29. Ignatius

29

IGNATIUS

The dining hall is bustling with activity as I enter, the cacophony of voices and clattering dishes washing over me. My eyes scan the room, a habit born from years of being hyper-aware of my surroundings. That's when I see her standing near the synthetic blood dispenser, a look of concentration on her face as she fills a large tumbler.

My heart does that stupid little skip it seems to do whenever I catch sight of her. It's ridiculous. I'm a powerful fire elemental, for crying out loud. I shouldn't be getting flustered like some lovesick teenager.

But Adelaide is different. Special.

Whatever it is about her that makes her unique is pressing at my senses, urging me to find out as much as I can about her. Corvus already knows, but he is not talking. So that means I need to do the digging myself.

I make my way towards her, trying to appear casual. "Hi," I say, reaching for a glass of water. "How are you after the Strix business?"

I cringe inwardly. What a fucking thing to ask her.

She turns to me with a soft giggle, and I'm struck again by how beautiful she is. Her dark hair falls straight down her back, and her eyes seem to glow with an inner fire that wasn't there before. She's changing, coming into her power, and it's a sight to behold.

"Well, hey there, Australian firestarter of the mysterious Order," she says, her eyes lighting up. "I'm doing alright, I think."

I nod, understanding that confusion all too well. "It's a lot to take in, I'm sure. Especially for someone who didn't grow up in this world." That's a testing comment, but it's as clear as the nose on my face that she didn't.

Adelaide takes a wary sip of her blood. I notice the way her eyes close briefly, savouring the taste. When she opens them again, there's a hint of embarrassment in her expression. "Yeah, that seems to be the news of the day. Everyone is talking about it, about me."

I chuckle, remembering my early days at MistHallow. "The first few weeks are always the hardest. But you seem to be adapting well."

We move to a nearby table, sitting across from each other. I'm hyper-aware of her presence, the way she moves, the subtle changes in her expression. It's like my senses are dialled up to the max around her.

"I've been meaning to ask you something. About your powers, actually."

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? What would you like to know?"

She hesitates for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. "Well, I know you're a fire elemental. But what exactly does that mean? What can you do?" She lowers her voice to ask, "And what is that Order thing?"

I consider her questions. It's not often that I discuss my abilities, but with Adelaide, I find myself wanting to open up.

"Well," I begin, "I can't say anything about the Order, but as a fire elemental, I have a deep connection to the element of fire. I can create and control flames, manipulate heat, and even sense thermal energy around me."

To demonstrate, I hold out my hand, palm up. With a thought, a small flame dances to life above my skin. Adelaide leans in, fascinated.

"That's amazing," she breathes. "Does it hurt?"

I shake my head, smiling. "Not at all. Fire is a part of me. It's as natural as breathing."

With a flick of my wrist, I extinguish the flame. "But it's not just about creating fire," I continue. "I can also absorb heat and flames, making me virtually fireproof. And in extreme situations, I can even transform my body into a living flame."

Adelaide's eyes widen. "Wow. That sounds incredibly powerful."

I nod, my expression turning serious. "It is. But the fire is volatile. It can warm and nurture, but it can also destroy if not properly controlled."

She nods, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. "I'm starting to realise that myself, and it's overwhelming sometimes."

I feel a pang of sympathy, remembering my struggles with control as a small child, where I would burst into flame involuntarily. "It will get easier," I assure her. "You just need time and practice."

We fall into a comfortable silence, Adelaide sipping her blood while I take a drink of water. I study her, noticing the subtle changes in her posture, the way she holds herself with more confidence now.

"Can I ask you something now?"

She blinks and nods. "Fair's fair."

"What are you? Really?"

"Tell me about your Order, and I'll tell you what I really am," she counters with such ease that I choke on my laugh.

"Well, fuck, You drive a hard bargain, don't you?"

Adelaide grins at me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I'm learning to play the game."

"Touché. Okay, how about this—I'll tell you one thing about the Order, and you tell me one thing about yourself. It's an exchange of secrets, if you will."

