Paralyzed with fear, I stand motionless as the old man reaches out and puts his hands on either side of my head. A high-pitched screech rings in my ears and it’s like I’m suddenly shoved under deep water and the pressure is going to crush me to death.
And then instincts take over. I raise the dagger and shove it into the man’s chest.
“Ignis,” I say as the word pops into my head. The dagger grows hot in my hands and I can feel power pulsing through me. “Ignis!” I repeat and twist the dagger. Flames erupt from inside the man, and black smoke pours from his mouth. I throw my arms up to shield myself from the heat, stepping back dangerously close to the edge of the dock. Dizziness crashes down on me and my vision blacks out. The dagger slips through my fingers and clanks on the dock. The world around me fades, and I stumble backwards into the icy water.
Chapter Thirteen
My mind wakes up before I open my eyes. My head throbs, I’m really uncomfortable, and I can’t move. Hunter must be lying on me. I blink open my eyes and see I’m wrong.
Hunter isn’t on me.
I’m not in my bed.
I’m not even in my own house.
Blankets are tightly wrapped around me, and I’m lying on a couch that’s been scooted up close to a fireplace. Logs crackle and pop beneath the flames. I’m close enough that the heat should be too much, but a chill has set so deep into my bones I don’t think I’ll ever get warm. Inhaling, I try to sit up. The headache intensifies, and the room spins.
I haven’t been this hungover since—
“Anora?”
Startled, I push up way too fast. The blanket falls from my shoulders, and I think I might throw up. Ethan is sitting in a chair next to the couch, holding my dagger.
“Careful,” he tells me and gets up, right as I realize I’ve been stripped down to my bra and underwear.
“What the fuck is going on?” I get to my feet, pulling the blanket back around me. Hunter, who’s lying on the floor near the fireplace, gets up and puts himself between Ethan and myself. Ethan flicks his eyes from Hunter to me.
“You don’t remember?”
“There’s so much I don’t remember.” I wrap the blanket around myself and go to take a step back but bump into the couch. My head is still spinning, and I lose my balance, falling onto the couch. Nausea twists in my gut, and I’m so fucking confused.
“Are you okay?” he asks, looking right into my eyes. His are full of concern. I open my mouth but my words die in my throat. My lungs burn, as if I’d inhaled smoke or…or water.
Suddenly everything comes rushing back. The man on the dock with the black eyes. I stabbed him and he burst into flames. But how I got here? I have no clue.
“Where are my clothes?”
“I put them in the dryer,” Ethan says and takes another step forward. “You fell in the water. Do you remember?”
I close my eyes in a long blink and shiver again. “I remember.”
“You were cold, and your clothes were wet,” he goes on. “I didn’t want you to get hypothermic.”
“Oh, right.” I open my eyes and reach for Hunter, comforted when I bury my fingers in his thick fur. “Wait…you saw me fall in the water?”
“Yeah. I’d say I got there right in the nick of time, but I was a minute too late.” He smirks. “I’ve had worse timing.”
I grind my teeth as that fight or flight takes over. Taking a slow breath, I stare at Ethan, not sure if I should be more scared of him or what just happened.
“Why were you in the woods? Were you stalking me or something?”
“No. I was hunting the Pricolici.”
“The what?” I ask and Ethan looks at me dubiously.
“Don’t play games, Anora.” The concern on his face disappears and he pulls the dagger from its sheath.
“I’m not,” I say, and another chill goes down my spine. This time, it’s not from the cold, but from the icy stare Ethan is giving me.
“I don’t like being lied to,” he says slowly as he inspects the dagger. His deep voice is calm and level, like he’s used to talking to people like this.
“I’m not lying,” I retort, surprised at the strength in my voice. “If anyone has the right to suspicious here, it’s the lady in her underwear.” I curl my fingers in Hunter’s fur. “And I want to leave.”
“You’re not going anywhere until I get some answers.” He sets the dagger on the coffee table between us, as if he’s daring me to try something. Something I know I’ll lose. “Who are you?” He inches even closer, and Hunter lets out a low growl.
“I’m apparently not the only one confused here. You know who I am.”