Rebel of Fire

By LM Preston

Who knew that taking a job at a High School Newspaper would weave Rei into an underground news operation? She’d stupidly sacrificed her family and was blackmailed into becoming a member of a Vigilant operation to save the unsuspecting human population in what most thought was Newport, RI. Rei was no longer living in ignorance, but knowledge came with a price. Love wasn’t an emotion she could give into when the ransom of her family’s life was at stake. Asher was sent to help her, but she felt he was sent to ensure she paid the debt owed in order to save her family. Rei didn’t relish being held hostage by Megan and her puppets or being thrust into interfering with a war instigated by magical beings, and their fight to control humanity. Rei had no idea how she could create a diversion that would save her, destroy an unimaginable evil, and teach her to love – again.
Books in the Series:
Insatiable Darkness (Book 0)
Caged Fire (Book 1)
Unbreakable Darkness (Book 1.5)
Scepter Of Fire (Book 2)
Break The Darkness (Book 2.5)
Rebel of Fire (Book 3)
Sword of Darkness (Book 3.5)
Blade Of Fire (Book 4)

• Language: English
• Publisher: LM Preston
• Release date: Sep 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781737947615

LM Preston

LM. Preston was born and raised in Washington, DC. An avid reader, she loved to create poetry and short-stories as a young girl. With a thirst for knowledge she attended college at Bowie State University, and worked in the IT field as a Techie and Educator for over sixteen years. She started writing science fiction under the encouragement of her husband who was a Sci-Fi buff and her four kids. Her first published novel, Explorer X - Alpha was the beginning of her obsessive desire to write and create stories of young people who overcome unbelievable odds. She loves to write while on the porch watching her kids play or when she is traveling, which is another passion that encouraged her writing.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Rei smelled blood. The metallic taste was in her mouth, enveloping her senses. Sirens blared, but the throbbing in her head hurt so bad she didn’t have the will to wake up fully. She had to open her eyes. The accident. Her last thought before being suffocated by the chilled waters beneath the bridge where they’d crashed was that her sister, EmVee was thrown from the van. Her brother hit his head. Dexter was drowning. Her mom and her twin brother, Reece… what happened to them? It was her fault. She had to save them, get them away from here. She struggled and jerked, feeling like she was fighting to get out of the suffocating waters of the lake.

Ah! She fought the pain that coursed through her entire body and pushed herself up. Rei’s trembling hands braced her on the hard cot in what appeared to be the inside of an ambulance. Rei willed her body to move.

She tried to open her eyes. One was bandaged closed, but the other was slightly crusted but opened. Rei’s vision cleared. She raised a hand to the gauze covering her head. Everything on her hurt, but suddenly, an energy she couldn’t explain rushed through her in waves, dulling the pain, giving her focus.

They are on us! a gruff curse came from a medic near the light from a window. The ambulance sharply whipped from side to side.

Rei slid off the hard bed, and her knees buckled when she hit the floor. God! Ah.

She willed herself to stand and pushed her back up against the wall, wincing at the burn in her side and on her head.

The crouching medic held on to a looped strap in the corner of the ambulance van. The medic pointed a gun through the broken glass window of the back-double doors. Several pops sounded, and the doors flew open. Someone was shooting at them? At an ambulance? Why? Rei crawled backward, grimacing at the pain.

I can’t die today. Rei searched for a weapon, anything she could use. The bed slammed to the opposite side of the ambulance then surged at her. Rei dropped to the floor, barely in time to keep her head attached to her neck.

The medic yelled a name, maybe the driver’s – Rei didn’t know. The medic fired at what sounded like a motorcycle gang outside. She could hear the revved-up engines in succession.

A huge explosion from a building or something shook the vehicle. It caught the wind from the blast and reeled forward. Rei’s petite form was jerked against the small cabinet of supplies then fell backward, striking her throbbing head against the metal back wall of the ambulance. The motorcycle riders didn’t relent though.

