Fading Amber Read online

  “Angie’s coming?” I stopped and looked to Caleb, who had been admiring a snow globe from the opposite side of the table. Our eyes met knowingly. Mom might’ve been thrilled to play hostess to a legion of Cambions, but Nadine’s mother was a complex woman and there was more to her sudden visit to the States than implied. As much as I was dying to see my ‘fairy godmother,’ so to speak, I didn’t anticipate the fallout that would come with her arrival.

  “She sounded really anxious to come down,” Mom continued and reclaimed my attention. “She was thinking about bringing her daughters with her. You haven’t met them, have you?”

  “Not face-to-face. But I know them.” Having full custody of Lilith gave me a VIP pass to Nadine’s entire life history, from education, to language, to friends and family. The thought of Nadine’s sisters coming along to sip eggnog didn’t settle my stomach at all. How would they react to me? I wasn’t a blood relative, but Lilith and their spirits came from the same succubi, making us spiritual siblings.

  As Mom went on about window treatments and square footage, I felt the impulse to look up. Caleb watched me intently, as if trying to get my attention by eye contact alone. When he got it, he tipped his head toward the kitchen.

  “Be right back.” I scooted my way to him through the dining room.

  “Don’t go too far. I need you to help me hang these bows,” Mom called behind me.

  In the quiet of the kitchen, before I could get in the room good, Caleb turned to me with a stern expression. “Don’t freak out.”

  “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think? Like say . . . six months?”

  Caleb sighed. “Evangeline’s just coming to visit and update us on what’s going on.”

  “Do you really think she’s coming alone? You think the Cambion mafia isn’t coming with her? You and your brothers are on their hit list. They already have Ruiz shadowing you. What if they find something wrong?”

  “Then I’ll have to convince them otherwise,” he answered.

  “How? They think you’re turning into an incubus. Do you know what they do to full blown demons? I’ll give you a hint—it’s not a game of foosball.”

  Caleb stiffened, a little stunned. “And you know this how?”

  I looked to the dining room to see if Mom was listening. “Ruiz told me last night. Mom knows that Angie sent him here to protect me, but not the part about the witch hunt for you. If you’re found guilty . . .” I stumbled over my words. The penalties were too hideous to verbalize.

  “One thing I know about the family is that they’re sticklers for rules. One of those rules being never to kill a Cambion’s mate. To go against their own law would make them look bad with the other families in the U.S. and abroad.”

  “Uh, hello?” I waved my hand in front of him to wake him out of his delusion. “We’re not mated yet.”

  “We’re close enough, and whatever happens to me happens to you, and Evangeline won’t let you die. Lilith is her only connection to Nadine.”

  I nodded slowly. Angie was the one thing in our corner, but did she have enough pull to save the both of us? “What about Tobias?” I asked.

  His face twisted into an ugly frown, mimicking nausea. “One crisis at a time, Sam.”

  I understood his reluctance to talk about him, but Tobias was still an immediate danger that could make things a whole lot worse if Ruiz caught wind of it. Caleb was right; we needed to prioritize in order to keep the BS in our lives to a minimum.

  I was about to reply when we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Ruiz appeared, holding a huge box of Christmas lights. The Cuban Necktie, as he was nicknamed, had forgone his usual suit and tie for some jeans and a T-shirt, but he still had a clean-cut air of authority that went with any outfit. It made sense—if you’re going to stakeout someone’s house, you might as well be comfortable. Judging by the armpit stains and sheen of sweat against his tan skin, I’d say Mom had certainly put him to work.

  “Okay, I think that’s the last of them. You shouldn’t have so many wires in one place, Julie. That’s a fire hazard.” He placed the box with the rest in the foyer, then stood up straight to stretch. By doing so, he caught us watching him from the kitchen.

  Wearing a smug grin, he approached us. “Hello, Samara. I’m glad you made it home safely.” His smile faltered when he looked at Caleb. “I take it you’re staying out of trouble, Mr. Baker. Have you curbed your eating habits?”

