The Ember In The Dark novel Chapter 30

Ash, Eric, Toni and I all helped prepare the bouquets and hanging flowers for the summit. The flowers were all beautiful pastels of pink, blue and purple with dark green accents to pop.

"I blame you." Ash groaned as he wrapped the green ribbon on his 10th clear vase

"Rightfully so." I nodded my head feeling bad for dragging Ash and Eric into this.

"I'm just glad you're okay. I was worried something happened on mount Ignis that no one wanted to tell me about." Eric chimed in.

"No way, little dude. Everything went great there. I got my dragon now. She's super powerful too. Wanna see something cool?" I smiled at him eagerly.

He's such a cute kid. His eyes widened with excitement as he nodded his head. A big grin crossed his face.

I placed my index finger on a leaf of the flower focusing on the ice magic that Yukina blessed me with. I turned the leaf into ice so pure that you could see through it. Eric's dark blue eyes could be seen through the leaf.

"That's awesome!" He shouted as he inspected the leaf more. "Is that because of your dragon?" He poked the leaf. "It's cold."

"It's ice. I was blessed with the original ice dragon's magic." I wiggled my eyebrows at him. "You impressed by your big sister?"

"Yeah, although I still wouldn't take you to my friends. You're too embarrassing." He teased me.

I feigned hurt, placing my hand over my chest and scuffing.

"Listen, I really am sorry that I worried you." I placed my hand over his arm. He didn't deserve to be worried because of me. He's too innocent.

"Don't do it again." Eric deadpanned, but then smiled real big.

"You got it." I squeezed his arm.

We worked and sang and talked the rest of the day. Toni had to go early to train with his dad and mom let him go. Eric left around 3 to go train his magic with his tutor. It was just Ash and I for an hour before our own training.

"I don't think my fingers can tie another bow." I complained, bending my fingers.

"You're telling me." Ash showed me how raw his fingers were.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault." I sighed, feeling guilty again.

"I should have come and found you when you didn't show up around midnight. I just didn't know where you were or what you were doing." He winked implying Toni and I were doing naughty things. Which at one point we were, so he's not wrong.

"Shut up." I threw a stem at him, and he laughed.

"Honestly, I thought I was going to find you with a mark this morning." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not ready for that. I told him after the summit he can claim me." He's the first person I told that to.

"Really?" He smiled at me and I nodded my head. "Good. You deserve all the love and happiness. Toni seems to make you really happy after just a week of knowing him."

"I know. It's odd. Although I guess not really. The mate bond just makes everything so much more…" I didn't know the word I was looking for.

"Deeper? Intense?" Ash suggested.

"Yes, both of those." I nodded my head, thinking about my deepening bond with Toni.

"I'm jealous, Ember. I really want that already. I want to find my mate." Ash looked at the flowers fidgeting with a petal of an orchid.

"You'll find her. I'm sure of it. Maybe she'll come during the summit." I suggested and his face lit up.

"Could you imagine? That would be amazing."

We worked for another 30 minutes before heading to our training. The summit will be this Saturday already. Kings and queens from all over will be coming. There really is a chance that Ash will find his mate then.

I want that for him, but at the same time I know it will separate us both more. It's a thing of life I guess. You grow up and have your own lives. It's natural, I just wish we could stay next door to each other all our lives.

Eryn had us training with swords today. I was okay with those. Ash on the other hand was a beast with a sword in hand. Dad then trained us both. It was harder than I thought to produce fire. Even though I knew how, applying what I had learned was hard to do. Dad helped me work on it most of the evening while Ash practiced with his healing fire.

Charles had come over wanting to speak with me. When I finished with my training and went and found him. He was holding mom's baby bump in his hands. He was talking down to Charlie. He's so excited to have a kid of his own with mom. Not to say he didn't see Ash, Ember, or Eric as his own. This time though it will actually be his.

"Hey, you wanted to talk?" I called Charles, snapping him out of that tender moment with mom. He cleared his throat, bringing back that dominant tone of his.

"Yeah, let's go out back and talk." He gestured to the back doors that led to the large patio.

I followed him out, leaning against the railing. The sun was setting, hues of orange and red swirled in the sky setting it ablaze. A sunset that set the sky on fire.