She considers this for a moment, then nods. "Deal. You first, seeing as I asked first."

I lean in closer, lowering my voice. "The Order of the Crimson Shadow is ancient, older than most of the supernatural races. We're tasked with maintaining balance in the magickal world."

Adelaide nods slowly, and I can see the wheels turning. "Interesting. It's my turn, I suppose." She takes a deep breath and lowers her voice to a whisper. "I'm a Vesper—half-vampire, half-human."

Now it's my turn to be surprised.

Shocked, actually.

Vespers are incredibly rare, almost mythical. "That's... wow, okay. This is definitely not what I expected you to say..." I frown at her. "That is one doozy of a secret, girl."

"Yeah, I know. But I get the feeling from what you didn't say that yours is as well, so we're even, right?"

I study her for a moment. "Clever girl," I murmur, impressed she read between the lines, but also slightly worried. I didn't expect that either. In fact, this woman is full of surprises. "Yeah, we're even."

"You've got a cute accent, you know," she says, standing up and taking her cup with her. "It makes me want to know more."

"Then where are you going?"

"I've got shit to learn. Catch you around, firestarter."

"Later, smartarse."

She lets out a loud laugh and wiggles her fingers at me.

I watch her walk away, a number of emotions swirling inside me. Intrigue, attraction, and a hint of unease. A Vesper. I've only ever read about them in ancient texts. They're supposed to be incredibly powerful, with abilities that surpass many supernatural creatures when fully tapped.

As I sit there, mulling over our conversation. Her secret is safe with me. It will come out eventually. It has to. It's too big to keep safe, but no fucker will hear it from me.

I finish my water and stand up, my mind racing. I need to talk to Corvus and find out if this is what he knows. If so, we can discuss it and be prepared for whatever that might mean.

Flaming out of the dining hall, I land outside Corvus's room and knock loudly. He opens the door, his eyes narrowing as he sees me. "Iggy. What's up?"

I place a hand lightly on his shirt to push him out of my way so I can enter his room, not waiting for an invitation. "We need to talk about Adelaide."

Corvus closes the door behind me. "What about her?"

I turn to face him. "Do you know what she is?"

He blinks. "Do you?"

Good. He hasn't just blurted it out. That's good. That means he will protect her. Even from me.

"Yes, she just told me."

He sneers. "Don't believe that for one second."

"Why? She told you, if you're telling the truth about knowing."

"Actually, I figured it out." He gives me a superior glare.

"Well, good for you," I murmur. "So if you know, you know we have to make sure this secret remains locked away for as long as possible."

"No shit."

"I don't believe you know," I challenge him.

"Well, I don't believe you know either," he retorts.

I shrug. "Look, you know something, I know something. I don't want to say in case you don't have all the facts."

"Same."

We stare at each other.

"On three?" I suggest as a trick.

"Oh, please. You expect me to fall for that."

"Nah, not really. Okay, look, I know she's rare."

"Very."

"How are we going to get past this?"

"Get her here and ask her."

I consider Corvus's suggestion for a moment. Getting Adelaide here to confirm what we know could work, but it also feels like a violation of her trust. She shared that information with me in confidence.

"No," I say finally. "We can't do that to her. She's already dealing with enough, trying to adjust to all of this. We shouldn't put her on the spot like that."

Corvus raises an eyebrow. "Since when are you so concerned about her feelings?"

I feel a flare of irritation at his tone. "Since the day I first spoke to her."

He studies me for a long moment, his dark eyes unreadable. Finally, he says, "You care about her." It's not a question.

I don't deny it. There's no point. "And you don't?"

A flicker of emotion crosses his face. "I do. A lot. But what I feel is irrelevant. What matters is keeping her safe."

I nod, relieved we're on the same page about that, at least. "Agreed. So, what do we do?"

Corvus paces the room, thinking. "We watch her. Protect her when we can. And we keep what we know to ourselves, even from each other."

"Deal," I say, and we shake on it because shit just got serious, and I can see this escalating quickly once the secret is spilt. It always does.