Page 112 of Worse Fates

Apollo levels me with a hard look. “Jace wants power, but more than anything he wants Golden.”

“Again, ew,” I grumble, disgust coiling in my gut. “But…choices aren’t raining down. So, fine, I’ll try it.”

Apollo claps my shoulder. “You got this. Now, Kai—make fire.”

I’m about to laugh, but when Kai squirms I gasp, and point an accusing finger at him. “You said you weren’t magical!”

Kai shoves me. “Mate, shut up and technically I never actually answered that question.”

“And here I thought I was never anywhere near the supernatural. So what the hell are you, dude?”

“I…have no idea, okay? How did you even know, Apollo?” Kai nervously touches his hair covering his scarred side.

Apollo shrugs, looking confused by the question.

“You're so bloody annoying.” Kai huffs. “I don’t know how to actually make fire, it’s completely random. Apollo, do you know how I do it?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Why would I know?”

Kai throws his hands up. “Because you’ve gotta be something, right?”

“Lad, the only thing I am is an anarchist.” Then Apollo throws up the devil horns.

“Un-fucking-believable,” Kai grumbles.

“Sorry,” Apollo replies, sounding not sorry at all.

“When this is all over,” I say to Kai, “wanna swap secrets?”

The corners of Kai’s lips tug up. “Yeah, I guess so.” Then he pulls his hand away from his hair. “Time to focus on…creating magical fire. Or not focus, I should say. It kinda only happens when I’m doodling and zoning out.”

Kai chews on his lower lip, then cautiously tucks into a corner as he mutters to himself.

After a pause, where he stares at the dirty floor as if it's going to bite, Kai slowly begins to draw. First it’s things like frowny faces and broken hearts. Houses and little flames, which soon morph into symbols, like an octopus’s take on the English Alphabet, but oddly familiar and I slowly realise Ihaveseen what he’s drawing.

They’re the purple symbols he’s painted on his leather jacket.

I want to ask him about it, but my friend appears to be in a trance, and we’ve got a rescue mission on our hands, so I leavehim be and turn to Apollo. He juts his chin in the direction of the door.

“Go on then, be sexy.”

Groaning, I stand, my lip curling as I dust my ass off and drag my feet towards the door. I look at Ramy, whose face is slowly turning purple and my back straightens, promising to do my best and to apologise to Lucero when we’re finally reunited.

I grab hold of the bars to stop my trembling hands. How the hell do you seduce someone?

My mind goes back to the times me and Lucero have been together, but I quickly end that train of thought. Our moments are too important and I won’t let them be tainted.

“Golden, c’mon!” Apollo whisper-shouts.

I guess it's now or never.

“JACE! Jace, come here!” I keep screaming his name until he’s stomping out the office, face angry.

“Do you want to be gagged like your vampire friend?” he snaps.

My foot bounces. “I…” I wrack my brain for something to say and come up empty.

“I don’t have time for this,” he says, turning to leave.