Awakening - Book of Fire (Blood Heritage #1) (31 page)

They enjoy a shower together and for a while nothing exists outside of their little steamy paradise. There is something about the way the water hits her curves and streams down her body that is going to be the death of him. She is so amazingly sexy. Even when her hair is tangled and her eyes smudged from yesterday’s make-up. He takes his time caring for her, helping her to feel secure, loving her in his way. She responds well to even the smallest gestures of affection, she truly must have had it rough. He feels how desperately she craves his touch, not just sexually, but as reassurance, as balance, as hope. She needs his touch to feel alive, to break through the cold numbness she has fallen into. He hopes to spend every day of his life giving her what she needs and believes completely that he will never regret a moment of it.

The day is looking like a hot one, and she dresses in a white sundress and tan sandals. She feels like a new woman, fresh and clean, the rain having washed away her past. There is nothing dirty and broken inside her that can chase James away. He knows her down to her deepest hiding places, he doesn't judge her, doesn't think her less valuable, he wants her just the way she is. She can be weak and vulnerable or she can be strong but most importantly she can be herself and he will be there right beside her.

She has a moment of excited inspiration, and she runs over to the wall by the refrigerator pulling down the keys to the Galaxy. She subtly tosses them at him, and laughs, "
Hey baby I think you might like this, I have no use for it, so it's yours"!

What are you talking about?
he asks her, looking at the set of keys as if they might come to life and bite him.

"
Come with me
," she leads him to the garage door pushing the button and enjoying the slow revelation of it's precious contents.

"
Wow"!
He says in disbelief as he walks around the pristine hot rod. "
This is yours?
"

"Yup, but it's a stick and I can't drive it. Thought you might want to take it..although its a bit hotter than your sedan so don't get yourself into trouble, mister"!

He opens the door and admires the fully restored interior. The blue metallic flake paint glistens where the sun hits it through the window. James just might be in love.

His hands are shaking as he puts the key in the ignition, he has never known himself to be overly enthralled with cars, but this is beautiful. The engine roars to life with the deep purr that every man dreams of. The engine an exquisitely elegant classic. Amber opens the roll up door as he pulls the car out into the driveway. He turns off the ignition and walks around and around running his hands along her as if she is a woman that he is touching for the first time.

"Be careful now," Amber says, you might get me jealous if you keep touching it like that."

He laughs, "
Get in"!

"I have to grab Allie, and my stuff, and you are still barefoot, mister. Lets go in and get ready and you can take me to work in it. Just leave your car here, you can even put it in the garage if you want."

James is vibrating with excitement. He kisses Amber lovingly and passionately and his enthusiasm over the car is catching. She can tell he can't wait to get behind the wheel. Allie has a whole different reaction, she doesn't like the noisy car and cowers in the back seat. James shifts as if he is on a racetrack, pushing the speed limits and muttering about responsiveness and play and other things that sound like sex talk coming out of his mouth. Amber is glad she thought to pull out the beast today. It has completely brightened his world, she has to admit it is tremendous fun. She has never seen him so vibrant and full of joy.

He pulls into the gas station and proudly stands beside the car; he realizes he is going to be the envy of every man alive. A beautiful woman, an awesome dog and a beautiful car, nothing is better than that combination to stroke a man's ego. He must truly be in heaven. Staring at Amber as she relaxes against the back of the car, he wishes he had a way to take a picture of this moment, her back arched letting the breeze blow through her hair, her white dress the perfect contrast against the striking blue. Now all he needs is a hose... He pulls himself out of the thought laughing at himself. She would probably slap him if she knew where his mind is wandering. She can sense the depth of his happiness and is overwhelmed with joy. The perfect start to a bright new day.

Neither one of them is quite ready to head to work and they still have some time on their hands so they take a morning drive. It's his turn to let off some steam and the road is open and calling. He heads for the outskirts of town where the perfect long straight stretch of highway is begging for him to find out just what this baby has to offer. He takes her over a hundred, and Amber feels exhilarated, she loves the adrenaline rush coursing through her veins. A hundred and ten and the car hasn't even begun to shake or stress. The engine begs for more, and James pushes into her. A hundred and twenty and he knows he's really asking for trouble, so he lets the car slow down at its own pace. The two of them tasting the addictive freedom and power that the perfect car has to offer. He's going to have to be careful, this is the kind of car that causes tragic love stories and really bad days at the office.

They are both laughing and chatting as they pull up at the store. Rissa is there, looking stunning in a pair of denim shorts and a teal halter top. The bright blue of her eyes is shocking in the sunlight. She has taken on a bit of a tan, and looks like the epitome of summer. Rissa purchased a spray tan to offset the lack of color in her cheeks. She feels beautiful again and this vanity purchase will keep people from asking too many questions. She has bought an unlimited package with regular appointments each week to keep up appearances. Rissa has actually used makeup, which she usually avoids and the effect is amazing. She looks like a model with her perfect skin, eyes of sapphire and that shining hair that has grown to her lower back. Had her hair been that long before? Amber wonders but can't quite remember. Rissa looks happy.

Everything about her friend seems too perfect, too pristine, something is different but nothing is out of place. Amber smiles and pushes the subtle warnings out of her head. This is Rissa, they are friends and she is not willing to lose that over something so trivial as her suddenly seeming too pretty. Maybe she is just feeling jealousy or insecurity around James, perhaps she feels Rissa might be a threat, even perfect men are liable to trip over their tongues when the temptation is too much. She has only recently begun to feel such strong feelings for him, and the timing is just about right. Besides there is so much strangeness around them. She doesn't need to add mystery where there isn't any.

