Page 43 of Blood Currents
“I know,” he said hoarsely, his thumb brushing my jaw as though memorizing me.His eyes burned like twin suns, unflinching,raw.“But if we’d been caught tonight… if I’d lost the chance…”
I pressed my fingers to his lips.“We’re not done yet.We’re going to survive this.All of us.”
His jaw flexed under my touch, but slowly—reluctantly—he nodded.
Even as we slipped back into the shadows, every nerve in my body still thrummed with the memory of his mouth on mine, the heat of his magic curling over my skin, the overwhelming rightness of a moment we weren’t supposed to take.
20
Cyrus
The training dummy exploded ina shower of straw and singed fabric, the fourth one I’d destroyed since dawn.My fire burned too hot, threaded with blue that had nothing to do with proper technique and everything to do with memories I couldn’t shake.
“I won’t lose you,” I’d said.“Not for anyone.”
And then I’d kissed her.
In the middle of a crisis, with Shroud Guards closing in and Parker being dragged away in magical restraints, I’d lost every shred of control I’d spent twenty years perfecting.I pressed Marigold against that tunnel wall and kissed her like the world was ending.
Which, given what we’d learned about the council’s plans, it might be.
“Rough night?”my cousin’s voice cut through my brooding.Aurora stood in the training room doorway, her copper hair catching the morning light as she surveyed the destruction I’d caused.
“Something like that,” I muttered, conjuring another practice dummy.This one lasted exactly twelve seconds before my flames turned it to ash.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
Aurora moved into the room anyway, settling cross-legged on one of the training mats.“You know, there are more productive ways to work through whatever’s eating you.Ways that don’t involve destroying academy property.”
“I’ll pay for the dummies.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”Her golden light pulsed gently.“Your fire’s been unstable for days.And after last night…” She paused, studying my face.“I saw you coming back to the dorms.You looked like someone who’d just discovered something terrifying about himself.”
The words hit too close to home.I turned away, trying to think of an easy explanation, but Elio was the wordsmith, not me.
“You and Marigold,” she continued.“Both of you looked shaken when you got back to the dorms.”
“Something happened,” I said before I could stop myself.
Aurora’s expression sharpened with real concern.“What kind of something?”
I looked at her—really looked.Aurora had always been the odd one in the Raynoff family.Too warm.Too empathetic.The one who’d befriended Marigold when everyone else was content to watch her be bullied.
If I was going to trust anyone with this, it would be her.
“Come on,” I said, extinguishing my flames.“Not here.”
We hit Mountain View Caféfirst.It looked better if anyone was watching—two cousins grabbing drinks before class.Normal.
Once we reached the third floor of the academic building, where the cafe was located, we found a couple of overachievers were already buried in textbooks.But the rest of the place was quiet except for the hum of the espresso machine.Aurora got her usual tea drowning in honey.I ordered black coffee.No sugar.No cream.
We didn’t talk much while we waited—just moved with the easy rhythm of people who’d done this a hundred times before.
The patio outside was empty, the December wind sharp enough to chase off anyone who wasn’t half Raynoff.The mountains stretched out across the horizon, pale light spilling across the snow.
I lit a small flame in my palm as we sat down, just enough heat to take the edge off the cold.Aurora’s magic flared in response—steady, golden, merging with mine until the air around us felt almost warm.No one would bother coming out here.Perfect.
