Ashes to Flames Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  A Totally Bound Publication

  Ashes to Flames

  ISBN # 9781781848623

  ©Copyright Nichelle Gregory 2013

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright November 2013

  Edited by Eleanor Boyall

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2013 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Burning and a Sexometer of 1.

  What’s Her Secret?

  ASHES TO FLAMES

  Nichelle Gregory

  Ashes to flames…their love has always stood the test of time.

  After searching almost a year, Sabria has begun to lose hope she will reunite with her blood-bonded mate, Jai. All she can think about is finding him and reigniting their fiery passion while there is still time. Sabria is overjoyed when she locates Jai against all odds, but her relief is short-lived when she discovers he has no recollection of her and worse yet, he is happily engaged.

  Jai senses an immediate connection to Sabria the moment he lays eyes on her. Devoted to his fiancée, Jai is wary of the strange bond between him and Sabria. He wants to keep his distance, but finds himself seeking answers to secrets only Sabria can provide. Blindsided by the truth and an unexpected tragedy, Jai knows he needs to somehow set things right before time runs out and he and Sabria are lost to one another once again.

  Dedication

  Dedicated to my husband and to every heart brave enough to rise from the ashes after being burned by the flames of love.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Grindr: Grindr LLC

  Chapter One

  The melodious chimes echoed in the quiet library, startling Sabria even though she was accustomed to the insistent alarm emanating from the device around her wrist. The library was the last place she’d wanted to be when the alert had gone off, but it had happened sooner than she’d calculated. Flustered, she slammed the book down with a muttered curse. She pulled up the sleeve of her cashmere sweater and the slim gold band around her wrist gleamed in the sunlight pouring in from the huge window beside her table.

  “Come on, be quiet.” Sabria pushed in the numerical sequence to silence the alarm before it got louder. She gave an apologetic look to the elderly man glancing up from his book to look at her.

  Her hand shook as she punched in the last of the code and she breathed a sigh of relief when the device finally fell silent.

  “That’s some watch you’ve got there,” the gray-haired man whispered with a conspiratorial wink.

  “Thanks,” Sabria said with a quick smile, thinking he had no idea. Her ‘watch’ was also capable of predicting the small window of time she had left to find Jai. Where are you, Jai?

  She’d been searching for him for almost twelve months, using the innate sense she had of her mate to narrow down his location. This time around, it had been harder to track and hold onto his aura.

  Why?

  Sabria placed her head in her hands, closed her eyes and drew in a few deep breaths. He was alive. She knew that without question, but she wondered if he was hurt, wishing he could search for her like she was for him. Sabria pushed her energy toward Jai, centering all her thoughts on her mate.

  Come to me, Jai.

  With a shaky sigh, Sabria opened her eyes. She had to remain focused no matter how hopeless things seemed. He was close by. She could feel it. This wasn’t the first time it had taken her longer than expected to find him.

  But this is the first time you’ve doubted you would locate him before time runs out.

  Five days. That was all the time she had left.

  Impossible.

  Sabria stood up. She’d wallow in despair when there was no more time left. Right now, she still had a chance. She pushed her notebook and camera into her bag, taking one last look at the stack of books she’d been rifling through. The elderly man across from her was still staring at her and Sabria resisted the urge to stick out her tongue as she moved past him, giving him another smile instead.

  Her accelerated heartbeat matched the click of her heeled boots as she walked toward the bathroom. She pushed open the door, wrinkling her nose at the lemon air freshener wafting in the air. The lavatory was empty and Sabria was grateful for the solitude. She was burning up. The need for water almost consumed her uneasiness as she stepped up to the sink. She turned on the faucet, enjoying the cold water running over her hands. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and stared at her reflection, transfixed.

  It was never easy adjusting to her appearance. Almost a year had gone and she still frowned whenever she looked in the mirror.

  Sabria reached up to touch her long, wavy auburn tresses, vaguely wondering if Jai would approve. She looked completely different. Her eyes were green, but they’d been brown before. Sabria stared at her pale, unblemished skin, still unaccustomed to seeing anything other than the warm shade of cinnamon she’d last been for so many years before.

  Change was something her kind had always endured, but it got harder to deal with each time it happened. She wondered what Jai looked like and if he’d recognize some part of her when she finally found him.

  “And I will find you,” Sabria said, watching her green irises shimmer brighter and brighter with flecks of gold.

  She closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. The last thing she needed was to draw any more attention to herself. She exhaled and opened her eyes, pleased to see they were once again a normal shade of green. Sabria wet a paper towel and moaned with delight when she pressed the towel to her face. The damp coolness was heaven on her hot cheeks.

