Engulfed

“You have officially lost your mind.” Azlynn shook her head.

“No, that was official about ten years ago,” Dante said. “But I’m right about this. Even Drew and Rico saw it. Azlynn, I’m telling you, Charlotte is like, in love with you or something. It’s totally creepy.”

“You’re crazy. All of you,” Azlynn replied, trying to decide if she should be amused or annoyed. “Is this some kind of prank you and the guys put together? Because it’s really not funny.”

“I agree,” Dante muttered. “But I’m not joking, Azlynn. I saw the way she was looking at you in the dining hall. Ask Drew if you don’t believe me. Do you really think he would kid around about something like this? He’s in love with Charlotte.”

Azlynn dropped her defensive stance, chewing her lip anxiously. No, she didn’t think Drew would go along with a practical joke like this. But what Dante was saying was so ludicrous. Charlotte, in love with Azlynn? Yeah, right. Although, there had been those weird thoughts flickering from Charlotte back in the woods… No. Azlynn shook her head again, as though she could shake the idea right out of existence. Charlotte was bonded to Drew, even if Leviathan’s demon mark had made her forget that. She couldn’t have just suddenly developed a crush on Azlynn.

“Charlotte’s not, you know, a player for that team,” Azlynn said uncertainly, looking to Dante for confirmation. “So that doesn’t make any sense.”

“You’re telling me. But I know what I saw.”

Azlynn heaved a sigh. “Another complication is really the last thing we need right now. I’m going to take a shower.” She pulled herself up off the bed and trudged into the bathroom. She had hounded Dante to tell her what he and the other guys had been talking about but he had been evasive, and her protests were cut short when Fern returned to the dining hall and announced that Will’s team could stay in the guesthouses, for tonight. Dante had fairly dragged Azlynn out of there and to their designated cabin, where he finally told her about Charlotte and her alleged romantic feelings towards Azlynn.

“Everything just had to go crazy all at once, didn’t it?” Azlynn muttered to herself as the hot water sluiced over her skin. She remained in the shower until the hot water was spent, then toweled off and slipped into a pair of black silk pajama pants and matching tank top. Dante was already asleep with his arm tossed over his face when she returned. Despite the relaxing shower, Azlynn still felt too wound up to sleep just yet. She decided a late-night flight would soothe her nerves. She slipped quietly to the window, spread her wings, and launched silently into the dark air. The air here was icy and the stars above her glinted like diamond shards. Azlynn soared up above the tops of the pine trees, up beyond where even the keenest cat or wolf eyes could not spot her. Freezing moisture waiting to turn to snow and fall to earth clung to her skin, but the chill didn’t deter her from her reckless flight.

She flew even higher, until she was above the few moonlit clouds that drifted lazily over the earth. She pushed up and up until she slipped through Earth’s atmosphere altogether, and went hurtling into the black of space. She loved it here. Laughing, she propelled herself toward the full moon. She landed and twirled gracefully around its craters like some dark cosmic ballerina. She pirouetted, then took to the sky again, moon dust trailing from her feet and the hems of her pants. She spotted a cluster of meteors and flew into it, shooting out bursts of black and white fire to blast them into smaller pieces. Then she drew them closer to Earth and started moving them in circles, until they were spinning in wild circles. Azlynn moved her hands like an orchestra conductor, directing the strange dance.

She felt power coursing through her blood and over her skin in turbulent waves. She knew she was starting to reach one of her uncontrollable moments; where the magic flowing through her being would finally burst free whether she wanted it to or not. She felt a twinge of panic, but decided that if she was all the way up here in the vacuum of space then surely the wild magic couldn’t do any harm, right? She used her Far-Sight, looking down on her friends back in Canada, grinning as they woke and stumbled outside, gawking up at the erratic meteor shower occurring above them. But the smile died on her face as a lightning bolt of dark energy shot out of her fingers, racing to one of the larger chunks of meteorite and pushing it in the direction of Earth at an alarming speed.

