Page 99 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

His grip immediately softens, and one of his hands reaches up to cup my cheek. “Breathe, Lark. Slow down and breathe.”

More than anything, it’s his unexpected use of my first name that snaps me back to myself. For once, I follow his directions without arguing and concentrate on breathing.

While I inhale deeply, he faces the flames. Within seconds, a wall of ice surrounds my firestorm, containing the chaos I created.

Sweat sheens on his brow. “I can only contain it for so long. You’re too damn strong. You need to stop it.”

Under different circumstances, I’d revel in the admiration in his voice. Instead, fear rakes me with sharp claws.

I don’t want to be too strong. Too strong is bad. Too strong means people get hurt.

I inhale a gasping breath, trembling from the power thrumming in my veins. “What do I do? I don’t know how to stop it!”

A vision of three charred bodies materializes behind my eyes, and I whimper. Just because they were awful to me doesn’t mean I want them dead. If they die, their blood is on my hands.

Blood on my hands,again.

“Focus!” He spins me to face him, curling his hands around my upper arms. “If you can work through your fear of alicorns so quickly, I know you can conquer this. Picture the fire like it’s an extension of you.”

With a hard swallow, I shudder, closing my eyes and doing as he asks. I imagine the magic like it’s an extra limb. “Okay.”

“Good.” His fingers trail down my arms before he breaks contact. “Now rein it in.”

Somehow, I do just that. I imagine myself pulling in my magic like it’s a physical rope. When I open my eyes, I’ve regained control. At once, the flames contained within the icy barrier die down.

With a flick of his wrist, Thorne shatters the barrier and douses what remains of the blaze with his power.

He addresses Olive. “Are you all right?”

Eyes wide, she nods.

Relief sweeps over me, but it’s short-lived. I could have killed someone.Wouldhave killed multiple someones if not for Thorne’s timely intervention.

My heart pounds in my ears as a wave of nausea causes me to sway.

Turning to Thorne to thank him, the words shrivel on my tongue. Instead of the concerned expression he wore a moment ago, his features radiate pure wrath. The air around him practically vibrates with suppressed rage. Even though I know it’s not aimed at me, a little frisson of alarm skates over my skin.

This is more furious than I’ve ever seen him. Given that he’s not Mr. Sunshine on a good day, I’m a little scared to watch this play out.

“Did you see that, Instructor Thorne? That bitch tried to kill us!” Mark wheezes and gestures wildly at his head. I wince. Someone clearly isn’t reading the room.

When I check out his head, I wince even harder. Pale circles of naked skin pepper his scalp where the fire singed off his hair. Flames also devoured the bottom right leg of his uniform trousers. I can’t tell if he suffered any serious burns beneath the ruined material, but I’m guessing not. Those types of wounds hurt too much to complain about jacked-up hair.

Elijah fared better. His hair and uniform appear to be intact.

Of the three of them, Trevor took the biggest hit. He’s curled up in the sand, writhing and moaning. Angry red blisters already cover his arms and hands.

Guilt pierces me at the sight of Trevor’s damaged skin. Elijah is right. I did that. My fire hurt him. But only because the three of them ambushed us. If Olive and I didn’t defend ourselves, there’s no telling how far they would have taken it. For all I know, we’d be dead.

Elijah gestures at him. “See what she did? She needs to be dealt with.”

Power radiates from Thorne. Millions of tiny sparkling ice crystals encase Mark’s hands and spread up his arms.

Thorne stalks toward him, eyes alight with anger. “The only ones who’ll be dealt with are you three assholes.” He spares a quick glance for Trevor and sighs. “Two for now, I suppose. Mortimer! Holte! Take this fledgling to the infirmary. Looks like he’ll require burn ointment.”

I startle. When did Helene get here? I twist my neck to find her and do another doubletake over her expression. The hate I expect to find directed at me is absent. In fact, for a single heartbeat as our eyes meet, I swear her face crumples with regret. Then she moves to assist Olive with Trevor, leaving me to question my own sanity.

Dragons fly. Water is wet. Helene hates me. That’s the natural order of things.

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