Page 39 of His Greatest Treasure

Turning back to my book, I tried to concentrate. The squirming inside me was bearable. I didn’t think I was going to be sick, so that was something. Maybe that’s what all my stomach trouble was. Maybe I was just sick.

After all, I had never been sick before. I didn’t know what it felt like.

I considered going to Glenwise to get him to give me a check-up but cringed away from the thought. Glenwise was very stern and I always felt like I was bothering him when I went to visit. The last time I’d gone to him with the sick feeling, though, he’d given me a pill that had made me feel better for a while. Maybe Ishouldgo and see him again.

Even when Rhod left, I was watched. There always seemed to be eyes on me and I sulked as I slunk around the castle, wishing that I could sneak outside.

I didn’t know why people were suddenly so restless but I didn’t like it. Glimmer’s bonds with everybody went brighter and flashed with protective instinct.

It took me all afternoon to be able to sneak away from my schoolroom.

When I reached the den, I was already calling, “Blaze, are you there?”

I knew he was there, but I wanted him to answer me so I could hear his voice. Our bond was bright and orange-gold like fire and it led me straight to him. He stood and rushed towards me as I openedthe door and in an instant I had my arms full of sweet, woodsmoke-scented fire spirit.

I barely managed to shut the door behind me by kicking it with my foot.

Blaze reached his hands up and tangled them in my hair, dragging my head down to his so he could kiss me. We stood there for ages, his lips playing against mine and his taste bursting across my tongue and my insides swelling and swelling until they cramped and twisted and I had to pull back with a gasp.

“You’re getting sick again?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

The way he looked at me was strange. He always looked at me like I was the one person in the world he wanted to see but I had to remind myself that I was the only person he knew. Everyone else he’d known was long gone.

It made me sad to think that Blaze didn’t have a family.

“Do you want to share my family?” I asked.

He was surprised. “What do you mean?”

“You could- could be part of my family. Join our clan. Then we could alwaysbe together.”

I’d been about to say that Mother could adopt him but that would make us brothers and I didn’t feel very brotherly towards Blaze. I felt… different about him.

He blinked at me. “I’ve never had a family.”

“Not at all?”

He shook his head. I saw the sadness flicker across his face before he smoothed it away, but even when his face was impassive, I saw the coolness of our bond, the way he burned less brightly than normal.

I hated that I’d made Blaze sad.

I swooped down and dragged him onto my lap on the chair, sitting the way I liked best, with him tucked tightly against me. I liked to wrap my arms around him and not just because it stopped my insides from battling with each other. I don’t know why my kidneys suddenly decided to wage war against my liver when I kissed Blaze, but holding him like this rarely made me feel like I was going to tear myself apart.

His body was so small and delicate. Sometimes, I could hardly believe that he liked me enough to… do the things we did together. Blaze always offered me his lips or let me touch his skin, as though itwere mine to touch. I liked that. I liked that he trusted me. Something inside me grew fierce and hot at the realisation that he trusted me and it was my responsibility to look after him.

I kissed his neck gently, just because I could and because he had the softest skin right below his ear. I was obsessed with it and he angled his head so I could reach it easily, brushing his flaming red hair aside.

“I didn’t mean to make you sad,” I said at last.

“You didn’t. I don’t know what it’s like to have a family, so I don’t know if I’d even like it.”

“It’s nice,” I said.

“Is it?”

“I think so.”

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