Page 18 of Echoes of Fire

I hesitated near the edge of the communal space, listening. Kira was murmuring to someone, possibly baking if she had the supplies, and Eden’s habitual humming—no surprises there. But when I heard Selene’s voice—a calm, familiar low timbre edged with her usual combat-medic steadiness—I knew exactly where I was headed.

Knocking softly at her door, I leaned into the cool stone wall.

“Come in,” she called easily, warmth coating her voice.

Selene’s quarters weren’t much bigger than mine had been, yet she’d managed to make the small space her own. Every piece of equipment—medical or otherwise—sat in perfect order on her table. The faint scent of antiseptic mixed with something floral, maybe herbal tea. She glanced up as I stepped inside, a roll of bandages still in her hands, her braid shifting over one shoulder.

“Big, red, and broody let you sneak away?” she teased, setting the bandages down with a flourish.

I snorted, slumping into one of the stiff-backed chairs she’d tucked against the wall. “Not exactly. He’s in a meeting. I got away before he could do anything about it. Talk about suffocating.” The words tasted wrong on my tongue. Not quite a lie but definitely not the truth. Rath had been accommodating, kind, without pressing for anything I wasn’t ready to give.

Her brows quirked, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Could’ve fooled me. Kaiya saw you two in the market. She said it wasquitethe sight.”

I groaned, my hands flying to cover my face. “Please. Just don’t.” My voice was half-laugh, half-groan.

Selene laughed softly, leaning against the table, arms folded. “Sorry, sorry. No teasing. Not right now, at least.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “For real, how is it?”

Before I could answer, a familiar figure filled the doorframe briefly, tray in hand, likely on her way to the communal oven. Kira caught neither my gaze nor Selene’s, murmured something apologetic, and disappeared down the corridor again before I could even finish my frown.

“Is she okay?” I asked. She’d seemed depressed ever since I woke up there. But maybe that was just how she was; it wasn’t like I’d known her before all ofthis.

Selene’s sigh was deep and slow. “She’s hanging on, but she’s not okay. Her sister was on the other side of the ship before the crash. The uncertainty is worse than grief; it’s a wound she can’t stop picking at.”

My stomach twisted, guilt mixing uncomfortably with weariness. “That’s terrible,” I muttered, staring blankly at the polished surface of the table. It was bad enough knowing I’d never see Earth again, but I’d made that decision when I signed up to leave. Volcaryth wasn’t the intended destination, but I was starting to adjust, at least a little. To lose a sister, though?

Selene’s voice softened again. “We’re all dealing with something,” she said, her careful gaze settling on me. “Which brings us back to you and your Drakarn shadow. I want details. How did this happen?”

I hesitated, fumbling for words that didn’t all sound hysterical. “I … have no freaking clue,” I finally said, picking absently at one loose thread in my borrowed tunic sleeve. “I’m stuck with him—and part of me, god … I think part of me might actually …”

“You’re allowed to like him, Orla.” Her smile was faintly amused but far from cruel. “No one back on Earth is going to chastise you for caring about someone. Even fire-breathing aliens.”

“They don’t breathe fire,” I said, as if that was the important part. “I don’t evenknowhim. And this mating thing? This … supposed mystical, permanent ‘bond’? It feels absurd. We’re from different planets. How can there be something … meant to be?”

She didn’t laugh this time. “Terra’s figured it out with Darrokar.” Her voice held a quiet steadiness, the kind reserved for those who’d already pieced together the advice you weren’t ready to hear. “Might not hurt to ask her.”

“There’s nothingtofigure out,” I countered, wrapping my arms around myself. “I didn’t ask for any of this.” The memory clawed its way back—zealots surrounding me, Karyseth’s venomous words, blood slipping down my skin onto that damned altar. A shudder rippled through me, bone deep. I crossed my arms tighter. It wasn’t enough to hold the memories at bay.

Selene’s gaze softened, but she didn’t argue. Her elbows rested on the table as she watched me in that unnervingly steady way medics had. Like she wasn’t just treating wounds but cataloging whatever might linger beneath. When she finally spoke, her words cut straight through my defenses. “And yet, here you are, sitting in his tunic, spilling over with more anger about liking him than the fact he nearly tore a priestess to shreds to keep you safe.”

The floor felt suddenly unstable beneath me. I opened my mouth to deny it, but no words came out.

Damn her and that disarming precision.

“Look … I’m not saying you need to declare your undying devotion after four days. But maybe instead of running fromwhat’s happening as fast as you can, sit with it. Decide what you actually want, not just what’s easiest.”

I leaned back, wary. “You think this is easy?”

“It’s easier than admitting he matters.” She nodded toward the tunic I was fidgeting with, a faint, teasing smile brushing her lips. “He’s right there, on your skin, and you’re fighting him tooth and nail.”

I groaned, pressing both hands to my forehead. “He’s not just overwhelming. He’s … consuming. He looks at me, and …” My voice broke slightly, the heat rising to my cheeks as I remembered how Rath’s eyes blazed when he called meshyrarva—like I was the center of everything his world revolved around. “He’s so sure, like he knew this was inevitable. And I—I don’tgethow that feels real.”

She stood quietly, her fingers returning to sort through folded bandages. “If this is going to be your reality, you’ll need to decide sooner or later if Rath is part of your plan. Because from what I’ve seen?” She smirked faintly. “He’s already made his choice.”

Her words hit me harder than I wanted to admit. I slouched deeper into the chair, stubbornly tracing the carved heat veins lining the wall. Despite my hesitation—and outright denial—something kept pulling me toward him, as inevitable as a current in rushing water. But I refused to put that into words. Refused to let her see my hesitation grow roots.

“I should get going. Kira’s probably five loaves deep into baking mode,” I said, forcing a weak laugh as I stood, brushing off the details too big to face directly.

“You mean before Rath realizes you’re gone and goes scorched earth on the city to find you?” Selene quipped smoothly, already stacking supplies back onto her shelves.

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