Page 14 of Fire Touched

Anger burns every fibre of my being. ‘He tried to kill me. He’s abused Carter, abducted me, and Moira.’ I squeeze my flames so they coil tighter over his writhing body. ‘He deserves it.’

Silence greets me. Killian has nothing to say to that. No argument for this worthless man’s life.

‘Katie.’ Ella is beside me, now in human form. She reaches out a hand, gloved in water, likely to protect herself from my fire. ‘You don’t have to do this.’ Her deep blue eyes meet mine.

‘I do. If I let him go, he’ll come after us again. What if I let him go, and next time he kills one of you?’

Ella considers. ‘You’re right. We can take him prisoner. Ease your flames, now.’ Her voice is calm: a clear, non-judgemental directive.

I do as she says, finding calm in her assuredness. I can’t turn around, though. ‘Is he alive?’ The sound of Carter’s groan as the knife went in plays over and over in my mind.

‘He’s alive. We’ll take him back inside.’ Ella’s voice is soft, a promise.

I nod, then use my fire as a chain to pull the subdued Water alpha behind me. I lean in to snarl at him, ‘If Carter dies, you’re going to wish I’d killed you today.’

Chapter Seven

Katie

The sound of my fire crackling through Julian’s skin rings in my ears hours later, as we sit before the Earth Pack alpha, silently awaiting his judgement. I’m told the Earth Pack guards locked Julian away, to my great satisfaction.

The only reason I can sit here is because I know Ella and Moira are with Carter right now, as he rests in the infirmary, the knife long-since removed, put into a deep, restful sleep with medicine. They tell me he’s going to live.

Lucky for Julian.

Earth Alpha and his Second, Prescott, sit in two large armchairs, peering down at us, as though we are children caught out after dark.

Elijah and Killian exchange a look but say nothing.

Prescott clears his throat. ‘This is… a unique situation, I grant that.’ He glances at his alpha, who does not yet seem inclined to speak, and carries on. ‘Katherine, we… acknowledge that you took down a great enemy today, and that is to be admired, but you also led him here.’

Where anger should simmer at his words, instead, I feel nothing. Empty. Hollowed out. I don’t even look up at him.

‘Therefore,’ Prescott continues, ‘it is hard to judge—’

‘Our friends saved us,’ Elijah snaps.

At that, I blink and stare at him, my lip tugging up in a slow smile.

Finally, alpha sighs, setting his hands in his laps. ‘Indeed, the young Water wolf girl made them retreat, yet it was you and your friends who brought them here.’

I shake my head. ‘Look, you can keep going around in circles, blaming us if you want, I don’t care.’ I get to my feet. ‘Why did we bother coming here?’ I ask no one in particular. I head for the door, my path undecided—to go and stare at Julian, to look into his eyes and see the pain I caused, the marks on his skin? Or to go to Carter? To watch him sleep, and hope he wakes soon?

Or, a third option, to leave. Alone.

It’s clear that no matter where I am, or where I go, I’m either there against my will, or unwelcome.

‘Katherine.’ Killian jumps up, turning me by the waist. ‘Just wait. I’m sure they’ll let us stay—’

I’m already shaking my head. ‘I don’t care.’ I glower over his shoulder at them. ‘And before you go blaming everything on us, you might want to think about getting a Glowy Barrier that actually keeps your enemies out, because I think yours is broken.’ I look up into Killian’s eyes. ‘I’ve had it here.’

Killian allows me to leave, though clearly distressed, and I push through the large, stone door of the estate, walking blindly, until I literally smack into someone. ‘Watch where you’re going,’ I snap.

A distinctly female voice gives a low chuckle. ‘I might say the same to you, young lady. Are you alright?’

I don’t bother looking at the woman. ‘No,’ I snap, and keep moving.

‘It is conflicting, having two halves of you, always at odds. A soul without a proper home.’

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