Page 89 of Up In Flames
“No!” I said urgently, panic rising in my chest. If I didn't fall in love with Vexen, I wouldn't have enough power to save Ara. I had to do this. The Goddess gave me her blessing. He was the next one. I knew it. “No, I'm fine. Really. The branches, they just reminded me of something.”
“What?” Vexen took my hand. “Talk to me. Tell me what Death did to you.”
“He consumed me,” I whispered. “He locked my soul in a cage of bones and buried it beneath his magic.”
I blinked, surprised that I hadn't hesitated to share that with him. But there was something about Vexen that comforted me. He put me at ease. I took a deep breath, letting that peace penetrate the shell of my panic. This truly was right.Hewas right.
“Bones,” Vexen murmured, glancing at the willow branches.
A breeze set them to dancing, clicking them together. The sound skittered down my spine like skeletal fingers.
“All right, this isn't going to work.” Vexen stood up.
“No, please!” I hurried to my feet. “I need to push past this. I must conquer my fear.”
“No, Ember. You need to be kind to yourself. I'm not saying our date is over. Just that we need a better location.”
“But I can't leave the citadel.”
“Somewhere else in the garden,” he said gently. Then he looked at the brazier. “Damn. We'll have to leave that here.”
“No, we won't.” I used Air Magic to lift the brazier, then grinned at him. “I know all the tricks.”
Vexen laughed. “Very nice. Here. Take your plate and mug. I'll get the blanket.”
Vexen handed me my food and hot chocolate, moved his things off the blanket, tossed the blanket over his arm, then picked up his plate and mug. “Come on.”
Vexen shouldered his way through the willow branches, holding them aside with his body for me to float the brazier through, then follow. We strolled through the garden with the fire literally blazing our trail until we found a stone bench. After setting the brazier down, I blasted the bench with some Fire Magic, melting the snow and warming the stone.
“All the tricks indeed,” Vexen murmured as he sat down.
We settled on the warm bench, and he spread the blanket over our laps before we started our meal. We had to get to the food before it went cold. The change of scenery and focusing on eating both helped to drive thoughts of Death away, but Ara still hovered in my head, sending flares of pain through me every few seconds. I was on the verge of tears and trying to have a date. Maybe I had rushed things.
No! I had to push on. My romantic life had never been perfect. This was nothing new. I could fall in love in the worst of situations. Look at Ara and me. There couldn't be a situation more traumatic than that one. Falling in love with Vexen should be easy. His letters had gotten me halfway there already.
“So, you're from Raxis,” I said.
Vexen set his mug to the side and glanced at me. “Yes, a city called Invea. It's in a valley, sort of across the bottom and up the sides. We never get snow there.” He looked around. “You'd think after living here so long, I'd be used to winter, but the snow still fascinates me.”
I stared across the frosted garden, trying to see it through his eyes, and smiled. “It's lovely. A fresh coat of shimmering white to make everything look pure.”
Vexen frowned. “That sounded a bit sad, Ember.”
“Did it?” I took a bite of a cheese tart and thought about it. “Maybe. I didn't mean it to. The snow covers all the imperfections of the world. It feels like a fresh start. But it's also fucking cold.”
He chuckled. “Yes, there's that.” He leaned closer. “But that gives us an excuse to get closer.”
“Do we need an excuse?” I lifted my face to meet his stare.
Vexen went still, eyes locked on me. He started to lean down. His hair fell forward, and the highlights caught the sun, turning gold. And then he was Ara, smiling softly, all of that gold hair catching the cold light.
I gasped and jerked back.
Vexen cursed and straightened. “This is too soon.”
“Stop saying that! I know what's best for me. I have to get past this.”
“Ember, the only way past this is by working through it, and you can't do that with me trying to kiss you.”
