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Authors: Elizabeth Lapthorne
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lit his match and
passed the box to Josh. All three together lowered their lit matches to a different
edge of the folder and set it alight.
Kiera shivered as the air became strangely heavy and
oppressive.
In her imagination she could clearly hear the papers
screaming as they caught on fire. The folder and desiccated pages quickly began
to smolder and burn. Kiera caught a quick look at her partner and he looked
unnaturally grim, another glance next to her and Hayden looked equal parts
determined and haunted. She recalled about his partner, Ben, and felt her heart
twist at what mingled thoughts Hayden must be contemplating.
Thin curls of smoke began to rise as the grimoire and folder
ignited, burning hotter and more quickly now, curling in on itself as the pages
blackened and turned to ash.
When the manuscript was blackened and still smoldering Kiera
stood up and crossed over to the window. She lifted the heavy glass and frame
open so the thin tendrils of smoke could not set off the smoke detectors. In
utter silence they watched as the manuscript burned into nothing but hot ashes.
Silently for a number of minutes the two wizards watched the
ashes as they slowly cooled down, none of them speaking a single syllable. When
the smoke had stopped and the entire document and folder were nothing but
charred, cool ash Hayden turned and walked to the window. As he reached his
hands up high to pull the window closed, Kiera called out hastily,
“No, Hayden, wait!”
Hayden paused and turned his head to look curiously at her.
Kiera crossed back to the table and scooped up the ashes into her hands.
Pedantically she brushed the table down until she was positive she had
collected every last scrap of what used to be the ritual. Then she walked back
to Hayden, stood beside him by the window and thrust her hand out.
“Good idea,” Josh spoke softly. Hayden agreed with a small
noise of assent.
With a final glance at Hayden their eyes met and connected
again with a ferocious intensity. His gaze was such a dark brown it bordered on
black. Pain, worry, anguish and the faintest trace of hope all shone in his
expressive eyes. Kiera’s heart turned over and in that moment she knew she fell
a little in love with this magical wizard.
Hayden nodded without a word and Kiera slowly opened her
hand, turning the palm down so the handful of worthless char could scatter and
be caught by the wind, lifted and spread out across the city of Chicago.
In seconds it was done, the action completely and utterly
irreversible. The manuscript had been burned, its ashes scattered across the
corners of downtown Chicago. Even had they—or anyone else—wanted to retrieve
the document it was now completely impossible.
“Now that’s something you don’t do every day,” Kiera said
with a deep, slightly shaky breath.
“What?” Josh replied huskily. He cleared his throat and
amended, “Defy the Tribunal?”
“Not just defy the Tribunal,” she countered, “but burn one
of their dark documents into tiny particles of ash and scatter it to the four
winds.”
“Not bad for a day’s work,” Hayden said with the faintest
trace of amusement and pride. Kiera threw a small smile over her shoulder to
the scruffy, sexy wizard and grinned at him. There was a naughty twinkle of
amusement in his eye as she tried to suppress the fit of giggles that
threatened her.
“Yeah,” she said slightly more confidently. “Not bad at
all.”
Chapter Four
Hayden made a cup from his hands, held them under the
running faucet. When the cold water overflowed, he lifted it to his face,
splashing himself, and lowered his palms to collect more. He repeated the
exercise a few times, drawing in deep lungfuls of air in between. The men’s
bathroom was thankfully empty at this late hour. He was grateful for the chance
to have a moment alone, to collect his thoughts and try to sort himself out.
It had been a most unusual evening, even for him.
What the hell was he thinking?
passed the box to Josh. All three together lowered their lit matches to a different
edge of the folder and set it alight.
Kiera shivered as the air became strangely heavy and
oppressive.
In her imagination she could clearly hear the papers
screaming as they caught on fire. The folder and desiccated pages quickly began
to smolder and burn. Kiera caught a quick look at her partner and he looked
unnaturally grim, another glance next to her and Hayden looked equal parts
determined and haunted. She recalled about his partner, Ben, and felt her heart
twist at what mingled thoughts Hayden must be contemplating.
Thin curls of smoke began to rise as the grimoire and folder
ignited, burning hotter and more quickly now, curling in on itself as the pages
blackened and turned to ash.
When the manuscript was blackened and still smoldering Kiera
stood up and crossed over to the window. She lifted the heavy glass and frame
open so the thin tendrils of smoke could not set off the smoke detectors. In
utter silence they watched as the manuscript burned into nothing but hot ashes.
Silently for a number of minutes the two wizards watched the
ashes as they slowly cooled down, none of them speaking a single syllable. When
the smoke had stopped and the entire document and folder were nothing but
charred, cool ash Hayden turned and walked to the window. As he reached his
hands up high to pull the window closed, Kiera called out hastily,
“No, Hayden, wait!”
Hayden paused and turned his head to look curiously at her.
Kiera crossed back to the table and scooped up the ashes into her hands.
Pedantically she brushed the table down until she was positive she had
collected every last scrap of what used to be the ritual. Then she walked back
to Hayden, stood beside him by the window and thrust her hand out.
“Good idea,” Josh spoke softly. Hayden agreed with a small
noise of assent.
With a final glance at Hayden their eyes met and connected
again with a ferocious intensity. His gaze was such a dark brown it bordered on
black. Pain, worry, anguish and the faintest trace of hope all shone in his
expressive eyes. Kiera’s heart turned over and in that moment she knew she fell
a little in love with this magical wizard.
Hayden nodded without a word and Kiera slowly opened her
hand, turning the palm down so the handful of worthless char could scatter and
be caught by the wind, lifted and spread out across the city of Chicago.
In seconds it was done, the action completely and utterly
irreversible. The manuscript had been burned, its ashes scattered across the
corners of downtown Chicago. Even had they—or anyone else—wanted to retrieve
the document it was now completely impossible.
“Now that’s something you don’t do every day,” Kiera said
with a deep, slightly shaky breath.
“What?” Josh replied huskily. He cleared his throat and
amended, “Defy the Tribunal?”
“Not just defy the Tribunal,” she countered, “but burn one
of their dark documents into tiny particles of ash and scatter it to the four
winds.”
“Not bad for a day’s work,” Hayden said with the faintest
trace of amusement and pride. Kiera threw a small smile over her shoulder to
the scruffy, sexy wizard and grinned at him. There was a naughty twinkle of
amusement in his eye as she tried to suppress the fit of giggles that
threatened her.
“Yeah,” she said slightly more confidently. “Not bad at
all.”
Chapter Four
Hayden made a cup from his hands, held them under the
running faucet. When the cold water overflowed, he lifted it to his face,
splashing himself, and lowered his palms to collect more. He repeated the
exercise a few times, drawing in deep lungfuls of air in between. The men’s
bathroom was thankfully empty at this late hour. He was grateful for the chance
to have a moment alone, to collect his thoughts and try to sort himself out.
It had been a most unusual evening, even for him.
What the hell was he thinking?
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