Chapter 34
Serafina
“Ajja!” I exclaim, moving far faster toward the beast than I probably should. But there’s something about his golden eyes that are far too similar to Jax’s, and it makes me think I can trust him, and I know he won’t hurt me.
My hand dives into his thick gray coat, and his black nose brushes against my neck, the wetness sending a shiver down my spine.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I say, rubbing the spot just beneath his ears, an area I need to stand on my tiptoes to reach.
He nods, releasing a noise between a growl and a bark, as if saying the same, as if he can understand me. But then he sniffs me, and his eyes snap to Jax.
The beast freezes.
“Jax…what just happened?” I ask, my gaze still on Ajja, but Jax doesn’t respond, either because he doesn’t want to, or because Ajja’s speaking to him. “Is Ajja all right?”
He still hasn’t moved.
Finally, Jax clears his throat. “He’s fine. He’s just…curious about you.”
Which I suppose makes sense. He’s only ever seen me through Jax’s eyes, and I’m not entirely sure what he’s seen or how much.
I look at Jax over my shoulder, and my gaze catches on his furrowed brow, then tightened jaw.
“I’m going to be okay,” I say, and I mean it. I will be okay. I will not die today.
“I’m more than positive that’ll be the case.
” He lifts me by the waist, hoisting me atop Ajja, and my fingers grip the fur lining his neck as Jax settles behind me, pulling me tight against his chest. “Are you ready?” he whispers, his breath hot against my ear and my memory goes back to when that same mouth was panting my name, his breaths falling upon me in heavy gasps.
“Yes,” I manage, settling myself into the crook of his shoulder.
Ajja sprints forward and Jax grips me with one hand while his other remains firmly grasped around the long hairs of Ajja’s back. Wind slaps my face as the wolf pushes forward, faster and faster, until a vibrant white light blinds my vision.
Jax.
And then suddenly, the light disappears, and Jax has taken both me and Ajja back to my apartment in Village 28.
I’m home.
The tall brick building with the rusted fire escape that leads straight up to my window. The narrow alley that’s more dust than dirt.
I’m home.
I slide from Ajja’s back, my boots hitting the ground with a soft thud. Jax is close behind, watching me carefully, but my stomach is far more settled than I thought it’d be.
“How did you know?” I ask because I never told him where I live, I never told him which street, which apartment.
“When I delivered that letter to your parents,” he starts, his eyes clinging to mine in a way that makes my heart pound, “I wanted to give it to them in person, I wanted to be able to tell them that you were okay.”
My heart swells. “So you searched for them? Found them?” And I don’t think a day will go by where I won’t ache for this man. Crave every piece of the heart he rarely shows to others but constantly shows to me.
“I did.”
I want to kiss him, but I don’t. I don’t because I don’t know exactly where we stand, and I don’t think I want to know, not until my trial is over.
His eyes flicker to my mouth, as if he’s thinking the same thing, but then he says, “I have to go back for Theo. He wants to be here, cheering you on.” A smirk plays at his lips.
I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “Of course, he does.”
“But I’ll leave you with good company until I return.”
He looks behind me, over my shoulder and toward—
I spin.
My mother and father.
Clinging to each other and releasing shaky breaths. My mother’s hand is pressed to her mouth, eyes watering. My father’s shoulders rise and fall, but then they both open their arms, and I crash into them, burying myself in my father’s chest, gripping my mother’s sleeve and pulling her close.
Oh, how I’ve missed them.
“My beautiful, fearless, strong-willed girl,” my father murmurs, his voice thick with tears. His calloused hand cups my face, his thumb brushing away the dampness on my cheek. “I knew you would survive.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, breathing them in, committing this moment to memory. “And I won’t ever allow that to not be the case.”
My mother laughs, a sob mixed with a smile. She tucks my hair behind my ear.
“You look well,” I tell them, tears still stinging my eyes.
“We aren’t the only ones.” She tilts her chin toward my window, and I follow her gaze.
I have to squint to see, but then I do.
The cat. The stray feline Telfi loved. He’s perched on the windowsill, licking his paw as if not a single day has passed.
She took care of him.
“I wish I could say the same for your plants,” my mother says, offering me a grim look.
My heart sinks, but only briefly. I still have every intention of asking Jax if I can have some of the flowers from the palace gardens.
“It’s okay,” I tell her, forcing a smile. “They survived far longer than I ever dreamed they would.”
And it’s true. Those plants should have died within weeks of me potting them.
“But you…” My mother breathes out slowly, eyes scanning every inch of me. “You look strong.” She grips my shoulder, so much pride in her smile.
I cover her hand with mine.
“I feel strong,” I tell her, needing her to really believe it. I kiss each of them on the cheek. “I have to be at the arena soon, but you have nothing to fear. The flames…I can control them now.” My voice is a whisper, and my parents pull me close again.
“We always knew you’d be able to,” my father says against my hair.
I hold them both tighter, never wanting to let them go, never wanting to be apart again.
But then—
A whooshing noise.
A burst of bright light.
I pull away as Jax reappears, Theo standing beside him, his face alight with excitement, which only makes me want to roll my eyes.
Ajja trots off toward the border of our village, as if he couldn’t be bothered with what’s about to occur.
My mother steps back, straightening her posture. “Go, Serafina,” she says, her tone commanding, just like it was two months ago. “Go and show the world what you can do.”
I look between them. My mother and my father. Memorizing their faces, their love, their unshakable belief in me.
Even before I was an Essentari…they always knew I would survive. I owe it to them to do exactly that.
I nod once. No goodbyes.
There’s no need for them.
And besides…they’ll be watching me soon.
Competing in the arena.
Fighting for the right to live.
The third trial starts in less than one hour, and they’re not allowed to not attend.