The events of the day just kept getting worse. Dark storm clouds rolled across the sky, the air thick with the smell of rain. That would be just my luck, Emma thought to herself as she set off for home. She didn’t live more than twenty minutes away on foot, but that was plenty of time to get soaked if it did decide to rain.

  When the first cold drop hit her nose, Emma sprinted the rest of the way. She slowed her pace as she reached the porch, stopping at the door to find her keys. The sound of the rain pelting the roof above her caused her to smile, despite her dampened state. Her hair dripped over her shoulders and down her back. She shivered.

  As she slid the key into the lock, an eerie sensation of being watched crept over her. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door and stumbled inside.

  A dark figure caught her attention as she turned to close the door, freezing her insides. Across the street, a man dressed in black stared in her direction, though his features were hazy through the sheet of rain. Heart thundering, she slammed the door shut and latched the deadbolt.

  Her entire body shook as she wrung her damp hair out with a clean dish towel from the kitchen. She pushed the yellow floral curtain aside with a finger, peering out the window into the veil of rain. The man was gone, but she couldn’t relax.

  Something was very, very wrong.

  6

  Emma

  Emma’s worry over the stranger in the rain slowly dwindled away the next morning. Rowek was absent, which made focusing easier, and she relaxed. The tension in her shoulders melted away as she and Adrianna entered the noisy cafeteria, giggling about Ms. Jules’s cat sweater. They got their lunches before sitting at a table near the window.

  The sky was still cloudy, but the sun was breaking through, casting a single pillar of light in the courtyard.

  “So, no Sean today?” Emma asked.

  “Nah, I think my eating habits scared him away.” Adrianna glanced over at the loudest table in the room, her eyes shining with sadness. Guys laughed raucously, with tall cheerleaders either sitting in their laps or hanging off them with arms wrapped around their necks. Emma spotted Sean among them, laughing at something someone said. A rail-thin blond with no curves, straddled him in a dangerously short skirt as she ran a hand down his chest.

  The girl’s gaze fixed on Sean was less adoring and more…hungry. For his attention, and likely, his status. And Sean was either ignorant or impervious to it. He was fickle. Girls were little more than a conquest to guys like him. An ease of boredom. Emma doubted it was Adrianna’s appetite that drove him away, but she didn’t tell her friend that.

  If he had pushed her, Adrianna didn’t let on. If he desired something from her, she wasn’t willing to give…the sneer he sent in her direction was a pretty good indicator. Emma’s fingernails bit into her palms as she forced herself to remain sitting.

  “Well, screw him then,” Emma bit out. “You can do much better.”

  Adrianna didn’t respond, but as her gaze slid over Emma’s shoulder, the unspent tears dried up. Emma didn’t have to ask what caught her attention so completely. Recognition crept over her. Humming warmth spread in her veins, while her toes went numb. She inhaled sharply as a tray dropped onto the table beside her.

  Rowek’s light brown hair was perfectly styled. He smiled.

  “Did you just wake up?” Emma asked, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt.

  Rowek smirked. “Maybe.”

  Emma huffed. “So you’re one of those guys.”

  “I’m not one of those guys,” Rowek replied with clear condescension. His smirk slipped, then he said, “It was a long night. My…dad made me work late with him. Nice shirt by the way.” Amusement glittered in his eyes.

  She glanced down at her faded Demon Hunter shirt. Her face heated, but she fought to ignore it. “I’m sorry. What does he do?”

  Rowek took a bite of pizza, looking thoughtful. “He’s in the military. But I help with recruitment.”

  That explained why he had to move around so often.

  Adrianna cleared her throat, looking expectant. Before Emma could say anything, he extended his hand past Emma to her friend.

  “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself yesterday, I’m Rowek,” he said with a charming smile.

  Emma could practically hear Adrianna swoon.

  “Hi, I’m Adrianna,” she said a bit breathlessly as she shook his hand.

  “Adrianna.” He rolled the syllables out on his tongue, tasting them. “Beautiful name. Have you lived here your whole life?

  She nodded, then little by little her expression changed to one of confusion. Adrianna’s gaze flicked back and forth between Emma and Rowek. She blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes.

  “You okay?” Emma asked her.

  Adrianna rose from her seat and grabbed her crutches. “Uh, headache, I’ll see you later.”

  Emma watched her friend go, feeling confused.

