The Tempting Touch Of Fire (Elemental Awakening, Book 1) by Nicola Claire Read Free Book Online Page B

cacophony of unnatural noise. Some plants creaked and moaned, some leaves shattered the night air with high pitched tinkling sounds. And the earth beneath the concrete that surrounded, protected , Theo and his house, heaved.
    He lost his footing, landing on his side in an undignified heap. And swore a litany of unspeakable words in Greek. I ran at him. No freaking idea what I would do, but the ground continued to move in a jerking wave that unsettled him, but somehow aided my footing, so I just kept going. I would wing it, but the bastard would pay for hurting my plants and being a git to me.
    I leapt on his back and kicked and scratched and punched - ineffectually - all the while we rolled around and bucked with the movement of the earth.
    "Are you mental?" he yelled in my face.
    "Murderer," I shouted back and kneed him between the legs.
    More Greek swear words. It was impressive.
    And then a wall of fire erupted from nowhere and headed towards the line of trees.
    "Call them off, Cassandra. Or the plants burn."
    Holy freak. He caused the fire. Theo made fire from nothing and would barbecue the plants to get me to comply. I hated him. I really, truly did.
    "Arsehole!" I spat, whacking him across the side of his head. His hand came up and grasped my wrist, the other wrist had been immobilised early on. He flipped us, somehow timing the motion to match a lull in the wave of pavement beneath us. So I landed with a thud, but was cushioned by a spring-like feeling that was impossible, in a normal world, to expect when being hurled at concrete.
    "Oraia," he said between clenched teeth. "Call off your pets. Now!"
    Stop! I thought and it miraculously worked. Theo's wall of fire dissipated immediately, making me think it took something out of him to sustain such an incomprehensible thing.
    In the wake of such upheaval, both Theo and I were breathing heavily. In the silence that followed my mental command, it sounded so very, very loud.
    "You are trespassing," he said in a way too reasonable voice.
    "You killed my plants," I ground back at him. He frowned.
    "What plants?"
    I sucked in a slow breath, trying to get my heart to still so I could concentrate better. I searched his face for the lie. But all I saw was curiosity and a lingering sense of anger.
    "My plants at home," I finally managed to whisper.
    Something wasn't right here and part of me was already aching for it to be true. For Theo to not be the person who had destroyed my home.
    But was he acting? I'd thought before it might have been an act. Was it now?
    Oh dear God, I don't know how I would deal with the disappointment and pain if everything he'd ever done and said was a lie. Which made me realise that's exactly what he had been feeling too. Was he as scared as me of being let down?
    His head tilted slightly to the side, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
    "Your home," he said in a flat voice. Then immediately sucked in air. "Someone's been in your home? Already?"
    I couldn't talk. I could hardly breathe. Please. Please let this be real. Please don't let it have been Theo.
    "Casey," he said with a shake of his hands on my wrists to get me to focus. "Have you met any others like me?"
    Like me . My mouth opened to answer him, but no words came out.
    Was this the truth? It wasn't him? Could I dare hope?
    I swallowed my fear and managed to murmur, "I did meet a doctor at the Emergency Room last night called Dr Peters."
    Theo's face clouded briefly. I held my breath. "I see," he said, voice low and heavily accented. "Did she recognise you?"
    Something in his tone told me this was the answer I'd been seeking. Dr Peters had recognised me, why else did her eyes flash gold and the curtains burn in her wake? I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek as I waited for his reply.
    He let a long breath of air out. "Why have you not heeded my warning and left? Can you not see now, how important it was for you to escape while you still could? Xanthe's husband is in the Guard," he added, eyes