My nerves instantly calmed as I entwined my fingers with his. "I'd like that."
Falon led me back out into the square amid the other revelers. He rested his hand on my waist, but kept his distance from me. I tried not to hide my disappointment, especially after Derel had sparked the idea in my head that Falon might have feelings for me. But that was ridiculous. Falon and I had been friends ever since his family had moved to our village when he was five, but there had never been anything more between us. Unfortunately.
Falon's family worked as carpenters, and his strong, rough fingers felt good against my own. He was a large man, the kind who'd gained his muscles working long hours, and I secretly wished he would pull me against his chest like Derel had done. I'd secretly harbored feelings for Falon for years, but he'd never shown even a hint that he saw me as anything more than a friend. If only he would give me a sign he wanted more, maybe we could ease the awkwardness between us. But he never did.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said, making my heart skip a beat. “That dress is lovely.”
“Thank you. Krea designed it for me, although I all the sewing,” I admitted. Unlike Derel, Falon didn’t judge me or tease me. I could tell him anything.
“No doubt the Fire God will smile upon your efforts. Did you throw a wish in the brazier?"
"Of course. Did you?"
He nodded. "What did you wish for?"
I gave him a teasing smile as I played with the collar of his shirt. "You know we're not supposed to tell."
"Oh, come on. We're best friends. Surely you can tell me what you wished for."
There it was. Best friends. That was how he saw me, and that would never change. "Definitely not."
His blue eyes danced with amusement. "Let me guess. You wished for love."
"Love?" I said, with a short laugh.
"That's what everyone wishes for."
"Not me. I asked the Fire God to show me what my path should be. To give me a hint about my role in this town and what I should do with my life." I tilted my head. "What about you? Did you wish for love?"
"No, of course not," he said a little too quickly, before looking away. "I wished for the same thing as you pretty much. To have a good future."
"Uh huh." I smiled at him. "Who's the lucky lady you have your eye on?"
"There's no one." He fingers tightened around my waist. "You're the only lady I ever spend time with, after all."
That was true. But if he'd wished for love and I was the one he wanted to be with, why didn't he just tell me so? Was he worried about Derel? He must know I could barely stand to be in Derel’s presence, even if my body was physically attracted to him at times. Or was Falon concerned we'd ruin our friendship? Or that I didn't feel the same for him?
Maybe he needed a little hint as to my feelings. I pressed my lips to his cheek as the song ended. "It's okay if you did wish for love, you know."
He turned his head toward me, so that my mouth nearly touched his own. I felt both of us breathing heavily, locked in a close embrace that had somehow shifted from friendly to more. I slid my fingers up into his short blond hair while he looked at me in a new way and opened his mouth. Hope rose up in my chest that he might finally confess his feelings, but then a hand landed on my shoulder and ruined the moment.
"My turn," a low voice said.
I looked up at Blane in surprise as he swept me into his arms in a lover's embrace, so different from the way Falon had been holding me, and even more intimate than the way Derel had danced with me. I should have pushed him away or told him to stop, but instead I found my traitorous arms sliding around his neck and my heart racing as we began to dance. I glanced back at Falon, who gave me a friendly smile and a nod, before the crowd swallowed us up.
"When did they let you out of jail?" I asked Blane, mainly to distract myself from the way he felt. And smelled. And looked. Everything about Blane was irresistible, from the sexy drawl of his voice, to his dark tousled hair, to his tall, muscular body. And trust me, I’d tried to resist.
“Jail” was really the basement of the chandler's house, since Sparkport was too small to have an actual prison, and Blane was the only person who was ever thrown into it on a regular basis. Usually by Derel and Falon, who acted as the town guard on most nights.
"This morning," Blane said, with a deliciously roguish grin. "Falon took pity on me. He didn't want me to miss the Fire Festival, after all."
"What was it this time?"
He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. "I appropriated some wine from that grumpy old merchant Carik. He had plenty, trust me."
I sighed. Carik was known to cheat people out of their money, but that didn’t excuse Blane’s theft. "I shouldn't even be dancing with you."
"Why not? Embarrassed to be seen in my arms?"
"Something like that."
"Too bad you like it so much." His lips brushed against my neck and sent shivers down my spine. The worst part was, he was right. Blane was the village bad boy, always getting into trouble, but for some reason I couldn't resist him even though I knew it was wrong. My family would never let me be with him, and Blane wasn't the type who'd want to get married anyway. But I couldn’t stay away.
Blane was the one of the two men I'd kissed in my life, and I knew he wanted more from me too, but I'd held myself back so far. It was difficult though because the man practically oozed sexuality. Just being around him made me damp between my legs. And his touch? It made me crave more every time.
“You wore this dress for me, didn’t you?” he asked, his lips trailing down to the spot next to my pendant, dangerously close to my breasts. I gasped, worried about people watching us, though I was finding it hard to care at the moment.
“Don’t be silly,” I said, though my breathless voice gave me away.
“You look so very tempting in it. The only way you’d look better is with it pooled at your feet.” His hand ran down my back to rest on my bottom possessively. "Will you meet me later tonight?"
