by Ashley Meira
Acting on instinct, I sprinted to the right and threw my sword. It stabbed Barrier Dude through the head. This angle took Ollie out of the way, and I shot a fireball at Lightning Bug. Probably not the smartest spell to use in the rain, but it came naturally.
It worked. Too well, I thought as Lightning Bug turned to ash. The rain worked him into a pile of disgusting mush. I felt less guilty after reminding myself he could’ve been the one who ruined my TV.
On the way to Ollie, I recalled my sword. “Are you okay?”
“What did you do?” Ollie’s eyes were wide, his chest heaving. “His magic just went poof. And you’re a mage? What the hell, Sophia?”
“Okay.” I ran a hand through my hair. I was trying not to panic, but it was hard with Ollie freaking out. “Calm down. We need to get back to Fiona, make sure everything’s okay, and figure out why these guys busted down our door. Can you stand?”
“But—” Ollie sputtered. Sighing, he stood on wobbly legs. “Okay. Let’s get back to Fiona.”
We’d made it halfway back before a flash of green stopped us. Fiona stepped out of the portal, the light accentuating her fine features. She knew something was up the moment we made eye contact. Or maybe she heard my heart slamming against my chest. It was certainly deafening from here.
“Are you okay?” Ollie asked her.
She nodded. “They’re dead. I don’t suppose you left one alive long enough to get answers?”
I shook my head. No answers, but they’d left me with new questions. I was really sick of questions.
“Who were they?” Ollie asked.
His voice was raspy and his breath came in short bursts. He didn’t look hurt, so it must’ve been from the adrenaline. Poor guy. This was a regular day for us, but the most exciting thing he dealt with on a regular basis was the lunch-hour rush crowd.
“Think they’re related to the murders?” I asked, guilt gnawing on the parts of me confusion and panic hadn’t reached. If those guys were with the killer, they’d been after me. And Ollie almost paid for it. “Doesn’t feel like a coincidence they appeared after I visited Sandra’s place.”
“Did you find something there?” Ollie asked.
Thinking back revealed nothing helpful. Strangulation and blunt force trauma, a mysterious magic item, and a magic-less killer — one the girls apparently knew.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
“Maybe they just think you did,” Fiona said. “Is there anyone else you’ve pissed off lately?”
Our eyes met, and she pursed her lips. Yeah, there was another possibility. Our kidnapper. We’d foiled his ritual atop the Pyrenees. Kind of. Snow, his henchwoman, had completed the ritual in New Zealand after utterly destroying my ass. But if he knew two of his escaped victims had been found….
“Hello?” Ollie waved a hand in both our faces. “Guys?”
Fiona rubbed her face, her makeup not moving an inch. Who needed waterproof mascara when you had glamours? “I don’t know. This was really sudden.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “We should take a breather at home. Not that I’m looking forward to cleaning up the mess. Our poor TV. Think we can start a GoFundMe for a new one?”
Fiona bit her lip. “Right. About the house….”
The air fled my lungs. “What is it?”
She gestured to her portal. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Double crap.
Our home was in shambles. The front walls were completely broken, leaving the ruined interior for everyone to see. Everything in our living room was broken, along with most of our kitchen. Puddles of melting ice cream pooled around our sparking refrigerator and canned goods littered the floor. A giant hole punctured the staircase, but I couldn’t see the damage upstairs. Honestly, I didn’t want to.
The only thing worse would be seeing the place on fire.
Our neighbors had taken to the streets, soaking in the spectacle. The more uptight of them glared at us. We’d had the occasional noise complaint, but this was the first time we’d been involved in such chaos. So close to home, at least.
“Are your neighbors okay?” Ollie asked as I stood there, shellshocked.
“Yeah,” Fiona told him. “No damage to their homes either.”
I shook my head, trying to make sense of the destruction. I was only gone for, like, twenty minutes. “What the actual fuck, Fiona?”
“I didn’t do it!” She crossed her arms but there was no anger to her words. The zinging of cotton-candy magic told me she was as freaked as I was. “Everything just kind of exploded halfway through the fight. That fire mage didn’t suffer enough.”
