Page 110 of House Ignis

"You're one hundred percent into him."

My pulse quickened. "No, I'm loyal to Jeremy," I said quickly—far too quickly.

Her eyes narrowed, reading me like a forbidden scroll. "Mmm-hmm. Sure. But you're also thinking about him. All the time. The bond. The danger. The way you never know what you're getting with Asher—that's part of the pull, isn't it? You like the edge."

I said nothing, focusing on rubbing slow circles into Aether's side.

Ember grinned, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "He definitely has kinks."

"Ember!" I hissed, a pillow flying at her head. She dodged it with a cackle.

"I'm just saying! The way he talks, the control, the whole dark-prince-sin-incarnate thing? That male has a dungeon somewhere, Ava. Mark my words."

"Stop!" I groaned, covering my face. But a traitorous part of my brain was already spinning images of what that might look like, and gods help me, the bond hummed in approval at the thought.

Jeremy was gone for the next few days, off with the second-years beyond the borders for their field trials. I had promised to come to him when it became too much. But now? I was wondering if my resolve would even last until he got back.

After Asher left me last night, I'd barely made it back to my dorm in one piece. But once I showered—letting the scalding water try to burn away the memory of his touch—I had crashed like a stone. Surprisingly, I'd slept better than I had in weeks.

Ember stretched like a cat and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Alright, your pity party's over. It's time to get ready."

I blinked. "Get ready for what?"

She raised a brow like I was losing my mind. "The Terra guys are hosting another Riftball match today—cheer tryouts are this afternoon, remember?"

I groaned, flopping back onto the pillows. "Ember, it's Saturday. I have a mountain of things to do. I need to go to the library to research this bond, and I still haven't seen Jules—something's up with her. She's been ghosting everyone."

But Ember wasn't listening. She gasped as if she'd just remembered something holy and bolted from the room.

I barely had time to sit up before she burst back in, arms overflowing with folded black and crimson fabric. She tossed one of the outfits at me. "I knew you'd chicken out, which is why I brought the heavy artillery."

I caught the top mid-air and stared at it. Cheerleader gear. High-stretch crimson silk trimmed with black, matching the Ignis House colors perfectly. It was short. Extremely short.

"You are not serious."

"Oh, I'm dead serious."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off, her grin turning feral. "The entire Riftball team will be there, Firecracker. Including the broody captain."

My eyes snapped to hers, and she smirked, knowing she'd landed the hit. "I knew that would get your attention."

I tried to look unimpressed and failed miserably. "And?"

"And," she said, holding the pleated skirt up to the light dramatically, "what better way to get him back for leaving you in the woods than showing up looking like a goddess and ignoring him completely?"

A slow, wicked grin spread across my face. Revenge was a dish best served in a very short skirt.

"Fine," I said, standing up and reaching for the fabric. "Give me the damn outfit."

"That's my girl," Ember beamed, already digging out the jars of ruby glitter.

•••

The Terra Riftball pitch was a chaotic masterpiece of high-octane music, emerald-green grass, and enough glitter to blind a dragon.

Everywhere I looked, clusters of girls were warming up in tiny skirts and cropped tops. Maddy was a blur of sapphire blue, bouncing on the balls of her feet in her Ventus gear. Even Sera was there, clad in head-to-toe bold pink, standing next to Zaria—the girl who had absolutely leveled Ezra during combat trials.

Ember and I navigated the sea of pom-poms to join them.