Page 242 of House Ignis

Zaria stood just outside the floating dome in the garden terrace near the bar, her twin ponytails gleaming black-blue in the drifting light. Rhea lounged beside her like royalty,

Darcy was perched on the stone railing with one boot braced against it, and Mavrik leaned against the counter already halfway into a drink.

We headed over as a group, though

Aether stayed a very deliberate distance from the edge of the crystal floor.

It had only been two days since Asher left. Two days. And people still stared. They whispered behind their hands, watching me as if I were a ticking bomb or a tragic play.

Fuck them.

The moment we reached the others, I was swallowed into warm, solid hugs. Real ones. The kind that grounded you when the world felt like it was floating away.

“You good?” Darcy asked, already puffing out a lazy cloud of sweet smoke.

My eyes tracked automatically to her hand, following the movement of the vape. And then—everything inside me went ice-cold.

The metal casing gleamed in the sunlight. Black vines twisted around the mouthpiece. Curling. Spiraling. Sharp.

They were exactly like the ones carved into the wooden sword from my dream.

My stomach dropped through the crystal floor. The sound of the party dulled to a low, underwater hum. The floating gardens blurred at the edges of my vision.

“Ava… you good?” Darcy’s hand landed lightly on my shoulder.

I flinched as if she’d burned me, my skin crawling. Her eyes widened immediately. “Ava?”

Zaria was suddenly at my side, her brow furrowed. “Hey—hey. Where’d you go just then?”

forcing the world back into focus and my lungs to draw in the thin air.

“Yeah,” I laughed, the sound too sharp and way too quick. “Sorry. Just zoned out for a sec.”

Fuck. I was losing it. “I need a drink.”

“Here.” Mavrik handed me a glass before I could even ask.

It smelled like crushed spice bark and liquid fire.

Very strong. Perfect.

I tipped it back without hesitation, the burn tearing down my throat and spreading through my chest like a wildfire.

Gods. Yes.

Everyone went still.

Every single gaze in the circle locked onto me like I was about to shatter into a million pieces.

Maybe I was.

I slammed the empty glass onto the counter and lifted it again, flashing a wicked, reckless grin.

“More, please?”

If I couldn't control my dreams,

if I couldn't control the void where the bond used to be, and if I couldn't control the godsdamned ache in my chest… at least I could control this.