“So it was on fire?” I said.
“Yeah. The ice mage put it out. Deja vu.”
She was referring to the time we lived in Wales, where I accidentally set our little hut on fire — then flash froze it in a panic.
“That was not the same,” I said. “We could still live in that hut.”
“Mhm,” she whimpered, taking my hand. “We can’t stay here, but a hotel is out of the question. Not with all we’re going to have to spend to fix this place up.”
“You guys can—” Ollie cut off, giving me his eighth wary look since the fight ended. It made me feel worse than seeing my home in ruins. “You can stay with me. My couch pulls out.”
Ollie lived in a studio apartment above his cafe. I was grateful for the offer, but couldn’t help feel it was forced. Maybe I could bunk with Adrienne instead? She didn’t look scared of me.
“No,” I said. To both options. “More guys could come for us.” For me. “I don’t want to put you in danger.”
Ollie frowned, but seemed more preoccupied with edging away from me. “Where will you stay then?”
I stared at the wreckage of my house, trying to think of an answer.
“I might have an alternate solution,” Fiona said hesitantly. At our expectant looks, she turned toward Adam’s car. “We’re going to need to take that with us.”
Chapter Eight
“And this is the kitchen.” Adam said.
He should’ve said “the insanely huge kitchen.” Everything was either glistening steel or polished black marble. If I’d been in a better state of mind, I’d have grouched about how I could fit my entire room in his kitchen. But I was exhausted, shellshocked, and most of all, utterly distracted by the sight that was a freshly awoken Adam.
Who apparently slept without a shirt on.
Lord have mercy — the man’s chest was way more impressive than his skin-tight shirts had led me to believe. You could cut glass with those sharp planes. I swallowed thickly. Cookies and creme pizzas had nothing on him.
He caught my eye for the hundredth time since we’d arrived, concern shining like a crystal clear lake. Embarrassment hit me. He may have been concerned, but my stares were full of lust. He probably couldn’t tell, but I knew. That was mortifying enough. People were trying to kill me, I’d done some weird mojo on those mages, my home was ash….
And all I cared about was running my tongue across every single one of his abdominal muscles.
My bag bumped against the railing of his staircase, and I shifted it back over my shoulder before continuing to scale this Everest.
Adam’s home might not be as large as his family’s estate in Bordeaux, but it was a sprawling edifice in its own right. Almost everything was decorated in black and white. Despite the modern color theme, most of his furniture was old-fashioned. He mentioned Damien had helped him decorate, so they were probably priceless collector pieces. They looked comfy, but like his car, I was too afraid to touch anything lest I damage it.
We reached the top of the stairs, and he gestured to the left side of the hall. Something about the library and his office. Stuff like that. The way his arms moved caused his biceps — and every other part of him — to ripple. It was so distracting I wanted to rip my eyes out. Or at least tell him to skip the tour. Despite his efforts, I had absolutely no idea what he had downstairs except a
giant kitchen and enough room to house a small army.
I bit back a huff as my bag slipped again. Fortunately, most of the stuff in our rooms was still intact. We couldn’t bring it all but decided to pack a few essentials. The Gem of Anathasia sat in my bag like a scarlet letter — another reminder that all I did was lie to the man who’d done nothing but help me. It had been hidden in my safe, but I wasn’t comfortable leaving it unattended.
“How do you even have his address?” I asked Fiona as Adam led us down the hall on the right.
I had my doubts when she said she would drive us to her “alternate solution,” but I’d spent the car ride hoping I was wrong — and freaking out over every sharp turn she made. I’d forgotten why I hated driving with her.
“He gave it to me in case something happened,” she said. “After the Pyrenees. Remember? When you were hiding in your room and making me play bodyguard?”
“Guests or not, I will smother you in your sleep.”
“Mhm.” She rolled her eyes before giving me a wolfish grin. “Or maybe Adam will keep you busy.”
“If we were near the stairs, I’d shove you.”
“I can fly.”
