Magic and Hellfire

Chapter Five: Restricted Books and Honest Looks

I had finished making Kade's hat in an hour. I sat staring at the fire after it was finished. Kade came back to the Pit after a couple of hours of me staring at the fire. At least I had changed my clothes. "Hey, I'm back." Ripping my eyes from the fire, I took everything to look at him. I had always found fire comforting. The fact that I was a witch and the history of witches being burned came to mind. It made me chuckle in the most twisted way. I would not even burn. Not that the fire here would be hot enough or even have enough power to burn me. I am one of the angels who defected when Lucifer Nightingale, my brother, decided to wage war against a tyrannical god that did not even want to give humans free will. I would take that leap a million times over if it meant freedom. I wish I could use the wings I had along my spine. I want to fly around the way I used to.

Kade sat down beside me. The motion and his smell brought me out of my thoughts. Kade smelled of Cedarwood, cinnamon, and black cherries. As soon as he sat down, he put his right ankle to his left knee bouncing his foot. "Can you not sleep?" Kade asked. "Sleep is difficult to get in a room full of girls that just want to know everything about you in all the details." He looked as uninterested in that as I was. "Do you know a place away from others where we can sleep? It would also be nice to talk a little more." I wanted to tell him who and what I was. I was not sure he'd believe me, but I didn't care. "I have the best place to hide away and sleep. Grab your blanket and meet me on the balcony that overlooks Central Hall. I will be waiting there for you." He looked extremely excited and proud of himself. "I can't wait to show you the best spot in the castle!" With that, he got up and walked away. I grabbed my blanket and a pillow for good measure. I grabbed my wand off my nightstand. I still do not understand how elder wood with a dragon heartstring could handle all the magic I produce. I had not even gotten a handle attachment for it. Picking it up, I felt the warmth in my fingers again. I walked to the balcony overlooking Central Hall, and Kade stood with his elbows on the railing. 'This boy is going to be the death of me. I want to see how he does it.' I thought to myself, even though I could not die. "Let's put that pillow and blanket in your pocket." I must have looked genuinely concerned. "I can put a temporary extending charm on your pocket for the sake of stealth." He then put an extending charm on my cloak pocket. We stuffed the pillow and blanket in my pocket. "Let's go. I can be sneaky." He grabbed my hand, and I could not help but feel the sparks as they spread from my hand up my arm. "Kade?" I asked, "How will we get past the prefects then?" He taught me the disillusionment charm. I walked quickly without being detected. We got into the library without any problems. I looked to see the Librarian sitting at her desk. "s**t," I heard to my left, "I thought she'd be gone by now!" Madam Books walked over to see what the trick of the light was. I backed up with every shuffle step Books took forward. I thought Kade had run off to save himself. I backed up into him, and his hand covered my mouth to stop the squeak that tried to escape my lips. Kade's free hand went around my waist. He pulled me closer to him with every step Books took. We slid down the wall silently, just in case. She put her hand out inches above our heads and touched the wall. "Pesky, is that you?" She screeched out. She shook her head and walked off. Kade removed his hand from my mouth. I let my head fall back into his shoulder. "Whoa! Are you okay, Lyra?" I was sitting in his lap at this point. Kade had ended his charm, and I could see how he was sitting. His right leg was bent with his knee leaning against the gate to the restricted section. His left leg was protectively bent around me. I looked up with my head still on his shoulder. "Can we not almost get caught again, Kade? I do not know how much more of this I can take." The look of concern on his face said enough. I breathed in, and his scent filled my senses with the biggest wave of calm. The smell of cedar, cinnamon, and black cherries always calmed me down, and now I knew why. Kade Hanlon was my soulmate. I hoped he liked my scent of vanilla, lilac, and hellfire.

He looked so protective and perfect at that moment. I wanted to kiss him so badly. I leaned into his neck instead. My forehead was resting on his cheek. I could hear his heart beating very fast in his neck. "Kade?" I asked. "Are you okay? Your heart is beating extremely fast." Kade just held me closer and breathed deeply in response. "As much as I love how close I am to you, I want to cuddle on something more comfortable for you. I could sleep in your lap if you wanted." My eyes were already trying to close on me. "You smell and feel like home." My tiredness was making my honesty less filtered. I could see that Kade was breathing my scent in. We sat there for what felt like hours. He looked down slightly, and I saw his desire written on his face. He wanted to kiss me just as much as I wanted to kiss him. I know that most ask the man of the family to date the girls. It was a tradition that made zero sense to me. "I want you to be mine more than anything in this world. I have known you in every life you've had. Please kiss me."

