Circle of Fire (Damask Circle 1)

“Maddie!” he yelled, pounding his fist against the door. “Open up.”

She didn’t answer. Either she couldn’t hear him or couldn’t get to the door. He thumped the door again, then realized the wood was hot to the touch. Burning hot.

Hell! “Maddie!” He stepped back and kicked the lock. The door shuddered under the force of the blow. He kicked it again. The wood near the lock cracked.

“Need help?” a voice said to his left.

Jon barely glanced the man’s way. “Get everyone out of here,” he said tightly. “There’s a fire in the room.”

The man nodded and began ushering the other guests—who’d followed him out of the dining room—back down the stairs.

Jon stepped to the side of the door and grabbed a nearby planter. He glanced toward the stairs to ensure no one was near, then heaved the heavy planter at the lock. The door exploded inward, crashing back against the wall.

Heat rushed out at him, not flame. He threw up his arm to protect his face and stepped into the room.

The thick, acrid smell of magic swirled around him. A log had rolled free from the hearth and flames danced across the carpet, reaching fiery fingers toward the sofa.

He quickly kicked the log back into the fireplace, then stamped out the flames scorching the carpet. Why was the room so hot? Certainly the small blaze would not have caused such heat …

A small sound jerked him around. Maddie sat in one corner, hugging her knees and slowly rocking back and forth.

He could see her terror in the way she huddled, smell it in the confusing swirl of her aura. Yet oddly enough, he sensed it wasn’t entirely fear of the dark magic that was thick and strong in the room. She was afraid of something else, something he couldn’t name.

He frowned and knelt down beside her. “Are you all right?”

A cut marred her cheek. The wound was thin but deep—like the mark left by the lash of a whip. Something had attacked her. The lingering dark magic had to have been involved.

But where were Hank and Eleanor? They had been gone only a few minutes before Maddie had screamed. The spell, no matter what it was, would have taken longer than that to set up. Magic wasn’t something you could rush into. It had strict rules that had to be followed, or it could lash back at the sender.

But the why and how weren’t really important right now.

She gave no sign that she’d heard him, no indication she knew he was there. He touched her shoulder gently, but almost instantly jerked his hand away.

She burned almost as hot as the room. And the fire wasn’t the cause of the heat, he realized. She was. The other talent he’d sensed in her, the one she couldn’t control, was pyrokinesis. The ability to light fire with just a thought.

“Maddie!” He grabbed her shoulder again. Heat burned into his palm as he shook her. He ignored it. He had to get her out of here. The foul taste of magic was still thick in the room and might be dangerous. “Are you listening to me? You have to get out of here.”

“I know,” she whispered without looking up.

He frowned when she didn’t move. “Are you hurt?”

She hesitated, then shook her head. “No. But if I move, I might lose control.”

Just how strong were her abilities if the heat in this room was under control? “Well, you can’t stay here, either.”

He leaned forward and picked her up. It was like a furnace close to his chest. She tensed in his arms, and her gaze jerked up to his. Her eyes were wild and unfocused, full of heat. “I don’t want you to get burned.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Just don’t let the power go.” If she did, they could all die.

She nodded and looked away, so he turned and headed for the door. Heat washed around him, thick and cloying. Sweat began to run down his forehead. He ignored the slick wetness running down his chest and arms as he held her close.

“Control it,” he whispered, and made for the stairs.

From the little he knew of pyrokinesis, he had to get her somewhere cold and quiet until her power was under control. That meant outside, in the rain.

There was a small seat under the old pine out in the front yard. He gently placed her on it, then knelt on the wet grass in front of her. Though he wanted to keep her in his arms, he sensed that touching her any more than necessary was the worst thing he could do right now.

“Imagine the heat as a wall, Maddie.” He sat back on his heels and watched her carefully.