“Girls?” Adam’s brow was furrowed as he looked at us.
“Nothing,” I ground out, giving Fiona one last glare. “Please continue.”
“This will be your room, Fiona.” He nodded to the door in front of us before pointing to another a few feet down the hall. “That’ll be yours, Sophia. Mine’s at the end of the hall. Let me know if there are any issues.”
I nodded slowly, trying not to notice how close my room was to his. A shriek shattered my eardrums and brought fire to my hands. Fiona rushed into her room, her thin form bouncing onto the monstrous looking bed in the center. Only dogs could understand her squealing at this point.
The room was huge, decorated in rich greens and cherry wood. A bed big enough for five people was in the middle of the right-hand wall, two cherry wood nightstands on either side of it. In the middle of the room was a sitting area with two armchairs and a small table between them. There were two sets of doors on the wall opposite the bed. I assumed the double doors led to a walk-in closet while the other was the bathroom.
My suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Fiona opened the single door and broke the sound barrier.
She popped her head out and asked Adam, “This shower is huge! Does it have a steam function?”
“Tone it down,” I said, rubbing my temples. “You’re going to wake his neighbors. One of whom is Mrs. Worthington.”
She made a face. “The angry, prissy lady with the eight Pomeranians?”
“Nine,” Adam said. “She got a new one. And yes, it has a steam func—”
“Thanks. Good night!” Fiona called, slamming the bathroom door behind her.
“She’ll thank you properly tomorrow,” I said with half a mind to flush the toilet while she showered. I was still peeved she asked Adam if we could stay here. We didn’t really have any other options, but I’d be damned if I let logic get in the way of my rage.
I snuck another glance at Adam. He’d sensed the uneasy beat of my magic the moment we rang his doorbell and had rushed to the door. Meaning his hair was deliciously disheveled and his eyes were cloudy with sleep. And the shirtlessness. Dear god, the shirtlessness.
“Stop looking at me with those eyes,” I said. Those pretty eyes full of concern while I was mentally tearing those loose sweatpants off his body. There should be rules about how low pants could hang. “I’m fine.” Physically. It was Armageddon in my head.
“Fine?” He led me back into the hall, closing Fiona’s door behind us. “Someone tried to kill you.”
Shrugging, I leaned against the wall. “Not an uncommon occurrence.”
He leaned next to me. “You think it’s the man who kidnapped you?”
I shrugged again. “No idea. The only other suspect I can think of is the person who killed Elizabeth and Sandra. It’s possible they thought I knew something. Or that I do, though I have no idea what it could be. There wasn’t anything noteworthy at either scene except the icy magic.”
“Which neither of us can trace,” he finished.
I nodded absently, replaying my fight with Lightning Bug. His magic had vanished. Poof. Gone. I’d done it. No matter how much I wanted to deny it. But how? And what exactly had I done?
“Sophia?” Adam reached for me.
I pushed myself off the wall, out of his reach, and toward “my room.” With a sigh, I pressed my forehead against the door. “I’m so tired.”
His hand hovered in mid-air for a moment and he licked his lips, eyeing me thoughtfully. “Okay.”
I frowned. “Okay?”
“Mhm.”
“Just like that?”
He nodded. “Honestly, it’s a little hard for me to think right now.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I’m really sorry about waking you up — and imposing on you.”
“You’re not imposing. And that’s not it.” He stepped closer. “I’m just remembering what happened the last time I walked you to your room. Bordeaux.” His eyes were a tempest, deadly yet inviting. “Remember?”
Strong hands cupping my butt and lifting me. My legs wrapped around his waist. His tongue sliding down my neck. My tongue sliding across his teeth, into his mouth. Our magic mixing together in rapturous—
I flushed, my skin redder than Fiona’s hair. Yeah, I remembered that night.
“Your face was just as red back then.” The back of his hand caressed my cheek.
My Fire writhed, magic searing my veins. It felt like my ribs were about to crack under my heart’s rapid pounding. All thoughts left my mind. The only thing left was him. That was bad. I always remembered that, though I often had trouble caring about it in the moment.
