Hi all! It's Sunday, and another promised chapter is up for you to enjoy.  This one was SUPER hard to write. Geez, I must have stopped and re-wrote sections of it like ten times. Hope you like the interaction between Wren and Jaxon here. Enjoy!

Jaxon's hands balled up into fists. "You kissed him."

He paced a small circle, then hopped up, plunking his butt down onto the table edge. A distinct campfire scent singed the air when he lifted his hands from the table to rest on his elbows. Two blackened palm marks branded the wooden surface next to him.

"When you put Sage's coat on, I thought I was seeing things. After everything we'd just been through, I guess I didn't want to believe you'd go behind my back and hookup with Kellan again." He waved a dismissive hand to the mark washing my chest. "But the proof's hard to ignore."

"Not that it matters, but I didn't set out to find him so he and I could make up." I started to shiver again, so I wrapped my arms around me and averted my gaze out the small window overlooking the valley below. "I felt obligated to say goodbye to him before I could make my final commitments to you."

"Well, you said a lot more than goodbye, didn't you? You also said, hello, how are ya, and an I love you to him too." Jax dropped his head into his hands and let out a groan. "Really, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Jax..." I shifted my stance and waited for his response as I studied him.

He glanced up, his eyes glassy and bright green. "What Wren? What are you going to say? That you love me?"

I bit my lip and rubbed my arms. The deafening silence in the room crushed his words with the truth.

"Yeah—I know you don't." He wiped his hands on his jeans. "At least you have the decency not to lie about it."

Lie—how could I? Kellan's ring was a flashing neon sign of evidence against me. I started to shake again with the lack of warm clothing and soaking wet hair. Even my teeth were chattering.

"It's only been th-three d-d-days since you convinced me there m-m-might even be something between us." I plucked Sage's damp coat from the ground and hugged it to my chest. "You c-c-can hardly expect m-me to all of a sudden start confessing my und-d-dying love and devotion."

"You're right—having you return the feelings I have for you might be too much to ask for." His hands gripped the edge of the table on either side of him as he rocked forward to stand. "All I hoped for was that you'd be true to your promise and try."

His words stung. I owed him a lot more than a promise to try after everything he'd done for me. No apology I could muster would make my actions forgivable.

"You d-d-deserve better..." I mumbled.

"Yes, I do." He stood in front of me with Jessica's dress gathered in his hands. "Here, lift your hair."

I twisted my hair in my fingers and squeezed my elbows to my sides.

He raised the dress above my head and released the skirt's taffeta-like fabric around me. I stuffed my freezing arms into the fitted sleeves, and he motioned for me to turn around.

His fingers brushed my skin as he buttoned the dress at the base of my spine. Wet spots dotted the front of the iridescent charcoal-gold fabric. If I was ever going to warm-up, the drenched bikini top had to go.

"Can you wait a sec?"

He let go, and the back of the dress loosened. I held the bodice tight to my chest while I untied the bikini strings and tugged the top free with my other hand.

Jax took in a long breath and let it out. "You're torturing me. You know that right?"

"I'm not trying to. The wet top was soaking through ruining the dress."

He picked up the fabric and continued buttoning. When he ran a hand down my back, I knew he'd finished.

"Look, Jessica even brought you a brush." He picked it up and held in the air.

When I reached for it, he snatched it back.

"Nope, it's still my turn." He smirked. "I'm not done yet."

He untwisted my wet tangled locks, working them free with each gentle stroke of the brush. I stood there listening to the bristles drag through my hair wondering why was he being so nice to me.

"Why did you defend me in front of Jessica?"

He pulled through another tangle and put the brush down. "Because it doesn't matter that you're in love with Kellan."

"You don't care?" I peeked over my shoulder, then turned around to face him.

"I care. Just the thought of Kellan kissing you is driving me insane." His shoulders slumped, and he shoved his hand in his pockets. "What I mean is, there's nothing you or I can do to stop this partnership from happening, so we better figure out a way to get along."

The contract.

A half-smile graced his features. It's not just the agreement anymore. Once the Fire Circle court sees that spiral ring?

They'll never let me abandon the Fire Circle—they'll demand the union.

Or at least my father will. He took his hands from his pockets and squeezed my arms. Hell, if they knew about the spiral ring, there'd be an armed guard escorting us back to the Keep right now.

His calmness made me wish he'd just yell or throw something at me. I felt more guilty with each passing second. "Aren't you going to d-d-demand I never see Kellan ag-gain?"

My chattering teeth were making it difficult to pronounce my words aloud.

He plucked the black shoes from the table. "No, I'm not."

You're not? I repeated in my head trying to avoid shuttering over my speech.

"It'd be impossible with diplomatic relations to demand that. Although, what Kellan's done constitutes a breach of peace between our circles."

War? But innocent people would die.

He cupped my chin and lowered his voice. "That's what happens when a country captures the queen of their rival."

He knelt down and placed the heels on the floor. When I lifted the skirt and pointed my toes, he grasped the back of my foot and guided the shoe on.

"Th-that's not g-going to h-h-happen, is it?"

"Who knows what perverse plan my father has for the two of us already. When he figures out what Kellan has done?" Jax smoothed out the fabric of my dress, then rested his hand on my leg and called for a connection through his ring. "Maybe you're beginning to understand there's a cost to everything you do."

