Playing with Fire #1 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨

It was the wrong thing to do to shout out Jade's name when Ember was right there, saving my life. But I wasn't exactly to know that, was I?

"Ember!" I called out into the darkness after stepping gingerly out of the caravan. Even though the wolfsbane was gone, my shoulder still ached from the bullet's impact.

"What do you want?" Her tone was harsh, biting.

"To apologise?" I couldn't see her, so I kept walking to where I thought she was. To say I was disorientated after being shot and after Storm's message would be an understatement. "I'm sorry about what happened back there."

"Whatever." She huffed and I could finally see her silhouette standing at the edge of the lake.

Thanking her was the next resort if apologising didn't work. "Thank you for what you did."

"It's fine," she grumbled back as I stood next to her. "Kaden said you needed to burn out the wolfsbane, and obviously, I'm the next best thing to a lighter."

"Thanks," I repeated and crossed my arms. I was beginning to feel the cold of the late fall night — especially as the back of my t-shirt had been torn open so that Halia could remove the bullet from my shoulder.

"So, you got shot," Ember stated, still refusing to look at me.

"Yeah, I got shot," I confirmed — I would've shrugged it off, but my shoulder was stiffening up quickly. "By a hunter, who also happens to be the dad of a kid I went to high school with back in Montana."

"Seriously?" She feigned nonchalance, though I could tell from how she leaned towards me that she actually was interested.

"Yeah, his name's Chris. I don't think he wants to be a hunter, by the sound of their conversation." I chewed the edge of my lip. "His dad was giving him a pretty rough time about it."

"Speaking of giving people a rough time," she began, "I've been thinking... I've spoken to my mum about it, and I've decided that I'm going to stay in Svalbard for a couple more weeks after Christmas."

Staying silent, I nodded; Storm was right. Ember was going to stay in Svalbard, and I had to search for my pack back in America.

"I don't want to go, and I don't want to stay there for that long, but I know I have to." She fidgeted next to me. "I have to, otherwise everything here could fall apart... Damn it, Theo." She finally faced me, revealing the pain painting her face. "When are you gonna say something?"

I pressed my hand to the side of her face and told her my thoughts, "You should go, as soon as we get rid of these hunters."

"What will you do?" She whispered, leaning her face into my hand.

"I have to go look for my pack — the Agency isn't doing anything about it, otherwise they would've been found already."

"What about school? What about your pare— I mean, Lis and Neal, what about them?" Her brow furrowed.

"The only thing holding me here is you, Ember," I confessed. "I don't care about school; I don't care about Lis and Neal. I don't care about anything here, except you — I only care about you."

Abruptly, the sky cracked above us and lightning split the darkness.

I looked down at Ember as she said, "We should find shelter, shouldn't we?"

"We should, but I don't want to." I drew her close to me just as the heavens opened and rain poured down on us.

I pushed my lips against hers, wrapping my arms around her tighter. I felt hot under her touch despite the freezing rain engulfing us.