"So what's up?" I asked, although I was already sure what this would be about.

"Look, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when you told me Toni was your mate. It's just hard. I saw how Gabe was fighting his guilt for years after what Toni's Mom did to him. I know it isn't Toni's fault, but he's a product of her and it gets hard for me to separate the two. I know that's my problem and not his or yours. I will work on it." He sighed. He didn't look at me once while he spoke. As far as apologies go this was the best he could. Admitting he's wrong is something big for Charles.

"Thank you. I hope you can get past that prejudice you have towards him. He's a good guy." I poked his cheek, being annoying and trying to get him to look at me.

He rolled his eyes, but faced me.

"I know, you're right. Now let's go eat. I'm starving." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed me into a bear hug.

Dinner was peaceful and full of laughter. Mostly at my expense, but I was fine with that. I was just happy they weren't still mad at me. After dinner we all cleaned up and went to our rooms. Eric gave me a big hug before he went off to his room. He reminded me of our movie date Friday. I won't forget.

"So you got more jokes to say before we go to bed?" I closed Ash's bedroom door behind me, eyeing him curiously.

"Nah, I got them all out at dinner. I need an audience for my good jokes." Playful Ash.

"I need to keep you away from people then. Maybe you'll stop teasing me so much." I stuck my tongue out at him and he did the same. We both chuckled.

I plopped on the bed with him, sitting back till I touched the wall. I grabbed one of his pillows and held it tightly against my chest.

"I'm a little nervous to see Dex again." I admitted to him, not looking at him.

"I get that. Not being sure if you can keep your mind safe is scary. Wear the necklace, bubble your mind and remember your training with mom yesterday." Ash encouraged me. I kept picking at the string on the corner of the pillow case.

"I don't get why he wants to keep messing with me." I sighed.

"Because you're beautiful and strong. Ember, any guy would be crazy not to go after you. He just so happens to have the ability to make you want him too." He picked up my legs and put them over his so he can stretch his legs out on the bed.

"I hate having to worry about it." I sighed, dropping my head into the pillow.

"Then don't worry. Worrying isn't going to do anything. Just wait and see what happens. Remember you're stronger now. You have all your magic now." He patted my leg encouragingly.

"It's hard for me not to worry. You know I hate the unknown. I'm not one to just go with the flow." I reminded him from behind the pillow.

"Ember, get your face out of my pillow and talk seriously." He sounded like Dad. I pulled the pillow down and scowled at him. "Yikes." He made a face.

"Oh shut up." I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe if you make that face at him he won't want you anymore." He laughed and I threw the pillow at him. He caught it, and threw it back at me.

"No, but seriously. What do I do if he traps me again?" His sky blue eyes went still, taking my worries more seriously now.

"Then you snap out of it like you did. Just remember Toni and find him in your mind. Do what mom taught you. Oh also avoid Josh tomorrow if you can." I scrunched my face at his last sentence.

"Why?" I poked his knee.

"I had a vision. Unless you want your friendship ruined, make sure you're not alone with him." I grinned so big.

"Why didn't you tell me you were having visions already?!" I shook him playfully and he almost fell off the bed.

We knew it would happen, but I assumed he would tell me whenever it did. Why didn't he tell me sooner? Doesn't he know I'm here for him just like he's there for me?

"I had my first one last night." He shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal.

"Dude! You had a freaking vision of the future. That's fucking amazing!" I shook him some more excitedly. "Be excited with me. We're a pair of powerful freaks." He laughed at that.

"Alright, alright. I'm excited." He shook his head at me. "It was weird. Levi explained that I can't tell the vision in detail or it could change the future. It's not written in stone. He did tell me some visions are fated to come true though. As in no matter what you try to prevent it, it will still occur. I am not sure I like knowing the future though." He sighed. "It feels like too big of a responsibility. Plus I'm too impulsive to not act on these things."

I laughed at him, because he was right. He's way too impulsive.

"Maybe this will mature you." I stopped laughing when I realized he wasn't smiling. "Hey, it's okay. You'll get a handle on this. I'm here too. You're not alone." He nodded his head.

"Let's go to sleep."

I plopped the pillow next to him and we fell asleep holding hands like we did when we were kids.