“Then face the fear.” Diana’s voice echoed in her mind.
Turning back to the scene before her, she was dimly aware of the hound snarling as it rushed at Theo. He fired, emptying his clip, but it didn’t even slow down.
Theo tried in vain to shield her with his own body, but Olivia stepped out from behind him calmly.
“You know what to do, daughter.”
She felt the vast, inescapable power roar through her, and this time she owned it. It was hers. No longer overwhelmed, she welcomed the whip and thrill of it as it surged through her body, amping up her heartbeat.
She felt the goddess place a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t look back. Raising her own hands in front of her, she drew her fists apart, and as she did, a bow of pure fire burst to life in her palms. The flames burned deep sapphire blue edged in black, and as she took aim, notched in the bow was a jet-black arrow.
The hellhound leaped straight for her, snapping and growling. She let the arrow loose, it whistled through the air, and for one brief second, time slowed. Trapped in a moment that existed between one breath and the next. The falling leaves caught on the early evening breeze, hanging suspended in the dim light. The hellhound froze in midair as it leaped.
Theo paused, even as he lunged forward to protect her, and the arrow, blazing brightly with a searing blue flame, made its way through the air, twisting at an infinitesimal rate.
She didn’t see the satisfied smile curving at the corner of Diana’s mouth, but she did hear the whisper deep within her mind as the arrow struck true, penetrating the hound’s chest and spearing its lifeless heart.
Daughter of fire...
Something deep inside her clenched in recognition at the words, even as everything roared back into focus with painful acuity. The hound exploded, showering the ground with ash. A wave of blue lightning burst outward, shaking the trees and knocking both Olivia and Theo to the cold, hard ground. The earth shook beneath them like the aftershock of an earthquake. As the tremors subsided, Theo stood, pulling Olivia to her feet and checking to make sure she wasn’t injured.
“Are you alright?” he asked in concern, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other hand cupping her jaw.
“I’m fine.” She pulled away and dusted the leaves and dirt from her jeans.
“Olivia.” Theo his brows drew down, his expression troubled. “How did you do that?”
“I’m not exactly sure.” She looked down at her hands, turning them over as if they were different somehow. Had she just been speaking to someone? She had the vague feeling someone had been standing behind her, but the feeling was already beginning to fade like the remnants of a fading dream.
A blue spark formed in her palm. It swirled and churned, pulsing and growing in size. It felt different from the red and gold fire she usually conjured. That fire was as familiar to her as the sky and earth. It was of this world, earthfire. But the seething mass of blue and black flames crackling in her palm was something else entirely. It came from someplace else, someplace darker. It was born of magic, and it held so much power. When she held it, she could feel the eternal vastness of thousands upon thousands of years.
“What is it?” Theo asked in awe as he stared at the writhing blue mass in her hand.
When her eyes met his, he could have sworn he saw the gateway to an infinite number of worlds.
“It’s hellfire,” she whispered.
21
Olivia stood gazing out of the bedroom window, hearing Theo snoring softly in the bed behind her. She gazed down at her fingertips where a tiny little pulse of blue appeared beneath her skin like a spark of electricity before disappearing again. She could feel the low thrum of power beneath her skin, and it felt like she was wired into the mains. Maybe that was why she couldn’t sleep. She felt different somehow. She’d known the minute she’d pulled a bow of pure fire out of thin air, and it was like her body was struggling to adapt.
Releasing a quiet breath, she turned her gaze back to the woods, which were illuminated under the bright half-moon. The sky was clear, and the stars burned like tiny pinpricks in the vast darkness, but it was the woods that held her attention. She knew now what it was that called to her. It was the demon. Even now, he stirred in his prison, and soon he would wake—after the first snowfall if Theo’s dream was correct.
She shivered and jolted in surprise as she felt Theo’s arms fold around her and pull her against his warm chest, his chin resting on her shoulder.
“Why aren’t you in bed? It’s freezing in here.” His voice was rough and sleepy.
Breathing in the familiar scent of him, her body relaxed. She glanced over at the small fireplace in her bedroom that had burned down to embers. Reaching out, she gave it a little nudge, and once again, it burst into flame. She could feel Theo smile against her shoulder.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked again.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Olivia sighed. “Ever since I conjured Hellfire, it’s like it supercharged my body. I’m full of restless energy.”
“It’s more than that, though, isn’t it?”
Her gaze was drawn back to the woods once more. “I just feel like I’m missing something important. I have all these jigsaw pieces in front of me, the murders, the killer, my father, the pale-haired man, Hester, the demon, you...” She shook her head. “I just can’t make them all fit together. I can’t see the big picture.”
He turned her in his arms, tilting her face up to his.
