Page 53 of Axis of Fire

“And me?” I asked, forcing myself to ignore his smug look.

“Do I fall into that category too? Or does growing up in Vuduarus change that? Like... make it shorter? More human?”

“Very possible,” Airis said thoughtfully.

“Especially if you don’t eat. Then I’d say it might get even shorter.”

I snorted.

“For the love of—just eat the damn pastry already!” Aars snapped, suddenly appearing right in front of my face.

I barely stopped myself from jumping.

His predator-like eyes narrowed.

“Tomorrow you’ll be practicing your magic,” he continued.

“How long do you think you’ll last without energy?”

I scoffed.

His ears twitched in irritation.

“And who do you think will protect your little human family if war reaches Vuduarus?”

I froze.

It felt like my heart stopped with me.

“Do you really think mages will drop everything to protect useless humans?”

Images of Gwendolyn, Mike, and Dwayne flashed through my mind.

I knew he was manipulating me.

But...

what if he was right?

With a quiet breath, I reached out, picked up one of the pastries, and took a bite.

And I had to fight not to react—

as the buttery filling, mixed with herbs—something like basil—melted on my tongue.

It felt like tasting a tiny fragment of heaven.

“Let’s hold off on the names for now,” Airis said.

“We’ll set them aside and move on to the elements.”

I just kept chewing, waiting.

“The remaining six worlds are tied to elements like air—”

He was about to continue—

but for some reason, I spoke first.