The Healer with Fire in her Veins

Mira Nightbane's hands were shaking as she put them on the side of the hurt fox. The little thing whimpered and breathed quickly and shallowly. Blood got stuck in its rusty fur.

"Be quiet, little one. "I got you," she said in a whisper.

Teak wood burned in the shed behind her house, and the shed smelled like plants. Outside, rain hammered against the roof. It was a great day to hide what she was going to do.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt the warm tingle start in her chest, then flow down her arms into her fingers. She told herself, "Don't use too much." Just enough to keep it alive.

A soft red glow spread from her hands into the fox's body. The animal jerked once, then relaxed. Under her hands, torn skin knitted together. Broken bones joined. The fox's breathing stabilized.

When she pulled her hands away, the cut was gone.

"Our secret, okay?" Mira said, petting the fox's head. "You can go home tomorrow."

She wiped sweat from her face and looked nervously at the small window. The glass mirrored her face – pale skin, sharp cheekbones, and those eyes. Those terrible ruby-red eyes that she hid with brown contact lenses whenever she went into town.

The last Ruby Wolf. That's what she was, though nobody in this tiny mountain town knew it. Nobody could know.

The Ruby Wolves were thought to be dead. Hunted down and killed by the Eclipse Order years ago. Sometimes, in her darkest moments, Mira wished they'd found her too. Being the last of anything was a lonely responsibility.

She carefully put the fox in a straw-lined box and covered it with a soft blanket.

"Sleep well," she whispered, then slipped out of the shed into the heavy rain.

The path to her house was muddy. Wind whipped her long black hair across her face. Lightning cracked, illuminating the thick forest that circled her home. For a split second, Mira thought she saw a person standing between the trees.

Her heart skipped a beat. She squinted into the darkness, but saw nothing.

Just my imagination, she told herself, hurrying inside and locking the door behind her.

Her house was small but cozy. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace, leaving moving shadows on the walls. Books about curing plants and animal care filled the shelves. To anyone who visited, she was just a strange young woman who kept to herself and had a gift with animals.

No one guessed she was a monster – at least, that's what the Eclipse Order called her kind.

Mira pulled off her wet jacket and boots. Her hands still tingled from the healing energy she'd used. Every time she healed an animal, it got harder to control. The power wanted to burst out, to swallow everything around it in ruby-red flames.

She grabbed her book from under a loose floorboard and scribbled today's date.

Used power to heal fox. Harder to handle. Burning lasted 10 minutes after.

The burning was getting worse. Six months ago, it had lasted only seconds after using her skills. Now, minutes. Soon, maybe hours. What happened when she couldn't turn it off at all?

Mira slammed the book shut and shoved it back under the floor. She couldn't think about that now.

A knock at the door made her freeze.

It was past midnight. No one came to her cottage this late.

Unless they knew what she was.

The knocking came again, louder this time. Desperate.

"Hello?" a man's voice called. "Please... help."

Mira grabbed a knife from the kitchen table and crept toward the door.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Please," the voice rasped. "I'm hurt. They said... a healer lives here."

Mira paused. It could be a trick. The Eclipse Order would say anything to catch her.

But what if it was just someone who needed help? She couldn't turn away a person in pain. That wasn't who she was.

Gripping the knife tighter, she opened the door a crack.

A huge man leaned against her doorframe, soaked in rain and blood. His dark hair was stuck to his face. His clothes were torn, showing deep gashes across his chest and stomach. The cuts glowed with an eerie blue light.

Moonfire poisoning. A dangerous power that only affected werewolves.

Not a normal man, then. A monster.

"Help me," he gasped, his eyes – yellow like a wolf's – meeting hers for a short second before he fell at her feet.

Mira's heart raced. A werewolf with moonfire poisoning on her doorstep? This was bad. Werewolves moved in packs. If one was here, others would follow. And werewolf packs had Alphas – strong leaders who could sense things regular werewolves couldn't.

Things like a Ruby Wolf hiding in plain sight.

She should close the door. Let him die. It wasn't her problem.

But as she looked at his face, twisted in pain, something inside her stirred. A strange feeling, like she knew him somehow. Like their paths were meant to cross.

"I must be losing my mind," Mira whispered as she grabbed his arms and pulled him inside. He was heavier than he looked, all muscle and bone.

She managed to get him onto the rug near the fire. Up close, the moonfire poisoning looked worse. Blue light pulsed from his cuts, spreading through his blood like toxic rivers. He had hours, maybe less, before it reached his heart.

Normal healing wouldn't work on moonfire poisoning. Only one thing could save him now.

Her true power.

Using it would be like lighting a signal for the Eclipse Order. Anyone chasing Ruby Wolves would feel it for miles.

Yet as the werewolf groaned in pain, Mira knew she couldn't let him die. Not when she could save him.

She removed her contact lenses, showing her true ruby-red eyes. Then she put her hands on his chest, right over his heart.

"Please don't make me regret this," she whispered.

The power burst up from deep inside her, stronger than it had ever been. Her hands glowed bright red, almost blinding in the dim hut. The light sank into the werewolf's skin, fighting against the blue poison in his veins.

Sweat dripped down her face. Her whole body shook with effort. This was more power than she'd ever used before.

Slowly, the blue glow faded. The werewolf's breathing became steady. His wounds began to close.

Just as Mira was about to pull away, his hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. His yellow eyes snapped open, locking onto her ruby-red ones with a look of shock and recognition.

"You," he growled, his voice a deep rumble that sent shivers down her spine. "What are you?"

Before she could answer, a howl echoed from the trees outside. Then another. And another.

His pack had found him. And now they'd found her too.

The werewolf's grip tightened on her wrist as a smile spread across his face – not friendly, but aggressive. Like a wolf who'd just caught its meal.

"The last Ruby Wolf," he whispered. "I've been looking for you for a very long time."