The explosion shook the street. The blast threw the three hunters to the ground as the windows of Night Watch exploded and fire blazed from the windows. Car alarms screeched down the street, and smoke billowed into the air.
And Jana just stood there, staring at the burning building. The building that housed his co-workers. His friends.
She’d gone back too easy.
“Fuck!” He spun Jana around. “What the hell did you—” Horror was reflected in her wide eyes. Shock. Her eyes- they were blue. Not the red of an Ignitor charging up. Still blue.
She hadn’t set the fire. If not her …
His gaze flew to the building. People were running out, coughing, screaming.
He raced for the building.
“Zane!” Jana stumbled after him. Shit, the cuffs. “We’ve got to stop it!” They could. Or at least they could push the flames back long enough to get the people to safety. But, dammit, those flames were so hot that he could already feel their breath on his skin.
Pak stumbled out with ash coating his face. He had his hands around one of the female hunters, and they were both gasping. Charmers didn’t have the enhanced strength of the shifters and demons. They were almost as weak as humans.
And there were humans inside that building. Humans who wouldn’t last long-humans who were probably already dead.
Too hot.
He sent a blast of power at the flames, forcing them back. “See if you can get control of it,” he told Jana. “We’ve got to get them out, we—”
Jude surged to his feet. His fangs were out, his claws ready to rip and slash. “What the hell? That bitch burned Night Watch!” He lunged for Jana.
Zane stepped between them. “It wasn’t her.” He shoved his left hand against Jude’s chest. “Dammit, shifter, stand down. We can help!”
Jude growled at him.
“Trust me,” Zane snapped right back.
Jude’s eyes searched his. Then the shifter inclined his head in a grudging nod.
They all ran for the building, with Zane in the lead. They plunged right into the smoke and the screaming flames.
Survivors. They had to find the survivors and get them out. The heat scorched his skin and Zane threw his power at the fire, sending the flames sputtering back. Jude grabbed an unconscious hunter from the office on the left and threw the guy over his shoulder.
Jana coughed behind him. Human. Weak.
He glanced at her, his eyes watering. Her stare was red now, reflecting the flames, and he knew she was using her power to control the flames. No, to make her own fire in an effort to gain control of the other flames. Fighting fire with fire actually f**king worked.
They advanced slowly, painfully, through the smoke and fire. He passed two bodies. A secretary and a hunter who wouldn’t be making it out. Then they found a demon, low level, cowering in the storage room. They pushed back the fire and sent the guy running for safety.
The fire had eaten too much of the walls. Groans echoed from above them, and Zane knew the roof wouldn’t last much longer.
Jude was back, coughing and panting beside him.
“Anyone else?” Zane had to shout the words.
Jude’s head tilted to the right. That shifter hearing was far stronger than a demon’s.
The shifter pointed. They raced for the door. Ripped it open.
Penelope Evans, a new hunter, lay slumped on the floor. Her red hair stuck to her face. Jude grabbed her and hoisted her into his arms.
“Anyone … else?”
A hard shake of Jude’s head. “Not alive.”
The ceiling groaned again, and plaster fell to the floor. Time to get out of hell. Zane waved his hands, shoving back the fire as Jude raced for the door.
“Come on,” he told Jana, covering his mouth with his left hand, “let’s—”
She slumped beside him. Fell into his arms.
Too much smoke.
Dammit, how dumb could he be! Ignitors could start the fires, they could shoot out those flames, but their bodies couldn’t handle the smoke. That’s why they worked better from a distance. Long-range assassins. See the target, send the flames, escape.
He held her tight against his chest and ran for the door, dodging the lingering flames and the falling debris. Hold on, baby. Hold on.
Zane burst through the broken remains of the front entrance just seconds after Jude. He rushed forward, nearly slamming into the firefighters who charged toward the building.
EMTs were there. They tried to take Jana from him. Tried to pull her from his arms. “No, dammit!” He coughed and tasted ash. “We’re cuffed!” They weren’t taking her any place without him. He held her tighter and hurried to the ambulance. She’d need oxygen, fast. She needed to breathe clean air. Her mouth and nose were stained with ash. He put her on the stretcher. The EMT placed a mask over her face.
“Get her a blanket!” Zane held her hand, probably too tightly but screw it. “She’s freezing.” Her body had begun to shake. “Jana?”
She moaned into the mask.
He was such a f**king idiot. She couldn’t handle the heat. He knew that. All the Other knew that about Ignitors. They could bring the heat, but the smoke-hell, it was f**king poison to them. They could control the flames, not the smoke.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Pak staring at Jana.
“It wasn’t her!” Zane fired. “Look, I know what you’re thinking,” what he’d thought, “but it wasn’t her. She helped me. We saved as many as we could!” But Zane had seen the dead, and he would remember them for the rest of his life.
Hollings, the charmer who had a way with the ladies. Giles Lang, the hybrid demon who’d been trying to fit in. Stacey Keith … ah, hell, she’d been a year away from retirement.
All gone.
His thumb brushed over Jana’s knuckles. “She didn’t do it,” he said again.
“Then who the hell did?” The fierce question didn’t come from Pak. Jude had stalked up to the ambulance, and he watched Jana with eyes that glowed too bright. “There was no accelerant. I didn’t catch so much as a whiff of scent—”
Jana’s fingers tightened around Zane’s. His gaze snapped back to her face. Her eyes were opening, slowly, and the twinge of red still remained.
“A f**king Ignitor.”
She flinched at Jude’s snarl.
Zane hunched over her. “Back off!” He took a breath. Her eyes were on him. “It’s okay.” His voice was still rough, but softer, for her. “You’re going to be all right.” She looked so vulnerable. So defenseless. Another one of her tricks? A quick deception?