Lost in Embers (Rising From Ash Saga #1)

Bonus Chapter

AIDAN

“You are endangering everyone by bringing her here…” Isabel’s voice no longer appeals to me. Not that it ever did. I had to force myself to even be in the same room as her. In fact, the sound of her talking, especially about Ava, makes me sick. She was once a welcome distraction, to fulfil my oath as Alpha Fortissimum, but now she’s just a royal pain in my ass that is like a bad rash that won’t go the fuck away.

“Well, then everyone can get the fuck out of my house, and I’ll open a new place for everyone to stay, if they want to remain in the city. My house. My rules. You’d be smart to never forget that.” My eyes, harsh slits, stare into hers. She tries to bat those long lashes at me, hopeful a spark ignites in me.

“Don’t. You knew this arrangement was just that. Not love. Swaying your hips and throwing yourself at me won’t do a damn thing.” My words to her are cold, colder than they had ever been before.

I look around at the faces other than Isabels, “If anyone harms a hair on her head, they won’t have a head. Am I clear?” They gulp down my words and leave.

Fear. Fucking right. I would eat the demons of Ivaporia if it kept her safe.

When I thought Ava was gone, even though I never stopped searching for her, I had an obligation to fulfil for the oath I took. In that time, I tried to make Isabel comfortable, but she had always understood Ava was the one for me, and she was fine with that. She was fine with the power, but now she has lost all power, she has become unhinged. That’s all this was to her anyway, a power trip.

“You don’t mean that.” She looks as though she’s going to cry, but even my father rolls his eyes. He knows better than to believe any emotion from her lying, crawling to the top, fake ass. She might have everything going in the looks department for some men, but she never appealed to me. Someone will need a chisel to get through the ice to that heart of hers that would give the Christmas-hating Grinch a run for his money.

“I’m not going to dignify anything you say with a response. You can stay here, but do not ever threaten me, or the woman who is in that room, or it will be the last thing you do.” My gaze locks on her, unflinching.

“I hope you don’t regret your decision. She constantly chooses other people over you all the time. My father won’t be happy about this.”

She leaves the hallway, and the door is still cracked enough for me to peer in and see a passed-out Ava on my bed. The weight that is lifted off my chest just by having her close to me, where she belongs, makes me stronger. Isabel’s father, Roman, wants a pure bloodline for the packs. Me as a leader pisses him off enough, considering my mother had a drop of human blood in her. The thought of Ava being my soulmate, fucks with his mind more than it should. He doesn’t deserve to even think of her, let alone say her name. I want to cut that tongue out for any foul thing he has said about her. In time.

“And I will still turn around and choose her over everyone.” I speak only to my father as Isabel has left us, and it’s like sun shines through the dark walls with the disappearance of her presence taking the darkness with her.

Seeing Ava in Mexico reignited that spark in me. One that only exists with her close to me. Her dancing, laughing, and smiling, man that’s what I want for her, but for me to be the sole reason for any iota of her happiness. Falling in love with her all over again, even in the moments that I watched her from the shadows. That flicker in her eyes, she knew I was always close by, she could feel my presence. It is the same way I have always been able to captivate her mind. My Ember.

“We have much to talk about, but for now, you do what you do best, take care of your wife.” My Dad places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze before he leaves me to it.

Some people say we look a lot alike, and while I have about five inches on his 6-foot-1 frame, it makes sense. We have the same jaw line and eyes. At least when they aren’t piercing blue for Ava. They are brown with flecks of gold and green, just like my dad. Dear ole Dad. Who is the reason I’m in this spot in the first place. Like he couldn’t fucking control himself and it was all on me to solve his problems and the packs. I didn’t want this role. I just wanted Ava.

I walk over to the excessively large bed, but what else would I use this room for other than sleeping and staring into the fire, just knowing fire and I have so much in common. She doesn’t remember the gifts she imparted to me. She barely remembers me. There is so much to talk to her about, to say, so much to make up for.

“Ember…”

Her golden hair spreads across my pillow and her heart still beats steadily, and another wave of relief washes over me. It has been hours, and she’s still passed out. The conversation in the hall is the longest amount of time I have spent away from her since the fire.

“I’m lucky to stand by your side and watch you shine, basking in it just like everyone else, the difference is I get to take you home and show you how much I love you. Please, remember. Don’t fucking break me after I just got you back.”

