Page 27 of A Spark in the Ash

He watched me tear out of the compound like a possessed scorpion. He was there when I returned and crashed into bed.

“Much,” I say, flashing him a smile. “What’s going on here this morning?”

Davorian nods his head to the screen in front of him. It’s the monitor of all the ultralights in the world, and it’s currently zoomed in on the most western third of the United States. “The Kindred have made their way farther south. They are in southern Oregon.”

“Which means they still might be headed somewhere else, but they could also turn our way,” I conclude.

Davorian nods. “I want us all to be prepared for if they come this way looking for him,” he looks at Jaxon. Ever since he let me and Jaxon leave that one day and we came back with evidence of our physical relationship, his attitude toward Jaxon has changed. He hasn’t said his name once since then. “We have the numbers. I just want to refresh the others on some training. On fighting tactics. Come nightfall, Ascelin will be doing some refresher courses. Just like back at the Academy.”

This actually stirs excitement in me. I loved my time at the Academy. And Ascelin is the best teacher any darkling could hope for. I could use a little physical release right now.

“But I called my mother this morning,” Jaxon says as he looks down at me. “She’s angry. You really set her off. She wants me back, at least for a few days. I can’t wait more than a couple of days or we’re going to have a problem.”

Dread sinks heavy in my stomach.

“Which means we need to prepare him,” Davorian says, his expression serious. “Those Kindred very well might be headed our direction. They will want him. So, I want Ascelin to train him, one on one, from now until the two of you must leave. And you’re to stay with him, every second, while he’s back in the city. I don’t want him facing the Kindred alone if it comes to that.”

That was a lot. I nod, but I’m still trying to process everything he just said.

“Davorian has been teaching me the details about the history,” Jaxon says. There’s a slight tightness in his tone, just a little, and I wonder if he’s thinking about the fact that he’s being taught by his mortal enemy, and he’s only hearing our side of the story. “About the war. Never thought I’d become a politician, but now my head is full of words likediplomacy.”

Maybe there is hope. A small smile cracks on Davorian’s lips and he huffs one quiet laugh.

Jaxon smiles too. “You talked about it once, Serena. How I might be able to change things. Maybe we can fix the hatred between the ultralights and the darklings. Maybe we can disband the Kindred if I can reason with them that you’re not out to do anything but go home.”

I watch his Adam’s apple as it bobs up and down once at that.

Home.

He knows where I’m from. And it’s not here where he is from.

“That’s great,” I say through a thick throat. “If anyone can do it, it would be you.”

“It’s also a risk,” Davorian says. “You’re kind of irreplaceable as the gatekeeper. We have to do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. The Kindred are not always reasonable.”

Jaxon nods that he understands.

Just then, Ascelin steps into the office. He seems…different. More at peace. Less disgusted and more resolved. “You ready?” he asks, his eyes fixed on Jaxon.

Jaxon presses another kiss to the top of my head and lets me go. “Yeah,” he says as he walks across the office.

I fix my eyes on Ascelin’s as worry claws its way up my chest. “If you hurt him… If you take this any farther than necessary for training…”

“You’ll rip my heart out,” Ascelin fills in for me with a smirk. “Yeah, yeah. I know, Serena.”

Jaxon looks back at me, and the smile on his face sends my heart racing. He winks once and walks down the passageway behind Ascelin.

I look back at Davorian, who just stares at me for several moments that stretch on too long.

“What?” I ask. I sink into the chair across from him. “Look, it’s obvious I pissed you off and you think I tricked you. So how about we just hash it out and get this over with?”

He still doesn’t say anything. He keeps looking at me with this expression of displeasure.

So I fold my arms over my chest and join the staring contest.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

When he finally speaks, they are not the words I expect.

---