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  Yesterday's Ashes

  Book Five, The Fire and Ice Series

  By Kim Faulks

  ISBN: 978-0-9942394-4-0

  Dedication

  I dedicate the last Fire and Ice story to someone who has been the biggest inspiration to me as an author. To someone who’s listened to me talk about my books for hours and who’s love of this series kept me going even when I lost my way. Fire and Ice wouldn’t have been the same without you Rob. Thank you for your love and your friendship.

  ~ Kim, a.k.a treehugger.

  Chapter 1

  Sunlight shone through the cracks of the rubble as the dust settled. Natalie shoved the boulders aside and crawled from what was left of the mountain. Sticks and leaves coated her hair and clothes. She swiped away the grime and stared at what was left of her refuge. The mountain was nothing more than a sunken hole where the bomb detonated, cleaving a line through the earth and devastating the land.

  She slowly turned, taking in what was left of Grayson's home. Through the brush she stared at the trail that lead back to the cabin. Bodies pointed the way. Their blood seeped into the earth, staining the land. Steve and his men should've left her alone. They should've turned back when they had the chance.

  Now... they never will.

  "Natalie. Don't leave me like this. Natalie. Natalie!"

  Alexander's painful cry echoed behind her. He was hurting and she was one hurting him. There was nothing else she could do, but run and try to get as far away from those she loved. She was a ticking time bomb, one which was designed to destroy everyone and everything she loved. As powerful as she was, there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it.

  The muscles of her thighs flexed as she climbed higher, passing the road back down to the cabin. The fragile shale terrain fell away as she made her way to the ridge and amongst the stark white trunks of the ghost gums, leaving civilization far behind. Storm clouds were brewing overhead, stealing the sun. The sudden wind whipped the trees into a frenzy, branches slapped her as she passed. But there was no going back now—not anymore.

  She was sure Grayson was afraid of her now—and he had good reason to be. The woman he'd once known was long gone and in her place was something feral, something powerful and not to be trusted. An animal.

  Natalie... come to me.The woman's voice stole her thoughts. She stumbled forward, gripping the base of a tree—holding on while the world disappeared and all that mattered, all that existed was this whisper. It was the voice from her nightmares. The cruel, seductive call of the one who had tainted her, who tore apart her mind and her body—it was her maker—Kaige.

  Don’t listen. Keep moving, keep running. She scanned the brush behind her, listening for their footfalls. She couldn't have Alexander, or Malik find her. Not now that she was the bait. She had to think. There must be someplace she could hide, someplace where Kaige couldn't find her. The cruel taunting sound of laughter filled her. Run, run, run... as fast as you can.... Natalie pushed on.

  The mountain ridges flattened as the dark clouds gathered overhead. Her steps were surer on the softer terrain and as she walked the smell of eucalyptus became tinged with smoke and ozone as the storm moved in. Civilization neared. Dogs howled in the distance—a warning to the others that danger was coming. They sensed her, although she meant no harm. She needed food, she needed shelter, and she needed time to think.

  Dried leaves scattered to her right. She stopped, honing in to the racing heartbeat before she moved quick, silent. The rabbit never had a chance to react. She grabbed it, wrenched its head and bit into the fur before it knew what had happened. Blood and meat, the animal wasn't near enough, but she was loathe to kill again. For now it would be just enough to tide her over until the morning.

  Run, the animal whispered inside her and she headed deeper into the bush, escaping those who would come to find her and lead her back to her safety and their death. She could feel the calling like a sickness, eating away her resolve leaving her defenseless. The end would come soon. She'd return to the chains and the shackles, and the beasts that waited for her.

  She headed east until the sound of traffic drowned out the call of cicadas and magpies overhead as the first heavy drop of rain fell. The road would lead her into Lithgow. A small city where she could stay dry and hopefully come up with some kind of plan.

  The baying of dogs increased as she skirted the fence line. She tried to keep herself downwind, but it left no room to maneuver between properties. Maybe she could go around and keep on going. The next town couldn't be too far away. She could find shelter there. Dust kicked up in tiny plumes as the thick rain drops pummeled the ground and thunder snarled, urging her to stay put.

  A growl in the distance caught her attention. The scream of obscenities at the barking dogs made her stop and slowly step back. Too many people here. Too many problems.

  The snap of a branch behind had her spinning. She caught movement, but it was too late and stared into the shortened end of a shotgun. "What're you doin' sneaking around here?"

  Hard, dark eyes narrowed on her. She could smell blood all over this man. Practiced hands held the barrel steady. Not even she could survive a chest shot at this distance. She tried to think of something to say, but those damn dogs kept barking. She could hear the snapping of the chains as they tested their tether time and time again.

  "Well, you gonna answer me?" The hunter waited. Rain thumped against his shirting, sticking the cloth to his skin.

  His eyes clung to every curve of her body, Natalie shrunk away from his gaze. She didn't want to hurt this man. She didn't want any trouble. But trouble always had a way of wanting her. "I was just passing through."

  "Just passing through huh? Where didja come from?"

