Page 214 of House Ignis

My eyes went wide, panic slamming into me so hard my chest burned. I shot upright, ignoring the way the room tilted.

"Ezra—where is Asher?" The words tore out of me, frantic.

My legs slid off the bed, ready to bolt, but Ezra caught me mid-motion, forcing me back down.

"Ava, you need rest," he said firmly, trying to hold me steady.

"No—no, don't you dare do this—" Anger bubbled hot and fast in my chest, a desperate shield against the fear. "Ezra. Where the fuck is Asher?"

His jaw ticked.

Those sunset eyes hardened, but then he exhaled, his shoulders sinking under a weight that looked far too heavy.

"He's not here," he admitted, his voice low.

"What do you mean he's not here?" My heart cracked on the words.

Ezra hesitated, then finally forced it out.

"He had to… go. He had to deal with things."

Tears welled hot before I even realized it. "No," I whispered, shaking my head hard. "No, he wouldn't—he wouldn't just leave me. Ezra, I can't feel him. I can't feel him!"

"Ava—"

I shoved at his chest, my fists weak but wild.

"Don't Ava me! Tell me where he is! Tell me why the bond is gone!"

His hands gripped my arms, holding me down, but he looked wrecked—jaw clenched, throat tight.

"Listen to me—you nearly burned yourself alive last night. You need to stay in this bed."

"I don't care!" I screamed, the tears spilling hot down my cheeks. "He's gone—he left me—" The words broke, fractured into sobs I couldn't bite back.

Ezra's grip softened, but he didn't let go.

He pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me. His scent was warm, spice and citrus, a heat that wrapped around me instead of drowning me.

"I can't feel him, Ezra," I gasped into his shirt. "Gods, I can't—what if he never comes back? What if I lost him last night and—"

"Stop." His voice cracked, thick and raw. He cupped the back of my head, forcing me into his chest. "He's alive. You didn't lose him."

"Then tell me what happened!" I pulled back, gripping his shirt, forcing him to look at me. "That wasn't him on the field. What the fuck was it? What happened to him?"

Ezra's jaw clenched. Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

"Ezra—tell me!"

His eyes met mine, and I saw the war inside him.

His lips parted, his throat bobbed, but no explanation came.

“I don't fucking know what that was. I just know… he had to go back. To see the Queen. To figure it out. To fix whatever that... thing was.”

I stared at him, my breath hitching.

"You don't know? You're his second. You've known him forever. How do you not know?"