Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Nineteen

Haidan watched while Jack sat down next to him as Cody walked up to Niall's uncle and Lily's grandmother, who left down the alleyway as soon as Cody greeted her with a hug.

"Hey," Jack nudged his arm. "Quite a party, huh?"

Haidan looked back at the wicked witch, her eyes shining brightly in the light of the bonfire. "You would enjoy it - we're by the bonfire after all, and you like hot things."

Jack glared at him. "Did you know I can use my powers to birth a full-grown tree right beneath your arse in a matter of seconds?"

"Did you know you still haven't denied that you think I'm hot?" Haidan quipped back, enjoying riling her up.

She looked away at the bonfire with a clenched jaw. Haidan saw her rings flash in the light as she brought her phone out of her pocket. "Speaking of that conversation, though, a bit of what you said stuck with me."

He frowned. Haidan remembered the conversation vividly, he'd been replaying it in his mind since. "Which bit?"

"What you said about reading the Qur'an, what it said about fire." Jack said, unlocking her phone. "I did some research."

"Wait, what?" Haidan shifted so he was completely facing Jack. "You looked at the Qur'an?"

Jack held up a hand. "Not exactly, I looked at Google, but you're going to shut up and listen."

"Jack-"

"Shut up." Jack pressed her hand against his mouth and Haidan ignored how smooth her skin was. "You mentioned how fire's mentioned as something bad - here's some verses that show it's something good."

"Jack-" He muffled against her hand but she ignored him - it was a talent of hers.

Jack opened her mouth to begin quoting his book, but frowned when her hand slipped on her phone. "Wait, hang on, where's it gone? Oh, here, wait no, dammit I scrolled past it but shut your face Haidan I'm getting to my point!"

Haidan laughed although a part of him warmed at how Jack had researched his religion, his books, to make him feel better.

"Stop laughing," Jack said, and began reading, speaking the verses he'd been reading since he was a kid. He could name exactly where she'd read them from, and the verses following, but seeing the determination on Jack's face as she told him, through his own texts, that he was more than the fear he harboured, that he was worth something, spoke louder than anything she could read to him.

"Jack-" Haidan pulled her hand away from his mouth but didn't let it go.

"Stop struggling!" Jack glared at him when he tried to reply. Haidan blinked as Jack put her phone away and gripped his hand tightly, now bare to the bonfire before them. The verses had context, a deeper meaning, and related to the segments of the book she hadn't read aloud but Jack's glare stopped his thoughts in their tracks.

"Listen here hot shot," Jack said. "Fire is life, healing, and creation. It's a part of your faith as much as it is a part of your humanity."

"You're not evil Haidan." Jack prodded his chest firmly. "Phoenix's aren't evil. I don't see you as evil, or someone sick in need of curing - I'm not afraid of you and I'm not scared either - and if you don't believe me still after my second motivational speech then I'm going to keep trying.

"I know religion is a huge part of your life and it's been confusing since you realised you were a phoenix, but you have to know that I'm not confused." Jack held Haidan's hand on his knee tightly. "I see you; a hothead, stubborn, annoying guy who has this incredible ability, like my own. I don't see anything wrong with you and there isn't anything wrong with you. Embrace who you are - you can have both faith and heart - and it's about time you saw that you still have both."