  She scanned the steep terrain. There was no way he'd believe she came over the mountain. "I hitched from Katoomba."

  Fat drops smacked her in the middle of her forehead. The clouds trembled overhead, unable to hold off the deluge any longer. The hunter jerked his head to the right. "My place is over there, I guess you'll be needing shelter until the storm has passed."

  The hunter lowered the barrel of the gun and turned toward the farmstead. She watched the hunter make his way toward the fence line and step between the high tensile and the barbed strands as the sky opened up and the deluge came down.

  Natalie followed the worn track to the fence. Her hair plastered to her face as she bent low and slipped through. The dogs had settled down, dampened by the storm they sniffed at her as she neared. One, a black and white Collie whimpered and shoved his tail between his legs. He was a forlorn looking thing with one blue eye and the other green.

  "He lost his mate yesterday. Snake bit. Had to put her down." The hunter muttered as he wiped his boots on a rubber mat.

  Natalie stood inside the shed as the rain pelted down. The smell of lucerne was heady and sweet and she thought for a moment about the life she could've had, a life like this, simple.

  "You look a bit like old Moses here, like you lost your best friend.”

  The hunter patted the side of his legs and the Collie slowly inched toward him until he came within reach and laid down. "You sure, you're okay? You're not one of those suiciders are you? I've had kids like you go up into the mountains expectin' never to come back and when death knocks on their door they scramble for the nearest place and it's usually here. I don't want no trouble."

  "I'm
not suicidal." She whispered.

  "Old Moses hasn't be able to work since old Sassy died. If he doesn't come good, I'll have to put him down too. Can't have no dog who doesn't earn his keep."

  Natalie stilled, unable to take her eyes off the animal. The storm no longer mattered, nothing else mattered and while she stared at this grief stricken animal the pieces clicked into place. She knew exactly what she had to do. She only hoped that the men she loved would forgive her.

  Natalie... come to me now.

  Kaige's voice wrenched her deep into the abyss. Natalie tried to hold on, but there was nothing to hold on to. She felt the need rising inside, a knife edge she teetered on, hopelessly waiting for the moment when she fell.

  I'm here, Natalie... Alexander's voice lit a flame inside. Hold on to me. Hold onto our love. And she did. She grappled for the tether that linked the two of them. In a rush Alexander filled her, hard, strong and very much vampire. He took her breath away, and she shivered as the cold steel wrapped around her and she drank him down.

  I'll never leave you, Natalie... I'll. Never. Leave. You.

  She closed her eyes and listened to the deafening rain. As his love filled her, so did a sense of hopelessness. Alexander was her more than her lover. He was her guardian, her watcher in the night, the one who truly loved her and understood who she was. Nothing escaped his glance or his heart when it came to her. He would fight for her and if she allowed it to happen—he’d die for her.

  Agony ripped through her chest. She doubled over, resting her elbows on her knees while the thought of this took hold. She wouldn't be able to fight the call forever and that would put Alexander and Malik in danger.

  They would come to her. They would wage a war for her and that thought filled her with dread. She needed someone who she could turn to. Someone who could infiltrate Kaige's army. But who apart from the three men in her life could she trust?

  Amongst the creatures who waited for her only one stuck in her memory. One cruel twisted face who took delight in seeing her suffer, one who pretended to care, only to watch her crumble, the demon from Kaige's army. She shuddered, her memory stuck on those cruel months where she prayed for the sweet release of death. She’d been given exactly that—but it hadn't eased her torment.

  Alexander once told her all creatures lived by a code, even the immortal ones, they had to in order to survive? Could she place her trust in this code? Could she place the lives of those she loved?

  Natalie knew only one who could reach out to the demon, only one who knew what code the demon stood by—his brother, Leron. She reached for the invisible bond inside, the one connected to those she loved the most, knowing this invisible bond would hurt them both. Alex, where is Leron?

  The seconds slid by while she waited. Had he given up on her?

  He is where you'd expect someone like him to be... a place for the deranged.

  Chapter 2

  The first person Alexander reached for was Natalie, but she was already gone. Climbing out of the darkness and running once more. Why couldn't she understand that running would get her nowhere? The only ones she was running from were the ones who could help her the most.

  Grayson mumbled something incoherent next to him, trying to dig his way through the collapsed tunnel in front of them. Alexander brought his fist down on the rock in front of them. At first there was nothing but a chuckle from Malik, until a soft crack cut through the dark and the boulder broke apart.

  He waited for the Djinn to move through, hesitant to leave the human behind. If anything happened to Grayson while the two of them were here Natalie would never forgive him. He stepped through the rubble, half listening for the heavy tread behind as they climbed higher.

  A snarl ahead triggered an echo in him. He moved swiftly as the thunder grew louder and rebounded back at him. He caught the scent of blood, human blood and he slowed. They weren't the only ones caught in the blast. Most of the soldiers who had blindly followed their leader into the mountain hadn't gotten out alive.

  The low moan came again, it seemed at least one had survived the blast—but he'd never survive Malik.

  Savage blue twin flames focused on him in the cave illuminating the human huddled against the dirt wall. "This one is mine."

