Page 143 of House Ignis

Ember dropped her water bottle. It hit the stone with a clunk that echoed like a funeral bell. Maddy's mouth parted; Zaria's eyes widened; Sera visibly choked.

Ezra just mouthed Respect while Aether let out a stunned grunt through the bond.

Asher stepped past me like he hadn't just destroyed my dignity in front of everyone. He was calm, composed, and still smirking. Zya followed him, her tail twitching with immense pride.

Ember leaned in slowly, her face ghost-pale, whispering with reverence, "I no longer fear the Veyari. I fear him."

And I? A goddess's words whispered through my skull like a prophecy. “The one who makes you burn is the one who will unmake you.”

Gods help me. I was already ash.

•••

The canteen was packed, a roar of post-trials chaos pulsing through the air like leftover lightning. First-years were crammed around tables, recounting near-deaths and bragging through their rehydration potions.

We claimed a long table near the back wall—me, Ember, Maddy, Sera, Darcy, Zaria, Ezra, Rhea, and Mavrik. Ryven's spot sat empty, a hollow ache none of us mentioned but everyone felt. Trays clattered, and Ember was still flushed from the adrenaline of the arena.

"I'm still not over the 'next time I won't stop' comment," Darcy added, sipping her drink with a raised brow.

"Iconic," Zaria murmured.

“Disgusting,” Mavrik said with fond judgment. “Ten out of ten.”

I dropped my fork, my face heating. They all knew something was happening between us. The whole Academy probably knew after that fight, after the way we moved like two halves of a breaking storm.

Before I could get a word in, the temperature around the table plummeted.

He arrived. Tray in one hand, shadows flickering at his heels. With effortless audacity, he slid onto the bench right next to me. The entire table went silent.

Aether lifted his head from under the bench, his golden eyes flashing with a look that clearly said, You've got to be kidding me, while Zya settled beside him with a self-satisfied huff.

"You did not just sit there," Ember breathed, pointing a fry at him. "Asher. You want to be burned alive?"

He didn't even blink, leaning back with a predatory grace. "It's a free seat, isn't it?"

"There are twenty-seven other seats," Maddy muttered, her eyes darting between us.

Asher didn't look at them.

He turned to me, his silver eyes cold and mocking, the warmth from the arena completely extinguished.

"You look a little flushed, princess," he drawled, his voice carrying just enough to ensure the table heard his taunt. "Still vibrating from the platform? Or was it the walk back to the dorms with your betrothed that settled your nerves?"

The table went deathly quiet.

I felt the sting of it, the public reminder of Jeremy and the cold slap of Asher’s rejection after I’d felt him inside my head, beneath my skin, tangled in every second of last night.

"Don't," I whispered, my voice trembling.

He leaned in closer, his scent of dark spice and rain mocking me. "Don't what? Remind you that you're a mess? You're falling apart, Ava. You can't handle the bond, and you clearly can't handle the heat I give you if you have to run to him for a distraction."

His mouth twisted into something that almost passed for a smile. "Last night was a nice show, though. Thanks for the invitation."

The bond howled, a jagged, agonizing spike of humiliation and hurt that ripped through my chest.

He was using our most intimate, shattered moment to mock me in front of my friends. And gods, it worked.

I looked at him, and for the first time, the fire didn't rise to protect me. Instead, my vision blurred with hot, stinging tears.