Roman snorted. “Seems you’re screwed.”
“You should’ve taken my deal,” Sam fired back.
“Deal? You would’ve never followed through,” Roman replied.
Sam and I said in unison, “Fire purifies. Fire cleanses. It’s by my hand that this house doesn’t stand. This is my will. This is my way. When I walk out, wash it away.”
Nothing was happening.
Roman dropped the gun and charged in our direction.
Sam blocked him from me and threw Roman across the living room. He hit the fireplace, laughing.
Warrick groaned.
Sam stomped his foot once, opened his arms out to the sides, and lowered his head. Suddenly, glasses on the counter next to the sink rattled, furniture slid around, and a picture fell from the wall.
Roman hurried to stand.
Sam grinned at Roman, smug but deadly. “You die tonight.” He lowered one arm and closed his hand into a fist. The couch with Warrick and Maeve on it moved toward Roman until the vampire was locked between the fireplace and the couch.
“I’ll live!” Roman shouted. “You know this, Mason. Fire will burn me to the bone, but I’ll walk out of here a skeleton. I’ve done it before.”
Even if he was telling the truth, we were burning down this house no matter what. At least when I left, I would feel like I’d done everything I could to murder the bastard.
In a loud and commanding voice, I started again. “Fire purifies.” My body began to vibrate with electricity. I held up my arms as if an invisible being was programming me. “Fire cleanses.” Flames shot out of the fireplace, setting Roman aflame.
He screeched like a hyena.
“It’s by my hand that this house doesn’t stand.” Flames crept up the wall on both sides of the hearth.
“This is my will. This is my way. When I walk out, wash it away,” I chanted.
Heat and smoke filled the room as more furniture caught fire.
Sam rushed up to me. “Time to go.”
“I will kill you both!” Roman yelled.
I hoped that asshole did die, but right now, we had Orion and Luna, and that was all I cared about.
9
SAM
Igrabbed Layla’s hand as we flew off the porch and to Roman’s idling SUV. The windows blew out of the living room just as Layla dove into the back seat and I jumped into the front.
Tripp gunned the gas, and I jerked forward before I had a chance to close the door.
Breathing heavily, Layla said, “Wait. I want to see if anyone comes out.”
“The human authorities will probably be here in no time.” He touched his ear. “Kraft, Ben, check in.” He tore away from the property, cutting the wheel hard as we turned onto the main road. “Get out of there now. Meet us at the jetport.”
“I’m surprised the cops haven’t shown up, given all the gunfire earlier,” Layla said as the firm click of her seat belt resonated behind me.
“Maeve knows the couple in the farm a mile from here,” Agnes chimed in from the third row. “If I’m not mistaken, they’re out of town. Other than them, there’s a feed business and a machine shop nearby. And Warrick is in tight with a handful of cops. They use Warrick’s shooting range on the property.”
“But a fire is a different story.” I turned and regarded Layla. “Baby doll, are you okay?”
