Chapter 22
CHAPTER
Light flickered in front of my eyelids, it felt warm and blissful.
And heavy.
I opened my eyes and to my surprise, Ashley had found her way around the tree and was now lying over me, hugging me as she rested against my stomach.
I chuckled low, but realised that wasn’t all.
Lionel was lying with his head against my right shoulder, his arm looped around mine.
My left hand was entwined too but… in Malakai’s jacket pocket, held firmly inside of his own.
Shit.
“Hey, Ashley,” I whispered, trying to wake her as I struggled with my left hand. It wouldn’t budge.
“Not now, Mauria,” she muttered casually and I tensed. Was that the name of her twin?
Lionel moved slightly, but his breaths were deep, he was still fast asleep.
Slowly, I turned towards my left. Of course he was wide awake, taunting me with a smirk.
“Let go,” I snapped at Malakai.
“What if I don’t want to?” he mused, eyes glimmering with mischief.
I wrinkled my nose at him. “Stop playing around.”
“What if I’m not?” His voice dipped, something dangerous emerging in his eyes.
Something shifted inside my stomach, I felt weird.
“You’re so loud,” Ashley groaned, before she pulled herself up on her knees, rubbing her eyes. Then she looked at me and seemed surprised. “Oh. How did I get here?”
I tried smiling. “You seem to be a sleep-walker?”
Lionel began shifting again, this time his head rose from my shoulder and I was able to stretch with ease. Ashley mimicked it, before she went for one of our bags, searching for food.
“Did you sleep well?” Lionel asked before yawning.
“Something along those lines,” I said, pulling at my left hand, which Malakai refused to give up still.
Lionel patted my head. “Sorry, I’ll let you sleep on my shoulder next time.” He winked, as he stretched for the bag too. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’m not really hungry,” I lied, trying to hide my left arm.
“Since when?” Lionel asked, surprised.
“She likes the potato soup,” Malakai said, flashing a wicked smile our way.
“I do not, but it keeps me full at least,” I muttered bitterly.
“Good, because carrot soup is mine,” Ashley squealed as she found the can she had been searching for.
Nate lunged out from nowhere, taking a firm grip of Ashley’s hands around the can. “Share it, will you?”
“Why would I?” Ashley snorted, trying to rip out of his grapple.
“I’m sick and tired of potato, please share with me.”
“Fine,” she sighed and only then did he let her go.
Lionel held out a can towards me, and I felt Malakai let go of my hand. I took the opportunity and flung my hand out to grab the food.
“Let’s fix a fire to warm the food a bit,” Lionel suggested. Eve and Nate volunteered to gather wood, while Mey and Ashley tried to start a fire.
“You could’ve made their job easier,” Malakai muttered next to me.
“Stop,” I hissed low. “Haven’t you teased me enough for the day already?”
He leaned closer, invading my space. “You’d rather I let you show off your burning hand in the open? Or have you forgotten how it feels when the flames consume your hands?”
My head snapped towards him. “Were they…?”
He nodded before I finished my sentence. I hadn’t noticed my hand burning while I slept. “I’m sorry… for snapping.”
“You’re growing restless, the flames will take advantage of it when your guard is down, like when you sleep.”
I nodded slightly. “How come the flames don’t bother you?”
“Because you don’t want to hurt me, not really.”
My treacherous heart stuttered. Was that true?
“Liar,” I said, averting my eyes from him.
Instead, they found deep brown eyes watching me from across the camp. Quickly, I pushed off the tree and went to him. “You want to share my watery potatoes with me?” I asked, offering a half smile.
Lionel chuckled, surprised. “Sure.”
“Fire!” Ashley shouted, as they finally achieved a burst of sparks. I wouldn’t have called it flames, but… it was a start.
The next day was a lot brighter than the previous, but fog clouded our view all the same. Mey was studying it, perhaps trying to learn how to control it, while Nate and Ashley kept snickering and bickering.
“Nate, can you help me tighten the bag’s strap?” Eve asked, sounding awfully soft and sweet.
“Nope,” Nate deflected easily.
Lionel sighed, as he slowed his pace and helped Eve, even though he probably knew as much as the rest of us that she only wanted some attention.
The atmosphere around the squad felt strained already. Ever since Mey was revealed, Eve had been trying to blame her every chance she got, making the rest of us irritable.
And Lionel… I wasn’t sure where he stood. He wasn’t making snarky comments about Mey, or showing any fear of her for that matter, but it wasn’t as if he trusted her either.
“Up front, kitten,” Malakai snapped, his tone sharp enough to cut, and I had to force myself to keep my pace.
“Is there a reason you keep her in the front?” Lionel cut in, his voice like a warning shot.
“I could tell you that it’s because I trust her,” Malakai’s voice dripped with dry amusement. “I could also say it’s because of the view, either way, it will upset you, won’t it?”
Their gazes collided, one angry, one smug, and the air between them turned into a battlefield.
Lionel was sharper than usual, he’d never dare snap like that to a superior before, let alone if he knew Malakai was a demon…
No, Malakai would probably kill him, not worried about being exposed like I was…
“Aren’t you the leader? Shouldn’t you be the one doing the talking if we meet a mage?” Lionel pressed, stepping closer.
