Playing with Fire #1 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨

Once we got to the industrial estate, we split up. After kissing Ember, she hid in the warehouse directly next to the one with the vendetta spiral on. Kaden and I stood just inside of one that was about three warehouses away from it.

Most of the building was empty, apart from a few rotting wooden pallets. We didn't have to worry about anyone other than Victoria and the hunters showing up.

We could still hear and see everything, but thankfully the wind was blowing in our favour — Victoria wouldn't be able to tell that we were there.

Al was going to make the hoax calls to the police; she should've been doing it right then. Everyone had been sure and convinced that Al's visions had worked.

Me? I was still doubtful.

But my doubt also gave me an edge. An edge that meant I never let my guard down, even when it came to Ember. Especially when it came to Ember.

I closed my eyes momentarily, remembering what I saw when I showed her my wolf's eyes. I hadn't told her, but I saw her Phoenix for the first time then — like my other eyes had given me an insight into the mystical creature that inhabited her body.

Encircling her body, her Phoenix consisted of a faint shape of a bird, with flames dancing around the edges. And, like she kept insisting, it did look like it was protecting her.

When I opened my eyes, I focused on her with my wolf eyes. The Phoenix was stronger, glowing brighter and fiercer than before. It looked more powerful, she looked more powerful.

That doesn't look like protection anymore — it looked more like offence than defence.

"You okay?" Kaden glanced across at me.

"Yeah," I replied, returning to my human eyes. "Just checking Ember's okay."

"Is she?"

"Look for yourself."

"Holy shit. What is that?" He exclaimed when he saw her with his own werewolf eyes.

"Her Phoenix," I stated simply.

"Victoria's here."

Simultaneously, we stepped behind the broken corrugated iron door of the warehouse a little more. We didn't admit it to one another, but Victoria scared both of us.

"The Betas?" I checked.

"Also here." He nodded.

"How long did we say Ember should wait until she sets it on fire?" I asked, looking at Kaden.

"We didn't." He gulped.

"Shit," I muttered underneath my breath.

"She'll know when to do it," Kaden insisted with a sort of confidence I'd never heard on him before — maybe Halia is making him surer of himself. "She'll do it when she knows the hunters are close enough."

"When will that be, huh?" I spat at him, before rubbing my face and apologising, "Sorry, I'm just on edge."

"We all are," he reassured.

As much as I was desperate for this all to work out, I knew that as soon as it was over, things would change. Ember would go off to live with her uncle for a bit, and I would go off to find my pack.

What about Kaden? The thought raced across my mind. I couldn't just leave him behind in Lake Oldoy, could I?

I was becoming sure that he'd help me if I asked him to... But I didn't need help from an amateur. As much as I'd grown to like him, Kaden didn't exactly have tons of experience at being a werewolf.