I wanted Adam, but tonight had been a rollercoaster that flew off the rails. So much was going on, and I couldn’t even begin to process anything. Doing anything with Adam now would be a mistake.
Devil’s advocate, Adam’s magic came out in soft tendrils. Pine tickled my nose as vanilla coated my lips, causing me to lick them. The action drew his attention, and he watched my tongue like it was the most interesting thing in the world. His breathing got heavier. When his eyes slid back up to mine, they were liquid steel.
“So beautiful,” he whispered. His hand was still on my cheek, and when he moved it, the sensation was like fire against my skin. I liked fire. His magic surged, enveloping me for a split second before being wrenched back. He pulled away, balling his hand into a fist. After one last, smoldering look, Adam leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Good night, Sophia.”
I wiped steam from the bathroom mirror and stared at my dreary reflection. The bags under my eyes were cavernous. Water made my hair stick to my pale skin, droplets streaming past what felt like a permanent frown. Geez. I wasn’t winning any beauty contests before, but now? I looked like I should be talked off a ledge.
After my first shower, I’d gone to bed and failed to fall asleep. Pacing hadn’t helped, even after my feet began to ache and the clock signaled another hour had passed.
Fastening the towel around my chest, I debated taking another shower. This was my second, but the stream of water did wonders at blocking out my thoughts. Fiona had been right to scream when she saw this thing.
I shuffled back to the bedroom. The layout was the same as Fiona’s, but decorated in pale purple. Still cherry wood, though, like the rest of the wood in his house. I poked the bag at my feet with a disinterested toe. A lace camisole I didn’t remember packing peeked out. I put it on and found a pair of matching panties. Who said you couldn’t be cute while you were freaking out?
Was there some reclusive Fireborn expert out there I could speak to about what I’d done? Maybe I could filch a few books from the Council’s contraband pile — assuming they didn’t just burn everything.
My eyes widened. Adam. He mentioned Damien learned about the Heart of Gaia fro
m one of their family’s old books. The Pierces probably have a smorgasbord of obscure texts laying around. Could Adam have some here?
I stepped into the hall. Which room was the library? It was on this floor, opposite side of the staircase, that much I knew. The rest had been drowned out by Adam’s upper body. It was a start, I figured as I stared down the never-ending hallway. Now, I just had to find a single room in his giant freakin’ palace. While I was at it, maybe I’d look for a needle in a haystack.
Without the power of amazing water pressure, all my insecurities rushed back. Ollie’s face came to the front of my mind. His fear and the suspicion in his hazel eyes. The way he edged away from me, as if my very presence was poisonous. He must think I’m a freak.
I was, a part of me thought. Another part of me thought he might’ve figured things out, that he knew I was Fireborn. But how? Was that magic cancelling thing another one of my unique Fireborn abilities? How would he know that, though?
“Fireborn. Those dragon mages—” he shrugged “—or whatever. My dad finds them fascinating.”
Would his dad know about this? Could he have told him? I froze mid-step and pressed my shoulder against the wall, hugging myself. Ollie and Adrienne were my best friends. I didn’t want to lose either of them. I didn’t want Ollie to hate me. My fingers grasped air as I reached for my waist. Right. My phone and rings were in my room. I should’ve texted or called Adrienne while I was pacing. Thomas said she was fine, but I wanted to reach out.
“Sophia?”
I jumped at Adam’s voice. With a deep breath, I tucked my magic in and turned around. “Hey.”
He frowned. “It’s a bit late for that don’t you think?”
“No idea what you mean.” My stand-offish attitude hurt him. I could tell from the look in his eyes. It made me feel like a royal bitch.
“If your magic had eyes, it’d be crying.”
“That’s a weird sentence,” I said through the screaming in my mind.
“Talk to me.” His hand reached for mine. “I’m worried about you.”
Fuck. Tears stung at my eyes. I wanted to tell him about everything. I wanted to come clean about being Fireborn, about the weird magic cancelling thing, and about how scared I was to lose one of my best friends. I wanted to believe he would care about me no matter what.
