Eternal Flame nw-3

by Синтия Иден

“She’s about five-foot-seven, and she’s got long, straight brown hair. She wears glasses that are so thick-too thick. And her nose is crooked,” Catalina spoke with her eyes still locked on Jana, “like it’s been broken before, and she’s got a small black mole near the corner of her chin.”

  The description had Jana’s heart racing.

  Catalina said, “Tell us where she is.”

  Jana took a deep breath. Then one more.

  Zane’s arm brushed her side. “What the hell are you talking about, Cat? Look, the shifter is dead. He was sliced open on my doorstep. Pak is sending a cleanup crew over, but we’ve got a damn serious problem on our hands.”

  “Yes,” the cop said. “You do.”

  Jana realized her palms were starting to sweat.

  “The survivors are being eliminated. One by one.” Okay, that witch’s voice was just eerie. So blank. So … dead.

  It took a minute for the words to sink in. Survivors. Oh, shit. “You mean Marcus—”

  “Someone’s not happy that the supernaturals got out of Perseus alive,” Catalina said. “I scryed. I saw … I’m going to die.” The witch sprang forward in a sudden burst of motion and grabbed Jana’s shirt, yanking her forward. “Where the hell is Laura?”

  “Catalina!” Zane lunged for the witch.

  Yeah, she didn’t need his help. The day she let a witch get the best of her in a fight… That day ain’t comin'. The other woman was just embarrassing her now. Jana slammed her forehead into Catalina’s. The witch howled and those nails- more like claws-stopped digging into Jana’s shirt as Catalina stumbled back.

  Jana fisted her right hand and got ready to punch the chick.

  Zane’s fingers curled around her fist. “Easy.” His black stare glittered at her.

  “I’m not the one who went crazy.” And it stung, dammit, hurt, that he was telling her to back off. Crazy witch woman was the one who needed to be controlled.

  We have a friend of yours.

  Oh, right, but he cared about the witch. While she … hell, what was she to him? Did she matter?

  Zane turned his head and focused on Catalina. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Jana pulled her hand away from his.

  Tears trickled down Catalina’s cheeks. Oh, great, tears. Now Zane would probably crumble because the witch was pretty and crying and—

  “Why the hell did you attack her?” Zane demanded.

  “Because she was the last person to see Laura alive! I know she was!”

  Okay. Catalina was right about that. Now all the eyes were back on Jana. She cleared her throat.

  “Why is this Laura important?” Zane asked.

  Catalina pointed toward the body on the gurney. A body Jana had been trying to ignore. “She’s important because her sister is the one who had her throat torn out last night. Laura is psychic. She was working with Perseus. I saw her there. She was—”

  “She was there the night the flames went wild.” Jana tried to keep her voice emotionless. She licked her lips and met Zane’s stare. “She didn’t… survive the fire.” Flat words. Quiet.

  But she’d never forget the sight of Laura dying. A touch … the woman had touched her, stolen her fire, then transferred it to Beth. All with a touch.

  But Laura hadn’t understood the flames. The fire had been too much for her, and by the time she’d tried to give the power to Beth …

  The fire had consumed Laura. She’d burned, from the inside out, even as Beth screamed and ordered that Laura touch her and transfer the power.

  Before she’d died, Laura had managed to transfer some of that power. And even that bit had proven too much for Beth in the end.

  Catalina’s shoulders sagged. “Lindsey must have known about Perseus.”

  “That’s why she canceled the missing person’s search.” Tony slowly shook his head.

  Missing person’s search?

  “She knew where her sister was,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Laura must’ve called her. She must’ve—”

  “She told her sister too much about Perseus.” Catalina’s voice held a hint of sadness. “So much that someone thought Lindsey had to die.”

  Now there were two dead in the city: Lindsey and Marcus.

  Erin cleared her throat. “Um, sorry if I seem dense here, but I thought you guys had taken down Perseus? Isn’t the group dead?”

  Catalina shook her head. “Someone is still alive. Someone with a lot of power.”

  Someone who wasn’t afraid to kill.

  “We’re all on the list. Everyone who was there while the place burned.” Catalina’s eyes darted to Tony, Jude, then Zane.

