Vanish (Firelight #2)(24)

Something passes over his face. An emotion I’ve never seen in him. Come to think of it, emotion from him is pretty rare—period.

“Cassian! Wait up!”

We both turn. Miram is behind us, hurrying to catch up.

I mutter something unkind. Others might be softening toward me, but not Miram. She continues to look at me as though I’ve done something to her.

I start to go, but Cassian holds my arm. I stare down at his fingers, then look back at his face. “She didn’t call my name. Do me a favor and let me go.”

Cassian frowns and his dark eyes drill into me. “This isn’t over,” he murmurs.

“Yeah.” I nod, cool resolve stealing over me. “It is.” Twisting my arm free, I march away before Miram reaches us.

We gather in the flight field at the far north of the township. Close to thirty of us have arrived in our usual robes, garments easy to discard and don again.

Tall pines shroud the clearing. Beyond the field, mountains spill in a jagged line several shades darker than the murky night.

Even Severin joins us, although not robed, so presumably he’s only keeping an eye on us and not flying out tonight. He catches sight of me, and I don’t miss the flash of approval crossing his face. Despite not wanting to care, something lightens in my chest. This is what I’ve decided to do after all. Put everything behind me. Set aside my selfish desires that only brings hurt to others. Move on with my life here and forget the feelings I have for a boy who isn’t meant for me.

So that means getting along with everyone. Even Severin.

Holding his clipboard, our flight master looks us over, taking count.

Traditionally, we’re assigned a flight partner. Someone we can’t separate from at any time. Immediately, I step up next to Tamra, stake my claim. Tonight, we’ll fly together.

I spot Az and feel a pinch in my heart when I notice she’s paired with Miram. She sees me, too, holds my stare. For a moment, I think she is going to come over, but then she looks away.

“She’ll come around,” Tamra says. “She’s afraid.”

“Afraid? Of what?”

“That she’s lost you.”

“But she’s the one avoiding me!”

“Yeah, but she’s in control of that. She can’t control you or anything else that’s happened. Not having any control over what matters in your life . . . well, that scares people.”

I shake my head with a smile. “When did you get so smart?”

She winks at me. “Hate to break it to you, but I’ve always been the smarter twin.”

I snort and give her a light punch on the shoulder even as an easy warmth sweeps through me. I still have Tamra. Maybe more than I ever did before. Maybe we’ll be like we used to be when we were little girls, before I manifested. We have common ground again. Standing beside Tamra, I think of Dad. How happy he would be if he could see us standing here now.

Feeling a swell of emotion, I look away. And that’s when I see Cassian. Instantly my lips tingle with memory.

He’s watching me with his intense purply dark gaze. I feel a surge of guilt. Here I am, standing beside my sister, reveling in our newfound closeness with the secret of my kiss with Cassian hovering unspoken between us.

“Hey, there’s Cassian!” Tamra waves him over cheerfully.

As Cassian heads our way, Corbin falls into step beside him. A look passes between the two cousins as they approach us. It’s not friendly, but then the two have never pretended to like each other. Corbin has never disguised the fact that he wants to be the pride’s next alpha, that he believes himself a better candidate. In that way, he reminds me a lot of Xander, Will’s cousin.

“So you both made it.” Cassian smiles and I know he understands just how special, how momentous this is for Tamra and me.

I say hello back, keeping my voice small, like it might make me less noticeable . . . make our kiss something forgettable, something that didn’t happen.

“Thought it would never stop raining,” Corbin says, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “I need to hit some wind.”

Tamra nods, looking like an eager child. “Yeah, me too,” she says as though she’s been doing this for years. I fight back my smile.

“Got a partner, yet, Cassian?” Corbin asks.

Cassian hesitates. “No.”

“Cool. You and me then.”

I frown, wondering when was the last time these two paired up during group flight. They’re so competitive. . . .

I don’t ponder it for long because our flight master calls us to the center of the darkened field. Perimeter lights line the edge, there for when we land and when we play a night game of airball. Not that it’s necessary. Most of us have excellent night vision. I shoot Tamra a glance. Most of us. This is still new to her.

We stand in our pairs. When the signals are given, we will each drop our robes, manifest, and take off two at a time. Tamra and I wait behind Cassian and Corbin, but I don’t even look at them.

Shoulder to shoulder with my sister, I absorb the significance of this moment. Our first flight together. Dad always expected we would have this. It broke his heart when we never did.

We would listen raptly in our beds as he talked to us about flying, Mom smiling on indulgently, never getting it, never understanding his love for the sky and wind. As much as Dad loved her, he wanted us to be like him. At least in the way he loved to fly. And tonight we would.