Page 6 of Dark Embers

“Again, I knew I should think his story was made up, that he was crazy. But I didn’t. I believed him. I could feel in my soul that he was telling the truth. So, I offered for him to stay in my apartment with me until he healed. I told myself that it was just so I could make sure he got the proper care, but I know now that wasn’t it. It was because I was just as drawn to him as he was to me.”

She gave me a few seconds to finish typing. I looked over the words I’d typed to make sure I didn’t leave anything out and then looked back up at her.

“So, you said you felt just as drawn to him,” I said. “Does that mean you imprinted on him, too?”

She shook her head. “No, humans don’t have that mechanism. Well, not really. Humans can form a type of pheromone bond, but it’s nowhere near as strong as an imprint. I do believe that I formed a pheromone bond with him.”

I recorded her answer and moved on to my next follow-up question. “Is that the way it works with imprints? Does the target of the imprint tend to feel the same attraction to the other?”

“Usually, yes,” she replied, crossing one leg over the other. “Idon’t think I’ve ever heard of a case where the target of the imprint had no interest in the imprinted. There always seems to be an attraction on the part of the target. And I use the word ‘attraction’ loosely. At least in my case, it’s far more than just being physically attracted to someone; that can and often does happen without pheromones. It’s—well, for lack of a scientific word—love.”

She shrugged and smiled, the romantic in her shining beneath the scientist persona. “It’s that intangible, irrational impulse that makes us do stupid things for that special person, that makes us take risks against our own well-being, or become violent against those who threaten those we care for.”

I smiled, too, touched by her words. I thought about the way Tobias had looked at me last night when he was holding me so tightly after he’d stopped the sim. But then I dismissed the thought. Hoping for such a thing would be setting myself up for disappointment.

I cleared my throat and moved on to my next question. “How long was it before Mr. Sharp realized he had imprinted on you?”

Her smile widened. “Instantly. The imprint trigger happens the first time a shifter meets their mate. It’s a shock to the system. Some shifters have described it as being struck by lightning or feeling like the world fell out from under them. It’s such a jarring experience that, paired with the strong need and protectiveness they feel for their target, there’s no other explanation.”

I frowned in curiosity. “So, an imprint can’t happen suddenly after days, months, or years of interaction?”

She shook her head. “If an imprint is going to happen, it happens upon that first exposure to the pheromone signature.”

I copied this down into my notes and then looked at my lastquestion. “As the target of an imprint, what does it feel like to you, knowing that your mate imprinted on you?”

Her eyes misted, and vulnerability softened her features. Her lips trembled slightly as she answered. “It feels incredible. Knowing that such a wonderful man loves me so deeply, so powerfully, and so irrevocably… It’s the most amazing feeling I could ever imagine. I feel like the safest woman on the planet because I know that if I ever need him, no army on earth would stop him from getting to me.

“But it’s also terrifying sometimes. Because he loves me so much, he could die trying to protect me. And in this world, that’s a very real possibility. That fear keeps me awake at night sometimes. Because I couldn’t go on knowing he died for me.”

That very fear was shining in her eyes, and I felt it in my bones. How awful it must be to live with that hanging over your head.

I turned off the screen of my tablet and shoved it back into my bag. “Well, I think that’s all the questions I have for now. Do you think your husband—er, Mr. Sharp—would be willing to answer some questions sometime? I’d love to get his perspective, as well.”

“Sure, I’ll ask him.” She slid off her desk and approached me as I stood. “And, Arya, thank you for talking with me. I enjoy sharing my experience every year with the right student. Tell Niko he picked well.” She winked at me before going back behind her desk.

I just stood there blinking for several seconds. This woman was full of surprises. Sharp, indeed.

With a smirk of appreciation, I headed out the door and toward my room to get ready, trying to feel excited for the date rather than nervous.

I had come into this assignment with very romantic notions of imprinting. Foolish notions. That kind of love sounded destructive, and maybe I was glad I hadn’t imprinted on anyone and that no one had imprinted on me. I hoped that neither would ever happen.

Chapter 3

Caesar

I took my freshly-refilled mug back to the table where Celeste was waiting for me. The teachers’ lounge was surprisingly empty for late afternoon, but I appreciated the time to speak with her alone.

“I think you’ll find Kai’s schematics to be quite intriguing,” I said, reclaiming my seat and accessing the three-dimensional holo file that demonstrated the new vampire tracking system on my tablet.

“Military tech has never been intriguing to me,” Celeste deadpanned. “Such things have always fallen under your umbrella.”

I smirked. I always appreciated her bluntness.

“I thought you might at least find the science behind it interesting. With this new tech, the military will be able to detect a vampire attackbeforeit happens.”

She arched a meticulously shaped eyebrow and folded her arms. “Well, seeing as foresightismy department, color me officially intrigued.”

I chuckled. I knew that would get her attention. I enabled the holographic display, and her eyes lit up, reflecting the neon green pixels.

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