Page 161 of Stone Temptation

Seth didn’t flinch. “We can’t take any risks.”

“Like keeping me alive after my little trick?” More darkness found its way into Luke’s tone. He went from cute yet sad, to scary. His beauty slipped off to the side for a split second, revealing a terrifying nightmare beneath.

This wasn’t him, the human who’d managed to slide into my obsessions. Who gave me a bright spot on the horizon to aim for. A man I might one day?—

Luke called fire into his hands, a demonic smile stretching his lips. Seth and Carissa were on their feet, me surging forward.

“Luke!” I barked.

“I wonder what too much of this will do to stone.” The flame licked up his arm, crackling like a fireplace.

“Please…” Seth breathed. “Please calm down.”

That was my line!

“Settle, Luke,” I said through the amulet. “Don’t do this. Don’t cross the line.”

Slowly, he turned his head. “Think about a world without Seth in it. Just for a minute. Never having to see his face again, knowing that I gave you the best revenge after what he did to you, and to me.”

By the gods, what a tempting nugget. “I don’t want that.”

“No? Why not?”

“If you manage to kill him, I lose you. I don’t wanna lose you, Luke. Not now. Not when we’re just getting started.”

He blinked at me, the flames reducing. “Do you still…want me?”

I mustered my biggest smile. “After last night, I never wanna let you go.”

I meant it, with all the trepidation that now came with it. I was put in his life to protect him from Ember, and maybe even from himself.

The flames vanished, his features softening back to proper Luke. “I’m…” His shoulders hunched. “I’m sorry.” He sat back down. “I keep thinking about how this will help Finn but I’m already wobbling, aren’t I? I don’t want to be this person, Asher.”

“I know you don’t.” I went to him, giving him a hug. Carissa caught my eye, nodding at me.

Luke clung to me, taking several deep breaths before counting down from thirty in both our heads.

“Three. Two. One.” He broke the hug, gazing up at me with those azure Luke eyes, no shadows in sight. “I’m ready to be myself again.”

Luke received a stronger dose of the milky potion, the green half of it now orange to indicate its greater strength. After gulping it down, he and his friends played Mario Kart while Seth and Carissa spoke quietly in the kitchen.

I sat on the stairs with Dane.

“How you holding up, bro?” he asked.

“Confused but alright.”

“I can imagine. What about you and Luke? You seem pretty close already.”

I didn’t have the energy to discuss it right now. “Yeah. We are.”

He patted me on the back. “Listen, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. I’ll be hanging around Brinecrest for a while, so maybe we can go for a drink or something when you’re ready.”

Another surprise. A good one. “Really?”

He smiled down at me, pushing a stray dreadlock from his eyes. “Squared it with Carissa. She’s happy for me to offer my support.”

We stood up, and I gave him the biggest bro hug. “Thanks so much.”

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