Page 175 of A Fate in Flames

Maybe ignorance was safer.His attention, his protection, it was already a weight I could barely carry without drowning.

I needed to think of something else before this impossible burden crushed what remained of my composure.

“It was so strange today, watching Belshin fight like that,” I blurted out, scrambling to change the subject.Too bright.Too eager.“Seeing him actually wield his powers was so… mesmerising.”

“Mesmerising?”He cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing.“Choose a better word, I don’t like you referring to another male asmesmerising.”

I lifted my chin in defiance.“Jealous?”

“Completely,” he admitted it without shame.His hand slid from my chin to the back of my neck, fingers tangling in the loose strands of my hair.“If you’re going to be mesmerised, I prefer it be by me.”

I smiled, the expression wild and reckless as I swept my hand out in bold challenge.

“Then mesmerise me.”

His spine straightened, his gaze sharpening with intent.

“What do you want to see?”

Excitement coursed through my veins, my hands shaking where they rested on my knees.I could’ve asked for anything, but my thoughts drifted back to what Kaseer had told me back at the markets.“I heard…” I began, then stopped, my courage failing.I took a breath and tried again.“You can create beings of flame… or something along those lines.”

“Someone told you… or you asked?”

My heart hammered.“Does it matter?”

“It matters to me.”

“I asked,” I admitted in a rush.

He smiled—slow and devastating.The kind that could bring kingdoms to their knees.

My entire body melted, bones turning to liquid as his face transformed into something beyond beautiful.

“Why are you smiling?”I asked, breathless

He ignored me, fighting to force his features back into careful indifference.The battle was already lost, as that smile lingered in his eyes—in the relaxed set of his shoulders.

“I’ll show you—”

“Nothing scary!”I interrupted, hands flying up.“Or big.”

He shook his head, a soft chuckle rumbling in his chest as he sat up.Anticipation wound tight in my stomach.I leaned forward, weight shifting onto my knees as I drank in every expression that crossed his face.

He reached his hand toward the starry sky, fingers spread wide.

A flicker of light pulsed to life in the centre of his palm.

He wasn’t even looking at his creation.His gaze was locked on me, drinking in every flutter of my eyelashes and the unconscious way I leaned closer to him.

The spark in his palm flared brighter, lifting from his skin and swirling through the air like a spirit taking its first breath.Light twisted and danced until it formed a shape.

My eyes widened as it solidified, becoming more defined.

Awoman, crafted entirely of living flame.

She was no bigger than my hand.Hair of pure fire fell down her tiny body in waves that changed from gold to amber to deep orange, never the same shade for more than a heartbeat.Her delicate hands stretched out from a body that was perfectly rendered.

Her head lifted toward Dalkhan, tilting from side to side in a gesture that was achingly human.