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Nick. Nick had to be doing that.
But fire was everywhere. Bookcases lined the walls, blazing like suns against the cinder block.
Except for the small alcove, where the carpet was on fire.
And Gabriel could see two figures there, just barely out of reach of the flames.
He surged forward, sprinting through the fire. He slid to his knees into the alcove and sent the fire away, creating a bigger space around them.
Layne was crumpled against the wall. Nick was crouched beside her, his eyes clenched shut, his hands in fists. The air here was freezing and thin, and all of a sudden, Gabriel almost couldn’t breathe.
“Nick,” he gasped. “I’ll hold the fire. I need to ”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Nick let go. A blast of cold air rushed through the vents. The fire rejoiced, flaring higher.
Gabriel sent it away, toward the entrance, toward the ceiling, promising better things to burn.
And suddenly smoke billowed around them.
Only to retreat when Nick sent it away again.
Gabriel pulled Layne into his arms. She was limp, her skin clammy and warm. Her head flopped onto his shoulder.
But she was breathing.
“She’s okay,” said Nick. His voice was rough and worn. “I made sure she kept breathing. I just couldn’t keep her conscious.”
“Come on. We need to get out of here.”
Gabriel cleared fire from their path, and Nick pushed the smoke ahead of them, working together wordlessly, the way they always had when they played with fire for fun. He headed for the north entrance to the library, knowing firemen would be waiting at the south side.
Layne made a small sound and shifted against him.
“You’re all right,” he said. “We’re getting out.”
Her eyes opened a crack. “Gabriel?”
The sound of her voice almost made him cry with relief.
“Yeah. I’ve got you.”
Her eyes fell closed again. “You’re supposed to . . . math test.”
“I thought maybe this was more important.”
She pressed her face against his neck. Her skin was flushed and hot, but the whisper of her breath against his skin was the greatest feeling in the world because it meant she was alive.
he even know the fire alarms were going off?
“Stay close to the vents,” called Nick. “I’m trying to create a gap in the oxygen so the fire stays out of here.”
Staying close to the vents wasn’t a problem. She practically had her face pressed against the cinder blocks, hyperventilating through the gaps. The air on the other side felt like it was coming out of a freezer. She was sweating through her clothes from the heat at her back.
She couldn’t worry about her brother now. He hadn’t been in the library, so he was probably in better shape than she was.
“How?” she gasped. “How are you doing that?”
“Maybe we can have that whole discussion another time.”