Kade leaned down but kissed my forehead instead of my lips. "Let us get you to bed. I want to kiss you too, but I think it would be better if we got to know each other better first." I sighed and then kissed his cheek. His face turned as red as the Lion House colour. "Kade, you are so cute, you know that?" My honesty fell out of my mouth before I could stop it. We got off the floor, and Kade picked me up and carried me to the room that would become our spot. He sat down with me still in his arms.

I knew I would not remember much since I was loopy from tiredness. I kissed Kade's cheeks and then his forehead. His nose looked kissable, too, so I just did it. I felt Kade lay both of us on our sides on the overstuffed couch. I instinctively snuggled into him, trying to fall asleep instantly. I heard everything he said next and almost cried because of how sweet he was being. I had to keep my breathing steady so he would not know I was awake. "I know you probably won't hear me since you're asleep, but I want to be honest with you, too. I think I am falling madly in love with you. You protected me and a town you did not have to protect. I want nothing more than to be enveloped in your smell. I want to kiss you, and it took everything in me not to run to you the minute I saw you in the Grand Hall for your Housing Ceremony, late, I might add." He chucked to himself as he kissed my forehead. "Now I understand why Matty would not stop talking about Luke Nightingale. She had to have known he was meant for her and vice versa. I now know that I was made for you. I want nothing more than to kiss you. I do not know if I'm in a good enough place to be in a relationship... To be honest, I don't think I'll ever be ready. I know I love you. Please be mine. I hope you can read between the lines. I'm a coward when it comes to you. I don't feel like I deserve you." He yawned and held me so tight it should have hurt, but it didn't. We both fell asleep listening to each other's breathing and heartbeats.

I dreamed of Kade and I flying together. I had allowed myself to use my wings. I gave Kade's broom a run for its use. We laughed as I grabbed him off the broom by his waist. I was flapping my wings harder to adjust for the added weight. Landing gently, he turned to see the wings protruding from my back. Kade looked at mine with a curious look on his face. "Would it be wrong of me to touch them?" He asked. "No, it's not wrong. But be warned, Kade Hanlon, don't start something you can't finish." His hand reached out and touched my wings. My face gave me away. I couldn't help the way my body reacted to his touch. "If you keep this up, I'll have to get your wings out and show you what this does to me." I wanted to graze my hands on his slowly developing wings. "Kade, I love you." I held him close and kissed him. My wings surrounded both of us in a protective desire.

I woke up still feeling the kiss on my lips. I knew it was still early enough that Kade wouldn't be awake for at least thirty minutes. I studied his face. He looked so peaceful. I wanted to feel the kiss on my lips once more. I leaned in, and Kade began talking in his sleep. "Lyra, I love you too." His arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer. His body shifted and kissed me. I melted into him. Kade seemed to melt with me. His eyes opened when I kissed his nose. He shot up, surprised. "I'm sorry, Lyra." That was all he said to me. "If I overstepped, I apologize." I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than he let on. I just sat up on the couch. He ran out of the room. I couldn't understand why he ran. I started crying without really understanding the tears falling down my cheeks. The sobs began before I could stop them. Kade must have come in to grab his robe and tie. I felt his presence, and then it was gone just as quickly. I'll have to ask Matty what happened later. I thought. "What did I do?!?" I screamed.

Everything was forced away from me in a three-foot-wide circle. I was glad a noise-cancelling spell was used in this room. I found a jug of water and a basin. I washed my face off the best I could. The now broken mirror showed how old I looked when I cried like this. I looked a thousand years old. Being an angel had its benefits, but immortality was a double-edged sword. One moment, I could look like a 16-year-old; other times, I could look my age. I was as old as time itself. It didn't matter how many times I had been reborn. I always remembered everything that happened in those lives. I always found Kade and Raegan, Cole and Matty, and I always knew where my brother was. I never knew what to expect when It came to Kade, Raegan, Cole, Liam or Matty. I took my wand out and repaired everything in the room before going to the Grand Hall to find Matty.