I smile into his chest and sigh happily while his hand rubs calming circles on my back.
“Well, I suppose feeling happy and calm makes the hellfire disappear then.”
Ezra takes a step back and smiles proudly at me. I watch my hands in awe as the hellfire slowly dims.
His shadows leisurely unfurl, the edges of them softening as tension bleeds away. One tendril lingers around my wrist, silent applause in shadow form, then it slithers back to the dark, leaving only a pulse of pride behind.
Ugh. I have a lot to learn. Even Ezra’s emo pool noodles know it.
Louie clears her throat behind me.
“You know you have a hellfire expert in the room. Just because I can’t use it at the moment doesn’t mean I don’t remember everything about it,” she huffs, crossing her arms and sticking her chin in the air.
“My deepest apologies, Louie,” Ezra says with a slight bow. “I’m not sure how I could have forgotten something like that. Please do share.” I think Ezra’s being sincere. But honestly? Could go either way.
“You’re not wrong,” Louie says. “Hellfire’s all emotion and intent. Everyone’s different, but Aurora? She’s easy to read. She gets pissed; it shows up. She chills the fuck out; it backs off.
“Manipulation? That’s a whole different beast. You gotta know your intention before you even try. Do you wanna help orharm? You gotta be certain, without a doubt in your heart, about what you wanna do, or it won’t work.
“Ever done anything with pure, undiluted intent? Shit’s fuckin’ impossible. It’s a skill we spend a lot of time learnin’ as pups. So much bleedin’ meditation.”
Louie curls her lip and flashes her fangs in disgust.
Ezra claps his hands together. “Fantastic! You’ve taught thisancient twatsomething new, hell-pup. I think, with Iain’s guidance and your support, Aurora should be well on her way to mastering her hellfire. What do you think, little lupine?”
Ezra turns to me with a radiant smile.
Goddamn it.
The smile. The suit. The absolute problem of his entire existence.
My brain flatlines, leaving me a speechless, mouth-breathing fool.
I finally resurface from my lusty thoughts when Ezra waves his hand in front of my eyes. As I refocus, an all-knowing, shit-eating smirk pulls at the corners of his mouth.
Shit, I need to practice some self-control if I’m supposed to be some sort of queen.
“There’s plenty of time for that later, Aurora,” Ezra whispers, grabbing my hand and kissing my palm.
It’s such a simple gesture, so intimate that my heart pounds in Morse code.
Beep, beep, beep.
Send help. I’m horny.
Beep, beep.
Panties? Gone. Vaporized. Taken before their time.
Beep, beep, beep.
Self-restraint? I barely knew her.
“Heh, sorry. I’ll control myself. I promise.”
As I head toward the back of the kitchen, something about the pantry door snags at my brain. Then, sharp as an ice pick, it hits.
My coffee mug shatters, but I barely hear it.
