Page 33 of Sealed By Fire (The Nature Hunters Academy 2)

Aviur shrugged. “She’s not a nice person.”

“True,” Nasima agreed. “But I really don’t like the smell of burning flesh. It ruins my appetite for months.”

Aviur inclined his head toward her. “I understand and I apologize in advance. However, if she doesn’t cooperate, it’s not really me you should blame.”

Nasima shrugged. “Agreed. It would be her own fault if she burned for being a witch. It is her legacy, after all.”

“Burning isn’t very original.” A new voice came from their left.

Nasima turned her head to see a male coming down the stairs running along the wall. He couldn’t have been older than twenty.

“Warlock or innocent bystander?” she asked him.

He shrugged, looking every bit the bored teenager. “I’m not a member of the coven.”

“Hold your tongue,” the woman snapped.

“Why, Danni?” he asked her. “So I can watch you go and get yourself killed like mom did and like Gran before her?”

“Danni?” Aviur said curiously. “That’s an unusual name for a woman. Did you know that it means ‘God will judge?’”

Nasima didn’t miss the way the woman’s face flinched a little at Aviur’s words.

“He will not spare you just because you aren’t a member of the coven,” Danni said, her eyes focused on the male.

Nasima ignored the witch, Danni, and turned all her attention on the one person in the room who could give them the information they needed since he wasn’t bound by the demon’s spell of silence.

“What’s your name?” she asked the male.

“Collin,” he answered.

“I’m Nasima.”

“The air queen,” he said. “You’ve been mentioned before.”

“Collin, shut up,” Danni yelled.

“What do you mean I’ve been mentioned?” Nasima asked, ignoring the infuriated witch.

“All of you have been,” Colin said as he pointed at Aviur and Kairi. “By the demon.”

“And I suppose you’re not involved?” Aviur asked.

Collin shook his head. “I’m not a warlock. My gran, the previous high priestess of Cornwall coven, didn’t think men should be allowed to handle magic.”

“You don’t sound bitter,” Nasima said.

“Because only idiots think it’s a good idea to hang out with demons,” he said.

“I’ve got to be honest, ladies,” Aviur said, “the boy has a point.”

Nasima nodded her head in concession. “I’ll agree with you on this, fire king,” she said. “The boy didn’t want to hang out with demons, and the females here have shunned him for it. I don’t think these women are the brightest.”

Collin shrugged. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if you have to use your soul as a bargaining chip, then the deal probably isn’t a good one.”

“Who is the demon they’ve been summoning?” Nasima asked him.

“Collin, he will kill you if you speak. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t taken an oath,” Danni said quickly.

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