Page 116 of A Whisper of Cinders

“Oh, Maily, try to see what you can already do. Until a couple of weeks ago, you didn’t even know you had a drop of magic within you. And see what you can do now.”

Siri has for once joined us for breakfast and her mindset is the reality check I needed. I look up and smile a little sheepishly. “You’re right, sorry for complaining.”

“Babes, stop apologising for doing nothing wrong. I would feel the same if I were in your position, we all would.”

Everyone nods in agreement and I stand up and put my tray away. “Seraphe said she would bring something that might help me, let’s hope it will be effective.”

I wave them goodbye and walk over to the classroom, only to see Conláed leaning against the table once I enter.

“Oh, hi. Do you have a lesson with Seraphe as well?”

He looks up, looking handsome as ever and still the only one who appears fae all the time. I’d say my sight is on maybe eighty percent of the time, but my mind seems to enjoy watching Conláed’s fae form and I don’t blame it.

“Hello there, little feather. Well, actually —”

“Ah, you’re already here, that’s great. Maily, as you might or might not know, Conláed is a strong fire user as well,” My heart skips a beat. Please, don’t say what I think you’re about to say. “…he might be able to help you, a bit in the way I do, but differently.”

She could’ve said her something is a someone. I need to get close to him, that’s where she’s going with this. Since things have…changed between Aramis and me, I’ve tried to keep some distance from Conláed. The way my body — and mind — reacts when I see him is something, but when he’s close to me? Oh moons, that is a whole different thing.

I never skip training, but since I train with my classmates now, my skill more than average, we don’t get as close as before and that is exactly what my confused heart needs.

But this…this changes things.

“For today’s lesson, I want you to seek out Conláed’s power. It’s a bit of a different approach, but since his flames are so primal, you might sense them a little easier.”

The arrogant smirk on his face makes me nearly roll my eyes, but not wanting to be disrespectful to Seraphe, I do what she says.

“Close your eyes and let your powers search for him, reach out to them.”

All I feel is my heart, pounding wildly against my ribs. My nose picks up his bergamot scent, the hints of black pepper and smoke creating this divine fragrance. It makes me want to dive my nose into his neck and sniff the scent of his skin. Which makes me sound like a mad woman. Maybe I am.

“Mhm, good,” Seraphe encourages, not really sure what I am doing. “Move a little closer to her, Conláed, it might make it easier for her.”

No, not closer! It takes everything in me not to step back, but I sense him even with my eyes closed. I know he’s there and I feel him everywhere around me.

So when I open my eyes and the gaze in his is as intense as the one in mine, a circle of fire forms around us, the flames spinning faster and faster until a tornado forms that excludes Seraphe. It’s just us now.

“Magnificent,” Conláed states. Due to the fire in his eyes, I can’t quite decipher the look that I see there.

“Is this…”

“All you, feather. I’m not doing a single thing.”

“But why? How?”

He turns towards me. “No idea, but does it matter?”

It does and it doesn’t. I’m relieved to see my powers are still there, but why are they so responsive to him? Why is my heart beating so fast and wild, yet my flames are in complete control.

“Can I try something?”

I nod.

He holds out his hand and without any hesitation, I lay mine in his. At the first touch of our skin, the flames change. They grow darker and feel even stronger. Traces of gold flicker in between the red and orange tornado.

“Do you feel the difference?”

I feel a lot of things right now, but I nod again as I look around me, because yes, I do feel the change. And when Conláed’s influence starts to change the shape of the flames into a dome around us, I can only watch with pure admiration.