Chapter 204 Chapter 204
Loud sirens reached her ears, but the sound didn’t reassure her. Even if the fire department were here now, they couldn’t get her out of this building. No human would be able to make it through this inferno, and besides, they wouldn’t risk their lives on a lost cause.
Valerie could hardly breathe, falling on her knees and crouching on the ground. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but red and orange. Guilt and fear made her chest feel heavy. She didn’t want Maxwell to die with her. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Using the last of her strength, she concentrated on her magic to keep the flames away from her body. The ceiling above her creaked, trembled. It was about to give in.
“I’m sorry, Maxwell,” she whispered, closing her eyes tightly.
---
Maxwell jumped through the portal and landed on the pavement. The hell gate closed behind him, and only a faint smell of ash lingered around him. His meet-up with his friends hadn’t gone as he had hoped; there hadn’t been any new developments regarding Mason, and Maxwell was angry that he still couldn’t take action against the fire demon. His fingers were itching to kill him. No matter how much time he spent among humans, he wouldn’t ever lose the demonic side of him that craved destruction. When his temper got the best of him, it came back to life, and right now, that was the case. His anger couldn’t be quelled, but he knew that he had to calm down before he returned to Valerie.
He walked through the deserted streets of the neighborhood, getting closer to their home. Night had fallen some time ago, and he was a bit late. Part of him hoped that Valerie had made dinner already, since he liked eating her dishes. Maybe that would help him calm down after this frustrating day.
Maxwell heaved an annoyed sigh, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. And that’s when it happened. Out of the blue, he felt a stinging in his wrist accompanied by a strong sense of danger. He stopped, frozen in shock. Valerie’s fear hit him like a bullet and roused his own panic.
“Shit,” he cursed and took off towards their shared home. He wasn’t exactly close to it, and he knew that every second counted. All he could think of was that he needed to reach her before something happened to her. He hoped that she was still at home and not somewhere else, since he would have no way of finding her if that was the case. His thoughts raced as he imagined the most terrible scenarios—what could have happened to her? Why was she so scared suddenly?
At the next intersection, he turned left and sprinted as fast as he could, using his demonic strength to his advantage. However, he faltered when pain shot through his hand. It burned like he had held it into a raging fire.
Fire—it could only mean one thing. Mason had found her, and he was hurting her right at this moment.
“Fuck, not again,” Maxwell muttered, panting in exertion as he ran. “This can’t happen again.”
Her fear was like acid. It made his chest hurt and sting, and had his panic grow. He couldn’t lose her, either. Not after everything they had been through. She couldn’t die now. It was torturous to experience her pain without being able to protect her. He was two streets away from their home, and he already saw the smoke rising towards the night sky, heard the sirens wailing.
He ran incredibly fast, but he feared he might still be too late. Suddenly, his leg erupted in fiery hot pain and almost gave out, but he forced himself to move on. For a fire demon, it was more than easy to set a whole house ablaze, and from afar, it looked like the bastard had done just that. He didn’t just want to kill her; he wanted to make her suffer. Feral rage built within Maxwell. His body ached, his lungs burned. She was injured, and he needed to reach her.
When he arrived at the house, the fire department was there, and the other residents of the building had gathered outside. An inferno had taken over the third floor where their apartment was. From the outside, it looked terrible, and he could only imagine how much worse it was inside. Maxwell made his way through the crowd, shoved people aside, and sprinted up the stairs to the front door. He ignored the cries and calls from the humans behind him as he threw his entire weight against the door, forcing it open.
Fire greeted him. It was incredibly hot, but he didn’t hesitate and ran straight into the blaze. Using his magic to protect himself, he avoided the worst of the flames as he made his way up the stairs. They were littered with debris that had fallen from the ceiling and the upper floors. He nearly slipped a few times, gripping the handrail for support.
“Valerie,” he screamed at the top of his lungs. He reached the floor where they lived, and his heart sank when he saw the bad state it was in. The door to their apartment was open, and inside, orange fire consumed everything. The sight reminded him of purgatory.
“Valerie, can you hear me?” he shouted as he approached the apartment, his ruby eyes fixed on the ceiling. It wouldn’t hold much longer, and he needed to find her before it collapsed.
A faint noise reached his ears through the crackling of the fire. There was no doubt, it had been her voice. “Maxwell,” she cried, coughing violently. “I’m trapped.”
He gritted his teeth, bracing himself before he jumped into the flames, shielding himself with his light. He didn’t recognize his home anymore. Everything was destroyed, disintegrating into ashes. He passed the kitchen and ran into the living room, taking one more leap and leaving the worst of the flames behind.
His body hurt, but he ignored it, frantically scanning the room for Valerie. He found her cowering on the ground, hunched over as she coughed. Tear streaks marked her flushed cheeks, and when she saw him, a sob wracked her body. He closed the distance between them, letting himself fall to the ground to scoop her up in his arms.
“I’ve got you,” he panted, holding her protectively as he encased them in light.
He couldn’t douse the flames, nor could he protect her from the smoke and heat. The relief of finding her was quickly smothered by the harsh reality they faced—they were trapped, and the ceiling was about to collapse on top of them. His red eyes darted over it, seeing cracks and ash covering its surface. Instinctively, he cradled her head to his chest, covering her with his arms as best as he could.