Fire of Life (Fiery Soul Series Book 1)

Chapter 22

After an exhausting day setting up for a swim meet, Rebecca decides to put on a short black dress to go out. Nothing extraneous, but a place to blow off steam and clear her head. After Tracy informed her that Bria is okay, tonight is about relaxing before swimming her heart out tomorrow.

She looks in the mirror, finishes styling her hair, and checks her makeup to ensure it's perfect. A quiet evening, but she never knows how it will progress at an LGBT-friendly social spot, where her hair can come down.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Bria said good things about it as an employee. The Darling Moonshine entices Rebecca, but she's been nervous about mingling with other students due to the school's lack of protection. However, the time has come for her to stop repressing who she really is.

Suddenly, the positive mood ends when Neil kicks open the door and storms in like he owns the place. The bully tactics cause her to jump, but the toxic attitude makes her ill, so she marches right up to him and crosses her arms.

"Get out!"

As typical behavior from him, he stares into her eyes, and the strong suggestion enters her mind. Voices come into her thoughts that tell her to follow him, but something blocks it. In a swift movement, she blasts pepper spray into his face.

"I said, get out!"

Surprised by her resistance, he stares at her, but she doesn't care. She's tired of people using her like a doormat and wants slimeballs like Neil to leave her space. The confusion turns into malevolence and grabs her by the hair faster than she could react. Her expression changes to pain with his vice grip as he drags her out of the room. The other ladies in the hall don't come to her aid, which makes her wonder what he has on them.

***

Back at the Wilde Estate, Eric wakes up from a long nap and looks around the room. The bed has a slight crease beside him, which suggests that someone was there. More than that, an aura residue of Bria laying by his side appears and causes his curiosity to run. Then, the butcher knife on the floor makes it run wild.

Then, he feels that same stare as he did the moment first entered the Darling Moonshine, which emanates from Fio, who sits in a chair with legs crossed. Her vivid green eyes stand out, but he notices in the darkness that the cat-like pupils are still there. Given everything he's seen, his mind wanders about what could those be, if not contacts.

"Um?"

"Mind out of the gutter."

The quickness of her snarky response causes him to stumble, causing her to grin. While she could be playful like her sister, a test of the young man's will tells her everything she needs to know. After all, a mancer's guardian is not a light responsibility, and she prides herself on being the harshest trainer there is. However, she also notices how Bria acts around men and seems to respond very differently towards him. Therefore, she wants to make sure he's worthy of such affection.

The butcher knife lies on the floor for his first test. Things can go crazy in their world, and she needs to know that he can handle it, either as a guardian or as Bria's significant other. How he deals with her friend's attempt to murder him will tell her quite a bit about the quality of the man.

"Oh, Bria made an attempt on your life."

Although Bria wasn't in her right mind, the information often causes revulsion in lesser people before getting the facts. Instead of him bulking, the expressions on his face tells her that he's working through the reason why she would've done so, which causes Fio to give a wry grin. Although he did sort of passed her first test, there is no way she is giving him the satisfaction of knowing that right away, so she stands up.