Page 15 of Watch Me Burn

“They think they have some divine right to hunt and massacre witches, and they’ve been doing it for centuries. For the last few, they’ve gotten better at hiding, but their MO rarely changes. They hunt. Torture. Kill. Always working in pairs, never doubting their ‘mission’, witch hunters are a plague, Ms. Hayes. And you brought them to my city. I understand you defending yourself. But staying…” He steeples his fingers in front of him. “Get up, please.”

Um. Okay.

“Jasper,” Thorn calls out. “Please go find Celeste and invite her in.”

The silent blond vampire nods, then slips out of the office.

Once he’s gone, Thorn jerks his chin in my direction. “Stand in front of my desk. Elise, go stand by the door where Jasper was.”

Though the defiant nature that pushed all of Aunt Maureen’s buttons almost wants me to tell him ‘no’, I see how quick Elise is to obey her boss. And he’s not just her boss, is he? He’s the head vamp in this place.

I move in front of him.

He nods. “Good. Now use your magic on me.”

CHAPTER 5

MAGIC

Ihad to have heard him wrong.

“I’m sorry?”

The powerful juts his chin in my direction even while leaning back in his seat, arms spread wide, an open target. “Your magic. I want you to use it on me. Light me on fire.”

Is this a test? It has to be a test. Since I woke up, a prisoner of the Cadre masquerading as a ‘guest’, I’ve been told I’m a witch. Even Thorn admitted that I blasted the witch hunter who tried to, well,huntme.

And now he wants me to use magic that I only just found out I have?

“I can’t.”

His eyes glitter beneath the fluorescent lights. “I insist.”

He can insist all he wants. That doesn’t change the fact that I have no idea how I did it in the first place.

I shake my head.

He sighs. “Very well. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I have all of Clarity to think about.” Rising up from his seat, Thorns says, “Fire at me, or I will drain you and put an end to this now.”

My heart skips a beat, my palms tingle, and as a wave of panic crests over me, my fingers spark.

It’s like rubbing two pieces of metal together. Not enough to create a flame, though it’s possible.

Thorn frowns. “Not good enough. You don’t believe me. Very well. I hate to do this because she’s been loyal to the Cadre, but I’m not above sacrificing one for the good of many.” His expression turns hard. “Conjure fire or I will drain Elise instead.”

She goes still.

My heart stops.

“You won’t do that.”

His eyes flash. “If there’s one thing you should learn as you enter the supe world, it’s that those of us who lead? We don’t bluff. To survive, we need to be willing to do what we threaten.”

Thorn shows me his extended fangs. Before I can do anything but yip, he moves. Fuck, he’sfast. In between one blink and the next, he’s gone from his post behind his desk to where Elise was waiting by the door. Carrying her easily—my best friend too wrapped up in his sudden embrace to even try to fight against the male vampire—Thorn brings her closer to me.

Only five or so feet separate the three of us. Purposely positioning her so that her back is to him, her frightened face to me, Thorn angles his head so that the points of his fangs are mere centimeters from the pale column of her throat.

Holy shit. He’s going to do it. If I don’t light ‘em up, he’s going to kill Elise.

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