The medic shot several rounds from the gun he thrust forward. The back door flung open then closed then open again. The shots didn’t stop them. The dark smoke from the motorcycles kicked up. They swerved from one side to another behind the speeding ambulance as if setting up for another attack. A blue, glowing whip snapped through the opened door and wrapped around the medic. He fought against the weapon around his neck and braced himself by a foot against the wall within the cab of the ambulance. His fingers wrestled with it as it tightened.

Rei could have sworn his hands turned to claws as he tried to rip the glowing blue whip’s tail from his neck. The medic roared. His teeth even appeared to grow into sharp points that protruded from his mouth. Rei gulped back the putrid taste of vomit as she held tightly to a small hook in the middle of the wall. She must be hallucinating.

Grrrr. The medic released an inhuman sound before the whip yanked him out of the cab of the ambulance.

She had to be dreaming. Rei felt nauseous. This couldn’t be real – could it? What kind of medicine did they put her on? Rei shook her head. She felt clammy, sweaty. She had to get out of the ambulance.

She blinked through her blurry vision while searching for a weapon. She crouched lower, wondering how she would get out of this alive.

Rei glanced at where the medic had fallen before he was snatched from the vehicle. His gun would work. There it was in the corner. She scrambled on her hands and knees to the tossed handgun. She remembered her father’s summer hunting trips and wished she’d paid attention when he told her how to shoot a stupid gun. Rei fumbled with the weapon, vaguely remembering how to fire it. She couldn’t make out what was behind the smoke from the ambulance.

Then two of the bikers appeared within the sway of the smoke they kicked up. One of them, in a black leather suit and helmet that covered his head, gave a hand signal to another. Rei squinted her eye and swore the bike resembled her twin brother Reece’s motorcycle. It had to have been stolen or a replica. Rei didn’t care. She wasn’t going with anyone without a fight. She pulled the trigger, bracing for the kickback of the weapon and – nothing. All of the bullets were gone.

The ambulance rocked to the left and up into the air. No! Rei was thrown against the door frame. The bed slammed the wall then rolled toward her. She kicked it away. It launched out of the door. The impact of the ambulance hitting something hard bounced it down and then up. She went flying, mid-air, and fell on the side of the breathing machine. She fell forward. Every bone and muscle on her body throbbed. Smoke and dust from the collision curled around the high blood-red moon Rei focused on trying to fight the throbbing of her head. A motorcycle guy climbed up into the cab of the ambulance.

Rei’s vision grew hazy. She fought to stay coherent, but the ache drumming into the back of her head traveled to her eyes. Rei tried to stand, but gravity sucked her down.

Someone caught her.

I think she’s okay.

Rei stumbled into the abyss of darkness once more.

Chapter 2

Rei couldn’t open her eyes. They were bandaged shut. She could smell though, and the scent reminded her of chicken stew. The flavors and thickness of the spices simmering over a stove made her stomach growl. She tried moving her hands, dreaming of reaching for a bowl her mother left on their kitchen table in their New York home before her siblings got to it. Her fingers on her writing hand wouldn’t budge; they were firmly wrapped in cloth. She lifted her other hand to her face to find a cloth bandage tightly woven around her face and a portion of her neck.

Rei swallowed. Think, think. Her memory was foggy, in pieces. Her family, they’d moved from New York to…somewhere bad. Newport, RI wasn’t what they thought, and that job she took at the school newspaper was dangerous. Megan, the editor of the paper, threatened to punish her if Rei didn’t do her one last favor. The car crash when her family tried to escape. And now the ambulance. Jumbled thoughts all led to Megan, a red-headed, manipulative witch that was…something else.

Rei struggled to sit up. A firm hand pushed against her upper chest and forced her back down into a thick blanket with a hard surface she thought was a floor. She moved her other fingers, which were free of bandages, and slapped at the hand holding her down.