  “Fuck the list,” Jude said instantly.

  Catalina looked at Jana. “Bet you’re at the top of the list, Ignitor.”

  Jana forced a reckless smile. “Bring it.”

  “Still so brave?” Catalina asked, narrowing her eyes. “Even after what happened to you?”

  Oh, shit, she knew. Jana kept her chin up. “What do you want me to do? Run away into the shadows? Hide while someone else dies?” Who did the witch think she was talking to? “I’m not going anywhere. If some asshole is out there hunting survivors, I’ll be ready to face him.” With or without her power.

  “No, you won’t be,” Catalina said, drawing back. “Not when death has you in his sights.”

  “Thanks for that happy little update.” Didn’t sound like a fuzzy Christmas card, but when had life ever been a fuzzy Christmas card?

  “You scryed.” Zane stepped back from the witch and came closer to Jana. Finally. “What did you see?”

  “I saw me getting torched.” Her gaze came back to Jana. “Some people like to watch those flames burn.”

  Okay, now she was pushing too far. “I’ve never burned a witch. Never killed someone who didn’t deserve my fire. You think I killed for shits and giggles, is that it?” She closed the distance between her and the witch. “My stepfather was a perverted freak. Those demons and vampires-they tortured and murdered humans. They came after me, so I stopped them. I didn’t—”

  “It’s okay, baby.” Zane was there, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against the warm, strong lines of his chest. “You don’t have to explain a damn thing to them.”

  Her gaze flew around the room. Jude stared unblinkingly back at her. Erin … there was understanding in her gaze. Tony scowled. The witch-ah, screw her.

  “What else did you see, Catalina?” Zane demanded.

  Her lips firmed. “Logan got staked. I mean, he-he will get staked.”

  The vamp who’d tried to make her into his buffet? Was she supposed to care about what would happen to him?

  “We don’t have much time,” Catalina whispered. “The killer is closing in.”

  Zane’s arms were strong and steady. His scent surrounded her. “Did you see who was coming?” His words seemed to vibrate around her.

  Catalina shook her head. “I’m too weak.” A brief hesitation. “We all are.” Those words weren’t directed at Zane. Catalina knew too much. “They weakened us, and now we’re just prey to them. That’s what they wanted. For us to be the ones who were hunted.”

  “You’re not going to be hunted,” Jude said. “I’m not weak. Zane’s not. We’re—”

  “Isn’t he weak?” Catalina asked as her eyes bored into Jana. “I saw what happened when Logan bit you. His dark side almost took over. Do you know what happens when Zane loses control?”

  “Fuck. Enough of this,” Zane blasted. His hold was unbreakable, but a hard knot had formed in Jana’s chest. “I’m not losing control and no one else is dying. No one. “

  His words were a vow.

  Catalina pushed past them. “I hope you’re right. But I’m afraid that you’re dead wrong.” Then she ran out the door, her shoes slapping against the floor.

  “Follow her,” Zane ordered.

  Jude nodded quickly.

  “She’s not running again, and she’s not dying,” he added.
Jude’s fingers skated down Erin’s cheek. “Be safe,” Jana heard the ADA whisper softly.

  Jude kissed Erin, a light, tender press of the lips. Then he was gone as he trailed after the witch.

  Zane’s breath feathered over Jana’s ear. “There’s a dead body on my porch.”

  Jana took a slow breath. It seemed to burn her lungs. Marcus hadn’t deserved to die like that. He should have finally been free.

  “Tony, you’re gonna want to get some of your men out there to work the scene with Night Watch. Send those who know the score.”

  Tony nodded and eased past them as he headed out the door.

  “I’ll call the DA,” Erin said, brushing back her hair. “I’ll make sure he understands Night Watch has point on this one.”

  “Thanks, Erin.” Again, his voice vibrated behind Jana.

  Erin stopped next to them. “It doesn’t matter what others think about you,” she told Jana. “It doesn’t matter if they think you’re a freak or a monster …”

  What if I am?

