Page 47 of Ignite the Infernos

“In case you were wondering,” I call out with a practiced casual air despite feeling anything but, “I don’t care if I have to spend months shattering every crystal in these caverns to find you—you are caught, Ever. There’s no getting around that . . . or me.”

A husky laugh echoes around me, and I spin in place, intent on following it, but it dies out too quickly.

“We’ll see, Spare,” Ever challenges, and I close my eyes against the rush of emotion that stupid fucking nickname engenders.

I tamp down the need that courses through me and wave away the familiarity that tries to bloom in my chest. I refuse to acknowledge the smile I hear in her taunt or to wonder if her dimple is on display. This is how she got me last time. Her strength and cunning reeled me in, and I thought our bond would keep her from using it against me. I was wrong, and now there’s a clusterfuck of epic proportions waiting for us back in Four Tiers.

I square my shoulders and shutter my defenses against her influence and that of the bond.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask brusquely before turning another corner and squeezing through a narrow gap that leads to a wider walkway. “Spend the rest of your life running?” I scoff. “There’s no way your time in Four Tiers was so terrible that this is the better option.”

“I don’t know, this place has its charm,” she retorts, and I grunt my disagreement. “Besides, can’t a girl run a few errands without getting hunted down in a rage?” Ever sighs dramatically.

“Errands? Is that what we’re calling murder these days?”

“Yes, errands. A to-do list, so to speak. You know, grocery shopping, laundry, save my people, break a curse . . . the usual.”

I pause and study the towers of crystals around me, the crunch of my boots against the pebbled ground suddenly loud in my ears. “Your people?” I repeat.

Silence stretches between us, lasting so long I give up on thinking she’ll answer, but then she does.

“Yes, my people,” she declares matter-of-factly.

“And exactly who are your people?” I press, but this time no response surfaces out of the dark recesses of the cave. I shake my head. “Still playing games,” I grumble, pissed that I went for such obvious bait.

I turn another corner and then freeze. Shock stalls my thoughts, because she’s right there. No more than ten paces away, facing a gleaming pillar that’s twice as wide and tall as she is.

Her back is to me, and my attention zeroes in on the dragon mark on the back of her neck.

Black strokes of different sizes run down her nape and shoulders, disappearing into the top of her shirt and reappearing below it. The lines trace her spine, but I don’t see where they end, because the waist of her pants blocks my view. Her flame-orange hair is piled haphazardly on her head, and the short shirt she’s wearing is torn and stained. Her pants are covered in pockets, and I have no doubt there are all kinds of things she can slice, stab, and shoot me with hidden within each and every one.

It takes one look, nothing more, and the desire that ignites in my veins and starts dripping down my body is so intense that I almost stagger from the sheer force of it. The bond blazes to life in my chest and wastes no time demanding that I claim Ever right here, right now. I fight to regain control, barely managing to keep my feet from pulling me closer and my tongue in my mouth, away from her dragon mark.

I tear my gaze from her back and force myself to concentrate on anything but her while I fight for control. It’s just a bond. It doesn’t command me. All I need to do is get her back to King’s Keep and then I can figure everything out from there. I nod to myself when I’m once again in the driver’s seat and not the bond. I inhale a measured breath and then blow it out, ready to catch Ever Tenebrae and turn her over to my father to face what she’s done.

Without making a sound, I crouch low so Ever won’t catch my reflection behind her as I sneak up on her. Tentatively I take a step toward her, my breath trapped in my lungs, and my pulse loud in my ears. Tension lines my limbs, but Ever doesn’t react in any way, so I take another silent step . . . and another.

“What are you doing, Spare? You’ve gone very quiet,” she asks tauntingly, and then her gaze lifts and her eyes find mine in the crystal’s reflection.

I leap for her just as she gasps in surprise, and the next thing I know, I’m crashing into the hard, unforgiving surface of a fucking crystal. The hands that were reaching for Ever grasp nothing but a smooth, cold surface, and I lose my footing and fall. My scale armor takes the brunt of the impact, but a radiating pain still pulses up my spine when I land on my ass.

Slightly disoriented about how I ended up on the ground, I look up and find Ever facing me. Before I can do or say anything, she steps to the side and disappears altogether. Utterly confused, I watch as Ever’s reflection pops up several crystals down from me, only to disappear again and flash into place on the opposite side of the path.

What the fuck?

I shove back onto my feet and chase the jumping images. I start breaking several pillars as I go, cracking their facades, just like I promised I would.

“That’s some temper you’ve got there,” Ever admonishes sharply, her voice sounding closer than before.

I whirl in search of it, pulse racing, chest heaving, and notice a circular clearing that’s framed by a stunning array of crystals. Ever stands on the far side, but this time, I note the sheen layered over her features and lack of overall dimension. I look around, trying to make sense of how she’s doing this. I don’t think it’s her affinity; I don’t recall coming across anything like this in their records, but who knows.

My instincts urge me to step into the ring of crystals, and I warily obey. I don’t spot any other traps—aside from Ever’s waiting reflection—but when I stop in the center of the circle, Ever’s singular likeness morphs into dozens all around me. Each one is exactly the same, and each one is watching me with a shrewd gaze.

My eyes flit from one Ever to another while I work through the puzzle staring me in the face.

“What are you doing?” I ask the reflection directly in front of me, and a half smile tilts her lips.

Instantly I search for her dimple, but it’s not made an appearance.