Fire detonated out of my hands with pure, primal fury.
“Shit.” Balling my fists, I wedged them into my armpits, trying to prevent the roaring inferno from incinerating the entire room. Flames just poured out of my arms instead.
“Get down!” I yelled as a crash of fire swallowed the TV, melting it into a puddle of glass and metal. The fire crawled along the walls, licking up the curtains and filling the room with smoke.
Whisper snarled as Rook shot to my side. “Lucien!”
Her wonderfully icy hands landed on my burning arm.
I tried to yank the power back, but it wouldn’t listen.
It raged hotter, angrier, as if it had heard every word and decided it would rather burn everyone to ash than let anyone try to kill it. My ribs cracked as the fire clawed its way out of me, refusing to be contained. I dropped to one knee, coughing up a thick mouthful of black blood.
“Lucien!” Draping herself over my back, a blast of ice cracked through me. For a second, it helped. The fire stuttered. The carnage stopped, but then...
Her power turned on her too.
Rook gasped as a blizzard detonated. The temperature plummeted. Frost smothered my smoke and every piece of furniture froze solid.
I grabbed her as we both collapsed. I curled around her as another rib snapped with a sickening crunch. Rook cried out, convulsing as more ice soared like glittering daggers.
Capturing her jaw, I crushed my mouth to hers in a fierce, messy kiss. The second our lips met, the world fractured.
We slipped, tumbling into the dreamscape—that misty, shimmery meadow—and the fire and iceinstantlyceased.
I got it now.
What Frank said about this place being the source of our power made sense.
In this space, the powers stopped fighting us because for now...theywereus.
Rook writhed beneath me as I kissed her deeper. She answered with equal hunger, her frost wrapping around my flames in a perfect, harmonious dance.
Everything went calm—the circuit completed, creating an undying ouroboros where there was no beginning or end, no life or death, just peace.
Pulling back, I caught her eyes—
We snapped back to reality with a violent jolt.
Cold water hammered us from the ceiling. The sprinkler system drenched the ruined room, thawing out the frozen furniture and dripping off the smoking curtains.
Staggering to my feet, I helped Rook up.
Frank and Dillon stood drenched by the destroyed TV and Whisper—
I choked on a laugh. “Whoops.”
Whisper bared his fangs.
Rook giggled beside me. “Oh no, we’re so sorry, kitty cat. We didn’t mean to...”
The once sleek and majestic panther looked like a drowned, miserable kitten. His fur stuck up in wet tufts, droplets flying as he shook himself with an indignant growl.
“Well.” Frank cleared his throat. “I’m guessing you didn’t mean to do that.”
“Nope.” Rook shuddered as I wrapped my arm around her and tugged her close.
“I suggest you watch what you say from now on.” I narrowed my eyes pointedly. “It seems as if the ‘parasite’ is listening.”
