The Mark of Fallen Flame (Weapon of Fire and Ash Book 1) by Brittany Matsen

Author:Brittany Matsen [Matsen, Brittany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Brittany Matsen
ISBN: 9780473522438
Publisher: Bookwyrm Books
Published: 2020-05-13T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Emma

Stepping up into a black Range Rover, Emma spied Axel, who turned around in the passenger seat, flashing her a grin. Emma forced a small smile in return. She was still shaken by Rowek’s words and the rough manner he’d treated her in. It was so unlike him. He’d been gentle. Kind.

Was it simply jealousy that had made him act so strangely?

Blaze shut the door for her before climbing into the driver’s seat, and then they were driving. The city was congested with such a large portion being blocked off, but no one seemed to have the sense to stay home.

“So the bombs were a diversion? How? I mean,” she licked her lips, her tongue felt like sandpaper. She had cried what little moisture her body had after breathing in the dusty, smoky air for several hours, and she had given her bottle of water to the EMT. “What was the real intent then?”

Blaze’s stormy gray eyes flicked up to the rear-view mirror. “More abductions. Giborim compounds were attacked. The Shediem know if they bomb human structures, the Giborim forces will be diverted to offer aid and try to hunt the Shediem responsible. That leaves the fortresses with less protection in the event of an attack. Seattle wasn’t the only place hit. It’s everywhere.”

Perhaps she was too numb to feel the weight of what he had said, because no surge of horror rose up in her like it should have. Instead she just rasped, “Oh.”

In the front seat, Axel unzipped something Emma couldn’t see, and her heart shot up into her throat. He turned, handing her a bottle of water. The outside was frosty with cold. Emma swallowed hard and took it with a grateful smile. She gulped down the icy liquid greedily, welcoming the stinging in her throat and the ache it left in her skull. Axel wordlessly passed another cool bottle back to her when she’d finished.

This time she accepted with a small, “Thanks.”

The cityscape faded behind them, replaced with trees and foliage. Leaves of gold, burnt orange and deep red rained down from the branches, blanketing the road. Ahead of them, the Cascades shot high into the air. Already their tops were blanketed in white.

“Where are we going?” Emma asked.

“I guess you can say it’s my house. There’s going to be a meeting with Giborim from all over once we get there.”

“How far away is it? I need to be back before my mother.”

Axel chuckled. “Don’t worry, sweets, we’re almost there.”

Emma sat back and tried to relax, unsuccessfully. Each bump made her muscles tense. Everything felt like it was going sideways. Now, even Seattle was marked unsafe. Emma wouldn’t be surprised if her mother tried to move her into some underground bunker. There was nowhere else to go. And the way she and Rowek had parted left her insides twisted and unsettled.

They turned onto a dirt road, hardly worn. Blaze drove with certainty, even when the terrain turned rocky, and they had to slow. Emma gripped the overhead handle.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.