  “Within reason.” Almost instinctively, Caleb pulled me into the safety of his arms.

  Ignoring the icy reply, Ruiz said, “Your level of consumption is no laughing matter, Mr. Baker. I’ve reported the incident with the three nurses you fed from on Thanksgiving night, and my superiors aren’t pleased with what’s taking place in this town. You’re unpredictable and I’m not comfortable with you being alone with Samara.”

  “I’m not comfortable with you talking about me like I’m not in the room,” I jumped in. “I’m also uncomfortable with you courting my mom while plotting to kill my boyfriend. So what’s your point?”

  For the briefest second, he looked insulted. “Samara, I’m not the bad guy here. I don’t make the rules. I’m just following orders.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Why are you in my house?”

  “Your mother needed help decorating, and she’s very persuasive. She would’ve made a very powerful Cambion. Too bad Cambions are born, not made.” He stared pointedly at me. “For the most part.”

  Any other day, any other time, I would’ve let the comment slide, but too much had happened to me in a matter of hours and there were too many sharp objects in the kitchen. I stepped away from Caleb’s hold and got in the detective’s face.

  “I get it; I’m a freak of nature. But here’s the thing, you’re not my daddy, and I won’t even let him tell me who I should date. I’m not scared of you or the people you work for. You’re not a Cambion, and I doubt anyone will care if you go missing. So, as long as you continue to have these little activities with my mother, I get to spend time with Caleb. ’Cause frankly, I trust you as much as you trust him, possibly less.” I folded my arms and waited.

  Both men remained silent, gawking at me with open mouths and blatant astonishment.

  I was on top of my game when it came to telling someone off, a trait that I inherited from both sides of my family. My dad taught me to learn a person’s weakness and attack at the proper time.

  I knew Ruiz held a very soft spot for my mom, which put him in a compromising position. One wrong word to his superiors could lead to Caleb’s execution, in turn, killing the only daughter of the woman he had the hots for. This was just another reason why people in general should never, ever date. It was just too complicated.

  “All right,” Ruiz said. “But the rules still stand. No feeding on others, no leaving town. And if I hear so much as a whisper of an attack on another female . . .” He didn’t need to finish his threat; his point had been made.

  “Fine,” Caleb agreed.

  “Fine,” I grumbled.

  During the final round of our epic staring contest, Mom called from the living room. “David, can you help me with these lights?”

  At the sound of Mom’s voice, Ruiz’s muscles relaxed. There was a flicker in his dark eyes, worry maybe, and then he quickly returned to his usual robotic pretext. He was a hard-ass who kept his emotions on ice, but for a split second, he dropped his shield. Caleb and I looked to each other, silently discussing the ripples of energy emitting off the detective’s skin. Each vibe varied with a person’s mood, but Caleb and I knew this particular emotion by heart. Desire.

  I fought to keep my dinner from coming back up. Thankfully, I wasn’t telepathic, so I was spared from having to read the sick thoughts this deviant had toward my poor mommy.

  Trying to play it off, Ruiz upped the threat level in his tone a few more notches. “Don’t forget what we discussed.” His glare bounced between the two of us as he walked backward to the living room.

&n
bsp; When he left, Caleb stared at me with awe. “You’re so . . .”

  “Hood?” I guessed.

  “Please.” He scoffed. “Try as you might, no one living in the suburbs can be hood. It’s scientifically impossible. Actually, I was going for ‘extraordinary’. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  I shrugged, refusing to acknowledge the heat in my cheeks. “What can I say; I’m a rare and unique snowflake.”

  “That you are, Miss Marshall.” He bowed his head like a gentleman. “I’d better go. I need to tell my brothers what’s going on.”

  On the way out, Mom stopped us at the foyer. “Caleb, you leaving already?”

  “Yeah, I gotta get back to the hotel.”

  Mom looked genuinely disappointed. “Oh, all right. I could’ve used the extra manpower. Drive safe.”

