Courting Death | Book 3

T W E N T Y - S E V E N

T W E N T Y - S E V E N
Heart to Heart

THE FIRE WAS burning so brightly and beautifully, its ember flames licking at the air around it. Though the sun was still shining strong in the blue skies, it did not make the flames any duller as it should. Instead, the gold and orange of the flame seemed to be sending the air around us ablaze. Even as I sat a few feet away from the fire, I could still see the effects of its heat on the people around me though I myself could not feel it.

Fabian sat right by my side, accompanying me whilst I rested against the large roots of a great willow tree. There were already tiny beads of perspiration shining on his forehead before he hastily wiped it away, obviously affected by the heat of both the fire and the afternoon sun. Minnie was by the fire, eagerly listening to Dimitri's instructions as the both of them worked on the potion together. I watched them, eyes trailing after their every movement almost absentmindedly before sighing.

"What is it that is bothering you this time?" Fabian's words snapped me out of my train of thoughts, my eyes blinking blankly a few times before I turned to face him.

"What makes you think that I have something bothering me?" I questioned, truly intrigued. It was highly unlikely for Fabian to ask a question that originated from concern and it was making me a little jumpy and cautious since I was caught off-guard.

The dark-haired spirit shrugged. "You have that look on your face. The one whereby you seem capable of killing even the most innocent of children."

I snorted once rather ungracefully at his comparison, rolling my eyes as dramatically as I could.

"You would know."

"Well, I guess you can say that relating is not that difficult of a task. I've done much worse and I probably still will in the future." I thought I saw Fabian crack a small smile but it was gone before I could confirm it. "So what is it this time?"

"In the time that you were gone, I saw Lola again. The last sunset made her very powerful. I could hear her voice at the back of my head and it is slowly driving me insane," I confessed. Sighing, I dug my head into the palms of my hands. "I just want her to go away and leave me alone."

"She made you see something again, did she not?"

I looked up in surprise, searching Fabian's eyes for any signs of knowledge. Yet, I was greeted with what I have seen all along in Fabian's dark irises-complete utter emptiness.

"Yes," I said slowly, eyes still glued to his face. "She did, in fact."

"My senses are telling me that she made you see Dimitri," he continued, casually leaning back against the tree before shutting his eyes, as if trying to sleep.

"Okay. You are being scarily good at this and also frighteningly talkative, not to mention civil. Are you sure you're Fabian and not secretly Lucifer?" I was filled with doubt, nose wrinkling as I raised an eyebrow at him. "Cause if you are, I am sorry to tell you that what you are doing is a very old trick that I've fallen victim to before."

He rolled his eyes before reaching his fingers out to the nearest flower beside him. When he touched it, the daisy immediately shriveled before turning into a pile of gray ash. Although I've seen Dimitri do the same trick before, I couldn't help myself but cringe a little. Such a waste of a pretty flower but Fabian did prove his point. He was, in fact, the spirit of famine.

"I can tell that there is something disturbing you. Just because I am more on the quiet side does not mean that I am dumb. They say that those who keep to themselves tend to see more around them." Shutting his eyes again, Fabian looked relaxed for once. "What did Lola tell you this time that got you so worried? I thought you would know better than to listen to the words of a child."