by N M Thorn
The guard pulled the phone out of Sasha’s hand and walked out. Gunz slowly raised his gaze, furious flames igniting in the bottom of his eyes. He couldn’t speak, his throat constricted with anger and fear for his friends. The fire rose within him, wrapping his arms into the silky ribbons of flames. For the first time since he moved to Florida, he wasn’t sure that he was in control of his power.
“Mr. Burns are we on the same page now?” barked Anatoly Karpenko.
Gunz swallowed, a muscle twitched in his jaw. He was afraid that if he would make a move or say a word, the fire would take him over. So, he remained silent and motionless, pinning Anatoly with his furious gaze.
“Mr. Burns, I promise that as soon as Tanya is back with me, your friends will be released, unharmed,” said Anatoly quietly. He stared at Gunz, his expression blank and emotionless. “Now, I need you to get things rolling. Do you understand me?”
Gunz gave him a hardly visible nod, slowly getting in control of his power. “Anatoly,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, “I will find this Eve and I’ll save your daughter. But if anything happens to my friends…” He clenched his teeth and took a pause, forcing the fire in him down. “There will be no place in this world or any other world where you’ll be safe. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Mr. Burns,” replied Anatoly, calm and unphased, “I wouldn’t expect anything different from you.” He turned to his men and waved his hand. “Please take Mr. Burns home and this time treat him with care. I need him in good shape.”
One of the men approached Gunz, showing him the blindfold. Gunz pulled away, his upper lip curled in contempt. His first desire was to send this man tumbling down to the floor. The fire surged through him again, accumulating in his hands. He decided not to wait until he wouldn’t be able to control his power anymore and waved his hand, opening his portal.
Before Anatoly’s thugs were able to stop him, he walked through the fire curtain and vanished from the room.
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz stumbled through the portal, falling out into his backyard. He dropped on all fours, taking shallow, rapid breaths. His heart was beating in his throat and his stomach heaved. He grunted, fighting nausea and forced himself to his feet. Moving slowly, he unlocked the door and headed straight to the living room. He needed a breather, a momentary reprieve so he could settle the spiraling turmoil in his mind. He couldn’t allow himself to panic. Not now, not when his friends’ survival was dependent on him.
With shaking hands, Gunz opened the wine cabinet and pulled the bottle of vodka. The small shot glass that he always kept in the cabinet wasn’t there. Frustrated, he grabbed the bottle and walked back to the kitchen, cursing Anatoly, Eve, and his magic that put his friends in harm’s way. He placed the bottle on the kitchen counter and pulled a glass out of the cabinet.
For a moment, he was at a standstill, staring at the bottle with the clear liquid inside without blinking. He wasn’t thinking, his mind finally blank. Slowly, the rage started to rise within him, replacing the last traces of panic. Gunz snatched the bottle off the counter and slammed it forcefully into the kitchen sink. The bottle shattered into countless sparkling pieces, the heavy smell of alcohol rising in the air. The shards of glass flew in every direction, slashing his arm in a few places.
Like in a trance, he watched the dark crimson fluid trickling down his arm, not registering the pain. A loud knock on the door broke him out of his stupor. He walked toward the entrance door and opened it. Angelique and Jim were standing outside.
“Oh, wow,” said Jim, taking in Gunz’s appearance, shaking his head. “Angelique, I owe you twenty bucks.” He pulled out his wallet and gave Angelique a twenty-dollar bill.
“Do you mind if we come in?” she asked, putting the money away into her purse.
“I’m sorry, of course. Please, come in,” mumbled Gunz, stepping aside. “What’s with money?”
Jim walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, propping his elbows on his knees. Angelique stopped next to Gunz and gently touched his arm, checking the thin lacerations on his bicep.
“Well, Angelique said that something was going on with you and I didn’t believe her,” explained Jim with a light flick of his hand. “How could I know that she was crazy enough to keep a psychic connection with you? If I knew I wouldn’t bet.”
Gunz gaped at Angelique, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind. He didn’t ask anything, but she blushed under his gaze and looked away.
