BURNING FATE

A Figure Of Speech

Ember's POV

Soft.

That was the first thing I felt.

A strange softness beneath me... velvet, maybe? And warmth. Not the scorching kind that scorches skin, but something more intimate. A slow-burning heat that curled around me like a blanket.

I blinked my eyes open slowly.

The ceiling above wasn't mine. High, elegant, painted in hues of dusky gold and grey. The faint scent of cedar and rain lingered in the air, mingling with something darker. Clean. Masculine. Unfamiliar.

I must've sat up too quickly. The world tilted, and I gasped softly.

"Easy," came a low voice.

And just like that, my heart skipped.

He was here.

Raegan Drayke.

Sitting across the room in a deep armchair, sleeves rolled to the elbows, fingers steepled beneath his chin. His eyes were unreadable, but his posture wasn't cold. Not tonight. Tonight, he looked still. Like a storm on the verge of breaking, or passing.

"Mr. Drayke..." I whispered, breath catching. How am I here? My mind spun with confusion as I took in the luxurious bed, the unfamiliar space. Is this his room? Of course it is. Who else could it belong to?

Questions tumbled in my head, but none made it past my lips.

"I..." I began, then faltered. "Where am I?"

Of all things, that was the question I asked? I wanted to sink into the sheets and disappear.

"My home," he said simply.

"How..." I stuttered.

He sighed softly, rising from his chair. The way his muscles moved beneath the fabric of his shirt made my breath hitch. He crossed the room with quiet confidence and came to sit beside me, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"If you're done gawking," he murmured, a trace of amusement in his voice.

I stared at him, mouth slightly open, and he smiled, faint, but real, before gently lifting my chin with two fingers and closing my mouth.

"You look tense."

"I've never been this close to you," I blurted, then immediately clapped a hand over my mouth in horror.

He chuckled, low and warm. What is even happening?

"Ember," he said my name like it was a secret only he knew how to say. It made my nerves spark and my heart flutter.

Something flickered in his eyes. A brief gleam. Was it just the light? Or was my mind still foggy?

He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he muttered a quiet curse under his breath and looked at me with an intensity that made my throat tighten.

"Please don't make this harder than it already is," he said softly.

"Let's figure out what happened first."

I nodded, too dazed to argue.

"What do you remember?" he asked. "Before you fainted?"

I looked down, and only then noticed the light bandages wrapped around my hands. How had I missed that?

The memories were scattered. Smoke. Panic. The child's terrified eyes.

And something else.

A glow. Not from the fire. Something more... impossible.

I looked up at him, heart racing. "The boy... is he okay?"

Raegan nodded. "He's safe. With his mother."

"You saved him, Ember. You ran into the fire."

His voice was low, but sharp beneath the calm.

Relief surged through me. I sank back against the cushions, my body finally giving in to the exhaustion.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I was there. I'd come to meet someone. Never expected to find you running straight into the flames." Something flickered in his gaze... was it fear?

"Thank you," I whispered. "For bringing me here. I don't remember much after..."

"You passed out," he said. "I didn't want to wait for the medics. So I brought you here. To my home."

His voice was steady. Too steady.

I studied him quietly. There was something off in his stillness. He looked like he was waiting... watching for something. A reaction. An answer.

"Did I... do anything?" I asked slowly.

He didn't reply right away. His eyes lingered on mine, full of some conflict he didn't quite name.

"No," he said at last. "You didn't."

But he was lying.

Something had happened.

I felt it. Not just in my body, but in my bones. Something had woken up.

And now, in his presence, it was harder to think. He always had that effect on me, unraveling my focus without trying.

I shifted slightly, brushing my fingers through my hair. "I should call Sia. She was there. She must've been terrified when I disappeared."

"She's here," Raegan said, rising to his feet. "In the other room. You scared her."

A pause.

"You scared me."

The words escaped him before he could stop them.

I looked up, startled.

