Page 116 of Seared Fates

Instead of becoming paste, Vidar lands like a predator on two feet—then springs forward into a sprint.

I suck in a sharp breath the second before the world becomes a blur, Vidar reaching speeds only a vampire could achieve. He keeps my head tucked close to his chest, and I expect to hear his heart beating like a rabbit. Instead, it’s slow, even. Deadly calm.

Without any warning, we come to a complete stop, my stomach lurching into my raw throat.

“Rurik! Sen!” Vidar calls.

Rurik rushes over from a sagging two-storey house. “Holy shit, he looks bad.”

“GET. THE. DOOR. OPEN!”

“On it.” Sen slams his foot into the door. It shakes but holds.

From the boarded-up windows and tiles missing from the pointed roof, the place looks abandoned. A glance to my left and right, and the whole neighbourhood appears banged up and forgotten.

A whoosh of movement disturbs the air next to us, and I turn to see Lucero placing a wobbling Summer on her feet.

“It’s going to be okay,” Vidar says more to himself than me. Hard, unrelenting gaze glaring down the house like he would an enemy.

I swallow back the pain to speak, only to have to swallow again when the words won’t form. “V-Vidar…”

He looks down, and our gazes lock. His beautiful grey eyes highlighting his fear and possession, and a love so deep I could drown in it.

“Vidar, if something happens to me, you have to promise you’ll not do anything stupid—”

“You will live,” he growls between clenched fangs. His jaw at a hard, stubborn angle. “There is no other choice.”

I go to say more, but he gently sits me on the ground.

“I won’t hear anymore of it.” And then he’s storming towards the door that Sen is still kicking, the picture of a warrior ready to tear down anything in his way.

I want to live, desperately. But as I watch Vidar throw his hulking body against the door, the only thing I’m scared about is what he’ll do if I don’t.

“Summer!” Vidar barks. “Get this door open!”

Summer rushes over, her purple coat flying in the wind as if she’s transformed into an exotic bird. More tears spill down my face from the pain, but even through it, a rush of affection sweeps over me as I watch the people I care about—even Sen, who I’ve only just met—try to save me.

“Emma’s magically sealed this place down,” Summer snaps, kicking the door for good measure.

“I’ve seen you teleport before,” Lucero replies.

Summer’s already shaking her head. “I need to be able to see or know where I’m going.”

“This is fucking pointless!” Vidar roars, slamming himself again and again at the single piece of wood keeping him out. Bellowing threats at Emma to come out.

The sound hits me when I try to move—leather. In the car, I thought it was the seats. But it was me, and through the fog of my memories, I hear Golden’s voice as clear as a bell. He was the one who put my leather jacket on me, after all.

“Heaving myself up, I shuffle my protesting body forward. These disgusting white scars burning me from within.

Nah, screw that.

I’m fire, not this bullshit. Not Emma, the blood mages, or anything else.

‘You’re a fucking badass, Kai.’

“Hell yeah, I am.”

“Kai?” Vidar sounds terrified as the group turns to look at me, and I raise my hands.