Page 186 of Axis of Fire

Chapter 17

We got back to Manchester around nine that evening.

Silence lingered inside the car, and it felt as though, once we got home, everyone would disappear into their rooms.

To recover.

Mentally.

But that clearly wasn't Dwayne's style.

Determined to monopolize Lars's attention, he used the excuse that Airis and I would be leaving for Vuduarus the next day to throw a small private party.

Which, naturally, meant forcing the squad members to help him make pizza.

I would've bet good money that, for once, he was trying to impress—or maybe even amaze—Lars with his culinary skills.

His persistence amazed me every single time.

Dwayne got his heart broken often, yet he never shut himself off from new possibilities.

Unlike me, he wasn't afraid of disappointment.

And I desperately wished I knew how to be like that.

Standing on the rooftop we'd decorated for the party, I stared out over the cozy, occasionally chaotic streets of Manchester.

The smell of freshly baked pizza and tomato sauce drifted up from the kitchen downstairs.

And I couldn't believe I might have to leave this life behind.

Maybe forever.

I hadn't asked Airis about it.

I didn't want to hear an answer I might not be ready to accept.

But another part of me understood that my disappearance would keep my friends safe.

From Harold Moss.

Or from the other threat the Raars had warned us about.

My thoughts kept circling back to their words.

What if that other threat was even more dangerous than Harold?

“Cold?” I heard Airis ask.

A second later, he stopped beside me, his gaze settling on Manchester's nighttime skyline.

“I wouldn't even be surprised if it turned out you were warming the air around me.”

A quiet smile tugged at my lips.

Over the past few days, Airis had revealed an entirely different side of himself.

Beneath his cold exterior, he was the kind of person who felt like a warm blanket.