by Lily Thorn
“Don’t do that,” he groaned.
“Why not?”
He panted. “You’re going to make me lose control.”
“Oh?” Looking back at him, she flexed again.
His fingers dug into her skin as he growled at her. Before she could say anything else, he thrust.
Fire roared in her veins as he plunged into her. His ardor was unrelenting. Heat coursed through her, until she wondered if her skin might start to smolder. Her fingers twitched, curling around red leaves and crunching them to dust. And still the flames coursed through her, devouring any fear she had, any doubt. He had to be right—he was her fated mate.
The flames he stoked in her might consume them, but there was no one she’d rather burn with.
From the way he was breathing, it sounded like he was about to lose control. He slowed, then withdrew. Seraphina was about to ask what was wrong when he scooped her up and laid her on her back.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “I was enjoying that.”
“So was I, but I want to see your face.”
She couldn’t argue with that. He thrust inside her again, and this time she got to see the rapturous expression on his face. His golden eyes burned her in the best way.
From here, she could slide her hands onto the ass she’d been admiring for so long. It felt even better than it looked. She pulled Easton closer to her, earning another moan from him.
“Be careful,” he gasped, “be—”
She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him into her. His cock penetrated to her core, and she cried out as flames devoured her within. Easton felt the fire too, moaning as he poured himself into her. They collapsed together, breathing deep, until the fire inside them turned to embers.
At last, he rolled off her, but he pulled her close. Seraphina snuggled against him. She felt like she would be warm for days. Once again, there would be no need for a blanket.
Lying with him, the stars wheeling overhead, she had never felt warmer.
***
THEY ROSE A bit before dawn. Seraphina wished that they could lie forever in a happy glow, but it was time to face the world again. Unfortunately, their breakfast was the last of the food Fern had given them. They ate quickly, unable to even savor it.
“We’ll go into town one last time,” Easton said. “If you really did see Vince last night, we can’t linger. We’ll get some supplies, then head to the next town. Don’t worry—we’ll find your sister somehow.”
“Are you sure I’ll be welcome in Wolfsbane? I did almost burn it to the ground. I don’t think they’ll have forgotten.”
“They won’t have. But there are still too many people there from Founding Day that they won’t notice one more—and you can wear this.” Reaching into his rucksack, he pulled out a dark cloak.
“Just keep the hood up,” he said. “No one will ask too many questions if they’re taking our coppers.”
It was a gray day, threatening rain as they trudged into town. Seraphina wondered if they might be too early—windows were still shuttered, and she suspected that many were sleeping off their cider from yesterday. Inside her fist, Felix squirmed in protest. But there was no way she was letting him out today.
A breeze rolled by, ruffling a piece of paper nailed to a post. She froze. A drawing of her own face stared back at her.
She tore the paper down, reading it with trembling hands.
WANTED FOR MURDER
SERAPHINA BLACKWOOD
DANGEROUS—DO NOT APPROACH
5 GOLD COINS FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO CAPTURE
Her throat was as dry as the paper.
“Murder?” she stammered. “I didn’t murder anyone, Easton!”
“Keep your voice down.” He looked around them. “Don’t panic.”
“Don’t panic?” She tried to whisper, but the words came out strangled. “Five gold coins? Do you have any idea what people would do for that kind of money?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said. “You have the cloak, remember? Just stick to the plan. Besides, it’s still early—maybe no one’s seen these yet.”
That was good. That gave her something to do at least. She glanced around, but what she realized made her feel dizzy: there seemed to be signs papering every pillar and post in town.
She ran to the baker’s, where three signs were nailed to the front door. “Help me,” she said, her voice sounding loud in her ears. “Get these down!”
“We don’t have time,” Easton said. “And it looks too suspicious. Besides, we aren’t going to be here much longer.”
She was about to pull down another sign, this one at the entrance of town, when something made her pause. There was a moth on the sign, wings outstretched. It was completely still. She tried prodding it, but it didn’t move. It wasn’t dead, either—just still. As if it had been frozen in time.
A chill ran through her.
“Arabella,” she said.
“What?”
“Arabella! She’s trying to tell me she’s here. But she knows Mr. Dark’s men must be here, too.” Seraphina whirled around. “We can’t leave,” she said firmly. “We have to find her. Before Vince and Nathaniel do.”
Easton leaned forward, peering at the moth. “Are you sure that’s from her?”
Pulling the jar from her pocket, Seraphina ran her hands over it. Inside, the butterfly was as motionless as ever, suspended just like the moth. “I’m positive.”
“All right,” he said. “We’ll find her, and then we’ll take care of any loose ends.”
She stared at him. “You aren’t going to object?”
“I’m your mate. I’m here for you. Always.” Grabbing her hand, he gave it a firm squeeze.
Seraphina blinked away tears. There wasn’t time for them. But she’d been alone for so long that it was hard to believe he had her back without question. He was like a campfire, burning steady.
“Let’s go find her,” Easton said.
