Chapter 6
The purple flames hurtled toward Trace and Ronan as they gaped in shock. At the last second, Trace threw up his own wall of purple fire, blocking my flame-throwing attempts.
“Oh, God,” I choked.
The wall of fire subsided, and everyone jumped to their feet.
Dash’s hands were on me first. “Are you okay?”
Colt was there next. “LeeLee, talk to us.”
But all I could do was stare. The table was charred beyond recognition. That could’ve easily have been Trace and Ronan.
“What did I do?” I whispered.
Colt turned me toward him, his hands framing my face. “It’s not your fault. Your magic was reacting to our lust.”
“I could’ve killed them.”
“No, you couldn’t,” Ronan argued, rounding the table. “We would’ve reacted faster if we hadn’t been so shocked. We can easily protect ourselves.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “But you shouldn’t have to. Not from me.”
Ronan squeezed the back of my neck. “It’s just for right now. You’ll learn to control it.”
But I wasn’t as sure as he seemed to be. What if I caught one of them by surprise and hurt or killed them?
“It’s my fault,” Trace said low.
The despair in his voice had my gaze snapping to him. His eyes had gone dead with a lack of emotion that scared me.
“It was no one’s fault,” Declan argued.
Trace shook his head. “It was my fire that burst out of her. Who do you think ratcheted up the lust in the room? My power has always been hard to control. Combine that with the phoenix mark, and I’ve already cursed her.”
Declan opened his mouth to argue, but Trace was already bolting from the room.
Pain streaked through me, cracking my chest wide open. The fiercest defender, always the most brutal to himself.
I started to move, following Trace, but Colt caught my arm. “It’s a bad idea.”
“I have to try,” I whispered. “If we let him cut himself off now, it’ll be that much harder to get him back.”
Understanding flashed in Colt’s hazel gaze. He knew the demons Trace fought on a daily basis and knew we couldn’t let them catch hold. “Be careful.”
“I will.” The second the words left my lips, I was moving. I jogged down the hall and listened. No sounds came from the lounge, so I opted for the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I wound my way down the hall until I reached the door that I knew was Trace’s. I’d never been inside. He’d never invited me. And I certainly wasn’t invited now.
My hand closed around the doorknob, and I took a deep breath. Some ghostly energy called out to me from inside. Something that told me he was, in fact, in the room on the other side of this wood plank.
I turned the knob and opened the door.
Trace’s broad shoulders faced me as he stared out a massive set of windows at the dark sea. The room was everything Trace saw himself as. Purple walls so dark they were almost black. An inky comforter and iron-framed bed. Dark Pollock-like paintings adorned the walls.
“Don’t, Little Bird. This isn’t the time.”
I didn’t listen. I simply slipped inside and shut the door behind me.
Trace didn’t turn around. “When are you going to learn your lesson? Wasn’t tonight enough?”
I crossed the space one step at a time, my slippers practically silent on the plush carpet. I stopped behind him, lifting a hand to his back.
Trace whirled around, catching my wrist. “Don’t touch me.”
His eyes were wild, swirling shades of violet, blistering with heat.
My breath caught in my throat. “I love you.”
It was the only thing I could think to say.
Pain streaked through Trace’s eyes. “You make a habit of loving monsters?”
“You’re the most beautiful monster I’ve ever known,” I said honestly. “I love your light and your dark. Love them just the same because they make you who you are.”
His grip on my wrist tightened. “I’ll make you into a monster, too. Hell, it’s been less than a day and I already am.”
“Then maybe a monster is who I need to be.”
Maybe that ferocity was what I needed to defend our bond. Our people.
Trace’s back teeth ground together. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
I lifted my chin. “I know exactly what I’m saying. Sometimes you need to dip into your dark side to fight for the light. Sometimes it’s the only way through. I’ve fought darker monsters for most of my life. I’ve seen true evil. You aren’t it. You’re everything good in this world. In my world.”
“Little Bird,” he croaked.
“You aren’t going to scare me away. You’ve tried time and time again, but I’m still here. I’m never going anywhere. You need to make peace with that and let me in.”
Trace’s eyes blazed brighter. His chest rose and fell in ragged pants.
Then he moved so fast, I had no chance to brace. He hauled me against himself with such force all the air left my lungs. And then his lips crashed down on mine.