Page 13 of A Spark in the Ash

Jaxon roars again, watching as Ascelin walks away.

I look back at him, fixing him with a hard, severe stare. “Seriously, hurryup.”

Chapter Five

"Serena,you need to come see this."

I roll over with an annoyed groan. I was having a nice dream. There was a bed, it was dark, and the familiar feel of Jaxon's warm hands was all over me.

I squint one eye open and look at Davorian standing there in my doorway.

"What?" I ask sharply.

"Just get up," he says, equally annoyed. He doesn't wait for me to apologize or argue with him. He turns and walks out.

I roll out of bed and don't bother getting dressed. I'm wearing a pair of small, loose cotton black sleeping shorts and a tightfitting black tank top. Who needs a bra? Barefoot, I pad my way out of my bedroom and down the passageway.

Half a dozen others are gathered outside of the vault. They stand just outside of Jaxon's view.

Davorian waves me forward. Anticipation makes my blood surge fast and hot. I don't like Jaxon being alone with them. I should trust them, but I don't. Not when it comes to my ultralight.

I pick up the pace, and step into view of the vault.

Jaxon stands there, and he is entirely human.

I feel like a volcano. Excitement and joy and relief come rushing up inside of me, filling me so full I feel as if I’m going to burst.

It’s my Jaxon.

Someone must've somehow gotten some clothes into the vault for him. He's dressed in black cotton pants, though nothing else.

But gloriously, miraculously, not one bit of him is on fire, and not one pore on his body is shining with light.

His eyes rise to meet mine and in them, I see absolute determination.

It's then that I see his hands. They are curled into tight fists at his side. They quake violently. The effort of his restraint is visible in every ounce of his body.

"Jaxon," I breathe as I step forward and press my hands to the glass.

Instantly, he bursts into flames once more.

"I was walking by last night," Nisha says in that flat, uncaring way of hers. "Found him naked, but totally human. It didn't last too long, as soon as he saw me, he burst back into ultralight form."

"When I saw him an hour or so later," Ascelin says, "he was human again. Did the same thing, shifted as soon as he saw me. But he's doing it. He keeps flipping back and forth."

A smile surges on my face. Jaxon is burning right now, but I saw it. For just a few moments, I saw him human.

"You can do it again," I say. "I know you can do it again, Jaxon."

His eyes, which are still green right now, close, and I see him gather his concentration. He takes a ragged, deep breath. Once more, he rolls his burning hands into fists. Deeply, he drags another breath in.

I find I hold my breath, too. Anticipation makes my palms cold with sweat.

Three seconds pass. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds.

But calm and even, his flames begin to diminish.

His body darkens as the light recedes.

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