Page 80 of Axis of Fire

or waited for something to go wrong.

Quietly.

Without a trace.

Or simply looked away whenever I was in danger.

Like in that nightmare.

But the worst part?

For the longest time, I thought that was normal.

Until my younger sister was born.

Adeline.

And I finally saw what love was supposed to look like.

And I hated them even more for it.

For never giving that to me.

Even though they could have.

“The flame flickered,” Airis noted.

“If this were a real fight, that moment of weakness could’ve gotten you killed.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing my hands to stay steady.

“Well, excuse me,” I shot back, “I’m not quite at your level of emotional numbness yet.”

I knew I was pushing it.

But I wanted to hit back.

“Don’t worry, Fireling,” he replied evenly.

“Train long enough, and maybe you’ll keep up.”

I exhaled.

I probably should’ve apologized.

But I wasn’t going to.

“Tell me how your powers first awakened.”

My fingers tightened involuntarily, and the small flame in my hand flared—

tripling in size.

Damn.

And I hadn’t even gotten to the memory yet.

“I know it’s unpleasant,” Airis said.