Page 27 of Chasing the Flame (The Sacred Flames Of Ruin #1)

Panic claws at my insides, twisting and turning in a vicious cycle. Jettson must have a radar or something that zones him in on my panic attacks. His scent surrounds me before I see him, his hands resting on my shoulders. “It’s all going to be okay, just breathe, Averie.”

And I do. I breathe until my heart rate returns to normal, and I no longer shake violently. “What’s happening to me?” I meet his gaze, uncertainty flooding me, but I must know.

“Well, if I had to take a guess, it seems like you have some magic inside you that’s waking up. That’s why I asked about your heritage.” Jettson’s gaze travels lower, and I see the exact moment he realizes I’m not wearing a bra.

His lips part, his jaw clenching as his gaze darkens to a smoldering intensity that leaves me breathless. I thought I would feel self-conscious, but I don’t. I feel powerful…desirable…wanted.

Something about how he looks at me makes my toes curl deliciously.

It makes me bolder, and I try to close the distance between us.

Jettson takes a step back, and I’m instantly crushed.

“I want to help you figure this all out. We need to do so for your safety and everyone else around you. I feel your magic has lain dormant for so long now…it’s coming out in bursts. ”

“Wait. What?!” I squeak, staring at him in utter disbelief.

He shuffles a little, sighing before motioning me to follow him. He turns from the kitchen and enters the backyard, his footsteps soft against the deck's wood. I warily follow behind him.

Jettson heads down the steps and across the yard, heading toward the path we took last night. In the daylight, it looks beautiful. Sunlight dapples through the leaves, casting an ethereal glow on the setting.

In no time at all, we’re back to his spot. The water is quiet this morning, rippling gently across the lake. At first, I didn’t understand why he brought me back here. Then, Jettson moves and stands by the fire pit, and the slight shift allows me to see the whole picture .

Burned patches of grass litter the ground, and as I move forward and stand in the center, they form a perfect ring around my entire body.

“Last night, fire erupted from you,” Jettson says, raking a hand through his hair. “It nearly set me up in flames, no pun intended.” He chuckles a little, bending down to look at the ground.

I’m still in disbelief, and can’t seem to form a coherent thought. This can’t be right. “Jettson…” I trail off, trying to find the words to express my feelings, but nothing comes.

A few seconds pass, my heart thundering in my chest. A wave of dizziness comes over me, and as the panic rises, I feel a familiar surge in my veins. “Averie, I’m going to need you to breathe.”

Jettson’s voice cuts through the fog, and I take a shaky breath. “It’s just…this doesn’t feel real,” I say, averting my gaze.

“Would it help if I show you what magic can be like?”

The question takes me by surprise. I’m still trying to grasp that I have magic in my veins. I’ve always believed in things most don’t…but this? It feels like something out of a movie.

Jettson’s patient with me, giving me as long as I need to process. After a few minutes, I realized I needed him to show me. As it stands, I’m on my way to earning a one-way ticket to the loony bin. “Okay,” I whisper.

“That’s a good girl,” Jettson praises, and backs up a few feet. I’m unsure what I expected, but it’s not like the movies. At first, it looks like nothing is happening. There’s no grand display, no burst of power that I can see.

Then, Jettson closes his eyes and brings his hands together in front of himself. He cups his palms together, holding them out like he’s protecting something in the palm of his hands .

It’s what happens next that grabs my attention. Golden light pours from his hands, and it becomes so intense after several moments that I need to shield my eyes. When it stops, I blink to clear my vision. What’s left in its wake shocks me to my core.

There, in the center of his palm, rests a beautiful rose. “How…” I whisper, my eyes widening at the scene before me.

“Earth magic,” he says, shrugging his shoulders like it’s no big deal.

“You say that so casually, like it’s an everyday occurrence to grow a rose from nothing,” I chuff, snorting at Jettson’s expression.

He laughs, shaking his head and says, “Well, I suppose that’s fair.”

I gnaw on my bottom lip, worrying it between my teeth. What the hell is Luke going to think? What if I can’t learn how to control it? I groan, irritated for even giving that bastard space in my head. Before I lose my nerve, I ask, “Can you teach me?”

Jettson smiles, his dimples peaking out above his beard. “I thought you’d never ask, babe.”

Butterflies swarm in my belly, heat flushing up my neck. I love it when he does that. It’s silly how happy the pet name makes me. I shouldn’t feel anything, but I do. I feel so fucking much that it punches me in the chest like a tidal wave. I shake my head, chasing away the wayward thoughts.

Clearing my throat, I say, “Luke won’t be home til Friday…”

Jettson frowns at the mention of Luke, “I think I remember you mentioning that.”

“Any chance I can sweet-talk you into starting lessons as soon as possible?” I bat my eyelashes at him and give him my best pretty-please face. Jettson laughs again, shaking his head and sucks in a breath.

“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?” He gives me a heated look. It’s full of unspoken promise, the words we’ve left unsaid, and the feelings that neither of us are ready to face .

Tension crackles between us, electric and all-consuming. I suck in a breath, and paint a smirk on my face. “Probably, but it’ll be a fun way to go.”

Jettson’s wicked grin sends a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

I can see the wheels turning in his mind, like he’s thinking this will be more trouble than it's worth. Then, a deep chuckle spills from him, and he shakes his head again, walking toward the path leading to his cabin. “Come on, flamebearer, let’s get you home.”