Halo perked up. “I can do a lot of things. Fire’s just what I’m best at.”
“Indeed.” Sterling cast a glance over her shoulder, the slightest hint of concern on her face. “I’m not a fan of magic myself, but it would be convenient to have something like that protecting us from the outside.”
“The Black Ice pack?” I asked quietly.
The Knights were aware of an outside force lurking beyond our boundaries. They crossed the boundary marker, but the wolf shifters strayed too close for comfort. The Commander and I knew they wantedsomething, but didn’t know what. The pack had been putting us on edge for months now.
“Yes.” She turned back to me. “In any case, I just wanted to warn you. The other Knights are becoming quite agitated at even the mention of magic. Especially Silas. I’m not sure he would take as kindly to Halo practicing it.”
“But this ismyhouse!” Halo protested.
Sterling’s tone made it clear it wasn’t up for debate. “It’s outside, in public, where everyone can see. Please don’t let me see it again. If I do, I might be forced to intervene.”
I stiffened. The last thing I wanted was for my Commander to apprehend my mate, but rules were rules, and Halo was breaking them. As much as I loved him, I couldn’t let him get himself into trouble. I would protect him, even if it meant making him angry with me.
“I understand,” I said to Commander Sterling. “It won’t happen again.”
Displeasure stained Halo’s face, but for once he didn’t have a scathing reply. I was pleased that he knew to keep quiet.
“Good.” Sterling nodded. “I’ll see you during training, Captain.”
Some of the tension left my shoulders as Sterling departed. I glanced to Halo, half expecting him to be glaring at her from behind, but his faraway gaze was trained in another direction - the same one Sterling had been staring at earlier.
* * *
“Well, isn’t that ironic?”I muttered.
The burnt remains of our old home lay in a charred pile beyond museum-style steel rods that indicated for the public not to cross. At the head of the display was a plaque that read:
Here liesthe original home of Halo Fire-Eater, the creator of the Cinderhollow barrier, and his mate. The building was burnt down in protest by his enemies after his disappearance, but the remains have since been preserved in his memory. Please do not touch the display.
I grumbledas I finished reading. “His mate?Is that all I am?”
“Burnt down by my enemies? Man, fuck those guys!” Halo exclaimed.
“Keep your voice down,” I muttered, pulling him closer. There wasn’t a line or even a large crowd desperate to see the display, only the daily foot traffic of people in the area, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Whatever,” Halo mumbled. “I can’t believe those assholes burned our house down. Did you see who it was?”
“No, I left town after you disappeared,” I told him. “But if I had to guess, I assume it was the rest of the Knights. I can’t imagine they were pleased with you at the time.”
Halo’s expression was a mix of smugness and annoyance. “Well, at leastIhave a fancy plaque and they don’t.” He paused and asked, “Wait, why’d you say it was ironic?”
“Well, I just had a dream last night, mostly a memory, about how you lit the awning on fire in front of the Commander. You put it out with clear magic, but it’s ironic that the house ended up burning down regardless.”
“Huh.” He put a hand on his hip. “I remember that.”
“You do?”
“Yup. Sterling, that’s her name right?”
“Yes.”
He began walking away from the display. I followed. “Well, you should thank her. She was the one who gave me the idea for the barrier.”
I stopped in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah. When I realized how powerful my magic was because of the pregnancy, I knew I could do… almost anything.” He smirked. “Honestly, I think half the reason I did it was to annoy her. She said something about not being a fan of magic, so I thought, how cool would it be to prove her wrong? Make a big barrier to protect us,allof Cinderhollow. They’d all be in my big fat magical debt, and they’d be pissed about it.”