Azlynn abandoned her cosmic dance recital, shoving the remaining rocks back out into space and beat her wings, shooting after the wayward magic and its deadly projectile. The ribbon of black fire wrapped itself around the colossal rock, towing it impossibly fast down toward the ground. It was no surprise, of course, that it was hurtling straight for the forest where the wolf pack and her friends were. Azlynn pounced onto the meteor as it descended on the isolated Canadian wood. She clawed at the black flames coiled around it with her hands. They were so close to the ground now Azlynn could actually see Lupus Lake and its frantic inhabitants scrambling around trying to seek cover.

“So…not…happening!” Azlynn panted. She allowed white fire to fill her from head to toe, then she slammed her palms against the rock with all her might. The rock shattered, and the smaller rocks that formed quickly crumbled into dark dust as the bright light of Angelfire melted it into harmless particles. The Hellfire hissed and was extinguished. Azlynn collapsed in the snow, the sky spinning wildly above her. Hell and Angel Fires were still warring with one another under her skin; using her body as a battleground. She struggled for control, trying to stamp down the unbridled power before someone found her. She didn’t want them to see her like this. She was supposed to be a leader. How could she protect everyone else when she could barely keep her own magic and sanity under control?

“What the hell was that?” Panicked, Azlynn struggled to sit up. Footsteps were approaching.

“Do you think maybe Ted had something to do with it?”

Oh, God, get up! Come on Azlynn, get up! Azlynn thought desperately, using all her will to silence the war raging inside her. She was finally able to force herself into a sitting position and was just getting ready to spread her wings and take off when the others came trampling through the trees. Azlynn froze. The others gaped at her. Azlynn’s eyes flicked from side to side, and she cringed as she realized that the Angelfire had melted all the snow around her, meteor dust was clinging to her skin, and her silky tank top was semi-ripped and hanging off one shoulder. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw traces of the black and white sparks still pulsing in her hands, and she quickly rose to her feet and clasped her hands behind her before someone noticed.

“Hi, guys,” she said casually, pleased that her voice was steady even though her heart was skipping painfully in her chest. “That was certainly one heck of a meteor shower, wasn’t it?” she went on brightly, mentally kicking herself for sounding like an idiot.

“What were you doing out here?” Ridge and Fern were both present, and were watching her with a mixture of distrust and curiosity. The other wolves gathered were simply slack-jawed and watching her wings with awe. Dante and the rest of the team looked like they wanted to ask about a million questions but had lost the ability to speak. Oh I’ve really stepped in it this time, Azlynn thought desperately.

“Az, are you all right?” Drew asked finally, watching her with concern.

“Yeah, you look a little shaken up,” Charlotte added, taking a step in Azlynn’s direction. Dante caught her gaze over Charlotte’s shoulder and he pointed wildly at her, mouthing something to Azlynn. She frowned and shook her head faintly, not understanding.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Charlotte asked, reaching out to touch Azlynn’s shoulder. Charlotte moved in a little closer than seemed really necessary, and her green eyes were full of tender worry. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, Azlynn carefully pulled back slightly. Charlotte didn’t drop her hand. Azlynn looked up to meet Dante’s gaze again. He gave her a pointed look and Azlynn flinched, her cheeks flaming as she realized that he had been right.

“Um, yes, thank you Charlotte,” Azlynn said, slipping away from her. “I’m fine. I was just out for a breath of air.”

“You’re sure doing that a lot lately,” Dante muttered. Irritation flashed through Azlynn, and it was enough to spark the Hellfire that she had been struggling to keep at bay. The shadows around her started to hum, eager for violence. Azlynn fought to control her appearance as her fangs tried to reveal themselves.

“I didn’t realize you were my keeper,” she snarled, startled at the fierceness in her own voice. Oh, no, she thought. The Hellfire was trying to take over, and her Angelfire immediately responded. She felt the battle surge up inside her chest again. Her fangs retracted and Azlynn fell to her knees with a gasp. Black and white crackled from her fingertips, snaking its way up her arm until her body was covered in jet and ivory sparkles. Pain ripped through her abdomen and she whimpered, digging her fingers into the snow as she tried to center herself again. She was dimly aware of voices calling to her, but they sounded incredibly far away. All she could see was fire. Another sharp pain lanced through her; agonizing as a white-hot poker. Azlynn screamed once, high and terrified, and then she collapsed and the world went dark.