Playing with Fire (Book 1 of the FIRE Trilogy)



  Playing with Fire

   

  Fire Trilogy, Book 1

   

  Copyright 2014 Devika Fernando

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Everything you want is on the other side of fear.

  Jack Canfield, The Power of Focus

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Other Titles by Devika Fernando

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  She wanted to burn.

  The house in front of her was on fire, and the spectacle drew her magically.

  From where she stood, she could hear the flames lapping at the wood and concrete, sizzling with their heat and hissing with their hunger. They sounded like snakes in a feeding frenzy, eager tongues scurrying ahead to check for more to devour as kindling material to fuel the flames. The fire’s sounds were louder in her ears than the groaning of the house giving in, the cracking of surfaces and the exploding of glass. It was as though the fire were speaking to her, beckoning her closer in a malicious whisper, inviting her to join in on the hot and spicy feast.

  Felicia stood rooted to the spot, eyes traveling up and down the shape that had once been a two-story house and now resembled a single, giant, burning slab, standing out in stark contrast against the black night sky. She watched the flames leap out of the broken windows and flickering in the air like brightly colored banners, watched the fire feed on the building material and furniture, raising itself to greater strength. Soon, the flames would dance across the lawn and find their way toward where she was standing, half hidden behind a tree.

  Anybody in their right mind would have bolted, half scared out of their wits at the sight of the raging fire.

  But Felicia wasn’t in her right mind.

  She could feel the fire tempting her, pulling her closer with its heat and energy, and with its promises of passion. Her pulse was racing. Had she been able to see herself at this moment, she would have looked at a face with wide eyes, pupils dilated and reflecting the dancing flames, nostrils flaring like an animal scenting the smoke.

  Before she knew it, she had started walking toward the flames as if in a trance, feet moving on their own will, heart hammering in her chest.

  The closer she got to the burning house, the hotter it felt. Sweat was breaking out across her body, forming tiny pearls on the bare skin of her arms and on her face. She licked her dry lips and took some more steps forward, the noise increasing, and the voices inside her urging her on.

  A shout tore through the night, disrupting her dream-like state.

  “Stop!”

  Her head whipped around to the sound. She was more irritated than alarmed. Over her left shoulder, she saw the figure of a sprinting man. He was gesticulating wildly, repeating his warning. Or was it a command?

  She didn’t care. Part of her wanted to react like any normal human would have, but there was another part beyond normalcy. The flames were calling her, and she wanted nothing more than to become one with them.

  Determined, she turned her head towards the burning house again, more than half of the upper story collapsing with horrible finality. There was no time to lose.

  Before she knew it, she was running full tilt towards the fire, a desperate scream of “Noooooooo!” ringing in her ears until she was lost to the world around her.

  All around her was heat, delicious, intensive warmth within and without. She stood in an embrace of fire, arms spread wide, turning in a slow circle on the spot, amidst a burning room. In another second, the flames would touch her, caress her, seduce her, and devour her.

  There was a loud crash accompanied by a whoosh of air. Something hit her in the back with full force.

  Everything went blank.

  The next thing she knew, Felicia was coming to her senses, opening her eyes wide in shock. It took her a long moment to get an idea about her whereabouts. She lay stock still, her back pressed against a hard, cold surface, a heavy weight on top of her. Most of her body including part of her face felt as if it was covered in a soft fabric, despite the hardness pressing in on her from two sides. Somewhere in the not too far distance, she could hear the fire turning the house to embers, but its heat and intensity didn’t reach her anymore. A few seconds went by during which she didn’t move, feeling like a trapped animal and much more in danger than she had felt some moments ago.

  What had happened?

  Out of the corner of one eye, she could make out tree branches and the black blanket of the night sky. She must be lying on the ground of the forest near the burning building. The cool weight on top of her felt not solid but kind of … kind of like a person lying on top of her and molding her to the earth. She gasped and moved her head, which caused the person atop her to gasp too.

  There was some scrambling and a low curse in a male—very male, and incredibly sexy—voice before the weight was lifted off her and she could breathe. The soft cloth over her eyes fell aside, although the rest of her body was still covered in it. She remained in her lying position, unsure what reaction was expected of her.

  The house must be ablaze, because despite the trees close by, there was enough eerie light to make out her immediate surroundings. Her night vision had always been great, so wouldn’t have needed so much illumination.