She was about to agree when the breeze shifted. A wisp of smoke curled around them. Seraphina wrinkled her nose. It smelled strange, not like a breakfast fire. A rogue spark drifted by her face. Reaching out a hand, she caught it. Even as it died, she could feel its desire to burn.
Something was wrong.
“Help!” The call came from down the road.
They ran across the cobbles. Seraphina’s heart beat against her ribs. Something wasn’t right. Why had the spark felt so malevolent?
“Help!”
At first, she had thought she’d heard a man’s voice, but this was definitely a child’s. They rounded a corner to see a dilapidated building near the edge of the forest, smoke curling out the front door. Two faces looked out at them from the third story. They were young boys, their eyes wide as they looked around them.
Before Seraphina could do anything, there was a rumbling boom. Fire flared behind the broken windows of the first floor. She could feel the heat even from here. The boys screamed.
“Boys!” Easton called. “Can you hear me?”
One of them had started to cry.
“Stay calm,” Easton shouted. “You can jump. I’ll catch you!”
They stared at him. They seemed to be frozen in fear.
“Seraphina,” he said, “can you put the fire out?”
She reached toward the fire inside. It recoiled, suspicious of her.
“Die down,” she commanded.
The fire flared, growing stronger. There was so much fuel, so much wood. It did not intend to die.
She shivered. She had never encountered a fire like this.
Inside the house, there was another boom.
“Sera! Put it out!”
“I can’t! It won’t listen to me!”
Easton swore. “Run down the stairs, boys!” he shouted. “Hurry!”
They just cried, staring in terror at what lay behind them.
Seraphina felt the fire again. “The staircase is burning,” she said.
Three s
tories up, the boys clung to each other. They were trapped.
Chapter Seven
EASTON THREW DOWN his rucksack. “I’m going in,” he said.
“No, you’re not.” She put a hand on his chest. “I’m the one who can control fire, remember?”
“I thought you said this one wouldn’t listen.”
She pulled off her cloak. “I’ll make it listen to me.”
“And what am I supposed to do?”
“There’s too much smoke—You stay down here to catch them.”
“You can’t go in alone, Sera! Wait!”
But she was already running. She wrenched open the door, then kicked it shut behind her—she didn’t want any surprise drafts.
“Felix!” She opened her palm. He sprang out, already a tiger.
“Help me get this under control. And try not to burn anything else. Watch your tail.” It had veered dangerously close to the moth-eaten curtains.
Fire licked at the bannister. Felix roared at it, and it roared back. He flattened his ears.
“I know it’s strange,” she said. It was hot in here, even for her. She was heading toward the stairs when Felix swerved in front of her.
“What—” There was a gas can at her feet. Without Felix’s warning, she might have kicked it into the eager flames.
Quickly, she pushed it toward a safer corner of the room.
“We have to be quick, Felix.” She headed up the stairs, forcing flames away from her face. The fire was eating eagerly at the stairs. She could barely get through.
And the gas. That explained why the fire was so unnatural, so strong. Had the boys been playing with the gas? Smoke filled her eyes. It didn’t matter. Not right now.
She coughed, pausing on the second floor landing. The stairs turned unexpectedly. She almost didn’t see the way up, but Felix pointed it out to her, sparing precious seconds.
The staircase creaked in protest as the flames consumed it.
“Stay back,” she told the fire. Summoning all her strength, she tried to quell it, to tame it, even a little bit. But the fire was wild, greedy. It had not come from her, so it didn’t want to listen. And it was already so large…
As she fought her way to the third floor, she listened to the fire. It was pleased with its feast. Sparks filled the air, looking for more wood to ravage. The beams in this house were already weak and rotted. The fire spread quickly, growing stronger every second. It didn’t like her, though. She was spoiling its fun. It was stronger than her, and it planned to prove it.
Felix snarled at the tendrils of flame that coiled around the bannister. They retreated, but only for a moment.
“The children, Felix. Where are they?”
Why did they have to be on the third floor? She stepped onto the landing, and a board snapped beneath her foot. The two halves fell, their bottoms coated in embers. The smoke was the worst here, forming a haze that was hard to see through. The heat was punishing, and her shirt clung to her back.
She could hear the fire intensifying on the floors below. Soon it would begin to rage.
They were running out of time.
Felix prowled forward, unimpeded by the smoke. He stopped by a doorway, and she sprinted through it.
The boys were still there, frozen by the window.
“Help us!” one cried.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “everything will be fine.” That wasn’t a lie. Probably.
Crossing the room, she leaned out of the open window. Easton was still there, pacing quickly.
“Ready?” she called.
“I’ve been ready. Hurry!”
She crouched by the first boy. “What’s your name?”
“Ben.” He ran a hand under his snotty nose.
“It’s going to be fine, Ben. Do you trust me?”
He could only whimper.
“This is the safest way out.” She patted the windowsill. “And guess what? Best of all, my friend is down there to catch you.”
Tears ran down Ben’s chubby cheeks. “I don’t want to go out the window.”
“I know. But you’re safe with us.”
Before he could cry anymore, or overthink things, she plucked him up. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, giving him a light squeeze. “Ready, Easton?” she called.
