by Melissa Haag
I snorted.
“Human teenagers have enough attitude that most parents wish there were late-life adoption options. Don’t judge all humans based on what you see in Uttira. Don’t expect far less attitude from a teenage fury. Expect more.”
Mrs. Quill reached out and touched her sister’s arm, and they both disappeared in a portal.
I looked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Oanen walked down, his gaze never leaving mine. I crossed my arms and studied him. He looked burned, again, but not as badly as I had imagined. Just a red face and singed eyebrows. Nothing that would have kept him in bed.
My anger continued to rise. Not at Oanen, but at Adira and the rest of the Council.
“I have to ask. What hold did the Council have over you that kept you from coming to me?”
“My mark,” he said after a moment.
Although I’d figured they’d been blackmailing him with something, I hadn’t thought that. He’d never mentioned wanting his mark so much that he’d give me up for it. Hurt speared me.
“Why is your mark so important?”
He didn’t answer until he reached the bottom step where he stayed at least fifteen feet away from me.
“Because of you. Your house is almost always vacant. Furies don’t live in Uttira. At least, not if they can help it. And, from what I’ve gathered, no one else wants furies living in Uttira either. That means, at some point, you’re going to get your mark.”
I considered him for a moment, letting his words and his meaning sink in.
“And without your mark, you think I’d just leave you behind when I got mine?”
“Something like that.”
“I don’t think this bonding thing works like that. Less than twenty-four hours without hearing from you, and I was going crazy.”
“How crazy?” he asked, his lips twitching.
“Like level-cities-to-find-you crazy or at least rip-off-Adira’s-hidden-fairy-wings-to-find you crazy.”
He chuckled.
“You seem to have a thing with ripping off wings.”
“Apparently. Must be in my blood.”
“She doesn’t really have wings, you know.”
“Whatever. Am I cool enough to approach yet?”
He glanced down at my feet. “Floor’s still trying to burn.”
I looked down and saw the spreading scorch marks around me.
“If I go outside to try to cool off, will I need to come back in to save you again?”
“No. I think you’ve made your point, and they’ll leave us alone.”
“For now.” I sighed and moved for the door. “I’ll be back.”
Outside, I walked around, having fun melting the snow and blackening the grass underneath. After I finished writing “Furies should not play with fire” on the Quills’ front lawn, I knew I could go back inside. It had taken me three passes to get the word fire dark enough.
Smiling to myself, I jumped a little when I turned around and saw Oanen right there.
“My mom sent me out to tell you she feels you’ve suitably learned your lesson about playing with fire and can stop writing.”
“She doesn’t really believe I was doing this to punish myself, does she?”
“No.”
I glanced at the house.
“I don’t know much about this boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but I do know I’m supposed to get your parents to want to like me. I completely went the opposite way in there.”
“Don’t worry. They do like you.” He glanced at my creation on the lawn. “Feel better?”
“Are we talking temperature or vengeance?”
“Both.”
“Then, yes.”
“Good.” He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him in return, relishing the feel of his hold. It seemed like forever since we’d touched, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it and craved it until now.
He brushed back a bit of my hair and pressed a kiss to my temple. The fire that had gone mostly dormant flared, and I quickly stepped out of his hold.
Fenris’ question about how I would put out a fire echoed in my head again. I hated that I needed Oanen so much but couldn’t touch him or be touched like I wanted.
“Are you free to leave the house again?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Good because I want to go somewhere and try something.”
“That sounds scarily vague.”
I grinned and led the way to the car. Once we were inside, I opened all the windows before starting the engine. I didn’t trust myself to stay calm.
“Are you going to give me any hints?” he asked when we reached the main road.
“Not yet. If I think about it too much, it’ll get hot in here.”
“I’m intrigued.”
His tone was making my insides warmer by the second.
“Cut it out.”
I forced my thoughts away from what I was going to propose. When I’d come up with the idea at home this morning, I’d almost melted the fridge handle.
It only took us a few minutes to reach the Academy.
“Are we breaking in again?” he asked.
“If we have to but not to get into Adira’s office. The pool this time.”
We got out and tried the student door. It was locked. I led the way around to the side where I’d found the open window before, and we climbed through. This time no one floated on the surface of the pool.
“All right,” Oanen said once he stood beside me. “Now what?”
“Now, you get in the pool.”
I took off my jacket and put it on a chair. When I bent and started to take my shoes off, a huge splash echoed in the room. I glanced at Oanen’s pile of clothes then his wickedly handsome smirk as he treaded water.
“I think I see where this is going,” he said.
“Really? Because I’m not even sure where it’s going to go.” I unzipped my jeans and put them on the growing stack of my clothes. Oanen didn’t say anything as I tugged my shirt over my head and set it aside. I couldn’t talk if I wanted to. My hands shook. I was nervous about standing in front of him in my bra and underwear. But, more than that, I was nervous about everything going wrong.