Stop it, you will re-open your wounds and mess up all the work I’ve done to help you recover, scolded a deep, somewhat annoyed voice.

That voice was familiar. It’d asked someone why they were giving her to him. What did that mean?

Rei cleared her throat, which didn’t have the typical sour taste from waking up. She frowned and pressed her tongue against her front teeth then ran it along the top row. There was a minty residue on her teeth. Someone had brushed them for her.

Please, Rei coughed, take off the bandage so I can see.

A warm hand brushed hers away from her face. No, you’ll scratch the scars in your sleep.

I won’t.

He snorted. You have nightmares. You always fight in your sleep, except when…

I don’t remember the dreams. Her stomach growled.

Here, let me help you lie against the pillows. Two large warm hands gripped her around the waist and lifted her back against several comfortable but firm pillows.

Thank you. Where am I? Something about his presence comforted Rei, and she wondered if they’d met before.

A deep chuckle bounced off the walls of the room. My place, on the edge of Newport, safe for now.

Someone tried to kill me. I was in an ambulance. She hoped the guys that were trying to fight with the medic in the ambulance didn’t ‘save’ her for something worse than the people who ran her family’s van off the road.

I know.

Rei gulped. Did she spill too much information? How?

I was there.

Why?

To take you from them.

They were taking me to the hospital to be with my family. A hand touched her shoulder. Rei fisted her wrapped hand and blocked it away. Now I’ll never find them.

They weren’t taking you to the hospital. Besides, the hospital blew up. Your family…well, I don’t know if they even survived…if they were there.

How do you know? Rei started to cough. Her chest ached.

Quiet now. I have to feed you.

I don’t want to eat. I want to leave. Rei had to get out of there. She had to get to that hospital to make sure her family made it out alive – if they’d survived the accident. Rei struggled to push herself up.

Stop it! You’ll re-injure yourself. A firm arm came around her, tugged her against a thick muscular frame, then trapped her arms.

Let me go! I don’t want to hurt you, but I will. I swear I will. Tears dampened Rei’s face and the bandages as she sobbed. She had to get out of here, but she didn’t have the strength. What happened to the promises of the treasure she’d release? It was supposed to make her stronger, but instead, it did nothing.

Eat first, and after your belly is full, I swear I’ll tell you what I know. His voice was soothing but insistent.

Rei’s surge of strength seeped from her as fast as it ignited. She relaxed as her stomach growled more insistently.

Open your mouth. I will feed the stew to you.

Rei hesitated.

It won’t hurt you. It’s good stew. I made it myself. It’s fresh.

Rei sniffed. It did smell tasty. Her mouth watered, and she opened it slightly. A spoonful of thick gravy goodness filled her mouth. She pressed her eyelids down. A sigh of contented satisfaction escaped between bites.

You like my chicken stew. I don’t think you like the beef stew as much. You ate only a few bites when I fed it to you a few days ago. He loosened his hold around her waist. Are you going to stop fighting me?

Days? Rei swallowed. For now, I will. She opened her mouth, wanting another bite of the stew. He gently fed it to her.

They remained quiet through the rest of her meal.

It’s all gone.

My family? The ambulance, you promised to tell me.

I will. Let me put the bowl away and I’ll answer your questions.

But I… Rei tried to call him back, but the firm footsteps sounded faint as she lifted her hand to get his attention. She was so tired. Rei yawned. He was taking so long. Sleep, she was so sleepy. Rei must be dreaming.

Goodnight, runt.

Chapter 3

Rei jerked herself awake. Her eyes were covered. She frowned, placing her hand on her bare chin. She flexed her writing hand that was no longer bandaged, lifting it to the covering over her head and eyes. Rei picked at the tape holding the bandages in place and pushed the wrap over her ponytail. The light filtering in from the room stung a bit. Rei kept her eyes closed a moment. She frowned. Someone had braided her thick curly hair into one fat ponytail on the top of her head. She’d slept what seemed for days. Waking, eating, sleeping, then doing it again. This time was different; she felt different, stronger.

