Heart of Fire

Concentrate.
I pushed the sounds of the room to the back of my mind. The acrid smell of flesh burning filled my nose. I gagged. Oh gosh, who was burning—?
Stop it! Concentrate!
I ignored the smell; ignored the sound of people shouting and the crackle of fire and the sharp sent of smoke.
Breathe.
I did, choking when smoke filled my lungs. I inhaled until I couldn’t take in any more air and then I held it as if letting it out might make things worse.
Exhale.
The breath whooshed from my lungs, expelling the heat that blistered the air.
And relax.
I didn’t—couldn’t. Rage still lived somewhere in me and I couldn’t let it go. It hurt. God, why does it hurt?

Forced into a world that is not her own, Ashlia struggles with a rage that threatens to consume her from the inside out. Haunted by her past and chased by her future and barely controlling her unnatural powers, she tries to hide her resent for the life she now lives, and her fear of losing herself. But when her new-found-brother's business partner discovers her struggle, he vows to help her, no matter the danger his decision may bring him. He struggles to regain Ashlia's trust, and Ashlia struggles to keep him at bay -- because she knows what is to come if she allows him close again.