Finding Amber (Book 5) Jacobs Broken Mercenaries

chapter 8

Amber

I knew he was protecting me. Okay, maybe I was a little scared the rhino was possibly leading me to my death. I slowly open my eyes. It’s bright here and cold. Thank God there’s no sun. Being a vampire sucks. Wait, how could it be bright, but there’s no sun? 
When my eyes adjust to the light, I see stars. Millions of bright, shiny stars and snow! Lots of snow. Shivering, I look around for my rhino. But he’s nowhere to be found. Did he make it? 
Just as I get up, something comes barreling into me with the force of a hurricane. Scrambling to my knees, I dig through the snow. All I see is his hair; the color of a raven’s feather. 
“Estevan!” 
I never thought I’d be so happy to see him. He shakes the snow from his head and grasps me by the shoulders.
“Bloody hell, woman! What were you thinking?”
I don’t know how to answer that because I honestly wasn’t thinking. I just trusted that rhino for some reason. I still do.
“How did you know where I went?” I ask.
He gets up, offering me his hand. I take it, brushing the snow from my jeans. I thought vampires weren’t supposed to feel the cold? We’re supposed to be cold or cold-blooded? 
“I came around the corner just in time to see you leap. I tried to stop you, but I was too far. And then…”
“You jumped after me. Do you mean to tell me you didn’t know where this place led? Wait, like the dimension was a mystery or like, you knew nothing?”
I’m astounded. The fact he’d risk his neck for me is mind-boggling. 
“Don’t read too much into it. Mica isn’t dead he’s just incapacitated for a while. It was either follow you or wait idle for him.”
Uh huh, sure. He likes me and enough to risk his neck. I hide my smile, looking behind me. Why he insists on denying it is beyond me, but I go along with him.
“So, are we on earth?” My intuition tells me not a chance, but I ask anyway.
“No. This isn’t a portal. It’s a world inside a world. Very advanced and not Mica’s work. This place has been here a long time.”
I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.  Estevan doesn’t explain further.  
“Where did your beast go?” 
Good question. I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. I shrug, looking around. 
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get moving.” He says. 
Oh, great. More exploring.  I know I wanted to travel, but not like this. If someone told me I’d be in alternate worlds and would live forever on a blood diet. Wait, am I going to live forever? There’s so much I don’t know.
“Tell me what being a vampire is like.” I blurt. Estevan gives me a quizzical look in answer.
“Are you feeling alright?” He asks.
“You know what I mean.” I tell him. Judging by his expression, he has no idea.
“I know the sun thing is right, but will I live forever?” After a length of silence. I don’t think he’s going to answer, and my anger builds. With a sigh, he turns to me.
“You will live unless you are spelled, staked through the heart, beheaded or burned. Your heart still beats. You have inhuman strength, advanced healing. Senses are heightened tenfold, and eating food will make you sick. I’m sure you’ve figured out the rest already.”
Hm, that answers most of my questions, some I’ve never even thought of. He’s not much of a talker. 
“What do you do?” I ask, trying to strike up conversation. He ignores me, so I ask again.
“Save damsels in distress that don’t know when to keep quiet.”
I pause, glaring at his back. What an ass. 
“Is that what you’re doing? I’m still waiting for the saving to happen.”
Take that! I can be smart, too. Well, technically, he saved me twice. Once from starvation and then from Mica, but he’s so damn rude, and I know not finding that exit is getting to him. That’ll teach him to piss me off. 
Oh no!
Estevan steps up to me, looking me in the eye 
“Don’t push me, Amber. I’m hanging on by a thread.”
I’m about to tell him not to push me either when his gaze drops to my lips, stealing the words from my mouth and turning my brain to mush. His eyes are so intense. Everything about him screams danger. I swear his catchphrase should be; I may look like an animal because I am. Not the most brilliant but fitting. Just when I think he may kiss me, he pulls away, stomping through the snow. Disappointment makes me moody, and I give up on trying to talk…
By the time we stop, my muscles are throbbing. I drop as they scream in protest at the thought of another step. 
What I thought was an igloo turned out to be a snow-covered cave. 
“Stay here. I’ll go get some wood for a fire.” 
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I couldn’t move, anyway. My legs wouldn’t allow it. 
This place is lifeless. I don’t even think animals could survive here. Although I’d have to admit this is the calmest I’ve been in days. Thoughts of Celeste begin to surface. If he hurt her, no. I can’t think like that.  If he’s chasing me, that means he didn’t get what he wanted. Which means Celeste either got away or he hasn’t found her. Good! And without me, he’s got no leverage.  This day just keeps getting better. All I need now is a flashing exit sign, and I’d call it Christmas. A new question arises. Can vampires get frostbite? Damn, it’s cold.
