bird-demon’s arm, throwing it off balance. The bird-demon jerks back, and Hunter shakes his head, teeth sinking into the thing’s arm.
I might not have a weapon, but I’m far from defenseless. Eyes wide, I hold out my right hand, feeling energy gathering around my fingers. I close my eyes, feeling the power rush through me, and snap my fingers, sparking the fire to erupt around my hand. I stare down the bird-demon, anger coursing through me, causing the fire to grow brighter.
Hunter backs up, bringing the demon closer to me, and somehow, I know what he wants me to do: burn this motherfucker down. I raise my left hand, feeling the same energy pulse through me and rush forward before I have time to hesitate. Hunter gives the bird-demon a final tug and lets go as soon as I press the fire into the things chest. Red hot flames travel down its brown robe, and the bird-demon stumbles back, madly slapping itself in an attempt to put the fire out.
Don’t be afraid of the fire, Anora. Aunt Estelle’s voice echoes in my head, and suddenly I remember standing in the backyard of her Thorne Hill home. It’s the middle of the night and a fire pit is before us. Fear leads to mistakes, and we don’t have room for mistakes when you’re holding fire in your hands.
Remembering what she taught me that night, I thrust out my hands, magically fueling the flames. “Ignis!” I yell, and the fire swallows the bird-demon whole. Smoke pours out of the bird-demon’s mouth and eyes. It lets out a final high-pitched shriek and bursts into flames, burning bright in the night before collapsing to the ground in a smoldering pile of ash and blood.
I lower my hands and clench my palms, trying to put out the flames on the ground, but only the ones around my fingers go out. Shit. In the back of my mind, I know the dry, slightly overgrown grass will catch on fire. My heart is still racing and adrenaline surges through me. I turn to get the hose but am face to face with someone else.
“What the fucking fuck?” Harrison stands completely frozen, blue eyes wide in terror as firelight flickers on his face. He parked in the driveway behind my garage and was coming in through the backdoor, like he tends to do.
“Anora!” Ethan bounds out of the house, jumping down the patio steps all at once. His gun is drawn, and he grabs my shoulder with one hand, spinning me around, needing to see for himself that I’m okay.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him. Hunter yips and we turn, seeing the fire spreading. Ethan stomps out a trail of flames and I make a mad dash for my hose, which is all twisted and tangled from me being lazy and just throwing it aside. Harrison rushes to my side, helping me pull the hose free, and turns on the water as I run back to the fire. Smoke billows up and the fire broadens at a terrifying rate. Embers rise into the air, carried by the wind, and land on the roof of my garage.
Ethan takes the hose from me and starts spraying the fire. I squeeze my hands closed again, trying to put out the fire I started, but I can’t. Maybe once the fire is out of my hands, I can’t control it anymore.
“Anora!” Laney yells, stepping onto the patio with the fire extinguisher in her hands. Harrison runs over and takes it, right as a small fire starts in the gutter of my garage. It’s not attached to the house—thank fucking god—but if that thing goes up in flames, it could take out my house and the two surrounding it.
“Take the hose,” Ethan tells Harrison, holstering his gun and then grabs the fire extinguisher from his hands. He climbs up the chain-link fence and pulls himself onto the roof of the garage. Smoke wafts in his face, but it doesn’t stop him, and he pulls out the pin and sprays the fire with white foam.
Harrison pulls on the hose, putting water on the center of the fire, but then the hose kinks and the water stops.
“I got it!” Laney runs through the yard, and something else takes over. I throw out my hands, channeling the same energy I use to hold up my mental shields, and push it toward the fire, and for some reason, it works and keeps the fire from spreading.