Before I could say anything, the door creaked open, and Sia slipped in, barefoot and wide-eyed, holding two mugs of tea.

"Oh, thank God," she breathed, hurrying to me. "You're awake."

Raegan stepped aside silently, moving toward the window.

But I felt it.

His eyes never truly left me.

Not once.

Sia hurried to my side, setting the tea mugs down before her fingers wrapped around mine like a lifeline.

"You scared the hell out of me," she whispered, her brows knit, lips pressed into a trembling line. "I turned around for one second and you were gone. Do you know what that did to me?"

"I'm sorry," I murmured, guilt curling in my chest, chased by an unfamiliar warmth. "I didn't mean to worry you."

She brushed the hair back from my forehead, her touch feather-light, like she feared I might break. "You did more than worry me, Ember. You ran into a burning building. And then you vanished. It was like..." Her voice faltered. "Like the world swallowed you whole."

The intensity in her voice startled me. It wasn't just a concern. It was deeper. Heavier. Like something older than friendship had cracked open inside her.

I tilted my head, searching her face. "Sia... are you okay?"

She offered a too-bright smile. "I am now that you're safe. That's what matters."

But her eyes betrayed her. She wasn't okay. And she was definitely hiding something.

Before I could press her, a low voice cut through the room.

"That's enough, Sia."

Raegan stood by the doorway, his presence commanding as ever, but his tone wasn't unkind.

"You've been awake longer than any of us. You need rest."

Sia hesitated. "But..."

"I'll take care of her," he said firmly. "I promise."

Their eyes met, and something unspoken passed between them. Familiarity. Understanding. It gripped me unexpectedly, squeezing my heart with a sharp pang of jealousy.

How did they know each other? And all those sly remarks Sia made at the café about me being into Raegan? Was she teasing me, or warning me?

"I'll check on you in the morning," Sia said softly.

She gave my hand one last squeeze before stepping out, the door closing behind her with a quiet click.

I stared after her, as if the door itself held answers I couldn't reach. I didn't even notice when Raegan moved closer, sitting beside me and reaching for the mugs.

"Drink this," he said gently. "Sia brought chamomile to help you relax."

I took the cup, careful not to touch him, and sipped quietly, trying to shove the jealousy down. It was ridiculous. Right?

He took a sip from his own mug, eyes watching me over the rim. "What are you thinking?"

I didn't mean to say it out loud, but the words slipped out anyway. "You and Sia... you seemed like you knew each other."

He chuckled. "We just met tonight. She was truly worried. Poor fae."

"Fae?"

He waved a hand. "Just a figure of speech."

"Right," I said, arching a brow. "Like dragons and faes are a new trend now?"

His eyes twinkled. "Dragons?"

I shrugged. "It was Sia. She mentioned dragons at the café. Said it was a figure of speech."

That did it. He laughed. Deep and unguarded, making my cheeks heat up.

"What's so funny?" I asked, already regretting bringing it up.

"Nothing," he said, still smiling. "Although... I think I smell a little jealousy."

My breath hitched. "I... what?"

"If it's about Sia and me," he said, voice dropping just slightly, "Darling, you've got nothing to be jealous of."

I turned my head sharply to look at him, stunned into silence.

The word slipped from his mouth like it belonged there. Like he didn't even realize he'd said it... except, he did. He looked at me then, straight into me, and didn't take it back.

He gently took the mug from my hands before rising.

"Get some rest, Ember," he said, his voice lower now. "We'll talk in the morning."

Then he turned and walked out, closing the door softly behind him with a final click that felt far too loud in the silence he left behind.

None of this made sense.

The adrenaline from the fire. Waking up in Raegan Drayke's bed. Sia's overwhelming worry. Raegan's strange mix of distance and closeness.

But I'd get answers in the morning. Hopefully. After I could think straight. After my body stopped aching and my brain caught up with my heart.

So I did the only thing I could.

I pulled the sheets over my shoulders and closed my eyes.

Let sleep take me.