‘He had no right to give you that,’ said Noah, anger flaring in his voice.
I was affronted. ‘How dare you,’ I said. ‘He had every right to give it to me.’
‘It didn’t belong to him,’ hissed Noah, his cheeks pink. I really couldn’t understand the source of his anger. ‘He stole it.’
‘He did not,’ I said, offended. ‘It belonged to his mother. It was given to him after she died.’
‘Lies.’ Noah slammed his fist onto the table, making me jump. ‘It never belonged to his mother.’
Many things happened in unison at that moment. Noah reached across the table to grab me by the scruff of my neck, knocking over our drinks, at the precise moment the barmaid came to collect our empty goblets. Startled, the barmaid shrieked and leapt backwards into another table, her drawers on display for all to see. It was during this distraction that I took the opportunity to jump from my seat and zig-zag through the sea of tables. I heard crashing and banging behind me as Noah fought his way through the men and women that crowded the Inn.
I was small; I slipped under people’s arms, and squeezed through gaps in the crowd. It was mere seconds before I had reached the door and burst onto the sunny street. Dazzled by the sudden brightness after being in the dark Inn, I raced down the street, heading in the direction I knew Hawthorne to be. I only hoped he was where I’d left him.
Someone kicked my legs; I tripped over my own foot and fell to the ground, grazing the palms of my hands as I attempted to break my fall. I scuttled to my feet, ignoring the pain. A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed my fear; Noah had caught up. He was shouting my name, trying to draw attention to me. It was working; people stared as I sped by, but I was growing closer to Hawthorne, I could feel it.
I couldn’t help but feel foolish. I was an idiot. A stupid girl. Why had I agreed to talk to Noah? He was clearly unhinged. Perhaps I’d assumed there might be a shred of decency in him, but no, all he cared about was himself.
R?ven’s old townhouse loomed into view, and I knew Hawthorne would be in the alley just a few meters beyond. I ducked and swerved between the city folk, skidding around the corner and diving into the alleyway. It was empty.
‘Hawthorne?’ I hissed, just in case he was camouflaged against the brick.
Nothing.
‘Hawthorne!’ I bellowed.
Behind me, Noah rounded the corner, panting and cursing.
‘There’s nowhere to run now,’ he said, out of breath.
I licked my lips nervously, looking around for a way to escape.
‘Now,’ he said advancing on me, his penetrating gaze staring straight into my soul. ‘I promise I won’t harm you. Just give me the necklace.’
I shut my eyes tight; I wasn’t sure what made me do it, but I knew that if Noah couldn’t look into my eyes I wouldn’t be hypnotised. This presented a problem; I was now blind. The only defence I had left was my fire, and I would not hesitate to use it.
Noah’s hands fell onto my shoulders, but I kept my eyes shut tight.
‘Move your hands,’ I told him. ‘Or lose them.’
He scoffed. ‘You think that will stop me? I don’t need to look into your eyes to control you. Now … why don’t you hand it over? Nice and calm … there we go.’
I raised my hands to unclasp the necklace, against my will, But it felt different to the last time Noah had hypnotised me. I forced myself to stop, and held my ground.
‘Come on now,’ he coaxed, placing a hand on the small of my back. ‘There’s no need for resistance.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I don’t think I will.’
I was in control. Keeping my eyes shut tight, I allowed myself to be engulfed by flames. It felt wonderful to release them from my body, as if I had been holding the fire prisoner within myself for days. Noah cried out in agony, removing himself from me at once. I opened my eyes and saw him writhing on the alley floor, cradling his face in his shaking hands.
The left-hand side of his face had been badly burned. Welts were appearing across his skin, his eye was half closed, and his hair had been singed away. It was a rather grotesque sight, but I did not feel sorry in the slightest.
‘I told you,’ I said, stepping over his shaking body.
Noah grabbed my ankle, and I responded by kicking him in the gut. He coughed and wheezed, curling into the fetal position.
I crouched next to Noah and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at me. He was in far too much pain to use his Power against me. Looking at his face I saw that it would be badly scarred once the burns had healed. Too bad Jack wasn’t here, not that I cared much about Noah. Perhaps the scars would be a reminder of his sins.