  “Yeah, Caleb, drive safe—don’t want any more accidents.” I stuck my tongue out at him. Thinking of transportation sparked an idea. “Hey, Mom, since Caleb brought me home in a timely fashion tonight, can he take me to school tomorrow?”

  Mom frowned. “I don’t know. Don’t wanna press my luck with the two of you.”

  “Oh come on! It’s not like we’re gonna run off and elope. It’s just a ride to school. Plus, you get to sleep in.” I looked to Caleb. “Be here at seven-twenty sharp.”

  “Seven-twenty? In the morning? I’m rolling over right about that time. Why don’t you take the bus?”

  I stood stunned as if I’d been slapped. Caleb was nineteen and had gone to half a dozen schools in Europe, but even he had to know the universal code of high school politics. “Because I’m a senior, and riding the yellow Twinkie is social suicide. I know it’s early, but it’s only for one day—I get my new car tomorrow afternoon. Aren’t you supposed to be all loving and supportive, do or die and all that noise?”

  “Not at seven in the morning. Is the sun even up then?”

  Omigod, I had the worst boyfriend ever! Keeping my voice low, I said, “This would be a great way to make sure I’m safe. The house and my school may be shielded by oil, but the six miles in-between are not. Didn’t you say you would protect me no matter what?” I batted my eyelashes.

  He tightened his lips, looking like a petulant ten-year-old. “Be ready when I pull up.” He grumbled, then began the walk of shame to the door.

  “You’d better get used to losing battles if you continue dating my daughter,” Mom called after him. “Samara’s prone to getting her way.”

  “I wonder where she gets that from,” Ruiz mumbled behind her while unpacking a box of extension cords.

  I walked Caleb to the door, not willing to let him go just yet. Call me selfish, call me needy, but I just got him back. We had faced a lot of obstacles this past month, three hammers hitting us at the same time. From Caleb’s recent stint in the hospital, the war with Tobias, and the Cambion royal family breathing down our necks, I craved one moment of normalcy.

  I stepped outside with him and closed the door behind me. “Do you still think we’re safe?”

  He zipped up his coat and looked at me. Keeping a straight face, he said, “Yes.”

  “That makes one of us,” I replied as he gave me a hug that I desperately needed.

  His fingers burrowed into my hair and his chin settled on top of my head. “It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered, his tone confident, full of a certainty I wished I had.

  I took a huge gulp of air and held it and my eyes burned with unshed tears. Though I was dying for another explosive make-out session, I needed his comfort a whole lot more. I needed him to hold me and chase my fears away, to take me back to a time where I was ignorant of real harm. As long as he held me like this I could stay in that place and allow time to stop.

  That was one thing Lilith and I could agree on.

  3

  I woke up at o’dark-thirty to get ready for school.

  Mom was still asleep, drained from all the decorating that went on long after I went to bed. Despite the energy I took from Caleb last night, I was surprisingly tired. I almost fell asleep in the shower. At least I didn’t wake up on the ceiling this morning, so that was progress.

  Wiping the steam off the mirror, I took a look at my reflection and found nothing noteworthy to report. My skin was a few shades lighter and now had an ashy tone of old cardboard. The red and white streak in my hair was fading, and I made a mental note to retouch it. I also needed a wax—my eyebrows looked like two caterpillars trying to mate. My face refused to lose its baby fat, my small, puffy lips needed ChapStick, and my chin was there only in theory.

  Lilith never sleeps, but she seemed more awake today, vibrating down the length of my torso and filling my eyes with an emerald shine. Maybe she thought I’d forgotten the mishap yesterday. Yeah, fat chance of that happening. My investigation may have been postponed, but not canceled. I pulled out a fresh pack of brown contacts and placed a lens over each eye, hiding Lilith’s presence and everything that came with it.

  The Thanksgiving holiday was murder on my waist line and each pair of jeans laughed at me as I tried to zip them up. Normally, our “internal roommates” burned energy pretty quickly, so one would think that would include calories. Oh no, not in my case, because there was no justice in the world and in general, I failed at life. Caleb ate more than the average sumo wrestler, yet he rocked a six-pack while I sported a kegger.

