Controlled by a Fire Demon: The Owl Shifter Chronicles Book Two

by Qatarina Wanders

  Obnoxious little brat.

  Emily’s gaze slid past her to Marion. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Don’t listen to her, Marion,” Alice retorted without looking back. Her face had turned dark. Fire lit up her eyes. Sparks filled her hands. Her rage was coming on.

  Emily thought it weird that her words should have any effect on Marion. Why else would Alice feel the need to contradict her? Emily decided to try again.

  “You don’t have to participate in murder and evil, Marion,” Emily called out again.

  Alice’s response was unexpected. “Don’t talk to him!” she roared and threw both hands forward. Where her hands stopped, bolts of electricity erupted and slashed through the space, striking the invisible barrier.

  The impact sent a forceful wave straight into Emily. She flew back with the force of a whirlwind; however, Michael acted fast enough and grabbed her before she fell.

  24

  “I said engage them, not enrage them,” Michael cautioned. The scathing remark was given with a skillful smile. Alice could never have guessed what Michael had said.

  Emily gave her brother a tight nod, biting back the nasty rebuttal that was working its way through her throat.

  “I just need a few minutes.” Michael tried to steady her. “Get them to continue their attack and summarily ignore us.”

  Emily eyed him. “Summarily? What does that even mean?”

  Michael ignored her, only motioning ever so slightly to Alice.

  Emily returned her gaze to the trio. Chandler and Marion had come to join their sister. They waited patiently behind her. Alice, seemingly oblivious to them, was content with just glaring at Emily.

  “I’ll enjoy flaying you alive when I get to you,” Alice threatened, coming a few steps closer. She was now standing about a yard away from Emily. Every little detail on her face was crystal clear. The shades of her hair, the startling color of her eyes, her diminutive figure, and the way the air vibrated around her.

  Alice was indeed a monster of immense power. Emily believed the girl had significantly more power than her brothers.

  “You keep saying that,” Emily muttered and then looked up. The sun was burning a hole in the sky. “Yet, it’s almost evening. You’re still out there, we’re still in here, and it’s all talk.”

  Alice’s face changed to a scowl.

  Emily knew instantly her choice of words had been a bad idea. Engage them, Michael had said. Not enrage them. She’d succeeded in enraging Alice, which was saying a lot, considering the young Alfred girl seemed to embody rage at all times.

  Alice’s eyes filled with loathsome evil. The air around her vibrated at a more terrifying pace. She turned her back to Emily and Michael and faced her brothers. She didn’t need to utter a word. They came closer to each other and began to chant.

  Michael gripped Emily by her right arm. She felt a sudden charge of power go through her. Suddenly, the world turned to a dull red hue.

  “Come, slowly,” Michael whispered. His voice was strange—it sounded like he was speaking through a very hollow container. With his arm still locked tightly around hers, he pulled her up to take a couple steps away from where she stood.

  As Emily stepped away, a perfect image of herself remained standing there on the porch and looking at the Alfreds. The same went for Michael.

  Emily was stunned for a moment. She glanced at Michael and saw him grinning from ear to ear.

  “It worked.” She looked around, astounded.

  “Shh!” Michael replied. He gestured for her to be silent.

  Emily glanced back at the copies of herself and Michael. The Alfreds continued chanting. At intervals of about a minute, their fireball would reach its full intensity, and they would let it loose on the house.

  Michael tugged at her arm, and she yielded. He led her all the way through the hallway into the library. He paused there and muttered a few phrases. The words were mostly gibberish to Emily, but they were certainly powerful because Emily felt the sharp jolt of power escape Michael’s fingers.

  Before her eyes, the Emily and Michael copies turned and walked into the living room. There, they sat down. ‘Emily’ sat on the couch, while ‘Michael’ took the armchair. They sat immobile, staring at each other.

  Their motion caught the attention of Chandler and Marion, but neither said anything.

