Page 114 of Ensnared

And he’s right. We leave them behind almost immediately. My heart’s going to burst if I keep living like this. From having Azar around all the time to flying through the air at Mach ten, humans weren’t made for this stuff.

You’re not human anymore.

Is that true?

The bond has changed all the ensnared, but you’re entwined. You’re entirely different, and it may just be starting. My magic will continue to alter you as our bond deepens.

That idea scares me, but it’s not as shocking as I thought it would be. When Azar flies through the gap in the large stylized T-shape in the center of the top of the Chase Tower and lands on the helipad, I’m still thinking about what exactly it means.

I’m not only flame blessed. I’m a Prince of the Flame.

“What does that mean, though? It feels like everyone’s a prince or a princess.” I can’t help teasing him.

Each affinity has a ruler. Their children are princes and princesses, but only one is slated to rule. I’m the prince for all my people. The flame blessed rule all the other blessed.

Oh, shoot. He’s the whole enchilada.

What’s an enchilada?

“You have so much to learn.”

At least I have a teacher.

He’s not what I expected, not at all.

Your family’s arriving shortly.

Which means I need to see the tower myself. “So how do I get in here again?” I was pretty wiped out last time we came.

He climbs through an opening in a side wall leading into the penthouse that he made, judging by the red glasslike dome that’s patching the ripped part in the wall. Luckily, we can walk through it. It’s eerily similar to the magical dome he put over Ocharta.

“Why can we walk through that, but she was stuck?”

It’s magic, he says.

As if that just explains everything.

Did you want me to go into the magical theory of the flame and its connection to the blessed of each affinity?

I shake my head. “Nope. Sorry for thinking irritating thoughts.”

Almost between one step and the next, there’s an engine growling sound, and Axel in a black suit and red tie steps through next to me.

“I may never get used to that.”

He shrugs. “You will.”

“So what’s the layout in here?”

“The top few floors are a massive living space, which is why I chose this tower over that other one, the one that says Exxon on the side.”

“I wasn’t sure whether you realized this wasn’t really the tallest tower in town,” I say.

“More like I don’t care. Men who are worried about whether their tower is the tallest aren’t very confident.”

“Says the man who’s currently living in the second largest tower in Houston.”

“It’s easier for me—I’m always up high. Plus, others find it hard to come after me up here.”