Page 65 of Our Radiant Embers

Adam nodded. “Of course, yes.”

They discussed a few more details while I walked over to where one of the office buildings had stood before. The soil was dry, emanating warmth reminiscent of summer evenings when the day’s heat lingered in the pavement even as the sun dipped towards the horizon. A hint of smoke remained in the air, so faint it might have been from a barbecue in the area. A short distance away, the site manager instructed a crew of workers on how to prepare everything for active construction. I noticed more than one pale face among them, caught them glancing at Adam before their attention returned to the site manager.

Once Benedict and Eleanor departed, I joined Adam with deliberate lightness in my step. “Your dad dishes out praise like it’s spaghetti bolognese at an all-you-can-eat buffet, doesn’t he?”

A smile ghosted across Adam’s features. “I’m pretty sure he’s never been to anything quite that plebeian.”

“Right,” I said dryly. “Because rich and all. What about you?”

“Does the breakfast buffet in a five-star hotel count?”

“Christ, you’re fancy.” I made sure to infuse my voice with a generous dose of warmth. “You know, my family used to eat out only for birthdays—whoever’s birthday it was got to pick a restaurant on the cheaper end of the scale, and then we’d all go there for dinner. Quality time together and someone else’s cooking.”

“Yeah, I can see how your family would do that.” Adam tilted his head for a crooked grin. “Not quite the Harrington style. If you can’t turn it into a show of wealth and power, why bother?”

“Now there’s a surprise,” I deadpanned. For a moment, I studied Adam—exhaustion in the curve of his mouth, his magic draping him in a soft, diffuse glow. He looked tired. “For the record,” I told him, “that was really impressive.”

He brightened. “Yeah?”

“Yes. I doubt there’s more than a handful of mages in the country who could have done that without veering anywhere near losing control.” I shook my head, ignoring how the movement sparked a brief wave of nausea. “But they’re not seriously expecting you to do that again tomorrow, right? You’re just about tapped out.”

“I’ll spend the night in a replenishment circle.” His tone implied that he’d done it before. I was about to ask what that looked like—would he be sleeping on the floor?—when another wave of nausea washed over me. Fuck. I held my breath until it passed.

When I opened my eyes again, Adam was staring at me with narrow focus. “What’s wrong?”

“Just a bit of a headache.”

“A headache? You get those often?” His voice was tight, and it took me a moment to draw the line to his mum.

“I don’t, no.” I thought about reaching out, then didn’t—we were surrounded by people who knew us, and the site manager reported directly to Benedict Harrington. He didn’t need to know that Adam and I had become…well, close. “Just haven’t been sleeping so well lately, been having the occasional nightmare. Probably just the pressure.”

Also, my magic had been strangely restless. I chose to omit that part.

A tense second passed while Adam kept staring at me. Then he sighed, the line of his shoulders loosening as he jerked his chin towards the exit. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” I asked even as I fell into step with him. It kind of felt like my default these days—right next to Adam.

“My flat.” He sent me a brief look. “I’ve got coffee, painkillers, or a bed. Your choice.” The innuendo was clearly unintentional—as soon as he realised it, he shot me another look, the faintest hint of a flush to his cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…You drew a line, right? And I respect that.”

I’d made the right call. I had.

“Thank you. But that doesn’t mean…” I broke off, dizzy spots in my eyes, my headache pressing up against my skull. It passed in just a second. “That doesn’t mean we can’t joke around a bit. We’re friends, Adam. I don’t want us tiptoeing around each other.”

“Me neither.” Relief lightened the words, immediately followed by a wink. “So, interested in conducting a purely scientific experiment on the comfort of my bed?”

God, lying down for an hour sounded heavenly—which probably meant that I should make my way home. But, well. Adam’s flat was closer, I’d parked there earlier, and while the thought of coffee made me nauseous right now, painkillers seemed like a good idea. I’d drive home once I started feeling better.

“I’m sorry, honey.” My tone carried melodrama. “But I have a headache today.”

“Let’s fix that.” He unlocked the door and held it for me, the panels surrounding the construction zone equipped with several security cameras that tracked our exit. We stepped out into a warm, overcast afternoon—a different world where buildings didn’t melt like chocolate in the sun, where tourists consulted Google Maps to find the best restaurants in the area while Londoners grumbled about those same tourists blocking the pavement.

My headache throbbed with each step. Felt like maybe I lost a second or two here and there. By the time we reached Adam’s building, I barely managed to greet the doorman before Adam ushered me towards the lift.

I was grateful for the shade inside Adam’s flat. He shoved a glass of water and some painkillers at me, and somehow, I swallowed both. Made it up the steps to Adam’s bed, too dizzy to notice much of anything, but this wasn’t right, was it? No. Adam was the one who’d erased a whole block of buildings just earlier, so he deserved a nap. Not me.

“Shut up and sleep, Liam.”

Adam’s voice, tinged with warmth, was the last thing I remembered before gravity pulled me under. For once, I didn’t dream.

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