“It’s nothing.” I wished he would put his robe back on. He only wore a pair of black shorts, and his golden skin distracted me.
He raised his eyebrows. “Nothing?”
“I got shot,” I mumbled.
“Shot?” He fumbled with the buttons on my robe.
I swatted his hands away. “Watch it.”
“I just want to see your ‘nothing.’” He cocked his head to the side, causing his wavy blond hair to fall across his eyes in a playful way.
“Fine,” I snapped. “Then you’ll tell me the best part of not being a sentry.”
Adam’s grin widened. “Deal.”
I undid two buttons, just enough to push the robe off my left shoulder. Adam moved behind me, his fingers resting lightly on my upper arm. His breath washed over my neck.
Then he kissed my shoulder, right above the bandage. “Does it hurt?”
Instantly, fire raged in my veins. I half-hated that this boy affected me so strongly.
Adam touched his lips just under my ear. “The best part,” he whispered, “is that I can touch you without pain.” He wrapped his hands around my waist. “Without fear.”
I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what to say anyway.
“I know you’re happy about that,” he said. “I’ve learned how to interpret your silences.” He grinned at me before picking up his robe. “Come on.” He walked down the hall to the stairs.
On the nineteenth floor, he passed the room I was sharing with Cat, crossed through the lobby, and opened the last door on the right. The room had a single bed with an identical bedspread to mine. No carpet, only a steel floor. Standard white paint. The backpack lay on the floor between the bed and the couch across from it.
Panic flared. This was his bedroom. I hastily secured the buttons on my robe when he closed and then locked the door.
When he turned around, a hungry look shone in his eyes. He brushed the hair out of his face. “Gabriella,” he murmured, moving forward. I swallowed as he put his hands on my waist.
He paused for a moment, appraising. Then he kissed me. His mouth softened at the same time his grip tightened. I loved the way his hair felt in my fingers, the way his body tensed at my touch.
He broke away and whispered, “Aren’t we good together, Gabby?” He didn’t wait for me to answer before touching his lips to mine again. He gently pushed me back, and I took a step to maintain my balance. He didn’t break contact with me, but kept his body pressed into mine.
I pulled away. “Adam, I….” I paused, looking into his eyes. “I….” I had no idea what I wanted to say, just that I needed to say something.
He smiled and took my face in his hands. “Tornadoes, you’re beautiful. I could look at you forever.” When he said it, I believed him. For the first time, I felt beautiful.
I traced one finger over his face to the hollow of his neck. He kissed me tenderly, his feelings infused in his touch. My heat wrapped around us both, blanketing us in the moment. I thought maybe I could stay in his arms forever, breathe in and out with him, explore his mouth until my lips ached.
But nothing lasted forever.
Someone knocked on the door. I jumped at the sound, but Adam didn’t move. The knocking continued, and someone called, “Gabriella?”
“That’s Davison,” I said, untangling myself from Adam and striding to the door. Davison looked strangely upset at finding me in Adam’s bedroom—or maybe because he’d had to knock for fifteen seconds instead of five.
“Councilman,” I said.
“I need you to finalize the charter,” he said.
“Oh, okay.” I started to move into the hall, but Adam slid his hand into mine and kept me in place.
“When is the ceremony?” he asked.
Davison switched his gaze to Adam. “The formal ceremony will follow dinner.”
“How long until dinner?” Adam asked.
“A few hours, at least.”
“Time enough, then,” Adam said. “Gabby will be along to finish the paperwork in a few minutes.” He closed the door in Davison’s stunned face. A click echoed when Adam twisted the lock.
“What are you doing?” A tremor ran down my arms. “That was embarrassing.” I turned around and found Adam retreating to his bed. His back looked smooth and golden, without a trace of black. I blinked, and a thin line of darkness coiled out from the bandage.
“Lighten up, Gabby. Everyone already knows you love me.” He flopped onto his bed, leaving me staring and wondering if I’d seen anything on his back.
