MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

79. LARA: HELL

"You're not going anywhere," Silas snarled as I hurried after them.

"I'm coming with you!"

I slammed into his back when he suddenly stopped walking. Silas spun around and gripped my arms tightly before he leaned down so our faces were inches apart. His eyes flashed black as they narrowed.

"You are not leaving this house, Lara," he snarled. "You're going to fucking stay here until I get back."

"I'm going with you." I pushed him away and started searching for shoes. "I need to help."

"There are enough pack members to help, Lara," David said. "Silas is right. You need to stay here."

My eyes shot over to his. "What do you care?"

"Lara—"

"We can stand here arguing or we can go there and help. The longer we wait the—"

"Jesus Lara!" Silas interrupted. "Think about our children!"

"I am thinking about them!"

Pain shot through his eyes. I instantly regretted uttering those words. Silas pushed me away from him and spun back around. He muttered something under his breath as he stormed out of the apartment with David on his heels. I hesitated but fear propelled me forward.

I had to run to catch up with them and I almost lost sight of them but I managed to catch up. We ran past a bunch of other people and down paths and turns until we reached Ethan's house.

Flames were eating the house, making dark smoke swirl up to the sky. It was getting harder and harder to see clearly. I could feel the heat of the flames even thought I stood feet away from the house.

I lost sight of Silas and David. Strangers surrounded me but that didn't stop me from helping. There were people using buckets to throw on the flames and some had managed to find a hose. I carried bucket after bucket until my back screamed in pain and my arms felt like it was going to fall off. No matter how much water we threw onto the flames, it just didn't die.

"Get back!" someone yelled.

A gasp fell from my lips when a hand gripped my arm and jerked me back. I stumbled right into someone else who quickly steadied me. A loud crack suddenly filled the air. I watched helplessly as part of the roof suddenly caved in. Debris flew everywhere and a wave of heat hit us.

"The trees are on fire!"

"Oh god."

Wiping an arm across my forehead, I pushed my way through the crowds in search of a familiar face. I spotted Valeria ordering a group of men around who ran off into the trees a second later. My head snapped to the left when a loud whistle pierced the air. Silas stood on top of something that made him visible for everybody to see.

"Listen up!" he yelled. "I want you to divide into groups of five to ten people. Half of you will continue hosing the house. The other teams will wet the trees and ground to prevent the fire from spreading. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they coursed.

It was complete chaos after that. I tried helping where I could but somehow I always ended up being pushed away or ordered to do something else. The number of people increased by the second, making it harder to keep sight of Silas. He was working with a team close to the house. Soon it felt like the whole pack was there but we still couldn't tame the fire. It was spreading faster and faster almost like someone had planned it all.

Through it all—the panic and tiredness—my fear continued to rise. Where was Ethan? Why hadn't I seen him before?

Just then a cry pierced the air. I froze along with everybody else.