Read Ember's Kiss for Free Online Page B

shoulders again, moving of their own volition, stroking as if she’d memorize the feel of him.
    He pulled back and smiled that sexy smile at her, indulgent. There wasn’t nearly enough air in the universe for her to take a breath. That golden glow filled the space between them, radiating and flickering, heating her body at every point of contact.
    Brandon arched a brow, inviting her to confess her name.
    â€œI’m Liz,” she admitted.
    He repeated her name, as if trying it out, and she liked the rumble of his voice in his chest. She could feel it against her breasts, which made it impossible to ignore her desire for him.
    And just one more kiss.
    The Firedaughter in her welcomed the flame he kindled.
    Liz smiled at Brandon, leaning against him, and saw his eyes gleam with anticipation. She stretched to kiss him again, but there was an interruption.
    â€œHey, Brandon!” a guy shouted. Liz turned, still in Brandon’s embrace, and saw his friends standing beside a Jeep. Something flashed in the hand of the dark-haired guy, maybe a small container. “What
is
this stuff?”
    She felt Brandon’s alarm like an electric shock. “Don’t touch that!” he called out, stepping away from her with purpose. “Don’t open it!”
    What was it?
    The guy who had tried to buy her a drink laughed. “It must be pretty special.” He opened the container with an effort.
    â€œHey! Leave that!” Brandon shouted.
    But his friend ripped open the container and flung its contents into the sky. Something glittered in the air, as if the vial had been filled with stardust.
    Liz took a step back, instinctively distrusting that sparkle.
    It reminded her too much of magic.
    â€œNo!” Brandon roared.
    Liz felt the collision of something falling over her body, like ash touching her skin. Everywhere it landed, it sparked for a second.
    Stardust.
    No. It was magic, and not white magic.
    Liz recoiled in horror. She tried to brush the dust off her, her revulsion strong. It made her body burn with a hunger that couldn’t be natural. It was similar to the golden light that sparked between her and Brandon, but hotter, darker, and more primal. Violent.
    This was old magic and it was strong. No matter how much of her gift she gave away, she’d recognize the power of this.
    Why did Brandon have this stuff?
    What was he?
    She looked up only to find him staring at her. He was glittering, that same ash lighting his body with golden pricks of light. A pale blue shimmer of light danced around his body, outlining his figure against the darkness. She felt an electrical charge in the air, as if a storm was mustering. It was different from his aura, more powerful, and she sensed that it was unpredictable.
    And his eye—his eye had turned brilliant red. The pupil had become a vertical slit. She caught only a glimpse of it; then he pivoted to race toward his laughingfriend. His silhouette looked to Liz as if it were tinged with red fire.
    Like the simmering lip of a volcano.
    Hear no evil,
her mother whispered in her thoughts.
    After the auras came the spirits. Liz remembered the sequence well—even though it hadn’t proceeded this quickly when she had been a kid.
    â€œCome on, Liz!” Maureen shouted, and Liz turned toward the cars.
    With distance, the golden glow between her and Brandon dimmed so much that she might have imagined it. The blue shimmer around his figure disappeared. Everything looked normal.
    But Liz was shaken. What was going on?
    Brandon and his friends were bickering around their Jeep. Brandon was obviously trying to get that shiny container back from his buddy. Liz couldn’t help noticing that the argument didn’t seem so amiable after all.
    It also seemed like he’d forgotten her already.
    She touched her hand to her forehead, thinking about the flames, that kiss, Brandon’s eye changing, and the blue shimmer of light. Liz was still itching