  “They don’t know you.” A wisp of a smile lifted Erin’s lips. “They don’t know us.” Then she was gone.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She didn’t like the smell. Didn’t like the bodies. Didn’t—

  Zane kept a tight hold on her as he led her from the morgue. They hurried down the hallway, raced up the stairs and—

  He pushed her back against the hard, stone wall of the stairwell. His eyes glittered down at her. “You’re holding back on me.”

  Jana swallowed. His eyes were so dark. Really, a demon’s eyes shouldn’t have been sexy. Scary maybe, sure. Not sexy.

  But his were. So sexy her knees shook and her panties were getting wet.

  He slapped his hands on either side of her head. “What aren’t you telling me? Fuck, don’t you know by now, you can trust me? I’m not going to turn on you.”

  Her breath caught. “I do trust you.” A painful admission. She’d never trusted anyone fully. Certainly not those assholes at Perseus-and her wariness had sure paid off. But she’d never trusted her handful of lovers or her so-called friends.

  “No, you keep waiting. Keep watching me. You think I’m going to screw you over.” He shook his head, and she saw the muscle flex in his jaw. “What do I have to do? How do I prove to you—”

  He didn’t have to do anything. “Beth offered me a deal in that shithole.” She’d told him that part already. But now it was time for the full confession. “If I walked away and left you on your own, I could get my life back.”

  “How were you supposed to—”

  “She said she could take away the fire. The witch was right. Laura was psychic. She just had to touch me, and she could get my fire.” Do it, tell him. “She could get the fire …” Do it, tell him. “And transfer the power to someone else.”

  His whole face hardened. “Beth.” He shoved away from the wall.

  “I-I told you she wasn’t an Ignitor.” And she hadn’t been. “But that night, she got my power. Beth got it, and she used it to attack you and everyone else in that place.” She’d burned Perseus to the ground. Even though she hadn’t gotten the full rush of fire-not like poor Laura-Beth still hadn’t been able to control the flames. Only Jana could control the fire.

  Beth should have realized that as soon as the psychic burned.

  He turned away. His shoulders were ramrod straight, and the fury rolled off him in waves. “Was it worth it?”

  What? She stood frozen against the wall.

  “I knew there was something different about you. I couldn’t figure out…” A harsh laugh. “And you shot the vamp. You didn’t incinerate the asshole. You shot him.”

  Her lips were too dry. Jana swiped her tongue over them and forced herself to step forward. “I tried to call up the fire when he attacked me, but nothing happened.”

  “Because you’d fucking traded your fire and me for your freedom.” His voice echoed up the stairwell. “And here I thought you …”

  He thought she-what? Her heart slammed into her chest. “Zane, it’s not like that!” Her hand reached out to him.

  He glanced back at her, his face a hard mask. “I pulled you out of that fire at Perseus. I went back for you before I helped anyone else.” Disgust had his lips tightening. “And you’d already screwed me over.”

  Then he walked away. Zane marched up those stairs. Walked. Away.

  No. “I went back for you, too!” He kept walking. “Zane! I went back into the fire, when I didn’t have any power, for you. I wasn’t leaving you, dammit! I wasn’t going to let you burn!”

  But he was still leaving her and her heart seemed to burn in her chest. Don’t leave me. She ran up the stairs after him. He was close to the exit, the one that led to the back parking lot. She grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. She yanked him around-and made him look at her. “Where’s your trust?” she whispered.

  His eyes were as cold as black ice.

  Damn him. “You think I sold you out so easily? You think I tossed you over to be damn normal?” Her nails dug into his arms. “My fire is the only thing that has saved me over the years. First from that bastard who tried to break me. He came into my room, every freaking night and watched me. I knew what was coming, I knew, and I prayed for some way to stop him.”

  The mask began to crack. Screw him. She wasn’t done talking.

  “My mother didn’t believe me. No one would help me. No one. He started hitting me, and it got worse, and worse, and I knew he had so much more planned. I knew—” She broke off as emotion clogged her throat. “I prayed, and I got my fire. I stopped him.” Over the years, the fire had kept her safe. Always. “When the assholes in the dark come after me, they’re the ones who run away scared because I control the flames. They’re the ones who beg for mercy. Not me.”

