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Brynn walked slowly and carefully. I didn’t push her to walk faster than she was comfortable. Her hand in mine was more than I could hope for right now. There were times at Mount Pickett when I feared I’d never see her again. Never have her hand in mine like this one more time.
When we stopped, I picked her up and sat with her in my lap, my back facing the others so we could have some semblance of privacy. The others had sat the same way. Everyone wanted to savor the moment before our world crashed more.
“I’m so sorry, Adam.” Brynn gave a little chuckle after her apology. “And I thought my family was bad.”
I smiled against her hair as she snuggled into me. The smell of smoke appealed to me, and I sniffed deeper. Her blood mixed with the smokey scent made the fire in my veins ignite until I blazed white hot inside. My heart wanted to burst, full of my love for her.
“I love you, baby.” She sighed with happiness at my admission. I didn’t expect her to say the words back. Brynn loved me. She wouldn’t have gone through all this if she didn’t.
Her reply, though, came, even if it was weak from exhaustion. Brynn was on the verge of sleep. “I love you, too, Adam.”
Adam warmed me. The flames inside my body had begun to cool again, dragging my body down. My husband’s flames grew hotter while he held me.
Dalton said the weather was cooling my fire down. When I stuck my hands in the coals of a house fire, my energy came back.I couldn’t talk aloud. My energy was depleted again. How could I help everyone if I couldn’t hold my head up?
“Brynn, baby, you need some blood.” Adam’s large, powerful hand wrapped around my jaw and neck to tilt my head back. My lips brushed against his neck and I could scent the sweet, smokey blood beneath his skin.
I had no strength to hold myself up to him. Every second, I grew weaker. What was wrong with me?
Panic had my heart rate tripling.
“Hey, hey, baby, it’s okay. It’s just like the first time. It’ll be okay.” Adam tried to keep his voice calm for me, but my reaction had him worried.
I’m so weak, Adam.
“Bite, Brynn. Now.” Adam’s voice was full of command. I’d have been completely turned on had I had the energy to be.
My body listened to him, though. I bit into him, and the warmth of his blood revived me some. While I drank, he called out to his brothers.
“I need wood from the forest.” His voice was strong, but I could pick out tones of alarm.
“Adam, the Mindolin has control of that forest.” Carmon spoke slowly, like he was talking with a toddler.
“Cal, I have to warm her up.”
“You’re going to light a fire? Here? Now?” Carmon sounded shocked.
I dug my teeth deeper, needing more warmth. Adam moaned, and I had the clarity to be a bit embarrassed we were doing this in front of people. However, I still felt like I was dying. Adam’s blood was worth the price of my humiliation.
“Carmon, Brynn needs heat.” Dalton had joined the fray arguing for me. “She’s cooling down. Her fire is literally going out.”
Carmon muttered some words of frustration I couldn’t hear. “Fine, Marcus, Drew, grab some wood from the forest. Make sure it’s dry and will burn hot and easy. Sylee, grab some blankets or coats from the car if there are any. Whatever you can find to cover Brynn.”
When everyone was moving, Adam pulled me from his neck. I didn’t want to stop drinking, the blood helped so much, but Adam had no trouble fighting me off his neck. My jaw trembled, and Adam held me close as the night air hit me again.
“It’s not that cold tonight.” Carmon’s voice now carried a concerned edge to it. “Why is her fire going out when yours isn’t?”
A man snorted.
“What, Marcus? If you know something, spit it out.” Carmon surprised me by snapping at the other man.
“Adam’s fire wasn’t always as bright and consistent as it is now. As a baby, your mom had to keep him much warmer than the rest of you. He had to stay warm almost constantly until he grew strong enough for his body to keep him as warm as he needed.” The man had come closer during his explanation, and wood fell to the ground. I recognized the sounds of wood on wood. “The other girls were all Light, Dark, and a Witch, right?”
He paused while people affirmed his words. “The new Fire girl is a Neutral, correct?” Adam nodded. Marcus sighed. “To be honest, I’m surprised she made it this long without issues. Her body isn’t as compatible with her new power as the other girls’ were. That doesn’t mean it will hurt or harm her. All I mean is that it’s going to take her body longer to adjust to her powers.”
A hot tear slid down my cheek and wet Adam’s shirt.
Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. We’d have kept you warmer if I did.
