The Curse ✔️

Chapter 37: Rendezvous

Leon grabbed my arm, leaving a burning trail on my skin, and pulled me out of the smoke's way. Dumbfounded, I ran after him, knowing we had mere seconds before being discovered. In the distance, I could hear my father's enraged cry, as well as the much closer sound of the smoke alarm.

"Faster!" Leon kept dragging me.

I took off my heels and handed them to him, then ran as fast as my limbs allowed me. Adrenaline pumped through me, strong and persistent, pushing my body to its absolute limits. Suddenly, the entire Academy came alive. Shouts and protests followed us even as we left the main building through the backdoor and ran across the lawn.

"Stop it." I said, out of breath. "Stop the fire."

"It's gone!" He shouted, his hand still wrapped around my wrist, "It dies out when I get too far!"

Once we reached the wall of the boys' building, and were close enough to the party, I stopped him.

"Wait, wait." My breaths were short and ragged. "I think we're far away now."

Fuck, I was out of shape.

All students were still out in the backyard. The happy shrieks gave way to surprised and worried murmurs. Teachers marched around, approaching the main building with resolve, like they finally had a culprit they stood a chance against.

Leon brushed the sweaty strands of hair off his face and leaned against the wall, "Do you think he felt us?"

I shook my head, "I don't think he had time. He had to stop the fire in his office."

The moment I said it, I burst out laughing. The adrenaline was still pumping through me, and the energy building up inside had nowhere to go, so it hit straight into my nerves. Leon's lips spread into a grin.

I covered my mouth with my hand, "You lit my dad's office on fire."

"What? He's a jackass."

Another bubbly laughter left my lips, but Leon shushed me.

"Come on." He said under his breath. "We still have to pretend like we were at the party all along."

I was still grinning, but spread out my hand, "Shoes."

"Oh, right." He glanced at the heels in his hand and handed them to me, eyes quickly jumping to my wrist, the tattooed one. "Sorry about that."

There was a red mark in the shape of a hand on my wrist, wrapping neatly over the tattoo. The mark of his fire. It tingled, but wasn't completely uncomfortable.

I took my heeled boots, "You have an element."

Leon shrugged.

"And you didn't tell anybody."

"Ah, elementals." He chuckled. "They have all these extra classes, I just couldn't do it."

He took out a pack and put one cigarette between his lips. I just stared as the tip of his finger lit up with fire and he breathed in the thick smoke. The back of his head leaned against the wall and sweat trickled down the side of his face, sliding to his Adam's apple. He didn't mind the heat.

"Come on." He exhaled and pushed himself off the wall. "Before we get caught."

Without a word, I took his hand and followed him to the middle of the crowd, where confused and shocked students gathered on the lawn before the boys' building. Hushed questions and comments buzzed around us, but Leon just smoked his cigarette, as casual as ever, like he hadn't just set the Vice Mage's office on fire.

For a second, my mind was clear, free from the lust charm's grip, and I saw exactly why I liked him. I liked the chaos, the unpredictability, the aloofness. Not a care in the world, that one, with his hidden elemental power and his cigarettes and his arrogance.