I went to Rafael's training the following day.We were now focusing on how to control the blast and get the flames to flow where I wanted them to. I was able to summon my fire with ease.I was nothing more than a blazing ball of fire that exploded everywhere at the time.Rafael was having me start our meetings with reflection.He stated that learning to control my heart's chaos was the key to controlling the flame's chaos.I needed to be able to control my feelings and use my power with complete confidence.With our arms at our sides and legs crossed, we sat in silence.I was unable to focus as we counted to a certain number while taking in and exhaling deeply through our mouths.I was still terrified from the Dragos nightmare, and my mind spun with questions about the Emerald Tablet.The dream seemed like a vision or a warning.I couldn't shake the eerie sensation in my soul that I felt there was more to it.I was close to being discovered by Dragos.Since a woman's intuition is never wrong, my

I arrived on top of him.Despite my efforts to knock him down, my breasts heaved because my legs were still encircling him.Rafael's eyes became hazy, and when a drop of sweat fell onto his lips from the tip of my nose, his tongue flicked out and slowly licked it."Do you yield?"My words sounded a lot like a moan, and I said them.Ivan ran in when the training door opened before anything else did.Given our compromising position, his face frozen and his jaw dropped.When Ivan saw Rafael and me in our current position, his eyes pierced into me.Because I was straddling him and we were only wearing our clothes, it must have looked like we were about to have an affair.As my eyes raced between Rafael and Ivan, I stuttered.I rapidly jumped off Rafael as I surged towards Ivan.As my heart began to race with fear, I quickly stated, "It's not what it looks like."Ivan scoffed and folded his arms across his chest.Are you certain of that?”He asked sarcastically as he nodded in Rafael's direction.R

Valerian’s handprints were engraved in the steering wheel as his knuckles turned white from his grip. He exhaled with frustration as I recoiled against the passenger door with bulging eyes. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he pursed his lips. The black veins in his neck throbbed as he became consumed in jealousy, or so I assumed.“Mire, I know nothing happened. I trust you.” He stayed facing forward, unable to look at me or release his grasp. “It’s just hard given my past with Rafael. Even though I know you didn’t do anything wrong, seeing you like that with him still hurts. He manipulated you into developing feelings for him once before. I couldn’t handle it if it were to happen again.”I felt my heart shatter from his statement. I had put him through so much pain, intentionally and unintentionally, and yet he still trusted me. He was just afraid to lose me.I gently reached for him and slowly pried his hands from the steering wheel. I interlocked his fingers with mine and brought

Valerian read my mind. “There is no sign of either of them. It seems they were taken for questioning, and the only good news is that we can assume that they are still alive.”I nodded and felt a lump in my throat. “Probably not for long. Their fates will be sealed once Dragos discovers that they really have no magic.”“They will be tortured, Mire,” Valerian said, “and we can also assume, that at some point, they will break and give up your name. We need to get out of here quickly.”I nodded my understanding, but I needed a minute. I walked past Dennis’s corpse and towards the staircase. I ran my hand along the walls, trying to visualize the beauty of that old place and marvelling at how it had died so much in such a short time.I didn’t stop at my old room, I walked right past to Aleksei’s door. His room was in the same shape as the rest of the house, and he obviously had been taken. “My frail Aleksei,” I thought, “this cannot be the end.” I sat down on his bed and tried hard to focus

Valerian nodded at everyone. “Any more questions?”“Just one,” said one of the brothers. “What happens if either team one or two gets caught?”“If either team one or two fail to turn up at the mansion by sunset tomorrow, team three will have to launch a mission to find and rescue everyone else.” Valerian paused and watched everyone’s faces, lingering for a moment on mine. “For this reason, team three will be tasked with the toughest task here, and they will also have the most numbers.”I got increasingly terrified as this plan unfolded, but the rest of the team members seemed completely at ease. “They’ve probably fought a lot of dangerous battles together,” I thought as I struggled to reign in my fears. Who knows, maybe a few years from then, I too would be unfazed as we geared up for some new mission.“So who goes where?” I asked.“Ivan,” Valerian began, “you are Team A. You will follow the first track to return to the castle. While there, confirm whether Ysanne is being held there a