Chapter 103: Burn Baby Burn

ARIEL

“Steve! Louisa!” I call, shielding my eyes from the blaze.

I take a deep breath, clench my teeth, and throw myself through the wall of smoke.

I can feel flames lapping at my arms and legs, burning my thin pajamas away, but then the heat of the fire is replaced by the gentle warmth of my healing power.

A large cinder from a second-floor beam floats down and catches my arm. I quickly brush it off to reveal it has burned away my skin, showing my melted muscle mass beneath.

But almost immediately, the skin knits itself back together and looks new and fresh.

~Thank the Moon Goddess!~

I hear a scream from one of the rooms on the ground floor.

I rush through the fire and kick the door in, the simple wood buckling from the heat and the force of my foot.

Steve and Louisa are caught in a corner, surrounded by flames.

One of the beams has fallen, crushing Louisa’s leg and pinning her to the ground.

Steve is trying to free her, but the heat from the beam is too much for him.

“Steve! Louisa!” I call, and both turn round in shock.

“Ariel! What are you doing here?!” Steve shouts, struggling to be heard above the roar of the fire.

His face is adorned with blackened marks, and there are a few nasty burns along his arms and hands.

Louisa looks much the same, although I can see the blood pooling out of her leg.

Tears cut clean trails through the black soot marks on her face.

“Steve, get out of the fire; I’ll help Louisa,” I say.

“No, I can’t leave her,” he shouts back, trying to lift the beam again.

He screams in pain as his palms blacken.

“Go now! I’ll get her out! I’ll use my power!” I say again.

He gives Louisa a longing look before quickly rising to his feet and leaving the same way I came in.

~One down.~

I look at the beam. It has to be at least twice the weight of a man.

Not to mention the burning heat.

~Can I do this?~

I place my hands on the beam and instantly feel the intense pain of the fire.

~Don’t think about it Ariel!~

~You have to stay strong!~

~You have to get Louisa out!~

The intense heat is quickly replaced by the warmth of my healing ability.

I grunt and partially shift, slowly working the beam off Louisa before throwing it to the side with all my might.

I look down at Louisa’s leg. It’s almost cleaved in two. No way can she walk on it.

I hoist Louisa onto my back, fireman’s lift-style, and start to make my way back through the fire.

ALEX

I race after Ariel, reaching the house just as I see her leap into the fire.

“Ariel!” I scream, running after her.

Dom catches me as I strip my shirt off.

“Leave it, Alex!”

“No, I can’t! That’s my mate in there! Ariel!” I shout after her.

Dom is still holding me back when we see a blackened figure stumble out of the house.

~Steve!~

But it’s only him.

~Where is Ariel? Where is Louisa?~

“Steve, where are the others?” I ask him. He gestures inside as he violently coughs.

“Inside…Ariel is freeing Louisa…sent me outside!”

My heart drops into my stomach.

“Don’t go,” Dom says, stepping in front of me. “She has her healing power; she’ll be fine!”

“You don’t know that!” I shout.

I’ve seen her do miracles, healing others and herself, but a fire? ~Can she really save herself?~

I’m about to push past Dom and run in when another blackened figure emerges from the door.

The flames roll up and down her naked body as she walks out of the burning house and onto the street.

It’s Ariel, carrying Louisa over her shoulder.

Louisa’s leg is hanging on by a thread.

Ariel lowers her slowly onto the ground as Steve runs over to them.

She closes her eyes and places her hands on Louisa.

I watch in wonder as Louisa’s leg knits itself back together, and the black marks and burns evaporate from her body.

Relief washes over me, but then dread quickly replaces it as I realize—

~Ariel is changing in ways that I don’t even understand...~

~And I’m not sure I can keep up with it…~

She hugs Steve and Louisa as the fire teams continue to battle the blaze.

I rush over with my jacket and cover Ariel up.

“Ariel!” I cry as I hug her. “I thought I might have lost you.”

I kiss her passionately and hold her. She seems dazed, but settles into my embrace.

As we stare at each other, I notice the last few brown curls of her hair turn white blonde.

