Page 24 of A Spark in the Ash

So that word, coming from Jaxon, who has seen me in every one of my elements, it means everything.

I lean forward and lace my fingers through his hair. I press my lips to his.

Jaxon rolls fully onto his back and pulls me on top of him. His hands come to my back, and already, they feel ten degrees hotter.

But I just smile. I know there will be black marks all over my body. I know I'll be scorched. And there are already dozens of those black lightning marks on his skin.

But as I deepen the kiss and lean into his touch, I really, really don't care.

Chapter Nine

As daybreak looms closer,Jaxon and I make our way back to the vault. The plan is to test this. He'll still be in the vault when everyone returns, but the door will be open, and I will be standing in the doorway. If he gets too out of control, if he can't handle an increased number of darklings in his presence, I'll do what it takes to get him back in the vault and get the door locked.

And we get our plan in motion just in the nick of time. Outside of the tunnel, I hear the shuffling of pinchers and the scrape of claws against sandstone. I glance back at Jaxon. He simply gives me a nod. He's ready.

I stand straight and keep my eyes fixed on him, instead of the arriving crew.

They’re laughing and talking as they head down the passageway in their human forms. The night must have gone well. First, I hear Renwick. Then Nisha. Next, I hear Davorian, immediately followed by Ascelin.

But I don't turn to watch them. I keep my gaze solely fixed on Jaxon.

He stands at the far back of the vault. His eyes are intensely fixed on the glass, on the farthest point of it, closest to where the others are. He curls his hands into fists. I see several cracks of light break out over his knuckles.

But for now, no flames lick along his skin, no heat rises from his body.

I know the exact moment when the others see what's going on. Instantly, their talking and laughter falls silent.

Still, I do not look away from Jaxon. My knees are bent, my hands are at the ready. My darkling waits just under the surface, in case I need a little extra muscle.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ascelin says sharply as he steps out in front of the others. His eyes are wild with adrenaline and rage.

Still, I don't look away from Jaxon.

He takes a deep breath in, slow and controlled. I watch as he lets his fingers uncurl, releasing his fists. But the light does not recede back into him.

"It's a test," I say simply. "He has spent the last five hours outside of this vault. But we wanted to be sure he can handle it when the rest of you returned."

"What?" Davorian barks loudly.

I simply nod, still not looking back at them. "Yeah, I was getting a little impatient. Things might not have gone perfectly, but not in any way that any of you need to be concerned about."

I shouldn't have said that part. Surely, if any of them thinks about it particularly hard, they will realize what I'm talking about.

Their eyes are probably already searching my skin, looking for the black burn marks only an ultralight can leave on me.

"That was reckless, Serena," Ascelin says through gritted teeth. "You had no backup…"

At the sound of his voice, with the protective, slightly possessive tone of Ascelin's words, light splinters further up into Jaxon's arms.

But Ascelin’s plan is still working. I watch as Jaxon takes another calming breath. He lets his eyes slide closed as he focuses. And little by little, the light recedes back into his body.

As the others step into view of the vault, a smile curls on my lips. "Thanks for your help, but it looks like we've got things handled. Your little charade worked, Ascelin."

Jaxon's eyes flash open at that. They go straight to me. "What?" he growls.

I shrug. "Ascelin's good at his job. He's very observant. He noticed that whenever he got a little too close to me, that you tried extra hard to get control. So we made an agreement. He flirted with me in front of you, and it seems to have worked. It only took you a couple of days to finally get control."

From the look of fury and annoyance that comes into his eyes, I don't know that Jaxon approves of our methods.

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