Fire Stones - By Kailin Gow Page 0,19

if you let destiny take its course, then you'll leave him again. Fire for water. Like you did once before. She stopped loving Mars; you will too. She loved me. You loved me. And if you're a free agent – then you need to make that decision without Chance. Who you want to be with?”

“Do you believe I'm Vesta?” I stared him straight in the face. “Or do you believe Chance is wrong?”

“I don't know,” said Varun. “What I feel for you – it's what I felt for her, Mac. So of course I want you to be Vesta, want it to be true. But part of me doesn't want you to be Vesta. Because if you are, because if you fulfill the prophecy...” his eyes narrowed and his voice trailed off. “I'll do what it takes to disprove it. To prove you're you – and not someone who lived centuries ago. But tell me this. If you were sure, absolutely sure, that you weren't Vesta, would you still have left me for Chance?”

I was shocked by the question. “I...don't know,” I said honestly. “But I do know that, thanks to Water's power over Fire, the Erosion is drowning more and more people by the day. Soon there won't be any land left. And if I'm not Vesta, that puts you and the other Water deities in a pretty good position.”

“How could you think that?” Varun grabbed my shoulders, his gaze intense. “It isn't like that. It's nothing to do with water or fire. I just want to be able to be with you – to save you from going through the test, from risking your life needlessly. I don't want anyone else hurt pursuing Vesta, least of all you.”

“But you loved her so much,” I insisted. “Don't you want her back?”

“Because, Mac!” Varun sighed. “Because if she comes back, everything will have to change. Not just between me and you, but with the whole world. Her coming back means destruction of the whole world – the danger of fire.”

“Is that what you water deities believe?”

“Look, Mac,” Varun took a step forward. “Just let me kiss you, just once – and if it doesn't mean anything. If you feel nothing. Then I'll back off, okay?”

I sighed. “Okay,” I said.

He leaned in, pressing my arms above my head. His kiss was searing, powerful, passionate – like a tide flooding over me. A kiss that heated my blood – that made me want more.

He pulled away. “Well?”

I swallowed. “It doesn't matter,” I tried to say. “I'm with Chance. And you're Water – I’m fire.”

“If I wanted to destroy Vesta, if you really were Vesta, I could have done lots of things to stop her from coming back in you. I could have let the sharks get to you. Or the mermaids. I could have let the Siren take you. But I didn't.” He looked at me with desperate eyes. “I saved you because I care about you. Because I wanted to protect you, Mac. I still do. And part of protecting you is protecting you from Chance. He's dangerous, Mac – no less dangerous than the sharks and storms. Why can't you believe that? If he's got you thinking that I'm here to destroy you, to fight you as Vesta, then I wouldn't have saved you in the first place!”

I looked down, pursing my lips. It was true – Varun had a point. But that didn't matter. I'd made my choice. I had to fight my desire. Vesta couldn't make a choice – but I would. “I'm sorry, Varun,” I whispered.

Varun put a finger against my lips. “That's all right, Mac. Don't worry. I know how much danger you'll be in once everyone starts thinking you're Vesta. I know you don't know whom to trust – but I promise you, Vesta, Mac, you can trust me. Just give me one chance. One chance to prove my love to you. To prove that you feel something for me. You felt something in our kiss – you can't deny it.”

I shook my head mutely.

“Then let me prove myself to you. And if I can do that – will you promise not to go through the test of fire? Promise not to risk your life?”

I sighed. I didn't want to die – Varun had a point there, too. But how could I live not knowing?

“One chance,” I said. “To prove I'm not Vesta, okay?” I was trembling.

“I promise,” Varun said. “I just want to save