  Emily was still standing awestruck by the turn of events, when Michael tugged on her arm. They had to go. Emily’s heart began to race. This was it. They were making a break for it. They were leaving the safety of Aunt Anastacia’s house. Was she ready? She didn’t know.

  Michael led her down a small aisle, which seemingly ended in another bookshelf built against a wall. He didn’t stop. He walked up to it, waved a hand above a certain portion of the shelf above the midsection, and muttered a few strings of words. Gibberish again to Emily; apparently not to Michael, because the shelf melted into what looked like a normal door.

  Michael opened it, and still holding tight to her arm, tugged her into the dark, narrow corridor. The moment they went through, the door closed of its own accord.

  The journey to the end of the corridor was very short. They passed through a door directly into the backyard of the house.

  The moment they were standing under the sun in the small backyard, Emily knew they were outside the barrier and now exposed.

  Panic struck hard, and her chest tightened. Beyond the backyard was a dirt path that snaked through a heavy forest. From here, Emily could hear the Alfreds’ chanting. It was faint, carried on the winds—but she could hear it still.

  She knew that all it took was a thought, and the Alfreds would descend on them and destroy them. Alice was going to have a field day with Emily. Even though she was a little girl, Emily was terrified of her. She had so much power and zero restraint. She had promised to flay Emily alive the moment she had the chance.

  As Emily stood in the backyard, her legs trembled with terror.

  Michael still held on to her.

  Together they waited.

  “Why are we waiting?” Emily whispered to Michael. Her voice was so choked it drew a questioning glance from her half brother. He didn’t have time to reply because before their eyes, a staircase appeared to the side, directly from one of the upstairs windows. Aunt Anastacia started to descend from the window and cascaded down the magical steps. Hot on her heels was Dad. He was totally geared up for war, with his combat fatigues, assault rifle, grenades, and all.

  “Take him and go,” Aunt Anastacia said to Michael, completely ignoring Dad and Emily.

  Nice to see those two were so chummy now.

  “Follow my instructions. I’ll meet you at the safe house.”

  Emily was about to ask a string of questions, but Michael beat her to the punch. “The plan was for you to come with us.”

  “I know, but I’m changing the plan,” Aunt Anastacia quipped. “I have a way to transport myself to the safe house. Now go and stop asking questions.”

  Michael didn’t need to be told twice. He didn’t ask Emily for permission. He yanked her forward as he left. Dad brought up the rear. Before long, they were in the thick of the forest. The sound of the Alfreds was gone. Soon, the thunderous clashes of the magic hitting the barrier was gone, too.

  They must have walked for fifteen minutes before they happened on a round clearing in the forest. Parked underneath some brambles was the VW Beetle—a different one than Emily was familiar with.

  Michael paused by the vehicle and turned to Emily. “The moment I let go, the magic will fail. The confundus spell will cease.”

  “How long before they know we’re gone?” asked Emily. She sounded more confident now that they were far away from the house. Although she knew it would take the Alfreds nothing to track them.

  “Maybe five or ten minutes, depending on whether they’re paying attention,” Michael said. “We’ll need to be quick.”

  Emily nodded. Dad nodded as well.

  Mic
hael let go. Emily instantly felt a heavy sensation fall on her. She swayed as the dull reddish tint of the air vanished. She collapsed, but Dad was there to catch her. Michael, too, looked as though his energy had been sapped. He struggled to the Beetle and cleared the brambles. He then pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and opened the car door.

  It took several tries to get the other door open, and the seat pulled forward so that Emily could get in the back. When they were all seated in the car, Michael started up the engine. The little car purred to life on the first try. It purred as though it was in constant use.

  Michael reversed out of the parking spot in the woods and drove right into the road. The Beetle had a manual transmission. Nevertheless, Michael was deft in switching to upper gears. Soon they were speeding away from the area, headed away from New Haven.

  “Erm, shouldn’t we be going the other way?” Emily was thinking of Rina and Joanna. They still needed to be rescued.

