Page 53 of Vameer

I inhale again, filling my lungs with the scent that shouldn’t be possible.

My hand curls into a fist, trying to keep the warmth of her touch against my palm.

She’s… she’s so pretty.

Her features… they’re so soft. So feminine. Such a contrast to… me.

The reflection was muted, the color dull. But I think her hair is red. A dark shade. Maybe it was wet.

I couldn’t focus on one thing. Every inch of her that I could see was perfection.

Temptation.

Soft skin. Soft breasts. So pretty.

Being this close to my mate but not being able to hold her…

Seeing so much of her glorious body but not being able to touch her…

My frustration builds. And the little bathroom gets hotter.

And hotter.

I glance down.

And then I jerk the bathroom door open.

Staying crouched, I rush into the hall and to the back door.

The embers stirring in my chest fill the hallway with an orange glow.

Must go faster.

I shove the door open. Step outside. Get one foot into the grass and jump. Straight up.

My gravito yanks me into the sky. And as the sun crests over the mountains, my Fire Touch roars back to life, and a swell of heat bursts out of me.

The tops of trees, two hundred feet down, singe.

Gravito pulses around me, halting the melting process of my new shorts. While more gravito wraps around my sleeve, putting out a small fire on my robe.

She has awoken it.

My mouth pulls into a grin.

Then I turn north and jump.

Chapter 21

Rune

It takes me two tries to lock the door, then I cross the dozen feet in front of my building to the other door.

The key trembles in my grip, making a scraping sound against the lock as I insert it.

I inhale a breath that doesn’t smell like ozone, and when I feel steadier, I turn the key and step into The Gallery.

I try to block out whatever just happened as I go through the motions of opening the little shop for the day.