Serafina
Jax left hours ago, and since then, I’ve spent every second calling upon my flames, and every second experiencing pure agony.
I fall to my knees. The fire that had reached all the way to my elbows goes out, and my musclesscream, feeling as though they’ve been viciously torn apart.
Calling on my flames in the arena won’t be enough. I’ll need to be able to hold them, tocommandthem. The moment Norin and the others see me falter, it’ll be over.
I stand up, and the flames reemerge. I grind my teeth as the orange and red ball in my palm grows and grows.
I am not weak.
I am not weak.
Icando this.
The ball stays, despite my muscles feeling like they’re on fire too, burning in a way that feels inextinguishable, like I’ll remember this searing pain for the rest of my life.
The fire goes out, and I collapse to the ground.
I just need a few more minutes. A few more minutes to rest, but then…I’ll try again.
* * *
Sitting and waiting. Sitting and waiting. I haven’t moved a limb in far too long, my eyes pinned on the door, wishing Jax to come, hoping he’ll keep his promise.
Knuckles rap on the wood, and I spring to my feet in less than a second. Reaching for the knob, I twist and pull it open.
It’s not locked.
Just as Jax had said.
And then, there he is, dressed in all black, the color matching his hair but contrasting so sharply with those molten golden eyes.
“You came,” I say, the disbelief hard to shield from my voice because even though he promised, I wasn’t sure he actually meant it.
He cocks his head to the side, his lips pulling into a faint frown. Sadness flickers across his features.
“You thought I wouldn’t.” It’s a statement, not a question, and his tone lets me know that somehow, in some way, my doubt has hurt him.
I open my mouth to respond but don’t know quite what to say.
His jaw tightens, but after a moment, he says, “Come on, we should get going before the guards rotate shifts again. The ones patrolling the east side just left the gardens.”
He reaches out his hand, slowly, carefully, and I realize he plans to use light to travel.
My stomach drops.
“Absolutely not. We walk,” I say, and there’s so much amusement in his eyes, the signs of his sadness disappearing, or at the very least, being pushed so very far down.
“Serafina,” he chastises, “walking will give you less time to explore the gardens.” His hand inches closer, but I swat it away, and helaughs.
“Don’t care. My stomach could barely handle your light travel when it wasempty. I have no desire to find out what happens when it’s stuffed with all this food you keep shoving at me.” I move past him, and I can hear that low chuckle again, making me want to pause so my footsteps don’t interfere with the sound of it.
Gods, I’m an idiot.
But even idiots can admire the beauty of something, even more so when that something tends to be so rare, and the prince letting his guard down enough to just behimaround me is undeniably rare.
“You realize you’re leading the way when you have no idea where it is we’re going.” I can hear the smile in his voice.