“I’ll be right back,” she mumbled uncomfortably and disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, Gunz heard her picking up the shards of the glass off the floor and throwing them in the garbage.
Gunz walked closer to Jim and stopped across the room from him. He leaned against the wine cabinet, folding his arms over his chest. His panic and anger subsided, leaving him tired, and now he started to feel the stinging pain of the cuts on his arm. Jim gave him another once-over and pursed his lips.
“Would you like to tell me what’s going on?” asked Jim, relaxing back in the couch. “Between Angelique’s psychic alarms going off and your… sunny disposition, I would really like to know what happened to throw you over the edge.”
Gunz sighed and told Jim about his meeting with Anatoly Karpenko. It took him less than five minutes to tell Jim everything, but it was enough to get his blood boiling again. A heat wave spread around him, and his eyes glowed bright red.
“Gunz, you picked the worst possible time to fall apart,” said Jim dryly. “What you need to do hasn’t changed. You still need to continue your investigation. You still need to find Eve and get rid of her. The only thing that changed was your deadline. It got a lot shorter. So, stop crying the blues and get moving, son!”
“I’m not falling apart—,” Gunz started to object, but Jim wouldn’t have any part of it.
“Oh yeah?” Jim got up and shoved his hands into his pockets, staring at him mockingly. “You’re going from a state of panic into obliterating rage in a heartbeat. Your hands are shaking and you’re bleeding. Your house reeks of alcohol! And let’s even forget about your emotional roller-coaster for the moment, Angelique could sense your power storm from miles away!”
Gunz frowned, a deep vertical crease cutting through his forehead. For many years, his friend Oleg was running from the gangs back in Belarus. Oleg had magic and the gangsters would do anything to make his magic work for them. To help him, Gunz and his friends destroyed a full branch of the Russian mob, risking their own lives.
When Gunz discovered his magic and the fire, he decided to flee from Belarus, leaving behind the land he loved and the only people who were his family. Worried about the safety of his friends, he did everything in his power to severe any kind of connections with them. It wasn’t easy, but he knew that they would be safer this way. Now, Anatoly had Sergei and Sasha, and the worst of all – he had Lena, Sergei’s wife. Sergei and Sasha were trained military men, but Lena was a school teacher. She was an innocent in all this, her only fault was that she knew Gunz and cared about him.
“Jim, you’re right…” Gunz lowered his eyes, staring at his hands, as shame stirred in him. “I don’t know what came over me. I am —” He bit his lip, frowning.
Jim sighed and approached him.
“I know what came over you. And if the situation was different, I would probably be more sympathetic to your situation.” He put his hand on Gunz’s shoulder and slightly squeezed it. “But there is only one thing I can tell you right now. Cowboy up, kid! You don’t have the luxury of panicking and falling apart. It’s not only your friends’ lives that depend on your ability to fight. The way your mentor put it – you’re the champion of humanity in the fight against the darkness.” He laughed, throwing his head back and gave a quick tap on Gunz’s shoulder. “Oh, God, we’re all gonna die.”
“Jim!” exclaimed Angelique indignantly and both Gunz and Jim turned to her. “Would it hurt you to be a little nicer?” She approached Gunz and started wip
ing blood off his arm with a wet cloth.
Gunz smiled at her, thinking how light and tender her touch was. “Angie, thank you, but you know that I can heal myself. This is just a tiny scratch. It’s nothing.”
“Aw, Gunz,” said Jim with a smirk, winking at him. “Just sit down and relax. Let her take care of you. I’ll see you both later.” He waved his hand goodbye and walked out of the house.
As soon as the door closed behind Jim, Angelique gave him an arched stare and slapped him lightly on his shoulder.
“You heard the boss,” she said in no-nonsense tone. “Now sit your ass down on that couch and be quiet.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Gunz, giving her a military salute and sat down on the couch.
