Breaker of Rings

Chapter 22

Fire was more than Bex's element. It was a constant companion, a valuable resource, as much a part of her as her body. It coloured her hair and left her cold and affected every aspect of her life, and she thought she knew everything there was to know about flames. But she had never experienced flames like these. They swirled around her and Seth like silken scarves, undulating like waves, and for a dangerous moment, she was riveted. In hindsight, she knew Seth easily could have slain her in that instant, but the all-encompassing beauty of the flames simply had to be absorbed.

"What are you doing?" Bex demanded, watching the fire dance in Seth's dark eyes. "They have to be able to see us. Otherwise the Skull King won't honour the terms—"

"Win or lose, he has no intention of honouring them. You must know that." Flames dripped down Seth's hands like sweat, sparking futilely against the ground; Bayley and Roman must have enchanted the entire circle, not just the perimeter.

"I know my sisters are out there," Bex replied, curling her hands into fists of flame. "And I know they're counting on me." She aimed a punch at Seth's gut, but he spun away before it could connect. "Fight me, dammit!" Her momentum almost knocked her into the wall of flames and she was careful not to cross the earthen barrier.

"You said you didn't want to kill me," Seth reminded her, sounding strangely sad. "I don't want to hurt you either."

She didn't know what possessed her to do so, but Bex reached out and touched the flickering wall. The flames were deliciously warm to the touch and she moved her hand through the fire as if she were swimming. It was no hotter than sun-warmed water, soothing and calm. "We need to fight," she insisted. "There's too much at stake. For both of us.""

Behind her, the wall of fire wavered a bit, creating small gaps like a monster's multitude of eyes, opening and closing. Through one, she could see Hunter, fuming at the obstruction; Charlotte's face filled another, taut with hope. "I won't hurt you. I need you to survive so you can help Roman."

There had been nothing in the terms that Bex could recall about battling to the death, but she knew the Skull King wouldn't be satisfied with a symbolic victory. Someone would have to shed some blood at the very least. "I want to help both of you, you fool!"

Surprise made Seth's control flicker, and the wall of fire stretched thin. "The Scottish king . . . he said Roman and I would be released from our service. . . ."

"If I win," Bex snarled. She couldn't believe someone who was part of a group called The Shield could be so inept when it came to terms of combat. "If we're just dancing around in a circle, the Skull King doesn't even have to pretend to honour the terms." She darted in again and swept his knees out from under him. For an instant, the wall of flames dropped completely, and even when he was able to recast it, it was thinner than before.

"Roman has something to go home to. Family, a wife, children. I have nothing," Seth confessed, scrambling back to his feet. When Bex spun a web of flames, he avoided most it, but it tangled in his left arm was ensnared, making his cuff sizzle.

"So find something!" Bex urged, dropping the threads of the web so she could launch another attack. The wall was coalescing again, and she needed to keep him distracted. "Make something! Roman found a woman to love! He had kids—"

Seth swooped forward suddenly and Bex gloved her hands in fire, ready to be hit—and then to hit back. She wasn't ready, however, for the kiss, and it made her hands flare into fountains of flame. All the warmth and wonder of his flames were echoed in his kiss, from the way his fingertips felt like sparks against her neck to the solid heat of his other arm around her waist, lifting her onto her toes.