Pyromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 1)

“Not so long ago. Maybe a week.”

“Good.” His nostrils flared. “You can’t be pregnant. From now on, we won’t take any risks.”

“I know how badly you want children.”

The sadness was fleeting, a shooting star that burned out fast, but she noticed.

“I want you more,” he said.

She couldn’t stop the tears that built in her eyes. They weren’t for her, but for him. She tried to blink them away, only making the welled-up drops run over her cheeks.

Brushing the wetness away with his thumbs, he said, “I’ll get the best medical advice I can. Whatever happens, you have me. We have each other. Understand?”

She nodded.

“Say it,” he said.

“We’ve got each other.”

“Good.” He kissed her lips. “We better have a shower.”

The words he didn’t say hung in the air. They had to face Cain and get what was waiting over with.

They showered together, washing each other and kissing again, gentler this time. Their relationship wasn’t conventional, but neither was Joss. What they had was real, and she wasn’t going to waste time fighting it, not after realizing how short life can be.

After dressing in a comfortable jersey and jeans, she took Joss’s hand and followed him downstairs to the dining hall. Cain sat at the table studying a tablet, a bottle of wine open next to him.

When they entered, he got to his feet. “I’m glad to see some color in your face again, Clelia.”

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said, hoping the color of her face didn’t give away why they’d made him wait. “You must really stop injecting me with drugs.”

Joss squeezed her hand in warning before pulling out a chair at the table for her.

Cain waited until Clelia was seated before taking his again. “An enemy was destroyed today. For that, I’m indebted to you.”

“Indebted?” He didn’t seem upset about Joss’s betrayal. “I’m more interested in how this affects Joss’s future.”

Cain smiled. “Nothing needs to change for Joss.”

Clelia frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Joss pulled the wine closer. He didn’t move his eyes from Cain when he said, “I think I do.” He refilled Cain’s glass and served two more. “You knew I’d go after Lupien. That’s why you let me go in the first place.”

Cain’s eyes crinkled in the corners. “I knew if Clelia was alive, you’d find her and then Lupien. Even if Clelia had been dead, you would’ve avenged her death. It was only a matter of tracking you.”

“Then why let me go alone?” Joss asked.

“The team was busy on other missions.”

Clelia stared at Cain. “If you knew what we’d be facing, why didn’t you help us?”

Cain’s gaze was level. “I did.”

Joss took her hand under the table. “Cain came to help you when you faced Lupien.”

She looked at Joss’s commander. “You didn’t pull any magic tricks.”

“The only way I could help was not letting Lupien bring out your darkness,” Cain said.

“I see,” Clelia said as understanding dawned. “If Lupien managed to turn me dark, you would’ve killed me.”

“Naturally,” Cain said without as much as blinking. “Joss wouldn’t be able to do it, but I couldn’t allow Lupien to take your art and become even more powerful.”

She wasn’t sure how to react to that statement. It made logical sense, but her heart protested at the ease with which Cain would’ve eliminated her.

“And now?” she asked, barely keeping her voice even.

“May I have a word with Joss alone, please?” Cain asked.

Clelia glanced at Joss, who gave her a nod.

“I’ll go check on the food,” she said, getting to her feet.

Both men stood as she made her way to the door.

Passing the fireplace, she noticed the fire needed kindling. As the thought to stoke it went through her mind, the flames shot up high and hot. Startled, she paused, but then a sense of wonder filled her. She’d just combusted a few logs with a mere thought.

She glanced back at the men, who watched her with expressionless faces. What would they make of her now that her art was no longer regressed? Would Cain still regard her as a potential enemy? Joss gave her a faint smile, motioning with his head toward the door, and she quickly left the room.

Izabell was fussing over lobsters grilling on the fire. From her short but friendly greeting, Clelia gathered she didn’t know anything about the events that had played off. Cain and Joss probably wanted to keep it quiet. How were they going to explain the explosion that leveled Joss’s house? Maybe Joss could say he wanted it demolished. With Joss and Cain’s powerful connections, they could get around the red tape and make everyone believe it was an approved and controlled explosion. Given the house’s history, everyone would understand why Joss would’ve wanted something like that.

“Food’s ready,” Izabell announced.

Clelia took one of the serving platters. “I’ll give you a hand.”

When the two women entered with platters of stir-fried vegetables, grilled lobster basted with garlic butter, and sautéed potatoes, the men got to their feet again, their faces tight. Clelia looked sideways at Joss. His brow was furrowed and his shoulders tense. Wariness weighted her down. What was in store for their future? Did Joss throw it all away because of her?