You’ve been busy, a strong voice chastised.

Rei jumped and opened her eyes. The light in the room stung, and a blurry figure of a young man stood, blocking the path to a dark wood door. She pressed her hands onto the firm rock floor and pushed herself up to stand. She stumbled and looked down for something to balance on.

Firm hands lifted her high into the air. Rei’s gaze jerked up as she fisted her hands against the thick arms of the person holding her.

Her jaw dropped. You!

Yeah, me. Happy to see me?

Rei punched his chest. Asher! Put me down now!

Asher held her away from him. He was tall, always had been. Rei was petite, and as hard as she tried, her energy wasn’t strong enough for her to give him a good fight.

I thought you said you could beat me? Asher laughed.

I will when I get stronger. Rei narrowed her gaze. Why am I here with you?

Asher lifted her higher. If you want me to put you down, you have to stop fighting.

Rei signed and relaxed. She was too tired to give him the beating he deserved anyway. She would. Oh, she would.

You poisoned me! Rei kicked at him.

No, you were comatose and had a concussion. I did give you the medicine with your name on it in the ambulance, not in my stew. I ate the stew too, you know.

He carried her with his arms outstretched like he didn’t trust her not to sneak a kick at him. Then he dropped her into a thick chair against a fireplace carved into a stone wall. There was no fire, but there were ashes from one and a cast-iron bowl on top of it. The room was small and held a table, two thin, rolled mattresses in the corner near the fireplace, and another table with two chairs in the opposite corner. The walls were bare, but the rock formations of the walls had vines of blue and green within them, giving it an artful style despite the lack of other adornments. Rei’s gaze went back to the two rolled mattresses next to each other.

Uh…

You had nightmares. I needed to be close to you to make sure you didn’t open your wounds.

Rei looked down at the clothes she wore – a pair of loose shorts of hers that was in her suitcase and a thin, long sleeve pajama top she’d packed with Tinkerbelle on it.

How’d my clothes get here? On me?

Asher folded his arms across his black shirt that fell over his sweat pants. They were a contrast to his light brown skin and riot of dirty blond hair. His irritated green eyes seemed darker than usual.

You said you wanted to know what happened to your family. Megan is working on getting answers.

Rei’s stomach rolled at the mention of the girl who had set her up, used her, manipulated her, and nearly killed her – Megan.

I don’t want her answers. Rei struggled to stand up, but a pinch in her side gained her attention.

Injury to your lungs, head, hand, and chest. Some from the accident – others from people who wanted your family dead. They are healing well – if you leave them alone.

Rei moved her hand from her side then touched her face. She traced her high cheekbone, feeling the scar just under her eye that traveled around her hairline and into her hair. She jerked her fingers away. Rei hadn’t considered herself a vain person. She did like to dress up, put on makeup, and, well – put her best self forward. Now though, she had a scar on her face. She covered her mouth.

It’s just a small scar. It’ll heal.

Megan made you take care of me. Right? So I wouldn’t back out of her stupid deal. Rei wrapped her arms around her waist. She was so stupid to believe Megan was a friend, or even nice. The girl was evil. She didn’t do anything nice for anyone without a price tag on it.

No, she didn’t make me take care of you – but she put me on the job to find you.

Yeah, a job. A news reporter for an underground news service that also served Megan’s takeover-the-world plan too well. Rei never thought attending high school would be so dangerous for her health.

Job? Rei narrowed her eyes. What job?

Remember before the end of school, in the library, you were demanding that I leave you alone and disappear forever? I reminded you that your debt to Megan wasn’t paid.

I don’t care about her stupid debt! I care about finding out what happened to my family.

You know it doesn’t work that way with Megan. She will find out what happened to them, do what she can to make sure they live – if, and only if, we succeed.

