Fire of Life (Fiery Soul Series Book 1)

Chapter 20

Jared drives his truck down Route 419 during his midnight run, which provides fewer problems delivering to stores in Oakland Township. Although the classic rock soothes his ears and the calm breeze relaxes him, that ruptures when he barely sees a naked woman in the street. The brakes almost don't stop the vehicle, and the driver skids to the side to avoid the body. He turns the truck towards her with headlights shining on her, which causes an odd glimmer of her skin.

The goons dumped Bria in the middle of the road, where she lay in a fetal position covered in mud. Although her skin glimmers from the headlights, the dirt makes it hard for the driver to see. She's alive, but barely.

After rushing over with a first aid kit and blankets, Jared checks her pulse and covers her to treat for shock. After elevating her legs with the other one, his phone rings with a standard 911 operator greeting.

"Unconscious female near mile marker 15 on route 419," he talks to the operator as he feels her head. "Applying cold compress due to fever."

While her skin barely shows color, her core still tries to heal the injuries, causing her temperature to rise just a little over the hundred marks. Not full capacity, but the best her body could muster due to low fiery energy. As he lays down signal flares around her to avoid oncoming traffic, her hand reaches out of the blanket for closer contact with the flames, which causes the skin to glow. Her eyes open with the color of a fiery hue and examines her surroundings. She tries to talk, but no words come from her lips. She passes out as her body works to heal what Tony couldn't.

The road becomes brighter when police cruisers and an ambulance arrive at the scene. Two paramedics rush to her as the truck driver backs off.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?"

Despite the brief moment of consciousness, she slumbers on the road as the paramedics check her vitals. After carefully lifting her onto a gurney, they load her into their truck and rush off to the hospital.

***

Despite an emotionally trying day, Eric cannot seem to sleep over yet another one of Neil's sexual marathons. Although reports exist of what Neil does, there is no visible evidence if the current female student is an unwilling participant. The scene appears like a couple hooking up, but he questions if that's what is really happening. However, the power of Neil prevents him from breaking through, but thankfully, the smartphone rings for Eric.

"Hello?"

"We've found your girlfriend," Tobias says with a tired voice. "Come down to the Order of Raphael when you get the chance."

As Eric hangs up, he debates only for a second what to do. Common sense tells him to go in the morning, but something deeper pushes him out of bed. Thankfully, the spirit of his biological mother isn't known for doing that, which would be too weird now. However, an instinctual impulse told him to get dress quickly and grabs Neil's keys off the shelf, which he follows.

After waiting for a while, Tobias finally sees Eric marching down the hall with determination. From a distance, the evidence of exhaustion shows in spade on Eric, but the detective isn't in better condition after reviewing decades worth of case before coming to this place to investigate Mattie Roberts. Shortly after his arrival, someone admitted a person fitting Bria's description, and he called Eric a moment later. However, the police are investigating, so the detective figured he'd catch Eric before the young man gets in trouble.

"Ms. Wilde provided a positive match for Ms. Connell," he updates Eric. "The tweedles are with her, but she appears to be fine."

The sight of Eric's fidgeting makes Tobias nervous since it's a departure from the moods that he's experienced with the young man. However, the conclusion is that this swimmer hasn't gotten sleep, and the protesting muscles strain the longer he's awake. Even though the detective had decent endurance when he was young, there were limits, which he identifies with Eric.