Page 301 of House Ignis

I unscrewed the cap, taking a long swig of the cold water, but my mind snagged on her tone. I stepped closer, lowering my voice.

"Okay, Ember, tell me. What the hell is going on with you two?"

Ember stared at the dirt, her shoulders slumping in a way I’d never seen before. Usually, she was all sharp edges and fire, but now she just looked hollow.

"Something happened between these two," I murmured, my worry bleeding into the bond.

“Yeah, he’s upset,” Asher sent back.

I glanced over and saw Ezra in a foul mood, his strikes against Asher coming far too fast and vicious for a standard drill.

Asher caught his fist, stopping him mid-swing, and seemed to scold him, his jaw set in that hard, commanding line.

"I will see you later. I’ve got to handle this," Asher sent, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I caught his gaze across the yard and nodded once. He gave me a tight, lingering smile before turning to follow Ezra out of the training grounds.

I turned back to Ember, who had clearly watched the exchange. I raised an eyebrow, giving her a pointed look.

"What?" she snapped, folding her arms across her chest and dropping onto the wooden bench.

"Ember." I sat down next to her, the wood creaking under our weight. "Stop deflecting. It’s me. Tell me."

I gave her the "pouty eyes"—the ones she usually claimed were my secret weapon against the world.

She rolled hers, a huff of breath escaping her, but I could see the genuine sadness swirling in the depths of her gaze.

“He just wants more, Ava. More of me,” she whispered, her voice so low I almost missed it over the sound of the other students’ training. She picked at a loose thread on her glove, refusing to look at me.

"He wants... he wants the kind of soul-deep certainty you and Asher have. But every time he gets close, every time he tries to peel back a layer, I freeze. I push him away before he can see the parts of me that are broken."

She finally looked up, her eyes swimming. "Last night, he told me he was tired of chasing a ghost. He said if I’m not all in by the time the Veylaith trial starts, he’s done. He won't be my partner in the Trials just to be a placeholder for a heart I won't give him."

My heart sank. The Trials required absolute trust, especially for the final phases. If they were fractured now, the Pit would eat them alive.

"Ember, you love him," I said softly, reaching out to cover her hand with mine. “You’re not a ghost, Em. You’re just fucking terrified of letting him have all of you.”

Ember’s hand shook under mine. She let out a sharp, jagged breath that sounded more like a sob she was trying to kill.

"I know I love him, Ava. That’s the fucking problem," she hissed, finally looking at me with eyes that were raw and red-rimmed.

"When I look at him, I don't just see Ezra. I see everything I could lose."

I squeezed her hand, feeling the tremors of her fear.

“And Ezra isn't a placeholder. But you’re treating him like one because it’s safer than admitting he’s your entire world.”

She looked away, watching the spot where Ezra and Asher had disappeared.

"He told me last night that if I can't look him in the eye and tell him I'm his—all in, no more walls—before we step into that Arena tomorrow... then we’re just two people fighting a war, not a team. And he’s right. I’m terrified, Ava. I’m fucking terrified that if I say it, the universe will take him just to spite me."

"The universe doesn't give a shit about our feelings, but Ezra does," I said firmly, standing up and pulling her with me.

"Go find him. Don't let him walk into the Trials thinking he’s fighting for someone who’s already halfway out the door."

She nodded slowly, wiping her face with the back of her glove.

"Yeah. Okay. I... I'll try."