I walked toward the pool and sat on the edge, sticking one leg at a time in the water. Steam hissed up around me at first contact. The cold water started pulling away the heat curling inside my limbs and the steam slowed.
“In theory, the pool should keep me from overheating because of the temperature control for the water creatures who normally use it. If it doesn’t, as soon as you feel the water starting to warm, you have to get out so I don’t slow boil you like a lobster. Deal?”
“Deal,” he said. “Now get in so we can test your theory.”
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves then eased myself the rest of the way into the pool. Oanen swam closer, an almost predatory glint reflected in his eyes.
“Relax, Megan,” he said with a slight grin. “I won’t hurt you.”
He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest while he gripped the edge of the pool with his other hand. The feel of his skin against mine escalated the heat inside me. Steam rose around us in the barest wisps while the water of the pool worked to keep me cool.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No. You’re killing me. Kiss me already.”
I grinned and set my hands on his bare chest before closing the distance between us. I touched my lips to his hesitantly, paying more attention to how the contact was affecting me and the temperature of the water than the actual experience. Oanen didn’t allow that for long. He licked my upper lip then gripped me tighter and demanded more.
Holding tight, I groaned at the touch of his tongue against mine. His hand moved over my back, a cool stroke over my heated skin. We parted and looked at each other.
“Still good?” I asked.
“The best.”
His mouth claimed mine once more.
The passion of it robbed me of breath and cautious thought. I clung to him, losing myself to the kiss. To the taste of him. To the feel of him. The water rose over my shoulders and climbed up my throat as he let go of the pool and wrapped my legs around his waist. The feel of his erection firmly pressed against my underwear brought in enough awareness that I broke the contact once more.
Oanen reached up to move a piece of wet hair from my temple as he treaded water with his legs and watched me with golden eyes.
“You are the most beautiful thing in my life. A perfection I never thought the gods could achieve,” he said.
“You’re not just saying that to get in my panties, are you,” I said, already knowing the answer.
“No. It’s not the truth because I want you; I want you because it’s the truth.”
I looked at him for a long moment, embracing what I felt for him.
“How have you become my everything?”
I kissed him softly, a gentle touch of my lips to his.
The soft melody of a song about love and acceptance wrapped around my heart and encouraged me to give myself over to the handsome, exceptional creature who wanted me for his own. I smoothed my hands over his shoulders and around his back, pressing my chest against his. He groaned into my mouth. The song threaded around us, coaxing us both to let our passion for each other free.
Oanen gripped my legs and arched his hips against mine. Pleasure tingled through me. The need to give and receive even more rose higher as we sank under the water, our mouths melded in a hot kiss that threatened to consume my soul. I felt his need for me. His desire to call me his other half. All that I felt for him collided and gelled together inside my chest, a ball of emotion so intense it burned to be shared.
I loosened my hold on everything I’d been too afraid to let myself feel and sent it straight toward Oanen.
Water exploded around us. I opened my eyes in shock as his lips were ripped from mine and, through the bubbles, watched him fly backwards. He hit the other side of the pool with so much force that I could hear the tile crack even under water.
I surfaced, not even close to out of breath, and frantically swam toward him. He wasn’t moving, his body floating face down near a ladder. I hooked one arm around him, just under his arms, and pulled him toward the edge, ignoring the ladder and heaving him out of the pool and onto the cement ledge.
The moment I was on my knees beside him, I pressed my ear to his chest. The beat of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest reassured me.
Sitting back on my heels, I brushed back his hair.
“Oanen?” I called.
His face was once again blistered. Most of his skin had some degree of burn. His hair hadn’t melted, but likely only because of the water.
“Oanen, can you hear me?”
He groaned slightly.
“Ooh. Looks bad,” a voice said from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder in surprise at a green-faced girl swimming in the water.
“I think I hurt him,” I said, trying to fight my panic. “He’s not answering.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Enjoy that kick to the face,” she said before diving under.
I didn’t know who she was, but I wanted to kill her. Oanen gripped my hand, his hold stopping me from jumping into the water. I turned back to him and found his eyes open.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes and no. I’d like to go back in the water and try again, but I think I’ll need a few minutes.” He spoke slowly, taking small breaths after every third word. He would need far more than just a few minutes.
“You want to try again? Are you insane?” I asked.
“For you,” he said with a smile followed closely by a wince.
I felt sick.
“How bad is it?” I asked softly.
“I think I might have cracked a rib or two. Help me up.”
“I’m not sure you should stand. Let me call—”
“Megan, I’ll be all right. I just need a hand up so I don’t hurt myself more.”
I hesitated until he tried rolling on his side on his own. The pain on his face had me getting down beside him so he could use me as a brace to stand. Each wince that pulled at his features tore at me. I’d done that. I’d hurt him. Again. How many times was it now? I’d lost count.
