Page 115 of Stealing Embers

A short laugh bursts from me.

“You want me to forget you’re having dreams about me that are so potent you think they’re overpowering your will? Yeah, I don’t think so, buddy. You should have told me about this a long time ago. I could have helped you figure them out.”

“Let’s go. We’re wasting daylight.”

And just like that, Steel shuts down on me.

Turning, he stomps into the forest. And a buried part of me is glad. That part of me knows I’m not ready to deal with all the layers that make up Steel.

A stoic Steel, I’ve learned to handle. A vulnerable one . . . no, I don’t truly want that. Because I know a Steel that pricks my heart will cause it to bleed out.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Steel is the most infuriating, most annoying, most contradictory person to ever walk this earth—human, non-human, and half-human included.

Okay, yeah. I can admit I don’t really want to delve into his inner workings, but a bit of conversation won’t kill him. Or better yet, maybe we can talk about how we are probably just walking in circles and not getting any closer to finding the younger twins.

He trudges forward like the machine he is, one foot in front of the other, pace never wavering. Meanwhile, my semi-frozen limbs started to make me trip and stumble two hours ago.

Evening comes early in the mountains, and even more so in the winter; the dwindling light has me seriously concerned. If we hope to survive the night, we need to find shelter. And soon.

I’d tried to bring up the topic several times in the past thirty minutes, but Steel only ever responds with a grunt or non-verbal wave. As if I’m a peasant he can dismiss.

The man is insufferable and probably going to be the death of us. Which is almost humorous considering how he reacted to the idea of me leaving the supposed safety of the academy.

Maybe he just wants me to die on his terms?

“Stop.”

Steel’s clear command brings me up short. I don’t like how quickly I snap to attention from just a word uttered from his lips. My mouth pinches like I sucked on something sour.

Nope, don’t like that one bit.

I don’t say anything—a silent rebellion I’m hoping gets under Steel’s skin.

“Look.” Another one-word command.

My fingers curl inward, nails cutting into my flesh.

There’s a flicker of light in the direction he wants me to look. I squint, using every ounce of my angel-born eyesight to make out what lies in the distance.

“What is it you think we’re looking at?”

Steel’s eyes are laser-focused on that one spot.

“It could be them.”

I soften my voice. Steel is hanging a lot on the notion that one of his siblings left a secret message for him. “Or it could be someone living in the mountains. Maybe we even managed to make it to a small town in the area? It may not be them at all.”

At some point I laid a hand on his bicep without realizing it. He looks down at my fingers and then lifts an icy-aqua glare to my face. I pull my hand back as if burned.

But that’s Steel, isn’t it? Icy cold, or burning hot. There never seems to be a middle ground for the two of us. We only operate in extremes.

“We should check it out.”

“Sure.”

What else is there to say? We’re headed in that direction whether I agree with the decision or not.