Elemental Hunger

  I managed to nod without looking in his eyes. I pulled the cloak over my Council robes, relishing the new warmth. I caught glimpses of dark streets illuminated by pockets of light. I saw bodies darting through the streets with their heads lowered. Occasionally, I saw a guard standing still, looking toward the wilderness. I didn’t want them to see us, but at the same time, I wished they would.

  Felix hurried me around the village. From a safe distance, we passed glowing homes with smoke curling from chimneys, but just as many sitting cold and dark. Felix clucked to himself as we continued walking. He paused and looked behind him, then quickened his step. A few minutes later, he stopped near a run-down shack that might have been painted yellow in the far-distant past.

  “This is it,” he whispered. “We have to go in the front. Nothing funny now.”

  Around the front of the house, shutters hung by one hinge. The missing door left a gaping black hole in the wall. The glass had long since broken, now lying in shards on the porch. It crunched in unison with the groaning wood under Felix’s heavy sentry boots. I climbed the steps uncertainly. The rotting wood didn’t look like it could hold my weight in combination with Felix’s.

  Something in his pocket beeped. He pulled out a black box and spoke into it. “Felix, in. Status?”

  A tinny voice came through the device. It sounded like Adam, but the dark doorway swallowed the words as Felix entered the house. When I stepped on the porch, it squeaked in protest.

  “Hurry up,” Felix called. “I need some light.”

  I stared a hole in the back of his head, hating him for demanding that I use my Element when it suited him. With a sigh, I glanced left and then right before snapping my fingers. Nothing happened. Fierce panic sliced into my stomach. Fury formed from the ashes of anxiety, and my fire came roaring back. It filled my toes, my belly, my blood. I let it rise, breathing in the sweet return of warmth. Flames erupted from each fingertip, enough to brighten the doorway before I entered.

  The inside of the house hadn’t fared any better than the outside. It looked like a tornado had torn through the place. A section of the roof spilled into the room, splattering tiles and planks of wood on the dusty floor.

  Anything of value had been carried off, and the room I stood in held a dark bottle, bits and pieces of paper, matted leaves, and a single discarded shoe.

  “Come on.” Felix poked his head around the corner, motioning me through another doorway and into a kitchen. The cupboards had been thrown wide, their innards bare. Tin cans lay strewn on the floor as if a child had stacked them up and then knocked them over.

  Another door just behind the kitchen entrance led down to a basement. A blast of chilly air coming up the steps stole my breath.

  “Down here,” Felix called up the stairs. “There’s a mattress and some blankets.”

  Casting one last glance behind me, I moved toward the stairs.

  Water had been leaking into the basement for a long time. The damp odor rose from the cement in a disgusting welcome. Deep inside, my Element sputtered.

  Even with my fingertips flaming, I didn’t see Felix. The bed lay before me, looking soft and dry. A red blanket with tiny white flowers embroidered around the edge covered it.

  I only had a moment to ponder why no one had taken these items before Felix’s wandering hands latched on to me. Slithering from behind, he wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me against his body. I stiffened, trying to coax my fire into a furious inferno.

  I simply didn’t have the power.

  His mouth stroked my neck; his breath cascaded over my shoulder. “This will be nice, won’t it?” he murmured, removing the cloak and then fumbling with the buttons on my robe. When they didn’t open as fast as he wanted, he yanked.

  The metal buttons pinging on the cement sounded like gunshots. Everything seemed too loud. Then my own breathing drowned out all other noise.

  Felix spun me around, and by the dying light of my hands, I saw the starvation in his eyes.

  “Please,” I whimpered. “Don’t do this.”

  He smiled, revealing crooked teeth. “That’s just what she said.” He crushed his mouth to mine, sending a stream of pain through my injured jaw.

  I planted both palms on his chest and pushed. Surprisingly, Felix stumbled backward. His shirt smoked where my hands had been. He watched for a moment, smoothed the wisps of smoke away, and then looked back at me.

  “You want to use your Element?” he asked, taking a careful step forward. “That’s okay with me. It might even be hot.”

  “Who?” I asked, hoping to buy some time. “Who else asked you not to do this?”

