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

✔Chapter Twenty Five: The Messenger of the Gods

"Uh..."

His green eyes flicked at the both of us. "I have a bedroom if you want. Should I give you two some privacy?"

My own eyes bulged out of their sockets as heat rushed up my cheeks. "Aramis!" I hissed, covering my face with my fingers. I wanted to groan or possibly bang my head to a tree.

The king finished the rest of his water, and I peeked through my fingers to see the hint of pink rising up his neck and painting his ears. "It happened," he said calmly, turning to me then Aramis, "Twice. And that's all you need to know."

Aramis didn't seem affected by the slight lethality behind the king's voice but dared to look disappointed. "Only twice? That's less than I hoped for."

He shook his head at me as if it was my fault I didn't let the king screw me more. I returned the disappointment with a glare, and I was slightly tempted to pour that nasty tea all over him for embarrassing me like that.

"Oh, well," he heaved a sigh, leaning to grab his cup and cradling it between his small hands. "Let me see your flames."

I pushed my annoyance to the back of my mind and presented a flaming hand before him. The sound of my flames seemed to outdo the sound of the ones coming from the fireplace, and their color was more vibrant than ever.

They no longer appeared transparent, and it was quite a challenge to suppress my own gleaming smile. I wonder how much damage I could do with that.

Aramis peered at the red-orange flickers with utmost attention, examining every sway and tendril while loudly sipping his tea. I thought he wouldn't think it was enough for a moment, but his approving nod had me actually beaming.

"It's acceptable," he affirmed, then looked at the king and winked. "Good job."

The king returned it with widened eyes and an arched black eyebrow. On the other hand, I wanted to dunk the steaming tea onto my own face.

Aramis set his cup down with a loud clank. "That settles it then. Tomorrow we will start your training."

"Um, actually, that's what I wanted to inform you of," I said, fiddling with the tips of my fingernails. He leaned back in his chair with a raised eyebrow. "I've actually started working in the palace. I'm cleaning the garden from gremlins, and I finish around six. I was wondering if we could have our training after work."

"Why do you need to work?"

I shrugged. "I don't want to freeload any longer. Besides, I need the money."

He weaved his hands together, tilting his head to the side. "Didn't your guardian leave you with all his money?"

"Yes," I said, remembering how shocked I was when I learned of Grandpa's small wealth. "But I want to earn my own. I don't want to live off Grandpa's."

He seemed to consider my request, rubbing two fingers over his strong chin. "Fine, but be at my house at exactly six. Any later than that will earn you a dawn training session, got it?"

I nodded firmly. "Oh, also...both the Water and the Earth Slifer would like to meet you. They asked if you could help them with their own godparent's books."

"Sure. Have them stop by. And I'm guessing the Wind Slifer isn't willing to participate."

It was King Gabriel who asked, "How did you know that a Wind Slifer was here?"

"I felt it. This morning, the wind was rough, unnatural. Which could only mean that the last Slifer finally appeared," he replied.

"She," I started, "mentioned something when she saw me. About me being the one to bind them all."