her awe. “I can’t even imagine anyone doing that for me.”
“I would,” he said immediately.
“Because I’m your mate?”
He nodded, watching the full import of that dawn upon her. She’d never had anyone love her, but he was going to teach her that she shouldn’t expect anything less. She was already learning rapidly.
He had to tease her then. “So, you came back to take Alasdair instead of me?”
“No!” Her frown deepened. “I don’t want to kill anybody, not for any reason, not anymore.”
“You’ve changed.”
“Yes. I don’t know how and I don’t know why...”
“I do. It was the firestorm. It cauterizes and it heals. It creates possibilities and offers a promise.”
She considered this, her gaze still fixed on the sparks beneath her fingers. “The other thing is that it was my fault that she came after you.” She looked up. “I told her about the gloves, before I knew I shouldn’t trust her.”
“She appeared in my studio with one of her warriors and Kade, too.” Hadrian frowned, half-remembering something important. It was elusive, though, and he couldn’t quite grasp the memory. “They destroyed the blades, too, and set the studio on fire. I was powerless, frozen, and could only watch. It was awful.”
“I can imagine.” She shivered in sympathy, as much a fan of controlling her fate as he was.
“Kade helped her instead of me,” Hadrian said with bitterness.
“I thought he was Pyr.”
“I think he’s loyal to her now. Who knows what his price was? I don’t think I want to.”
Rania nodded and swallowed. “You said my mother told you my name.” Hadrian nodded. “What was she like?”
He smiled down at her, dropping one hand to her waist and pulling her closer. The firestorm raged between them, and he caught his breath as his heart matched its pace to hers. “Like you. Feminine but strong. Her hair was more silver, but she had blue eyes like you. She was concerned for you.”
“Why?”
“She wants you to be happy.” He lifted his hand so the ring glinted in the light. “She said this was your father’s.”
“Really?”
“Really. She misses him.” He nodded. “I think they were very much in love. They’re mentioned in the book. He gave her the ring when she got pregnant with a daughter, his daughter.”
“But they’re not together,” she mused, her fingertip sliding around the stone set in the ring. “I wonder why.” She was obviously thinking for a long moment and Hadrian was content to watch her and savor the firestorm. Then she glanced up. “What book?”
“The book Sara sent.” He retrieved it and handed it to her. “We were reading it. We got up to here.”
“It’s hardly the time to lose myself in a book,” she said, chiding him.
“I think you’ll find it interesting. Go on. Read it.”
Her skepticism was clear, but she did as he suggested and sat down at the counter. He watched her, recognizing the moment that she realized she was reading her own family history. Her attention became sharper as she turned the pages and he moved to stand beside her. He inhaled at the sizzle of the firestorm, knowing he was going to miss it.
Rania stopped at the page they had read last, and glanced up at him. “This is about me.”
Hadrian nodded.
“She set a trap for me all along.”
He nodded again. “And you were just a kid. Totally out of line.”
“You were right,” Rania acknowledged, closing the book. “You warned me about Maeve and you were right, but I didn’t believe you. She tricked me in the end, claiming that she’d killed you so that didn’t count as the fulfillment of my obligation.” She took a deep breath. “She’s captured my brothers and intends to roast them for the court, one at a time, unless I choose and kill another Pyr.” She made a face. “I really don’t want to kill Alasdair.”
Hadrian smiled. “I know he volunteered, but you’re right. He shouldn’t die.”
“Because Maeve will twist the deal again and he’ll die for nothing,” Rania said. “Maybe Kade?” She met Hadrian’s gaze again.
He shook his head. “No Pyr deaths.”
“It wouldn’t be for the team,” she said. “I understand.” She frowned. “But then I’m trapped forever.”
“No.” Hadrian shook his head, remembering what had eluded him. “I thought she came to kill me to get even for the loss of her warriors, but that wasn’t it.”
“She came to destroy your gloves.”
“Not just that. She came because I melted the Fae blades.”
Rania watched him. “They froze first, then melted. Was that because they weren’t in Fae?”