She sat next to him and continued taking care of his cuts. Gunz closed his eyes and lowered his head to his chest, enjoying the softness of her touch. Angelique was done a few minutes later and he sighed, opening his eyes unwillingly. She smiled and gently caressed his cheek with her fingers.
“You need to learn how to relax,” she lectured him softly, gazing into his eyes. “You’re always so tense. When I talked to Jim’s goddaughter, she told me that a few years ago, when she met you for the first time in Belarus, you were a firecracker. You weren’t taking anything seriously, including yourself. What happened to that man?”
Gunz shook his head and turned away, breaking their eye contact. She was talking about a time long gone, a time before the fire. The time when he had no idea that the world of magic existed. His life wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t perfect for sure, but he was happy, and he knew how to enjoy every moment of his imperfect life.
“The firecracker discovered the real fire,” he said quietly, his fingers digging into the edge of the couch. “That man is gone and he’s never coming back.”
“But why?” she asked, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“Angie, you’re a smart woman and you know all this supernatural stuff a lot better than I do,” he replied with a half-shrug. “It’s like what Jim said… If I inadvertently revert into my natural state – I’m a weapon of mass destruction. I’ll kill every human around me. I can never relax. I have to be in control twenty-four seven. I don’t relax even when I sleep.”
“But why?” she repeated her question, sounding sincerely concerned. “Your house is warded and sealed to contain your natural state within these walls. Surely, you can let yourself relax here?”
Gunz shook his head no and rubbed his face with his hands. Even when he needed to heal himself, he checked every spell and every ward on his house to make sure that nothing would go wrong before he would allow himself to let go. Yes, he could allow himself to relax in his house to a degree, but never all the way. There was always a what-if thought on the back of his mind.
“No, I can’t… I live in a suburb, surrounded by hundreds of innocent people. What if something goes wrong and the wards fail? I can’t be responsible for the death of all these people. I just can’t…”
Angelique gaped at him, her full pink lips open, shock imprinted on her tender face. “But it’s impossible to live like this,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize… No wonder you’re always stretched like a guitar string.”
Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Gunz held his breath for a moment, relishing this unexpected embrace. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and he felt her lips softly brushing his cheek. He turned his face toward her and found her deep eyes gazing at him with warmth.
The corners of her mouth lifted in a slightly drunk, dreamy smile and she raised her arms, fixing his face between her hands. For a moment she studied his face and then her lips softly connected with his. Everything inside him was screaming for more, but he didn’t return her kiss and gently pulled away.
“Angie, don’t do it,” he said quietly, lowering his eyes, his voice hoarse. “Kal once told me that the fire power makes me… um… sort of… sexually desirable to women.”
For a moment, Angelique stared at him flabbergasted and then burst out laughing. “Fire power? What a bag of bullshit!” She laughed again and slid off the couch, squatting in front of him with one knee on the floor. “Look at me, Gunz.”
She reached up and turned his head down a little. He bit his lip and finally met her gaze. She touched his lips with her finger gently, forcing him to let go and shook her head.
“Only men can be so blind to things that are right in front of them,” she whispered. “Gunz, the way I feel about you has nothing to do with your power. Maybe Kal is right, but not in my case.”
“Angie—”
“When you’re troubled, you’re always biting your lip,” she continued, ignoring his attempt to stop her. She ran her fingers over his slightly parted lips. “Your eyes are grey right now, it means you’re in complete control of your power and you’re as close to the state of relaxation as you can be. When you’re tense, or something bothers you, your eyes change color, glowing with a light red shine. And when you’re happy or enjoying something, you smile… you have this shy lopsided smile that brings up a single dimple on your cheek. And I love seeing it… I know you, Gunz, and trust me, it’s you I’m attracted to, not the Fire Salamander in you.”
She pulled up slightly and gently kissed his cheek. A heat wave expanded in his chest and he drew in a short breath. He knew that he shouldn’t be doing it, but it was becoming harder and harder for him to contain his desire.
“You drink, and now I know why, and I understand,” she proceeded, slowly covering his face with short soft kisses. “This is your way of taking the edge off your always stretched nerves. And it’s okay. You need to do whatever helps.”
