Playing with Fire #1 ✔

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨

Sunlight streamed through the open blinds that I forgot to close the night before — slowly waking me up. Dust particles danced in the sunlight, and I felt the room warm a little as the winter sun crept in.

As my room got brighter and my senses awakened, I realised that Ember lying next to me with her head and hand resting on my bare chest. Her light weight resting upon me had been hardly noticeable and she'd been sleeping peacefully beside me.

"How did you get here?" I mumbled to her sleepily, stroking her hair as she too stirred.

"The back door." She smiled sleepily. "Happy birthday, Theo."

"Thanks." I smiled back; glad she was with me. I'd wanted so long for her to wake up next to me, with the sun rising, and there she was.

"You can learn how to drive a car now you're 17." She propped herself up on her elbows and wiped her eyes with one hand.

I shook my head back at her, still smiling, "I already know how to drive."

"What?" She exclaimed, sitting up. "How come you already know how to drive?"

"You can start learning to drive in Montana when you're almost 15 — and you can get your driver's license pretty soon after that too," I explained with a smile on her face at her surprise.

"I don't believe you." She shook her head persistently.

"Google it," I fired back.

"Fine, I will," she retorted, grabbing her phone – ever feisty, ever fiery. "Damn it." She sighed. "You're right."

I smirked back at her and kissed her forehead. "I'm always right."

"You're so not." She frowned back indignantly.

"How are you after yesterday?" I asked her, touching the side of her head where it had been bleeding.

"I'm surprisingly fine." She replied, before moving on as she read from her phone — "Let's see what else you can do when you're 17... You can drive most vehicles and pilot a helicopter or plane, become a blood donor, be interviewed by the police without an adult present and leave your body for medical study if you die. How exciting!" She ended sarcastically.

"First of all, I wouldn't want to pilot a plane or a helicopter. Second, I couldn't become a blood donor or leave my body for a medical study – my werewolf genes would just freak people out." I shrugged. "And hopefully, I'll never have to be interviewed by the police."

"Oh, there's something else here that you can do..." She added, with a frown crinkling her forehead, "You can no longer be subject to a care order... Does that mean that —?"

"Yep," I interrupted her, "It means I don't have to live with Neal and Lis anymore."

Hell yeah: protective custody — goodbye!

"So," I continued, "I'll be able to go look for my pack without needing their permission. Though I do need to find some money for a plane ticket... and food..." I trailed off; damn, I haven't been thinking about the money aspect of things.

"About that, Theo," Ember began, drawing my attention back to her, "I made a deal with my mum... I'm going to Svalbard sooner than the Christmas holidays."

"What?" I frowned; Storm neglected to mention that.

"After you told me the plan, I told my mum everything, and she helped me with control so that I could use enough of my powers to get rid of Victoria and the hunters." She sighed, looking down at her hands. "And in return, I go to Svalbard early, and stay for longer."