I laughed, covering my shock at the possible tattoo sighting—and the use of the word love. “Except for Davison,” I said, trying to keep the mood light and the forbidden word submerged. I didn’t dare blink as he motioned me over. I sat on the edge of his bed nervously.
“He’ll ask you who you’re going to choose, so he’d find out soon enough.” Adam sat too, his leg pressing against mine.
I swallowed the cold fury at having to choose a husband as part of the charter. Intellectually, I’d known I’d have to, it just hadn’t felt real. Until now. Besides, I had loads of time to get that law changed.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, tracing a swirling pattern on my uninjured shoulder.
“Not much,” I lied, unwilling to tell him that I was plotting a way for us to remain single.
Adam shifted away from me. “Come on. If we’re gonna be together—be a Council—you’ve got to talk to me. Besides, it’s easy to tell when you’ve got something on your mind.”
“How? How do you know?”
“You emit weird…stuff into the air. It’s harder to breathe. And don’t change the subject. What’s on your mind?”
I remained silent, and Adam made some exaggerated choking noises. “Can’t…breathe….”
I struggled with the inner workings of my brain.
“Gabby—”
I stole his words with my mouth. He didn’t like it—he had something to say, but I didn’t care. After a moment, his lips softened, and he snaked his hands along my back.
But what had I started? How far was I willing to go simply to avoid telling him the truth?
Adam’s kisses became deeper. His fingers slid along the buttons of my robe, releasing enough to move his hand underneath. My skin flamed where he touched me.
My stomach filled with fire. Then my ribs ignited—everywhere he touched.
And I knew, in my heart, I didn’t want to do this.
“Adam,” I breathed, trying to make my voice sound full of fire instead of full of air. “I—” His mouth fit against mine. Fire burned in my bloodstream.
What it said: Listen to your heart.
I pushed Adam away and drew a deep breath. “I don’t want to do this.”
He looked like I’d punched him with a fiery fist.
“Right now,” I added, trying to erase the hurt in his eyes. It still lingered there, but I just needed more time. I liked Adam—a lot. But I’d just met the guy—what? A couple of weeks ago? True, he made my bones melt with a simple look. But the memory of Hanai’s hand in mine, the tender pull in his voice, the way he carefully kissed me, still played in my mind.
The only other person I’d allowed this far into my life had chosen someone else. “I can sense the fire in you, Gabby. I could feel it in January,” echoed in my head. Even as Jarvis had kissed me in the forest, he’d known we couldn’t be together. He’d always known he wouldn’t choose me. That knowledge made our relationship feel so cheap. I’d often wondered if I’d meant anything to him at all.
I didn’t want to end up hating Adam the same way I loathed-yet-craved Jarvis. I glanced at him, desperate to explain without actually speaking.
Adam slid off the bed, turned his back toward me and ran his hands through his hair. I took the opportunity to stand and secure the buttons on my robe.
“You’ll have to choose,” he whispered. “A husband.”
He’d said it. The H-word. It slammed into me, buckling my knees and sending me back
to the bed.
He turned. A smile graced his handsome face. “I’m pretty sure Isaiah’s not on the market.” He glanced at the locked door. “But I know there’s something going on with you and Hanai.”
I couldn’t deny it, and I didn’t even try. Hanai had something Adam didn’t. Trustworthiness.
A pained looked crossed Adam’s face. “Cat’s in love with Isaiah.” He reached for my hand and pulled me closer. “And I’m in love with you.”
The L-word for real this time. Hot blazes, I thought, trying to sort through the conflicting sea of emotions raging inside. I shook my hand out of his, desperate to be alone.
See, relationships had never been on the horizon for me. I was going to be a teacher or a servant. And those types didn’t marry.
No one marries in Crylon. Except the female Elementals. My thoughts hissed in my head along with a conversation I’d had with Educator Graham just two days before she disappeared. She’d told me if I chose the Educator track, I’d never have to marry. I’d wondered then, as I did now, if I even wanted to get married.
I’d always arrived at maybe. If I found someone I loved. Then I would. I’d leave everything for him.
