AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s so easy for you to sit there and judge me. You have no idea what it’s like to know your life is not your own. That the only family you ever knew never wanted you. That your parents gave you away and to know you are entirely alone.”
“Spare me the sob story, Wren. You are not alone and you know it. You have people who care for you, but you won’t let them help you. If you are in a prison, it is of your own making.” His voice reminded her of the cold prince she had known.
“How dare you?” Flames raced across her skin and the carpet by his feet burst into flames.
He stamped out the flames with his boot and leaned back in his chair. “I suppose I should be grateful it wasn’t me that you lit aflame.” His smirk only made her more irate.
She concentrated on the fabric of the chair by his hand and it also came alight. He laughed and patted it out with the sleeve of his arm.
“There you are,” he purred.
“Go away, Malaki,” she said, the flames extinguishing from her hands.
“So we are back to Malaki then,” he said casually. “I distinctly remember you calling me something different when you were throwing yourself at me in the tower.”
Flames danced on her skin once more, higher than they had ever been before. The flames snaked up her arms, begging to be released. “You are an ass.”
“Perhaps.” He watched in awe as the fire licked and caressed her skin like a lover. “You are terrifying.”
“Stupid of you to anger someone you refer to as terrifying,” she replied, her flames slowly retreating down her arms, but dancing low on her palms. His strange response had thrown off the anger she had felt burning through her.
“I needed to know that you felt something, even if it was anger at me. I also needed to see if you could control it,” he said, as if it were obvious.
“There are better ways,” she sneered, but all the heat was gone from her, her body already cooling.
“That’s true. What would you recommend?” His voice was low and suggestive.
She threw the pillow she had resting under her arm at him which he easily knocked away. “You are a cad.”
He shrugged. “You need to learn how to use it and control it, Wren.”
It was her turn to shrug. The truth is she didn’t want to use it or learn how.
“I want you to meet with Maxon tomorrow. I’ve been speaking with him and I think he can help you. He might be the only one that can.”
“Fine, if you will leave me alone now.” She turned her head away from him.
“If that’s what it takes. Good night.”
She heard him get up from the chair and leave, shutting the door behind him. She felt and heard the window pane frost over despite the warmth of the room.
Chapter 33
Theairwasfrigidas the wind burst through the trees, rushing around them. Wren clutched the green cloak tighter around her. “I fail to see why we are out here freezing when your sorcerer hasn’t even deigned to show up.” They were far from the castle so that any prying eyes would be unable to see whatever it was that Kai expected her to do.
“I see your mood is much improved,” Kai mused while continuing to stare ahead to the horizon. Snow began to fall lightly around them. “It isn’t usually this cold this time of year and I don’t know that it has ever snowed at this time either.”
It didn’t seem like there was an appropriate response to that so she remained silent. She studied him from the corner of her eyes. He looked like the night itself with his black cloak pulled up around his face. He always had a commanding presence about him that she sometimes thought he would have rather been without. Wren turned from her study of Kai when she heard movement behind her. A small, brown-haired man wearing glasses huddled beneath a brown cloak walked towards them.
“Thank you for coming, Maxon,” Kai said as he turned to face the strange man. Wren eyed the infamous North Helm sorcerer and was surprised at his appearance. She had imagined him to be imposing and maybe even intimidating, but Maxon had a friendly face and an unassuming presence.
“It is an honor to be asked,” he said earnestly. He stopped about five feet from them and bowed low to Wren. “It is truly an honor to meet you, Wren.”
“That is very kind of you,” she murmured quietly, finding that she didn’t want to be rude to the young man. More surprising than his appearance was his age. He could not have been any older than her. She had expected him to be old and wise, and yet here he was still marked by youth.
Maxon smiled warmly at her and then stared at the horizon that had previously captivated Kai’s attention. “I feel it, too. The land feels more barren, as if this strange weather is not the last of it.”
Kai turned his head to the side slightly. “Is it her?”
