The Flames That Bind Us (Daughter of Fire #1)

✔Chapter Eight: A Day of Light in Centuries of Darkness.

Gabriel James Imarnia

I threw myself on the throne, gasping.

After Aero's exit, I let the consuming darkness sweep over me. I had lost control of my powers, but it was only for a minute. Yet the throne room took quite some damage.

I remember feeling so angry...so hurt that my best friend would have such little faith in me. I thought it wouldn't bother me that much, but I couldn't help the shadowy void simmering within me. So I let myself loose for just a moment.

Granted, it did cause a little bit of havoc around me.

Some of the glass windows were shattered, one of the iron chandeliers hung loosely by the painted ceiling, and three of the tapestries laid dormant on the ground. I didn't even notice causing all of this to happen. All I really focused on was the radiating blackness surging out of me.

I ran my fingers through my hair, clutching the strands and breathing deeply. After a few calming breaths, I sighed, leaning my back and caressing the silver baroque carvings where my hand rested. I looked around the room. The sunlight was seeping through, shimmering in the pieces of the broken glass. Yet, it felt utterly cold. Or perhaps it was just me?

Warmth...it's been a very long while since I truly felt that. All I am now is a hardened shell of cold and bitterness. I was fine with it, never tried to deny it. There were times when I occasionally-even for a moment-felt the smallest amount of warmth residing inside me, and it was all because of the people around me.

I never showed it, but it was still there. Seeing my sister smile because her flowers grew and flourished, or being around Lysa and Aero's constant bickering-even if it annoyed me. All those small moments with the people closest to me managed to bring me some peace.

But now, the coldness was spreading.

Over the past centuries, Aero and I have had countless fights-sometimes even over the stupidest things. Yet this...I didn't know what would become of it.

Surely Lysa knew of it as well. Does she think the same of me as Aero? What about my sister? What is her opinion on all of this?

That damn Slifer...if only she had returned to her room and saved us all the misunderstandings. What was she thinking, sleeping in a place like that under the pouring rain? Perhaps I should have brought her back with me? But she wasn't my concern, and she knew that.

Plus, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be near her after I was done. I remember being conflicted for a second between wanting more and wanting to get away as far as possible. I didn't understand it. It wasn't anything new for me, for I have slept with many women before-older and far more experienced women.

After Evine, I made sure to detach any feelings when it came to sex. I've never slept with the same woman twice, nor did I desire more of her afterward. Sex for me was just a need to fulfill, nothing more.

But with that Slifer...there was something odd.

I'm not going to deny that I enjoyed it-against my better judgment. It felt like a spring of fire had just exploded between us when I was inside her. For a second, I had lost complete grip of myself and was indulged in every inch of her skin. Just thinking about it made me shiver.

I had thanked all the gods up there that I remembered to pull out of her before I lost myself completely in the moment.

I thought t bedding her would just be another thing I had to get done and over with, but despite all the resistance in me, I found myself craving for more. I hated it. Perhaps I should pursue other women at the same time? That should distract me from her, and it's not like I owed the Slifer any kind of commitment.