Crossing the last item off the list, I double checked that I had everything. Looking to the sky, I saw that it was just past noon, which I was happy about. I had the rest of the day to myself, away from everyone else.

I climbed up the rocky slopes to the forest above and dusted off my clothes. I checked to make sure no one was around before I hurried off to one of my secluded corners in the woods.

Upon arrival, I tossed my bag against a tree and took out the flint and steel from my pocket. A rush of excitement came over me as I gathered all the small twigs around me. Using my knife, I scraped a branch to make some wood shavings and got to work on creating a spark. A small stream of smoke filtered into the sky. I leaned down and blew gently. Little by little, I helped it grow and felt like melting into the heat when it touched my skin.

Placing some larger twigs on the pile, I laid down on my side. The coals at the bottom grew hotter, and I slipped my hand into them carefully. The warmth traveled up my arm. Closing my eyes, I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t make it bigger. The guardians tracked down any sign of fire. That was how they found the majority of the shapeshifters: they followed the smoke.

Rolling onto my back, I dug my fingernails into the coals. I just wanted to rub them up and down my body, to finally be rid of this constant ache. As soon as I turned eighteen, I wasn’t getting a proper job. I was just going to find a way out of here. Go somewhere warm, where I could be alone and bathe in the heat of the sun and fire.

“Fin!”

I jolted upright, and the fire blew up beside me. I snatched back my hand, and the flame quickly died down.

“What in the hell was that?” snapped Reese.

“The wind,” I breathed, staring at the black spot on the ground. Even the embers were starting to fade. That had never happened before, but then I had never had anyone catch me, either.

“Are you alright?” He knelt down and looked me over. “That got pretty close to you.”

I gave him a hesitant laugh and pretended to be checking myself for burns while wiping my ash-coated hand in the grass. “I’m fine. Just grazed me a little.”

“What are you doing out here, anyways?” He stood and offered me his hand. “I’ve been looking for you for over an hour.”

“Well,” I stood with his help and brushed the dirt off my pants, “I finished getting what Hobbs needed, and I was cold.”

He gave me a sideways smirk. “It’s not that cold, Fin.”

I glared at him. “It’s freezing out here, so leave me alone.” Pushing past him, I grabbed my bag and started toward the village.

Reese jogged after me. “Still whining about the cold, then?” He looped an arm around my neck. “I thought you grew out of that.”

I tried to shrug it off, but he just increased the tension.

“You turned into such a whiner the last couple of months I was at the Haywoods. It was funny to see you bundled up more than the girls during winter.”

This time I physically removed his arm from my shoulder. “I hate the cold,” I muttered. “It’s just how I am.”

“I suppose.” He walked along beside me.

“Why were you looking for me?”

“Shapeshifter,” he breathed. “The creature is hiding up along the cliffs, and we need you to climb up there and scare it out.”

“What kind of shapeshifter?” I muttered. The last one I’d had to scare out had tried to bite off a couple of my fingers.

“Not sure. It’s a new one. Not the typical animal shifter. The thing has some control over fire.”

“Fire?” My breath caught. “What do you mean?”

“Every time we get close, he blows fire at us. Two men have already been taken to Hobbs to get burns treated.”

“So,” I sucked in my lips, “you’re sending me there why?” My heart was close to breaking my ribcage. Every what-if scenario was swirling around my mind. At the top of the list was what-if this is a trap.

“There’s a small passage through the back of the cave where it’s hiding. You’re the best at climbing up the mountain face, and the governor doesn’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

I wrung my shoulder strap in my hand and kept my eyes on the ground. “How am I supposed to scare them out? The creature throws fire.” I mustered a nervous laugh. “I hate the cold, but that’s going a little too far. Even for me.”

Reese looped his arm around my neck once more. “We’re going to give you some explosives. They were going to blow that part of the mountain up anyways, so might as well bring it down on a shapeshifter.”

“Oh,” I breathed. Even with that added piece of information, I still didn’t feel good about this.