Page 5 of Axis of Fire

she would.

“Let’s hope you’re smart enough not to do anything stupid, Illariana.”

Three figures stepped forward from the group.

Two men.

The first was tall and thin, his pallor almost unnatural—far removed from anything human.

His snow-white hair only reinforced the impression.

His eyes were hidden behind oval glasses.

She didn’t trust him.

Not even a little.

The second man was much shorter.

Broad-shouldered, with a wrinkled face and streaks of gray in his hair and beard, he carried the warmth of a kindly old man.

He looked like Santa Claus.

His blue eyes radiated quiet kindness.

The third figure was a woman.

Tall, brunette, her hair tied back, she studied Illariana with open curiosity.

Illariana didn’t like that at all.

It was the same look the doctors had given her—

as if she were a goldmine.

An anomaly to be studied.

She didn’t deny it.

She had stopped seeing herself as human long ago.

And now she saw it reflected in the faces of others.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m stupid as hell,” Illariana said, not taking her eyes off them as she slipped a hand into the front pocket of her red leather jacket.

Her fingers closed around the cold handle of a folding knife.

If her damn powers didn’t kick in—

she’d have to rely on something else.

“If I can’t burn all of you,” she added, her voice steady, “I’ll make sure you never see anything again.”

She forced herself not to doubt her own words.

The need to escape helped.

To survive.