That’s what love was, right?
After class, I walked with Jarvis as the sun set. We didn’t talk, but let the leaves chatter in the whispering breeze. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I thought about leaving everything for someone.
A few months later, with Educator Graham gone and winter fully settled in Crylon, Jarvis had chosen Liz.
That’s when I realized that Jarvis loved being a Firemaker more than he loved me. That’s when I learned that sometimes loving someone wasn’t enough.
Flames erupted in my stomach at the thoughts of Jarvis. Hot, angry flames. “I hate that marriage rule,” I said.
“Hey, it’s not my fault.”
I crossed my arms. “So I have to marry you or Hanai, for, for what? So a man can control me? So the girls won’t screw everything up?”
Adam mirrored me, folding his arms tightly across his chest. “Okay, let’s go there. So you want me to pledge myself to you, but you don’t want to give anything in return?”
“Are you kidding me? I’m the Firemaker! Everyone pledges to me. And you know blazing well that I don’t expect you to be at my beck and call. It’s not like you’d be my servant. As your….” I couldn’t even say it. “If we were married, I’d be your property, your servant.”
He took a step forward. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Gabby.”
Neither would Hanai, I thought. “Oh, I get it. Because if a woman didn’t have a man telling her what to do she’d make bad choices. Is that it?”
Adam shook his head. “This is another one of those things I don’t care about, not really. But like you said in the cave the first night we met, it’s hard to overcome two centuries of time. And this is our law.”
“For now,” I said, silently vowing to ensure that female Elementals did not have to be married to serve on a Council.
Adam and I glared at each other, the silence screaming in the background. The defiance drained from Adam’s eyes. He took a slow step forward and trailed his fingers up my arm. “I’d really like to be your Airmaster, Gabriella. And whatever else you want.”
The air spiraled around me, crushing me into a tiny hole inside myself. I couldn’t stay in that room for another second. I spun toward the door, hot tears tumbling down my face. Sparks flew from my fingertips as I fumbled with the lock. My breath choked in my throat. The blazing lock wouldn’t turn.
Adam’s fingers brushed mine as he moved my hands away from the doorknob. He unlocked the door in a swift motion and pushed it open.
I met his gaze. What I saw in his eyes: Sadness and frustration accompanied by an edge of anger and wounded pride.
I didn’t know what he saw in mine. A blazing mess of a Firemaker? A blubbering girl? Someone he loved?
I pushed past him and fled down the hall.
An hour later, an impatient Davison summoned me to his conference room, where I found his entire Council seated around the table. One empty chair indicated where I should sit, so I slid into place and looked around the circle. I could only hope the puffiness around my eyes had receded enough.
“Gabriella, this is my Council.” Davison nodded to a man who sported brown skin, tight black curls, and even darker eyes. He made a fist with his right hand and placed it over his heart, but his eyes stayed hard and unrelenting. “Sergio Vargas, Earthmover.”
“I’m Airmaster Jones,” another man said, sweeping dark hair off his forehead. I couldn’t help but wonder if all Airmasters had the same devilish glint in their eyes. Jones grinned at me like he owned the world, much the same way Adam did. “I have a report for you about Mr. Adam Gillman’s whereabouts for the past thirty-six hours.”
“In a minute, Jones,” Davison said. He gestured to another man, whose gray hair hung over his shoulders in wisps. “My Unmanifested, Larry Stein.” With another wave of his hand, Davison indicated the woman on his left. Auburn ringlets hung down her back. Her emerald eyes pinned me with a look of…pity? Compassion? Jealousy?
“And Susanna Houston, Watermaiden and wife to Airmaster Jones.” She bowed her head in silent acknowledgement before turning her porcelain face to Davison.
His words ignited the furious inferno churning inside. So that’s how I’d be introduced from now on. “Gabriella Kilpatrick, Firemaker and wife to Airmaster Gillman.”
My first thought: No thank you.
My second: Hot blazes, there’s no way out of that. If it wasn’t “wife to Airmaster Gillman,” it would be “wife to the Unmanifested Hanai Tavar.”