  Felix stepped closer, untucking his shirt. “Your friend from Crylon. Cat, isn’t it?”

  I couldn’t move. My Element recoiled and flattened itself against my ribcage. I balled my fists. “You did rape her.” Finally, my Element burned just as hot as my anger.

  Felix laughed. “My job was to kill her. I wanted to have a little fun first. But there was a terrible storm that day. Damn near tore this house apart, with me inside. I got the hell out before the roof caved in.”

  “Was Adam with you?” I whispered, desperate to know. Adam had said he was there—that Cat didn’t get hurt.

  “He killed the Firemaker, just like he was supposed to. One thing you should know about Adam: He always does his job. He’s a perfectionist. Once he says he’s going to do something, he does it. After we negotiated the Council’s return to Tarpulin, I got another mission in Cornish. Adam accompanied the others back to Tarpulin, just like a good boy. But he followed me here.” The wicked grin creased Felix’s lips again. “That storm was one of the worst in Cornish history, and Adam was caught outside when it hit.”

  I stood mute, breathing in the smoke drifting from my fingertips so I could think rationally.

  “And she begged,” Felix whispered, moving closer. “Before the storm hit, that pretty little Watermaiden begged. So, Firemaker. Will you beg too?” He caught me around the waist and pulled me into an embrace. His arms trapped both of mine, and I couldn’t use my hands to shove him away.

  He kissed me hard as he pushed me backward. I stumbled and braced myself for the fall. Instead of the hard cement, I landed on the bed. Felix was already on top of me, his hands groping, his knees pinning my arms to my sides.

  I turned my head and struggled to breathe under his weight. He chuckled as he kissed my neck and ears.

  Desperate, I tried to kick. It did nothing. A sob rose up from my belly, escaping as a wail. “Please, stop.”

  “Yes, beg me.” Felix’s voice was husky and hoarse. He kissed me again. Powerless to stop him, I stilled. It didn’t bother him this time.

  I retreated into a tiny black box inside my head, where nothing hurt and nobody cried.

  As he touched me, my body turned hollow and cold. Dirty.

  A shrill beep rang in the empty basement. Adam’s frantic voice, tinny and far away, followed it.

  Rushing air. A grunt.

  Felix fell sideways, his mouth finally releasing mine.

  “Gabby!”

  The sobs came fast now, consuming my body. I shoved Felix the rest of the way off me and scrambled to Hanai.

  He held me as I tried to button my robe with trembling fingers. Finally, he did it for me, only asking for a dim light so he could see enough to fasten the buttons Felix hadn’t ripped.

  “Let’s go,” he said rubbing his right fist. “Ouch. He’s got a hard head.”

  “And a gun,” I whispered. I scrubbed at my mouth, but it didn’t erase the feel of Felix’s lips.

  Hanai moved silently toward the bed. Felix remained still, a smear of dark blood staining his hair above his right ear.

  Hanai felt for the gun and came away empty. He rolled Felix and searched on the other side. When his hand rose from the black fabric, he held the glinting weapon. The light from my hands caught in Felix’s open eyes just as I extinguished the flame.

  A roar rocked the basement.
>
  A crash.

  A gunshot.

  I clapped, but my fire did absolutely nothing. “Come on!” I tried again, this time igniting both palms with bright flames and casting an eerie glow on the two men grappling across the room. Neither of them seemed to have a gunshot wound.

  Hanai still held the weapon, his fingers white with exertion. Felix had one fist cemented to Hanai’s, trying to wrest the gun away. His other fist pummeled Hanai everywhere. Stomach. Mouth. Shoulder.

  I extinguished the flames and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, my therma-vision blinked to life.

  Hanai grunted again, his head snapping back with a sickening crunch. Still, he held onto the gun.

  Unsure of what to do, I dashed toward the bed, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. But this basement held very little—only the bed and the blanket.

  The gun went off again, and I pressed my hands over my ears. Hanai’s wail registered behind my palms, along with Felix’s high, cruel laughter.

  I grasped the red blanket on the bed. I flung it over Felix and leaped on his back. Wrapping my arms around his stout middle, I pulled the ends of the blanket behind him and tied them together. My hands should’ve hurt. My wrists hadn’t healed. But I couldn’t feel anything or hear anything. All I knew was that Hanai would die if I did nothing.

