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“Maybe she should stop,” Corin called out, a nervous edge in his voice.

“It’s all right.” Ezekiel leaned in closer, his chest touching Angela’s shoulder blades. “I’m right here with you, and I won’t let anything bad happen. Just let the heat flow.”

Angela pressed her back against Ezekiel, and his tranquil temperament poured through her empathic channel, soothing her and easing the quiver running up her backbone. The flares of erratic fire resolved into a single calm flame. Ezekiel’s emotions almost made Angela sleepy, and she leaned her head back against his shoulder. Her now gentle fire spilled free from her outstretched hands, flowing smoothly across the lake.

Ezekiel’s enchanted flurry formed a helix of wafting snow around Angela’s fire, keeping it confined to a single long snakelike flame. Angela’s fire melted away a winding fracture across the frozen lake, extending farther and farther. It flowed past the center of the iced over water and outstripped Ezekiel’s snowing helix.

“Keep calm,” Ezekiel whispered. “Your fire magic has gone beyond the range of my ice magic, but you’re doing very well.”

A shiver of unease ran through Angela. Her fire did reach farther than Ezekiel’s ice? Didn’t that mean she was more powerful? How could he keep her fire in check if her magic was stronger than his? What if—

“Keep calm,” Ezekiel repeated, his cool breath brushing the back of her neck.

Angela’s far-reaching flame undulated with her fear. She again sought Ezekiel’s calming emotions and quieted her own feelings, and the flame steadied itself. “Should I stop?”

“No, I’d still like to see how far your fire can reach, but if it approaches the opposite side of the lake, then you should probably stop.”

The fiery ribbon continued on and on, traveling nearly two-thirds of the way to the opposite bank. Then it slowed. Angela maintained her focus, but the flame’s progress kept decelerating, the tip growing thinner and wispier with each yard it traveled. Angela strained—actually strained—to send the fire farther. She’d struggled time and again to keep her magic contained, but she’d never struggled like this to generate fire. Soon, she was putting all she had into extending the ropelike flame. Her arms were trembling with the effort. The strip of fire slowed, and slowed, and slowed, then stopped some yards short of the opposite bank.

“It won’t go any farther,” Angela said, wheezing.

Ezekiel patted Angela’s shoulders. “Then let go.”

Angela released her concentration with a gasp, and the flaming ribbon that spanned across the lake evaporated, leaving nothing behind but a serpentine fault in the ice covering the lake’s surface, the water beneath still bubbling.

Angela slumped back into Ezekiel’s arms, and he held her up. Corin hurried to them and also helped to support her. “Angéline?”

“I’m okay.” Angela let the two men assist her while she caught her breath, each holding one of her arms. She righted herself after a moment and rubbed her temples. “The flame went so far. I couldn’t send it farther than that, but that’s still really far!”

“Indeed,” Ezekiel concurred. “You almost reached the opposite shore, which is around eighty yards away. If not for all the snow in the area, your fire could have extended close to a hundred yards, give or take.”

“A hundred yards.” Angela shook her head. “But that’s … that’s twice the distance your ice magic can reach, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Ezekiel adjusted the sleeves of his trenchcoat, looking a touch envious. “Most impressive.”

“You say impressive. I think that’s terrifying.”

Corin wrapped an arm around Angela. “Your power is daunting, but as Ezekiel said, you did very well in controlling it just now. Even when your flame surpassed the range of his snow, you kept the fire in check.”

Angela leaned into Corin. “That’s only because Ezekiel was here to help me. I stayed calm because I took in his emotions. If my fire can reach a hundred yards, then I could potentially burn everything within a two-hundred-yard diameter.” She shivered. “That just really scares me.”

Ezekiel took both of Angela’s hands and squeezed them, rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs. “I know your power frightens you, Angela, but what we did here tonight was progress, and knowing the reach of your magic is beneficial information. Give it time, and I’m certain you’ll learn to maintain control without my help.”

It was hard to accept Ezekiel’s optimistic words, but his soothing emotions again flowed through Angela’s empathic channel and mollified her anxiety. She gave a half-hearted nod. “What if it takes longer than you think?”

“Then we’ll just keep working at it together. I’ll help you for however long it takes, Angela. I promise.”

Ezekiel’s deep, gentle voice washed away the last trace of Angela’s apprehension, and she lost herself in his handsome face and saintly blue eyes with their distinctive twinkle. She felt the urge to hug him but resisted, not wanting to give her uncle the wrong idea.

Corin eyed their clasped hands all the same. Angela sensed he still felt a twinge of agitation whenever she and Ezekiel displayed any sort of warm familiarity, but that uneasiness had lessened. In fact, Angela thought she might’ve caught a fleeting tinge of fondness from Corin when he looked at Ezekiel, though said fondness was tempered. She hoped that small bit of amiable regard would continue to grow.

Ezekiel gave Angela’s hands one last squeeze. “I think we’ve done enough for tonight. You look drained.”

Angela nodded, her body heavy from the strain of creating that unbelievably long ribbon of flame. “I’ve never put that much effort into my fire magic before. It took a lot out of me.”

Corin rubbed her shoulders. “Then let’s get you home so you can rest.”

“Okay.” Angela started to turn, but she hesitated. “We’re still meeting tomorrow for further practice, aren’t we?”

Ezekiel inclined his head. “Certainly. Just rest up tonight, and I’ll see you both tomorrow evening. Same time at my place?”

“Yes, we’ll see you then. Come, Angéline.” Corin conducted Angela back to his car.

“Goodnight, Ezekiel,” Angela called over her shoulder.

Ezekiel granted Angela a tender smile and raised his hand in farewell. “Goodnight, Angela.”

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