“You could make this easier by coming out,” I said.
He shook his head slightly then stepped back.
“Playing hard to get isn’t attractive for any gender,” I said under my breath.
There was no one waiting to open the door. This time, I had to knock and wait in the cold.
When Mrs. Quill answered, surprise showed on her face.
“Hello, Megan. I didn’t think we’d be seeing you for a while,” she said, inviting me inside with a wave.
“Yeah, about that,” I said when I was out of the cold. “This whole forced separation thing isn’t working for me. I’m here to see Oanen.”
“I’m sorry, Megan, but I can’t allow that.”
“Oh, you can; you’re just choosing not to. Perhaps, if you could tell me the real reason why?”
“We’re concerned that your time together is hindering your progress.”
“Progress toward what?”
“Control.”
“See, I disagree. What’s hindering my progress is any lack of guidance, like I said last night. And I would like to believe that you, Mr. Quill, and Adira are unable to guide me because you lack the knowledge. However, I’ve seen Adira’s files and the Academy’s censored library and feel pretty confident that you three are purposely keeping information from me. Do you know what some people believe?” I asked, already feeling my inner fury stir as it had done at home when I’d thought this through.
“Some people believe that omission is as great a sin as an outright lie. And, in my book, sinner means wicked.”
I embraced the change this time and knew the moment my eyes started to glow.
“I’m tired of being a pawn. Of being lied to. The gods control enough of my life already. I’m not giving more control of it over to anyone else. The Council has two choices. Let me leave Uttira or keep me but leave me in peace.”
A cold chill crossed my back, and I turned just in time to catch Adira’s wrist before her hand could touch me.
She winced and pulled back quickly, cradling her burned skin.
“You should know not to touch a fury when she’s angry,” I said, my voice already taking on a deeper echo.
“Megan, you need to control yourself,” she said calmly.
I smiled, and it wasn’t nice.
“I don’t think so. Controlling myself would benefit you, not me. I think I need to let go.”
Adira paled, and Mrs. Quill quickly stepped around me to stand beside her sister.
“We were wrong to try to keep Oanen from you. He’s upstairs,” she said as she reached out to press a speaker button near the door.
“Oanen, you have a visitor.”
I briefly wondered why they were giving me what I wanted so easily.
“I expected more from you,” Adira said. “And far less attitude.”
“Why would you think I would have less attitude given the way you’ve treated me?”
“Because you were raised as a human.”
I snorted.
“Human teenagers have enough attitude that most parents wish there were late-life adoption options. Don’t judge all humans based on what you see in Uttira. Don’t expect far less attitude from a teenage fury. Expect more.”
Mrs. Quill reached out and touched her sister’s arm, and they both disappeared in a portal.
I looked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Oanen walked down, his gaze never leaving mine. I crossed my arms and studied him. He looked burned, again, but not as badly as I had imagined. Just a red face and singed eyebrows. Nothing that would have kept him in bed.
My anger continued to rise. Not at Oanen, but at Adira and the rest of the Council.
“I have to ask. What hold did the Council have over you that kept you from coming to me?”
“My mark,” he said after a moment.
Although I’d figured they’d been blackmailing him with something, I hadn’t thought that. He’d never mentioned wanting his mark so much that he’d give me up for it. Hurt speared me.
“Why is your mark so important?”
He didn’t answer until he reached the bottom step where he stayed at least fifteen feet away from me.
“Because of you. Your house is almost always vacant. Furies don’t live in Uttira. At least, not if they can help it. And, from what I’ve gathered, no one else wants furies living in Uttira either. That means, at some point, you’re going to get your mark.”
I considered him for a moment, letting his words and his meaning sink in.
“And without your mark, you think I’d just leave you behind when I got mine?”
“Something like that.”
“I don’t think this bonding thing works like that. Less than twenty-four hours without hearing from you, and I was going crazy.”
“How crazy?” he asked, his lips twitching.
“Like level-cities-to-find-you crazy or at least rip-off-Adira’s-hidden-fairy-wings-to-find you crazy.”
He chuckled.
“You seem to have a thing with ripping off wings.”
“Apparently. Must be in my blood.”
“She doesn’t really have wings, you know.”
“Whatever. Am I cool enough to approach yet?”
He glanced down at my feet. “Floor’s still trying to burn.”
I looked down and saw the spreading scorch marks around me.
“If I go outside to try to cool off, will I need to come back in to save you again?”
“No. I think you’ve made your point, and they’ll leave us alone.”
“For now.” I sighed and moved for the door. “I’ll be back.”
Outside, I walked around, having fun melting the snow and blackening the grass underneath. After I finished writing “Furies should not play with fire” on the Quills’ front lawn, I knew I could go back inside. It had taken me three passes to get the word fire dark enough.
Smiling to myself, I jumped a little when I turned around and saw Oanen right there.
“My mom sent me out to tell you she feels you’ve suitably learned your lesson about playing with fire and can stop writing.”
“She doesn’t really believe I was doing this to punish myself, does she?”
“No.”
I glanced at the house.
“I don’t know much about this boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but I do know I’m supposed to get your parents to want to like me. I completely went the opposite way in there.”
“Don’t worry. They do like you.” He glanced at my creation on the lawn. “Feel better?”
“Are we talking temperature or vengeance?”
“Both.”
“Then, yes.”
“Good.” He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him in return, relishing the feel of his hold. It seemed like forever since we’d touched, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it and craved it until now.
He brushed back a bit of my hair and pressed a kiss to my temple. The fire that had gone mostly dormant flared, and I quickly stepped out of his hold.
Fenris’ question about how I would put out a fire echoed in my head again. I hated that I needed Oanen so much but couldn’t touch him or be touched like I wanted.
“Are you free to leave the house again?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Good because I want to go somewhere and try something.”
“That sounds scarily vague.”
I grinned and led the way to the car. Once we were inside, I opened all the windows before starting the engine. I didn’t trust myself to stay calm.
“Are you going to give me any hints?” he asked when we reached the main road.
“Not yet. If I think about it too much, it’ll get hot in here.”
“I’m intrigued.”
His tone was making my insides warmer by the second.
“Cut it out.”
I forced my thoughts away from what I was going to propose. When I’d come up with the idea at home this morning, I’d almost melted the fridge handle.
It only took us a few minutes to reach the Academy.
“Are we breaking in again?” he asked.
“If we have to but not to get into Adira’s office. The pool this time.”
We got out and tried the student door. It was locked. I led the way around to the side where I’d found the open window before, and we climbed through. This time no one floated on the surface of the pool.
“All right,” Oanen said once he stood beside me. “Now what?”