by Holly Hook
The house was neat. Untouched. Empty.
That was evident even after I searched the upstairs and the basement, opening all the closets and investigating the spaces under the sinks. "They're not here," I said to Sven as we finished surveying the house. "The dragons took them!"
"Maybe," Sven agreed. "But if the dragons might have let me go, they'll do the same for your parents. Felicia, I don't think that they'll hurt them. Principal Adler cares about you. She wouldn't force you to go through that trauma."
"I hope so." Now the two of them couldn't helicopter and try to keep me in human form. For the first time, I seriously missed them.
"That's why I only fired one arrow at her."
"What do I do?" I asked, gripping the laundry room sink. "If I stay here, the dragons will come back here as soon as they know I'm not in that shack or down in the caves."
"I agree. But there might be time before Adler is able to face them. She broke her vow, after all."
"It was an accident." I breathed in. My ribs were still sore, but I'd pull through.
"But she still broke it and damaged her pride."
I turned away, shame flushing my cheeks.
"Felicia. You caused the best outcome you could have." Sven wrapped his hands around me from behind, pulling me to his armored body. He felt like a knight and his arms promised protection. Not necessarily from dragons, but from darker things.
"But I lied to do it."
"Sometimes, it's necessary."
"You want to date a liar." I trembled.
Sven rested his chin on my shoulder. His cheek pressed against mine. Electricity burst to life everywhere he touched me. "You're not a bad liar," he said. "My father is a bad liar. He didn't tell me where your necklace came from."
"I'm sorry." My thoughts turned to Jens.
Did Sven have any idea?
"I really like you, Felicia," he said. "And I'm willing to fight to be with you. I'll help you get your parents back. I came for you because I know what it’s like to be scared. To have someone push something on you that you don’t want."
Then he kissed me on the cheek, and then lifted one hand and caressed my jaw. He turned my head so that I faced him. My enemy faced me with nothing but warmth and tenderness. He chased all the dark thoughts away.
"I like you, too," I said. "And I'm also willing to fight for that."
END OF BOOK ONE
Thank you for reading Awakening of Fire, whether you purchased the book or borrowed it in Kindle Unlimited. Felicia and Sven’s story will deepen soon. The second book of this series, Emergence of Fire, will be released on June 15, 2018! To know exactly when it comes out, be sure to sign up for the Holly Hook newsletter at: www.subscribepage.com/e3w3s2
www.hollyhookauthor.com/books
Holly Hook is the author of several Young Adult fantasy, science fiction, fairytale, post-apocalyptic and adventure series. She has been writing since very young and publishing her work since September of 2010.