Free The Lost Souls by Madeline Sheehan

rage through the city, leaving them trapped inside and unable to search for food.
    For weeks now, they’d been rationing what little was left of their stockpile, eating only meager meals once a day in an attempt to make it last.
    Mira dropped down beside him and pulled off her gloves. Holding her reddened, chapped hands near the fire, she rubbed her palms together in an attempt at warming them.
    “What’s left?” he asked.
    She shrugged. “Some dried fruit, a couple of cans of vegetables.”
    Hockey reached up and pulled his Blackhawks baseball cap down over his eyes, something he often did when he was thinking. Someone would have to leave the building to get food, and no one was going to be able to survive out there…except him. He had enough internal fire to keep a nice bubble around himself that would shield him, but it wouldn’t last forever. He guessed he would be able to pull off a few hours of consistent use until he began to tire, leaving him little choice but to release the element. Whereas his affinity for fire was strong, he didn’t embody the element, he was simply a funnel, a conduit, a connection between the ether and the earth. He could channel that power, use his body as a spark to light the flame, and then direct that flame, tell it where to go and what to do. But eventually, as with any sort of physical exertion, it would take its toll.
    Flicking up the brim of his cap, he reached across the small space and grabbed Mira’s shoulder . “I’ll take care of it,” he said, giving her a friendly squeeze.
    “And I’ll come with you.”
    Hockey released her shoulder. He should have seen that coming. Mira wasn’t only headstrong and stubborn, she was also insubordinate as all hell. “No,” he said slowly. “It’s too dangerous.” Forget the fact that couldn’t use his magic in front of her; even if he could, he didn’t have enough energy to shield them both from the storm.
    “And it’s not too dangerous for you?” she demanded. “Do you have superpowers that I’m not aware of?”
    Well…yeah, he did.
    “No way,” he said firmly . “I’m not risking both our lives out there.”
    Mira’s eyes flared wide and Hockey readied himself for some verbal whiplash of the female variety.
    “Tyler!” she yelled. “Tyler!”
    Hockey closed his eyes. He had to hand it to her ; Mira was a smart girl who fought dirty. Sighing, he got to his feet just as Tyler reached their corner of the room. “What’s up?” he asked, looking from Hockey to Mira. She pointed an accusatory finger in Hockey’s direction.
    “He’s going out there and he won’t take me with him.”
    God damn her, Hockey thought. God damn…women.
    “Man,” Tyler said, squatting down beside him . “It isn’t safe out there.”
    Hockey turned just a fraction of an inch and met Tyler’s gaze. “It isn’t safe in here either.”
    “Mira,” Tyler said, keeping his eyes on Hockey. “Give us a minute, will you?”
    In typical Mira fashion, she made a noisy show of getting to her feet, sighing loudly , and muttering as she stomped off across the room.
    “You need to take her,” Tyler insisted, his expression grave. “She’ll be safer facing the elements than she would be here with…”
    Tyler trailed off, but Hockey knew what the man was about to say. Mira would be safer battling through the snowstorm than trapped inside a warehouse with two men who couldn’t be trusted.
    “What about Rachael?” Hockey asked.
    “I can protect her,” Tyler replied, his tone oozing confidence that Hockey couldn’t mirror.
    David was physically strong but emotionally unraveling. Glancing across the large room, Hockey found the man was leaning back against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes on Rachael. The feeling of foreboding Hockey felt every time he looked at the guy intensified. If Chris and David teamed up against Tyler, Hockey wasn’t positive the man would prevail.
    All of which meant Tyler was right. Hockey