Her lips tremble in her sleep, and my words fall flat on her finally at-peace mind. She doesn’t hear me talk to her about how much she means to me, but she needed to hear it, and that is the best I could do.

After hours of just watching her sleep, caressing her skin, cleaning her face the best I could, seeing her eyes move quickly under her lids, letting me know she’s consumed by deep sleep, she can finally breathe. I’ve debated changing her a thousand times, but there’s either the chance she will be grateful for it or a spitfire swinging, how it was the first time I saw her naked, so even with the smell of smoke filling the dress, I play it safe.

My phone rings on the end table, and as much as I want everyone to fuck off, I still have responsibilities. My mouth twitches in a half-smile to the Australian Hulk calling me instead of work.

“You have her?!” Before I can even greet him, he sputters that accent down my ear .

“It feels fucking amazing to have her here. Let’s just hope she doesn’t lose her shit. She doesn’t always agree with my decisions.” A chuckle releases from my throat.

“Not much has changed on that front. Yet, she always loves you fiercely. Her and Zalethia, man, the passion they have, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the death of us, too.”

His voice always goes up a couple octaves when he talks about his nymph lover with lavender hair and caramel skin, laced with beautiful vitiligo marks. While she and Ava couldn’t be more far apart on the physical spectrum, they both are feisty. It will be interesting to have her hang with my best mate’s girl, even if that’s something she never liked before. They have too much in common to not get along.

“Tell me about it.” I rub the back of my neck, trying to get some of the tension out. “Hopefully, she realizes like she did before, everything I do is to keep her safe.”

My voice cracks just thinking of her hating me, but we used to be expert communicators until she forgot everything, forgot me, and the chance I overcommunicate with her and push her away isn’t worth it.

One thing is for certain, no matter the pack business, Militia or Resistance, whoever fucked with her memory has me to deal with, and I will rip them limb-from-limb for erasing me from her memory. The only memory I selfishly care that she keeps.

“She will, it might just take her some time, Cross.”

“Time is the one thing not on our side, Shamus. Or the fact that my insanity hinges on her forgotten memories of me. I wish she could remember, and I wish I could forget some memories that refuse to die.” My chest releases a deep sigh, wondering if this is even the right approach. “I need you to do something for me. ”

“Anything. I owe you my life.” There isn’t an ounce of hesitation in his voice.

“Let that go. You’re my friend.” At some point he has to drop it. I know he’s grateful. “I’m not asking you out of some… listen… you’re one of the only people I trust.” My words are a fact. One that few people know.

“I wouldn’t have done for my friends what you did for me, at least back then. Now, I’m a different person. You gave me a new life. So, anything.” It’s engrained in him. His loyalty to me.

“Watch out for her. She might run. I’m praying she doesn’t. Yet, if she does, she will end up with him, which means close to Z…”

“Ah, in turn me. You don’t have to worry about her while I’m around. If anyone gets out of line, even Marcus or Z, I got it. I’ll watch Kieran too. Another secret for the vault.”

“He’ll spot you. Remember whose son he is. My duty is always to her. Thank you, don’t shift, for your own safety.” Fuck, did I get lucky with Shamus and Finn. Never thought those two rowdy-ass, loud guys would get along, yet it works.

“I’ll be the invisible man.” He laughs wickedly.

A knock on the door has me hanging up without any pleasantries of a good-bye.

“Son, Marcus called. He said Kieran is looking for Ava and seems hell bent on finding her. Not to mention, your assistant called me when she couldn’t get ahold of you. You have those meetings you pushed back to be with her about the, I don’t know ten companies you run, the pack’s….”

“I get it. I have to get to work. I did all of this for her, and now I have her. I can’t let it go to waste.” But her hair has the lingering smell of lavender I love, even after the fire. It draws me in to never wanting to leave her.

Great. Just great. Wildest part of all of this is I worked my ass off, put myself in the public eye the way I never have before, in hopes she’d see my picture somewhere and recognize me and find me. I did all the things she talked about before, wanting to mix lives, and set it up all perfectly for her. Now that I have her lying here, I would give it up in a heartbeat, for her. Always her.

She’s either going to be the sweetest dream or the darkness that consumes me.