Page 55 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

Xavier raises his hands, gesturing to nothing, and says, “But why would she go there?”

“To kill the king,” I say as I eye him. There doesn’t seem to be a hint of understanding or secrecy this far into the interrogation, so I can push further without them tipping over the edge. “How well do you know your girlfriend? Where did you meet her? How did the two of you become romantically involved? Did she offer herself up on a platter, and your cock couldn’t withstand it?”

Kylie makes a face of disgust.

“I met her at the academy. She transferred from the Kingdom of Storm.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?” Xavier says.

“Why did she go to Oceanview Harbour? Did she tell you her story?”

“She had strict parents and wanted an escape,” Kylie answers. Her eyes glisten, and she chews her bottom lip.

I keep my focus firmly on her for a few more seconds. The way her hands squeeze and tighten together, along with the uncomfortable shift in her seat, causes me to narrow my eyes with a hint of suspicion.

Her girlfriend places her hand over Kylie’s and rubs the back of her hand reassuringly, which eases Kylie and lets her rest comfortably against the chair she sits on. I look away when I deem that the way she presents herself is more influenced by her experiences and has nothing to do with Pandora Averis.

“She was an orphan,” I say. “Pandora came from the Sweethearts Orphanage, and then she went missing for a year before ending up at Oceanview Harbour. Between the ages of eighteen and nineteen, there’s a gap in our system regarding Pandora Averis, and no one seems to know where the hell she went. Then she appeared at Oceanview Harbour. A few months later, she clings to the most gullible, walking fucking erection at the academy. Not only that, but he was an unawakened fire elemny wanting to awaken at the amphitheatre at the Kingdom of Flesh on his birthday.”

Xavier shakes his head and says, “I don’t believe you. That’s not my Pandora!”

“Your Pandora?” I chuckle at the sentiment. The possessiveness of someone who knows nothing about the woman he’s fucking. “She’s not yours anymore, kid. After King Walkyer interrogates her, she’s mine, and I will deal with her as I see fit.”

“You will kill her!” Sara says, then slaps her hands over her mouth and widens her eyes. “I know…I mean…everyone knows you for that.”

“I am, and I will. What I want from you is to understand the mask you knew over two years of her life at Oceanview Harbour. I want to know the key moments about her that made you question her. And if you don’t, King Walkyer said I could kill anyone who isn’t innocent. You wouldn’t be innocent anymore if you withheld information from me, would you?”

They go rigid.

Sara’s eyes waver, and her nostrils flare as she struggles with all her might to withhold the brimming tears. She is likely imagining all the things I could do to her and how fucking easy it would be for me to do them without repercussions. The way her skin would melt in my hands if she were to hide things from an elemny trained to see through someone’s bullshit.

“She’s weak,” Kylie says, and I turn my attention away from Sara and glare at her instead. “Whenever we had our elemny classes, she couldn’t do anything. Pandora couldn’t even make the water move in the water bottle. Please don’t hurt her. She’s harmless, weak and a very weary elemny!”

My eyes go wild. “Harmless? She put a bullet in King Ragan’s head.”

“I still don’t believe it,” Xavier says.

“Then don’t,” I huff a laugh. “I don’t need to convince you. What needs to happen is for you to convince me. And you aren’t doing an outstanding job.”

Weak? And a water elemny. Alad sent me her incomplete file, which had her elemental ability class. If Kylie is telling the truth, how do they know Pandora’s elemental ability if she can’t show it?

We learn of it by feeling it at a young age, but it’s not until we show signs of it in nature. Mother told me that heat would ripple across my skin since birth, and she took me to the hospital, fearing I had a fever. Then, to confirm the fire burning within me, I remember the day I was ripped away from my home. The flames licked across the walls, engulfing the home I adored until ash fell like snow onto my shoulders.

Now, I know elemny abilities come differently than mine, for mine came from wrath, and Mother told me it strengthens our power more than anything. But there should be some signs.

“Anything?” I say. “Do plants move toward her? Does she enjoy the heat? How much water does she drink a day?”

Kylie furrows her brow. “Not from memory.”

“She likes icy water,” Sara says. “I tried drinking from her bottle once, but it was too cold.”

Kylie bobs her head in agreement.

I tap my finger on the table and grimace. “How did her skin feel when you touched her, Xavier? Soft, warm, rough or sticky?”

“Cool. Sometimes a little uncomfortable,” he says with a hint of blush tickling his cheeks.