She says it lightly, but something in her eyes betrays disappointment. Perhaps hurt.
“I fear I may light you on fire,” he forces out through gritted teeth as he struggles to prevent flames from bursting out of his palms.
“Light me on...stars above.” She rolls to her feet and takes a few steps backward, grasping at the seatback across from him.
She’s terrified of him now. Him and his magic.
Unsure what else to do, he lights a small fireball in each palm. It’s not much, but it takes off the edge.
“Cerian, what’s going on?” she whispers. “This isn’t normal, is it? Losing control of your magic?”
Whistling wind. How is he supposed to answer that? He can’t tell Arisanna it’s her. Can he? What would she think if she knew where his mind drifted as he lay in bed unable to sleep earlier?
“Your head is full of thoughts,” she says. “I can see them in your eyes. Tell me? Please?”
He can’t. He shouldn’t.
“Cerian?”
“This is not normal for me,” he finally says. “Though perhaps it’s not unusual for fire wielders. Strong ones, at least.”
She shakes her head, her delicate brows drawing together in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
He can’t tell her. What if it ruined everything between them? The thought of not having her smiling beside him guts him.
“We agreed we could talk to each other,” she says as she takes a small step toward him.
Perhaps she isn’t terrified.
Would knowing the truth draw them closer rather than frightening her away?
She lowers herself to the bench beside him as he focuses on her face. He can’t even imagine what wouldhappen if he looked at the rest of her with the heat flowing from his palms right now.
“I want you to tear down all the walls between us,” she whispers. “Remember?”
He swallows, and the fire in his palms burns hotter as her words rattle inside his head.
“Cerian?”
“It’s you,” he blurts out. “My fire magic burns hotter around you.”
She frowns. “Me?”
“When I think about...you...I lose control of my inner flame. About being...with you.”
She still looks confused.
Whistling wind, how much clearer can he be?
Then she gasps, and her eyes widen. She looks from his face to his hands and back again, and her cheeks turn an alluring shade of rosy pink.
Fates save him.
Secrets Laid Bare
Episode 39
Arisannastaresattheballs of fire in Cerian’s palms. His inner flame burns hotter...for her?
