Maximus

The fire came faster this time, a molten river surging beneath my flesh.

My jaw locked with an audible click as the heat built under my skin, coiling and snapping like a nest of vipers desperate to tear their way out. Sweat beaded across my forehead, evaporating instantly in the furnace of my rage. My grip on Rebecca’s hand tightened until her knuckles went white before I made myself let go, leaving angry red imprints where my fingers had been.

“Move back,” I ...