He shrugged. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“You held my hair while I puked. You didn’t need to do that. You could have left me in the bathroom. That’s pretty hardcore.”

“It was also gross. Just so you know.” Seth turned around, not looking at me, but at the rose in his palm.

Irritation surged to the surface. “Why are you acting like this? I’m trying to tell you that you weren’t at fault for last night, and you’re being a jerk!”

Blue fire sprung from his hand, folding over the rose. It smoked a wispy blue before disappearing into nothing.

I dragged my eyes from his hand and struggled for patience. Was every conversation today going to end in argument?

His eyes flicked up, meeting mine finally. “It appears you were well taken care of after I left. Were you thrilled that Aiden stayed with you? I’m sure you were.”

I felt stung and confused by Seth. “I don’t want to argue with you.”

The blue flames licked at the rose between his fingers much slower this time. Plumes of blue smoke puffed into the air. “Then you should probably stop talking to me.”

I stepped back, chafing my arms. “Why are you being so pisstastic with me?”

Seth blinked and the blue fire evaporated, leaving the rose whole. “I don’t believe pisstastic is a real word, Alex.”

Hiding underneath the covers for the rest of the day started to look even better. “All right, well, this was fun. I’ll see you around.”

Seth moved then. He reached out and caught my arm again, the rose dangling from his other hand. “I’m sorry.”

I gawked at him. Seth never apologized. Ever.

The impossible happened. The mask he wore slipped off his face. Suddenly, he looked very young and unsure. “I felt you this morning. You were embarrassed and upset, and then so angry. I’m sorry for putting you through that. I should have… restrained myself.”

It took me a few moments to realize what Seth referenced. “That had nothing to do with you, Seth.”

“Why are you trying to make me feel better?”

“Seth, I’m embarrassed. I danced around your room and molested you. So yeah, I’m a bit embarrassed about that. But the other things you picked up on? That was because of Aiden.”

“Isn’t it always about Aiden?” He dropped my arm and turned away. “Did he finally profess his undying love for you?”

I laughed brokenly. “Not quite.”

Seth glanced over his shoulder. “My eye socket has a hard time believing that.”

“He stayed with me because he fell asleep.”

His head dropped, and I wondered what he was doing. “And you believe that?”

I blinked back sudden tears. I would’ve risked everything this morning if Aiden had said he loved me, but he hadn’t. “Does it matter?”

He turned around, studying me like he was trying to figure something out. “Does it?”

A breeze rolled through, rattling the leaves and kicking my hair into my face. I pushed the hair away, but it blew right back. “Seth, you asked me to make a choice the night before. And I did.”

Seth glanced down at the rose before peering up through thick lashes. “And that choice still matters today?”

That was a good question. How could it, when an hour ago I would’ve given up everything for Aiden if he’d told me just once that he loved me. But he hadn’t. I looked away, once again wondering what exactly was I doing. Was this fair to Seth? Because Aiden had been right, I was kind of settling for him. But Seth hadn’t said he had any hardcore feelings for me. He hadn’t even asked me to be his girlfriend. What he hadsuggested was for us to see what happens—no labels and no expectations. And if I was honest with myself, I did care for Seth. A lot.

I bit my lip. “I chose you. Does that still matter to you?”

He laughed suddenly and then fell silent. I could see him trying to pull the shutters back up, but failing. I’d never seen him so vulnerable. Trying to give him space, I moved back to the wall and watched him.

“Yes, it does matter to me.”

Something fluttered in my chest faintly. “Okay, so… um, where does that leave us?”

Silently, he handed me the rose. A small jolt ran over my fingertips. The stem felt warm to the touch and a faint trace of blue still clung to the blossom, turning the dewy petals violet. Without warning, he lifted me onto the wall. He placed his hands on either side of my legs. “Alex.”

I looked around, dangling my legs. “Seth?”

“Well, all of this is weird.”

“Yeah, especially right now.”

“It’s about to get weirder. Be prepared.”

“Great.” I twirled the rose around with one hand and tapped my thigh with the other. “I can’t wait.”

Seth smiled. “I can tell you’re freaked out.”

My eyes narrowed. “You’re doing it now? Reading me, aren’t you? How in the world do you do that?”

I was surprised when he answered the question. “I just open up my mind to you, tune into the connection. It’s like a two-way radio signal. Your feelings come through in waves, sometimes loudly. Other times, it’s just a twinge at the edge of my mind. You probably could pick up on them now, if you tried.”

“Is it always going to be like this? When I Awaken, will I constantly be feeling you and vice versa?”

“You could shield your feelings.”

I popped forward. “How do I do that?”

Seth laughed softly. “I could teach you, work it into your training if you want.”

“Can we start now?”

A slow smile appeared as he dipped his head. “That’s not what I want to do right now.”

Parts of my body tingled—some parts more than others. “Seth…”

Seth kissed me. It wasn’t like the heady and deep kisses from the night before. His lips were sweet, soft. His hand caressed my cheek before sliding around the nape of my neck and delving into my hair. I let my eyes drift shut, soaking up the dizzying warmth of his lips. For the briefest moment, I didn’t think about anything. And that’s what I liked most about Seth’s kisses. I didn’t think or want anymore. In Seth’s arms, with his lips trailing kisses over mine, his presence overshadowed the hurt, eased it.

The tingling in my body suddenly grew stronger, like little sparks dancing over my skin. My palm itched, burned. I gasped as his mouth dropped to my throat, where my pulse had gone from pleasant to throbbing.

Seth pressed his lips there, inhaled deeply and pulled back, fingers trailing over my flushed cheeks. “Interesting.”

“Yeah… that was different,” I said breathlessly.

He chuckled. “Not the kiss. Don’t get me wrong, that was interesting too, but look.”

“Huh?” I followed his gaze and squeaked. The rose in my hand was on fire again. Blue flames licked over the stem, curling around the fragile petals, smoldering into thin wisps of azure. The rose shuddered once and then collapsed into itself, leaving a fine blue dust covering my hands.

“Akasha,” Seth explained quietly.

“Okay.” I let out a breath, relaxing for the first time in days—weeks even. “Okay. I don’t know what that really means, but okay.”

He hopped up on the wall beside me. We sat there for a little while, legs swinging above the ground. “What do you want to do? We have a couple of hours before you leave.”

“You’re not leaving after the session?”

“Nope. Lucian wants to leave in the morning, so I’m stuck here another night.”

Dammit. Another eleven-hour car ride with Aiden.

Seth nudged my shoulder. “What?”

“I was kind of hoping you could convince Lucian to let me fly back with you.”

He looked surprised. “You hate flying. It scares you to death, you little wimp. But you can’t stay here another night. You have to leave tonight with Aiden.”

“And with Leon.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, kicking his legs off the wall. “Want to go swimming?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Damn. I was hoping you’d fall for that one again.”

I stared at the moss-covered walkway, knocking my heels off the wall. “Seth?”