7
Kassius
It was the first time I ever saw him with my own eyes.
The clouds seemed to part for him alone. Bright sun, bright sky. A smile danced on the omega’s lips, drawing me to him inexplicably, like a moth to a flame. Like the fire burning effortlessly in his palm.
Fire-Eater.That was his name.
When he strutted through the streets of Cinderhollow, everybody watched. He was like a living burst of fire - dangerous, powerful, enchanting and absolutely beautiful.
Little did I know that soon he would become a wanted man.
He stood in the center of the square, holding the flicker of fire in his hand like it was nothing. People gave him a wide berth, wanting to watch but not wanting to get too close. Not wanting to be burned. Even the other shifters with magic in their blood watched on in awe, like Halo was a god among them, a symbol of deep pride and strange unease at the same time. The ones most enamored with him were the other omegas. While they stood meekly by their alphas’ sides, Halo stood free, unclaimed and unattached, no alpha to control him. He was the ultimate representation of freedom.
The fire grew in Halo’s hands. He never got burned.
“Omega Fire-Eater,” a stern voice came from behind me.
A Knight. Keepers of justice and safety throughout Cinderhollow. Everything I aspired to be. My own Knight’s initiation was coming up soon - the thing I waited my whole life to become. My heart raced with excitement.
The older Knight carefully knit his way through the crowd towards Halo, but it was clear by the way he stopped a great distance away that he was cautious of the fire.
“Please put the magic away,” the Knight ordered.
Halo tilted his head in that coy, cocky way, the same way he did everything. “Why?”
“Because I am a member of the Knights, and I order you to do so.”
Halo’s eyes never left his. They burned like shards of amber, unflinching. “No.”
The crowd seemed to let out a soft collective gasp. Disobeying a Knight was obscenely rude, but was it evenallowed? The people of Cinderhollow had never encountered such a defiant young omega before, and it was clear the Knight had no idea how to handle him. He sputtered, made a grumbling noise, and backed off.
Halo threw his head back with an airy laugh - like he was the king of the world.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, he remained in the center of the square, playing with the fire in his palm. I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to be closer to him. I took a step forward, then another, until I breached the safety of the invisible line separating Halo from the rest of the crowd, like his very presence exuded an aura that kept others away. The line no one else dared to cross.
Except, in that moment, me.
My throat tightened as Halo’s eyes met mine. His dark honey-colored brows raised as he continued to roll the flame in his palm.
He was smaller up close, but his presence was no less grand.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hello,” he replied sweetly, a smile on his lips. “You’re awfully close to me.”
I glanced down at the distance between us - mere inches. Flustered, I backed away, hoping desperately I hadn’t insulted him or made him uncomfortable, but he just laughed again, the sound like bells in my ear.
“I’m just surprised,” Halo went on. “No one else has dared to come so close.”
He cocked his head, gesturing for me to return to close proximity. I did so. Going closer to him seemed easy. Natural.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Kassius Pax,” I replied.
He raised his palm and the flame suddenly burst upwards, in a tight spiral. I flinched and nearly leapt back, but for some reason I was frozen in place. I didn’t want to back away - not again. I wanted to be close to him.
