I pushed a bit harder to try to stabilize it.
Zayn jolted and then his eyes flamed and his fuchsia magical flame started lashing at the wall instead of sweeping around it and melding. It was fighting it, tendrils starting to whip at it and take out chunks that then hit the desk and melted into pools of water.
“Ease up,” I told him.
But his magic only grew more aggressive.
When I added more, it made it worse—on his end.
I grabbed his arm and his eyes shot to mine. “I’m not gonna hurt you. It’s all okay. Just breathe. This isn’t an assault. We’re trying to build something, not engaging in a miniature brutal battle. You’resafe.You’re safe here.”
He blinked, then sucked in a stuttered breath.
His hands trembled and pain etched his handsome features. “They all try to control us.”
I frowned. “Who?”
He blinked again, then shook his head, and pulled his power back entirely, his wall dematerializing.
“No one. Nothing,” he murmured, as he slumped back in his seat. “I can’t do this,” he grumbled.
“You mean Ifrits in general?” I asked carefully, as I swept my ice and frost away, and turned to face him.
He lowered his head and folded his arms across his chest.
A minty scent rolled over me a moment before Vaxan was easing onto the edge of my desk. “You continue to shut down in this manner, Zayn, and they’re still controlling you in essence, even all these years later,” his steady voice sounded, a slight hiss in it as the vehemence of his own words clearly struck an emotional chord with him.
Zayn’s head shot up. “Why don’t you stop sticking your nose—and your cock—in business that doesn’t concern you?”
“Is that truly what you wish me to do?”
He glared. “What else would it be? If you think you can shrink me with some psychobabble and—”
“Ithinkanyone can with the way you handle all things. You make yourself susceptible to the very thing that you fear almost as much as physical domination.” His lips quirked. “The latter fear having one exception of course.”
“Vaxan,” I spoke in a warning tone.
His gaze flicked to mine. “All will be well, dragon princess.”
It…whatwas happening?
His assurance started to make sense very quickly when he regarded Zayn more softly and told him, “I experienced a trauma response similar to that which is wreaking havoc upon you now—earlier with the Celestial. It revived pain and insecurities of times past where my people were driven into the depths of the earth by prejudice and threat of extinction at the hands of theCelestial Plane. I know Ifrits were similarly persecuted for far too long. And I understand.”
Zayn’s fierce expression cracked and I heard his heartbeat calm significantly.
I mean, yeah, he was still wary. And upset with Vaxan for the Winter thing. I had mixed feelings about it too, obviously. But for me, I knew I didn’townWinter and that he and I were not much of anything now because of a decision I’d made—one I’d been forced to make. But Zayn… the owning thing didn’t exactly play out the same way.
Vaxan flipped his palm up and eased closer to Zayn across the desk.
He called his citrine power to it, his palm glowing vibrantly. “Invoke your arcane flame,” he told Zayn in a hypnotically commanding tone.
I warned Vaxan, “Your venom and petrification against his Ifrit fire are—”
“I am aware.” He winked at me. “But thank you, Evira.”
“You’re trying to poison me, snake boy? Is that it?” Zayn demanded, unfolding his arms and sitting forward.
“First, I won’t employ my petrification. It’s not exactly conducive to what we’re trying to do here. And as for my venom, you do know that you have the means to burn through it, yes? If you can muster enough power. You stand as much chance of hurting me as I do of hurting you should we not achieve balance here.”
