Enflame (Insight #6)(48)

“Your eyes seem normal now, too.”

“I still see a glow around you,” he whispered, letting his energy hold the tray of food in mid-air as he pulled me to him.

“That glow is you.” My words spiked his passion and matched my desire to stay right here in this room.

Just as he picked me up and wrapped me around the hum of his body, I felt a warm rush of air and knew we were not alone anymore.

“Good night? Seriously? Is it not out of your system yet?” Phoenix complained.

Landen let his lips linger on mine as he slowly set me down. His fingertips traced my cheeks as if he wanted to wipe away my blushing complexion.

“Not a chance in hell that this ever gets old,” he said to me, even though it was stated for Phoenix’s benefit.

Landen let me go and grabbed the tray. I opened the door for him.

“Where are you going?” Phoenix asked in an annoyed tone.

“To put this back,” Landen answered.

A warm rush of air surrounded me. Before I could reason what it was, I was downstairs leaning against the counter, hearing a dishwasher run.

“Done. It’s back. Seriously, act like the power you are,” Phoenix said, crossing his arms in front of Landen and me.

“It was the ‘thank you’ we wanted,” I complained.

“Well, she’s asleep, so unless you want to wake her, we have work to do.”

I didn’t budge. Paper and a pen appeared in Phoenix’s hand.

“Will a note do? Or what is that other thing...um...yeah, a text?”

I couldn’t help it, a grin spread across my face.

“Ah, Sunshine is smiling, and it’s still dark outside.” He glanced at Landen. “Good work, mate. I was a bit worried about how long her control would hold.”

“It wasn’t all me. It was a lot of her, and the friend she wants to thank,” Landen told him as I wrote a note to Nana to thank her for the rest and food and told her we were going to try this spell. One way or another, I would bring her grandsons here to see her.

Phoenix took the note from me, vanished for an instant, then returned.

“On her bedside table,” he offered when he appeared again. “Let’s go.” And with that, we appeared in the field next to the graveyard.

“Moving two bodies at once? You must be feeling the power of being whole,” Landen applauded.

“If she ever even gets the notion to take my ashes again, I swear—”

Landen stopped him. “Where is she?” he asked, glancing around the field.

“She’d better be in the veil,” Phoenix answered.

He was mad at her for a reason outside of his ashes, outside of what was going on with this spell. I just couldn’t figure out what that was. Apparently, Landen had. He offered Phoenix a sincere nod, obviously promising to help him with something. Landen was close to his brother, close to Marc, but not like this. It was like he and Phoenix were connected at the soul or something. The rich past between them echoed in every glance they shared. That made me feel safe, made me feel like the two of them would protect each other and everyone under their watch.

A wave came across the darkness, creating a doorway for us to move into the veil. The screams were the same as last night, but I could swear I heard Charlie’s name being screamed, along with Draven’s. The ghosts lined our path once again, but there was no Skylynn waiting on us.

“She wants me to kill her,” Phoenix scoffed.

“Have you been fighting with her today?” Landen question.

“Not about this,” Phoenix said with a tone that was laced in agony.

The scarf bracelet came to mind again. Before I could ask what that was about, he changed his composure.

“I did try and find out what is up with Xavier, and by the way, rumor has it that Donalt has some of his ashes. Whatever witch you have in that dimension is either careless or playing both sides.”

I went to lash out at him, but a glance from Landen caused his energy to bellow within my soul, reminding my body of his essence. I was powerless to be angry when I felt him consume me.

“They are neither,” Landen said dryly. “I burned him, he fell to ash and escaped through the fireplace. He’s had them all long. We’ve recovered some, taking them from him the last three times we have fought him.”

“How much ash?”

“Not enough, but if he used what he had to appear, it would be a horrid sight.”

“I don’t really think he cares what he looks like, mate.”

“Neither do I. Let Skylynn be right now. It’s better for her to figure out where her lover is than for me to tell her.”

That was one of the questions I’d asked him before, one I didn’t get an answer to: who was Skylynn after? Before I could press on for the answer I wanted, a flaming pentagram appeared on the grass before us.

“The timing is off, too,” Phoenix stated. “Jupiter is not square yet.”

“The power lies four days before and after,” Landen countered.

“On average, the point it squares is the most powerful you know that,” Phoenix argued.

Landen glanced at me. “I want to try.” His gaze moved over the ghosts that were lingering around us.

“Looking for me?” I heard Clarissa say before noticing her standing on the other side of Phoenix.