Page 65 of Sweets and Sycamores
“What?”
“Bigger.”
“I heard you the first time.” Allie sounded snarkier than she’d intended, but what did he meanbigger?The flame was about four feet tall. Any bigger than that and it would swallow her. Dominic looked at her with an “If you heard me, then do it” expression on his face. The fear she was so proud ofnotfeeling reared its ugly head and caused Allie’s heart rate to grow to a strong, quick pounding. Telling this powerful Mage she was scared was equally terrifying. Allie didn’t want to disappoint him. Curiosity raced for a place in her mix of emotions: how much farther could she take it? How much power could she handle? Allie wanted to tell him everything and nothing at the same time.
“Dom.”
That summed it up.
Dominic got closer than anyone not controlling a huge wall of fire had business getting. The sparks danced in his green eyes as he fixed them on her, then extended his arm and grabbed her free hand.
“What—”
“Allie,” he said in that commanding voice of his. Dom interlaced their fingers as if he had always done that, his cold skin cooling her fiery one. He squeezed her hand as his brows furrowed, that notorious frown reigning over his features. “I would never let anything happen to you.”
Allie was sure of two things in that moment: one, she’d squeezed Dominic’s hand harder than he had hers, and two, her mouth hung open in a big, stupid O.
“You trust me, right?”
“I do!” Allie answered way too fast, too enthusiastically. But she didn’t want there to be any doubt about how much she trusted this man. “I do.”
“Good.” Dom settled his hand better in hers, then said something that ignited Allie’s heart more than any magic ever could. “Don’t be afraid to burn bright. I will put out all your fires.”
The Mage used his free hand to create a bubble of air in his palm, ready to extinguish anything she set aflame. And this reassurance, this safety net he created for her, made Allie’s crush deepen. Grow. He cradled her heart in a way she would never be able to put into words, and the thing only pumped blood like crazy and spun feelings into her.
But now was not the time to focus on that.
Allie frowned at the flame in her hand, threatening to reduce it to smoke if it dared hurt the man holding her hand. In this moment, with him so close to her, Allie didn’t fear for herself anymore; she feared for him. For she would not be able to live knowing she’d hurt the one who meant so much to her. The one her heart fluttered over.
The flame smoldered in her hand in a threat of its own, but Allie was determined to win this silent war. She tugged at the string of power, and the fire exploded. Hot sparks danced and crackled through the cold air, and Allie looked up, up, noticing the fire was as tall as her.
“Set it down,” Dominic ordered.
“Do you want me to set the forest on fire?”
“You won’t. Set it down.”
When she made no move to lower the fire, Dominic inched closer to her, closer to the fire. Allie shifted it away from him, but the Mage moved closer still. At this rhythm, they would end up turning in circles.
“Down.”
“Fine!” she ceded.
Allie crouched down, and Dominic followed, never letting go of her hand.
You won’t burn the forest, you won’t burn the forest, you won’t burn the forest.
The chant went on and on in Allie’s mind as she spilled the fire onto the ground like it was liquid. She resisted the urge to shut her eyes and wait for Dom to put it out before it spread.
But the flame crunched and sparkled in a still dance, not extending more than they had in her hand. Allie laughed.
“How?”
“Your power is your will, Allie. Unless you sic it on this earth intentionally, it won’t hurt anything or anyone. It’s an extension of you. It answers to you.” Dominic’s words were slow and gentle, and so doubtless that Allie believed him. It was easy to believe him, with the proof that she willed her fire not to burn the place to the ground, and it worked. She was awestruck. Her life had gone from fearing a simple sneeze to being able to summon fire and mold it as she wished. All due to the manstillholding her hand.
“One more thing,” Dominic said, pulling them to their feet. Allie regarded him curiously; what else was there? “Step into it.”
“Excuse me?” Allie looked between the fire and Dominic, huffing with disbelief. Touching it was one thing, setting it down was another, but…stepping into it with her entire body? Allie wasn’t that comfortable with her power yet. “No, thank you.”