"I can't."
"That's too bad." He took my earlobe between his teeth and I let out a gasp. "I can't stop thinking about you."
"Well, you should. Stop, I mean." Gods, Blane made me so flustered in a way no one else did. "We both know we don't have a future together. My mother is pushing for me to marry soon, after all, and—”
He pulled back, his eyebrows darting up. "Why don't we have a future? Because I'm not good enough for you?"
"No! I just.... I mean... I didn't think you were the kind to settle down.”
"I might surprise you. I could be convinced to settle down…with the right woman." He gave me a look that made me melt and I thought for sure he would kiss me right there in front of everyone, and I imagined all the things my mother would say afterward, and how we'd be gossiped about for weeks or even months, and I decided at that moment I didn't care one bit because it would be worth it for another kiss from Blane. But then he released me. "I've got something to do, but I'll find you later. I promise."
I nodded and swallowed, unable to speak. As he left, I told myself it was for the best that he’d walked away. I could never truly be with Blane, and I didn’t believe he really wanted a serious relationship. Best to put him out of my mind entirely from now on.
But who was I kidding? I’d be counting down the minutes until he returned.
3
I looked for Falon again but he was dancing with one of his sister's friends, and then my eyes caught sight of a dark man standing in the corner with his arms crossed. My mouth fell open at the sight. Roth was here! I didn’t think he would come. How long had he been standing there? Had he seen me dance with the others? Was he jealous? Or did he no longer care?
I approached Roth in the shadows with a tentative smile. From this angle I could only see one of his face, which was devastatingly handsome, as if he’d been sculpted by the Gods themselves. High cheekbones. A perfect masculine nose. A strong jaw. And the rich, auburn hair that was so highly prized in the Fir
e Realm, which I desperately wanted to run my hands through again.
But when he turned toward me the rest of him became visible under the torchlight, revealing a horrible burn scar that ran down the other side of his face. I knew it bothered him, but to me it only highlighted how beautiful he was. If anything, the imperfection only made him better to me. Especially since I’d been there when he’d gotten it.
“Calla,” he said in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t happy to see me. “Why aren’t you dancing?”
“I was hoping you’d dance with me.”
“You know I don’t dance.”
“You used to.”
“I did.” He look away with a scowl. “Before.”
Roth had always been rather serious and quiet, but after the accident he’d turned downright brooding. Now I barely ever saw him, and when I did, he tried to push me away. The only times I ever spoke with him was when I found him working on the docks or on the rare occasions he brought crab to the bakery. But I was tired of him avoiding me.
I gave him a hesitant smile. “Everyone is dancing. No one will stare, I promise.”
“No.”
I sighed. “All right. Then why don’t we get something to eat? We can catch up.” My voice dropped into nearly a whisper. “I miss you, Roth.”
He ran a hand over his face, hiding his scars, a sure sign he was dismayed. “You’re very kind, Calla, but I shouldn’t have come tonight. I think I’ll just go.”
“No, please.” I took his hand and sparks danced under my skin. Once I’d thought Roth and I might marry. We’d always been close, and two years ago it had flared into more. He’d confessed his love for me at that Fire Festival, and then invited me out onto his family’s boat the next night.
When we were out at sea, we made love for the first time, and I’d never felt so happy before. I was certain he was going to ask for my hand, when we were attacked by a water elemental. Here, in the Fire Realm, of all places.
The elemental covered my face with water and nearly drowned me, but Roth stepped in to defend me with a torch he’d lit. He managed to save my life and defeat the elemental, but the boat was set on fire in the process. As he tried to put out the flames, the left side of his body was burned, including his face. In the end, we were forced to abandon the boat, and I was so weak from nearly drowning he had to pull me back to shore, where he then passed out from the pain.
After that, he hid himself from the world—and from me.
I took a step closer to Roth. “I wish we could be friends again, at least. You know I don’t blame you for what happened. If anything, I see you as a hero. You saved us both and—”
“I nearly got you killed and I destroyed my family’s boat at the same time.” He gestured at his face. “Not to mention, I got a nice reminder of my failure, which I have to see every time I look in a mirror.” He turned to leave, but said over his shoulder, “Trust me, Calla. You’re better off without me in your life. It’s better if I just go.”
“No one’s leaving yet,” Blane said, with a devious grin. Falon and Derel stood behind him, watching Roth with interest. “Not until I show you something.”
Roth cast him a skeptical look. “What is it?”
“Come with me and you’ll see. I promise it’s worth your time.”
Derel snorted. “Last time you said that we got so drunk we spent the next day vomiting.”
Blane offered me his hand. “Fine, I’ll take Calla by myself. We can have a romantic moment together while you three stay here with the crowd.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, intrigued despite myself. Blane was always getting us into trouble, but we all secretly liked it. There wasn’t much to do in a small village like this, but Blane always managed to keep things interesting.
“To the beach.”
Falon sighed. “Well, now we have to go to make sure Blane doesn’t get Calla in trouble.”
“True,” Derel said. “Or we could arrest him now and save ourselves the trouble.”
Blane rolled his eyes. “You already arrested me once this week. And you let me off, too.”
