Chapter 24
Ember awoke with a start, grabbing the blanket and pulling it to her chest. She had been having the dream. It was a common dream, but that never made it less unnerving. Falling through space, she had jerked awake just before impact. Staring around the room, she wiped her brow, and then her mouth. She didn’t know where she was.
There was a mattress on the floor, and several boxes of books lining the walls. The pile of clothes that had been pushed up next to the closet door gave it away.
She was back in Acton’s room, and she was wearing one of Acton’s tee shirts. The bag of things that Charles had given her was sitting on the floor nearby.
It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. She had gone to sleep curled up next to Acton, on the beach, next to the fire. That had occurred after the water, and the stars.
Ember laid back on the mattress, sweeping her tangled hair out of her eyes—the stars, and the water, and the kissing…and the rest.
He had carried her to shore, and made a fire to keep her warm as he dug out a blanket that he had stashed in a garbage bag near their spot by the spring. Acton had stared into the fire for a while, and then he had moved to sit by her, kissing her long and deep.
She shook her head, wondering why she suddenly felt so alive, and so safe. Acton had always kept her an arm’s reach away, and she had never known if it was because he was trying to push her away.
It was because he couldn’t let her go.
She slipped out of Acton’s shirt, and then held it to her face and inhaled. He smelled like burning wood and mint. With another light smile, she tucked the shirt into her bag and dressed, walking down the stairs and hearing voices in the kitchen.
Turning the corner, all four members of the Knox family stopped and looked at her. She smiled hesitantly.
“Good morning,” she said quietly, demurely pulling her hair back before realizing it was too short to make a ponytail. Acton gave her a nod. She saw him smile as he looked back down at the table.
“Good morning, Ember,” Asher responded brightly. “You’re looking deflowered this morning.”
With her hand poised on the refrigerator door, Ember froze. Despite the confidence she had felt in the bedroom, she felt her cheeks suddenly color with embarrassment as she turned back to glance at Acton, and then at Asher.
“What?”
Asher snapped his fingers, and then held his hand out palm up. His eyes never left her face. “Pay up.”
Zinny was shuffling over from the stove, removing oven mitts as she came. Isaac was digging money out of his pocket.
“Ignore them. Good morning, Em,” she put one hand on Ember’s hair and kissed her temple. Giving her an encouraging smile, she nudged her toward the table.
Ember let her hand fall away from the fridge handle and went to a chair. She glanced at Acton again and then back at Asher, putting her hands on her hips. “You put a bet on…that?”
A wide smile spread across Asher’s face. “I put a bet on Acton’s stupidity. My next bet has Gina killing him within the week, if you want in.”
Acton leaned back in his chair. “He’s going to lose that one.”
“She’s back?” Ember asked, feeling faint as she sat down. Zinny was putting a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her, and she looked up to thank her.
“She was coming back, just as I was leaving,” Asher went on. “It was a good thing that I took Isaac with me.”
Across the table, Isaac raised and lowered his eyebrows, looking less than pleased that Ember was inside the house.
Zinny was running her hand over Ember’s hair again, and she was suddenly very aware that she had forgotten to brush it. After the salt water, she was guessing it was going to take a lot of conditioner to get a brush through.
“A word, Acton,” she said with another sweet smile.
Sighing, he stood. “Em—”
“She stays here,” Zinny said curtly. Flashing her eyes at Asher, she frowned. “And anyone that makes her cry is in trouble.”
With another glance at Ember, Acton followed his mother from the room. Asher waited until the front door had closed behind them to smile.
“So, give me details.” He pulled his chair closer to the table.
“No,” Ember said, trying not to blink. “You’re creepy.”
Ember jumped as Isaac slammed his chair back. Glaring at her, he stood and left.
“He doesn’t like you.” Asher crinkled his nose. “He’s afraid that Acton likes you more than him.”
Ember shook her head vigorously. “Oh, no, we’re not—”
“I agree.” Asher smiled. “His fears are unfounded. Even with you in the picture, Isaac is as close to a soft spot as Acton has ever come. But, getting back to last night…”
Ember made a concerted effort to lift her jaw and close her mouth. She resolutely shook her head, refusing to look embarrassed again.
Sitting back, Ember inwardly cringed as she watched him trying to form a mental picture, but she stood her ground. Slowly, his eyes opened, and then they darted back to her. He stood, walking over and laying a hand on her shoulder.
He gave her two pats before walking from the room. “Welcome to the family, Em.”
Ember swallowed as his footsteps retreated, leaving her alone in the silence to ponder his meaning.
After finishing the eggs and bacon that Zinny had left for her, Ember returned to Acton’s bedroom. Grabbing a box of books, she sat on the edge of the mattress and started to go through them. They were all old, and well-kept, except for the one dog-eared paperback that Isaac had returned to her.