  A few feet away from her stood a man. It must be the person that had been approaching her some time ago—how much time?—although there was something decidedly different about his silhouette.

  Felicia couldn’t help staring at the person. This must be the handsomest man she had ever seen, movie stars and singers included. He was extraordinarily tall and slim, dressed in black jeans and a grey T-shirt molding to his finely muscled upper body. Short, light blonde hair, slightly messy, and eyes bluer than blue made her pulse race. Although his face was set in an expression of distress, it was sculpted right out of a woman’s fantasies. She had seen enough handsome men in her life, but somehow, this one got to her. There was a slow, deep, delicious burning sensation inside her belly which she had never felt before. It unsettled her as much as the way he was staring at her. Then again, how else should one look at a woman covered in God knew what fabric, lying rigidly on the forest floor?

  With irritation overriding the momentary fear, she pushed herself into a sitting position. She hadn’t so much as half sat up when the man was by her side as quick as lightning, putting a restraining hand against her shoulder.

  “Don’t. You’ll hurt yourself. You’re in no state to get up.”

  That voice! Deep, resonant, cold, confident. The heat in her belly spread like a core of liquid at the bottom of a volcano, waiting to rise and erupt. It set her off balance, the intense reaction caused by this devilishly beautiful stranger who was taking such interest in her well-being.
<
br />   Her insecurity made her sound harsher than she had planned it.

  “Nonsense. I can sit just fine and will be able to get up just as fine if you let me.”

  The man blinked, long lashes veiling and unveiling those icy blue eyes contrasting spectacularly with his pale skin. A frown of confusion or irritation was etched in his forehead, making him look all the more attractive to her.

  “Are you sure? You’re in shock. You must be. How are you feeling?”

  So much concern.

  She shied back from it and from his touch. Pulling her knees against her body, she realized she was clutching the soft cloth tighter to herself. It was in fact a long coat made of black wool, probably his. Yes, that’s why he looked different from before, he must have taken his coat off and thrown it over her. But why?

  When she inhaled, preparing to utter a reprimand or explanation, an intoxicating scent caught her attention. It wasn’t as appealing to her as the smells of fire and smoke, but it definitely sent the core of heat and want inside her soaring to new heights. There was a woodsy and cool tint to it, maybe a hint of a snow-covered forest with a stream running through it, laced with peppermint. A slight underlying sweetness of cologne and a musky and male undertone clung to the coat too. It made her inhale again to savor his scent.

  For a moment, they stared at each other, he worried and waiting for an answer, she realizing that the answers she had to give would confuse him more.

  “I’m all right. I’m not in shock or anything. There’s no reason to worry about me.”

  She hoped she sounded as reassuring and self-assured as she wanted to.

  The man’s frown deepened. Crouched down so close beside her, he leaned forward, and peered into her face as though he wanted to look through her eyes into her soul.

  She shivered involuntarily. The man laid his other hand on her shoulder, softly yet firmly.

  “Are you in pain?”

  She felt like laughing because what she felt was so unlike pain, but she choked the laughter back down and worked hard to sound innocent and calm and confident.

  “No, I’m not. Please stop worrying and let me go.”

  He dropped his hands abruptly, but didn’t seem to believe a single word she was saying.

  “It must be the shock. The pain will register soon enough, I’m afraid. Even if you feel perfectly fine, I’d prefer it if you could sit there until the paramedics have a look at you. They’ll be on their way together with the fire brigade. It won’t take long. Try to stay calm. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Hearing him mention the fire brigade and medics sent her inner alarm bells ringing. She had to get out of here! If she understood the situation right, he had saved her from the burning house and wanted to know she was taken care of. She had to run. Now!

  She pushed back on her heels and moved to her feet and several steps away from him, almost knocking him off balance in the process.

  “Seriously, there’s no need to make a fuss about me. I haven’t been hurt. I don’t need any medical care. And this isn’t… wasn’t my house over there.”

  Despite her words, the man was again approaching her, hands held out. Did she imagine things or was the air getting cooler around them, as if the cold came from him?

  “Listen to me,” he pleaded.

  God, his voice and his scent enveloping her made it difficult to think straight.

  “Stop! Don’t come near me!”