Whatever you say about her or what she wants, I don’t care. Rei slid off the chair and held on to the side. She stilled and fought the dizziness until it passed. I’m leaving.

You can’t. We are far outside of Newport. You don’t even know how to get back. Besides, I won’t let you.

Why, Asher? You don’t like me, and I don’t like you. Remember, you told me that, and I agreed? Well, let me go.

I can’t. Your job is tied to mine. If I help you get free of Megan, I get free of her too.

Rei pointed at him. What is your price? What do you want from Megan that would make you nurse me to health and stick around to work with me on whatever stupid job she has for me to do?

My secret. You’ve got yours, I got mine.

Rei stared at him. Why are all the gorgeous guys jerks?

Chapter 4

Rei was tired. Too tired. The treasure she’d gone after for Megan was supposed to help her, but it didn’t. She’d obviously lost whatever power it gave her to recover from near death. It had left her with a glow that scared her so much she’d hidden in her brother’s work shed for days, sleeping from the onslaught of what felt like being struck by lightning. Then the glow dissipated and now apparently only happened when she slept. She wondered if Asher had seen it. Or if anyone else had. The glow had been a gift from an angel, Afriel, who she’d freed instead of turning over to Megan. Was that a mistake? She didn’t know, but the glow left her before the accident, so maybe the angel took the gift back.

Rei had always believed in angels. She’d even felt as though she had a guardian angel once. Then, when they moved to Newport, she’d known it had left her. She’d made so many mistakes when trying to fit into a stupid high school scene that was way out of her league. Meeting Megan, working for her, and signing a blood deal was the biggest mistake of her life. She had likely killed her family because of Megan’s manipulations. When Rei wanted to quit the newspaper, Megan made her pay with threats.

Megan dealt her one dirty backstabbing blow by sending Eli, Asher’s friend and her former investigative news partner, to her house to give her a message: You will lose everything. The words played over and over again like a taunting, hellish stab to her heart. She’d never felt so alone or empty in her life. The desolation of not being able to tell her twin brother brought on a painful numbness that she couldn’t seem to fill. She hadn’t realized it before, but she’d only started to feel that way when her family moved to Newport. When Afriel gifted her with the treasure, she’d felt full again, connected. Now, Rei couldn’t stop the tears. She closed her eyes and tightened her petite frame into a ball and sobbed. She didn’t care if Asher heard her. He’d likely left the place anyway.

It was dark and cold in the room. The thin blanket she’d wrapped herself in wasn’t keeping her warm or giving her comfort. The scar on her face pinched sharply as she moved her head. She winced but covered her face with it.

Why, God? Why’d they have to be sacrificed for me? So stupid. I’m so stupid. Rei sniffled.

A heavy hand rested on her shoulder. We all were when it came to Megan.

Rei stilled. Shame washed over her. Asher was there and heard her crying like a horse. She wasn’t proud of it, but she actually sobbed big and couldn’t help it. Her heart ached so badly. Rei tugged at the covers around her head, trying to sink further into the hard floor that pressed against her uninjured side.

She got to me too. You know, Rumpelstiltskin’s can’t help being manipulators. It’s in their blood and the magic that created them. Megan is Fae and Rumpelstiltskin, which makes it even harder for her to fight her nature.

I don’t know about magic – only evil. She is evil. Rei sniffled. It was easier talking to Asher without having to see the consistent disdain in his eyes whenever he worked alongside her for Megan.

You need to change your way of thinking about magic, about evil, and where you are. You are not, or never were, in Newport. you know?

Rei started to relax. Asher hadn’t removed his hand. Instead, he lifted her wrapped form into his arms. Rei made a hole in the blanket to see where they were going. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around him to steady herself. He sat her in the oversized chair, tucking the blanket under her feet as she pulled herself into a tight ball. Asher shifted his stance then righted her in the big chair as he left. She wrapped her arms around her bent leg, wincing at the