“Ready.”
Seraphina hoisted Ben to the windowsill and peered out, making sure Easton was in place. He stood as close to the building as he could, despite the threatening flames. Soon it wouldn’t even be safe on the ground. She had to drop the child. So she did.
Ben screamed all the way down. Easton caught him beautifully, depositing him far from the house.
“Next!” Easton called.
Seraphina turned to the second child, who was a little taller than Ben.
“My name’s Percy, only please don’t drop me, miss.”
“You can come back down with me, if you want. But the staircase is on fire. Do you really want to take the staircase?”
Reluctantly, he shook his head.
“Close your eyes,” she said. “It won’t be so bad.”
She was sure this was a lie, but she didn’t care as long as Percy lived to tell the tale. Scooping him up, she dropped him into Easton’s waiting arms.
“Now you,” Easton called.
“I’ll be okay. I’m going to try and stop the fire. Get the children to safety.”
“The first floor is orange. If you don’t come out within ten seconds, I’m coming in after you.”
Under her feet, the floorboards creaked. She headed toward the stairs, Felix nudging her faster with his nose.
She wasn’t fast enough. With a thundering crack, a beam gave way beneath her. She was sent tumbling to the second floor.
Seraphina landed with a thud. Even with the wind knocked out of her, she had to roll away from the scorching floorboards. She could only imagine what the undersides looked like. The smoke was thick in here, choking her. Felix mewled at her, frantic.
Coughing, she pulled herself to the window. It was only the second floor. She should probably just jump.
But Easton was gone.
“No!” Her shout devolved into coughing. He couldn’t be in here. He’d die.
“Sera!” His voice was so faint. She could barely hear it above the licking flames.
“Easton! Get out of here!”
“Not without you!” There was more coughing. He sounded like death.
Seraphina ran to the landing, but the stairs were a mass of flame. She reached out, telling the flames to die, but she was so tired. Her lungs burned, and all she could think about was sleep. The fire had grown into a monster, one that was not intimidated by her. It licked a tongue of flame through its dancing teeth.
“Easton!” she called. “Felix, go check on him.”
She could tell he didn’t want to leave her, but he did as he was told. Downstairs, she heard a crash, then Felix’s roar. Something terrible had happened.
“Easton!” She knew he was still inside, even though he didn’t respond. What if he was hurt? He had only come in here to try and save her sorry self.
She stood straighter. This fire wouldn’t harm her mate. She wouldn’t let it.
Calmly, she headed for the stairs. The fire, now a mass of rage, lashed out at her.
“No.” She held out a hand. “You’ve had your time. It’s over now.”
The fire did not relent. It had gas, and wood, and power. It would burn forever.
“You will not touch me.” She walked down the steps through a tunnel of flame.
Furious, the fire swirled around her. This wasn’t over. It would build, it would burn, it would end her—
“I’m done with you. You’re nothing but an overgrown spark.” She saw Easton, collapsed, flames creeping closer. The thought of the fire harming him made her fists clench. She brimmed with rage, stronger than the fire’s.
“You’re over,” she said, and snapped her fingers.
The flames vanished
, but the heat and smoke remained.
She fell to her knees beside Easton. “That was stupid,” she said. “Why’d you come in here after me?”
He coughed feebly, raising a hand to her face. She put her hand on his.
“Let’s get out of here.” Her legs trembled. It felt like she’d used up all her energy, but she had just enough left to pull Easton to his feet. Leaning on each other, they stumbled to safety. Gray morning air had never tasted so fine.
She was surprised to see the butcher outside, along with a knot of onlookers. He was wrapping a blanket around Percy’s shoulders.
Seeing Seraphina, he nodded. “We’ll deal with this later,” he said gruffly. “Come on, boys, let’s find your parents.”
He led Ben and Percy into the village. The others followed, some throwing furtive looks back at her.
Seraphina slumped against a tree. He would think she started the fire, no doubt. But she was too tired to care at the moment.
“Here.” Easton handed her a canteen like it was made of lead. “Drink this.”
The water soothed her burning throat. She felt like she could sleep for days.
Easton lay down beside her, and Felix curled up by his feet. They made quite the picture. She was about to close her eyes when Felix leapt to his feet, hissing.
“Well, well, well.” The voice went through her like ice. “Look what the cat dragged in.”
She scrambled to her feet. He was here, the bulbous toad in the flesh.
Vince leered at her. “Miss me?”
She heard a growl, so loud it rumbled through her bones. Easton rose, a white wolf with fangs gleaming. He crouched, ready to pounce.
There was a crack. Nathaniel stood over the wolf’s prone form, a staff in his hand.
“Bad doggy,” Vince said. “Sit. Stay.” He laughed.
Seraphina advanced on Nathaniel. “Get away from him!” Dropping, she stroked Easton’s head. Nothing seemed broken, but it was hard to tell through all the fur.
Nathaniel backed away, lowering his staff at her. There was a hardness in his eyes that she’d never seen before. “You’d better watch your mouth,” he said. “We’re not taking orders from you.”