It tilted its head, those glowing eyes glinting as it studied Emma like a fascinating specimen to add to its collection. “Why would I want to kill such a fascinating creature?” it mused. “I’d much rather you use your ability to my advantage.”
Emma gave a derisive laugh. “Good luck with that,” she said. “That will never happen.”
The wraith gave a smile as if amused. “We will see about that.” And it darted forward.
My heart raced as my brain continued to spin. My self-preservation urged me to run the other way. Sam could fend for himself.
I shoved that down the second I felt it. I couldn’t let it hurt Sam. No matter what happened to me, I wasn’t going to be able to see Sam getting hurt when I knew there was something I could do to save him.
My hand flung out at the same time Emma held up hers to shield her face.
A burst of fire shot forward, passing through the wraith’s hand. The wraith howled in anger as it retracted its hand. It glinted in the firelight, no longer the coarse texture or tan color of swirling sand but clear and shiny. It had transformed into glass.
The line of fire stayed, growing and lengthening into a wall between the lesser demons and Sam and Emma, a barrier the wraith could no longer cross, else it would risk injuring itself further.
My head pounded, and my heart raced with the effort, but I kept going. Without fully realizing what I was doing, I manipulated the wall, making it wrap around the wraith, trapping it. More flames closed off the demons, who wouldn’t risk crossing that barrier without more information. I could feel the heat of the flames as orange and white-hot light flickered, coating the area.
The wraith watched with interest, a hunger gleaming in those glowing eyes as his features twisted into a sneer, his head tilted.
“You have new tricks, witch,” he said, somehow sounding both furious and intrigued.
The light flickered off Emma’s face, and I knew her well enough to recognize the stunned, confused features spread across it. Emma managed to swallow her surprise. After a moment, she jutted out her chin, tossing her hair back as she stared up at the wraith.
“And there’s more where that came from,” she said. “So next time, think twice about coming in here and threatening my people or me.”
The wraith snarled, leering. He took a step forward, then recoiled when the fire surged toward him in warning.
“This isn’t over,” he snarled as Sam shook off the dust, panting. The great wolf’s eyes darted all over the area, as if searching for someone. For a heart-stopping moment, I thought he might have seen me. His eyes lingered on my rock. But then he looked away.
“Yes,” Emma growled. “It is.”
Sam crouched, allowing Emma to clamber onto his back. He shot off, bolting toward town.
The wraith let out a gravelly howl that reverberated in my teeth, seeming to shake me to my core. Not giving myself enough time to think, I ran, keeping to the rocks as much as possible. I held the flames as long as I could, beads of sweat dripping from my forehead from exertion. Finally, I couldn’t do it any longer. I felt the flames die even though I was nowhere near home.
I collapsed against the stone, panting as my head thundered, and I finally let out a trembling, relieved breath. Sam was safe. Emma was safe. I had saved them both.
My mind flicked over to the wraith. Would he go after Emma? Would he flee back to his lair? He had thought she had created the flames. Surely he wouldn’t go after her without more protection in the future. And he would need to recover from what the fire had done to his arm. I hadn’t even realized that would happen.
I closed my eyes as I wiped the sweat from my brow. My stomach churned. I needed to get home and rest.
Just as I got back to my feet, my stomach churned, and bile rose in my throat. I teetered, then a moment later, my entire lunch lay splayed on the ground.
Groaning, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, my breath ragged. Emma had never mentioned that using magic could make you nauseous. Maybe I had overexerted myself.
It didn’t matter. Right now, the only thing that mattered to me was that Sam was safe. I could worry about everything else later.
Chapter 16 - Sam
I dropped Emma off at home, not leaving until Elias, who had sensed the danger through his own mating bond and was already speeding home with Grace by the time I called, arrived. I gave him a brief overview of what happened, including the mysterious flames. Emma had repeatedly insisted that she had nothing to do with the fire. She was just as confused as the wraith had been.
I, on the other hand, had a sneaking suspicion I knew where the flames had come from. Or, rather, who. I kept them to myself. There was someone I needed to speak to first. So I drove home and waited for her to arrive.
The door opened, and Rachel appeared through the door.
“Where have you been?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
“At work.” She managed to keep her features straight, at least until she saw my face. She sucked in a breath. “What happened?”
