Leonardo.
The paper falls from my hands as dread curls through my veins, igniting my magic to a higher level as my body burns from the inside out.
Panicked, I dart for the door.
Dorian calls my name, but it’s a distant sound as I race to the exit, searching for someone, anyone to blame, but I don't come across a single soul. Not even Silas.
Scouring the vicinity of the Fire Protectors’ entrance, I come up empty, which feels worse than bumping into somebody random. There’s nothing to quell the burning sensation that flickers through my body.
I feel jittery, on edge.
My magic tightens with despair as I hang in the doorway of my dorm. My neck rolls back, pain blasting through my bones as heat unravels around me. Falling to my knees, my hands slam against the tiled floor and flames erupt, dispersing through the air and lighting me along with it.
The screams don’t come this time.
Stumbling back, my vision blurs, heated in an array of orange and red, but I can see through it more clearly this time, noting that not only do the flames grace my skin, but they also grace the entryway, as if there were no power outage at all.
Heat continues to surge through my body as I gape up at the ceiling in disbelief.
Spent and exhausted, I’m ready to fall asleep amongst the flames for a nap when a shadow falls over me.
The flames extinguish along my skin, steam filling the air, and all I can do is stare up at the man hovering above me.
“Archer,” I rasp, my throat burning, filled with smoke, my voice so gruff I'm unsure if he even hears me.
Unfazed, he picks my naked frame up off the floor, pinning me to his chest as he begins to move.
To where… I don't know, because the darkness takes me, flames and all.
24
TEDDY
I've never wanted to run from the water dorms as much as I do right now. My mother’s beady eyes track my every move as I draw closer, while my heart threatens to split in two with the need to turn and check on Ivy. But offering my mother something to control, to wield over me with the precision of a surgical blade, won't bode well for anyone. I may not like my mother, but I know every piece of her, every part, the bad and the… evil.
A storm brews inside of me, carnage invoked by despair as my jaw aches and my teeth grind together.
My hands clench at my sides as I trudge across the grass. The moon touches everywhere but her, like it knows bathing her in any light would burn those nearby, like even the darkest parts of the world understand that some elements cannot survive out in the open.
Being in her vicinity is damaging enough. If anyone knows that, it's me. She has the ability to make me throw a pity party for myself, turning me into a young child again instead of the man I know I am. She brings out old trauma and pain, pressing her fingertip against my open wounds while she smirks at the victory that comes with the consequences.
I shake my head as a group of students run by, laughter thick in the air, and I seize the opportunity. Sucking in a sharp breath, I let my gaze follow them in hopes of catching a glimpse of Ivy, but everybody moves too quickly and I come up short. My pulse pounds in my ears as tension ripples through me. Disappointed, I set my sights on my mother, speeding up to get this over and done with fast, despite knowing how much I'm going to hurt in the aftermath.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I come to a stop in front of her, rocking back on my heels like I don't care that she’s here.
I do.
I care with every fiber of my being, knowing that it’s my mother who continues to walk this earth, while my hero, my father, ceases to exist.
“Theodore.”
I hate my name on her tongue.
“Cressida.”
Her lips pinch, curling around an invisible cigarette, one of her many addictions on display. I'm sure there's one in her pocket, itching to be lit.
Her black leather pants are stuffed into worn, brown boots, a stark contrast to the soft cashmere button-up that covers her frame. Demure on top, dangerous on the bottom.