At least for now.
“All of the Elementals have pledged to Gabriella,” Susanna said in her perfect Watermaiden tone. “Airmaster Gillman signed when he woke up this afternoon.” She slid a paper across the table to Davison.
He barely glanced at it before meeting my gaze again. “Airmaster Jones, please report on Mr. Gillman’s disappearance.”
The Airmaster brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I found him in an abandoned warehouse, unconscious and broken. He claims he does not know what happened, but the location is a known enemy hideout. The sentries from Tarpulin are often found there.”
“Not anymore, of course,” Davison said. “We’re clearing them from the city.”
“Of course,” Jones said. “Nevertheless, I believe he went willingly to the warehouse, but whether he knew what would happen to him there, I don’t know.”
“Did you find any Tarpulin sentries?” I asked. “Did you see his brother?”
“Adam was the only one present,” Jones said. “We don’t know how he got to the warehouse; he claims not to know.” He shuffled a few papers. “His report is here if you want to see it.” He held it toward me, so I took it. I ran my eyes down the length of it, pretending to read.
When I looked up, Davison asked, “Councilman Kilpatrick, do you accept the loyalty of your Council?”
The question felt weighted. Like a “yes” would be wrong, but so would a “no.”
I said nothing.
“Have you examined the document?” he asked.
I shook my head, determined not to show my nerves in front of the Councilman. Not again. The paper made its way around the table until Larry placed it in front of me.
I “examined” the rows and rows of letters I couldn’t read. At the bottom of the paper, I recognized the names of my Councilmembers. They’d each signed above their printed names. Hanai’s looked like a four-year-old had scratched out the letters, while the others were sweeping and majestic.
I closed my eyes, but the writing burned on my eyelids. “I can’t read,” I muttered.
“You need only fill in the name of your husband,” Davison said, without hearing my embarrassing declaration.
I coughed to hide the double embarrassment creeping into my face. “Husband?”
Only Susanna smiled. “Yes, dear. I be
lieve you have two choices. Catherine has already selected Earthmover Hawking as her husband.”
“You mean Watermaiden Browning has chosen Isaiah. Right?” No one missed the venom in my voice.
Davison settled back in his chair, a resigned look on his face. “Gabriella, we’ve discussed this. For now, this is our law.”
“It’s ridiculous,” I said. My emotions spiraled up, bringing a slow heat with them.
“Nevertheless, all Councils must abide by the rules if they wish to charter.”
“But Alex—”
Davison brought both fists down on the table and stood, his blue eyes filled with fury. “That woman is a disgrace to Firemakers everywhere. And Councilmen. She does not know how to lead the United Territories.”
I stood too, sending my chair scraping across the tiled floor. “And if she had a husband she’d be a better leader? A better Firemaker? A better Councilman?”
Davison’s jaw clenched along with his fists. “I believe—”
“You believe girls can’t do anything,” I spat. “Well, let me tell you something, Councilman. My fire obeys me the same way yours does. My Council consists of the same types of Elementals. Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t lead without a man by my side.”
Jones stood, his eyes still hard, and placed his hand on Davison’s arm. “Michael, this is exactly what we want. Let the girl say what she needs to say.”
Davison gestured for me to continue, but I didn’t miss the tightness in his jaw.
“The Supremist is controlling and harsh. And it’s not because she’s a woman,” I said. “Or because she’s unmarried. But because, perhaps, she’s had to fight people like you her whole life.”
I couldn’t believe I’d actually defended the woman who wanted me dead. But I meant it.
A vein twitched in Davison’s neck. He exchanged a glance with Jones before speaking. “Perhaps you are right, Councilman Kilpatrick. It matters not to me. If you want me to sponsor the charter for your Council, you’ll need to choose a husband and sign your name to the only contract we currently have.” He sighed, some of the fight leaving his body. “As I said earlier, things are changing, and I have no doubt you can do something about this law before your marriage will have to be finalized.”