Page 69 of From Frost to Flame

“Yes? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Lex doesn’t pull powers like the rest of us. We all pull from things on the surface. Julian and I pull from the air. Other flame throwers use the fire from the sun’s energy radiating off the moon. Lex always mentioned pulling from the earth.” She tilted her head, thinking it over. “We assumed that he was pulling from the sun with more power than others since he learned how to use them from inside that damned coffin. But maybe he’s pulling specifically from Tartarus. The prison is under the surface, after all. If a portal to Tartarus was open nearby, he would be closer to his power source. That’s my best guess.”

“I think you’re right,” Julian said, nodding along. “The garden was underground, and he managed to burn me. Then, on the island, where she made an appearance, he set Castor free. I bet The Ravenous One had a portal nearby the whole time. When the portal was next to him, he blew a giant tree open, but you’re saying he passed out as soon as she left, taking the flames with her. It tracks.”

“Little Lex is throwing around Tartarus flames,” Castor declared with a laugh. “I always wondered why his were blue.”

Silas rolled his eyes at Vega’s pet name Castor adopted but gave up on arguing about it. “That can’t be possible, can it?”

“I don’t see why not,” Mora replied. “All vampires pull energy from somewhere. Those are the only known rules as of now.”

“We always assumed his flames were blue because of their excessive heat, but if he harmed The Ravenous One, Mora is likely right. Tartarus only holds her because she’s not immune to its fire.” Julian took a deep breath. “Unfair, really. If I were him, I’d throw my special flames around for sport.”

“He really is made for you, isn’t he?” Castor said as they made their way around a corner.

Silas grunted an affirmatory sound, not in the mood to explain that he was drowning in doubt. “Regardless of how he did it, he injured her enough that I’m hoping we can rest a bit longer this time—at least until the sun fully sets.”

“You going to tell me what else happened?” Castor asked once Julian and Mora were back to flirting amongst themselves.

“What do you mean?”

“Your cheeks are stained with ink. I haven’t seen you cry since we were kids.”

“It was just a lot to see her,” he muttered, annoyed he hadn’t considered wiping his face in all the chaos. “It always is. She showed him the truth of what happened that night.” He avoided Castor’s gaze. Thinking about it dredged up all his guilt about Castor losing his family and being forced to care for him. It was a topic Silas never broached over the years. It hurt too much to think about how his existence was, in fact, a curse. No one he cared for survived his presence unscathed. He didn’t want to know if Castor secretly resented him. It was a reality he couldn’t face. “It was cruel, but I’m fine now.”

“Silas,” Castor said, touching his shoulder. “We can talk about this whenever you need to.”

“I said I’m fine.” He pulled away from his touch. “Can we not do this please?”

“Water!” Julian squealed, hurrying forward with Mora in tow.

Sure enough, at the end of the tunnel was a grotto. There was a sparkling pool to the right that was made from water spilling from the small cracks in the rock wall behind it. The bottom of the pool was lined with fluorescent rocks that made the water glow a pale green in the dark. The rest of the space was like a massive burrow. There were openings to four other tunnels converging on the wide-open space.

“Great, we should settle here,” Silas said firmly, walking away from his brother. “I’m going to set up our camp.”

While the others stripped down and played in the water, Silas tended to Lex. He carefully washed his body, redressed him in the silk robe for modesty, and sliced open his own wrist, letting blood pour into his mouth.

Lex’s pulse strengthened as blood trickled down his throat, but it was still faint, and the wound on his shoulder wasn’t closing all the way.Damn compass is taking a toll. He’s going to need more blood even more frequently. He pictured Lex refusing his blood with disgust, and his heart ached. I don’t know what's going to happen. He’s not my family. He’s not my parents. He came back. Just focus on that.

He sat and watched over Lex, waiting to see if his mother was right and if their story was doomed from the start.

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