Page 73 of Stealing Embers
Whipping my head around, I search for another escape route.
Nova catches me eyeing the window and slowly shakes her head. “Don’t even think about it.”
But that’s exactly what I’m doing. We’re on the fourth floor. The drop will hurt, but I don’t think it’ll kill me.
I sprint for the window, the only other escape route in this small room. A ring of arms bands around me and I’m lifted off the ground.
“Let me go, Steel,” I growl through clenched teeth. Spectrum world lights start to twinkle in my periphery.
Steel drops me in the chair. “Calm down. No one is going to dissect you.”
“We don’t know that for—”
“Sterling.” The rumble in Steel’s voice broadcasts a clear warning to his brother, and Sterling snaps his mouth shut. “Maybe this room is a little crowded for this conversation. Don’t you think, Sable?”
Sable eyes the room before agreeing. “Steel’s right, everyone out but him and Emberly. I need to ask them a few more questions anyway.”
Ash, Greyson, and Sterling begin to argue over each other again and Sable saws her jaw back and forth, frustration clearly written in every one of her movements.
Nova jumps down from the ledge and saunters to the door without a word, casting a worried glance between me and Steel before slipping out of the room. I check Steel’s reaction from the side of my eye, but find him watching me rather than his kinda-girlfriend. I’m not expecting that, and a rush of heat infuses my cheeks.
Looking away, I dip my head to allow my hair to form a veil between us.
The door bangs open and two small people come barreling through.
“Steel!” squeals a petite little girl with straight black hair to her waist. She launches herself into his lap and throws her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck. Steel wraps an arm around her and rubs circles on her back.
A young boy is hot on her heels. He bounces on the balls of his feet in front of Greyson and Sterling.
“Is it true?” he asks, wiggling excitedly. “We heard that Steel put the smack-down on a couple of Forsaken.” He grinds his little fist into the open palm of his other hand. “I’ll bet he took down like eight of them at the same time, right? Was he in lion form? Or maybe the eagle? Probably not the bull because I know he’s sensitive about that form. Mom said not to bring it up because—”
“Blaze,” Steel groans, the small girl still clinging to his neck, “that’s enough.”
Is that a bit of color tinting Steel’s cheeks?
Shifting my eyes to Greyson and Sterling, I can tell they’re fighting off smiles.
“But Steel,” Blaze whines, “I was just sayin’ what Mom told me.”
“I know, bud. But now’s not the time, okay?”
Blaze’s face falls in the perfect expression of young disappointment, but he nods at his big brother.
“Are you all right? When we heard I was so scared for you.”
The little pixie in Steel’s arms finally raises her face. She is adorable. Her round, sky-blue eyes shimmer with unshed tears, her porcelain skin is completely unblemished, and her lips are rounded in the perfect cupid’s bow. She’s going to be breathtaking when she grows up.
Both she and her brother looked young. First-year students probably.
Brushing the hair away from her face, Steel answers, “I’m fine, Aurora. You know nothing can hurt your big brother. I’m made of steel after all.”
Aurora giggles at the awful joke.
It’s difficult not to melt just a little watching Steel interact with his youngest siblings. This is a side of him I’ve never seen. He obviously cares about them a lot.
“How did you two hear about any of this?” Greyson asks.
Aurora turns her large doll-like eyes on her twin. Blaze bobs his head, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room, and nudges a book on the ground with his foot. “People are talkin’. You know, because you carried the one with the white fire hair in earlier.”