26. Serena
26
SERENA
S erena's heart hammered as she and Logan sprinted across the sanctuary grounds. The acrid stench of smoke burned her nostrils, growing stronger with each step. Her feet pounded against the dirt path and kicked up dust as they raced toward the eastern perimeter.
"I can't believe this is happening," she gasped, fumbling for her phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed 911.
Logan squeezed her hand. "Stay close to me."
The emergency operator picked up. "911, what's your emergency?"
"There's a fire at the Steele Wildlife Sanctuary," Serena reported, trying to keep her voice steady. "Eastern side. We need fire trucks immediately." She rattled off the address while scanning the growing inferno ahead.
Orange flames licked up the wooden fence posts and spread rapidly across the dry brush. Dark smoke billowed into the night sky, blocking out the stars. The wind whipped embers through the air like angry fireflies.
"They're on their way," Serena told Logan after hanging up. Her glasses had fogged up from the heat. She yanked them off and shoved them in her pocket.
"Look." Logan pointed to where multiple small fires had been strategically set along the fence line. The flames formed an advancing wall, threatening to trap the animals in their enclosures.
Serena's mind raced through her potions knowledge. "I might be able to slow it down with a water multiplication spell, but I'd need-"
A thunderous crack split the air as one of the larger fence posts collapsed in a shower of sparks. Logan pulled her back as flames surged higher.
"The wind's pushing it straight toward the rehabilitation pens," she said, her voice tight with worry. All those injured animals they'd been nursing back to health...
Logan's eyes reflected the dancing flames, his jaw set with determination. "We need to get them out. Now."
The fire roared louder, as if challenging them. Heat pressed against Serena's face as she stared at the wall of flames separating them from the animals. She could hear frightened cries carrying over the crackling inferno.
"Let's split up," she suggested, already moving. "You take the north side, I'll-"
"No." Logan caught her arm. "We stay together. I'm not losing you in this."
The wail of distant sirens pierced through the roar of flames as Serena and Logan raced to the first enclosure. Her heart pounded against her ribs while smoke stung her eyes. The raccoon inside chittered frantically, pressing against the far corner of its cage.
"Easy there, buddy," Logan soothed, his steady voice a stark contrast to the chaos around them. He worked the latch while Serena held the carrier ready. "Almost got you."
Serena's hands trembled as she secured the carrier. "The hawks next - they'll panic in this smoke."
They moved in tandem through the sanctuary, years of old familiarity making them an efficient team despite the terrifying circumstances. The fire's heat pressed closer, making sweat trickle down Serena's back.
"Duck!" Logan yanked her down as a burning branch crashed where she'd been standing.
"Thanks." She squeezed his arm. "The rehabilitation pens are next."
The injured deer they'd been treating stamped nervously as they approached. Serena's veterinary instincts warred with her fear - they needed to move quickly but couldn't risk further injury to the healing animals.
"Remember that time we had to catch that escaped injured ferret?" Logan flashed her a quick grin trying to calm Serena's nerves as they worked together to guide the deer to safety. "This is just like that, only, you know, on fire."
A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up in Serena's throat. "You would bring that up now. But thanks for trying to keep me calm." The memory of them chasing the crafty creature through the forest helped steady her nerves slightly.
They continued their rescue mission, moving from enclosure to enclosure. The sirens grew louder as fire trucks got closer to the sanctuary. Smoke made Serena's eyes water and her lungs burn, but she pressed on.
"Last one," Logan called out, already working on the fox's cage. The flames had nearly reached them now, casting wild shadows across his determined face.
Serena's fingers fumbled with the carrier latch. "Come on, come on," she muttered. The fox darted inside just as another section of fence collapsed nearby in a shower of sparks.
"Time to go!" Logan grabbed her hand and they ran, carriers and leads in tow. They didn't stop until they reached the safety of the parking lot where they'd gathered all the rescued animals.
Serena suddenly sprinted back toward the workshop, her heart pounding against her ribs. The heat from the fire pressed against her back like a physical force, and smoke stung her eyes making them water.
"Serena, don't!" Logan's voice carried over the roar of flames. "It's too dangerous!"
She ignored him, fumbling with the workshop door. Her hand trembled as she yanked it open. "I can slow it down! Buy time until the fire trucks get here!"