  Minutes ticked by before she forced herself to pitch the paper towel into the trash. She exited the bathroom without a backward glance to the mirror. It didn’t matter what she or Jai looked like—they knew each other’s soul and he would know who she was the moment he laid eyes on her.

  Sabria made her way to the lobby of the library, ready to check out each coffee shop she’d cataloged using her cell phone. She pushed through the heavy glass doors and stepped out into the crisp fall air, ignoring the colorful leaves blowing around her. This was her favorite season, but she took no solace in the decorative harvest decorations and beautifully carved pumpkins on
display as she walked down the busy street.

  A gust of wind swirled the gathering leaves around her feet and Sabria pulled her black shawl around her shoulders, still trying to shake off her disappointment at not finding a sign from Jai in the library. Many years ago they’d selected four libraries in four major cities as starting points to begin searching for each other if they couldn’t easily pick up one another’s signature aura.

  Sabria had never had any trouble before, but it had taken almost six months to home in on Jai this time. She’d searched the last library on their list. Almost a year of traveling and looking for Jai was beginning to take its toll on her usually bottomless optimism. She took some comfort in knowing he was somewhere close by.

  Sabria quickened her pace as the coffee shop she sought came into view. This was the one she felt the strongest pull to. Jai liked chocolate croissants and she knew he’d eventually turn up at a café that served them. He loved them almost as much as she loved coffee.

  The café was crowded for a Saturday afternoon. Sabria drew in a deep breath, enjoying the comforting scent of coffee wafting over her the moment she opened the door. The intensity of Jai’s aura enveloping her rendered her momentarily motionless.

  He had been here!

  Excited, Sabria quickly scanned the café for any hint of Jai.

  “Welcome to Java Blue.”

  “Thank you,” Sabria said, walking up to the barista, who went by ‘Erika’ according to her name tag. She looked to be in her early twenties, adorable with freckles to go along with her straight strawberry-blonde hair and friendly smile.

  “What can I get you?” Erika asked, looking at her expectantly.

  Sabria glanced down into the bakery case in front of her and smiled upon seeing the chocolate croissants. “I’ll have a medium vanilla latte and a blueberry scone.”

  Erika nodded. “Good choice. Coming right up.”

  There were two men in the coffee shop and Sabria surreptitiously studied them as the barista got her order ready. A businessman talked on his cell by the window. He was deep in conversation, oblivious to her scrutiny, but Sabria didn’t feel any kind of connection to him. The second guy in the café was dressed well, reading Grindr, a clear indication he’d be more interested in the dedicated businessman than her.

  Definitely not Jai.

  “Here you are.”

  She whirled around to see Erika holding her coffee and scone on a plate. “Thanks. How much?” Sabria opened her purse.

  “Four dollars and sixty-three cents. I forgot to ask if you wanted this pastry to go.”

  “It’s fine. I think I’ll have it here.” Sabria pushed back a wad of cash, grabbed a ten-dollar bill and handed it to Erika. “I know this may seem like an odd question, but have you recently had a man come in here who orders a chocolate croissant with a black coffee?”

  Erika frowned. “Hmm…I don’t know. I don’t usually work on Fridays. You should come back tomorrow morning and ask Vance.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  “No problem,” Erika said with a grin. “If he tasted one of our chocolate croissants he’ll be back. They’re to die for.”

  Sabria laughed, but a shiver of awareness skittered up her spine and she wasn’t sure if it was the barista’s choice of words or something else as she made her way to a small table by the window facing the street.

  Sabria savored her hot drink while watching people walk by the window. One laughing couple caught her eye as they entered the café, their obvious happiness sending an unexpected spasm of pain through Sabria. Her gaze traveled from the attractive brunette wearing a flirty pink wrap dress to her sexy companion. He was tall, also well dressed in designer jeans and a mint-green poplin shirt that accentuated his mocha skin.

  She took her phone out of her purse and viewed the location of the next coffee shop, feeling a flutter of awareness in the pit of her stomach that only happened when Jai was close by. Sabria took another sip of her coffee as the lovey-dovey couple she’d been observing earlier sat at the table beside her. The twinge in her belly sharpened and Sabria wished she’d been sensible and ordered bottled water instead of the hot coffee, which was only increasing her growing thirst.

  Warm, male laughter derailed her thoughts.

  Sabria stole a glance at the couple seated at the table next to her.

  That laugh…she knew that deep laugh anywhere. Her stomach twisted into a zillion knots and Sabria broke out into a sweat.

  It’s him…the guy in the mint-green poplin shirt.

  Sabria clutched the coffee in her hand, unable to stop staring at the man she knew was Jai.

  How could he be totally oblivious to her?

