A cold, clammy sweat broke out on her forehead. She reached for it once more but nothing. It was like trying to catch smoke in her bare hands.
Her head slumped against Theo’s chest as she tried to gather what little strength remained, and then the last ring fell, shattering at their feet.
The creature leaped forward, a snarling mass of teeth and claws. Theo yanked Olivia back while Jake threw himself in front of them both and fired. The bullets tore holes and gouged out chunks of its decaying flesh but didn’t even slow it down. Jake ejected the clip from his gun and reached into his belt for another, but the creature barreled toward him, sweeping him aside as if he were no more than an annoyance.
Theo watched as Jake hit the ground with such force that it knocked the breath from his lungs and left him gasping for air. Knowing there was nothing he could do to help his friend, Theo shoved Olivia behind him as they backed away. His eyes frantically searched the cold, hard ground for anything he could use as a weapon, but there was nothing.
The creature swiped at Theo, catching him across the ribs and leaving deep claw marks in his skin and throwing him off balance. Theo crashed to the ground, skidding along the damp earth and watching in horror as the creature lunged for Olivia.
It knocked her to the ground and pinned her, its jaws snapping inches from her face. Olivia grabbed at its throat, trying to hold it back. Its breath was fetid, and as it snarled, flecks of spittle rained down on her face. Its claws dug and scratched at the earth on either side of her head as it tried to get at her. It was too strong, and her arms were weakening, its dripping muzzle snapping closer and closer to her face. She wasn’t going to be able to hold it back much longer.
Rage begin to build deep in her gut. Her jaw clenched so hard her teeth almost cracked. She’d had enough, and she would not allow it to end like this. Everything crashed in on her: the pain of coming home, the unfairness of being accused of murder, her father’s taunts about her mother. Along with the numbing exhaustion and agony of her injured body, everything coalesced into a hot, hard ball of absolute fury.
Her hands suddenly erupted in flames. Unlike her usual warm gold and red fire, these flames burned a cold sapphire blue and were edged in jet black. The flames ran up her arms to her elbows, and she felt the whip of power engulf her body. The magic that gripped her body was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was vast and ancient, and it was all hers. She could take it. It was seductive, it curled deep inside her like a lover calling for her surrender.
The snarls of the creature suddenly turned to whimpers of pain. It struggled now to get away from her, writhing in her vice-like grip. The hate inside her magnified; she wanted to hurt it, and she reveled in its agony. She made the fire burn hotter, brighter.
Smoke began pouring from its mouth and nostrils. It scrambled and snapped, trying to break her grip on its throat, but at that moment, nothing could have been enough to pry her death grip off it. She wanted its pain; she wanted it to suffer.
Below the gaping wounds on its thin body, she could see flashes of blue where the magic seared underneath its ragged flesh, burning it from the inside out. It howled, a sound of inhuman agony, before it finally burst into white-hot flames of blue and black. Dust and ash scattered on the night air, tiny burning fragments spinning madly on the wind like cinders blown from an open fire.
Rising to her feet, she could feel the magic raging inside her like a monsoon, as her whole body thrummed with arousal at such a vast, inescapable power. She raised her hands to the sky, toward the burning stars. Heavy, gray clouds closed in, bursting wide open. Jagged, violent slashes of rain speared down, tearing the fog apart and cleansing the ground.
Riding the monsoon of power, she pulled jagged splinters of lightning down from the sky. They sizzled and smoked as they hit the ground, filling the air with the stormy scent of ozone. More and more shards of lightning struck the ground, highlighting the circumference of her original protective wards. But instead of glowing a whimsical, fairy-like silver, the circles of magic flamed brightly with sapphire blue flames streaked with black.
Amid the storm, a lone figure suddenly appeared before Olivia, a woman not much older than herself, with a beautiful but serious face, and a long, dark, thick braid hanging over one shoulder. She wore a short dark-green tunic belted at the waist with a thick brown leather belt and from it hung a hunting knife. A bow and full quiver of arrows were strapped diagonally across her back, and her bare legs were covered by sandals that laced up her calves.
“Daughter.” Her voice was low and musical but held a note of authority. “This is not the way.”
Olivia’s heart clenched, and her senses were overwhelmed as she beheld the form of the goddess Diana.
“It’s so strong,” Olivia cried out as she felt another whip of power lance through her.
“It is not the way,” the goddess repeated. “You have much to do before you can wield such an elemental power. The path lies at your feet. You have but to step forward for your journey to begin.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.” She stepped closer. “Now, child, release the power, for it was not yet yours to take.”
There was no mistaking the command in that voice. Olivia released her grip. The ring of fire burned higher and higher until it suddenly exploded, sending a shockwave outward, one so powerful it made the ground tremble.
Once everything stilled, the goddess was gone. Olivia swayed on her feet, her body pushed past its limit of endurance and filled with bone-deep exhaustion. A sudden, eerie silence filled the air; the protective circle, now a muted blue glow, throbbed once, twice, like a heartbeat, and then disappeared beneath the ground. Olivia’s vision grayed at the edges, and a ringing filled her ears. Her eyes rolled back, and she didn’t even see the ground rushing up to meet her. All she knew was she was falling.
When she woke, Olivia found she was lying on the old sofa in the library, tucked up tightly in her favorite blanket. Theo and Jake were talking quietly in the corner of the room, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Her body was wracked with deep shudders, and she was so tired that her vision blurred.
Her gaze was drawn to the flames, and she felt comforted by the familiar sight. As she usually did when she was trying to relax, she watched the fire dance, picking apart the threads of gold, yellow, orange, and red. She was so cold she yearned toward the flames. She could see the fine threads of gold reaching out from the fireplace toward her. Pushing the blanket aside she slipped off the sofa onto the floor, crawling toward the flames.
“I still think I should go and get Louisa,” Jake murmured to Theo.
“It’s late.” Theo shook his head. “My wounds are fairly shallow, and they’ve stopped bleeding already. Olivia needs to keep warm and sleep. We can call your sister in the morning if she still hasn’t improved.”
Turning absently to view the still sleeping woman, Theo’s heart jolted as he saw her in front of the fireplace, reaching into the flames.
“Olivia!” he gasped, starting toward her.
“Theo, wait!” Jake grabbed him and held him back.
Olivia breathed a deep sigh of relief as the warmth spread up her arms and through her body. The flames didn’t burn, it was as if the fire was replacing her lost energy. She’d always known that fire was hers—her element, her strongest gift—but until this moment, she hadn’t realized she was the fire. It wasn’t just that she could control it; it was a part of her.
