Page 22 of The Bones of Benevolence

Stone’s feet dug into the dirt. “I am your Commander and you will do as I say. She is the property of King Kauvras by law.” His voice was thick with pent up ferocity, but it was nothing compared to what was brewing inside me.

“Is she though? I was at the wedding. I didn’t see a kiss.”

“Last chance,” Stone growled.

Miles laughed. Helaughed.The kind that came from deep in his belly. “I don’t think so.”

The commander took a step forward, his figure all the more menacing, all the more unpredictable with his features hidden. Miles didn’t flinch. “Do you think you can protect her from me?” Commander Stone asked, his voice full of malice.

“Oh, she doesn’t need my protection.” Funny, that’s not what he implied earlier when he asked if I knew how to control my powers or jumped in the wardrobe with me in the event I needed to bedefended. It added fury to my fire.

Nell angled her head back just slightly, her eyes remaining on the conflict in front of us. “Get ready,” she whispered.

For what exactly, I didn’t know, but my fingers began to burn as I felt my rage simmer beneath my skin, itching to be released.

“Hand her over,” Stone demanded again.

Miles’ voice was a teasing whisper that sent chills up my spine. “Come and get her.”

Kauvras’ men charged, war cries erupting from behind their masks as Miles and his men suddenly hit the ground. “Now!” Nell screamed, diving out of the way.

I understood.

My hands flew up in front of my face, my skin splitting as flames flew from my palms. The scream that ripped through my throat could have rattled Hell as I let the burn consume me, streams of fire crashing into the metal mask on the commander’s face.Holy shit.It took only seconds for the mask to glow red, molten metal dripping from the lion’s maw as Commander Stone hit the ground, clawing at his face before his entire head erupted in a burst of fire, the wind whipping at the flames.

And still I burned. But this felt different than my eruption in the throne room. This fire burned lower but hotter, brighter,stronger. Instead of feeling as though my bones would break, the fire wrapped around them, fortified them with a web of flame. As I watched the lion’s movements grow slower and the flames grow bigger, it felt…good.

The other masked men had fallen back, shielding their faces as I turned my fury on them. Gold went red and melted as the smell of burning skin hit me. Everything in me smoldered, my eyes, my mouth, mysoul.I savored it, let it overtake me.

I waited for Katia’s voice, waited for her to tell me to lay my flames down, to which I’d tell her to kindly fuck off. But the voice I began to hear wasn’t hers…

“Burn them,” it whispered, the voice resounding through my body as my lips curved into a wicked smile in recognition. I’d never heard this voice before, but I knew exactly who it belonged to. “Burn them toash,” it hissed.

Rhedros.

I obliged, plucking the fleeing masked men from their escape one by one and letting them suffer, delighting in their pain, their anguish, their–

It was Nell’s voice I heard this time. “Petra!”

Shit.

Reality suddenly slammed into me, my vision dotted with red as I dropped my hands, the sound of crackling embers surrounding me. “We need togo,” she urged.

“They won’t be the last ones,” Miles heaved as he and the other men pushed themselves up from the ground.

My eyes shot to the tunnel as echoed yells hit my ears. The quick movement made my skull pound, and I swayed on my feet, suddenly hyper-aware of the exhaustion that slammed into me. This didn’t feel good anymore. Nell’s hand shot to one shoulder while Miles went for the other. “Petra, we have to gonow,” Nell pressed.

“Incoming,” Summercut called to the Outpost before turning to me. “Go!We’ll hold the Outpost as long as we can!”

I understood what they were saying but I couldn’t move. Every inch of me simultaneously burned and felt like it was made of stone. I managed a weak nod as they pulled me through the Outpost and between the buildings to the boulders that made up the steep incline of the mountain.

“Whit!” Nell screamed, the man already sprinting to join us. “Come on!”

“Yes ma’am,” he answered, falling into stride beside her as she and Miles continued to pull me along.

I wanted to tell them to stop, to tell them that ithurt. But I couldn’t do anything but stumble along, missing every other step, my head still swimming.

“You’re going to be okay,” Miles breathed before he heaved himself up a boulder, reaching down for me. The pain of my blistered hands shot lightning down my arms. I let out a choked cry. “Just hang in there a little bit longer.”

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