Page 128 of Axis of Fire

I looked away thoughtfully before glancing toward Airis.

“Do you know anything about the surname Arden? Can you tell what world it originated from?”

“The archives would know,” Airis answered.

“But only a handful of people are allowed access to them.”

“And the representative of Istarus somehow isn’t one of those people?” I raised a brow, refusing to break eye contact.

“We’ll talk about that another time, Fireling.”

I fell silent.

So did Airis.

Neither of us looked away.

“Am I the only one feeling the sexual tension between these two?” Dwayne’s whisper suddenly cut through the silence, instantly ruining whatever tension had been building between us.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I waved him off as I stood from the couch.

“I need to pack. Gwen, can you help me?”

I met my best friend’s gaze, and she arched a brow.

“Yeah, of course.”

She nodded and followed me upstairs.

“What exactly are you trying to hide from him?” Gwen asked quietly once we reached the second floor.

My room and Dwayne’s were upstairs, while Gwen and Mike’s rooms were downstairs.

“For example, the fact that I can talk to spirits?” I whispered back, meeting her eyes.

The moment we stepped into my room, I shut the door behind us.

“Wait, seriously? Is that some kind of huge deal in their world?” Gwendolyn crossed her arms over her chest.

Meanwhile, I inhaled the scent of lilac drifting through the room from the aroma diffuser.

God, I’d missed that smell.

“The spirits I met in Istarus told me the last person who could communicate with them lived twenty years ago,” I explained.

“And apparently, in all of recorded history, there have only been two of us.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes widened.

“And one of the spirits—Aars—said that if anyone found out, there’s a very good chance I’d end up as a lab rat.”

I walked over to my closet and pulled out a large pink duffel bag.

Completely impractical.

Completely beloved.

“Jesus Christ, you really can’t go five minutes without attracting trouble, can you?”