Chapter 4

“Hey, Ember, you hear me?” Robert’s voice broke in to her thoughts. “Ember are the lights on and no one home?” He laughed at his own joke. As a big man you could tell that he loved his beer and meat. With his red hair and a freckled, rough face he carried the strong fisherman look well.

“I’m here Robert. Just must be out of it tonight.” Turning her head to face him fully. 

“Your usual?” 

“Yes, please.” Her usual being a water that everyone thought was a vodka on ice. Gotta keep up appearances Robert always said. Men seemed to like to think the girls drank so they might have a better chance of going home with one of their fantasies. Felt more like a party to them instead of a bunch of women trying to pay the bills. They would then spend more hoping that they would find a girl that would be interested in them. It was a sad life that she watched unfold every night she was there. 

All of a sudden, a hand came down smacking hard on her behind. Stupid, she should have been paying attention, what is wrong with her tonight? She turned around and punched the guy straight in the jaw. He staggered but didn’t go down. Robert is grabbing his bat and yelling behind the bar for security. The stupid idiot who touched her was coming towards her again obviously drunk and cussing that no little girl can punch him. He grabbed her hair to lift her off her feet just as a hand shot between them and encircled his throat. 

“Let the girl go now.” It was the man who had startled her from before. The drunken man’s hands fell to his side. Ember was hoping no one could see the smoke coming off of him. She waved her hands very low trying to shoo the smoke away. The angry man’s face was turning colors.

“You will leave this place and never return.” Whispered to the man so low only Ember seemed to hear. He sounded deadly, but his voice caught at something inside of her. She kept her hair in her face and peeked out to see what was happening. Robert was asking her if she was ok and telling her he was sorry, that he should have cut that man off a while ago, but she was too busy watching this man nearly choke the angry giant man without a hair out of place to listen. He let the man go to watch him stumble his way to the door whimpering.

The strange man who had come up to help noticed she was shaking and asked Robert if there was somewhere he could take her to check her hand for injuries. I’m not sure why Robert was going along with this, but the sooner she could get out of the crowd and get her control back was better. She really was close to engulfing in flames if they didn’t hurry. After asking Helen for a bar towel filled with ice Robert led them to the office and she sat down. The strange man began looking at her hand. 

“Ember, you going to be, ok? I got to get that crowd under control out there.” Robert asked while eyeing the guy that was now kneeled down studying Ember’s hand.

Nodding her head yes. Robert gave the man a long look and before leaving the room to go get the bar back under control. Seething at the company but needing to find her center she ignored everything and concentrated on her breathing. In and out. Cool waves. Flowing water. Ice caves.

Keegan didn’t know what he was doing trying to look at the young girl’s hand. This was strangely out of character for him and his sister would have a field day with this after Hanson tells her what he did. Something was tugging at him to care for her though and she smelled wonderful. The girl was small and shaking, but she didn’t seem hurt. She just kept her eyes closed and was taking slow breaths. The girl sure knew how to throw a punch. The behemoth’s face was already starting to swell when he sent him on his way.

In the small office he knelt down which still brought him eye level with the girl. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, but can you look at me? I want to be sure you are, ok?” He whispered not wanting to scare her any more than she already was. She had to be terrified after that experience. 

Slowly she lifted her lashes and a shot went straight threw him. The fear he expected wasn’t there but flames were. This wasn’t a normal girl. She looked dangerous with the fire in her eyes. He stepped back. Mate. Mate. Mate. He was speechless, struggling to form words.

Her hand shot out and grabbed him. “Say nothing. Be still. You are not safe yet, no one is. I need to get in the fresh air.” Smoke was coming off of her again compelling him. He recognized that power now. 

Taking a deep breath, he finally said, “I’ll get you out, but then you will talk.” He picked her up and started towards the back door adding steel behind his voice. She was too busy counting to notice it seemed though.  She should have been scared of a stranger carrying her out of the club, but there was power running through her and her skin was burning hot. What was she?