ARIEL

“I’m so stupid! I’m so stupid!” Louisa wails as the firefighters behind her try to quell the inferno.

“What’s the matter?” I ask, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“The fire—I think I forgot to blow out the candles after dinner. I’m so stupid!”

“That can’t be true, Louisa. One candle couldn’t have done all of this!” I reply.

I turn to Alex. “I know who did this.”

He frowns. “How do you know?”

I squirm. “I should have told you before.”

“Told me what? You’re starting to scare me, Ariel…”

It seems so obvious to me, but Alex looks confused.

“This was Fate. She told me that if I kept using my powers… She threatened me… This has to be her doing!”

I look back at the smoldering wreck.

~So many memories lost.~

I remember my early days in the Royal Pack living with Steve and Louisa… Coming downstairs to the smell of bacon in the morning. Alex calling on me there, throwing rocks at my window.

They’re my family, and this is like losing my family home.

“At least Steve and Louisa are safe,” Alex says, cradling me, echoing my thoughts.

Just then I feel a tickle along my arm. I roll back Alex’s jacket sleeve and see a small spider there.

~Fucking bitch. Taunting me!~

I scoop the spider up and squash it between my palms.

NATALIA

Half an hour after the alarms were blaring, the heavens opened and the rain finished off the fire in Steve and Louisa’s home.

Once we got back to the palace, Chuck retreated to his truck after saying good night.

Ever since he left, I’ve been restless, tossing and turning, unable to sleep without him by my side.

I can feel my wolf whimpering and whining, wanting to be close to him like we were in the forest.

When he curled his tail around me, I felt so fulfilled.

I climb out of bed and pad over to my window.

The rain is coming down in sheets, lashing against the glass.

I can’t see anything through the droplets on the window, so I open it a crack and peer through.

I see Chuck trying to get comfortable in the bed of his truck, with only a thin bit of tarp protecting him from the wind and rain.

The tarp flaps and buckles under the storm, before flying straight off the wire frame connecting it to the truck.

Chuck leaps up to try and grab it, but within a few seconds, he is soaked through to his skin.

~I can’t leave him like that.~

I pull on a robe and wrap it tightly around myself, then head downstairs into the main hall.

In a small storage cupboard right next to the kitchen door I find dozens of giant umbrellas used for galas and visiting heads of packs.

I pull one out, but it takes a little time to open the umbrella—it’s so big I can’t hold it straight.

I’m about to step out onto the lawns when I look down and realize I’m not wearing shoes.

If this had been a month ago, I would have run back upstairs to grab a pair.

But ever since I met Chuck—not to mention the fun we had earlier running through the muddy woods and falling into that stream—mud and dirt don’t frighten me.

I take a step forward into the cold, wet ground, letting the mud squelch between my toes.

I hear my wolf growl in satisfaction.

~This is how it should be.~

I’ve just begun trekking through the grass toward Chuck’s truck when the wind picks up again and yanks the umbrella out of my hand, sending it skyward and soaking me through.

~Well, that didn’t go well.~

I trudge over to Chuck.

He looks like a drowned rat, his long black hair stuck to his forehead, dripping water into his eyes.

Every time he seems to have the tarp fixed, the wind picks up again and knocks down all his progress.

“Hey Chuck,” I say quietly. He doesn’t hear me over the howling wind, so I have to practically shout to get his attention.

“CHUCK!”

Chuck snaps his head around, flinging his long hair out of his eyes. He looks completely confused at me being out here, with nothing but a thin robe to protect me from the elements.

“Natalia, what are you doing out here? You’re getting soaked!” he shouts over the rain.

I reach forward and touch his ice-cold arm.

My heart is beating harder than ever, each thump resounding through me like a clap of thunder.

“Would you like to stay inside tonight?”

Chuck gives me a hesitant look, but I know ~exactly~ what I want.

“Do you want to…to sleep in my room?”

My wolf wags her tail in approval, then begins to pant.

She knows what I’m thinking…

There won’t be any ~sleeping~ happening tonight.