Page 108 of Wrongfully Magicked
Instead of fear, a triumphant grin takes over Stuart’s face, and he runs his fingers over the burn like it’s a badge of honor. “I knew I would be able to break you eventually.”
It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes at the idiot.
Apparently, he has no sense of self-preservation, but I’m okay with that. I grin at him, then slowly lift my arms and pull on the chains. “Are you sure about that?”
His smile vanishes as he watches the metal slowly stretch then crack. He takes a step back, a furrow appearing between his eyebrows. “Stop that.”
One of the links snaps, then pings across the floor. The guards immediately lift their weapons and take aim.
“Put your fucking guns down!” Stuart yells at the guards, a scowl on his face. “We need her alive. You fire, and I’ll kill you myself.”
It’s not an empty threat, and most of the guards lower their weapons. Only one hesitates. Garvey doesn’t even blink as he grabs his sidearm and shoots the man in the head.
“Got it!” Soren shouts, and everyone turns to look at him, just as he sweeps a row of books off the shelves to reveal a safe. Before anyone can react, shadows spill into the room. As the darkness thickens, I can barely make out Porter and Cassius moving.
Screams pierce the air and gunshots ring out. Though I know it’s part of the plan, my chest tightens in worry for the men. Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, I drop to the floor, snapping the last of the chains as I do.
Unfortunately, they thud against the floor, giving away my location.
A body tackles me, landing on me so hard that my breath leaves in a whoosh. I instantly recognize Stuart a second beforehe grabs my head in both of his hands and slams my skull against the floor.
I buck, trying to throw the fucker off, but the smack to my head leaves me dazed. When I’m not able to unseat him, I go with plan B and reach for one of the many blades the guys placed on me…only I can’t reach them.
Desperate to get free, I reach up to claw his eyes out.
Only I’m too late.
My head cracks against the floor a second time. Stunned by the blow, my hands fall uselessly to my sides. His weight presses against my lungs until every breath is a struggle. Without being able to see anything, I feel like I’m drowning in darkness.
With the chains gone, my control shatters, and there is no holding back my powers. Heat swells and consumes me from the inside out, incinerating my every thought. My skin is literally ablaze, and panic tightens my throat when the fire doesn’t abate.
When the pressure becomes too much, flames explode out of me and spill across the floor like liquid fire. No matter how much I try to call it back or snuff it out, my power refuses to obey as the flames rage out of control.
Adrenaline floods my veins, and I can understand why people become addicted to it—using my power is almost orgasmic. The more the fire consumes, the more the euphoric feeling spreads, and the more the fire feasts.
Stuart releases my head, then clamps his hands around my throat and squeezes. This time, I’m not sure if he just wants to stop me or if he’s honestly trying to kill me. Either way, the flames don’t like having their oxygen cut off and refocus their rage on a new target.
Flames ripple through the air between us, and Stuart releases an agonizing scream when the fire slowly eats its way up his arms. His shirt doesn’t have a chance to melt, the heat so intense that the material just flakes away to ash. Without his shirt, I havea perfect view of his flesh as it literally sizzles and melts off his bones.
My eyes widen when meaty chunks of tissue plop to the ground, and his bones gradually begin to char. I should be disgusted, but my powers don’t allow for any emotions other than hunger. The fire is almost gleeful about catching its prey and greedily gorges on his flesh. Not wanting his human goo to drip on me, I feebly reach out to push him away.
Unfortunately, the instant my palm touches his chest, my hand sinks into his body. His flesh is like Jell-O, oozing between my fingers, and I gag at the warm, squishy sensation. His ribs are brittle, offering no resistance, and they easily crumble under my light touch.
My eyes widen when my whole hand disappears into his chest. Light appears under his skin, giving him a jack-o’-lantern appearance. His bones gradually glow like cinders, and I shudder when the remaining fleshy parts of his body slowly melt, turning into a runny sludge.
In a matter of minutes, his flesh becomes a puddle around me, leaving only the charred remains of his skeleton. Cinders flare along his bones like tiny dragons clawed their way inside them. The little beasts systematically work their way through his skeleton, burning out the marrow and erasing every piece of his DNA. When I jerk my hand out of the cage of his chest, I bump into the fractured shards of his ribs, and his body collapses like a burned log from a dying campfire.
Ashes whoosh through the air like a cloud, leaving behind sooty stains wherever they land. It’s only when the grime streaks my skin that I realize I’m once again bare-ass naked…and worse, covered in nasty Stuart germs.
Ew!
When I glance around the room, I notice the shadows have vanished. Porter and Cassius are standing over the guards’ still forms, covered in so much blood that it drips from them.
They are staring at me, and I brace myself to see disgust and horror in their eyes.
Only there is none.
Neither man even blinks at the destruction. Cassius grins like a proud papa, his fangs on full display, while Porter just plants his boot on the back of Garvey’s neck. The soldier grunts, his arms flopping as he tries to drag himself away, looking like he’s bleeding from every pore. Eyes locked on mine, Porter leans down and wraps his hands around the man’s skull, then gives it a sharp twist.