“Angie, please—”
His body throbbed at her touch and his mind got clouded as passion took him over. Gunz leaned forward and kissed her, hungrily crashing her lips with his. She moaned rising up on her knees. Without thinking about what he was doing, he found the lapels of her jacket and yanked it off her shoulders, throwing it to the floor. His arms encircled her slim waist and he pulled her fervently to his chest. The touch of her body to his, through a thin fabric of her silk tank top, electrified him. The heat surged through his veins, igniting the real fire within him. He made an effort and pulled away.
Breathing hard, he was staring down at her as she sat back on her heels, gazing up at him. She was so pretty, with her eyes fogged and her cheeks flushed. Her slightly swollen lips were parted, and her beautifully-shaped breasts were rising and falling with quick breaths. And she had no idea how hard it was for him to stop. He moved his hand over the thick mane of her dark hair and smiled sadly.
“Angie, you are…” His voice caught. “I can’t, I’m sorry…”
“I see the flames dancing in your eyes and I can feel your fire energy rising,” she whispered, gently running her fingers over his cheek. “And it’s okay. You know that I’m a witch. Your fire energy can’t hurt me.”
“Maybe not the fire energy. But the real fire can still hurt you,” he objected quietly. “My fire energy is what creates the deadly blast when I revert into my natural state. But besides that, there is also a real fire within me.” He got up and spread his arms, allowing the fire to surface. The fire ignited brighter in his eyes and the small flames rushed up and down his arms. “You see it? This is what can happen if I lose control. You’re not impervious to fire, Angie. I can burn you and I would never forgive myself.”
She followed the flow of the flames on his arms and got up, standing in front of him. “I see it and I’m willing to take the chance. I trust you to control your fire.”
Gunz laughed mirthlessly. “Angie, look what you did to me... With you, I don’t trust myself.” He shook his head, stepping away from her. “I can’t take that chance. I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
“Are you saying—,” she started to say but cut herself off and cleared her throat. “Are you saying that you had never been with a woman since you became a Fire Salamander?”
“I’m not
ready to talk about it,” he said awkwardly, looking to the side.
“I guess it’s a yes,” she said. “Gunz, you need to talk to your mentor—”
“Really? You want me to talk to Kal about my sex life?” asked Gunz choking on laughter.
“Of course not!” said Angelique, putting her hands on her waist. “There has to be an easier way to suppress your fire… You can’t live like this. This is what I want you to ask Kal about.”
Gunz chuckled. Women can be persistent when they want something.
“There is a way,” he said, extinguishing his fire. “But something tells me you’re not going to enjoy the intimacy with a third person present in the room.”
“Excuse me?” she exhaled, blinking at him furiously.
He laughed openly. “Kal or a Master of Power can control the fire within me, allowing me to relax my mind,” he explained. “But never mind. I shouldn’t be talking about all that. I shouldn’t even think about it, especially now when…” His voice trailed away, and he bit his lip. Then he remembered what Angelique said about his habit of biting his lip when he was troubled and released it.
“Especially now? You never talk about your private life, Gunz.” She picked up her jacket from the floor and brushed it off with her hand before putting it back on. “You’re so shy and so guarded at the same time. It’s practically impossible to pull you into any personal conversation.”
Gunz thought that she sounded a little hurt and cringed, cursing himself for his awkwardness in everything to do with women.
“Angie, I’m sorry if I hurt you—”
She chuckled, interrupting him. “You didn’t hurt me, silly. You’re hurting yourself. You need to find a way to live a normal life, Gunz. You can’t always be in control.”
“I have to. I have no choice,” he objected firmly. “But unfortunately, right now I’m not in control of anything. I feel like someone put a noose around my neck and squeezed it, pulling me into a hundred different directions. And neither of these directions are good. I can’t breathe, Angie. But like Jim said, I need to cowboy up. And I need to do it fast.” He smiled, raking his fingers through his hair. “It’s not a good time for me to think about my personal life.”
