When my attention returned to Natalia, a new sense of appreciation gleamed in her eyes, dimming the red hue. Her gaze held me captive for what seemed like an eternity, with awe, need, understanding, and hope all swirling within her depths…
With her still in my arms and glancing at me this way, I realized something.
Perhaps to my detriment, it no longer mattered if her fire was capable of killing me or not, it was too late for me… I was already hers.
“You are incredible…” I whispered, leaning into her and placing a soft kiss on her cheek.
A ragged sigh escaped her when my lips lingered on her skin, and I breathed deeply, scenting her and feeling her reach every inch of my being. My breath fanned her jaw when I exhaled.
Our eyes met once more as I pulled back, her swallowing confessing the moment we’d just shared affected her as much as it did me.
“Indeed, she is,” Dante proudly agreed, extending his hand to her.
Accepting it, Natalia cleared her throat and stood, prompting André and Dante to exchange brief, complicit smirks that swiftly dissolved.
“She’s falling for you, my guy…”
“Shut up, André.”
“Hannes and Natalia are sitting on a tree. F-U-C-K-I-N-G.”
“I will kick your ass, Dante,”I growled through our shadow link, making André snort.
Glancing over her shoulder, our mate realized her wings had left. “I hate to admit it, but scaring me helped after all, didn’t it?” she asked, giving me a look that promised endless hurt if I ever did that again.
“It sure did.” I grinned. “We discovered you can call back the fire once you’ve set it onto something, and that’s kind of big.”
“It’s huge,” André conceded. “It means your fire no longer has to destroy everything in its path until there is nothing left. You just have to practice enough to control it. You could even throw it and retrieve it like a regular weapon.”
“Right.” She bit the inside of her cheek.“I’m not convinced it will be that easy.”
“Of course it will, you are a bitch. Bitches can do anything they set their minds to,”Starlight taunted, seeming to get true pleasure out of calling her that.
“Star, I swear to the Goddess will cut you?—”
“It might not be easy,”I interrupted. “But you can get there… we will help.”
Remaining skeptical, our mate nodded.
“We also discovered your fire protects you too. The wings came out the second you felt threatened and took you out of my reach.”
“That’s right, I was hovering,” she murmured, recalling the scene.
“And it also healed you when the force of your recall was too strong.”
“I would say this was a great first session,” Dante concluded. “Now let’s go into the castle so you can rest.”
“Rest, my ass!” Natalia argued. “I need to master my powers so I can rescue Anastasia.”
“It’s not going to happen in a day,” André reminded.
“Why not? I’ve already proven I’m better than all of you losers.” She smirked at them. “And, I still have to beat this one in a fight.”
She jerked her thumb toward me, making me chuckle.
“But first,” she paused, retreating a few steps from us and glancing at her hands.
Her fire returned, rushing over her skin freely until it reached her shoulders, wings bursting out from her back. Amazed yet victorious laughter escaped her, and she ascended into the sky, flaming wings taking her higher.