  “If we go that way, they could be waiting at the city limits for us,” Michael reasoned. “There’s another way. Through the city.”

  “Dallas?” asked Dad.

  Michael nodded. “We’re going to Dallas.”

  25

  The rest of the trip was silent. The farther from the cottage they drove, the more settled Emily felt. However, she never got to the point where she was completely calm. Because she had seen the Alfreds’ power—what their magic could do. She knew there was no safe place for her.

  The Alfreds could cast a locating spell. They could put on their magical Sherlock hats and find them. They could be in their Land Rover right now, tracking them already. Emily was very aware of this. That’s why a cold blanket of terror wrapped around her.

  They got to Dallas by early evening. They stopped at the nearest burger place to grab a bite. Michael paid for their food, and they ate in silence. They had selected a seat in the corner, where they could see the door and look through the windows at the parking lot.

  Dad was ever vigilant. Although he abandoned most of his weapons in the Beetle, he still had his pistol with him—concealed, of course. He barely touched his burger. Same with Emily. It was probably for different reasons. Emily was afraid of being caught by the Alfreds, particularly Alice Alfred. Dad was anxious to get back on the road.

  Michael seemed content. He had not a care in the world. He feasted on his burger, smiling to himself at what he was reading on his smartphone. He didn’t bother to ask why Emily’s and Dad’s burgers were still mostly untouched. He only gave them one cursory look every five minutes or so.

  “How are we sure we’ll actually be safe in the safe house?” asked Emily. “Does it have any defenses or anything?”

  Michael paused and glanced at her.

  Emily suddenly became self-conscious. She felt like running into her skin to hide. She and Michael had unfinished business, and she had just been reminded of that little fact.

  “Think about the barriers that surrounded Aunt Anastacia’s house,” he said condescendingly. He waited for them to think. Then he said, “The one around the safe house is bigger, better, and badder.”

  Emily frowned. There’s no such word as badder, she was about to say, when she felt a check from The Owl.

  Drop it, Selena warned. Don’t poke the bear.

  Emily nodded. She didn’t necessarily feel pacified, seeing how the Alfreds could simply just locate them and attempt to bring the barrier down. “Will the barrier last indefinitely?”

  Michael shrugged. “I didn’t discuss it with Aunt Anastacia too much,” he admitted. “You know, I was too busy hoping the confundus spell would work.”

  “It worked well,” Dad joined in. “Thanks.”

  Michael gave a curt nod. “Thank you, Mr. Davies.” Then, with a side glance at Emily, “At least someone appreciates my efforts.”

  Emily knew she should have thanked him. She was just too nervous to say anything. “Um, thanks?”

  Michael flashed an insincere grin at her and returned back to his burger and phone. Dad returned to taking slow nibbles every minute or two and watching the door and driveway. Emily was left to her thoughts. They weren’t pleasant, and she had to fight the depression that was slowly sinking into her body.

  Soon, Michael announced he was finished and that they could leave whenever they were ready. Dad and Emily exchanged a look. No words needed.

  “We’re good to go now.” Emily stood.

  Michael popped one last fry into his mouth. “Great.”

  They hit the road minutes later. By the time they left Dallas, it was already dark. Knowing the Alfreds would probably be staking out the major roads that led into the town, Michael opted to take a dirt path, which apparently only he knew.

  “I’ve never seen this road before.” Dad sounded intrigued as he looked out the window.

  Michael kept his eyes glued on the dirt path as the car stumbled down into the darkness. They were traversing an area of tall trees and dense grasses.

  “Yeah, well, that’s because it’s a secret road,” Michael replied.

  Dad looked in the rearview mirror at Emily. She could see him looking to her in hopes she would chime in. The worst thing that could happen to them would be getting lost before reaching the safe house.

  “Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Emily questioned her brother.

  Michael shot her a glare through the rearview mirror. “Why don’t you shut up and let me drive?”

  Heat rushed into Emily’s cheeks. “You can’t talk to me like that!”

