Page 12 of Axis of Fire

And I wanted to give in.

Until I noticed something strange at the edges of the fire.

A net—

woven from translucent threads—

was closing in.

Slowly.

Gently.

But with absolute certainty.

Then came the hiss.

My flames reacted to it.

The net seemed to dissolve them on contact.

It was shrinking.

Fast.

Leaving behind smoke that didn’t have time to fade—

as if hiding the consequences of my loss of control.

Through the fading flames and drifting smoke, a large, broad-shouldered silhouette moved toward me.

A man.

Unhurried.

Confident.

Almost relaxed.

“Is this where it ends?” I rasped, my voice barely audible, as warmth spread through me like a soft blanket, urging my eyes to close.

To never open them again.

“The end of this pathetic life?”

His voice was sweet.

Velvet-soft.

It lulled me—

pulling me under.

So it wouldn’t hurt.

So I wouldn’t have to feel.

So these final moments would stay with me until the very end.