  Felix swore and thrashed, sending me to the hard cement. The pain in my tailbone barely registered. I swiped his feet out from under him, and he fell amidst a shout of surprise. Tangled in the blanket, he squirmed and kicked. His boot connected with my stomach as he succeeded in flinging off the blanket, and the air in my lungs rushed out.

  The therma-vision faded, but I willed it to remain. Gasping for breath, I touched Felix’s ankle. His body heat flooded my senses. My vision returned, my body burned with more heat than I could endure. Still, I didn’t remove my hand. Felix shivered and stilled, his heat now mine.

  Carefully, I reached toward his now-limp hand and extracted the gun. It felt so dirty. Even worse than how grimy and used I felt after Felix’s wandering hands and intrusive tongue. My hand shook as I gripped the firearm. The metal held heat from being discharged. Automatically, my body stole the warmth, leaving me nauseated. Guns were so sentry—and that was worse than being a girl.

  Hanai stumbled to my side, clutching his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  I sent the gun clattering to the cement where Hanai bent to retrieve it. “We can’t leave him armed,” he panted, pushing me in front of him. “Now, go. I’ll take care of him.”

  “Take care of him?” My voice came out too high, scratching through my throat. I wiped my face with a dirty hand. I doubted I would ever feel clean again.

  “I’m not going to kill him. Just make it hard for him to follow us.” Hanai groaned, and my gaze shifted from his drawn face to the wound near his elbow. The blood appeared bright crimson in my therma-vision, pulsing in blinding waves of red.

  “I’ll do it,” I said. “You go lie down upstairs. I’ll be up in a minute.”

  Before Hanai could answer, he collapsed. His head thunked against the unforgiving floor. The gun slid toward the far wall.

  “Hanai!” I knelt next to him and felt his pulse. I looked up and saw Felix’s pack leaning against the end of the bed.

  I quickly crossed to it and pulled out the Element cancellers. After Felix’s hands were bound, I retrieved my knife from his belt, suppressing a shudder when I touched him. I cut a corner from the blanket and sprinted upstairs. The tap in the kitchen spurted out rusty-brown water, but it would have to do.

  Downstairs, Felix was awake and struggling against the cancellers. His eyes broadcasted hatred. I dragged Hanai a short distance away and washed the blood off his arm. Once the bullet hole was revealed, I ground my teeth together and focused my Element.

  The hot, white light blinded me with the therma-vision on. It clicked off as I pressed my fingertip to Hanai’s arm. Lucky thing he was out cold. The pain from cauterizing the wound would’ve sent him into unconsciousness.

  Felix chuckled. “You think you can get him out of here?”

  I didn’t answer. Hanai weighed more than me, and those stairs were blazing steep.

  In the dark, Felix yelped in triumph—he must’ve gotten free. I scrambled toward the gun, which lay somewhere near the far wall. Groping, sweeping, I desperately searched for the kiss of steel. Felix’s boots came closer, tentative.

  I kept my therma-vision off, the panic building into a sob. Felix was so close, I could feel the heat from his body.

  “Where are you, sweetheart?” he whispered. I felt the wind as he reached out, feeling in the empty space to locate me.

  Finally, my fingers touched the delicious metal. I gripped the gun and stood, blinking on my therma-vision.

  Felix stumbled backward when he saw the embers of my eyes. A sick smile twisted his waxy face. He took a step forward.

  “I’ll shoot you,” I warned, a storm of emotions raging inside. “Don’t come any closer.”

  Felix chuckled quietly, his eyes never leaving mine. “I don’t think you will, Gabriella. You’re not a killer. You don’t want to be like Adam.”

  His words hit me like a punch in the gut. Survival battled with morals. In my head, I heard Adam say, It’s you or him. Felix took another deliberate step.

  I aimed. And fired.

  Felix roared with rage and pain. His legs buckled beneath him, and he clutched the bleeding left one just below the kneecap. He barred the way between me and Hanai, so I shuffled toward the stairs until I could scoot around him.

  Stuffing the gun in my jeans pocket, I pulled Hanai up. He promptly slumped to the floor again. “Come on, Hanai. I need you to wake up. Your Councilman demands it.”