"
Rissa, you look stunning today"!
Amber says, giving the girl a huge hug.

Rissa smiles and laughs. "Thank you my dear, you look pretty wonderful yourself, what got the blush up so fully in your cheeks?"

"Oh, we just took my grandmother's car out and ran amuck for a while..I know, I'm a terrible influence taking an officer of the law out in a car he can't possible keep under the speed limit. But it was so much fun"!

"Shall we re-organize the shelves a bit today and create some kind of special for the garden, how about we gather all of the garden fairy stuff, the spells and candles for life and growth and some herb garden kits and create an outdoor display. The beauty of the day just can't be ignored"!

Rissa agrees and the two girls create a wonderful and charming tiered shelving unit outside of the store. Rissa volunteers to keep an eye on it throughout the day, she wants to soak up the sun. Amber giggles, It is a wonderful day! Rissa never seemed so impressed with the weather before, in fact Amber can't recall her every just hanging out near the windows soaking up the warmth as she seems to be doing now. Something is definitely out of the norm.

Rissa is glad for the opportunity to take on some warmth. The sun makes her feel like she used to. The cold within her is easily broken by the rays that her body draws inside. She has to be careful as she retains the energy for a while and doesn't want to become too hot. She laughs at the stories of her youth, stories of vampires and sunlight killing them in flurries of ash and flame. She dwells on the idea of a stake through the heart-doesn't that approach kill anyone? The idea makes her cringe. The sun will only burn her if she absorbs too much of its energy and that would take a really intense day of sunshine and a really stupid child of the blood. She knows the tales are loosely based on the line of her father, that much is clear, but they are so poorly understood that what history exists appears to be nearly useless. It is a good sign that the blood line successfully blends into society with only a few mishaps and discoveries turning into these stories and legends.

The writers have it all wrong on many levels and she finds it very amusing as she learns how to live her new life and to satiate the hunger inside her. She is not a blood-sucking demon with fangs that grow out of thin air when she needs them to kill. She is simply a woman tied to the energy of all living things. She feeds on sunlight, on the vibrations of plants, on the life force of animals and humans and on the force within the earth itself in areas that are healthy and flourishing. Dead earth and creatures offer no sustenance. She is not a killer, though she easily can be, there is no necessity in it for her survival. Her body will survive as long as she gives it the energy it needs to function, and when she fails to do so, it will end as all things end and return to the universe, releasing what energy remains within it.

She has released the burden of her human body, the hollowness of its limiting functions, and become light, unburdened by the weakness of chemical reactions, weak respiration, diseased organs… And without these hinderances, she can run forever, she can take her body to it's maximum without any oxygenation restrictions. She has unlimited work potential with none of the negatives associated with being human.

She will tire only when she needs more energy, but the energy is everywhere for her to bathe in. She can feel it all around her glowing with succulent life. Amber is a source of phenomenal currents of energy, and she recognizes her own blood within her. Amber is like her, but not like her. She carries both blood lines within her and when she opens herself to her destiny completely, she will be something spectacular.

Rissa still knows which side of the war she is on, and has no desire to become a pawn of her father. She will be there beside Amber when the battle begins, and hopefully she will stand with her over the drained and broken body of her father. Rissa knows Amber is noticing the changes in her and is determined to explain it to her when the time feels right...sooner rather than later. She wants to be sure Amber understands the full implications of the change in herself before attempting to explain it to others. She wants Amber to continue trusting her, and she's not willing to risk the friendship. Though the most intense of her emotions have been dulled, Rissa still feels. The pain of her friend’s death still burns like an aching hole within her, but it doesn't overwhelm her, and does not detract from her ability to function as it would have done her weaker human mind.

Rissa basks in the glory of the day with Amber watching her with interest. Rissa seems much more appreciative of the small things. Watching as a butterfly lands on her shoulder and flits away onto a nearby leaf. Rissa smiles at the contact and her smile is full of warmth. She opens her arms wide, and with closed eyes looks up at the sun, the full radiance of it washing over her. For a moment Amber sees the bright golden fingers of it washing over her, and into her as if she truly is drinking it. It has only been there a moment, but Amber knows it is the truth. Something has definitely changed within Rissa. She is so stunningly beautiful, so pure and so natural standing there with the sun coursing into her. She is a beautiful Venus Flytrap drawing her nearer and nearer so that it can feed on her. She feels a warning go off inside, she must not get too close when Rissa is feeding.

Suddenly it all becomes clear, a word pops into her mind, and she has to laugh.
Vampire
... the closest thing she knows, but completely inappropriate. Rissa hears Amber whisper it, understanding immediately the time for talk has come. She has all she can take for now anyway and feels a rush of power warm within her. She is glowing with the energy inside her and she is an incredible sight to behold. Beautiful from within, this power will make it difficult for anyone to resist her. Amber watches her move with admiration, fear and curiosity.

"
What happened?"
she asks, already knowing the answer. Rissa has been awakened. The book talks of it as a kind of coming of age, or coming into your power incident. The awakening only happens when you truly have let all that is attached to the human body go. This is what happened during the crucifixion, the rebirth. Rissa is a daughter of Christ. Though it makes sense with the knowledge she has gained, it still seems so impossible. Though she knows the truth, she has not realized exactly what this all means.