bleed through his tone. “You can go! I will let the council know when she is dead.”
Nathaniel looked at Geo as if he was evaluating the angel.
“Very well.” Nathaniel held up a forefinger and made a circular motion with his hand. Scarlet saw all the creatures that surrounded the clearing melt away, vanishing into nothing. Nathaniel was the last one to leave. “It’s a pity, kitten. Had I been sent after you, we could have had so much fun.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, but simply vanished like the others.
Scarlet caught movement in her peripheral vision and turned her head to look.
A woman stepped forward out of the trees and dropped her cowl.
It was the female—the one she’d seen in the mirror, the one whose hair was the color of living flame. Geo didn’t seem to notice her, making Scarlet wonder if she was hallucinating.
“Don’t fight it.” His voice was gentle as if he was sad this was happening, “Let the flame take you, and it will be over quicker. I didn’t want it to be this way. My way would have been instantaneous, and you would not have suffered this pain.”
Scarlet pinned him with a look. Her vision had changed, so she could only see shades of red. “Go. To. Hell.”
As if her last words to the angel had broken the damn, Scarlet’s head dropped back and the flames climbed her legs. She screamed and screamed, and the sound became a word. In the greatest pain of her life, Scarlet screamed for the person she wanted with her at her end.
“Archer!”
* * * *
“We are going to have to do something about Jasmine.” Tate slammed his hand down on the coffee table to emphasize his point.
“So… I musta missed it on the news. Who died and made us Enforcers again?”
“Shut up, Erik.” The sentence was said in unison from the Eternals around the table.
He shrugged and muttered. “I’m just sayin’.”
Archer sighed with eloquence. Erik had a point. Jasmine and her run at godhood shouldn’t be their problem, but it was.
He looked at the Eternals sitting around the coffee table on couches and chairs that had been pulled up.
“You are all with me when it comes to protecting Scarlet, right?”
“Of course, even though she’s really sweet, and I personally would do it for free, we are on a job, and keeping Scarlet alive is part of that job,” Heath pointed out.
Archer resisted the urge to bare his fangs at the precog, and nodded. “Jasmine is after Scarlet, so taking Jasmine out is our problem.” Archer looked directly at Erik. “Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, you can stow the melodrama. I’m with you if it means keeping Scarlet safe.”
Archer was on the verge of telling Erik that his smart mouth was detrimental to his health when Archer felt a wave of terror sweep over him. The fine hairs on his body stood straight and he could have sworn he heard Scarlet faintly, and she was screaming his name.
He stood and bounded up the stairs.
The others watched him until he yelled from the top. “Sophia!” He came slamming back around the corner of the landing. “I thought you said Scarlet had gone to take a nap.”
“That’s what she said she was going to do.” Sophia looked confused. “Isn’t she up there?”
“If she were, would I be asking you?” Archer asked through clenched teeth, and took the stairs down four at a time.
He yanked open the front door of the cabin and heard her screaming his name again. It was still a faint sound, but Scarlet was screaming for him.
Night had fallen and Archer’s throat constricted with the déjà vu that overwhelmed him.
“Gods no, please no.”
“What is it?” Tate asked behind him.
“I smell something burning.” Heath pushed past Archer.
“It’s Scarlet.” Archer started running, his breath coming in ragged puffs of vapor in the cold night air.
He was reliving his vision, and his senses took him on a direct path through the forest.
There was no way the others could keep up with him because
Nathaniel looked at Geo as if he was evaluating the angel.
“Very well.” Nathaniel held up a forefinger and made a circular motion with his hand. Scarlet saw all the creatures that surrounded the clearing melt away, vanishing into nothing. Nathaniel was the last one to leave. “It’s a pity, kitten. Had I been sent after you, we could have had so much fun.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, but simply vanished like the others.
Scarlet caught movement in her peripheral vision and turned her head to look.
A woman stepped forward out of the trees and dropped her cowl.
It was the female—the one she’d seen in the mirror, the one whose hair was the color of living flame. Geo didn’t seem to notice her, making Scarlet wonder if she was hallucinating.
“Don’t fight it.” His voice was gentle as if he was sad this was happening, “Let the flame take you, and it will be over quicker. I didn’t want it to be this way. My way would have been instantaneous, and you would not have suffered this pain.”
Scarlet pinned him with a look. Her vision had changed, so she could only see shades of red. “Go. To. Hell.”
As if her last words to the angel had broken the damn, Scarlet’s head dropped back and the flames climbed her legs. She screamed and screamed, and the sound became a word. In the greatest pain of her life, Scarlet screamed for the person she wanted with her at her end.
“Archer!”
* * * *
“We are going to have to do something about Jasmine.” Tate slammed his hand down on the coffee table to emphasize his point.
“So… I musta missed it on the news. Who died and made us Enforcers again?”
“Shut up, Erik.” The sentence was said in unison from the Eternals around the table.
He shrugged and muttered. “I’m just sayin’.”
Archer sighed with eloquence. Erik had a point. Jasmine and her run at godhood shouldn’t be their problem, but it was.
He looked at the Eternals sitting around the coffee table on couches and chairs that had been pulled up.
“You are all with me when it comes to protecting Scarlet, right?”
“Of course, even though she’s really sweet, and I personally would do it for free, we are on a job, and keeping Scarlet alive is part of that job,” Heath pointed out.
Archer resisted the urge to bare his fangs at the precog, and nodded. “Jasmine is after Scarlet, so taking Jasmine out is our problem.” Archer looked directly at Erik. “Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, you can stow the melodrama. I’m with you if it means keeping Scarlet safe.”
Archer was on the verge of telling Erik that his smart mouth was detrimental to his health when Archer felt a wave of terror sweep over him. The fine hairs on his body stood straight and he could have sworn he heard Scarlet faintly, and she was screaming his name.
He stood and bounded up the stairs.
The others watched him until he yelled from the top. “Sophia!” He came slamming back around the corner of the landing. “I thought you said Scarlet had gone to take a nap.”
“That’s what she said she was going to do.” Sophia looked confused. “Isn’t she up there?”
“If she were, would I be asking you?” Archer asked through clenched teeth, and took the stairs down four at a time.
He yanked open the front door of the cabin and heard her screaming his name again. It was still a faint sound, but Scarlet was screaming for him.
Night had fallen and Archer’s throat constricted with the déjà vu that overwhelmed him.
“Gods no, please no.”
“What is it?” Tate asked behind him.
“I smell something burning.” Heath pushed past Archer.
“It’s Scarlet.” Archer started running, his breath coming in ragged puffs of vapor in the cold night air.
He was reliving his vision, and his senses took him on a direct path through the forest.
There was no way the others could keep up with him because
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