As soon as he stood, I helped him around the pool to his clothes. Helping him put on pants was awkward. Mostly because the green-faced bitch kept popping her head above the water and openly eyeing Oanen’s ass.
Once he had pants on, I quickly dressed as well. When I turned to offer to be his crutch, I found him already halfway through the window.
“You’re going to kill yourself,” I said, not sure if I should help him climb out or pull him back in.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. He lifted his leg over the windowsill and disappeared from sight.
I leaned out the window, saw him lying in the snow, and quickly scrambled after him.
“We could have used the doors.” I helped him to his feet and guided him toward the parking lot.
“We could have, but then the new liaison would have needed to come here, and I don’t think she’s ready for a second round with you just yet.” Humor laced his words, an attempt to mask the strain in them.
“Second round?” I asked, playing along. “That’s sounds like I attacked her or something.”
“She’s afraid of you after just one meeting,” he said.
“Good. She should be afraid of everyone here. She’ll pay more attention that way.”
“Or become paranoid.”
I opened the passenger door for him and watched as he eased onto the seat. Either he was getting better at not wincing or he was hurting less. When he was settled, I closed the door and ran around to get in behind the steering wheel.
“I don’t even know if this place has a hospital,” I said.
“It doesn’t. There’s no need. We all heal fairly quickly.” He reached over and set his hand on my leg. “I can feel your panic. I’ll be fine. Please stop worrying. Give me a week, and we’ll try again.”
The fact that he’d gone from saying a few minutes to a week hit me hard.
“How?” I asked. “I don’t know how to control the things happening to me or even know what will happen. I didn’t even know I could explode fire like that. We’re not getting into that pool again.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Isn’t it? I took you to the pool. It was my idea to see if the water would work.”
“It might have if the siren hadn’t started singing.”
“Siren?” I thought of the melody that had been in my head and the memory of the siren who’d tricked men into thinking she’d been stripping on line.
“I thought that didn’t work on us.”
“It normally doesn’t because our minds are naturally more shielded when we’re aware of the song. We were distracted.”
“So the song worked? I want to kill her.”
“It wasn’t a her. It was a him. The mermaid in the pool probably talked him into helping her. I’m guessing she’s the one who went after Ashlyn?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I never saw her face. I only—” I swore.
“What?”
“I kicked it. Yep, that was her.”
I pulled up before his house and parked the car. He put his hand over mine to stop me from turning off the car.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “Thank you for an amazing afternoon.”
He was breaking my heart with the devotion in his gaze. He could barely move without wincing and had blisters all over his chest and face. The skin around his waist, where my legs had been, looked like it had already started peeling. All the damage I’d done, and he was thanking me?
I swallowed hard.
“Bye, Oanen.”
He let me go, and I bit my lip as he slowly worked himself out of the car. At the door, he stopped a
nd leaned down just enough to see me.
“Say it,” he said. “Say you’ll see me tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His lips curved slightly, but the smile didn’t touch his eyes as he closed the door. I watched him start toward the house. Before he reached the door, I rolled down my window. The cold air calmed my mind and helped me make a hard decision.
“Oanen,” I called.
He turned to look back at me.
“I think we made a mistake. We both need to come to terms with the fact that, no matter how much our hearts are saying yes, our bodies are saying no. Try to stay away. I’ll try to do the same.”
Fourteen
The image of Oanen standing shirtless in the snow stayed branded in my mind all the way home. He hadn’t called my name or tried to stop me as I’d pulled away. Instead, he’d sent a text before I’d reached the road. A text I still hadn’t read.
I turned into my driveway and parked in the back. Resisting the urge to pull the phone from my pocket, I got out and made my way into the house. Only after I’d hung up my jacket and put my shoes by the door, did I look at what he’d sent.
Playing hard to get isn’t attractive for any gender.
I groaned. I’d known it wouldn’t be easy as soon as I’d made the decision that we shouldn’t be together like he wanted anymore. Taking a slow breath, I carefully composed a reply.
I’m not playing hard to get. I’ve tried to be the girlfriend you need. It hasn’t worked. I’m sorry, but this is for the best.
His reply was immediate.
A few burns and broken bones change nothing. You’re still mine. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Why couldn’t he just accept that we were done? I typed out another reply, hoping he’d understand.
I think it would be best if I take a few days off. Some distance will help us both come to terms with this being over.
I thought I’d get another text, but the phone remained quiet the rest of the day. Even Eliana didn’t text. I kept telling myself it was for the best. However, the ache in my chest disagreed and continued to grow until I could barely breathe.
Once the sun set, I crawled into bed, hoping that sleep would mute the regret and denial I felt. However, sleep didn’t come easily. I tossed and turned, the corrosive pain creating a misery I couldn’t seem to escape.
