AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Beth screamed again. A loud, desperate cry as she fell to her knees. The flames erupted, racing across the room, and chunks of the ceiling fell down and crashed onto the floor.
He ran with Jana, holding back the fire and rushing for the door. The smoke—heavy and gray—blocked their path, but they stormed straight through it and, with his help, through the flames.
Beth’s yells followed them, blending with the piercing alarm, and the crackle of the fire.
He and Jana raced down the hallway. Guards were running, hell-bent on getting away from the flames so they didn’t even toss him or Jana a second glance. The guards sure didn’t try to stop them. Too busy running.
Zane risked a glance behind him. The fire was destroying everything, burning so brightly. Sending screams of terror into the air. As he watched, two men appeared near the back wall. Chameleons being forced out of their camouflage because of the fire’s heat. One of the bastards was the one who’d attacked Jana. He was burning, screaming as he fell to the ground. The flames flared higher around him and the other chameleon. Trapping them. Killing them.
Zane’s legs pumped as he searched for a way out of the nightmare. Not Jana’s fire. What the hell had happened? And why hadn’t Jana mentioned that Beth was an Ignitor?
Fuck. Just when he’d thought he could trust her…
They burst through some double doors and out into the night. Jana sucked in deep gulps of air and fell to her knees.
The clean air almost seemed to burn his lungs. “Jana.” His voice sounded like gravel.
Her head turned toward him. Her eyes were wet with tears. From the smoke? Or something more?
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He lifted her up and carried her farther away from that burning building and the screams that echoed inside. “Why didn’t you tell me what Beth could do?”
She just shook her head.
“Fuck.” He sat her down near the edge of the swamp. “Stay here.”
She grabbed his arms. “Where are you going?” she rasped.
“I’ve got a friend in there. I’m not leaving her for the flames.” He wouldn’t leave Catalina to her worst nightmare.
“Friend?” Her brow wrinkled. Ash stained her cheeks. “With… Perseus?”
Yeah, okay, that sounded screwed. “Just stay here, okay?” But even as he said the words, he knew she’d be gone when he came back. It was her perfect chance to run. “They’ve got supernaturals caged in there.” His voice grew stronger with every word, just as those flames were growing stronger with every second that passed. “I’m not letting them burn.”
Perseus was dying tonight, burning to the ground, but they weren’t taking the paranormals out with them.
He whirled away from Jana and ran right back into the fire.
* * *
Jana shook her head, stunned, as Zane disappeared into the smoke again. What was he thinking? Didn’t he realize those flames weren’t going to stop? They were blazing out of control. Even a level ten couldn’t fight them—not with an Ignitor constantly charging them up. The first fire is always the hottest. Too strong. Can’t stop it.
She lifted a shaking hand to her head. Oh, God, how had this happened? One minute, that girl had been running toward her, and Jana had been getting her charge strong enough to blast, then?—
Then Beth had been in control of the flames.
And I’d had nothing.
Jana had been surrounded by fire but, for the first time, completely at its mercy. If Zane hadn’t come in there, she would have died.
Her eyes squeezed shut. I’ve got a friend in there. I’m not leaving her for the flames. Beth had taunted him about a friend. “We’ve got a friend of yours waiting to meet you.”
What friend?
She stumbled to her feet. A guard ran out of the smoke. He didn’t glance her way. He just hauled ass for the truck parked near the line of twisted trees.
Trying to get away?
She sucked in another breath and went after him. “Hey, hey, wait!”
