“Please, Megan,” Oanen whispered again. “Get mad. You need to warm up. Don’t leave me.” His voice broke on those last words.
Held tightly against his chest, I wished I could hold him in return. Touch him. Talk to him. Now was my chance. I was cold enough that I could actually do all the things I wanted to do without hurting him. Instead of moving though, I just lay there, trapped inside of myself.
He pulled away and touched his lips to mine. The light press of heat against my cold skin started a flutter in my belly.
When his lips left me a moment later, I wanted to beg for him to come back.
“Don’t stop,” Eliana said. I heard her shuffle closer.
“What?” Oanen asked.
“I could feel something from her. It was faint but there. Kiss her again.”
His hand cupped my face.
“Come on, Megan,” he said softly.
My fingers twitched at the feel of his mouth brushing gently over mine. The warmth of his exhale washed over my face as his fingers traced the curve of my cheek. Heat ignited in my stomach, hard and fast. It burned through me, setting each cut and bite ablaze. But there wasn’t any pain, only the taste of Oanen.
Determined not to waste my chance, I lifted my hands and threaded my fingers through his hair. With a relief-torn sound, he deepened the kiss. The first touch of his tongue to mine felt like it set fire to my skin. I groaned and slid my hands from his hair to his bare chest. I’d been so hungry for him. For the feel of his arms around me. I wanted to hold on and never let go. I wanted him over me. In me.
A hand slapped down on the top of my head, cooling all my Oanen-centered thoughts.
I jerked back and looked up into his golden eyes. The heat I saw reflected in his gaze made my insides curl with delight. However, the sparks of passion that continued to pop and flare inside of me, couldn’t seem to ignite again.
“Oanen,” Eliana said, sounding strange, “your eyebrows just grew back. Go stand by the car.”
He pulled away from me with obvious reluctance, and I hungrily watched his retreating backside.
“And put some clothes on,” Eliana added.
I tilted my head up at her and noted her pure black eyes as she watched Oanen follow her orders.
“Miss me, monkey?” I asked.
Her gaze dipped to me.
“I’m so mad at you. Don’t ever make me do this again.” She gave my hair a slight tug, making it clear what she never wanted to do again, and lifted her hand.
“I thought you liked the taste of fury,” I said, batting my lashes at her.
“Fury. Not lust.”
“Liar,” Oanen said from near the car.
I glanced his way, and all the passion I had for him slammed back into me. Only this time, it didn’t feel so good. The heat flared to life in the wounds, burning them with molten pain. I made a sound, and Eliana reached for me.
“Don’t,” I managed to say. “Not this time.”
Oanen took several steps in my direction, and I held up my hand.
“No. I’ll be okay.”
I wasn’t sure I would be, though. I couldn’t remember it hurting so much the last time I’d healed. Everything ached. Pain radiated through me. Anger swiftly followed. None of this needed to happen.
“Talk to me, Megan,” Oanen said. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m hurt, and I’m pissed,” I said.
“Hurt? Where?”
I pulled back the sleeve of my steaming shirt to expose the mermaid bite. Green sludge dripped from my skin to the melting snow beneath me.
“None of this needed to happen,” I said, echoing my earlier thought. “Oanen leaving to search for my mom. My trip to the damn lake for the oracle. Every single bite and scrape. It’s all the result of adult bullshit.”
Another intense stab of pain bolted through me. I clenched my teeth against the need to cry out and waited for it to pass.
“If my mom hadn’t taken off,” I said when I could speak, “or if anyone in this place would just tell the truth for once—”
The next piercing shard of agony tore a scream from me. The smell of something burning clogged my nose as I struggled to inhale.
“That’s right. Breathe, Megan,” Oanen said. “Focus on me. On the sound of my voice.”
I opened my eyes, which I hadn’t realized I’d closed, and found Oanen squatted down a few yards from me. His face was red and beaded with sweat. Just behind him, Eliana stood with wide eyes as she stared at me.
“Sweet Jesus,” she said softly.
Panting with pain, I looked down at myself. Flames licked my skin around the bite, burning away my sleeve.
Was this how I healed?
Before that thought fully settled in my mind, the fire spread, racing up my arm. I looked at Oanen, panic coursing through me as quickly as the flames were consuming me.
“You’re okay, Megan,” he said. “It’s not burning you.”
“The hell it isn’t! It hurts like a bitch.”
“Look at your skin. You’re fine.”
I looked down again, seeing he was right. Why was it hurting then? I groaned again as the inferno inside of me burst outward. The roar of flames filled my ears, and my skin tightened to the point it felt like it would split.
Then it all stopped. I fell to my knees, panting and tired and wondering at what point I’d gotten to my feet.
“She’s okay, Oanen. Why don’t you get your shirt?”
I lifted my head to look at the pair. Eliana held Oanen’s arm to keep him from coming toward me. His eyes met mine, and my heart melted at the worry I saw there.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“Go get her your shirt,” Eliana said, nudging him toward her car. “She needs a minute.”
