Page 24 of A Blaze of Fire
I frowned. “Oh! This!” I flicked my pointer finger and a little flame popped out. “It’s all I can do, but it’s a start.” I smiled brightly.
He looked down at me, his eyes flitting between mine. After a few awkward moments, I felt like we were having a staring contest with how intensely he was looking at me. To make him blink, I brought the little flame to his face. It had the desired effect of snapping him out of whatever trance he was in.
Alec blew out my flame and smirked. “That’s all you got, Lady Violet?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just you wait. I—” My eyes widened, and I grabbed his arm to bring him closer. “Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you!” I whispered.
His uncanny eyes narrowed. “Tell me what?”
“Okay,” I mumbled, “so don’t get mad, all right? Everything was handled.”
He growled. “What was handled?” he gritted between his teeth.
I fidgeted. “Well, Cael and his friends stopped us in the hallway on the way back from dinner last night. It got a little … violent. But Rook saved the day!” I added quickly.
“Damnit!” Alec stomped toward the door and started to leave, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Wait! That’s not all,” I said. “I did something,” I mumbled with a wince.
He frowned. “What did you do?”
“I-I took away Cael’s fire … like, all of it.” I looked away, slightly ashamed of myself without knowing why. I’d gathered that what I did was considered a grievous offense, but I didn’t understand the reasoning behind it being taboo.
Quiet encompassed the room before Alec grabbed my chin and lifted my face to look at him. “What did I tell you about looking me in the eyes? I know they’re not pretty—”
“They’re beautiful,” I blurted.
His eyes widened just a smidge. He was caught off guard and so was I.
I felt as if a fire burned in his gaze, but he extinguished it immediately with his next words. “So you took Cael’s fire?”
I nodded as much as I could since he still had a firm grip on my chin.
“Have you told anyone?”
I shook my head. “Only Cael knows, and Rook threatened him not to tell anyone. And Rosemary knows.”
“Good,” Alec mused. “I’ll handle Cael. You won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
Alec looked down at my lips. Without thinking, I licked them. He released me as if I’d seared him. “So you’re bored here?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m locked in my room and I can’t even explore the castle. It’s torture!”
A careful mask slid into place. Now he was back to being the mischievous fae I’d always known him to be. “Well, then … let’s break you out.”
* * *
Leaving Rook and Rosemary behind,Alec and I escaped the castle grounds and headed to the nearest Unseelie village. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. Even though night had fallen, the village bustled with life and hummed with activity. The streets were crammed with all sorts of fae, and dizzying strobes of colors bathed the streets in kaleidoscope shades. Performers jostled their way through the crowds, playing music with fantastic instruments or dancing with grace and acrobatic skill. All for an extra charge, of course. Honestly, it reminded me a lot of New York.
Alec grabbed my hand and we wove through the crowds until we stopped in front of a stand selling food. The unfamiliar smells wafted toward my nose in a tantalizing wave.
“They sell the best sweet buns here,” he explained as he started digging in his pockets for money. We patiently waited in line, passing the time people watching. When it was our turn, Alec ordered for us. “Can I have four of your freshest buns?”
“Of course, darling,” the old woman manning the cart said. She reached into the cart and pulled out a cluster of sweet buns before carefully placing them in paper bags.
Alec reached for them and handed her coins I didn’t recognize. He moved me aside and handed me a bag that contained two buns. They were steaming hot and burned my skin through the paper.