“Em.”
She looked up to see Acton standing in the doorway. The house had become so unnaturally quiet that she had been sure that she was alone. Even as she looked at Acton, the sound of Zinny doing dishes down in the kitchen started up.
“You read,” she said from behind her box of books. “A lot.”
“I like the written word,” he replied, folding his arms across his chest. “I use them to study. They’re filled with useful information about people, and what they feel, and how they act. I learn how to manipulate my victims through those books.”
Ember smiled wryly. “I think you read them to escape.”
“Is that why you read them?” he asked loftily.
“Yes,” she said, looking back down and running her hand over the spines. She picked up the book that Isaac had given her. “This one is about two sisters. I used to think that maybe I would have a family like that, and a garden like that, and a bedroom like that—”
“A bedroom?”
“Yeah.” Ember stopped. “The sisters have this bedroom, with this ornate poster bed and pillows and rugs and drapes. I never even had a foot board back at school. I guess it’s kind of silly to dream about those things.”
Acton didn’t say anything. Ember sighed, shaking her head.
“Acton, I don’t know why you want to keep me, and I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but when you’re tired of me, don’t tell me,” she said, taking a deep breath to look him in the eye. She shook her head a little. “Just do it. Just do it and make it quick, when it’s time. I don’t want any warning.”
Acton walked into the room, slowly dropping down next to her on the mattress. He pulled Ember down next to him, and as she laid her head on his chest, she hoped, just for a second, that he was going to protest.
“We made a deal, Em,” he said. “Before any of it started. You agreed to all of this. I wanted to take something from Gina that she swore I never would, and you helped me to do it. In return, you wanted a family. So, here we are.”
Ember closed her eyes, but she didn’t feel sad, even knowing that it had been part of his plan. It was a strange thing that she didn’t feel threatened by him, even though she knew she should. There was a growing tension between them, and even as it pained her, she knew it pained him too. He couldn’t cut the ties any more than she could, or they would both go spinning into oblivi
on.
“What did you take from her?” she asked. “Me?”
When Acton spoke again, his voice was incredibly level. “I’m young, as demons go, and for reasons unknown to anyone but Gina, she decided that I was capable of reform. It only made me want to prove the opposite. Now, I’ve proved it. You’re a Knox, with all of the rights and privileges therein.”
With her eyes still closed, Ember mulled the words. It was as close to an open declaration of friendship as Acton, or any demon, was likely to get. “What do I do now?”
“You can do whatever you want.” Rolling onto his side, he bent over her to kiss her, and she let him.
When he finally moved away, she stared up at him, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”
“You’re who you always were,” Acton said lightly. “You were hiding before. I only helped you to realize it.”
She shook her head. “You hypnotized me, and you control people, like they’re puppets—“
“No.” Acton’s voice was calm. “I’ve never been able to control you, and the hypnotism only works when you let it. It was all you, Em. It was always you. Even on the nights that I made Joseph erase your memory, I’m convinced that you had a choice in allowing him to do it. You wanted to forget those things, but you always remembered little bits and pieces. The pieces that you wanted to remember. I could never take them away. I tried.”
Looking toward the window, she watched the clear blue of the sky, hedged along the bottom by the dark silhouettes of the evergreens. It had been a long time since she had seen a blue sky, and somehow, it seemed empty without the stars. She believed him.
“You don’t have to decide anything right now. Just come along with me, and I’ll take care of you. Someday, maybe we’ll take your half of the island from Thalia. Maybe we’ll take her half, too. You never know.” He lowered one hand to rest on her hip, but broke the kiss when she started to press her body against his. Ember exhaled slowly against his lips and opened her eyes.
Acton disentangled himself and got up from the mattress. Lifting herself up on her elbows, Ember watched him pause in the doorway.
“Asher likes to watch movies,” he said, without looking back at her. “He talks through a lot of them. He only watches horror flicks, and I think he thinks he’s reliving his glory days. Does that bother you?”
Pursing her lips for a moment, Ember shrugged. She shook her head. “Did he really change? When he was infected?”
“I didn’t know him before,” Acton replied. “He’s older than I am. But, I know he hasn’t killed anyone since coming here. He’s very fond of you.”
Ember nodded, looking down. “Isaac isn’t.”
“He’ll come around,” Acton said quickly. “But Asher is going to want to watch a movie later. You can join us, if you want.”
He left. Ember laid back down on the bed. Zinny was still clanging around, doing dishes in the kitchen, and she heard Acton having a brief exchange with Asher in the hall. Outside, Kaylee was laughing, though Ember didn’t know why, she thought that Kaylee must have stolen Isaac’s socks from him again.
Furrowing her brow in confusion, she closed her eyes and concentrated hard, but the image slipped away like fog hit by sunlight. Pushing the silly notion away, Ember smiled.
She finally had a family.