Page 87 of Soul Redeemed

He opened his eyes again, to find Ferno’s fist clenching and unclenching at his side, and Calix felt the first twinge of fear. Should his brother lose his calm, lose control, and that flame become erratic, it would burn Ava from the inside out and quickly catch to everything else in the room.

“You’re doing great, man.” With a stiff jaw, Calix forced the words and swallowed a harsh gulp, but it seemed to put Ferno at ease.

The demon slipped back into a peaceful state, taking deep breaths, while the chants continued over Ava’s grunts and whimpers.

Calix fell to his knees. The next few minutes would be agonizing. His mind refused to entertain the thoughts that Ava might never wake. That she might never rise up from that bed, cradle his face in her hands and tell him she was his.

“C’mon, Ava. C’mon!” Urgency in Thais’s voice prompted Calix to clasp his hands in prayer.

“Gods. Please.”

“Hang in there, Ferno. Hang in there.” Thais curled her fingers around Ferno’s wrist, and by the slouch of his brother’s body, it was clear he’d grown tired and weak.

Calix pushed up and rushed forward, hooking Ferno’s arm around his shoulders to hold him up. At the opposite side, Logan did the same, and behind him, Gavin stood with his hand clutched to the demon’s shoulder.

His skin was hot to the touch, burning up as if he’d spiked a massive fever. Calix almost couldn’t stand the scorch to his skin, but as he stared down at Ava, he tucked those thoughts away. If she could suffer the flame, then so could he.

“Fuck’s sake, he’s going to implode.” Logan clenched his teeth, muscles trembling.

“Almost there,” Thais assured, weaving her fingers through the air. “A few more seconds.”

“Gods, he’s burning up!” Calix’s knees buckled, threatening to take him and his brother down.

“Okay, it’s done.” Thais gathered the flame into her palm and closed her eyes, holding it to her chest where it disappeared inside of her. When she opened them again, the fire materialized along her arm outstretched to Ferno’s chest, before it retreated within him.

On a groan, his weight slouched in their arms, and both Calix and Logan set their brother on the floor. The red of his skin took a deep shade Calix had only seen when demons took their natural form, his breaths arriving as puffs of steam from his mouth.

“Anna, please start a cool bath. Frigusza herbs for cooling.”

“Right, Master Gavin.” The second she’d shuffled out of the room, Gavin lifted his gaze to Calix.

Without a word, Calix swung around to Ava on the bed. Thais fussed around her arms, checking her pulse. Someone had fetched cool washcloths that she set to Ava’s forehead.

“Is … is she—” Gods, he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Damn the shakes that settled over him and the harsh grip of his chest that left him oxygen-starved.

“Faint. She’s burning up. His fire is powerful. I’ve never seen flames burn so intensely before.” She glanced back toward Ferno, who it took all of Gavin, Logan and Xander to lift from the floor, before they carried him from the room. “We need to move her to cool water until her temperature stabilizes. And you’ll need to watch her until she wakes.”

“She will wake, right?”

“Look, there are no guarantees. Prepare your mind for the possibility that she might not. And ready yourself for how your brother will receive such news.”

“Will he recover?”

“Yes, he should be okay in a few hours. A steady stream of controlled fire takes quite a toll on his body.” Thais threw the sheet back from Ava, revealing a bronze glow to her skin—one he hadn’t seen in a long time. “The pigment will remain. Her skin color won’t return to its original hue.”

“I don’t quite give a fuck.” Calix slid his hands beneath her body and lifted Ava’s limp form from the bed, tucking her close to his chest. Like Ferno, her skin felt hot to the touch, and he yearned to cool her.

Thais followed behind as he carried Ava into the adjacent bathroom, and she jumped ahead to flip on the water in the oversized bathtub.

“You may need to go in with her. That’s … an impressive tub.”

With a nod, Calix set her down into the water and quickly removed his pants, his shirt and his boots, until he stood in nothing but boxers. Tucking his finger into his waistband, he lifted his head without meeting her gaze.

She cleared her throat and turned around, while he removed the boxers and stepped into the water, positioning himself beneath Ava’s body. Water had begun to rise to the level of her legs, and Calix lifted her shirt away, exposing her breasts. Scooping water into his hands, he spilled the cool fluids onto her chest and neck, dispensing it all over her body.

Thais crossed her arms and stared down at them, the chain of her imprisonment still dangling from her neck. If the trick worked and saved Ava’s life, Calix would personally make an appeal to the Sentinels on the female’s behalf.

“Now we sit and wait,” she said with only a half-smile. “I’ll give the two of you some privacy.”