I stepped back outside shortly after the conversation, my thoughts simmering, still churning over Carlo’s mate situation. Emiliano had been right-completely and unequivocally. The bond between Carlo and Laura mattered, perhaps more than any of us had realized.
Sofia and I were barely awake, exhaustion weighing heavily on our shoulders, when Chiara’s sharp shout startled us from the plush patio chairs that had been lulling us to sleep. We stumbled to our feet, bleary-eyed, nearly tripping over the deck’s edge.
As my bare feet touched the cool grass, I felt its energy ripple beneath me, drawn to where Chiara stood with one hand perched defiantly on her hip.
“Two trained warriors, and you’re going to fall asleep on me?” she scoffed, shaking her head in exasperation.
Her words barely registered as Sofia and I noticed the subtle glow emanating from her skin. It was brighter now, richer, like the earth itself had embraced her.
“You’ve connected to earth!” I exclaimed, unable to suppress a laugh. It felt fitting somehow-expected.
“Like I said, I was just a bit more stubborn,” Chiara smirked, her chest rising and falling as if she couldn’t take in enough air. “I think I had to earn its trust first. Now, using magic? That’s still a mystery.”
“That,” I yawned, already retreating back to my chair, “we can figure out after a nap.”
The others quickly agreed, but the moment was interrupted by the shrill ringing of Sofia’s phone. She fished it out of her pocket, glaring at the screen before answering with a saccharine tone that didn’t quite mask the venom in her expression.
“Wow, a brush with death gets me a call from the irresistible Fabio Rinaldi?” she purred, her words cutting as she placed the phone to her ear.
I could hear angry murmurs on the other end, but Sofia remained unmoved, her face a mask of ice. “Why the hell should I meet you? As you obviously know, tonight’s been a mess, and you have a remarkable talent for making bad situations worse.”
Fabio’s voice carried on, growing softer, less insistent. I saw the resolve in Sofia’s eyes falter, just a fraction. She pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something to herself before snapping, “Fine. Fifteen minutes.”
“Details in the morning,” Chiara yawned, a grin creeping onto her face. “Especially if you knock him out again.”
“There will be no knocking anyone out-at least not tonight.” Sofia huffed, gathering her things with an exasperated smile before disappearing into the night.
Chiara and I headed inside, sinking into what should have been deep, restful sleep. Instead, it was fleeting.
‘Did Enrico connect to water yet?’ I asked groggily, my thoughts spilling into Leonardo’s as he slid into bed beside me.
‘Not yet,’ he replied, exhaustion coloring his voice. ‘We’ll try again at sunrise. I’m not surprised Chiara connected so quickly, though. You saw that coming.’
I nodded faintly, my eyelids heavy as his soft laughter echoed in my mind, accompanied by the sensation of a cool wave brushing my thoughts.
But peace was short-lived.
I woke to Leonardo’s cool touch and a storm of urgency coursing through our bond. His emotions were jagged and frigid, slicing into my half-conscious mind.
“We need to go. Now, Isabella.” His voice was urgent as he pulled me from the bed, steadying me when I swayed.
“What’s happening? Rogues? Fae?” I mumbled, stumbling to the dresser and yanking on sweatpants.
“No attacks, but something’s happened,” he replied, shoving slides into my hands.
The halls were alive with noise. Graziana and Noemi peered from their rooms, their faces painted with exhaustion and confusion.
“Come with us or stay behind,” Leonardo called over his shoulder, urgency lacing his every word.
Within moments, the four of us were out the door, the sky barely beginning to shift from cobalt to orange. Leonardo drove like a man possessed, tires squealing as we careened through empty streets.
Then came the smoke-thick and suffocating-long before the flames came into view. My stomach sank at the sight of the house engulfed in fire.
The once-cheerful yellow siding was charred black, crumbling as the flames devoured it. The porch was a roaring inferno, each crackling board feeding the fire’s insatiable hunger. The sound was deafening-a symphony of snapping wood and roaring flames, drowning out the early morning stillness.
Leonardo screeched to a halt, and we piled out just as Carlo’s car roared onto the scene. He, Enrico, and Chiara emerged, their faces pale with horror.
Chiara stumbled forward, her wide eyes brimming with tears. “That’s-” her voice cracked. “That’s Fabio’s house.” She turned to me, trembling. “That’s where she went to meet him.”
My feet moved before my mind could catch up. I sprinted toward the blaze, the heat licking at my skin as I neared the porch. It was instinct-pure, unwavering instinct-that drove me forward, a trust in the element I was bound to.
Leonardo didn’t stop me. Instead, he sent a surge of strength through our bond, steadying me as I approached the flames.
Then, with a deafening roar, the front door collapsed, sending a plume of fire billowing out. The heat was blinding, my hair whipping back as I stumbled.
And then I saw her.
Sofia staggered onto the porch, her clothing charred and smoking. Draped over her shoulder, equally singed but alive, was Fabio.
It wasn’t just her survival that left us frozen in place, jaws slack in disbelief.
Wherever Sofia stepped, flames erupted, obedient and alive. Her eyes glowed like embers, and her ears-so distinctly Fae before-were no longer pointed. She had become something else entirely.