Page 252 of House Ignis

“Ava?”

Ezra’s voice came from my side, closer than I’d realized. I looked up at him, and concern had already replaced his usual smirk.

His gaze searched my face, bracing for impact as if he could sense the exact moment my heart had faltered.

“I just… I haven’t been home since…” My voice wavered, fragile and small against the roar of the festival.

Understanding softened his features instantly. No jokes, no teasing—just a quiet, grounding presence.

He didn’t touch me. He just stepped forward when I did, matching my pace and my silence.

Ahead of us, Ember had already disappeared into a knot of vendors, reappearing moments later with a gauzy shawl wrapped dramatically over her head like a wandering desert queen.

She was bargaining aggressively over a basket of dragon fruit, gesturing wildly while Luna sat beside her with regal patience.

“She looks happy,” Ezra murmured, his gaze fixed on her.

A sharp ache pressed unexpectedly against my chest. Not mine. His. Somehow, I knew it was his.

“Ezra,” I said quietly.

He looked down immediately.

I stepped in front of him, grabbing his forearms before I could overthink it.

He leaned closer without hesitation, his auburn hair falling forward into his eyes.

“I don’t know exactly what happened between you two,” I said, my voice barely a whisper beneath the music. “But I know Ember.”

His mouth twitched faintly.

“She has more fire in her than a dragon,” I continued, my throat tightening. “But she doesn’t love easily. She’s a fortress—stone, flame, and barbed wire. And when she finally does love… gods. Even the gods would tremble.”

He went very still.

The festival roared around us—fire cracked, music pounded—but in that moment, it felt like we stood inside a quiet pocket of the night.

“She’s been through things I can’t tell you,” I admitted softly. “Not until she’s ready to tell you herself. But I’ve never seen anyone get under her skin the way you do. You infuriate her. You challenge her. You make her laugh when she doesn't want to. And gods help us all—you make her feel.”

His jaw tightened, his fingers curling into his palms.

And there it was again. That impossible pressure beneath my ribs, carrying the unmistakable weight of everything he was fighting not to feel.

“I can’t give you the answers,” I said, tightening my grip on him. “But I can ask one thing. Don’t give up on her. Promise me.”

The words scraped out of me like a confession. For a heartbeat, his expression shifted.

His pupils darkened, his gaze sharpening with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

He didn’t just look at me—he studied me, as if he were seeing a version of me he didn't quite understand yet.

Then he nodded once. “I promise.”

Relief loosened the knot in my ribs. I smiled, and he grinned back, crooked and reckless as ever.

“Are you two planning on joining me, or are you starting your own festival?” Ember called from ahead.

My head snapped toward her. She was already buried under bags, trinkets, and ribbons.