  He remained limp.

  Felix actually had the gall to laugh, though it sounded pained. “Bodies are always heavier when they’re dead.”

  “Shut up.” I felt for a pulse. Hanai’s fluttered through his neck too fast, but steady.

  Summoning all the strength I possessed, I heaved his arm over my shoulders and managed to stand up with him half-draped over my body.

  I concentrated on taking one step at a time. Felix jeered and swore and called me filthy names. It seemed like hours before I shrugged Hanai to the floor in the kitchen upstairs.

  The doorway to the basement held darkness and fear, but I had to go back down. Felix’s voice had silenced, even when I returned. I grabbed the blanket and swept the ropes from the floor beside the bed.

  Upstairs, I spread the blanket over Hanai and rolled him in it before pulling him toward the front door. My movement created the only sound. Terror clogged in my nose, but I managed to move Hanai to the front porch after ten minutes of back-breaking dragging.

  I returned to the kitchen and pulled the door shut. Then I tied one end of the rope to the doorknob, and the other end around the basement doorknob, pulling it taut.

  I jumped out the window above the sink and ran toward the front of the house. The street lay dormant. The windows of the house next door glowed with a single candle buried deep within. The closest outdoor light illuminated the corner in a halo of orange a hundred yards away.

  Hanai rolled and moaned.

  “Holy blazes, Hanai, wake up,” I begged, more to myself than to him. Another groan escaped his throat. I knelt over him and checked his pulse. Status: Throbbing.

  “Hanai? Can you stand up?”

  He rolled, further tangling himself in the blanket. I helped him kick it off. He tried to raise his left arm, but cried out in pain.

  I wanted to help him, but a loud buzzing covered his wail.

  A vehicle.

  A sentry vehicle.

  “Run!” I pulled Hanai up and was relieved when he could stand on his own. We dashed down the steps and darted to the right. Fueled by adrenaline, I sprinted to the far corner of the house next door. I pushed Hanai further into the shadows behind me, feeling for the knife at my belt.

  “B
ack here,” Hanai whispered, the words startling me. He disappeared into the shadows under a deep eave. I crawled beside him, twisting just as the sentry vehicle skidded to a stop in front of the house.

  Adam’s sandy curls were unmistakable. His eyes, sharp and alert, swept both sides of the street as he leaped from the car. He looked at something in his palm, and then turned his gaze on the front door of the house we’d just exited.

  I lost sight of him as he sprinted toward the porch. The creaking wood shattered the stillness. Problem #1: The paths in the dust. Problem #2: Felix, bound and shot in the basement. Problem #3: Adam could read minds.

  “We can’t stay here,” I whispered.

  Hanai groaned. “I know, but I’m c-cold.”

  I cupped his cheek in my palm and infused him with heat. “Come on. We can’t stay here.”

  We slithered out of the eaves, and Hanai was halfway across the backyard before I turned to follow.

  “Gabby?” Adam asked.

  I froze, barely daring to breathe. Hanai motioned to me from the edge of the adjoining yard. I pressed back into the shadows, desperate for them to protect me. A light steam rose from my skin and billowed out of my mouth.

  “Gabby?” Adam’s voice came again, nearer now. Before I could run, Adam appeared at the edge of the house.

  In an explosion of panic and fear, I raced toward the street where the ground was flat and hard.

  “Gabby.” Though Adam whispered, his voice resounded in my soul.

  I focused on pushing myself faster. Silently, I begged Hanai to find me again. I darted off the sidewalk when Adam’s heavy sentry boots started slapping the pavement behind me. A fence loomed in front of me, and I jumped. I had just scrambled over when Adam leaped.

  “Wait! Please.” Adam used the air to lift himself to the top of the fence. Cheater.

  I didn’t answer, already running through the yard to the far fence. I clawed at it, my breath coming in wheezes. A hand clamped around on my right foot. I kicked out hard, losing my shoe.

  I fell backward over the fence, and pain coursed through my already bruised tailbone. My robes ripped. But the fence separated me from Adam. Refusing to simply wait for him to kill me, I launched flames toward him, stumbled to my feet, and ran.