  I thought of Caleb during my meager breakfast of dry toast and self-loathing. But I wasn’t too depressed to appreciate the next phase of the holiday madness.

  Phase two: the house.

  Mom’s decorations had really brought the Marshall Residence to life. Strings of garland hung around the entryways, and bows and holly were set in shrewdly placed areas around the room. The whole house smelled of apple pie from the candles in the living room. It was subtle and tasteful with careful splashes of color, proving that less really was more.

  I had just finished a glass of orange juice when I heard a horn honking outside. He hadn’t even bothered to come to the door? What a piece of work.

  On my way out to meet him, I grabbed my jacket and Caleb’s winter coat that he’d let me borrow the other day then looked around for my book bag and purse. Then I remembered that they were still in my locker at school. This whole blackout thing was throwing off my rhythm, but it helped to keep me focused. I was on a mission now and I wouldn’t stop until I got answers.

  A thin layer of frost dusted over the cars and rooftops. The early sun winked through the trees and caught the icy surfaces in a glassy shimmer. I dashed across the crisp grass to his Jeep. It was a good thing, too, because it looked like he was ready to take off at any minute. I climbed inside and withstood the hot blast of air from the heating vent.

  “Morning, sunshine!” I said, all bright and full of pep just to annoy him.

  He grumbled something and stared out to the street ahead, a pair of black aviator shades shielding his eyes. My Cake Boy wasn’t a morning person by any stretch, which explained where my sudden fatigue came from. Him.

  He had the “fresh out of bed” look, but then he always looked like that. It was kinda sexy the way his tousled hair naturally fell around his head and stuck up in the back. What people spent hours and a gallon of hair gel to accomplish, Caleb managed just by rolling over. “Oh, don’t be that way. Consider it a labor of love.” I leaned in and pecked his cheek.

  More grumbles came from his side of the Jeep as he put it into drive. “This is one thing I don’t miss about school. This is inhumane.”

  “Ain’t it the truth,” I said with a sigh.

  We didn’t say much during the journey to school—we were both still trying to wake up. He turned into the student parking lot and pulled next to Mia’s red BMW that had stopped in the third aisle. As if he didn’t own enough nerve, Caleb waved from his window, trying to get her attention.

  I stared out of my own window, sulking. “Can you be any less subtle?”

  “Can you be any more petty?” he replied.

>   My head whipped in his direction. “Me? She’s the one who won’t talk to me.”

  “So now you two need to kiss and make up. You’ve been friends for over a decade. There’s no need to ruin that over a misunderstanding.”

  “Why don’t you tell Mia that?”

  He paused, his head tilted to the side, in quiet debate. “I think I will.”

  “What?” I jumped, and he was out of the Jeep before I could stop him.

  As Mia came around the front of her car, Caleb crossed her path. As usual, she dressed to the nines: a cream turtle neck sweater, some tight, I-can’t-breathe-but-I-look-hot skinny jeans, and knee-high suede boots that matched her jacket. Her dark hair had been pulled into a high pony tail, and the up-do showed off a flashy pair of gold hoop earrings.

  Just looking at her made my chest ache. I wanted my friend back, my partner in crime. We had been besties since the sand box, but you wouldn’t know that by the way she was mean-muggin’ the hell out of me right now. This Cambion business—the secrets, the lies—were destroying every relationship I had, and Mia was one of the many casualties. Something told me it was going to get worse before it got better, and I could only hope Mia and I didn’t kill each other before then.

  Seeing as Caleb didn’t go to this school, or any for that matter, it took a minute for Mia to recognize him. Once she was able to match the face with the location, she almost dropped the gourmet coffee in her hand.

  “Omigod! Caleb!” she squealed and jumped into his arms.

  “Hey stranger! How’ve you been?” Caleb swooped her up and spun her around.

  When he set her down, she asked, “When did you get out of the hospital? Are you okay?”

  He pushed the shades to the top of his head and smiled. “I, um, checked out Thanksgiving night. It was a bad food allergy, but I’m good now.”