Stone of Ascension (2 page)

This was
not
what she wanted.

Her stomach curled in disgust. The kiss was hard, brutal and felt almost punishing. The kiss was all about Nate. What he wanted. What he could take.

Nate stepped forward and sandwiched her against the wall. Wanting out, Amber shoved at his chest to pull away from his embrace. He wasn’t having it. Instead of backing away, his hand tightened, holding her head in place.

Panic quickly overrode every other sensation. The many lectures she’d received from her aunt on the dangers of men and the indiscretions of women ran through her mind as she pounded against the solid mass of Nate’s chest.

He didn’t move.

She tried to twist her head away only to have his lips grind against hers. Her mouth felt violated, her lips battered.

What had she gotten herself into? She knew Nate. He was supposed to be safe. Someone the tribe respected.

But he obviously didn’t respect her.

“Come on, Amber,” Nate breathed against her mouth. “Loosen up.” His mouth crushed back onto hers before she could even take a breath, let alone respond.

Frantic now, she pounded at his chest as she tried to wiggle away. Date rape screamed through her mind.
No
. She blinked back tears and scrambled to remember her self-defense skills. She wouldn’t be a victim.

Not like her mother.

Nate forced her legs apart, thrusting the hard ridge of his thigh against her sex, sending her heart into her throat. His hand found its way under her clothes, his fingers cold against the warmth of her bared stomach. He jerked at the snap of her jeans, forcing his hand down where it shouldn’t be. Where she didn’t want it. Ever.

“Come on, Amber. I know you want it,” Nate panted. “Just like your mother.”

“No!
Stop
. Get. Off. Me.”

Challenge gleamed in his eyes. “I bet your mom said that before she fucked every guy in the tribe. Don’t whores run in the family?”

“
No
.” Desperate, she pushed, punched, tried to kick—anything to get away. Anything to stop the nightmare. His fingers reached the edge of her panties and her tears finally fell. Mortification banked her, sinking hard against her shielded virtue.

How could he do this to her? He wasn’t a stranger. He wasn’t some random guy. He was Nate.

Nate—who was no different from everyone else in the tribe who equated her mother’s actions to her. Damn them.
All
of them.

His fingers descended further, brushing her pubic hair, clawing downward despite her protests.

“Nate,
stop
. I don’t want this.” Not this. Never this. Reaching up, she grabbed a fistfull of his hair and pulled. Hard.

“You
bitch
,” Nate snarled, grabbing at her hand. “You’re going to pay for that.”

“I said
no
,” Amber insisted right before she slammed the heel of her other hand against his nose. The sharp, backward snap of his head was satisfying until his hand closed around her throat.

“That’s going to cost you.” His fist tightened on her neck, choking off her air. Frantic, she grabbed at his wrist, the need for air her new priority. She scratched at his hand and kicked out her feet, desperate to break free. To get away from him.

Suddenly, she was falling forward, Nate’s weight yanked from her, her pleas answered. A hand grabbed her arm, stopping her face-plant on the cement and whipped her around until her back was braced against the opposite wall.

Her hands were splayed flat on the hard brick behind her, her chest gasping for breath as she scrambled to process what had happened. Her relief at being freed was quickly doused by rank terror.

Nate was sprawled face down and unmoving in the dirty grime of the alley. Crouched over him was an Asian man dressed in all black except for a white cloth woven through the belt loops on his pants. His face was focused, his arm raised and ready to strike.

The grip on her arm tightened when she tried to run. A second Asian man, dressed identically to the one standing over Nate, held her in place.

“What do you want?” she rasped, struggling to get free of the hold on her arm, but her captor was not letting go. She opened her mouth to scream only to have his large hand clamp it closed before any sound came out.

Fear froze her in place. Her eyes bulged in a panicked search for escape. There were people, thousands of them, wandering by just feet away on the sidewalk, and not one knew she needed help.

“Do not move, child.” The raspy voice drifted up from the darkened depths of the alley, his Asian accent heavy in the crisp words. “You must stay away from the dragon.”

Amber stared into the darkness, searching for the man behind the disembodied voice, dreading what would happen next. Just how bad would the situation get? Did she just go from date rape to gang rape? Trembling at the thought, she squeezed her eyes shut and sent up a silent prayer for anything but that.

“You need not be afraid of us,” the ancient voice soothed.

Her eyes flew open to see a third man standing directly before her. Where had he come from? How did he move so fast?

A gust of wind bellowed down the alley, blowing the ends of his long silver mustache against his white silk robe. He was an older Asian man with a face that matched the voice and deep, coal eyes that made her feel as if he could see clear to her soul.

“We are not the enemy of the Marked One.” He smiled, the action deepening the lines that sprouted from the corners of his eyes.

She shook her head in denial and pressed into the bricks, attempting in vain to disappear.

The ancient man tilted closer, leaning heavily on a long, wooden staff. One of his wrinkled hands snapped out, moving way too fast for a man of his age, to clamp across her forehead. His palm was startlingly hot against her cold skin. His eyes narrowed to tiny gashes then, just as quickly, his hand returned to his staff. “You don’t know yet, but you will soon.”

In a flash he was standing over Nate. “You must stay away from the dragon.” He reached down and yanked off one of Nate’s fingerless gloves. He raised the bare hand for her to see the intricately etched red-and-gold dragon tattooed on the back. “The mark of the dragon is evil. You must stay away from all who wear the dragon on their hand.”

In a blink, the man was once again standing before her. He removed a small, carved box from the depths of his robe and shoved it at her. “You must take this, child. It belongs to you. But do not touch it until you are in the safety of the circle.”

