Too hot.
I was burning too bright, and I couldn’t stop it.
“Rain!” Sin cried out, the fear in his voice so strong that it cut through the haze of the orgasm that still rolled through me.
I forced my eyes open. I was definitely burning.
Only the fire wasn’t inside me anymore.
Chapter thirty-four
We were back in the small room behind the library, the illusion destroyed as Sin fought to put the flames out with a blanket. They coated my entire body like a second skin, and the acrid smoke stung my nose.
I think he shouted my name, but I didn’t fully register what happened while I lay unmoving on the couch, save for the slight twitch of my hips as my body continued to savor every last drop of pleasure despite the raging inferno.
The fire consumed everything around me, and yet… it didn’t burnme. The opposite, in fact. The flames caressed me, soothed me.
As my heart rate finally settled back to normal, I lifted my hand to my face and watched the fire fade away as if crawling back into my skin to slumber until summoned again. My eyes scanned the length of my arm, studying the new black swirls with accents of red that spread from my wrist to my elbow. I had never seen a Rivellan with color in their ramentum before, and I briefly wondered if I should be worried about that.
I sat up, taking in the damage surrounding me. The sofa was covered in black scorch marks, some of them still letting off wisps of smoke as the last embers died. The fire must have spread to the rug because it too was deeply singed. That would be tough to explain to Corym.
The only damage I cared about, though, was the damage that I had done to Sin. His chest and arms were covered in deep burns—charred, cracked, and oozing blood. The ruined blanket hung limply at his side as he gaped at me with an emotion I couldn’t decipher.
I reached down to pull up my leggings and found nothing but charred bits of fabric flaking off my lower legs. Searching the room, I found my tunic bunched up off to the side, mostly intact save for a few burn holes and gray smudges.
I tucked my knees under me on the destroyed sofa and tried not to focus on the ashes that continued to float up into the air. “I’m sorry,” I said soberly, refusing to look at Sin. It was the most underwhelming apology given that I had roasted him and destroyed half the room, but it was all I could manage. I was barely able to calm my own thoughts enough to figure out exactly what I was feeling.
Regret? Worry? Yeah, I had both of those. But there was also a giddy thrill coursing through me, and I hated suppressing that excitement. In the aftermath of what happened though, it didn’t seem right to embrace it.
I wanted magic. I wanted my abilities to manifest. I wanted to feel powerful. I just didn’t expect anyone else to get hurt in the process.
I could still feel the fire underneath my skin, a soft thrum of warmth that felt…. right. Like it had always been there, eager for the moment I might set it free. The sensation reminded me of that split second before an argument started, when my anger would burn deep in my chest and demand to be released. Exceptnow it was content to laze inside me. Not fading. Not flaring. Just waiting.
Sin’s silent stare was agonizing. Yelling I could handle—Sin and I were great at fighting. If I had to look in his eyes and see disappointment or regret, though… that would be a far worse fate.
Eventually, Sin made his way to the burnt sofa.
“Thanks for not dumping the bucket of bloody water on me,” I mumbled, needing to break the painful silence somehow.
“It was a challenge not to reach for the only water in the room, but I didn’t want to traumatize you.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice, and I didn’t know how he could find anything funny about what just happened. “Rain, I need your attention right now. This is important.”
My pulse pounded in my ears, and his knuckle slid under my chin to gently, but firmly, tilt my face up. As my eyes lifted to meet his, I prepared myself to see the worst.
Except there was no shame or pity on his face. Just… pride?
“You are extraordinary, Fea Remia.”
My heart bottomed out, and I collapsed in on myself. It was the last thing I expected after nearly burning him alive and damaging priceless antique furniture. He should hate me. Fear me. I would have understood either of those emotions. But this love in his eyes? He spent the morning having his back sliced up, and the first thing I did was subject him to more torture.
“I’m so sorry,” I said again.
“Don’t do that, Rain. Don’t apologize,” he replied firmly. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Yeah,” I said bitterly. “I manifested my first power and almost killed you in the process.”
“Is that why you look like I just broke your favorite violin? Because you think you’re a danger to me?” He leaned forward and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It was such a small,innocuous action, and yet the tenderness of it nearly destroyed me. “Rain, you are breaking my heart right now. What you did…” He shook his head as if still in disbelief. “When an elemental caster first manifests their power, do you know what happens?”
I shook my head, realizing once again how naïve I had been. Not once did I ask what the manifestation process entailed. For some idiotic reason I assumed I’d be walking down the street and then voila! Magic.
