Page 73 of Hero of Havoc

Find freedom without parental controls.

Love so hard it hurts.

See beyond her confines.

I rake my teeth over my bottom lip as I read each one repeatedly, the shortened list consuming my thoughts, when a squeak echoes from behind me.

A familiar flash of red swirls in the air, all whimsical and effortless, before she screeches to a halt in front of Teddy. Her eyes widen as she does a little shimmy as Teddy steps back, panic in his eyes.

“Theodore, I’m sorry, I couldn’t find you earlier, I⁠—”

“It’s fine, Ember. Don’t worry about it,” he interrupts, cutting her off, and my eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“Thank you. I won’t let it happen again, but to catch you up on today’s report, I⁠—”

“Honestly, Ember. No report needed.”

My back stiffens as he cuts her off for a second time, but before I can question what on earth is going on, Archer reaches for him, fingers threading around his throat with ease as he snarls.

“Spit it out,” he snaps, making my heart race as Teddy doesn’t even fight against him.

“Is this a bad time, Theodore?” Ember mumbles, and the Water Protector sighs.

“There could have been better ones, but it’s not your fault,” he muses, a sad smile ghosting his lips as he continues to avoid my gaze.

“What’s going on?”

My words linger in the air for a moment before Archer huffs, his knuckles whitening around Teddy’s throat.

“The truth, asshole,” he insists, and Teddy finally fights back, shoving Archer off him, but he doesn’t go any further before he turns his attention to me.

“You’re going to be mad.”

“I got that,” I mumble, watching his every move as he scrubs the back of his neck nervously.

“Spit it out,” Baron grunts, repeating Archer’s words, and Teddy’s arms flop at his sides as his gaze fixates on mine.

“Remember when I had Archer stand at the door and use his magic to confirm the truth?” he mumbles, dragging a hand through his blond hair as I recall the moment I felt the true extent of the Fire Protector’s magic. I nod, unable to find the words, and Teddy sighs. “You asked if I ever used my magic on you,” he starts, and Archer grunts.

“You said no, and my hands warmed,” he barks, recalling the moment too.

“Well, that’s because I didn’t need to when…”

He can’t find his words, but it seems Sax can.

“You used it on Ember instead.”

Teddy nods, confirming Sax’s assumption.

Disbelief floods my veins as I gape in horror, all while Ember smiles softly at me.

Anger clutches my chest, making it hard to breathe as my emotions get the better of me. I sway, my balance faltering as I take a step toward the Water Protector in question, when my little flash of red stops an inch from my face.

“I’m so sorry,” I croak, my soul on the brink of splintering with guilt, even though it wasn’t me who did it. But it was because of me, and that’s enough.

“Why?”

“For Teddy,” I start, but words fail me as I blink at my sprite. “I’m so sorry.”