Of Consuming Fire by Micah Persell Read Free Book Online Page A

door and toward Jayden and the cave-in.
    “Where is he?” the blue-eyed one hissed, reaching for a rock and silently setting it aside.
    Jayden parted his wings and cleared his throat. Both men froze. “I believe I can answer that,” Jayden said softly.
    “Oh, hell,” the blond one muttered from his post.
    The blue-eyed one turned his head slowly until he met Jayden’s gaze.
    “I do not think I need to tell you that I could easily squelch this misbegotten escape attempt.”
    The blue-eyed one shook his head.
    “Good. Now, return to your women and inform them of your failure.”
    Raw anger flared quickly in those blue eyes, and his thoughts screamed rebellion, but the man stared at Jayden without an audible word.
    On the other side of the rubble, Jayden heard the whispers of many men. His temper frayed to the breaking point. A rescue attempt from both sides? These humans did not know what they played with.
    The Compulsion throbbing within his skull, Jayden jerked forward and snatched the blue-eyed one to him with a hand around the throat.
    “Hey, hey — ” the blond one said in a voice half urgent, half soothing. With palms out, he took several steps toward where Jayden now squeezed the other human’s neck.
    “Stay where you are,” Jayden barked as he struggled to get the Compulsion back under control. If those men on the outside burst through, that would be it. Jayden would lose himself and regain awareness amid horrible carnage. No one was safe.
    A vein began to throb in the blue-eyed one’s forehead, and still the man glared at Jayden with all the defiance he possessed. Against his will, Jayden felt a flare of respect stab through him.
    He loosened his fingers slightly. The blue-eyed one sucked in a ragged breath.
    Jayden would never be able to keep them here without them trying to escape. Without someone trying to rescue them. Unless —
    Jayden abruptly dropped his hand. As the blue-eyed one folded over to clutch his knees and gasp, Jayden turned to the blond one. “How did the men on the other side know to meet you at the cave-in?”
    The man’s wary eyes hardened, and his chin kicked up a notch.
    With a sigh, Jayden marched forward, intent on prying the information from him bodily before realizing from the man’s thoughts that he would not cave to physical intimidation. Jayden turned once more toward the blue-eyed one and reached for him again —
    “Okay, okay!” the blond one shouted.
    Jayden let his arm fall to his side and faced the blond one once more with a raised eyebrow.
    “We’ve been in contact through cell phone.”
    Ah, yes. The humans were never far from their gadgets. Jayden stalked closer to the blond man whose Adams apple bobbed, though he did not step back.
    “Listen to me now,” Jayden said in a low voice once they were toe-to-toe, “and know that I do not lie. No human, not even a strong one, stands a chance against me. If there is a rescue attempt — from
either
side — again, you are all dead. You
and
the innocents who would attempt to aid you.”
    No reaction from either man.
    “Your women as well.” Jayden looked directly into the blond one’s eyes, the truth and horror of his statement as apparent as Jayden could make it. “You will set me off, and not even I will be able to stop myself.”
    Now the blond one reacted. “Don’t you lay a hand on — ”
    Jayden cut him off with a raised palm. “Call them and tell them it is unsafe to attempt rescue.”
    Still the blond one hesitated.
    “Do it,” the blue-eyed one rasped from over Jayden’s shoulder. The man’s thoughts of his mate and unborn child mixed with panic and poured directly into Jayden’s mind. Whatever the human heard in Jayden’s voice, it was enough to convince him Jayden was as out of control as he probably was.
    With fumbling fingers, the blond one pulled a slim phone from his pocket and made the call.
    Jayden stretched forward his palm. “Give it to me.”
    As soon as the cool metal hit