Amber took the box hoping it would make the man go away. A smile whipped across the old man’s face. He inclined his head, and the man holding her arm immediately released her.

“Now run, child.” His demand left no room for questions. “Go home. Leave this town. Tonight.”

Startled and baffled at all that had happened, Amber didn’t move. Her chest heaved and her throat ached as jagged breaths of air were forced out. Her fingers were clenched around the odd little box, frozen in place by cold and fear. She stared at the strange man like he was a figment of her imagination. Maybe he was.

A low moan emanated from Nate as he stirred on the ground. The three men quickly faded away from her into the darkness.

“I said run!” The ancient man roared, pointing to the open end of the alley.

Amber jumped, then took off in a flight of pure panic. She clutched the box to her chest and barreled into the crowded street, straight into a rock-hard chest. Stumbling back, she ignored the sudden tingling that raced over her skin and bolted around the form that held the lingering scent of pine. She tore through the people, ignoring the shouts of anger. Her only thought was to flee.

To do as the man said and run.

Her focus narrowed to a pinpoint, eyeing the most direct path through the slow-moving people. Her nimble frame gave her an advantage and for once, her above average height was welcomed. The frigid air froze her lungs with each panting breath as sweat raced down her back. Red and gold lights lit up the area, the eerie sound of bagpipes still whining in the distance making the entire situation seem ever more foreign. Wrong.

How was this happening to her?

Her heart continued to race, fueled by panic, fear and the overriding sense that her life depended on her getting out of the city. Of getting away from all that was different and back to her quiet routine. Life with her overbearing aunt suddenly felt like a safe haven and not the prison she’d so recently thought it to be.

She halted, breathing deep, trying to get her bearings. She needed a cab. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and itched in a feeling so strange she gasped, shuddered and protectively tucked the little box into her inside coat pocket.

Out of nowhere, the head of a large, open-mouthed dragon bounded out of an alley. A scream tore from her throat. The dragon head whipped around, the empty black eyes bearing down on her. The red fringe of hair surrounding its face snapped wildly in the wind. The pointed white teeth glistened in the sharp lights that flared in the night. Irrational thoughts of death by dragon swarmed her brain and stunned her heart.

The rhythmic, clanging crash of cymbals bounded into the silence, and the giant head swiveled away to lead the long, golden body into the street.

Not real. Her heart restarted. Her mind reeled. Of course it was fake. It was just another dragon dance, a part of the celebration. Like the firecrackers.

Tears threatened before she swallowed and quickly blinked them away.

Dashing past the dragon procession, Amber pushed her way out of Chinatown to the busy street of Broadway. There had to be a cab there. Had to be.

The wind pummeled her chest, forcing her to lean into the biting current to stay upright. She stood on the edge of the curb, frantically searching for an available taxi.

A hard yank on her arm pulled her around as the pent-up fear finally left her in a silent shriek of pure terror.

Chapter Two

“
Amber
.” She heard her name shouted over the din of the receding dragon procession and her own frozen mind. “Amber, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

A sharp shake snapped Amber back. “Kayla,” she practically sobbed. Relief doused her, making her muscles limp as she embraced her friend.

Kayla returned the desperate hug, and Amber worked to stifle her ragged breath and regain her composure. She was safe. The thought repeated in her mind, enabling her to slow her breathing. She pulled back and caught the questioning look Cara made to Stacy. The two women were also members of their tribe and part of the group that had come to New York City.

“What happened?” Kayla questioned, keeping a tight hold of Amber’s hand. “What’s wrong?” Her knowing gaze searched Amber’s face.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” Amber stammered as she flattened her expression and gave her friend’s hand a tight squeeze. She pushed back the mortification that filled her at the thought of what almost happened. Of what Nate had done to her. She couldn’t think of it right then or she’d crumble. “I just got a little overwhelmed by the crowd.”

Kayla’s eyes narrowed, doubt lining her features.

“Really, I’m fine,” Amber said, trying to reassure both her friend and herself. She forced a tight smile before she pulled her hand out of Kayla’s grasp. The gentle touch made her lie feel worse. “I’m just happy to find you.” That was the truth.

“Where’d you go?” Cara asked. “Everyone’s been looking for you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kayla cut in. “We have to leave.”

“What do you mean leave?” Amber looked between the other women, trying to piece together the conversation. The fact that it was exactly what she wanted only made her more nervous. How could it be that easy?

“Grandfather called and said we needed to leave the city and return home tonight.” Kayla’s voice had lowered to a soft, hollow echo that sent chills of foreboding over Amber’s skin. Chills that reminded her of the exact same words the old Asian man in the alley had told her. “Or more specifically, to get
you
out of the city.”

“What? W…why would he say that?” Amber stuttered in shock. Did the shaman know what happened to her? About the box? Nate? Her stomach churned in a state of denial.

“You know how grandfather works.
Why
isn’t a question he answers,” Kayla said before she moved to the curb and scanned the street, her face a study of concentration as she peered into the maze of advancing cars and took charge of the situation.

The very fact that the shaman had ordered them home only increased Amber’s anxiety. The respected elder never gave out unjustified demands.

And no one, absolutely no one, questioned him.

The shaman had an uncanny ability to sense…things. To know details about people or events that most people wouldn’t know.

Amber licked her lips, unable to stop the quick look over her shoulder. She pulled the zipper closed on her coat, a stealth move to keep the box hidden. She wasn’t prepared to share the events of the evening with the other women. They had no reason to believe her, and she had no desire to relive what Nate had done to her.

Or share the box.

“Why did you disappear?” Cara asked, stepping up beside Amber. “You really upset Kayla.”