I frowned and looked down to see how much damage I’d caused my clothes. My mouth dropped open. I wasn’t wearing a thing. Crossing an arm over my boobs and shielding my nethers with a hand, I looked up again. Oanen had already turned around on his way to the car.
Eliana gave me a sheepish smile.
“Looks like you might need to start stashing clothes, too,” she said.
“I really hope that kind of thing will not be a regular occurrence,” I said, carefully getting to my feet. The now exposed sand beneath me had melted into an irregular sheet of glass.
“It looked like it might be.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged slightly and lifted the phone she held, turning it so I could see the picture she’d taken. I was floating in the air, arms flung wide, consumed in an inferno of flames. My mouth was open, and my head flung back. Everything about me was on fire. Even my hair. I squinted and stepped closer, trying to ignore the fact that I was completely exposed in the picture.
“What’s that behind me?” I asked as I stared at the twin flames that extended from either side of me.
“It looks like small wings.”
“Can my life get any worse? I’m going to kill that oracle.”
“Why?”
Before I could answer, Oanen approached with a shirt held loosely in his hands. The heated look in his eyes made my insides flare with warmth again.
“Cool it, you two,” Eliana said. “Oanen, turn around. Megan, keep talking.”
Oanen winked at me as he tossed the shirt over then gave us his back. I quickly tugged the covering on over my head.
“The oracle didn’t say a thing about wings. She also told me that there was no way to control my temper and that Adira and the Council have been lying to me.”
“Hmm,” Eliana said, looking off toward the lake.
Oanen turned around and tugged me into his arms while she was distracted.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he said against my hair.
“Not sure I can promise that. I think Eliana’s right, and flames might be another superpower for me.”
“I wasn’t talking about the flames. Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Because I wanted to be able to hug you without turning you into a piece of extra crispy when you got back. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
“I don’t think you will. I’m holding you now, and I’m fine.”
I looked up at his red face and made a sound of doubt.
“This is because I was too close when you exploded. You’re not too hot now.”
I lifted up to my toes and kissed him hard. He kissed me back. For several long moments, there was nothing but me and Oanen and what we felt for each other. I basked in the ability to kiss him and touch him like I wanted.
Distantly, I heard Eliana clear her throat.
“I think you can safely conclude you’re in control of yourself now,” Eliana called.
I pulled back to see Oanen’s golden eyes. He still had all of his facial hair. I grinned. He threaded his fingers through mine and gave me a tender look.
“Since we know you won’t hurt me anymore, how about we promise to stick together from now on?” he said. “No more trying to break up with me.”
“I think I can manage that.” My smile faded as my temper spiked. “What is up with everyone lying in this dump?”
“The Council?” Oanen asked.
“No, the oracle. She said that there was no controlling my temper. I just hugged you without setting you on fire.”
“I think the oracle told you the truth, Megan,” Eliana said, standing by the car. When I focused on her, I noticed the car’s paint had bubbled.
“Holy shit,” I said, looking at what I’d done.
“Yeah, no more monkey hugs for you when you’re mad,” Eliana said.
“No kidding. Now, why do you think she told the truth?”
“Because if there was someone wicked nearby, I don’t think you’d be able to control your temper. That you’re not burning Oanen or me accidently means you’re in control of your power. I think you can control your power, but not your anger. Your anger is what helps you identify the wicked.”
“That’s splitting hairs. I have no doubt she purposely misled me. You know what the most frustrating part is? By my definition, she was wicked, yet I didn’t get fury angry at her.”
“Why do you think she was wicked?” Eliana asked.
“She’s been eating mermaids. A lot of them. And, I saw her do it.”
“There’s no rule that says she can’t eat mermaids or other creatures,” Oanen said. “Only that we can’t consume human flesh.”
“She did say she always tried to follow the rules,” I said, thinking things through. “That whole trip was a complete waste then. She didn’t tell me anything that would help me.”
My temper jumped a bit, and I quickly looked down at our joined hands. His thumb stroked over my skin, no hint of red appearing. I wasn’t generating any external heat.
“Not a waste,” Oanen said, drawing my attention. “Not if you really can control your powers now.”
“I think we should test it,” Eliana said.
“How?”
She grinned widely.
“Let’s go to the Roost.”
“I don’t like this,” I said, looking at the Roost’s red doors through the passenger window.
“Me, neither,” Oanen said.
“Stop being babies,” Eliana said from the back seat. “This is the best way to test if Megan’s fixed, and you both know it.”
I wanted to deny I was ever broken, but given the number of times I’d burned Oanen, I couldn’t.
“Fine. Let’s just get this done.”
I opened my door and stood, wincing at the cold air whirling around my bare legs. Oanen’s t-shirt extended past my butt by a meager three inches. While I’d wanted to go home and change first, Eliana had argued that showing up in nothing but a t-shirt would be more likely to illicit wicked ideas from the patrons.
“I swear, if anyone sees my butt, I’m going to be so mad.”
“Good. That’s the point,” Eliana said as she got out to stand by me.
“Mad at you,” I clarified.
She smiled, clearly not worried about my temper. The driver’s side door opened, and I looked back at Oanen.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait in the car?” I asked.
“Together, remember?”