“I’m starting to regret that decision,” Fallon said.
Together we all walked over to the docks at the end of town, where I saw Loka dart off with another girl, both of them holding hands and giggling. I smiled, hoping she’d find some happiness tonight.
Blane carried a torch and led us to the beach, where the dark waves were slowly lapping at the shore. I held up my skirt as we stepped into the sand, but then arms swept me off my feet from behind. I found myself in Falon’s strong arms and let out a gasp.
“Didn’t want you to ruin that pretty gown you’d worked so hard on,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you.” First the dance, and now this. I wasn’t sure Falon had touched me so much in my life before this night. Not that I was complaining.
Blane kept walking through the sand until he reached a cluster of rocks, well away from the lights, sounds, and smells of the festival. He bent down and removed a hidden sack, and opened it up to reveal a dozen long tubes with pointed ends. Fireworks.
“Where did you get these?” I asked.
“In Flamedale on my last trip.” Blane was the only one of us who had ever left the village. His mother died in childbirth, and his father died ten years later after years of being an alcoholic. Since then, Blane has taken whatever jobs he could get in order to keep food in his stomach and a roof over his head. He was the best fighter in the village, and often worked as a mercenary for traveling merchants, or whatever else was required of him. Rumor had it he had joined up with some bandits at one point too. But he always came back to Sparkport.
“Did you steal these?” Falon asked, as he picked up one of the fireworks.
“It doesn’t matter how I got them,” Blane said.
Derel crossed his arms. “Do you even know how to use them?”
Blane shrugged. “You light this end with fire and aim it at the sky. How hard can it be?”
“You’re going to get us all killed,” Roth muttered.
“Then Calla had better kiss us first, just in case,” Blane said.
My jaw fell open. “All of you?”
Blane grinned. “Why not?”
I was speechless as I glanced between them, though I couldn’t help but imagine it. I knew how good it felt to kiss Blane and Roth, and I’d just been in Derel and Falon’s arms while we’d danced. I pictured moving from one man to the other, or all of them surrounding me, their hands and mouths moving across my skin…
The five of us had once been best friends and practically inseparable. When you grew up in a small village it was natural to form close bonds with the other people your age, and for me it was the four of them. But when we got older my feelings for each of them shifted and grew into more. We began spending less time together, especially as we all became busy learning our trades, though I wondered if there was more to it than that. Sometimes I wondered if it was because of me.
I had the opposite problem my mother had when she was younger: I had four men I could see potentially marrying, but my relationship with each one was complicated, so in the end I was with none of them. Besides, how could I ever pick one when I had feelings for all of them? Yes, even Derel, though I hated to admit it to myself.
I’d heard that in the Air and Water Realms many people took multiple partners, the way that the Spirit Goddess and the Black Dragon did. Some considered it a way to honor them and believed it was normal to love more than one person. But here in the Fire Realm we were more traditional and it was almost unheard of—I certainly knew my mother would never approve.
“Now you’ve scared her,” Falon said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Blane picked up one of the fireworks. “Come on, the town will love it. Help me light one.”
“I want no part of this,” Roth said, stepping back.
“Nothing is going to happen, I promise. Besides, there’s nothing here but sand and water.”
<
br /> “And us,” Roth muttered. He threw an arm in front of me, as if to block me from the fireworks.
“Let’s do one and see how it goes,” Derel said. He was always the first one to jump on Blane’s wild plans, despite being the town guard. And after he joined in, Falon always did too, and then Roth would finally cave in. And me? I was always happy to just be near them, no matter what trouble we were getting into.
I watched as the guys debated the best way to light the firework. Eventually they decided to prop one of them up in the sand right next to the water, in case it went wrong.
But then a huge rumble sounded in the distance coming from Valefire. The ground beneath us shook violently, making me lose my footing in the black sand. I clutched onto Roth for support as the world trembled and the mountain roared. We all stared as ominous white smoke burst from its peak in a huge plume, illuminated by an eerie light coming from inside of Valefire.
The volcano had awakened.
4
Blane scooped up his fireworks while the rest of us rushed across the sand back toward Sparkport. Another earthquake swept through the land, this one so strong it made me stumble into Derel, who caught my arm to steady me. Fear made me scramble back up again, along with worry for my family. That rumble had been so loud and there was so much smoke rising into the sky, it made me nervous the volcano could erupt at any moment.
As we entered the village the crowd was screaming and running about, the mood changed from festive to chaotic. The music had stopped, the stage where the dancers had been was on fire, and worst of all, a crack had formed down the middle of the town square. Not large enough to truly injure anyone, but not a good sign either.
Derel kept his arm around me as people shoved and pushed against us in their frenzy, but we lost the other men in the crowd. He didn’t let go until we found our family’s stalls, where my mother threw her arms around me.
“Calla! I was so worried.”
“I’m okay.” I gave her a squeeze, and then hugged Krea next.
“Thank you, Derel,” Mom said. Now she’d never let up on us getting married. He gave us both a nod, before moving to speak with his own parents at their stall. Mom turned back to me. “Have you seen Loka?”
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