The Witch Born to Smoulder (Inferno Book 4), стр. 36
The lights from Melas grew brighter. As we approached the meeting place, I heard a second heartbeat; this one skipped and danced. Ezra. Heat flushed through me as we stopped in front of Ezra, his lips parting as he took me in.
‘What’s happened to you?’ said Ezra, his voice rising with each word.
‘That’s none of your business,’ I said. ‘Let’s go!’
Ezra turned to Jet. ‘Tell me, what have you done to her?’
I glared at Ezra. ‘Jet has done nothing, but you are wasting time. Let’s go.’
‘Not so fast,’ said Ezra, stepping closer. ‘You look completely different – your hair, your eyes…they’re black. And your skin…’
I gazed down at my hand, where my skin looked like marble. ‘So…what?’
Ezra faced Jet. ‘So what? What’s happened? Tell me.’
‘She’s tapped into the darkest kind of magic,’ said Jet quietly.
‘What! You did this, didn’t you?’ said Ezra, stepping forward and shoving Jet hard.
Jet fell backwards. As Ezra went to launch himself onto Jet again, I stepped between them, placed my hand on Ezra’s shoulder, stopped him.
Ezra gazed down at my hand and then at my face, his expression blank. ‘Eva…’
‘The Eva you knew isn’t here anymore,’ I said, my voice deeper, stronger. ‘Your father made sure of that.’
Ezra stepped away from me as if I were a flame he’d gotten too close to.
‘Will you…will she…come back?’ he asked.
‘That will depend,’ said Jet.
‘On?’
‘On whether I kill anyone tonight…like your father or maybe Max,’ I said.
Ezra gasped.
‘Or maybe I’ll kill them both.’
‘Eva…you can’t,’ said Ezra. ‘Please, don’t. You need to come back…come back to me.’
I started to laugh then, a crazy, unhinged laugh.
‘What can we do?’ said Ezra, his gaze flickering to Jet. ‘You can’t want…this any more than I do?’
‘This isn’t about what I want, or what you want. This is what Eva wants.’
‘Exactly,’ I said, running my finger down his gorgeous face before turning to Ezra. ‘Now, take me to my family.’
Ezra swore and Jet stepped back, checked his watch. ‘Come on – it’s time.’
Ezra’s gaze flickered between me and Jet, his face screaming rage.
‘Follow me!’ said Ezra eventually.
And with that Ezra turned and headed off the path, into the depths of the woods. Before long, he stopped in front of what appeared to be a manhole.
Ezra bent down and pulled open the manhole.
‘There’s a ladder inside that goes down to the ground,’ said Ezra. ‘And the path will take us to the cell where your parents are being held. I don’t think the path will be guarded, but I can’t be sure.’
‘Best I go first then,’ I said, pushing past Ezra, then climbing inside the hole and starting down the ladder that travelled deep inside the earth.
As I jumped onto the hard earth, I spun around, arms outstretched as my senses strained for the presence of guards.
Jet jumped beside me and then Ezra on my other side.
‘It’s all clear,’ I said.
Ezra took out a torch.
‘Put it away,’ I said. ‘And follow me.’
‘You can see?’ he asked.
‘Like it’s daytime,’ I started forward. ‘Stay close.’
It was cold and damp in the bowels of Melas, and the secrets of the steps taken before whispered to me. I moved easily, quickly, never having wanted to see my family as much as I did in that moment. Jet and Ezra scampered after me, scraping the tunnel walls, struggling to keep up. Slowly, the colour of the light changed around us. I slowed, cocking my head, sensing life not far away.
Then I heard it – another heartbeat. Coming in our direction.
I stopped and so did Ezra and Jet, who came to stand one on each side of me.
My every sense strained to make out what I perceived as a large man, alone, carrying something – probably a gun. He walked slowly, without purpose. He was not waiting for us. He was not expecting us.
‘I’ll take care of this,’ I whispered before running down the tunnel.
I heard Jet swear and Ezra groan. I smiled as I turned the corner and watched the guard’s face when he saw me, the look of surprise replaced quickly by a flicker of sadism. He reached for his radio, but I conjured up a fireball that hit the radio, setting it on fire. He threw the radio to the ground and then he looked at me, the whites of his eyes shining in the darkness as I stopped in front of him.
‘Ever seen a witch before?’ I said.
His mouth dropped open.
‘I didn’t think so. Shame you won’t remember.’
The policeman picked up his gun and pointed it at me.
‘Put your hands up,’ said the policeman, slowly advancing towards me.
‘Sure,’ I said, and my body flooded with heat as I raced towards him and kicked the gun from his hands, then caught it and rounded on him.
‘Why don’t you put your hands up,’ I said to the trembling man. ‘Not so tough now, are you?’
I raised the gun to the man’s chest and imagined the feeling of pulling the trigger.
‘Eva!’ said Jet, bringing me back into control of myself. ‘Ypnos!’ Jet placed a hand on the guard’s shoulder, immediately sending him to the ground as he fell into a long and deep sleep.
‘You ruin all my fun,’ I said, dropping the gun and continuing back down the path, neither Jet nor Ezra following.
I stopped and turned to them. Both were staring at me as though I was a monster. Maybe I was.
‘We don’t have all night,’ I said. ‘Hurry up!’
They followed me into a larger room, lit by the flames that leapt inside the heads of old-fashioned torches.
Ezra checked his watch and then took a look at the map. ‘Their cell is close. The meeting has just started. We have about fifteen minutes to get them out.’
‘Easy!’ I said, power surging through me in a way I’d never dreamed was possible.
‘There will be guards,’ said Jet, stepping beside me. ‘Let’s just put them to sleep.’
‘We’ll see,’ I said before entering another corridor on the other