Running into Fire: An Urban Fantasy Adventure (Magic of Nasci Book 3) by DM Fike

Author:DM Fike [Fike, DM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Labs LLC
Published: 2020-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

I WOKE UP in a hospital room.

At first, the setting didn’t register in my muddled brain. I smelled the disinfectant, coarse linen sheet pulled up to my chest, harsh fluorescent light bulbs clashing with the natural sunlight attempting to stream in between the vertical window blinds. A beeping on a machine next to me reassured me I had a pulse. But I didn’t bring all those sensations together until I saw a blonde-haired pretty boy slumped over in the world’s least comfortable armchair, fast asleep. He wore the same outdoor clothing as before, a backpack crumpled at his feet.

“Rafe?” I croaked.

Memories came flooding back in a rush—the fire, saving the geezer, running into Rafe outside of the school, and facing the weird fire demon. The last thing I remember was going guns out in a spectacular lightning blast, and then fade to white. End scene.

Rafe must have heard me because he stirred in his seat. A red mark remained on his cheek where his shoulder had dug into the flesh too long, but even that somehow made him appear cute. He flashed me a comforting smile.

“Good morning, Ina.”

“Morning?” It had been the middle of the night only seconds ago, but sure enough, the annoying ticking clock on the wall read ten. “What’s going on?”

“You’re in a hospital. Don’t worry, everything’s okay.”

I didn’t want to rehash stuff I already knew. “Yeah, I got that part. I mean, what brought me here?”

“The firefighters found you in the middle of a charred section of forest, unconscious but alive. They brought you here.”

I wish they hadn’t. The hospital couldn’t do anything for me that an hour at the hot spring wouldn’t fix. But I had other problems to deal with. “And the fire? Did they contain it?”

“I think so,” Rafe shrugged.

I leaned back into my pillow, relaxing a smidge. I guess that meant I’d actually gotten rid of that weird fire demon. I couldn’t believe it had attacked so close to civilization in the first place. I doubted it would have simply walked away and stopped setting fires unless I’d blasted it back where it came from.

Nothing about that thing felt normal.

Rafe scooted his chair closer so he could place one hand on the hospital bed railing. “But more importantly, I’m glad you’re okay.”

I blushed in spite of myself. People don’t gush over me. They roll their eyes, give me unwanted advice, and berate my decisions, but besides Vincent, they didn’t generate a ton of genuine concern for me.

I shouldn’t have thought of Vincent. My blush morphed into a scowl. I hated how that awful sting of jealousy reared its head when his memory popped up. How my heart ached. Hadn’t I left teenage crushes behind a long time ago?

Rafe noticed my mood shift. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m just groggy. It happens when you run headfirst into fire.”

“I suppose that’s not something ordinary people can relate to.” He pinned me down with those gorgeous eyes. “Only something a shepherd can do.”

The startled gasp left my lips before I could stop it.

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