Page 97 of These Fractured Bonds

As always, it would have to be enough. She would face the challenge head-on and win, because losing was not an option. She smiled at Erick and Leo.

“Any chance we could have a second lunch?” she asked.

Chapter 37

Yarelipokedtheslumberingembers in the fireplace in an attempt to coax a fire. When nothing occurred, she leaned forward to gently blow on them, and a spark jumped in response. Gratified, she continued to prod at the wood until a fire sprang to life.

She sat back on her bottom, satisfied with her accomplishment, until she remembered the second challenge was approaching. In the past day, she had learned more about her family and was comfortable drawing magic forward to her fingertips. It still didn’t feel like enough.

A gnawing unrest sat low in her belly; a constant hunger for more, more, and more reminded her of the flames in her fireplace, constrained to its small plot, but always hungry. One spark. All it took was one spark for it to devour everything in its path. Its drumbeat of destruction called to her. Her feet moved in slow, acquiescing steps as time went on. A siren’s call was not one to be resisted, and yet she did. She wanted power, and now that she had some, it attempted to woo her toward devastation. Only she wasn’t sure what that entailed. Her thoughts and desires were blurring together, and with no time to think, Yareli was increasingly restless.

Her bedroom door swung open, and Erick waltzed in without an invitation. Leo followed after him, shooting Yareli a “Not-Guilty-But-I-Encouraged-It” look. Augrys was noticeably absent.

“Geez, ever heard of knocking?”

“Royalty doesn’t wait for anyone,” Erick replied, plopping on the sofa.

“Royalty, my ass,” she grumbled, but she stood.

He ignored her, saying, “We snooped around. The most we found was the expected theme of tonight’s challenge—strength. Believe me, I tried all my connections, but they were all a bust.”

Yareli couldn’t help but feel the rush of disappointment. The last challenge had been difficult enough that she wanted every advantage she could get. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Allyah had said they kept the challenges a secret, only known to the Fire Court’s trifecta. Asking them to dig further was asking them to do the impossible. She gave them a resigned smile.

“Alright, so any ideas what a ‘strength’ challenge could be?”

Erick raised his hand. “As someone who has a fair amount of Fire Court friends, they value sacrifice. Anything that tests your endurance is viable. In my opinion, be ready for an endurancechallenge that tests your strength. Have you kept up with your core exercises?”

Yareli nodded, giving a pointed look at Leo. “Hard to miss a day when you have Leo around, but I can’t say I resent him for it. It really saved my butt last time.”

Leo grinned at her. “You always forget that Bri wasmyteacher. If I missed a day with you, she’d punish me with drills.”

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched upward. Bri was brutal.

Her smile fell. Although Bri had checked in earlier that day, she missed her and her quiet, steady support.

Leo’s expression lost its playfulness, his eyebrows scrunching downward as he contemplated her question. “While what Erick said is true about their love of sacrifice and strength, they also value cleverness. Combat has been a staple in their culture since before Izmari’s conception. Their three tenets are based on their old customs. You will find that the challenges test both your mind and body as you compete. How you complete the challenge matters little compared to actually completing it.”

“Like a combat mission—completing the objective is what matters,” she replied.

“Yes, exactly! Do what you must to get the job done.”

Erick chimed in. “As always, I’ll be here to help with your recovery.”

She peered at his relaxed posture: his head flopped on an orange pillow, his feet on the couch. He had at least taken off his shoes. If not, Yareli would have chewed him a new one. She wanted to be annoyed at him, at his easy-going personality and his fast recovery from their earlier argument, but then he yawned and settled farther into her couch, exhaustion clear on his face. He was here forherbecause hecared, and even if he stumbled a little, he meant well.

“Wake up,” Leo chided him. “You have to walk Reli to the challenge in half an hour.”

His response was mumbled. “Twenty-minute nap, then.”

Yareli met Leo’s eyes and shrugged.

“Stay sharp and don’t let Erick sleep a minute longer than twenty,” Leo said, patting Yareli's arm. He hesitated and squeezed her shoulder, but he drew her into a hug.

The effect was immediate. His heat sank into her cold bones, and she burrowed into his arms. She rested her forehead on his chest.

“Will you be okay now that you’ve shown your face here?” she whispered.

Officially, Leo was still missing in action, and word would get around that he had suddenly reemerged at the festival in Augrys’s company, alerting his brother to his location, but he had insisted on accompanying them.