A pack of dogs charged through the door, four blurry lines of motion shooting up the stairs.
Lupien cursed.
A shot went off.
She flung around. A deadly growl suspended on the moment. A white ball of fur launched through the air. Lupien went down, the wolfdogs at his throat. The gun fell from his hand, sliding just outside her reach. Before Snow could snap his jaw around Lupien’s windpipe, the dog’s fur caught fire. Snow howled. From a distant corner of her mind she was aware of Joss firing from his prison of flames, but the bullets fell on the floor inside the circle, useless to penetrate the white wall of heat.
She ran for the gun, but Lupien was faster. While Snow rolled on the floor, putting out the tendrils licking at his fur, Lupien snatched up the weapon, but the other dogs were already upon him.
“Cle,” Joss cried out.
Cain caught her arms, holding her back as she tried to get to her animals.
A trickle of blood ran down Lupien’s neck. Snow had broken the skin. Chilling human screams cut through the air as Rain, Thunder, and Cloud shook the body of the man on the floor.
Snow, recovering from his scare, locked his teeth around Lupien’s throat again. No more fires erupted, but the sound of fabric and flesh tearing mixed with growls filled the space. Weak flames licked at the animals, but they died quickly as pieces of skin came off Lupien’s flesh. The white of bones showed through tears in his shin and hip. Another scream, and the house went eerily quiet. The dogs backed off. Lupien lay motionless, his eyes open but dull.
Clelia fought Cain’s hold. Erwan sat helpless, tied up in the chair. The white flames died around Joss.
Joss unstrapped the holster, dropped it to the floor, and ripped his shirt from his body. He quickly pulled it over her head before pushing her face against his chest. “Don’t look.”
“Snow,” she said, pushing away. “My dogs.”
“Let’s get you out of here. Cain, can you get Erwan?”
The dogs huddled around Snow, Thunder licking a furless patch on his skin.
“Come.” Joss tugged at her hand, but she pulled back.
“Erwan,” she said. “I’m not leaving him.”
Joss let go of her to help Cain cut the ropes around Erwan’s arms and ankles, and to help an unstable Erwan to his feet. Joss lifted Snow into his arms and led the way. The rest of them, including the dogs, followed him down the stairs.
Outside, Clelia started trembling when Joss lowered Snow to the grass. She couldn’t think or move. She stood rooted to the spot, staring at the house. Anger bigger than any she’d felt spread through her cold body. Not having to restrain her emotions any longer, she allowed it to erupt. She wanted the fury to scorch away the shame of being her father’s daughter.
A terrifying explosion shook the house. The shutters imploded. Roof tiles were sucked into the core of the house before they projected like fireworks into the air. The inferno was visible through every crevice. Joss’s house went up in flames.
Clelia’s gaze snapped to Joss. He watched the stone walls turn to ash with wide eyes. What had she done? Would he despise her now? Would he hate her for letting out her dark side?
“I’m sorry,” she said, trembling. “I didn’t mean to.” Her teeth chattered despite the heat mounting in her body. Everything inside was on fire.
Joss let go of Erwan’s elbow and rushed over. “Look at me, Cle. Focus on me.”
Why was he looking at her like that? Her gaze moved to Erwan, who reached for her.
“Do something, Cain,” Joss said.
Erwan’s voice shook. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She blew up your house,” Cain said with wonder.
“I don’t give a fuck about the house,” Joss said. “She’s going to combust.”
Cain chuckled. “She won’t. She’s just exercised an immensely powerful act. It’ll take a while for her body to stabilize.” He smiled. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The house imploded. We didn’t even feel the blow. Truly amazing. Totally against the laws of nature.”
Her head spun. She heard their voices, but all she could feel was the heat inside her mind, the flames that burned and cleaned.
“Cain, stop fucking delivering a scientific speech,” Joss said. “We’ll have time for this later.”
Fighting the urge to give in to the darkness, she pushed forward, trying to get to Joss, to Erwan, but Cain’s hands held her still.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and then the heat inside her body and mind turned to ice.
Chapter 39
Clelia woke up in Joss’s bed in the castle with a throbbing head and a tongue that felt like sandpaper. When her memory returned, she jackknifed into a sitting position.
“You’re awake,” Joss said as if it amazed him.
She blinked. He was naked. They were naked.
“I had to wash the ash from us.” He reached for a bottle of water on the nightstand and handed it to her with two pills. “We had to give you a tranquilizer.”
She frowned. “You stabbed me with a needle again?”
He brushed the hair from her face, his smile grim. “Your body had gone into shock. Your teeth chattered so hard, you were biting the insides of your cheeks.”
“The injection…” she said, her mind wrapping around the fact that she was alive. “I thought it was poison.”
“Why would it be poison?”
“I thought you’d kill me.”
A deep line cut between his eyebrows. “Why would I kill you?”
“Because of what I did.”
His tone was resigned. “You did what you had to.”
She looked toward the window. It was dark outside. “For how long have I been out?”
“A couple of hours. How are you feeling?”
She was feeling amazingly well, which probably wasn’t a good sign. It meant she was either dreaming, or there was something wrong with her.
“I’m fine. Where’s Erwan? Cain?”
“They’re both here.”
“How’s Erwan doing?”
“He’s resting.” Concern flashed in his eyes. “Cain is waiting to see
