“Thanks,” Lexi muttered.
“Well, it’s true,” Kaylia said. “I’d alsoprefer if you weren’t eaten.”
“Good to know.”
Kaylia smiled at her, but it vanished whenOrin started talking again.
“Still, you think it’s the best way to findout how to unlock what she can do with the dragons. And let’s faceit,that’sthe ability we really need.”
“We need them all,” Kaylia stated. She turnedher back on Orin, but her irritation with him was evident in theset of her jaw. “I watched an arach walk straight through adragon’s fire and out the other side. It was one of the mostamazing things I’ve ever seen.”
Lexi bit her lip and glanced at the torch asshe realized where this was heading. Learning if she couldwithstand fire was necessary, but she would prefer not to endureit.
CHAPTER 30
“We also know they can create fire with theirhands and wield it like a dragon,” Kaylia continued. “I’ve seenthat happen.”
Lexi turned her palms over to inspect them.She’d heard this about the arach too, but she couldn’t imaginebeing able to create fire with her hands. It would be such awonderful, strange thing.
“So, we’re going to work on the fire. Theability to withstand fire should be easy enough; stick your handinto the flame and see what happens,” Kaylia said as if it were thesimplest thing ever.
“I tried that once,” Orin said. “It didn’twork out well for me, and she burned.”
“It won’t work out well for you if you try itagain either,” Cole warned.
“Not me, brother.” Orin held his hands up. “Imay be devilishly handsome, adventurous, and up for anything thatinvolves a good time, but I’m not stupid.”
“I beg to differ,” Sahira muttered.
The smile Orin flashed her had probablymelted the hearts of many women over the years.
“If you’d like, I can make you beg for manythings,” Orin purred. “And all of them will be enjoyable.”
Sahira rolled her eyes. “The only thing I’dbeg for fromyouis an exit.”
Orin’s laughter caused Kaylia to spin on him.She planted her hands on her hips as she glared at Orin andSahira.
“If you two are done flirting, we have workto do here,” she snapped. “If you’re going to be disruptive, thenleave. We certainly get a lot more done when youaren’there.”
That shut them up, and Orin looked a littleabashed while he dug the toe of his boot into the rocky ground.Sahira folded her arms over her chest as she stared at theflame.
Kaylia turned back to Lexi. “Now, let’s seewhat happens when you play with fire.”
Lexi stared at the fire dancing around thehead of the torch. The orange and yellow color was as pretty as itwas unnerving.
Orin sticking her hand into the stove’s flamewasn’t the first burn she ever had, and none of them were pleasantmemories. Once, when she was a teen, she’d been unfortunate enoughto knock a pot of boiling water from the stove.
She avoided most of the boiling water, but itgot her toes and the very top of her feet. The blisters and painwere instantaneous.
Thankfully, she had Sahira’s healingpoultices and potion, but it had still sucked. It took three daysbefore she could walk without a limp and another week before herskin fully regrew.
Now, she was going to willingly stick herhand into fire and bear the consequences of it. The logical part ofher said this shouldn’t be a problem because the potion suppressingher powers had worn off. But the emotional side of her screamedNO!
“You don’t have to do this,” Cole said.
But they both knew she did. She was an arach;she had the strange glowing ability and silver markings to proveit, so shecoulddo this.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerve,closed her eyes, and before she could think too much about it, sheshoved her hand into the fire. She waited for the sizzle, the pop,and the agony sure to follow…
