Page 18 of Seared Fates

Lucero grabs the bag and throws it out the window. “Disgusting.”

“We need to figure out a way to get that thing away from Kai,” I say as I drop into a chair.

“We could try burning it?”

I shake my head. “A book that ancient won’t burn by normal fire, and there's a chance it’ll pull itself back together. Kai’s fire didn’t even scratch the surface.”

“We’ll think of something.” Lucero leans against the wall beside me. “How did your conversation go?”

My head falls back, and I stare at the ceiling. “He understands.”

We’re quiet for a long time. Bushes rustle outside. The fridge grumbles. If I concentrate enough, I can just about make out Kai’s voice, even if I can’t hear what he's saying, and I soak up his soothing timbre as a balm I never knew I needed.

He’s safe. As long as he’s safe, that’s all that matters.

“And you, Maker?”

“Fuck Fate for this. There are times when I want him, and not the simple desires of a woman, but a deep need that cuts into marrow. But then…”

My chest is heavy, tight. I’m pulled in a direction I don’t want—yet want deeply.

“Maybe I should do what you did—wait for Kai to be reborn and come back in a more pleasing form.” I chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

“What. The. Fuck.”

I shoot up, coming face to face with Kai.

Shit.

Chapter eight

Kai

My feet pound hard as I run. I hope I destroy every fucking fancy floorboard I land on.

“Kai!” Vidar shouts my name, chasing me down the hallway.

Rage blinds me.

I’m not even sure what direction I’m going in. But if I don’t move, I’ll rip something to pieces. The ice that froze me in panic is long gone. Now I’m filled with so much fire I could burn this mansion to the ground.

So when Vidar grabs my forearm and spins me around, I shove all that bubbling, burning, brimming RAGE towards my painted symbols and purple flames explode out of my jacket—wild and bright, burning out within seconds.

But fuck, it feels good—powerful—because ever since meeting Vidar, or really even before that when Golden first showed up at my house covered in the bruises Jace gave him so many years ago, I’ve felt like I can’t pull myself up from the cliff I’m dangling from.

Vidar curses, jumping away from the heat.

“Piss off!” I shout. “Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Hell, don’t even look at me!”

My boiling blood blurs my vision, and I can’t even make out Vidar’s features. He’s one big fuzzy piece of shit.

“I didn’t mean what I said, Kai!” He reaches for me, then draws back.

“So you didn’t say you wanted me todieso I could be reincarnated into a more fuckable version?”

“Damnit, I didn’t mean it!” Vidar sounds panicked. But I don’t give a shit.

“I’m done listening to you! I’m done with all of this scary vampire shit.” My fury is pushing me to the edge of tears, but I’ll burn to ash before shedding a single one in front of him.