Phoenix Flame - Sara Holland Page 0,31

have quieted around us. Like a dome has fallen over Brekken and me, a summer snow globe, the fireworks forgotten except for how they illuminate Brekken’s eyes. He brings his other hand over, grasping my right hand with both of his.

“I know things have been …” He trails off, biting his lip.

I’m not sure what he’s getting at. Busy? Crazy, scary, changed?

Part of me just wants to go back to being kids, the easy closeness we had. But another part of me is ignited by this strange tension, wants to lean into it. A moth to the fire.

“Things have been what?” I prompt.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know.” He is very still, I realize suddenly, almost unnaturally still. Like he’s nervous. The only movement for a moment is the flutter of his pulse against my wrist, until the rest of his words spill out in a rush. “But I know I want to be with you, Maddie.”

The sentence hits me as sharp and breathtaking as a frost wind. I open my mouth, close it, take a breath and try again. I don’t need to think about it. It’s just strangely hard to get the actual words out after shoving them down for years.

But I manage it.

“I want to be with you too.”

For another few seconds, getting the words out is all I can do. I feel frozen, all the hesitation of years of not knowing how Brekken felt holding me still, pinning my limbs to my sides. But then something breaks open in me. He wants me. He just said it. He wants me, and I want him, and he’s here and I’m here and I want him. Want to be with him. There’s so much that could keep us apart, but right at this moment none of it matters. Tomorrow I can worry about it, but tonight Brekken’s eyes are the only thing in the world.

So I lean in and kiss him.

Leaving all the fearful things for another day.

9

The next morning finds us assembled in the tunnels in front of the doorway to Fiordenkill. I can feel the cold breeze on my face. Marcus raided all the closets and found Fiorden clothes for us, fur coats and such.

We form a short line. Brekken, me, and Graylin. Two Fiordens and a human. Also here to see us off are Marcus, Willow, the Heiress, and Enetta. Despite all the help the princess of Myr’s given us, she can’t take the risk of coming with us and being caught. The ramifications of moving against Cadius Winterkill, for her, would be too high. So instead she’s supplied us with maps and weapons. We’re ready, or at least as ready as we can be.

There are still a million thoughts bouncing around my head, but it’s like they’ve receded, their wasps’ buzz fading to a muffled hum. There’s fear there, yeah, but it’s distant. Worry, too, but I push it away. The gauntlet that protected Mom in Fiordenkill is on my wrist now. We have a plan. We’ll be all right.

As long as nothing goes wrong.

Marcus turns to me. “You ready?”

My heart pounds, but I feel calm. I can smell the ice on the wind. I feel determined. Brekken squeezes my hand once, his bare skin slipping against my woolen glove.

I hold my breath. And we step forward through the doorway.

I see Brekken disappear first, the pale blue light of Fiordenkill swallowing him up. Then it’s Graylin’s and my turn. We cross the threshold from darkness into light, from this world into the next, and the ground drops out from beneath my feet.

There’s pressure and a howling cold wind. The sensation shocks me and takes my breath away, takes everything away. I can’t feel Brekken’s presence, or Graylin’s. I open my mouth to call out for them, but the wind steals my words away too. I’m not sure I have a body anymore. I’m not sure I even exist. I’m scared suddenly, terrified, and it’s Mom’s name that flies to my lips. But then her face materializes in my head, cold and soulless as she told me never to love someone from another world.

Then as quickly as the crossover started, it’s over. I hit the ground hard on all fours, feeling something cold and solid beneath my mittened hands. There is a howling in my ears, and the ground seems to be quaking beneath me, though I can’t tell if that’s just the aftereffects of passing through the doorway. I stay very still and