Estevan comes back with an arm full of sticks, and I shiver with anticipation. It takes a few minutes for him to get it going.  Once he does, I twist my hair back and hover over it. Estevan returns twice more with wood. He stacks it neatly beside us.
“Tomorrow we head north again. There’s another black space like the one that led us here.”
That dampens my mood. Another world? 
“How far is it?” I ask. Estevan sits next to me, throwing a few more sticks on the fire. 
“Well, get there before sunset.”
I exhale loudly, placing my chin on my knees while quietly watching the fire. 
I remember sitting by a fire as a kid. It was with Celeste. Actually, one of her later visits.  Mom started watching us closely as we both got older. Celeste and I would go for walks in the woods.  Celeste would bring marshmallows, and we’d have a fire telling each other scary stories until dark. It was the most normal thing we did.
“What are you thinking about?”
I startle and look at Estevan, who’s looking back at me just inches away. I realize I was smiling. 
“My sister… Tell me a story.” I ask, not expecting him to comply. 
“A long time ago, there was a beautiful woman who was pure of heart and as sweet as the day was long. She knew loss deeply and braved through it, keeping her kind soul. The woman was out tending her field. She was a farmer, you see.”
I yawn, and a shiver leaves me. Estevan removes his jacket, placing it around me. I thank him and tell him to continue. His voice is comforting. I could listen to it all day.
“That night, her luck had run out, and a darkness fell upon her that would eventually end her.”
“Was it a man?” I interrupt.  Estevan shakes his head, completely ensnared by his own story. 
“A beast veered onto her path, ready to take her life, but he spared her.”
“Why?” I ask, unable to stop myself from interrupting him again.
“Let me finish, and you’ll find out!” he snaps. I ignore the outburst, pulling his jacket tighter. 
“This beast was taken by her beauty, both in and out. He coveted what he didn’t have but greatly desired. The beast made her happy for years. He loved her and her him, but the beast didn’t realize his love was poison. One day, the woman asked a favor of the beast. Even though this beast knew the favor he was to perform could possibly have negative results, he was ignorant. He ignored his instincts, trying to make the woman happy.”
I make a sound in the back of my throat. 
“How could doing something for someone cause harm?”
Estevan looks me over, then quickly away. The story makes him sad. I feel like he’s retelling the story from a personal viewpoint. 
“The devil is in the details. What happens when an animal gets distressed?”
His question brings me back to my adolescence. I once tried to bring home a stray cat that wanted nothing to do with me. When I insisted, the little tabby scratched and bit me. My mom had cleaned me up and told me the cat had probably never seen a human before and attacked me out of fear. She said, “how would you feel if something five times your size tried to maul you?” I never thought of it that way at the time. I look back at Estevan.
“It attacks?” I answer.
He nods, continuing the story.
“The beast was not accustomed to human ways and when another male innocently approached the woman, he saw it as an act of aggression that aggression was matched and when the man fired at the beast, he missed and got the woman instead.”
His voice gets wobbly on the last sentence.  The conversation feels personal. I find myself sympathizing with the beast the same way I did with the cat.
“But it’s not the beast’s fault.” I tell him.
“He was reacting the only way he knew how.”
“It doesn’t matter! An innocent died. The beast was dangerous and should never have taken advantage of the woman in the first place!” 
He’s getting heated. I begin to wonder if it’s not a story at all but a memory. Is he the beast?
“I thought they loved each other? Didn’t the beast help her?” I ask defensive of the so-called beast.
He shakes his head. I’ve somehow confused him, I think.
“I’m done with stories. Let’s just get some sleep.” Estevan bites out the words with frustration.
Well, I’ve somehow managed to piss him off. I don’t even care. The way he portrayed the beast in the story didn’t make any sense. It sounded like an accident. That means no one was at fault. It’s not like the woman was brain damaged and couldn’t think for herself. She decided to be with the beast. I’m sure she knew the risks, but she obviously wanted him, anyway.
I glare at Estevan’s back, feeling just as annoyed.  Now I can’t sleep and I’m so damn cold. The fire is blaring, but the bitter wind takes away most of the warmth. 
“Can vampires get frostbite?” I ask his back. After a few moments, he sighs.
“No, it’s just uncomfortable.”
That’s putting it mildly. I wait for him to sleep and then curl up beside him.