I nodded and started for the entrance. As usual, music already thumped from inside even though it was barely six.
The light dusting of new snow covering the sidewalk swirled around my feet as I opened the door. Warm air enveloped me, but I didn’t get a chance to enjoy it.
A tingle of annoyance immediately traced down my spine. Without pausing, I strode in and pushed my way through the dancers toward the back of the room. A few of the guys on the floor paused to look at me. I could feel the nudge of their wickedness as they took in the sight of my breasts barely concealed by Oanen’s thin t-shirt. That wickedness only inflated when they saw I wasn’t wearing pants. However, their thoughts were pure in comparison to what I felt coming from the back of the club.
Instead of trying to calm down or run away, I opened myself to my temper. Details flooded my mind. Things I shouldn’t know. Like my temper was flaring because Eras was harassing Kelsey and Zoe, again. But, that wasn’t the sole cause. Something else was poking at me. Something he’d done in the past that I couldn’t see for myself in the present.
I broke through the dancing crowd and found Eras and his friends sitting at the back table with Kelsey and Zoe, who were both clutching their books and keeping their heads down.
“Come on, girls,” Eras said in a seductive voice. “You don’t need to look at me. No one else needs to know. It’ll be between us. Just nod. I’ll reach under the table and have you shaking with need in seconds. It’ll feel amazing. I promise.”
“Not nearly as amazing as this,” I said, my voice echoing with my fury power. “Eras Amadeus Aeccin, confess your sins.”
Eras’s mouth fell slack as he turned to look at me. The boys at the table with him quickly scrambled away.
Kelsey and Zoe’s heads jerked up. They stared at me with wide eyes, both looking like they were about to cry. Eliana quickly stepped around me and slid into the booth to comfort them.
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Eras,” I said.
His mouth snapped shut.
“I wasn’t breaking any rules, Fury. There’s no reason for you to attack me.”
“Oh, but there is. Something you did in your past. Something that did break the rules.” The heat inside me intensified. I didn’t fight it as I stepped closer to him and leaned down.
“Confess.”
The soft word set off a blubbering confession about some petty theft, voyeurism (which I highly doubted was a crime), and vandalism. The last one made me scowl as he detailed how he’d smashed my window and seduced a mermaid into scratching my paint.
“You are guilty of wickedness,” I said, grabbing Eras by the collar of his polo shirt and hauling him from the booth. The boy was a sobbing mess.
“Continue on this course, and you are guaranteed a spot in Hell’s hall. Make amends and cleanse your slate.”
“I’ll make amends. I promise. Just tell me what to do.”
His eagerness and complete sincerity calmed my temper.
“Uttira needs a library. Help build it.”
He nodded frantically, and I let go of his shirt. He thumped to the ground and dashed for the door. Only after the fact, did I realize what I’d just done. I’d controlled my power by letting my temper go. I’d also just exposed the hell out of my backside.
I turned to face the room.
“Did anyone here see my butt just now?”
Every single head started to shake.
“Remember, lies are wicked,” I said with a frown.
Half the people nervously raised their hands.
“Can you reach over the table again?” Fenris shouted from within the crowd. “I didn’t get a good look. Oanen got in the way.”
I glanced at Oanen, who looked mad enough to skin a dog.
“How about you and I head home,” I said softly.
Before he could say anything, a portal appeared beside us and Adira stepped out.
“Oanen has other obligations tonight, Megan,” she said. “As do you.”
“Oh? And what might our obligations be?” I asked, arching a brow.
“The Council would like Oanen to fly to the Goose and Gizzard in New York on official business, and I have two more recruits for you to verify.”
I looked at Kelsey and Zoe, who were still pale. Although some of the color loss could be blamed on Eras, I knew most of it was due to me.
“I’m sorry, guys,” I said.
“No, we’re cool,” Kelsey said. “We didn’t see anything.”
I started to grin, but my temper flared hot and fast, the only warning I had to turn and grab Adira’s wrist before she could touch my shoulder. I let all the anger Adira and the Council had caused to burn in my eyes.
When she saw the flames there, she flinched and paled.
“I warned you not to toy with me, Adira. Don’t ever try to teleport me without my permission again. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes. Perfectly. With your permission, I would like to teleport all three of us to the Quills’ for an overdue meeting.”
“No. Oanen has been gone for days. He’s not doing anything tonight but spending time with me. And, I’m not verifying another recruit for you ever again. Uttira needs to fix its educational process before putting more fish in the fish bowl. Are we clear?”
“Yes. Please come see us first thing in the morning.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll see you when it’s convenient to me. Now, stop pushing.”
She gave a single nod then disappeared.
Eliana’s phone immediately buzzed. She looked at it with a frown.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s from Adira, and it’s for Oanen. She says to keep a close eye on Megan tonight.”
I smiled widely. Adira had just confirmed what I’d suspected the moment she’d paled. The Council knew they could no longer control me. I was free. Almost.
Oanen stepped close and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pressed his lips to my temple in a brief kiss and looked at Eliana.
“I already planned to keep a very close eye on her. Tonight and every night after.”