  “Well that beats me trying to get you alone,” Rowek chuckled deeply.

  She turned to face him. “Huh?”

  “I wanted to ask you about something.”

  She immediately thought about how she had touched his hand yesterday.

  Emma’s face flamed. “I’m sorry,” she stammered.

  Rowek looked puzzled. “For what?”

  “I wasn’t trying to hold your hand or anything, I—”
r />   Rowek held up his hands to stop her. “Hey, you can hold my hand any time.” He winked, and Emma’s stomach flipped. “I actually was going to ask what you planned to do during your two free hours.”

  She blinked. “Oh. Uhm, when it’s warm, I sit under the willow tree out by the football field. Adrianna usually joins me for sixth period.”

  Rowek nodded as he rose. “I’ll meet you by the willow tree in twenty minutes.”

  Then he left too, leaving her alone at the table. She grabbed her chicken sandwich and stood.

  After depositing the tray on the conveyer belt, she headed for her quiet spot, wondering what Rowek was up to.

  The sun was now no longer hidden by the clouds. Its buttery warmth slipped through the low-hanging branches, warming her toes as she wiggled them in the grass. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. A breeze swept her wavy hair back, tossing it off her shoulders.

  Her eyes flew open at the sudden tingle in her limbs. She searched around her, only spying people out on the field playing some sort of game that she didn’t recognize.

  “You look spooked.”

  Emma jumped. Rowek stood in front of her, a large coffee in each hand, his hair looking thoroughly windswept. His eyes were bright, the sun reflecting the golden hue within them. He held out a cup. The steam tickled her nose, and its bitter-sweet scent made her mouth water.

  “Where did you get those?” Emma asked in amazement.

  “Coffee shop down the street.” He gestured over his shoulder. Emma reached out to grab the proffered beverage.

  “Irish crème?” she asked, one brow raised.

  He shrugged. “I found Adrianna in the hall and asked what you like.”

  She hadn’t recalled ever sharing that information with Adrianna, but she smiled anyway. Before she had made it outside, she had received a message from Adrianna saying she was going home due to a migraine.

  Emma made a mental note to send a message when she got home to see if Adrianna was doing any better.

  “Mind if I sit?” He gestured to the grass in front of her.

  She shook her head, then sipped her coffee as Rowek folded himself into a sitting position in front of her.

  “Thanks for the coffee,” Emma said.

  He watched her take another drink and sigh, contentedly.

  “So where were you born?” Rowek asked after a moment.

  “Texas, Dallas, I think.”

  His head tilted slightly, as if he had expected a different answer.

  “What about you?” Emma asked.

  Rowek took his time, swigging from his cup, then looked out at the field watching people run around with long sticks that had nets at the end, tossing a ball back and forth between each other.

  “I don’t know.” Rowek met her incredulous gaze. “My father doesn’t talk about my mother or anything to do with my birth. I’m just a tool to him.”

  Emma expected to find sadness in his eyes, but all she found was cold emptiness.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  He shrugged. “Tell me about all the places you’ve lived.”

  A sense of trepidation sparked inside her. Emma knew her mother took precautions wherever they went so they couldn’t be tracked. Since a very young age, Emma had been told to never answer questions about where they had last been or how many times they had moved, though she was never sure how she got each school she attended to accept her, or how she managed to find a new job within days of each new location.

  She wrestled with herself, torn between wanting to tell him everything, and duty-bound to reveal nothing at all.

  “Whoa, hey,” Rowek laughed. “You don’t have to look so frightened; we can talk about something else.”

  Emma’s shoulders sagged in relief. “What’s your favourite subject?” she asked, happy to deflect the awkwardness she felt.

  He snorted. “They all have their perks.” The way his eyes glinted mischievously made her think she was the perk he spoke of. Her cheeks burned at the thought.

  They chatted about the teachers, about their favourite foods and other mindless topics that made Emma forget her near-panic episode. She enjoyed his company and his easy smiles, though still, something in his expression remained closed off.

  “Do you have a ride home today?” he asked.

  “Yeah. And when I don’t, I walk.” Emma took another sip of her drink, trying to hide her cringe. It felt too intimate for him to know that she lived within walking distance, but he just nodded as if he already knew that.

  She tried to sound casual as she asked, “Why?”

  “I just figured I’d offer to give you a lift home if you wanted it.”

  “I can’t,” Emma replied, shaking her head, “My mother would kill me.”

