Page 18 of A Blaze of Fire
I was sorely tempted to stick my tongue out at them but couldn’t because my mouth was crammed full of food. I swallowed discreetly, taking care not to choke. Once I got myself under control I stopped halfway down the hallway.
“Hold on!” I called out, stopping Rosemary and Rook. “Just because Alec told me to go to my room, I have to go?” I asked, thoroughly dumbfounded. “He’s not even the King!”
Rosemary sighed. “It’s to keep you safe, Lady Violet. You never know—”
“LadyViolet?” someone scoffed behind me. I turned around slowly.
Strolling down the hallway like he didn’t have a care in the world was none other than Cael, the moody fire elemental who attacked me and Ansel in my neighborhood back home. Just like last time, he was with his goons, all dressed in black tactical gear.
“Yeah, what of it?” I lifted my chin. I had all the elements inside me. I shouldn’t be afraid of anything this nimrod had to say.
Cael threw his head back and guffawed. “What a joke! I can’t believe the King is allowing you to strut around our lands when you should’ve been beheaded the minute you touched our Court!”
Rook barreled past me and placed his massive frame between me and Cael and his group. “Is that a threat?” Rook asked him, his voice low and deadly.
Cael held his hands up in surrender, not interested in tangling with my beefy bodyguard. “Relax, Rook, I won’t touch the precious Lady Violet.” He sized me up and down, his eyes snagging on my exposed skin. I felt naked and unclean. I was barely able to stop myself from covering my chest. “Although ourLady Violetlooks more fae the longer she spends in our Court. Could the halfling really be one of us?” he said to his friends. They all laughed and shook their heads in disagreement. “Why don’t we test her out?” He grinned.
Before I could react, one of his goons constricted Rook’s air and Cael pushed past him with a devilish gleam. He set fire ablaze in his hand and Rosemary darted in front of me to protect me. Cael easily shoved her aside and tossed her to the ground. Meanwhile, I stood there frozen. Not so much in fear, but with curiosity. Could Cael really hurt me? That was the question that had me standing there stock-still. I wanted to test just how powerful I really was.
When Cael’s hand wrapped around my neck, his fire engulfed me, but it didn’t burn. I felt nothing. He lifted me up to my tippy toes and squeezed. I wrapped my hand around his wrist and gripped it tightly, watching his crazed eyes widen as I soaked in his fire. I let it spread through me until I had taken every flicker from him and stood as a phoenix before him.
“Hey!” he yelled. “Give it back!” He shook me forcefully, fueled by rising panic. If he shook me much harder, he’d snap my neck.
That was when Rook stormed up and wrapped his muscular arm around Cael’s neck, squeezing off his air and placing him in a punishing headlock. The buffoon released me immediately.
“Give it back!” Cael gritted between his teeth.
I dropped to my feet and gasped, rubbing my neck where he’d gripped the delicate skin. I was still wreathed in flames, but it wasn’t mine. I knew I had to give it back, but I wasn’t sure how. I reached for Cael’s hand and willed the fire to spread back along his arm until it extinguished.
“You fuckin’ bitch!” he growled.
I smirked. “That’s no way to talk to a lady.”
He tried to claw for me, but Rook had a good grip on him. The rest of his guys were unconscious on the ground behind them. Wow, Rook was good. I didn’t even get to see what his elemental ability was.
“How dare you try to take away my magic!” Cael fumed.
I shook my head. “I did no such thing.”
“You’re an abomination. When the King finds out—”
“Do I need to snap your neck?” Rook threatened, tightening his punishing hold. “It would be very easy, you know. Just one little twist and …”
“Stop!” Cael yelled. “I’ll keep quiet!”
“That’s what I thought,” Rook grunted. “If you ever threaten Lady Violet again, it won’t be a neck snap you’ll have to worry about. I’ll make it very painful.”
Cael glared up at him but finally nodded. The instant Rook released him, Cael didn’t give him time to second guess himself. He bolted, leaving his fallen comrades behind.
“What a pansy,” I mumbled and then looked at Rook. “Thanks, I really appreciate your help.”
Rook bowed slightly. “It’s what I’m here for, Lady Violet.”
“Right …” I turned to help Rosemary off the floor. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m quite sturdy.”
I gave her a stern look. “Don’t ever jump in front of me like that again. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. Don’t risk your life.”
