Ember Rising

Chapter Three

"Sounds like you know more than we do, Boss."

Kane was the first to respond. Menace edged his words as he propped his legs haphazardly on the table. He thumped his cigarette and fixed Aiden with a steely gaze.

"Yeah, what exactly do you think she is?" Kindle asked pointedly.

The room grew silent as tension hovered in the air. Aiden and Treston had been friends before Aiden left the organization. The rest of them were aware of it, though they rarely questioned his knowledge or pressed for details of his past. After Thorn came forward with the truth, Aiden aired all of Treston's dirty little secrets, compound locations spread across the globe, financial institutions he used. They used every piece of information they could to undo his evil. Aiden shared it all, or so they thought.

Aiden met each of their eyes, "She is power, and power is Treston's most basic desire. Kindle may have kept his men busy in the alley, but they had to have felt her. Treston is probably concocting a plan as we speak to get his hands on her."

Reed sat forward slowly and declared softly with conviction, "That is never going to happen."

Kindle regarded his friend with a frown.

"Is it me or are his eyes rocking a blue spirally follow-me-down-the-rabbit-hole vibe?" he whispered as he gestured in a circular motion near his eyes.

"Yes, I believe they are," Aiden said as he studied Reed closely.

Reed didn't reply. He simply closed his eyes as he tried to get his emotions under control. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about the girl. She was a stranger, yet she was under his skin. He did not recognize himself.

Kindle looked around the table and announced, "Change in position. My boy may have eyes gone gaga over girls gone wild, but my money's still on Reed. We keep the girl, protect her, and figure out why she is mad powerful. Who's with me?"

Kane nodded slowly as Thorn answered, "I am."

"It's settled then," Aiden said simply.

"So where do we start?" Kindle asked.

Reed finally opened his eyes and looked around the table as they waited for a response.

"From what I can tell she's used drugs for years to suppress the fire. First, I get her through the withdrawal. Then. . ." he started but stopped as he looked toward the door.

Unease rippled along his skin. She was awake and in distress. He felt her pain as if it were his own.

"What is it?" Kindle asked.

Reed pushed back from the table abruptly, "She's in trouble."

Everyone watched as Reed rushed from the room. He could just make out Kindle's parting words as he opened the door.

"Smh, dude's got it bad."

***

Reed flew across the courtyard, every fiber of his being intent on the girl. The only time he had felt so utterly out of control had been when his powers manifested as a teen, and it paled in comparison to what he was feeling now. Nothing made sense. He should be running in the opposite direction, but he could do nothing more than go to her. She was important. She mattered. One look and he was floundering in unknown territory. No, not even a look.

He had fallen at a feeling, as though the fates had draped an invisible link between the two of them. Now suddenly everything felt different. His friends would never admit it, but they were scared. He was terrified. He had a sneaking suspicion his element was no longer just his anymore but shared with the stranger in his room. His element answered, and he never even heard the damn question. He did have it bad.