The witch.
Another piece of the puzzle slides into place as my brain struggles to process information that shouldn’t be real.
This is insane.
This is impossible.
This is exactly what the dying hunter was screaming about before physics and bad luck snapped his neck like a twig.
“We have a problem,” Scar continues, his eyes never leaving mine as he addresses the ice man. “She’s seen us, seen this place… knows what we are, or at least suspects enough to be dangerous. The laws are very clear about what happens to humans who breach our world.”
The temperature, which had started to stabilize, plummets again as the ice man’s fury reignites. Frost races across every surface within ten feet of him, thick enough to obscure the floor and climb the walls like living vines. His hands curl into fists at his sides, ice coating his knuckles until they look carved from a glacier, and when he speaks, his voice carries the weight of mountains grinding together.
“I’m aware of the laws, Scar.”
“Then you know what has to happen.” Scar’s tone stays conversational, almost gentle, like he’s discussing routine business instead of my imminent murder. “The witch will come. She always does when the boundaries are crossed. And shewon’tbe pleased.”
My legs finally give up the fight to stay upright, knees buckling as exhaustion, blood loss, and sheer overwhelming terror catch up with adrenaline’s retreat. I don’t quite fall, catching myself on the edge of the dome’s pedestal with one hand while the other presses against ribs that might actually be cracked based on the way breathing suddenly takes concentrated effort.
The flame inside surges again at my touch, colors exploding into brilliant gold and white that fills the dome completely, burning with strength I haven’t seen from it yet. Both men freeze, staring at the fire like it’s performed a miracle, and maybe it has, based on their expressions. The ice man takes an involuntary step forward, then catches himself, warring emotions playing across his face too quickly to parse.
“This isn’t possible,” he says, and for the first time, his voice holds something besides rage or threat.
Wonder, maybe.
Or hope.
Or terrified recognition of something he doesn’t want to acknowledge.
“And yet…” Scar gestures toward the dome with one elegant hand, his smile widening into something that might be amusement or anticipation of chaos to come, “… here we are. Your dying flame, her bleeding humanity, and magic that’s been silent for centuries suddenly deciding now, tonight, is the perfect time to wake up and complicate absolutely everything.”
The flame pulses once more, a heartbeat of light, heat, desperation, and furious life, before settling back into its dance, still bright but not quite as brilliant as that first surge. I sway on my feet, the room tilting dangerously as blood continues running into my eye and consciousness starts fraying at the edges.
“I don’t understandanyof this,” I manage, the words slurring slightly. “I just wanted help. That’s all. Just some fucking help from the crash and the stupid snow outside, but it is just as goddamn arctic in here.”
The ice man’s eyes lock onto mine, and in their glowing depths I see the moment he makes a decision that I am absolutely certain I’m not going to like. His expression hardens into something beyond cold, beyond merciless, into the kind of absolute determination that moves mountains and breaks worlds without hesitation or regret.
“You’renotleaving,” he says, each word dropping like stones into still water. “Not until we figure out what you are and why my fire responds to you like it’s been waiting centuries for this exact moment.”
“I’m nobody!” My protest comes out weak, barely audible over my own heartbeat thundering in my ears. “Just a photographer… human, normal, nothing special. Certainly nothing like whatever the fuckyouare!”
“My flame disagrees.” His gaze shifts to Scar, some unspoken communication passing between them that I’m too exhausted and hurt to interpret. “Lock her down… in a secure room. Iron if necessary. We’ll figure this out after I deal with the hunter’s body and make sure there aren’t any more witnesses wandering throughmyfucking territory!”
Iron.
He said iron like it means something beyond basic metal, and the way Scar’s expression shifts into something calculating and predatory suggests it definitely means something I won’t enjoy experiencing.
“Wait!” I try to take a step backward, but there’s nowhere to go—the pedestal behind me, two supernatural creatures in front of me, and exhaustion dragging at every limb until standing upright takes more energy than I have left to spare. “You can’t just imprison me. I haven’t done anything except survive a car crash and have the terrible judgment to seek help from the wrong place.”
“You touched my fire.” The ice man moves closer, each step controlled and deliberate, frost spreading in his wake until the entire floor looks like a frozen lake. “You made it burn brighter than it has in decades. That alone is worth investigating… even if you weren’t a human who’s seen too much and knows too much.”
“Idon’tknowanything!”The words come out desperate now, fear finally catching up with everything else as the reality of my situation crystallizes with brutal clarity. “I don’t even understand what the hell I’m looking at. This doesn’t make sense. None of this makes any fucking sense!”
“It will.” Scar appears at my elbow with speed that makes my stomach lurch, his hand wrapping around my upper arm with strength that suggests escape isn’t an option worth attempting. His skin is ice-cold through my jacket, and up close, I see that his eyes are definitely red, glowing with inner light that has nothing human in them. “Eventually. Once the prez decides whether you’re useful… or justunfortunate.”
The room spins violently as he steers me away from the dome, my legs barely cooperating with the direction he’s guiding me. Behind us, I hear the ice man’s voice one more time, cold and final.
“Find Wreck. Tell him to clean up the crash site and dispose of the hunter’s body. Make it look like an animal attack or exposure. No evidence that leads back here.”