Falling For Fire

by Talia Jager

  I drew in a deep breath. He was asking me out. I panicked, not knowing what to say. If I said no, he’d want to know why. If I said yes, I’d feel like I was cheating on Sorin.

  The hesitation must have been too long. Tannon grabbed my elbow and turned me back to him. After studying me for a minute, he asked, “You like someone else, don’t you?”

  I hated to hurt him, but I couldn’t lie to him either. “Yes.”

  “What’s the difference? Why him?”

  A smile pulled at my lips as I used Sorin’s words. “He makes my heart leap.”

  Tannon’s face fell, making me feel incredibly guilty. “Who is he?”

  “I’m not saying.” Truthfully, it wasn’t any of his business. “Tannon, you’re a great guy, an awesome friend, but…I just don’t like you that way. I thought I could. I tried.” I looked away, not sure what else to say.

  He sighed. “I really thought it would work for us.”

  “I am sorry.”

  “So there’s no hope?”

  “I…uh—”

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that,” he interrupted. “I’ll leave you alone.” He let go and walked away.

  Panic filled my head. What had I just done? What if he told, and my parents asked who I had fallen for? Tannon had been my safe choice, and I had just stomped all over his heart. I had no idea what to do now except somehow convince my parents to change the laws.

  Raina watched me walk up to the table at lunchtime. “Something is going on.”

  “What are you talking about?” I shifted the book I was carrying in my arms.

  “You. You’re usually more anxious to go to the falls by now.”

  “I am. You’re the one who told me I shouldn’t be thinking about him so much. I’m trying to do what you said.”

  She studied me for a minute and then said, “I’m not sure I believe you, but okay.”

  Word came that Sorin had gone out with the scouts when it was time for our second lesson, so it was postponed. Not having a way to know if he was all right, I felt on edge until the night we met at the falls.

  I was the first one there and stood watching the water swirl around. I could feel Sorin when he arrived. He walked up from behind, put his arms around me, and kissed my neck. I tilted my head to the side and back giving in to the pleasures he sent through my body. When he stopped, I turned and gazed into his eyes.

  “You’re okay?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry I had to miss our training.”

  “It’s fine as long as you’re okay.”

  He kissed me again as if proving he were fine.

  “I brought the book,” I said, holding up one of my favorites.

  Sorin sat on the ground in front of the fire with his legs open, and I sat in between them, making sure my wings didn’t hit him in the face. He ran his fingers up and down my arms.

  “Read something to me.”

  I opened the book and started reading poems. Some sad. Some happy. Some about love.

  “Those are beautiful,” he commented. “They are from the human world?”

  “Yes.” I turned the page and read him my favorite poem.

  “Thank you for sharing with me.”

  “My pleasure.” I put the book aside and talked about my week, leaving out the awkwardness with Tannon. “Did you get hurt out with the scouts?”

  “Just some minor stuff the healer fixed. Okay, random question time. Have you ever broken a bone? Or had a really bad injury?”

  “The injuries I sustained while I was fighting the fire in your land were the worst injuries I’ve ever had. You?”

  “Broke my arm once. Hurt so bad! But the healer fixed it quickly.”

  “How did you do it?” I asked.

  “Racing my brother down a hill. I tripped and fell.”

  I laughed.

  “In my defense, I was only five.”

  “He’s been competitive since you guys were little, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “My turn. Do you think of yourself as a sore loser?” I asked.

  “No, but I won’t let the other person win just so they can be the winner.”

  “I can be a sore loser. I don’t mean to be. It’s something I’ve been working on, but I think being royalty makes it so others let me win too often. If that makes sense.”

  “It does. So is that your bad quality? Being a sore loser?”

  “Only sometimes.” I laughed. “I can be a flirt.”

  He laughed. “I know, but what is there I don’t know about?”

  “I play with my rings a lot. I don’t know. What you see is what you get.”

  Laughing, he said, “I like what I see.”

  “What are we going to do?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

  “How? We’ll be eighteen soon. You in just a few months.”

  “We’ll make our parents listen.” He squeezed my hands.

  “Do you think that will really work?”

  He was silent for a minute. “We could leave.”

  “What?” I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly.

  “Run away together.”

  “Leave our lands?”

  “Yes. We could. It’s a possibility.”

  “Where would we go?”

  “Neutral land.”

  “Is that even safe?”

  “We’d go far enough way we could stay out of everything, but I know how hard it would be to make that decision. To leave everyone and everything you know behind. Is it worth it? To be with me?”

  I thought about it for a split second. I’d miss my family and friends, but to be with Sorin every day was most definitely worth it. “Worth it, yes. Practical, no. You’d never see Dune or Skye again. And Keir. And we’re next in line for the throne. Maybe it’ll be soon…even though I hate the thought of my parents dying. We could change the laws then and be together,” I rambled.

  He cupped my face with his warm hands. “We have time to figure it out. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night.”

  Our second lesson went about as well as the first. Back in Summer Land, with Zev nearby, we met for another training. I tried to go about it a different way. “Close your eyes, and picture the moon pushing and pulling the tides.”

