Page 248 of House Ignis

Then, just as quickly, she dropped her gaze to her hands.

Walls.

They went up so fast I almost felt the heat of them. T

he Ember I knew returned in an instant—guarded, untouchable, burning.

I looked back at Ezra. His jaw ticked hard.

He was still staring at her, something wounded flashing across his face before he buried it.

My heart cracked for him. I wasn’t the only one unraveling in this room.

His fingers tightened around mine, grounding himself as much as me. He cleared his throat, the sound rough. His gaze snapped back to mine, serious and certain.

“You are his light, Ava,” he said, his voice absolute. “I swear to the gods, he could never fucking hate you.”

The words hit me like air after drowning.

Something inside my ribs finally loosened. My lungs expanded. I breathed.

Really breathed.

“Well,” Ember said suddenly, her voice rough but deliberately bright. “This is getting disgustingly sentimental.”

I blinked. Ezra snorted.

“There she is,” he muttered.

Ember wiped her cheeks aggressively. “Gods forbid we all start holding hands and singing hymns.”

A weak laugh escaped me. Ezra leaned back slightly, still holding my hand.

“Also,” he added casually, as if he hadn’t just cracked his own heart open, “just to let you in on a secret…” A familiar spark returned to his expression. “I am Team Ava all the way.”

The bastard grinned.

And for the first time since everything fell apart… I didn’t feel like I was falling alone.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Two weeks passed faster than I ever thought they could.

Each day without Asher became… easier. Not easy—never that—just survivable.

Some part of me still reached for him like a living thing, tugging and aching in the quiet moments, but the sharpest edges had begun to dull.

Every morning, Ezra dragged me out to train, and gods, I actually improved.

He had this infuriating way of forcing me to slow down—to stop relying purely on instinct and really feel the shape of my flames before I released them.

To breathe before I burned. Somewhere between the bruises, the insults, and the butterscotch lattes, my control started to solidify. And he never let me spiral.

If I got too quiet, he’d crack a ridiculous joke; if I got too sad, he’d just sit beside me without ever asking me to explain.

Ezra and Ember became my constants.

Ember slept beside me every night, tracing slow circles on my back until exhaustion dragged me under.