Page 128 of Inflamed By an Incubus

“No,” he barked and moved to her feet, attacked the straps that pinned her and made fast work of freeing her legs. “I’m not leaving you.”

He wasn’t going to give up.

He glared at Archer.

“Do something!”

The male glanced at him, his dark eyes widening slightly, as if Fenix had shaken him back to the room with those barked words and he was surprised to see him.

The flames began to spread, crawling up her arms, and Evelyn’s breath hitched, her fear tainting the air and choking Fenix as she tossed a wild and desperate look at him. One that told him she didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to leave him.

“Fight it.” He hurried back to her head. “You have to fight it… for me. For us.”

Tears burned his eyes as Archer drew down a breath and held his hands out over her chest and stomach. The warlock closed his eyes and exhaled, his shoulders relaxing as he tilted his chin up. Fenix willed him to do something. He had countless spells at his disposal. One of them had to be able to contain Evelyn’s shift and reverse it.

Fenix looked back at her.

Grunted as he was thrown clear across the room and hit the wall.

The marks on it seared him, burning clean through his sweater to singe his left biceps, filling the air with the vile scent of charred flesh.

He rolled away from the wall and onto his feet, his muddled senses stretching around him as he checked every corner of the room, his heart pounding in his ears. Drystan. The bastard was here somewhere.

Archer opened his eyes and looked as if he wanted to help Fenix find the male, but Fenix shook his head. It was more important that he helped Evelyn. Fenix would take care of Drystan.

The shadows in the far corner of the room shifted slightly.

Fenix lunged into a roll, swept his sword up off the wooden floorboards and came onto his feet near the corner, sweeping the blade out at the same time. Hitting nothing. He gritted his teeth and pivoted as his senses said someone was behind him. No one. Archer gave him another look. Fenix shook his head again. He had this.

“You know what kind of male hides in the shadows? Starts with a P,” Fenix hollered and scoured the shadows, searching them for even the smallest sign of movement, “and it’s another name for a cat.”

Fire seared a line down his back and he arched forwards, crying out as pain licked over his muscles and felt as if it was burning his bones to ashes.

He wasn’t the only one who cried out.

The male behind him bellowed too.

Fenix staggered forwards and scowled at Archer as he caught his breath. “I had that.”

Archer’s left eyebrow rose but he said nothing, merely returned his focus to doing whatever the hell he was doing to Evelyn. It was working, whatever it was. The fire engulfing her hands and forearms was growing dimmer. He glanced at Archer again to tell him to keep going and stilled as he saw the sweat rolling down the male’s face and the tight lines that bracketed his mouth as his lips compressed.

That didn’t look good.

The flames grew brighter again, bathing the room in golden light.

Fenix glared at Drystan as he twisted and contorted, his boots hovering a foot off the floorboards. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing,” Drystan gritted between clenched teeth and unleashed an agonised bellow as his right arm snapped backwards with enough force that Fenix heard the bone break.

“Dial it back, Archer. We need him alive.” Fenix tossed a black look at Archer and froze again.

Archer’s ears were pointed and his hands were ash-black tipped with sharp claws. The male bared razor-sharp teeth at him.

“Archer.” Fenix shifted his focus to the warlock, aware that the male needed him. He flicked a look at Evelyn, meeting her wild, fearful gaze, and then gave Archer the whole of his attention. “Come on, mate. Hold it together.”

Violet light shimmered across Archer’s all-black eyes.

The mage screamed.

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