Page 59 of Queen of Wrath

He tore right through me…

I looked back up at him, intending to meet my fate head-on.

Even if this is how I die, at least I won't go out cowering or begging.

My wolf faded away, and I was left shaking on the cold cobblestone street, even as fires blazed behind me.

Diesel shifted back to his human form as well. “What a shame. I thought with how talented you were that you might have put up more of a fight.”

He reached forward with his claws extended toward my throat, but before he could reach me, a cloud of red smoke surrounded him.

At first, I thought it was from the fire, but upon closer inspection, I realized the smoke had magical properties.

It surrounded Diesel, rushing into his nose and mouth like river currents with nowhere else to go.

Diesel fell to his knees, and I looked on curiously, knowing that I wasn't responsible. Still, Diesel looked at me as if I was.

“What did you—?” he began to say, but before he could finish, he fell forward, unconscious and unmoving on impact.

Then two arms wrapped around me and helped me to my feet.

I stumbled weakly, but the solid arms held onto me.

My eyes rose slowly, wanting to see who had just saved my life with a speed and strength that should have been impossible…

I gasped as I gazed up at a masked face, immediately recognizing the eyes peering down at me from behind it.

“It's you.”

24

LEA

My eyes fluttered open slowly.

I looked around, finding myself in unfamiliar territory. I couldn’t remember what happened or how I had gotten here. I could have mistaken it for a dream if not for the man standing with his back to me.

I jumped up suddenly, feeling the aching soreness riddling my body. I hissed sharply, grabbing my ribs.

The man turned around to face me.

His warm brown eyes searched mine. “Try not to move, you'll strain yourself.”

Emory Blake.

“What happened to me?” I demanded, sounding angrier than I meant to.

He calmly took a breath and leaned against the counter behind him, crossing his arms. “You really don't remember anything?”

Flashes of fire and the feeling of heat against my face ran through my mind.

I closed my eyes, remembering the horrified face of a woman stuck under a burning piece of wood. I could even remember the sensation of the burning wood biting into my fingers and the fire singeing me. I looked down at my hands only to see how burnt they were. “Someone burned the city to the ground…”

“Not someone. You know who it was,” he corrected me, his voice sterner now.

My eyes darted up to him sharply, dropping the facade of ignorance. “Diesel.”

He smiled and gave me a nod of approval before turning back to the counter and pouring something into a glass. “Here. Drink this. It’s bitter than all hell, but it’ll help heal your wounds.”

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