Page 147 of Creatures that Breathe

Tonight, the risk is worth the reward.

Leni at the beach.

Her hair is blue again, chopped short. Three rings adorn her left hand, and my code is tattooed around her wrist in a wave of black markings. The tan straps of her sandals hang off her fingertips, and her toes curl into the sand.

A playful smile tugs at her lips as she teases, “Should I? Was there another gruesome attack here?”

If I hadn’t known she was the toughest, bravest female in the realm, I’d have realized it now. Mocking her own tragedy.

“You … there—” I shut my eyes. “There was an accident.”

“Why would I remember a little accident?”

I let out a cold, unfriendly laugh, hating myself. “Right. Of course you wouldn’t. I don’t know what I was thinking mentioning it. Forget I said anything. You grew up on the coast.”

“You’ve already told me that. Tell me about the accident.” Her gaze slices to mine. “Please. We’re already here.” She takes a small step across the cool, damp sand and unleashes frost on me. Her blue hair bathed in long bronze sunlight has turned her into a flawless portrait of delight. Skin like snow, eyes as pure as ice, outlined with neon pink lashes, and drenched in gold.

“Cross?” she asks, canting her head, worried.

It’s a bullet to the heart.

She’ll kill me with my name, and I’ll die smiling.

“It was the worst thing I’d ever seen,” I say finally. “You tried to drown yourself.” Another bitter laugh escapes my lips and I hate myself even more. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but you were always twenty steps ahead of me.” I shove my hand into my pocket. “You know what happens if a Phoenix dies underwater?”

“Fried fish?” Mocking, light.

I can’t summon a laugh. “You’re reborn underwater. You wake up and you drown. You keep sinking, you keep dying in this fucking vicious cycle until it’s over. The end. Black flames.”

I ball my hands to halt the shadows curling loosely over my knuckles. No need to question their appearance. There’s no mind consuming grief as overwhelming as losing Leni. Losing her like that … it pulverized me. She would’ve died with fear as her last memory, again and again.

“I …” she groans, clutching the shoulder that used to bear a wave.

The pain steals her from me, just for a moment, just enough time for me to move closer without her flinching, enough time for her cheeks to dye pink, for her eyes to bleed into a dark, devastating blue.

“I’m sorry,” she gasps, lashes wet, blinking rapidly, as if searching for the usual frosted blue color. “I hate that. I …” A sigh wracks her entire body. “It’s getting worse. I’m having more flashbacks. I’ll never be normal, I’ll—”

Needing to touch her, I slide a knuckle along her jaw. “I like it.”

“That I’m crazy?” She gifts me a soft smile, cool skin lessening the bite of my scalding power.

“No. Gods, Leni, your suffering haunts me endlessly. I hate that you’ve been hurt. I’ll never forgive any of it, but …” I wipe a tear from her cheek. “I need you to remember how strong you are. How you didn’t survive the worst, you beat it. You won. As if you’d do anything less, even when dealt a losing hand.”

Hand flat on my pounding heart, she lingers in our closeness, in the sound of waves and me, in the wrap of my gift.

Just as brief as her surrender comes her escape. In one fluid movement, she wrenches herself from me, coils her arms tightly around her stomach, shifts her gaze to the water. Wets her lips like a bad taste is stuck to them. “So what happened?”

“I gave you the gist.”

Fire in those icy eyes. “Don’t compliment my strength and then try to take it from me. I want the truth.”

My chest tightens painfully. “Alright.”

She wags her finger at me. “And no sugarcoating.”

I smirk. “So unlike you.”

“There’s an exception to every rule. Now stop stalling.”

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