  “We don’t have to tell her,” Rowek winked.

  “Ha. She knows everything. She has that crazy mom-telepathy that lets her know when I do anything she wouldn’t approve of.”

  Rowek seemed to fight back a laugh, the corners of his lips twitching. “Believe me, your mother doesn’t know nearly as much as you think she does.”

  Emma bristled, but Rowek continued, “If you change your mind, meet me by the side doors. You’ll know my car when you see it.”

  And with that, he rose from his spot on the grass and went back inside just as the bell rang. She stood, stretching her legs and grabbed her bag. With an hour left to kill, she decided to take a walk.

  Emma pulled her phone out and typed a quick message to Adrianna. The sun was pleasantly warm, beading sweat on the back of her neck. With fifteen minutes to spare, she re-entered the school grounds.

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she fished it out, hoping it was Adrianna. Instead, it was a message from her mother saying she wouldn’t be able to pick her up again today. Emma huffed, feeling irritated. The hospital clearly needed to hire more surgeons so her mother could get a break.

  I could always take Rowek up on his offer, Emma thought. She laughed out loud at the thought.

  When Emma arrived in her finance class, ready to accept Rowek’s offer, he wasn’t there. Other students filled the empty seats and soon after Mr. Randall walked in, the bell rang. Emma couldn’t help but feel a flutter of disappointment.

  When he still didn’t show in her last class of the day, Emma decided she would just walk.

  After the last bell, Emma switched out her books at her locker before glancing over at the side doors. Her hand gripped the cool metal tightly. I’ll just go see if I can spot his car. Maybe he was just skipping, she told herself before she slammed the locker door closed and set off.

  She scanned the parking lot, assessing every sports car she saw, trying to picture Rowek driving them. At last, she caught sight of a sleek, matte black Ferrari that was undoubtedly Rowek’s. She started for it, deciding to wait beside it until he returned. Unless she chickened out first.

  Two men stood by a cluster of trees next to the parking lot wearing black military-style clothing. She stumbled to a stop before she could fall face-first onto the sidewalk.

  They were both freakishly tall with honey-kissed skin. The one on the left was built like a tank with black hair that was shaved on the sides with long, loose curls on top. Only his profile was visible with his head turned.

  The other, with buzzed blond hair and a slightly crooked nose, like it had been broken one too many times, faced in her direction. They were both scanning the students filing out of the building, searching each face.

  Something inside her shifted. A soothing warmth washed over her, and despite their intimidating looks, she walked briskly toward them. The blond’s pale blue eyes snapped to her as if assessing a possible threat. Emma knew she should turn around, but her legs didn’t stop.

  The dark-haired male whirled to face her too, as if he sensed her presence. His striking features
made Emma’s heart leap into her throat. He had a strong, squared jaw and pale blue eyes that looked almost gray.

  When she was close enough, she realized they both looked like they were only in their early twenties. Emma felt unable to swallow as she came to a stop several feet away from them. The magnetic pull was almost irresistible, but her stomach flipped nervously.

  The dark-haired man stared at her with an unreadable expression, his stormy gaze looking her over from head to toe. Emma barely looked at the intense blond man beside him. His head quirked to the side as if trying to piece together a puzzle.

  Under their assessing looks, she felt stupid for so boldly approaching them. But her heart rate slowed, as if coaxed into a calm rhythm.

  “Are you guys cops or something?” she asked.

  The dark-haired man’s lips twitched.

  “No,” the blond answered. “We’re looking for someone.” Emma detected a strong English accent. Without meaning to, her gaze roamed back to the dark-haired man. His curls looked as if he spent a great deal of time running his fingers through them, and for a brief moment, she wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through them too. If they felt as silky as they looked. Her cheeks heated as she mentally shook herself.

  She averted her eyes and cleared her throat. “Who are you looking for?”

  “A dangerous man we believe might be in this area,” the dark-haired man said, and Emma tried not to swoon at the trace accent in his voice too.

  She stood, unblinking at the devastatingly handsome man, while he reached into his black canvas jacket. He procured a photograph and held it out for Emma to see. She leaned forward, observing the grainy still.

  Even with as low-resolution as it was, Emma still recognized the striking gold eyes. A tall, well-built man in an expensive suit. The recognition must have shown on her face because the blond said, “You’ve seen him?”

  Her eyes flicked between the two men. She swallowed hard.