“Jorusk,” Sidius says again.
Anger wakes my monster from his ignorant bliss. Staring down at my fated in so much pain and knowing it’s my fault makes me want to torch the entire universe.What’s the point of such a match if we can’t be together?
The brewing chaos inside me flares. I get up.
Sidius stops me with a hand.
I snarl at him.
He lets me go, and I storm down the hall to the thermal generation room. The door slides open for me. Once I’m inside, it clunks shut. I look back to see Sidius outside. He switches on the system, and lights blink on along the generator’s veins.
I pry the panel from my chest and toss it to the floor, letting the full fury inside rise to the surface of my skin. My body ignites. The bands holding my wings melt and fall to the floor. Flames lick off of my body as I darken to black with orange lines of heat cracking my shell, deeper and broader until I am a roiling humanoid mass of molten rock. The generation veins rotate around me faster and faster, blinking and converting my heat to energy that the ship will store and use later.
When I’ve filled the chamber with fire, I finally feel my rage peak. I’ve hurt the one I want only to protect.
A roar from the anger shakes my ribs and sends embers dancing with the flames.
“Jorusk.”
I hear the voice but ignore it to hide inside my pain.
DIA calls my name again from my wristband.
“What?” I bark at her with the underlay of my Inferno, a strange sound I’ve not heard from myself before.
“Brynna is calling for you.”
I cover my eyes. “I need to stay away from her.”
“Don’t take the easy route, Jorusk. Do not make her endure this pain she feels for no reason.”
“How can I ever face her again when I hurt her?” I snarl, my fire still swirling through the room.
“It had to happen sometime. She is human. You are Drathis.”
DIA is maddeningly pragmatic.
“And you just let it happen?” I ask. “Do you know how to fix it?”
“Osiris is doing what is necessary. It must happen naturally. The way in which your Inferno first enters her is how we musttreat her. But she should heal, and her tolerance should increase after each session.”
“Each?” I growl. “You mean every time we get close, she’s going to be like this?”
“Until she has a tolerance for your heat, yes. But that is the benefit of being human. She can adapt.”
What a fucked up way to live.
“Temporary pains like this are training for the mission.”
“You say it like she wasn’t just dying!”
DIA speaks calmly over my wristband as my fire flickers lower until I’m in a dark room again. “She would have without intervention. But you did the right thing. Now she needs you.”
I look at the door and consider just healing Brynna and leaving for good. I do not like the idea of hurting her more just so she can be with me. I want to make her feel better, not worse.
The door slides open, and Vryskas is before me, wings twitching. “Pull yourself together.”
I sigh. My fire sputters out, and smoke leaves my nose.