  “I’ll talk to you however I like,” Michael said calmly. Then he muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “bitch.”

  Emily felt a fire-like burst within her. It burned so hot that she felt like ripping Michael apart. The fire spilled out of her heart into her veins. This time, it wasn’t a figurative fire. She could feel the fire demon come to life in her body. Uh-oh. The fire demon within her itched to come out. To make Michael pay. Its presence multiplied her rage a thousandfold.

  Emily squirmed, fighting to stay in control. Fighting to keep from shifting. Because she knew if she changed to her Owl form, Michael would be toast and probably Dad along with him—toasted quite literally.

  “Emily, are you okay?” Dad’s voice was concerned.

  Emily kept her eyes shut, her fists clenched, and her head down. She refused to speak. The fire demon was trying to force itself out. He was like a stubborn kid who didn’t want to back down until he got his way.

  The car slowed. Michael looked a little nervous. “Emily?”

  The car was getting hot. She could feel it. The fire surging through her was beginning to raise the temperature in the car.

  “Emily, calm down.” Michael looked more than a little nervous. It wasn’t so much what he said as it was the nonchalance in his voice that angered Emily further.

  “No!” she screamed, and as she did, her eyes flashed fire, and smoke belched out of her mouth. That was when they all saw the danger.

  Emily gagged as she cowered and wrestled internally with the fire demon. Her heart pounded in her chest.

  “Stop the car!” Dad boomed. The car stopped a second later. “Get out. And run!”

  Michael didn’t waste any time waiting around. Emily didn’t see anything. But she heard the clunky door of the car open and Michael tear out of the vehicle. Dad’s door opened as well, but Dad remained. “Emily, fight it!”

  It’s no use, Selena interjected. Her voice was very faint and strained. He’s too powerful.

  Emily knew this to be true. She was losing the battle. She could already taste the fire in her throat. Her innards were already shifting even though the outside of her body remained the same. She could already see fire in her vision.

  She sensed the fear of her prey, could feel Michael’s pounding heart as he raced through the trees. It was a heightened sense that the fire demon possessed.

  “Emily . . .”

  Emily glanced at her father with t
error. “Dad, run!”

  She opened her door and pushed herself out of the vehicle. Dad followed suit. But instead of running, he came to her side.

  He touched her and screamed as he pulled back his hand. The smell of burning flesh was the last thing Emily remembered. The next thing she knew, the fire demon came forth in an explosion of flames. The Owl shot up into the air, cawing terribly.

  The fire demon leveled out at almost ten thousand feet. Emily was locked out of control.

  I’m baaaack! It relished the feel of the air. Emily was struck by the fire demon’s emotions. She could sense his pain for being trapped within her for so long, as well as his happiness for having just made it outside.

  She felt a pang of guilt as the fire demon zeroed in on Michael’s beating heart as it raced toward him. For a moment, she held back. Without even saying a word, she allowed the fire demon to fly straight at Michael. She knew what to do to get him to stop. She had the weapon. His name. But she also remembered what Selena had told her. Selena had warned her not to estrange the fire demon. Selena had told her that a time would come when the fire demon’s rage would be needed. That even though she could command the fire demon to take over, he could decide to lose the battle and end her life.

  So even as Michael’s racing form popped out of the trees hundreds of yards away, Emily allowed the fire demon to dive in. There was no way Michael was going to survive the attack dive. This was it for Michael.

  Don’t kill him, Emily instructed.

  The fire demon didn’t reply. It continued to dive, preparing to unleash hell.

  I said don’t kill him!

  Why? The fire demon shot back. He’s the enemy!

  No, the Alfreds are the enemy. Michael is my brother.

  The fire demon’s hesitation rippled through Emily’s mind. She was surprised he understood the notion of family at all.

  What nonsense! The fire demon boomed. I do have a family, you know. Selena. She’s my big sister.

  Um, what!? Emily was still wary of the fact that the fire demon had not pulled off his attack dive, but she was confident she could get him to do so before he torched Michael.