Free Blood Vengeance by L.E. Wilson

swung his head over to Leeha, an animalistic growl coming from deep within his chest. He didn’t need to see Josiah to know he’d be practically dancing with glee.
    She smiled at him fanatically. “And I want him to feel everything, every tiny spark. I just don’t want him actually damaged.”
    She placed a bloody hand on his chest. “We’re going to cleanse you, Luukas. Cleanse your soul clean. Burn away all of this treachery. And then, I will be able to forgive you.” Backing away, she gestured to Keira. “Go on, witch. You may begin.”
    “Are you completely out of your mind?” Keira gasped.
    Leeha narrowed her eyes at the witch. “Do it, or he will burn to ash, and our deal will be null and void.” She gestured for Josiah to step forward with the torch.
    She won’t do it , Luukas thought. There was no way she’d do it. Not this. She’d helped him. She’d sacrificed herself just to get him a little bit of blood. Got him some water. Eased his pain. She wouldn’t do this. Not now.
    Then why was he trembling?
    Her eyes flew back and forth between him and Josiah, who was mere inches away from him now, a look of utter panic on her face. He watched in disbelief as her eyes began to overflow with tears, and she turned to him.
    “Please, forgive me,” she pleaded anxiously. "My first spell isn't strong enough for this much at once. And I can't let you die!"
    A surge of adrenaline rushed through him as she lifted her graceful arms and began chanting, sending him one last desperate look before she closed her eyes, shutting him out.
    He threw himself from side to side as Josiah advanced on him, bellowing with rage as he tried to break free. He knew somewhere deep in his psyche, that he wouldn’t be able to come out of this with any sanity left. Not this, a vampire's worst fear. Not being burned alive. It would break him.
    From what seemed like a great distance away, he heard Josiah cackle with glee, and he jerked his head around, a scream tearing from his throat as the first of the flames licked their way up his legs no matter how hard he tried to get away.
    He could hear his skin crackling from the heat. He could feel it melting from the muscle. The smell of burnt hair and flesh filled his nose. His muscles began to cook like a thick steak on the barbeque, his blood began to boil, and through it all he heard her chanting in the background, her words background music to his screams.
    The fire worked its way up his calves to his thighs, then upward toward his groin. His manhood retracted in a desperate attempt to avoid the ungodly heat…his balls shriveling up inside of him. But it was impossible. As the scorching heat licked between his thighs, Luukas forced himself to look down, made his eyes see that the fire wasn’t actually harming him. Tried to get his brain to convince his senses that this wasn’t really happening. But it didn’t make any difference. He could feel it! Could feel every inch of his body being burned alive.
    His throat was completely raw now; his screams nearly soundless, but he couldn’t stop them.
    Then, ever so slowly, the heat crawled up his stomach, the flames eating up the new flesh ravenously.
    He thought he heard a girl crying, but he couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t focus on anything except the feeling of his flesh being incinerated from his bones.
    The flames crept up his chest to lick at his face. He threw his head back, smashing it over and over against the wall. Trying to smash it open on the stone.
    He couldn’t scream anymore.
     
     

 
    Chapter 8
    Keira
     
    Keira was openly sobbing by the time Luukas finally lost consciousness.
    “Get it away from him!” she cried, afraid to retract her spell too soon lest the flames actually ignite him. He’d be a pile of ash before anyone could react. “Get it away from him!!” she screamed louder.
    Leeha shot her a look, but motioned for Josiah to remove the flames from his face.
    “But I didn’t even do his arms yet!” He