Humans had no idea how lucky they were. The majority were oblivious to the politics of elemental magic in the Feiru world and had no idea that the Asylums for Magical Threats existed.
If she’d been human, she never would’ve been separated from her family. Her parents might even still be alive.
But Kiarra wasn’t human and she needed to accept that.
As a child, her mother had always told her stories about how first-borns had once been revered, their abilities seen not only as a gift, but vital to everyday human and Feiru life. Telling those stories had been tantamount to treason, but Renee Melini hadn’t cared, wanting to comfort her first-born daughter and let her know she was special.
Her mother had done that kind of thing throughout her childhood, and Kiarra had never understood how the kind, comforting version of Renee Melini could’ve turned over her daughter to the AMT system without a fight. But now that she knew her parents had fought for her, Kiarra had a feeling it had all been part of a bigger plan. Uncle Alex could probably tell her more about her parents, provided Kiarra could save Millie and stay out of the AMT’s hands.
If her mother had risked charges of treason to help her daughter, then Kiarra could certainly do just as much to save those who were starting to matter. Millie, Jaxton, Neena, and even Marco, Taka, and Darius had all helped her at some point, and she wanted to repay them. That feeling of debt was what kept her from telling Jaxton about Gio’s demands. Well, that and the fact she wouldn’t give up so easily on her brother.
Gio had heard their mother’s stories right alongside her and Cam, laughing and tensing at all the same moments. She still remembered the boy with the innate trait of caring for the weak and couldn’t believe that aspect of Gio’s personality would completely disappear, no matter what Sinclair had done. The little brother of her memories had to be somewhere inside of Giovanni Melini—she just needed to figure out how to reach him and draw him back out.
She also needed more information on Sinclair. It would be quicker and more reliable to ask Jaxton for the information, but after the way he’d just acted, Kiarra might try contacting Neena and hope for the best.
In retrospect, she could see why he’d spied on her and Cam—Jaxton had been protecting his territory and his team. But to say it was her fault that Millie was captured, well, that wasn’t something she could forgive so easily.
It wasn’t as if Kiarra wanted to be helpless, weak, or a liability. She was getting stronger, putting on weight, and even had a gun. Given enough time, she could honestly see herself becoming more of an asset to DEFEND than a liability.
Yet she still had the need to prove herself to Jaxton, to show him that she didn’t need a babysitter. While his protection was welcome most of the time, she didn’t want him constantly shadowing her every move. She wanted some modicum of freedom. But unless her ability to gather elemental fire returned, she had a feeling someone would always be watching her.
The tingling she’d felt when Jaxton had kissed her was the closest thing she’d felt to using her elemental abilities in years. The warmth had pulsed around her fingertips and heated her skin, as if a flame had wanted to ignite. If only she could make that happen.
Just remembering Jaxton’s touch and kisses from earlier made Kiarra’s skin flush and her heart rate speed up. Even angry, she couldn’t deny the attraction between them. The blasted man was always in her thoughts.
The tingling sensation returned to her fingers. Kiarra closed her eyes and focused on drawing heat toward her fingers. The sensation dulled, so Kiarra mentally pictured Jaxton caressing the skin at her waist, then moving up to cup her breasts with his hands, and the heat built up again. Instead of drawing energy toward her fingers, Kiarra focused on spreading the tingling sensation outward and felt a spike in pressure.
Kiarra opened her eyes and stopped breathing. There was a small flame dancing across her fingers.
She imagined the flame spreading higher and the small flame grew, now six or seven inches tall.
Her elemental fire had returned. Her abilities didn’t work the same as before Ty’s formula, but she didn’t care. The flames dancing on her skin warmed her from head to toe, relaxing her in a way she hadn’t been able to achieve in years.
Kiarra smiled and concentrated on the flame, afraid it would go out. She was so focused on the task that she didn’t notice the position of her hands.
She wasn’t reaching to the south—the direction of elemental fire.
After leaving messages with his various contacts, Jaxton had thrown some water on his face, packed a few things in a bag, and gone to find Kiarra. She might still be angry, but the flat was compromised and they needed to leave as soon as possible.
He walked by the study door, stopped, and turned around. It had been open earlier, but now it was closed. Jaxton twisted the knob—grateful that Kiarra had forgotten to lock it this time—and eased the door open. His eyes swept the room until he spotted Kiarra standing near the window, a six-inch flame dancing across her hand.
She lied to me.
Jaxton tossed the door open and Kiarra jumped as it slammed against the wall. He took two steps before she turned and a flame shot across the room. He ducked and then stalked across the room until he was only a few inches from Kiarra. “Were you ever going to fucking tell me about the return of your fire?”
Kiarra looked down at her hand and a brief flash of regret was quickly replaced with anger. She clenched her fist and look back up at Jaxton.
She said nothing, and Jaxton took her chin in his hand. “When did your elemental magic return?”
Kiarra put her hands on his chest, and Jaxton tried to ignore the heat of her touch.
He took her hands in his and leaned close, but a corner of Kiarra’s mouth rose in a half-smile before she said, “Thanks for helping me focus.”
He blinked. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Kiarra stood on her tiptoes and he could feel the heat of her breath on his face. “This.”
Her hands became hot coals, and Jaxton released them. He glanced down at his hands and he saw something strange—his hands were unharmed. No blisters, no burns. He looked up and glared. “Fuck, Kiarra, why’d you do that?”