Bright white light blinded Amerie. She raised her arm in front of her face and grimaced. Firm, cool ground was against her back. She heard the muffled voices of the three trying to wake her. An annoyed moan escaped her. The flame in her chest had sputtered out as Asteri brought them back from whatever that place had been. “Open your eyes slowly,” Kierian instructed. Amerie didn’t want to, but she obeyed. The sky was once again free of clouds. Their three faces hovered above her. Apollo and Kierian looked mostly annoyed, but Mae’s expression was only filled with curiosity. Apollo smirked. “If you’re done napping, we can go back inside now.”Amerie’s fist connected with his nose before she knew what she was doing. His eyes widened in shock as blood began to drip. The other two stared at Amerie with open mouths. “You left a lot out, cocky bastard,” Amerie snarled. “What the hell? You ran outside and passed out! Didn’t exactly give me a chance to tell you more!” Apollo shouted. “You p

Amerie awoke from a dreamless sleep to multiple text messages. She set her phone down without opening any of them just yet. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, earning a lick on the face from Milo. Throwing open the bedroom curtains, she was excited to see the world blanketed in pillowy white snow and a few snowflakes still falling. She padded over to the kitchen to start her coffee pot and let Milo out. Her yard was covered in prints of all kinds, but her eyes went straight to the wolf prints, large enough to be Apollo. No other wolf prints littered the yard, so she seemed to still be safe here from Embertaurs for now. Picking up her phone, she began to open the string of messages. The group message for the rangers informed everyone that Matt had come home. He had been found by a hiker and brought to a small medical center in the mountains then driven to a doctor near home when he was conscious. Or so the story said. Blaze was asking if she’d gone on the date with Everett. Amerie r

Amerie felt Celena’s presence as the group stepped back into the large clearing. Apollo, Mae, and Kierian stayed back near the trees as Amerie neared the center. “Show me what you’ve got,” Apollo challenged. Amerie stared at her hands, unsure what to do. Every time her powers had manifested she’s had no control over them. She had absolutely no idea where to start. “Believe,” Celena whispered on the breeze. “Close your eyes and focus on the flames within, then will them to become anything,” Asteri urged. Amerie closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she focused on the forked flames in her chest. Sparks danced on her fingertips but she struggled to make anything more of them. Someone walked over to her, snow crunching beneath their feet. She opened her eyes to find Apollo standing in front of her. “You’ve only relied on anger before, haven’t you?” Amerie didn’t reply. She didn’t have to. He sighed. “We don’t have time for you to sit here making tiny sparks all day.”He looked down

The rest of the lunch with Brynn and Blaze had gone well. They’d confirmed that they were witches and were aware of more happening in the forest. Mae had squeezed into the booth next to Amerie after their admission and glared daggers at the witches. Kierian helped Amerie diffuse the tense situation. Amerie had to rush out to start getting ready for her date, but promised to text them as she waved goodbye to the sisters. Mae and Kierian stalked out behind her. Amerie had made it home just in time to change and touch up her makeup. She just finished curling her hair and was putting on her earrings when a knock sounded at the front door. Milo perked up and wagged his tail. She gave his head a scratch and grabbed her purse before opening the door. Everett stood in a navy blue blazer, white shirt with the top two buttons undone, and dark jeans. He looked like a model straight out of a magazine.His green eyes scraped across her body from head to toe, drinking her in. The emerald green app

**Unknown POV**A slender young man sprinted through the forest. Wide green eyes darted back and forth, his bare feet not slowing or faltering. Pants littered in mud and multiple repair stitches hung loosely from his bony hips, barely held in place by a thin string. His shirt that had at one time been white was missing both sleeves and three buttons. Blond hair packed so thickly with grit and blood it looked nearly black hung past his shoulders. A jagged pink scar contrasted his pale, sunken skin from above his right eyebrow and across his nose to his upper lip. The man slowed as he stepped into a busy camp. Tents with torn black fabric and multiple fire pits were scattered among an array of hellish beasts. Some had heads of serpents with three eyes, others walked on four legs and had multiple tails. Some looked similar to Minotaurs from ancient stories and others were draped in shadows. Snarling Embertaurs patrolled the camp. A few human slaves like himself shuffled about with their