Passion Ignited Read Online Free Page B

were going out on patrol tonight, they needed to make sure
they were rested up.
    But that didn’t mean Raider had much success
at it.
    He’d lain in bed forever before he’d finally
fallen asleep, and even then he’d slept for maybe two hours. The
truth was, he still didn’t know who Nitro, Ash, or Garrick really
were. For all anyone knew, they could be the enemy. He couldn’t
leave it to chance.
    Raider finished his security scan of the top
floor. Everything was quiet, which was to be expected. Especially
since everyone in the house—except for him—seemed to be catching
some z’s. He headed down the main staircase and started his scan of
the main floor. As he expected, the house was quiet. The Guardians,
as well as their guests, were fast asleep. He made his way down to
the basement and stalked the basement hallway. After reaching the
observation room—otherwise known as “the deck”—he brought the
computer out of its hibernation and checked the security system.
Everything seemed to be okay other than one blinking
light.
    One of the upstairs windows was open. Raider
leaned forward, eyeing the bright red flashing light. It was in
Nitro’s room.
    ****
    Nitro sat on the roof of the house as the sun
beat down on her. The air was cold, but the roof under her remained
warm. She willed heat to warm her body as she looked out over the
snow-covered town. The trees were wrapped in snow and ice, the
branches sagging under the weight. And through the leafless trees,
she watched humans live their lives. Children played in the snow,
lobbing snowballs at each other the same way she threw fire. Only,
when one got hit with a ball, they laughed hysterically rather than
combusting. She watched as they tackled each other to the ground or
pulled each other in sleds. They were likely on their Christmas
break, distracted by the white powder that blanketed the ground as
their parents hastily wrapped their presents, plastering a
fictional “Ho-Ho-Hoing” bastard’s name on the tags. Gods, that
Santa at the front gate still pissed her off…
    She heard footsteps approach as she looked out
over the neighboring houses. Turning, she looked up and saw Ash
walking across the roof toward her.
    “I knew I’d find you up here,” he said as he
sat down next to her. “What are you thinking about?”
    Nitro cocked an eyebrow at him. “What makes
you think I’m thinking about anything?”
    “I know you. You like the sun when something’s
on your mind.”
    She looked forward again. It was silent on the
roof as she thought of her response. “The Guardians aren’t what I
expected.”
    “Me either.”
    “They fight well. I mean, that was a given,
they are the Guardians . I just didn’t realize how well
they’d fight as a team.”
    “They are good,” Ash agreed. “But they
practice all the time. Anyone would be good if they trained as much
as these guys do. They’re the elite.”
    Nitro looked at her brother and rested her
elbows on her knees. “It’s not just the men. It’s Raine. I’ve never
met another female who could fight as well as I can. Then again,
we’ve never met a Valkyrie before.”
    He snorted. “I thought they were a
myth.”
    “I did too, until last night. My point is,
she’s powerful. She had moves I’ve never seen before and she made
them look easy. At least, until she got sick,” she added as an
afterthought. Nitro had never been a slouch in the fighting
department, but she’d always depended on her gifts to get her
through any sticky situations. Watching Raine had shown her just
how much she needed to up her game.
    “Learn a few things?” Ash teased.
    She glared at him, but her expression faded
into a slight grin. “What I’m saying is…the Guardians aren’t completely unlikable. We could hang here for a
bit.”
    “I’m up for it. I’ll stay as long as you do.
But what about—”
    “You don’t need to remind me,” she
interrupted. “I know we’re not here to make friends. We’ve got