  She felt the wet trickle of his blood on her fingertips. Her nails had dug in too deep. Her hands lifted, and her fingers balled into fists. “I stopped wanting to be normal a long time ago.”

  His nostrils flared. “But you still sold me out.”

  Her laugh was brittle. “Would it have killed you”-she asked him, stepping toward the exit now because it was her turn to leave him—“to have trusted me, just a little bit?”

  Good sex. No, great sex. Maybe that was all they’d ever had. Why had she expected more? “A human was coming at me.” She didn’t look in his eyes as she spoke now. She couldn’t. “Beth was shouting some crazy shit about me being normal, saying all I had to do was walk away.” Laura … the girl’s eyes had been wide. Sad. Tears had glittered behind her glasses. “I didn’t want to hurt Laura. She didn’t seem like a threat to me.”

  He shifted and edged closer to her.

  “I thought … I thought Perseus was using her, just like they’d used me. I didn’t want to hurt her,” she said again as the memory surged through her. “Then she lunged at me. She touched me and barely let her fingers skim down my side.

  And it had felt like the woman sliced her open with a hot knife.

  Jana tossed back her head. “If you don’t believe me, look.” Her eyes held his. “Look. “

  She felt the hard psychic push against her mind. Laura stood before her, the woman’s thin body trembling. Hell, where was Zane? “Don’t take another step.” Laura froze.

  “What happens when she takes the fire away? Where does it go?” Jana asked.

  Beth didn’t answer and the girl wasn’t speaking. Her eyes looked so big behind the glasses, and her skin was stark white.

  An alarm sounded then. A high-pitched, whining alarm. Beth jerked and swore. “Dumb bitch. She should’ve just done her damn part.”

  What?

  Footsteps thundered outside.

  Beth’s face hardened. Her hand lifted and she stabbed a finger in the air toward Jana. “The demon is going to die. If he won’t help us, then we’ll rip him apart.

  “But first…” And the guards spilled into the room. “First we’re taking that fire from you. We’re taking it,
and we’re going to make sure you’re nothing but a corpse when we leave this room.”

  Now, this was the Beth she knew and hated. “Bring it, bitch.” Jana let the charge shoot through her. “If you think you’re strong enough, come on.” A line of fire split the floor between them. Charge more. Charge. “Let’s see if you still like my fire.”

  “Shoot her!” Beth screamed at the guards. “Not the head or the heart, but shoot her! Take her down!”

  The bullets flew through the air just as the flames blazed higher.

  Laura stumbled forward, careening dangerously close to the fire. Jana lunged toward her. Laura’s fingers brushed her arm.

  Pain. It sliced through her. Agony that burned and burned and burned.

  Jana screamed and fell to the floor.

  Beth’s laughter echoed around her. “Give it to me! Give it to me!”

  Something was ripping out of Jana. Clawing its way out of her body. Burning claws, hacking their way to the surface. Tears streamed down her face. “Z-Zane …”

  “He can’t help you. He won’t.”

  Her palms slapped against the floor. She forced her head up. Those flames …

  Laura stared back at her with eyes too wide. Beth was holding the girl’s hand, squeezing tight. “Give it to me.”

  Smoke began to drift from Laura’s nostrils. From her mouth. Her eyes. “Give it to me!”

  Jana tried to speak, but blood trickled from her lips and splattered onto the floor.

  Laura’s pale skin reddened. Beth laughed. Laughed and took the power.

  Beth’s hand fell away from Laura just as the fire erupted. Laura screamed.

  So did Jana. She screamed for Zane because she knew Beth was going after him, and she couldn’t do a damn thing to stop the bitch.

  “Get out!” The snarl broke from her lips as Jana’s temples throbbed. He’d seen e-damn-nough. He hadn’t believed her.

  Zane’s breath heaved out, and the bastard reached for her. Reached for her. Right, like she wanted him touching her then. “I’m not the one with the trust issues. I didn’t turn on you, haven’t ever. Hell, I came back to you. I could have run. You wouldn’t have ever seen me again, but I came to your house.”

  “Why?” Seemed torn from him.