  Sabria’s heart skipped a beat when he scratched the side of his jaw in the exact same way she’d seen Jai do thousands of times. He looked nothing like the blond, blue-eyed lover she’d known last time, but Sabria was ninety-nine percent sure. The blood rushing to her head drowned out all other sounds in the café. She had at long last found her mate.

  Overwhelmed with joy, Sabria felt compelled to speak. “Jai?”

  Something twisted in Jai’s gut as he averted his gaze from Melanie to look at the beautiful woman who’d just said his name. He’d noticed her the moment he’d entered the café. She stood out with her pretty face, thick auburn hair and gorgeous green eyes which were pinned on him at that moment.

  “Do I know you?” Jai asked and the look of pain that flashed in the woman’s eyes caused him an unexpected wave of uneasiness too.

  “Jai, it’s been a long time.”

  His gaze fell to her lips. The way she’d pronounced his name made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his cock stir. Jai shifted in his chair, disturbed by his physical reaction.

  Was she a past colleague? Friend of a friend or a forgotten one-night stand?

  Jai didn’t think she was any of those things. There was something familiar about the lady, but Jai felt certain he’d never seen her before in his life. He would have remembered kissing that pouty mouth.

  “I’m Melanie.” Melanie covered his hand with hers, giving him a reassuring squeeze at the same time she smiled at the woman who somehow knew his name.

  “Hello, I’m Bri.”

  Bri…

  Hearing that name struck some distant chord, stirred up fragments of dreams he had pushed out of his mind. Jai tore his gaze from Bri’s when Melanie gently squeezed his hand again.

  “Bri, you’ll have to forgive, Jai.”

  “Nothing to forgive. It has been a while since we’ve seen one another.”

  “Well, my fiancé is terrible with names and faces.”

  “Fiancé?”

  Shock. That was the only word to describe the expression on Bri’s face.

  “Bri, what a pretty name,” Melanie said in the awkward silence.

  Jai couldn’t take his eyes off Bri’s lips. She truly was a beautiful woman, ultra-feminine and exotic-looking.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Bri,” Melanie said, standing up.

  Bri gave them both a wobbly smile. “Thank you.”

  “Enjoy the rest of your Saturday,” Melanie added, taking hold of his hand.

  Jai met Bri’s steady gaze and once again felt a disconcerting spear of unease throughout his body. “Take care,” he said, not sure what else was appropriate given the strange encounter.

  What the hell?

  He turned away from Bri and led Melanie out. Jai tried to shake off unsettling vibes as they walked away. A few minutes passed with only the crunch of the dry leaves beneath their shoes on the crowded sidewalk.

  “Well, that was weird,” Melanie finally said.

  “It was.”

  Melanie cast a sideways glance at him as they climbed up the stairs to their apartment building. “Are you sure you don’t know her?”

  “I’ve never seen that woman before,” Jai said, taking out his keys to open the front entrance.

  “Well, she sure as hell knew you. Did you see the w
ay she was staring at you?”

  He had. Jai didn’t think he’d be able to erase those bewitching green eyes from his memory for a while.

  Melanie sighed while unlocking her mailbox. “You know, if I didn’t know and love you”—she waved her letters in front of his face—“I’d think your whole amnesia story was just an extraordinary lie.”

  “Well”—Jai grabbed her around the waist and pushed her back against the wall—“it’s a good thing you believe me.”

  Melanie giggled. “I might need some convincing.”

  Jai tightened his grip on her hips. “Oh, yeah? How?”

  Melanie shrugged. “They say kisses don’t lie. Maybe you should kiss me and prove your innocence.”

  Jai grinned before lowering his head to kiss his fiancée. Melanie moaned and melted into him as he deepened the kiss. Desire made his cock hard, but it wasn’t his fiancée’s soft lips causing his body to react lightning-fast. Much to Melanie’s disappointment, Jai ended the kiss, still troubled by the emerald-green eyes etched in his mind.

  “Your place or mine?” she asked in a husky voice.

  Jai pressed his lips to her temple. “Yours.”

  Melanie smiled. “Give me ten minutes.” She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him passionately on the lips. “My door will be open.”

  Jai let her go, watching her go up the steps to her place before heading down the hall to his own. He unlocked the door and stared at his barely furnished apartment. It still looked like he’d just moved in even though he’d been a resident for over six months. He strode into his bedroom, the only room that truly looked lived-in, walked over to the modern abstract painting hanging on the wall opposite his bed and took it off the wall to reveal the small safe behind it.

  With a few quick turns of his wrist he opened the compact door. He took out a metal box, flipped open the lid and stared at the stacks of cash loaded inside. Amnesia was a funny thing…a damnable thing. He’d remembered his name and the location of a lockbox filled with more money than he’d ever need buried in the corn fields in northern Michigan, but he hadn’t a clue where he’d worked, who he knew or much about anything else besides personal preferences.