The burning furnace

Scarlett was unhinged. The events of the past days had definitely done a number on her. Her eyes were filled with venom as she

looked at him.

I will kill you, she thought, more panicked now

than she had ever been. The memories of what had happened only recently with the witch and Elder Quinn were still fresh in her mind, and as her powers swelled once more in a fresh wave within her, she felt cornered and alone.

Her thoughts suddenly went to her brother.

Oliver, where are you? She screamed internally, not knowing that her lips mouthed the same question.

If Oliver was near, he would have found her.

Though they did not spend every waking moment together as some twins do, he was always there for her and would come running if she called.

But he was not there. Now, Scarlett was alone and had no one to help her. It was a face that was equal parts painful and full of despair. She was alone, and no one would come to help her. Elder Quinn was not there. Her parents were not there. Oliver was not there.

She let out a scream, and the furnace blazed

red-hot once more, and this time, it did not stop there. The heat kept increasing, and the colors of the flame turned from orange to red, and slowly

showed flashes of white.

The man, who looked indecisive only minutes ago,

now acted swiftly and without hesitation, his face full of alarm.

He grabbed her arm, and that caused her to aim

another punch at him with her other hand. He ducked, pulling her down at the same time. The heat in the room became too much, and the furnace made crackling sounds as it kept on burning.

He pushed her into her back despite her screaming at him to get off. And he placed a hand on her abdomen, holding her down whilst

shaking her arm furiously.

“Stop it right now,” he growled at her, the sweat

from the heat forming a layer on his forehead, and making his shirt cling to him like a second skin. “That’s enough! Stop this right now!”

Scarlett’s vision blurred, and her ears rang. She

did not hear what the man was saying, as his voice had faded into the background, as the ringing in her ears became her sole focus.

Then all at once, as she began to feel his hands

on her body, she slowly became aware of how hot everywhere was. Scarlett’s eyes focused on him, and she began to hear him more and more as he raised his voice, growling for her to stop.

She began to focus on his face, his eyes that

looked both panicked and furious, and the way sweat ran down his face.

She looked over his shoulder and saw the black smoke drifting up into the ceiling.

She saw the cream walls of the strange room she was trapped in being stained red with brief flashes of white as the furnace kept burning.

She felt the sweat on her skin and the sweat from the man’s hands as he gripped her, growling at

her.

It was enough. She tried to tell herself it was

enough. Please stop, she thought frantically. Stop burning.

She did not know when the heat stopped, or the

furnace stopped burning, but all of a sudden, she heard a sigh of relief coming from the man, who looked even more haggard than before. His breaths seemed to come out slower as the breeze from the window cooled the air around them,

filling the room and lowering the temperature.

The man breathed deeply and slowly, his anger leaking out from him with each breath. Moments passed, and Scarlett eyed him, still scared and unable to think.

He looked down at her in a more blasé manner now, as he watched her slowly come to her senses, so to speak. Her eyes were still

so wild as she panted and flared up at him. But that was not all; he could sense the fear in her eyes as well, and that was what made him hesitate.

Moments passed as they stared at each other, and the man seemed to come to a decision. He clambered off her, and she held his eyes as he moved back, raising his arms to his head to show he meant no harm.

Scarlett sat up slowly; her eyes were still trained

on him. What was he doing now, she thought, and she got up to her feet, then putting distance between the two of them. She walked backward until she felt her back hit the wall right next to the window. Her face turned slightly, feeling

the cool breeze that flowed in through it. It felt good.

The man watched her, deep in thought about the strange girl in front of him.

I should have known this one would be trouble, he

sighed inwardly. His eyes roved over her body, trying to make sure that he had

not accidentally wounded her in their brief tussle.

Once he was certain that she was still okay, he began to think once more about what to do with her.

He could not let her come near members of his pack, and could not risk putting others in danger due to whatever powers she had. Until he could figure out the next step, he needed to

keep her, to put it simply, trapped in his house and the nearby vicinity.

He sighed, this time, drawing her attention once more.

This was going to be a hassle to contain.

With that thought, he simply said in clipped tones, “You can rest here. I will bring you something to

eat later,” and strode out of the room. His eyes caught sight of the now broken furnace, with black smoke all over it, and cracks lined all around it. A shiver unpleasantly ran down his spine.

He had to keep an eye on her for sure.