Dancing With the Devil

Chapter 10

 School starts in less than 24 hours!! Ahh! >:( Anyways, here' s a super quick, super short update for you guys because I don't know when the next one will be! Enjoy! :)

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Naturally, I wanted to show off Dawn, so the very next day I dragged Violet down to the horses. Jace had given me a dirty look, but even though Xavier wasn’t anywhere near, I wasn’t afraid of him. I should’ve been. In fact, it would’ve been a normal reaction to fear the towering demon with his blonde hair that always appeared aflame even when he was calm and his sharp fangs that he flashed at me often. Instead, I would bare my square teeth back at him and continue on whatever I was doing.

Maybe it was because I was Xavier’s mate, or maybe because of the –although possessive way that he looked at her- love in his eyes when he saw Violet. Whatever the reason was, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I was positive of that. He actually reminded me of an annoying older brother that never got over his grudge when his little sister killed his goldfish or spilled her juice in his bed. I was that little sister that, although wasn’t his favorite person in the world, he was still inwardly protective of me. When I admitted my figurative comparison to Violet, she just shrugged and said that he never said anything bad about me, only that he got annoyed by how much I interrupted them whenever he was “making his move.”

I made a mental note to bug him more often. I had a feeling he was playful once I got past his devil-may-care persona, no pun intended.

Like with the guys, Violet was wary when she first saw the hellhorses, especially once she got a good look at Ignis. All I had to do was thrust a sugar cube in her hand, and she was giggling as Ignis nudged her closed fist, pawing the ground impatiently for the treat I promised him. She was fascinated at his silky black coat and the flames that I swore wouldn’t burn her.

“Jace had me practice with fire a little,” she said, “but I still don’t like it. It’s hard to get used to trusting something that we’ve been taught to fear, you know?”

And I did know. “I felt the exact same way, but it’s like a child,” I explained as I ran my fingers down his neck. “You just have to trust it, guide it, and be gentle towards it.”

She hesitantly copied me, getting more and more confident as she realized it wasn’t going to burn her and instead felt the heat caress her small, soft digits curiously.

“You’re right,” she whispered, awed. “It’s powerful, but fragile.”

“Just stay calm,” I murmured back. “It feeds off of your emotions. Whatever you do, don’t panic. If you do start to get antsy, just pull your hand back.”

“That’s the thing, Ivy. I can’t get panicked. This- the fire- it calms me. There’s not one tense bone in my body. I feel like a pile of languid mush.”

I could relate to her simile. Xavier had explained that the tranquil feeling came naturally since we were mates to demons, so fire naturally relaxed us. I watched with slightly hooded eyes as Violet moved her arm with willowy.

“How is Jace treating you, Vi?” I asked. “I mean, I know that he used to scare you, especially after the way the guys approached us, but now…you seem to always be with him, and you don’t look, well, uncomfortable.”

She paused her stroking for a minute until the big stallion gently nudged her to continue. She stroked is blazing mane three more times before answering.

“I can’t help how I react to him,” she sighed. “I know that logically I should be afraid, and logically I should hate him, and if I had any common instincts at all, I would avoid him at all costs, but I just…” She was silent for a moment, her mouth a thin line as she concentrated to put her obviously conflicting feelings into words. “Can’t,” she finished lamely. “I like him, Ivy. I like him a lot.”