  He did as I told him. I waited a few minutes in hopes he’d relax and find himself moving with the water.

  “Now, as you picture it, move your hands.”

  He tried, but it was quickly obvious that imagery wasn’t working well for him.

  “You can open your eyes. Let’s go to the stream over there.”

  Sorin sighed. “Sorry. This is hard.”

  “You’ll get it. I’m just worried it won’t be quick enough for your parents.”

  “Leave them to me.”

  We sat in front of the water. “Place your hands just above the stream, like this.” I showed him. “Now close your eyes again and feel the water below.” Again, I waited a couple of minutes. “Pull it up to your hands…” I waited and watched, and a few drops flew up to his hands, but not as much as I had hoped. I tried doing it and having him copy me, but that didn’t work either. “I want you to meditate every day near some water.”

  “Okay.”

  “And be here next week.”

  “I’ll try,” he said with a smile.

  Every time Sorin and I met up, our bond grew. We didn’t always talk; sometimes we just lay in each other’s arms and enjoyed being together. We learned more about each other. We fell more deeply in love. Fear consumed me when he was scouting, and relief filled me when I’d see him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sorin

  The first meet-up of the new month was a group one. As much as I wanted to, I hadn’t mentioned to Keir that I had been seeing Aurora every week. Hopping off my horse, I kept my emotions calm as we approached the falls.

  Her smile melted my heart. I said hello to the others as I made my way to the princess who held my heart in her hands. I chatte
d with Navin for a minute, trying to focus on what he was saying and not on Aurora.

  Finally, I was standing in front of her. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” She kept it neutral, not trying to seem overly excited to see me. I clenched my fists a few times trying to keep from grabbing and kissing her.

  “How are we supposed to do this?” I asked.

  “I don’t really know. If we’re too fake, they’ll notice. If we’re all over each other, they’ll notice.”

  “Be your normal self,” I suggested.

  “What’s that?”

  “Flirty.”

  She laughed. “I can do that. You won’t get jealous?”

  I mashed my lips. “Probably a little. Maybe you should start by flirting with me.”

  Laughing, she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, “I love you.” Then she walked over to Keir and put her arm around him and started chatting. Navin and Cedar got the same treatment. She’d tousle their hair and smile, but nothing more.

  She came back my way and would flirt with me too, but she would play with my hands or run her thumb over my lips. Little gestures that I noticed, but hoped others didn’t.

  Once the berries were passed out, she pulled me into the trees. “Now is our chance.”

  “You didn’t take any berries?” I was surprised, knowing how much she liked the feeling they gave. She had always partaken at the group meet-ups, but not when we met alone.

  “They’re in my pocket. I just want to have a few minutes to be with you.”

  I didn’t waste another moment. I tilted my head and kissed her. Her hands wrapped around my neck, holding me close. I placed my hands on the small of her back. I could think about nothing but her. How she felt in my arms. How the coolness of her body made mine tingle. When we were together like this, it was as if nothing else existed, which was thrilling and terrifying.

  When we were done, she pressed a berry to my lips and her own at the same time. She kissed me once more, smashing the berries on our lips. Then I felt her tongue touch my lips for a second before she pulled back, licked her own lips, and slipped back into the clearing to mingle with everyone else.

  Using my tongue, I cleaned off my mouth and steadied my breathing. I emerged from the trees and stood back, watching her as she flirted some more and talked to the girls.

  Keir came up next to me. “Still got your eye on the princess, huh?”

  “She’s pretty.”

  “She’s more than pretty, and you more than like her.”

  I didn’t answer. I just walked away and talked to Navin and Cedar.

  It started raining, and I groaned, not wanting to cut the night short. Looking at Aurora and the grin on her face, I realized I had nothing to worry about. Extending her arms, she created a water shield over the clearing, which stopped the rain from getting to us. We were able to continue talking until it was time to go.

  The Spring Fae said good-bye first. “See you guys at the Spring Equinox,” Navin and Iris said.

  Cedar, Jora, and Linden took off next, leaving just the Winter and Summer Fae. Ivy and Raina started walking away. When they realized Aurora wasn’t with them, they turned back, and Ivy said, “You coming, Rory?”

  She hesitated. “Just a minute.”

  Keir took one look at me and said, “Hurry up.” He walked over and talked to the Winter girls for another minute.

  Aurora approached me. “I’ll see you next week.”

  “Count on it.” I stroked her cheek.

  “When you look up at the stars, will you think of me?”

  “Always.”

  Gently I touched my lips to hers for just a minute, feeling the love surround us. “We better go.”

  “One week.”

  The third time I met Aurora for water-bending training, she sat me by the stream again and guided my hands. “Look,” she whispered. I opened my eyes to find a small amount of water in my hands. “Have you been meditating?”

  “Yes.”

  “It helps.”

  Unfortunately a short time later, I was frustrated again when I couldn’t do anything with it.

  “Keep meditating,” she said. “I need to think of some other way that’ll help you. Maybe I’m not the right teacher for you. Our feelings get in the way.”

