Chapter 24

Jasce takesa deep breath and closes his eyes, centering himself. When they open again, they blaze like twin suns. He lifts one hand and fire ignites in his palm. It starts small, then it grows, swelling to engulf his hand.

The flames dance harmlessly over his skin as he shapes them into an orb. With a flick of his wrist, he sends the fiery orb sailing through the air. It bobs and weaves with precise control, leaving a trail of embers in its wake.

Jasce motions again and the orb explodes in a shower of embers. From the sparks, a flock of small, fiery birds manifests. They take flight in a hypnotic aerial dance. I gasp as one brushes past me, close enough that I should feel the heat of its wings, but there is only a pleasant warmth.

Jasce lifts his hand again, drawing my gaze back to him. His eyes smolder like banked coals as a rope of fire coils from his palm. It writhes through the air like a living thing, winding itself into shapes both fanciful and fearsome—now a horse galloping with its fiery mane flying, then a dragon exhaling plumes of smoke.

Flame ignites in both of Jasce's palms, rapidly swelling into a roaring blaze that bathes his hands in shimmering orange light. With a fierce roar, Jasce hurls twin fireballs through the air. They detonate against the distant cliff in bursts of blinding light and searing heat, sending shards of rock flying outward.

Before the acrid smoke can clear, he is already moving again, his hands carving graceful arcs of fire. He spins with the smooth footwork of a warrior, flames trailing from his outstretched fingertips like the elegant tail of a Phoenix. The fire lights up his intense expression and reflects in his dark, focused eyes. His movements flow from one to the next, flames swirling around him in a hypnotizing display of power and skill.

Every step and turn summons more flames, until it seems the very air might ignite. Waves of fire roll outward, consuming everything in their path. Jasce stands at the eye of the blaze, hands raised to the sky as flames dance at his command.

Finally, he lowers his arms, and the fire responds immediately by retreating back to him. With a deafening roar, he thrusts his hands upward and releases it all in a tremendous fireball that explodes high above us.

As the desert smolders around us, he stands tall and imposing, every inch the master of flame. The heat ripples the air, distorting his silhouette, as if the very elements bend to his will.

Something compels me to his side, a force as fierce and inexplicable as the inferno he just unleashed. Before he can react, I grab his face, the skin hot beneath my palms, and bring his mouth to mine.

I kiss him with all the emotions surging through me—awe at his raw power, relief that he's unharmed, and a desire that burns brighter than any flame he could conjure.

In this moment, with the desert still smoldering around us and glowing embers drifting down like stars, nothing else matters but the scorching press of his lips against mine.