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.