Page 224 of House Ignis

I noticed the way the morning light caught the dusting of freckles over his arms and the few scattered across his cheeks.

Then, his mouth twitched.

“Well,” he said finally, stepping back and rolling his shoulders with an effortless grace. “That was fun.”

I blinked at him, my brain struggling to keep up. “Fun?” I croaked, my voice still raw from the screaming.

“Yeah,” he said casually, reaching for his shirt. “You only tried to incinerate me six times. That’s actually an improvement from last night. Progress, Pyreson.”

A reluctant, jagged laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.

“There she is,” Ezra said, pointing at me with a triumphant look. “I knew you were still in there.”

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, smearing soot and sweat. “You’re insufferable, Valeor.”

“And yet,” he said, his voice dripping with smugness, “I’m still alive. Barely.”

Right then, a fiery streak tore across the dawn sky above the training field. Ezra barely had time to glance up before—

BOOM.

A fireball exploded into the dirt between us. Earth and embers sprayed everywhere, stinging my shins.

“WHAT,” Ember’s voice snapped from across the field, “are you two idiots doing at five in the morning?!”

We both turned. Ember was standing at the edge of the sparring grounds in her sleep shorts, hair a wild, tangled halo.

The light from the flames curling around her fingers highlighted the faint freckles on her cheeks—not as many as Ezra, but enough to make her look deceptively soft in her fury.

Ezra’s grin widened. “Morning, sunshine. You’re late for the party.”

Another fireball sparked in Ember’s palm. “Oh, I am going to kill you. Slowly.”

I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

“See?” Ezra said casually beside me, completely unbothered. “Now that is a normal morning.”

“Oh, good,” Ember said darkly, stalking toward us. “You’re both awake. You can hear me properly while I end you.”

Before I could even think to mediate, Ezra suddenly bolted toward her.

“Ezra—!” Ember snapped, her eyes widening.

Too late.

He reached her in two strides, snagged her around the waist, and lifted her clean off the ground, spinning her in a fast, dizzying circle.

“VALEOR! PUT ME DOWN!” she shrieked, swatting at his shoulders with her unlit hand while the other still flickered with fire.

Ezra just laughed, his chest vibrating against hers, before finally setting her back on her feet. He didn't let go of her waist, though. He kept her anchored close.

“You look absolutely fucking cute when you’re trying to commit homicide,” he said, his eyes blazing with a heat that had nothing to do with magic.

My face twisted in a grimace. “Ew. Too much. Right here.”

Ember’s mouth tilted into a slow, dangerous, and entirely too-knowing smile. “Oh?” she said sweetly, her fingers trailing up his chest to his collarbone. “Well… in that case, do you wanna come help me shower?”

Ezra’s grin turned wicked.