Page 90 of Our Radiant Embers

I slowed down as I turned into Liam’s road, snailing along single-family homes that had become familiar to me over the past weeks. Next to me, Liam stirred. “You know, I don’t remember my magic feeling quite so heavy.” His voice held a hollow, tired note.

Restless, wasn’t that how he’d described it before?

We were in public, yet I reached across the gap between us to touch him, my fingers light on the back of his hand. Another small thing that felt daring to me—tiny acts of rebellion that wouldn’t lead me anywhere. The road was clear, so I softened my gaze and glanced over at Liam.

In the grey afternoon light, he was blazing.

Holy shit.

The colours of his magic twined together, much brighter than before, so bright it was hard to believe I hadn’t seen it before. I withdrew my hand, and the glow faded until all that remained were white spots behind my lids.

Hands on the wheel. Eyes on the road.

Stop. Breathe. Focus.

“When you wondered whether you might be growing stronger?” I looked straight ahead. “You were right.”

Liam inhaled sharply. He didn’t respond until I drew to a halt outside the Morgans’ home, its gate opening for us without any obvious prompting.

“But,” he said, hardly loud enough for me to catch it, “that’s not possible.”

”That’s what I thought, yeah.” I slid him another glance. “I also thought that it wasn’t possible to control more than two elements, though. So…”

Usually, Liam possessed a natural confidence that I admired and envied—that I found hellishly attractive, too. It was probably the reason why, when he’d walked into that pub over a year ago, I’d sat up and paid attention.

Now, though? He looked young and uncertain.

I drove into the compound, shut off the car, and stretched across our seats before the gate had even fully closed, pulling him into a tight embrace. Yes, his family might see—but they were safe; Liam and I were safe here. Except he was strung tight, thrumming with tension that echoed in my bones.

“Hey,” I said softly. “Hey. This is…unusual, yes. But if you’re growing stronger—that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

He turned into me, and for once, it felt like he was the smaller of us. His intake of air seemed shaky. “I guess. It’s just…stifling? I’m not sure that’s the right word. God, Adam. How do you not buckle under the weight of it?”

After three nights away, I knew exactly what he meant. By the sea, my magic had felt calm and light. Now it tugged me in all directions, awake and demanding attention. London was my anchor. My family had been here for generations, our magic deeply connected to the city. It was part of why it was rare for powerful families to move places—it could take decades to adapt to a new environment, for magic to grow new roots.

“I’m used to it,” I told Liam. “Honestly, I don’t really remember it ever being different. You’ll get used to it too.”

He folded further into me, breathing. Lila the Drone hovered outside the car in what appeared to be concern.

“Let me ask Gale.” I brought my arms and magic up around him. “If there’s any record of people developing stronger magic later in life, he’ll know. I won’t tell him what it’s about, just ask in general, okay? But he’ll know.”

A second passed in silence, then Liam straightened. It seemed to take significant effort. “Yeah, all right. Ask him.”

“I will.”

We sat staring at each other, the air heavy between us. I needed to get going. Cassandra expected me to pick her up so we could put up a pretty front at a delayed birthday dinner hosted at my family’s manor. The guest list read like a who’s who of powerful people and our most important business partners. I hadn’t even considered inviting Liam—it wasn’t his scene and I wanted him far away from my father and Eleanor lest they decided to elevate him to a person of increased interest.

“Do you want to come in with me?” Liam’s tone implied he already knew my answer.

“Can’t.” I shook my head and looked away. My ribcage felt too narrow. “I need to go home. Birthday dinner.”

”Right.” It came out impassive, yet I caught an underlying thread of vulnerability. I grasped his hand and waited until our eyes met.

“I’d much rather stay. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” A quiet exhalation. “Yeah, I know. But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

We were meant to do a round of the three sites. By now, the ground should have cooled and settled, so construction would officially start. My role was to show my face, thank everyone for being there, and mostly get out of the way once the actual work began. Liam, though? He’d be more involved, his innovations unfamiliar, so he’d need to be around to help with installations. Which—well. I knew them nearly as well as he did, so maybe I could make myself useful after all.

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