Page 16 of A Touch of Brimstone

“Shall we see which monster survives?”

There was no fucking way I was staying to see what violence could be perpetrated by these self-identified monsters. Nor did I want to continue watching their casual banter about wanting to end each other.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and headed for the end of the hall. There wasn’t an elevator, not that I would have chanced it.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I crashed through the door leading to the main floor.

Safe.

I released a deep sigh of relief too soon.

Anand stood in front of the exit, wielding two knives.

6

If I learned nothing else from Marvel movies, I knew this was the time to run at him full speed, leap into the air, and scissor my legs around his neck. Hammer pound his face and head until he was dizzied and disoriented. Bring him to the floor by using my positional advantage and shifting my weight. With my super powerful thigh muscles, I’d choke him out.

A woman can dream and have lofty goals. That plan wasn’t rooted in any form of reality since he’d subdued a massive wolf in the time it took me to gasp a breath, and the week before I’d tripped over my own feet. I didn’t possess the agility and mastery of fighting to go hand to hand with this man and be remotely effective.

My best defense was to get the hell away and figure the rest out later. Giving me a taunting look of menace, Anand twirled the weapons with practiced precision before storing them in the sheaths at his waist.

I backed away and ran in the opposite direction, which I guessed was the main exit.

Fuck.

Dominic stood between me and it. Steely eyes, coiled danger, and raw power radiated from him in waves. Whatever transpired between him and Kane had ignited something vicious in him. I scanned the area for an escape route. Nowhere. This building served one purpose: a meeting space for them.

“Go away,” I ordered.

“No.” In an ominous wave of movement, he was close and circling me. Scrutinizing me with narrowed eyes. I turned, following his every movement and returning his considering look.

“I have questions for you.” He bristled, accusation heavy in his voice.

“What?” I wanted to sound challenging and confident, but my words came out in an uncertain squeak.

“How did you do it?” he demanded. “I thought we had rid the world of such magic. Yet here you are.”

“You know damn well I’m not a… witch.” It still felt ridiculous saying it, despite knowing witches and other—worse—things existed. I didn’t understand how he could defend me so ardently to the group and then make such accusations.

“No, you’re not. You’re far worse.” With narrowed eyes and a hard jaw he regarded me.

Fire blazed and encircled me. Heat licked at my skin.

“Reveal yourself,” he ordered.

My arms tucked to the sides and my hands shot up to protect my face. I pressed my thighs together, trying to minimize myself to prevent further injury as the flames inched closer and closer. He was going to burn me alive.

I wailed each time the flames brushed my skin. Pain rampaged through me, tears blurring my vision. I couldn’t die like this. I refused to die like this. Squatting down, I readied to spring through the flames in a manner that would only cause minimal damage.

Before I could act, Dominic made a sharp command and the flames disappeared. It was as if they’d never existed, leaving the ground unmarred. But they were real; my blistering skin was proof of that.

“You’re not a witch—not a Dark Caster,” he said, stepping closer to me.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”

He reached for one of my burned arms. I jerked it away. Tears spilled. I was so close to a torturous death. Anger rampaged through me, tumultuous and unfettered.

When he reached for my arm again, I punched him. Hard. His head snapped back. Not bad for my first punch. But I wasn’t expecting it to hurt my hand as much as it did. There must be an art to it. And I planned to learn it. Despite the pain, my burned skin hurt more.

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