Page 94 of Bitten By the Basilisk

She began worrying her lips, nervousness squeezing her heart. He wanted her to try using a power she’d only just discovered? What if she broke something, or hurt one of them, or started a fire?

Even worse, what if nothing happened? What if she had hallucinated the entire thing?

“There’s a fire extinguisher right there,” he said, pointing at one hanging on the wall, “if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She laughed despite herself, then sent him a pleading look. “That and…what if I can’t do it?”

He gave her one of his small smiles. “I believe you can.”

His faith in her loosened the knot in her chest, enough for her to take a deep breath. As she let it out, she released the excess tension in her body.

“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Here goes.”

She held her loosely cupped hands in front of her and pictured a flame hovering within her palms—inadvertently, one that looked like the hitodama.

When nothing appeared, she frowned, a lump forming in her throat.

“Close your eyes,” Silas murmured, taking a small step closer. “Remember the feeling.”

She did as he suggested, trying to stay calm. The sensation had been warm, like wrapping her hands around a mug of hot coffee. And it had tingled, but not in the same way a limb tingled after going numb. It was softer, like petting a kitten.

Before she knew it, the sensation became real, a glow appearing beyond her closed eyelids.

“You did it, kitten,” Silas rasped. “Look.”

She opened her eyes, which were already tearing up, and drew in a shocked but happy gasp.

An orange ball of fire the size of an apple was levitating above her hands, its light steady, though small licks of flame appeared on top. She met Silas’s proud gaze, a wide smile stretching her lips, then continued to marvel at the flame she had produced.

“This is kitsunebi,” she said, breathless with excitement. “Fox fire.”

“It’s beautiful,” Silas remarked. “I can feel the heat coming off it.”

“I almost can’t believe it,” she said, smiling so big that her cheeks hurt. “I don’t know that I would’ve discovered I could do this if it weren’t for that class.” She sent him a grateful, earnest look. “If I hadn’t met you.”

He sent back a lopsided smile. “I’m sure you would have, but I’m glad it happened now.” He glanced at the floor again, and his eyebrows jumped. “Look behind you, Cinderella.”

Right, her shadow! As she was now holding a source of light, her strongest shadow was behind her, so she turned around, then twisted her neck to see over her shoulder.

Exactly as Silas had described, the shape of her shadow now looked like a fox. In her current pose, she could even see a snout!

Thankfully, she was able to disperse the summoned fire without issue, drawing the energy back inside herself as easily as turning off a blowtorch.

Though she wanted to explore her new power, she wanted even more to turn and leap at Silas, her arms raised to wrap around his shoulders.

He reacted quickly, laughing through a grunt as he caught her against him.

She breathed in his cologne and squeezed him tight, her feet dangling. “Thank you for supporting me just now. For every moment we’ve had together.”

He had been so wonderful to her over the past few days. Patient, attentive, protective, so charismatic that it felt illegal.

And ever since she’d confronted him at the banquet about keeping things from her, he had been forthcoming whenever she had questions.

“Nothing brings me joy like when you’re happy,” he purred, nuzzling the side of her head, the sentiment hitting her square in the chest. “I can only hope to receive your gift at the gala tomorrow.”

You will was on the tip of her tongue, but the fact that they’d met so recently still made her hesitate, not to mention the unknown chance that they weren’t connected by a red thread.

His amped-up territorial instincts only exacerbated the former concern, causing her to worry that his feelings were temporary, but the latter seemed so much less important than it had a week ago. Not being able to see her own thread must mean she had to go with her heart’s desire, right?