  She was close to panicking now, a faint siren sound penetrating the forest.

  Her shout did stop him in his advance. For a moment, he looked offended or maybe just truly alarmed.

  “There’s no need to act like I want to harm you. I pulled you out of the goddamn hands of a raging fire. I saved your life. And while I don’t expect any thanks because it was the natural thing to do, I’d appreciate it if you let me handle the situation. It’s best for you in your injured and confused state.”

  She liked the quiet authority in his voice, although another part of her rebelled against being patronized like this. It looked like she wouldn’t be able to wiggle her way out of this easily, and there was no time.

  Taking a deep breath and plunging ahead into the story she knew he wouldn’t believe, she felt regret for warding off his care.

  “Now you listen to me. It was…heroic of you to run in there and try to save me—but the thing is, I never needed or wanted any saving. I was fine and still am fine. Neither am I injured, nor am I confused. And I’m going to leave you now.”

  Before he could protest, she peeled the coat off herself and made to throw it to him but was stopped in mid-motion by the priceless expression on his face. He looked as though he had seen a ghost. She took a second to look glance down at herself and cringed. His expression of utter surprise and incomprehension was to be expected.

  On the outside, she bore the signs of having been in a house on fire. Some of her toes peeked out of her sneakers, badly singed at the front and had partly melted soles. Her skirt’s hem, coming somewhere up over her knees, was ragged and black here and there, like burned cloth snuffed out in time. The same was true for the blue-and-white-striped sweatshirt with torn sleeves, smoking at places and riddled with burn holes at other places. She could swear there were ashes and tiny bits of wood and plaster in her hair because it felt heavier and tangled. Her clothes bore testimony to the fact that he had indeed saved her life—or would have, if ever her life had been in danger from the fire.

  Her body told a different story altogether. It was a picture of good health, from the few visible toes to her tanned legs, from her bare, unharmed arms to her face framed by unruly, red curls falling down over her shoulders and back. There was not a single blister, wound or scar on her skin, only a smudge or two of soot and damp earth from her stint on the ground of the forest.

  Felicia swallowed. What would he think? That his eyes were playing a trick on him? That the fire had shocked him too?

  Only after she had examined herself for signs of burns did she notice the marks the fire had left behind on him. His clothes were in the same bad state as hers. Looking closer, she could see welts and reddish blisters on his right arm and holes in his jeans.

  Here he was, worrying his head off about her, when apparently he was the one in pain and needing medical attention.

  She felt guilty. This man had risked his life to save hers, and she hadn’t deserved his kindness and couldn’t make him understand that it had been in vain.

  The handsome stranger—her hero of the night—was still staring, mouth agape, eyes large like two luminous blue-grey glass orbs.

  “I am all right,” she repeated, as calmly as she could.

  Instead of throwing him his jacket, she walked the few steps up to him and pressed it into his hand.

  Standing so close, she was attacked by his intriguing scent and by the coolness he radiated. It pulled her in, as inexorably as the flames had, but in a different way. The liquid fire core inside her bubbled and glowed ever brighter.

  Without saying a word, the man reached out and ran his free hand over one of her bare forearms, as if he wanted to make sure that what looked unharmed was truly without a blemish. He lifted his hand and tentatively brushed his knuckles across her left cheek.

  She shivered. For a second, the heat inside her was about to explode. Her involuntary gasp broke the magic.

  “But… but how is this possible?” the man whispered, instinctively taking two, three steps back as though it hurt him to look at her, or as though she scared him.

  Forcing down her guilt and fear, she slowly moved away from him and deeper into the forest.

  “Thank you,” she said, the words coming from the heart but sounding meaningless.

  “Wait!” he called out, voice full of emotion, striking her, hurting her somehow.

  The shrill shrieking of a siren cut through the night. Neither of them had noticed it approaching, but now rotating lights and persistent wailing left no room for doubt: The fire brigade had
arrived.

  Her heart skipped a beat. She used the split second when the man turned his head toward the sound to slink in between the trees. Turning on her heel, she ran away from the scene as fast as she could in her damaged shoes and the semi darkness.

  The sound of his beautiful voice shouting “Wait! Don’t go!” hung back behind her, ringing in her ears more clearly than the siren.

  She didn’t want to go. But she had to go.

  Chapter 2