Malakai stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw ticked as if he was fighting the urge to bare his teeth. “Look, sniper—”
“Lionel,” he corrected tightly.
“Whatever.” Malakai’s lip curled. “I keep you around because you hit your targets and she likes you. But keep pushing me, and you’ll have a bullet in that thick skull of yours.”
Ashley let out a low whistle. “Well, that’s comforting. She likes me too, am I safe?”
“Could you two stop?” I spun on Malakai and Lionel, heat rising in my chest. “How are we supposed to end a war if you can’t even get along in the same squad?”
“End a war?” Lionel echoed, his gaze snapping to me. “You actually believe your little ‘talk’ will change anything? This is suicide.”
Malakai sneered. “Such trust you have in her.”
Lionel sent a sharp glare at him, and I was worried they’d start fighting each other on the spot. But they kept in place, staring as if the first one to look away would lose.
“Lionel,” I pleaded, rubbing my temple. “The way things are going, we won’t survive. The demons will wipe us out.”
“This war has been going on for decades!” Eve snapped, stepping to Lionel’s side. “What’s so different now?”
“Did you sleep through the attack at the marketplace?” I shot back, my voice rising. “Did you not see how many demons descended on that village? They slaughtered everyone!”
“She’s got a point,” Ashley muttered.
“Shut it, we’ll lose our heads if we interfere with this fight,” Mey murmured, clamping a hand over Ashley’s mouth.
“No!” I said sharply. “Keep talking. Keep thinking. Or do you want to fight forever, never making progress?”
Ashley shifted. “I mean… I’d rather keep playing with bombs but—”
Nate elbowed her.
“Fine, no war,” Ashley grumbled.
“I want to learn how to paint,” Mey admitted softly.
“I want us to be safe,” Nate murmured.
Their voices gave me a sliver of hope, until Lionel’s gaze locked on me again, colder now.
“Since when did you want to play the hero?” he asked, taking a slow step towards me.
“What?”
“Has he been feeding you this?” His voice was sharp enough to draw blood. “Did he tell you to give up the fight against the mages?” His finger stabbed towards Malakai, whose expression darkened, predatory.
“Careful, boy,” Malakai growled, jaw tensing as he took a step closer.
But Lionel didn’t look away. “Because I remember a girl who swore to fight the mages for the world they destroyed. What about your parents, Ethalyn? Who killed them? Mages are as much monsters as the demons. If we lower our guard now, they’ll slaughter us all.
We’re worth nothing compared to their stupid powers. ”
Everyone turned silent. The world seemed to narrow to Lionel’s accusing stare and the sick twist in my gut.
“I don’t want to kill mages,” I said quietly, hoping he’d understand.
“What?”
“I said—” my voice broke, then flared louder. “I don’t want to kill mages! I want a world where I’m not ashamed of myself and where we don’t accuse each other for what was actually the doing of demons!”
Lionel blinked, stunned.
“I just want to live,” I whispered, tears threatening.
And then his gaze shifted, from confusion to dawning horror.
“No.” His voice cracked as he took a step back. “No. You just killed us.”
“Lionel—”
Flames flared along my arm before I realised what I was doing. My fear spilled over into fire, curling and licking at my skin without burning.
“You—” he stammered, backing up another step. “You’re a mage?”
“Please, let me explain,” I begged, stepping forward.
But he flinched. From me.
The pain of it made my breath catch.
“Stay away from me.” His voice was ice, carved sharp by betrayal. Then he turned and stormed off.
“Lionel!” I lunged forward, but an arm hooked around me like a steel bar, holding me back.
“Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing.
“Not this time, sweetie.” Malakai’s voice was calm, almost gentle, but his hold didn’t loosen. “If you chase him now, he won’t come back.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I watched Eve shake her head before turning and bolting after Lionel.
“Shit,” Ashley said, baffled, looking back and forth between Nate and Mey who had frozen in place, not sure what to say, as my flames grew around my skin.
“Lionel!” I shouted again, my voice broken, as if I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. It hurt all over, a sharp pain. I was shattered, he had seen me, and he had walked away from me.
My heart was broken, because I knew… I knew he’d never accept me for what I was.
Ashley stalked closer, her eyes glittering as she looked from my flames to Malakai. “Don’t the flames hurt?”
“Not me,” he answered plainly.
Ashley began stretching a hand out towards me, tears obscuring my vision.
“That fire,” Mey whispered, and Ashley stopped as we all turned. “The fire in the woods, on our first mission… was that… you?”
A sharp pain struck me as the flames ignited, engulfing all of my body, without damaging my clothes or hurting Malakai apparently.
“Yes,” I croaked, defeated. “I was trying to suppress it, reject it.”
Mey looked down on her hands. “So you’ve known… all this time?”
I sobbed, trying to push it down again as I nodded.
Nate and Mey exchanged indescribable looks. Ashley sighed heavily, and without hesitation swung her arms around me.
“Wait—” I urged, not sure if she’d get burned by my flames or not.
But nothing happened, except her warm embrace around me.
“It must’ve been lonely,” she said, as she began patting my back.
Her words broke me completely.