Inside, she rushed to her workstation, grabbing bottles and ingredients. The familiar motions of potion-making helped calm her racing thoughts, even as anxiety clawed at her chest.
"If you're going to be stubborn about this, at least let me help," Logan said, appearing beside her. His presence steadied her shaking hands.
"Hand me the moonflower essence." She measured ingredients with practiced precision. "And the crystallized dew."
The sirens wailed even closer as she worked, mixing and stirring. Sweat trickled down her temple, both from concentration and the approaching inferno.
"What exactly are you making?" Logan passed her another bottle.
"Remember that rain multiplication spell?" Her voice wavered slightly. "I'm modifying it. Adding frost elements to make it more effective against fire."
A loud crack from outside made her jump, nearly dropping a vial. Logan steadied her arm. "Easy there, honey. I've got you."
The potion bubbled an electric blue, casting strange shadows across their faces. Serena stirred it three times counterclockwise, muttering an incantation under her breath.
"It's ready." She poured the mixture into several glass spheres, hands still shaking. "We need to throw these at the base of the flames."
Logan took half the spheres. "Together?"
She nodded, managing a wobbly smile. "Together."
They ran back outside, the heat even more intense now. Serena's lungs burned as she hurled the first sphere. It shattered against the ground, releasing a burst of icy blue mist that immediately began pushing back the flames.
"It's working!" She threw another, watching with relief as the fire retreated further.
Logan's spheres joined hers, and soon a wall of magical frost battled against the inferno. The flames hissed and sputtered where the potion touched them, gradually losing ground.
"You did it," Logan wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her as relief made her knees weak. "You're amazing."
"We did it," she corrected, leaning into him as they watched the fire slowly recede. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Logan's muscles suddenly tensed beneath Serena's hand, and she followed his gaze through the dissipating smoke. Her stomach dropped as she spotted Silas standing at the edge of where her frost wall met the receding flames. The firelight cast sinister shadows across his face, highlighting his cruel smile.
"Well, well. Quite the little witch you've got there, Logan." Silas's voice carried over the crackling flames. The tattoos Beatrice had given him seemed to shimmer in the firelight, making Serena's skin crawl.
Heat flushed through Serena's body - and not from the fire. Pure rage bubbled up inside her as she thought of all the animals they'd just had to rescue, how close they'd come to losing everything. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
"You bastard," she snapped, taking a step forward. Logan's arm shot out to hold her back, but she was too angry to care. "Do you have any idea how many innocent animals you just endangered? What kind of monster tries to burn down a wildlife sanctuary?"
Silas's smile only widened. "The kind that wants to see everything Logan loves turn to ash." His gaze slid meaningfully to where Logan's hand rested on Serena's arm.
"Oh, that's real original," Serena rolled her eyes, her fury making her reckless. "Did you practice that line in the mirror today? Maybe wrote it down on your hand to make sure you got the wording just right?"
Logan made a strangled sound that might have been a suppressed laugh. Silas's smile faltered slightly.
"You think you're clever," Silas growled, taking a step forward. The tattoos on his arms pulsed with an eerie light. "But you have no idea what you've gotten yourself involved in, little witch."
"Actually, I think I do," Serena retorted, reaching into her pocket where she still had one frost potion sphere left. "I've gotten involved with a sad, pathetic man who can't move on from his own mistakes and has to resort to attacking innocent animals and people to feel powerful."
The sirens were getting closer now, their wailing cutting through the night air. Silas's eyes darted toward the sound, his confident smirk slipping just a fraction.
"Better run before you have to explain to the fire department why you're hanging around an arson scene," Serena called out.
Serena's satisfaction at putting Silas in his place evaporated as his features contorted with pure rage. The magical tattoos on his skin flared bright enough to hurt her eyes, and in the space of a heartbeat, his human form exploded into the massive bulk of a Kodiak bear.
Time seemed to slow as Silas charged. His claws tore chunks from the earth, muscles rippling beneath his brown fur. The rational part of Serena's mind noted he was even larger than Logan in bear form, while the rest of her brain screamed at her legs to move. But fear had turned her muscles into stone.
All her clever words abandoned her as eight hundred pounds of enraged bear shifter barreled straight for her. The firelight caught his eyes, turning them into burning coals of hatred. And a distant part of her mind wondered if this was really how it would end.