I immediately thought of the way Leo and I lip-locked right before his tribunal. The heat from our contact. The literal fire in his eyes. There had to be a connection. “Leo and I kissed, like full-on totally eating each other’s faces, right before he teleported to the field.”
“He teleported?” both Stace and Syd said at the same time. It was no secret how much Leo hated to teleport.
“Voluntarily, but that’s not the point. We got really heated when we kissed, like really heated. I felt like I was going to burst into flames.”
“How did you dissipate the call?” He sat forward in his chair.
“Through my lips at first, but then it sort of radiated through my entire body.”
Syd tilted his head slightly. “And he didn’t complain about the heat?”
“No. In fact…” I paused and took in a breath, hating that I had to reveal secrets that were none of their business. “He seemed excited by it. And when he looked at me, I swear I saw flames dancing in his eyes.”
Syd launched to his feet. “Why haven’t you said anything until now?”
The heat from my embarrassment drained from my face. “I didn’t think it was important.”
“Every detail,” he lectured and motioned me to join him next to Leo, “is important. It’s our job to decide which details are vital, and which we tuck away for another day. Place your hands here.”
“What are we doing?”
“Saving Leo,” he answered, his voice the lightest I’d heard.
“Am I allowed to know what’s happening?” Stace asked. “Or is this some secret amongst you healers?” Her lisp went off the charts with that one.
“I know why Leo’s fever is out of control. Katy’s right. He’s developing into a trio. I don’t believe he’s magically enhanced at all. I believe he had a dormant element inside him all this time, one so faint, even you couldn’t sense it.”
“But I felt his fire,” Stace defended. “It’s out of place.”
“It’s not out of place. It’s unstable. If we don’t find a way to help him release the fire inside him, it’ll consume him. We have to hurry. I’ll need you to leave the room.”
She stepped up instead. “I can call fire.”
“That’s not why I need you to leave. I’ll have to call light to short out his other powers to allow the fire to escape. Light doesn’t affect Katy the way it affects you.”
“I’m not leaving.” She glanced at me, determination darkening her gaze. She didn’t have to say it. I knew. This wasn’t over her concern about Leo. It was her concern about me. My heart fluttered. Stacey Layden had been more of a mom to me than my own flesh and blood.
“There’s no time to argue.”
“Then stop arguing with her,” I snapped. “Let’s do this.”
Reluctantly, he nodded and regarded Stace. “I need you to stand as far away as possible. No matter what you see, you have to stay over here. Do you understand?”
Anxiety twisted her expression as she darted nervous glances between us. I was just as confused and awaited Syd’s instructions. He didn’t ask me to stand next to Stace, which meant he planned to have me help him do whatever it was he intended to do.
“Katy.” Syd unsnapped the hospital gown, exposing Leo’s shoulders. “I’m going to call light and short out his powers. When I say the word, I want you to call fire. Make it as intense as you can.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Trust me. Ready?”
Not even a little. If I called fire and Syd was wrong, this would kill my water elemental.
His hands began to glow. I caught the way Stace grabbed the back of a chair when the impact of his call hit her. The glow intensified to a blinding white. I had to squint against the assault on my pupils.
“Now, Katy. Call fire. Make it turn purple.”
This had always been my greatest fear, hurting the ones I loved. I’d already hurt so many. “I—I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You’re a healer. Take emotion out of the equation and do what your instincts tell you.”
I nodded. Holding Leo down, I gently called fire. I smelled something terrible and pulled my hands away.
I gasped when I spotted burns on Leo’s shoulders where I’d just touched him. The smell was his flesh burning. I swallowed hard and blinked back my horror.
I could not do this. I couldn’t hurt him.
“Do it again. This time, give him a hell of a lot more. Come on, Katy. This is his only hope. You have to hurt him to save his life. He’ll heal from the burns. If you don’t give his fire an outlet, he’ll literally burn up.”
His fire. He’d said his fire.
I had to save his life. I was his only hope. I chanted those words over and over and placed my hands back on his shoulders. I called fire and centered the call in my palms, directing the heat from my body into his.
His eyes flew open, wide with shock and pain. He looked up at me and snapped his brow into an agonized, confused expression. He then began to convulse, and I started to pull my hands back.
“Don’t stop! More, Katy. More!”
“But it’s hurting him!” I cried, unable to take my hands from him. He blinked and tried to say something. In his weakened state, he lifted his hands and feebly tried to fight me off. I held him tight and increased my call. I’m so sorry, Leo. I’m so, so sorry.
He opened his mouth in a silent scream. When his eyes rolled back in his head, I cringed. Dear God, let this heal him. If it did anything other than cure him, if I held my hands down and called fire and ended up killing him, I’d die right along with him.
His convulsing slowed. He closed his eyes and finally relaxed. I pulled my hands back and cringed at the sight
