Chapter 699

At night, the whole thing is a great deal more powerful and stunning, a red and burning whirlwind that reaches for the sky. I play with it more this time, making it hotter so that we can all feel the heat radiating off of it, experimenting with the brightness and the colors, pushing it this way and that to see how much I can move it around. I'm quite pleased when I see that I can use Luca's wind to blow it like an actual tornado, whipping it around the open space before us, though of course I'm careful to keep it from getting too close.

"Hooolly fuck," the Captain whispers. I glance over at him, desperately pleased to be able to make such a stunning point. He looks over at me as well. "Can you...can you talk to me while you do that?"

"Sure," I say with a shrug. "It doesn't need my full concentration."

"What more can you do with it?" He asks, eager. "Can it go...wide, as well as tall?”

I tilt my head to the side, experimenting, and am desperately pleased when the fire goes wide and low, creating a wide ring on the ground instead of a tall funnel.

"God damn it," the Captain says, his face bursting into a grin. Then he looks over at me. "How...how big can it get?"

I glance over at Jackson who looks down at me, quite casual. "I've got... acres of power left in me, Ari. I'm not kidding when I say this is a croissant." When I look back at the Captain his face is twisted in confusion. "A croissant?"

I laugh. "He just means it can get big. Really big."

I squeeze my mate's hand, loving him a great deal.

"You ready for the good part?" I ask the Captain.

His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. "This isn't the good part?"

"Jesse?" I say, turning to him with a smile. "If you would?"

"Oh, it would be my pleasure," he murmurs. And then he sends his power coursing through me.

All of our eyes snap to the fire when it instantly turns black, and we gasp. Because at night it becomes perfectly clear -

Even though we see the movement ahead of us, and feel the heat of my flames on our faces?

With Jesse's shadows, it's basically invisible.

"Yup," the Captain says, his eyes shining with excitement even as his voice is low with awe. "You were right, Sinclair. This changes everything."

The Captain hurries off after we

safely lower the flames to the

ground, murmuring something

etnoveldrama

about needing to make some calls. But he nods to me and doesn't mention anything further about expulsion so...I think in this case, we call it a win.

As soon as he's gone Daphne gives a little shriek of joy and throws herself at me, wrapping me up in a hug and nearly taking both of us to the ground in her excitement. "That was so cool! I'm so excited! And I'm going to get so much funding to buy cool fireproof fabric!" she gasps and pushes me away, staring into my face. "I might even need a new

sewing machine." Content belongs

I laugh, delighted that this development benefits her as well, and pull my friend into another hug. "Get all the machines you want," I whisper, "you know Jesse will buy them if the school won't."

She gasps and pushes me away, blushing. "You shut your mouth!"

I quickly give her a wink and draw my fingers over my lips like a zipper, letting her know the secret's safe with me. She laughs and turns to the man in question, talking to him excitedly about the shadows and something about mittens? don't understand, but I turn towards the rest of my friends anyway.

We spend a few minutes talking excitedly about the potential for invisible night-time fire, but all the while I keep half of my focus on Luca, realizing that he's quiet. And starting to realize, a little bit, that it's deliberate.

"Okay," I say with a happy sigh. "Can we go back upstairs? I didn't even get all the way through my cheeseburger."

Everyone agrees to it, happily trooping forward, but I hang back until it's just me and Luca at the back.

Jackson looks over his shoulder with a frown, of course, but I send a little pleading nudge down the bond, asking him for a moment. He grumbles about it, inwardly, but does as I ask and walks with Jesse and Rafe back towards the castle.

Leaving Luca and I alone for a much-needed chat.