Page 148 of The Iron Flower

Surprise flares in me. “Is that something Fire Fae can do?”

He looks away cagily. “It’s somethingIcan do.”

“Allof my emotions?”

“Yes.”

Oh, my.

“What am I feeling right now?” I haltingly challenge.

He tilts his head to one side and considers me closely. “A little upset, I think. But mostly...you’re enjoying touching my hands.”

I stop rubbing his fingers, my face coloring.

“It’s okay,” he says, his lip lifting, his gaze turning sultry. “I like it, too, especially now that it doesn’t hurt.”

Heat burns at my cheeks. “You’re a mystery to me, you know that?”

He lets out a hard laugh. “I’m a mystery tomyself.”

“You’re not going to explain what you mean by that, are you?”

“I’d rather not.”

“All right, then,” I say with a sigh of resignation. “You’re hurt, so I won’t press you to tell me more. And I’ll go back to rubbing your hands, even though it’s such a tiresome chore for me.”

We exchange a flirtatious smile, which sets warmth blooming in my center. Heatedly aware of him, I turn my attention back to working the medicine into his palms and I can sense his fire simmering.

After a few moments I glance up at him, disquieted by my mounting awareness of his fire—like a turbulent stream, running red-hot just under his skin. “You’re even more dangerous than I know, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he says, watching my fingers. “But apparently, not invincible.”

He meets my eyes, both of us serious, and I have that familiar sense of him stridently holding himself back from me.

“Why do you keep shutting me out, Yvan?” There’s no hurt in the question this time, only concern.

Silence.

“I will not tell your secret.”

Tensing, Yvan pulls his hands away from me and holds them up for inspection, his expression darkening.

They’re still red.

His gaze takes on a hard edge. “Unfortunately, Elloren, I think my secret’s going to go ahead and tell itself.”

MAGE COUNCIL

RULING

#338

The Northern and Southern Lupine packs must cede the disputed land bordering Gardneria.

They have one month to comply. Failure to do so will result in military action.

CHAPTER TWO

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