  "Easy, Djinn. I'm not going to fight you for the pleasure of killing." His voice was a growl in the dark as he thought of the one who he would fight to kill. The one who enslaved the only woman he'd ever loved, shackling her with blood and the bond of a maker. "Not yet anyway."

  The human whimpered which only brightened the flames, illuminating his crouching form. Alexander could see the whites in his eyes as he stared at Malik. "What the hell are you?"

  Malik whispered. "I am retribution." Between the palms of his hands leapt the greedy tongues of fire.

  "No, no, no." The human whispered.

  Alexander heard a harsh hiss of fear on the back of his neck. Out of duty he glanced back over a shoulder to Grayson and warned. "You might want to turn your head."

  The human swallowed hard, the sound carried but kept his eyes glued to the fire lord. "Thanks, but I'm good."

  Alexander shrugged. "Suit yourself."

  The flames darkened to orange and licked the ceiling. Neither he, nor Malik, killed for pleasure, but they never shied away from what needed to be done either. There was a long line of those who wished to harm Natalie, both in her past life and this one. They would meet each threat in their own darkened corner in the world and do what had to be done to keep her safe. They were her guardians, her protectors, her lovers—for all eternity—nothing short of the final death would change that.

  "You should've stayed away from her. I want to know why, why come after her now?" Malik asked as he advanced, stalking the human. Alexander shuddered, watching the display. He'd seen the Djinn in action before and it was both exhilarating and terrifying. Malik was no immortal he wanted to mess with. Fire did not go well with ice, and even less with flesh.

  "Fuck you." Spat the human as he lunged.

  Alexander didn't see the move coming, he, like Grayson was too enthralled with the fire lord who toyed with his prey like a cat with a mouse. Malik leapt to the side, catching the blow on his shoulder and not his face. The flames hummed with his anger, shootings sparks into the air and he tightened those flames into a ball of fire and launched it toward the human.

  Screams filled the cavern as the fireball glanced the human's side and extinguished on to rock wall. There was more where that came from. The darkness was dispelled by another ball of fire which grew in the center of Malik's palm. "So, let's try this again. Why did you come after Natalie?"

  The howls of agony gave way to whimpers. The sound a painful chorus that tingled the hairs on his skin. Pain made the human blind to those around him, but fear gave him something to focus on once more. The Djinn grabbed hold of the human's shirt and wrenched him to his feet. "I'll ask one more time and then I'll give you to the Vamp."

  Alexander smiled, showing his long fangs. "I am kinda peckish."

  "Jesus... n... no." The soldier stuttered. "All I know is we were sent to get the bitch alive."

  "By who?"

  "Steve... he paid us to abduct her, says something about a ransom from someone called Kaige. That's all I know, I swear."

  With a snort of disgust Malik threw the human back to the ground. "Stupid fucking idiot. Did he think Natalie would go willingly? How could he not know that she'd annihilate him and his damn team?"

  Alexander thought about this and as he dismissed one thought after another, only one made sense. "Because they have no idea what she is."

  The comment wasn't missed by Malik who turned and struck him with a fiery stare.

  "We knew she was a fucking blood sucker. We came prepared." Snarled the soldier.

  Malik shone the light to the floor of the cavern. A duffle bag filled sharpened stakes had spilled out across the ground. The air hissed through Alexander's fangs in response and he took a step toward them. "You think a t
hrowing around a splinter would stop me?"

  He yanked back his fist and let fly, hitting the massive stone boulder in front. Shards flew in all directions, hitting the human and the dirt wall beside him. The soldier dropped to the ground and covered his face with his hands and then shot up with one of the stakes in his hand. "I'd give it a bloody good shot!"

  Malik reacted first, forcing the fire in his hands through the man's body. Flesh and blood swallowed the ball of flame. Alexander could see the mortal light up from the inside until his body blackened. Ashes fell to the ground until there was nothing left, no bone, no teeth, nothing.

  "Jesus H Christ." Whispered Grayson behind me. "Remind me to never piss you guys off, okay?"

  Alexander froze, he felt something... Natalie. I'm here for you, Natalie. Hold on to our love. A flood of emotions swept him away, pain, hurt, anger. She wasn't too far away, he could get to her in a matter of minutes. He stilled, detecting something else, a bitter taste filled his mouth. His hand shook when he touched his lips, was it regret?

  The sweet sound of her voice filled his mind. Alex, where is Leron?

  Questions filled him, some to cruel to entertain. He'd known Leron for the best part of two hundred years, during this time he'd opened his home and his life to the demon. But when it came to love, he was a damn sight more picky. The demon walked the thin line between the insane and the depraved. Just the thought of her seeking him out filled him with dread. Could he lie to her? He thought about that for a moment, what would he hope to achieve? If there was anything he’d learned about women over the last few hundred years it was that they were tenacious and unforgiving when it came to lies.

  He is where you'd expect someone like him to be... a place for the deranged, Rose Hill Asylum.

  Their connection was severed and Alexander was left standing in the middle of what was left of a mountain, wondering why the hell she needed Leron?

  Chapter 3