I would’ve given anything to sink inside it. To drown beneath the surface and brace against the biting cold. To surrender to the frost that always helped.
Frost.
My eyes flew wide as the answer stared me right in the fucking face.
Rook.
Each time I was near her, it was like a hoarfrost worked its way over my smoking soul. She soothed me far better than anything else. And I’d stupidly run away from her.
Wrenching off the water, my fist turned the fire-softened tap into a misshapen hunk of metal. Staggering away from yet more property damage, I tripped from the shower and snatched a towel from the rack.
With shaking hands, I did my best to soak up the water from the bandages and slipped back into my old trousers. That was the extent of my dressing, seeing as I had no shirt after the doctors cut off my old bloody one.
Breathing hard, I swiped a hand over the steamy mirror—
I reared back as a glowing red circlet illuminated my pupils.
My heart rate exploded.
I leaned in for a closer look—
The mirror cracked.
A spiderweb fractured across my reflection, radiating from the centre where I stared, almost as if the mirror couldn’t withstand the embers glowing in my stare.
“Fuck.” Bracing my palms on either side of the sink, I bowed my head and breathed.
Deep and low. Slow and steady.
Detach. Let go. Fade away.
I couldn’t go out looking like this.
Looking this unhinged and manic.
She’d be petrified of me.
Iwas petrified of me.
I had no fucking idea what was going on.
Raising my chin, I looked past the fractured mirror and caught my fire-rimmed eyes.
The sickly sensation of power throbbed beneath my ribs. It whispered in my ear, promising it could burn the world to ash if I wanted.
With a snarl, I locked it all down.
I balled my hands, clenched every muscle, and through sheer dumb willpower, I harnessed the wildfire tearing through my body, sucking it back into my heart.
It fought me.
I struggled.
I dripped with sweat and steam and—
A sudden high-pitched noise came from the bedroom.
Rook.