  “You’re an awesome teacher. This is just extra difficult for me.”

  My mother stopped me when I walked in. “Sorin!”

  “Yes?”

  “How is it going? Do you have it down yet?”

  “Not yet. I’ve only had three lessons.”

  “Well, how’s it going?”

  “I’m making progress.” Changing the subject, I asked, “Mother, have you enjoyed these faerie celebrations at all?”

  “I’m not sure enjoyed is the right word.”

  “Have they been beneficial?” I reworded the question.

  “I suppose they have. We’ve learned some things.”

  “So would you say you’d be open to more communication with them?”

  “What are you getting at, Sorin?”

  “Maybe it’s time to start opening a discussion? Team up?”

  “Team up? For what?”

  I swallowed hard and unclenched my sweaty hands. “Just in case we need to. Maybe for the Iron Fae? We could help each other.”

  “Sorin, you are idealistic. We don’t need the others. We can handle things—”

  “Like we handled the fires?”

  My mother shot me a look that told me I was overstepping. I clamped my mouth shut. I knew not to say anything more right now. Backing up, I said, “Just something to keep in mind.” With that I turned and ducked out of the room.

  I practically ran down the hall and bumped into Dune. “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Oh, just mentioned something to Mother she didn’t like too much.”

  Dune laughed. “It’s better to just stay out of her way.”

  “I know. I was just trying to help.” We walked downstairs.

  When it was dark, I crept out of my chambers and down the hall.

  “Sorin?”

  I froze mid-step until it sunk in that it was Skye’s voice. I turned and saw my little sister standing in the doorway of her chambers, rubbing her eyes.

  “Hey, Skye. What’s wrong?” I walked over to her.

  “I had a bad dream.”

  “Oh. Bad dreams aren’t real.” I scooped her up and brought her back to bed. Placing her gently in it, I covered her with a blanket and sat on the edge. “What was it about?”

  “You weren’t here anymore and there were bad faeries everywhere.”

  “Can you remember anything else?”

  “No.” She yawned.

  “Good. Think of something happy or fun.”

  “Snow is fun.”

  I smiled. “It is.”

  “Rory is fun too.”

  “Yes, she is. Think of her or playing in the snow.”

  Skye’s eyes closed, and a few minutes later, her body relaxed. I stood up to go, but she turned and said, “You won’t go anywhere, will you, Sorin?”

  “I’ll always be with you, Skye.”

  She smiled and drifted off to sleep.

  As I ventured into the woods and to the falls, I thought about Skye. Running away with Aurora meant leaving Skye behind. I hated that thought. I couldn’t just up and leave her no matter how much I loved Aurora. I had to find another way.

  After giving Aurora a long kiss, I asked, “Do you want to try using our elements against each other?”

  “Really?” Her eyes were wide with excitement.

  “Sure. Nobody else here to stop us, and I have two elements I can use. Using the element of earth would tip off too many others, so we can play with fire and air.”

  We stood across the water from each other.

  “Ready?” I called.

  “Yes!”

  I held up my hands and formed a fireball, then threw it toward her. She raised her hands and sent a stream of water to meet
the fireball, which put it out and evaporated before our eyes. This time I sent two small fireballs at her and she countered them with water.

  “More!” she yelled.

  Slowly, I raised my hand and formed a fireball, then I let it go and opened my hand to make it into a stream of fire heading toward her. She raised her hands, and the water in the lake shot up and stopped the fire, putting it out.

  “Nice. Send something my way.”

  Aurora started easy by raising water and throwing it at me. I encircled myself with a ring of fire and when the water hit, it only put some of the fire out. She sent a stream of water at me and I hit back with a stream of fire. It met in the middle of the lake, and we both kept pressure on it for a minute.

  “Let’s try air,” I suggested.

  As soon as she flung water my way, I sent out a strong burst of air, which directed the water back at her. Her eyes widened, and she wiggled her hands, turning the water to snow, which floated to the ground.

  She closed the space between us. “That was awesome. It’s so cool to see those things in action. There’s so much we could learn and do if we were allowed to train together. I hope our parents can see that soon. Especially that one where I sent the water to you, and you countered, but then I changed it again. We need to be quick on our feet like that. Be able to think outside the box.”

  I smiled as she rambled on and on for a few minutes about how cool it was to spar like that. When she was done, I took a step toward her, cupped her face in my hands, and kissed her.

  She looked stunned when I pulled back but smiled up at me. “Was I talking too much?”

  “I love seeing you happy.”

  The next week when I met Aurora in secret, we spent the night quietly talking about our time apart and our dreams. I caused a patch of lilies of the valley to bloom around us, and she smelled them in between sentences.

  “Let’s dance,” she suggested, jumping up and tugging on my hands.

  As I stood, Zev lifted his head and watched as if he were making sure we weren’t going anywhere.

  I took one of her hands in mine and placed the other hand on her back. We swayed and moved to music that only she heard—I think—because she was smiling with her eyes closed most of the time. I twirled her a few times and ended with a dip.