Inside of me, the flames simmered and responded to his call. My ankle warmed, and the heat rose circling my thigh, spreading through me until the tips of my ears felt toasty, and my teeth stopped chattering.

Kellan was right. I had a bad habit of jumping into things and thinking about the consequences later.

"Jax?"

He peered up at me and gave a weak smile. "Yeah?"

"Why are you being nice to me? This whole situation would be so much easier if you'd just yell at me and tell me how stupid I am."

He dusted his hands off and stood up. "Me screaming I hate you at the top of my lungs and lighting the room on fire, is that really what you want?" He ran his hands down my arms and squeezed my fingers.

"No..." I squeaked. "But it'd make me feel better."

He brushed his cheek alongside mine and whispered, "But it's not true. Even if I can't stand the hell you and water boy have put me through—I don't hate you."

My guilt level just intensified a hundredfold.

"But Kell—"

Jaxon held a finger to my lips cutting off my words. We'll have a lifetime to get to know each other after the union ceremony. Maybe one day, you'll feel that way about me.

"Oh, Jax..." I dropped my head to his chest. "Everyone deserves to be loved."

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head. "I know you're still wrapping your head around being here on Acklemar, not to mention being promised to the most handsome, understanding guy on the planet, and that alone can consume your every thought. But if this is going to work, we need to trust each other."

"Okay..." I answered not sure where he was going with his statement.

"Look, I'm going to come out and say it because I don't know any other way." He washed his hand down his face. "I get Kellan's in your head, and there's nothing I can do about it or I would. But that doesn't mean I'm all right with him savoring your kisses or enjoying the caress of your fingertips on his skin whenever he shows up—because I'm not okay with that." He pulled away, still holding my fingers. "Hey..."

I glanced up at him under my lashes. His eyes glowed a soft green and a ruby stone on his necklace pulsed on and off.

"I'm the one your marrying. Those kinds of things should be just between us."

Jaxon's embrace got warmer with each passing second. With his eyes bright and the stone flashing around his neck, I knew he was drawing power from the circle trying to hold it together. He wasn't asking—he was pleading for me to stop hurting him.

Agreeing to be faithful to Jaxon while Kellan wasn't around would be easy, but when I eventually came face to face with Kellan? Even when I was mad at him, I wanted to kiss him. But agreeing to my role in Acklemar came with duties I had to follow—ones that didn't allow me to choose who I'd marry. It meant taking responsibility and giving Jaxon the respect and fidelity he deserved.

"Oh, Jax... You should never have to ask for your girl to be faithful. I owe you so much. You deserve more than my apologies. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through, for disappointing you over and over, for not giving you time to explain things before I reacted, for..."

It was like Pandora's box, once the apologies for every hurt I'd given him started, the list of items kept coming. The more faults I acknowledged, the more I realized how incredible Jax was to have stood by me through everything I'd tossed his way.

"You don't need to keep apologizing." Jaxon held his fingers to my lips. "Let's just take this one day at a time. Things will work out, you'll see." He smiled and tilted his head. "Did I hear you just say that you're my girl? I like that. Does that mean you agree?"

"To be faithful, or to kiss you?" I gave him a lopsided smile.

"Both would be great, but if I have to settle, then definitely the first one."

"Wren!" Astra bellowed from below, breaking the library code of silence.

I lowered my voice and whispered, "Yes to the first, and—"

"If you're done torturing Jaxon, and discussing the future of the Fire Circle. Your presence is required on the main floor," Astra called up one more time.

"You're not helping," I hollered loud enough for Astra to hear.

Jaxon just stood holding my hand with a big smirk plastered across his face. "You know, I'm beginning to like your family more and more."

"Well, you won't like when Astra makes you pay for the table you just graffitied." I took a step closer toward the alcove entrance, tugging on his hand. "Come on, before she sends Rygar up here to collect us."

Jaxon stood rooted to the floor and pulled me back to his chest. "I believe you mentioned something about a kiss?"

"Wren, I've been instructed to carry you down if I have to," Rygar announced walking up the stairs.

"That point will have to wait," I whispered.

"Last warning..." Rygar sauntered around the corner.

He took one look at the discarded bikini top on the floor, and a wide grin spread across his face. "No wonder, we can hear Jaxon's heart racing downstairs."

"No, you can't." I rolled my eyes and shook my head knowing Traveler's didn't have that ability.

"You never know, maybe I can." The corners of Rygar's lips turned up.

Jaxon's cheeks flushed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he could. You do have that affect on me."

Jaxon tossed his leather jacket back on, then plucked the wet top from the floor and hid it in the folds the scarf he grabbed from the table. He reached out for me to take his hand.

"Ready?" He repositioned my fingers, so they rested on his arm, as we rounded the corner to the stairs. "Remember, united front."

"United front? What are you talking about?"

Look. Jax nudged me with his elbow.

I glanced over the railing and watched Rygar greet Kellan's sister, Elena and three Water Circle guards at the bottom of the stairs.

THANKS for keeping up with Wren's latest! Next chapter update on December 10th. *Yup, that's two weeks, so mark your calendars.* Sorry! But I have a work/class assignment I HAVE to pass to keep my job. Probably should focus on that, right? If I can squeak in some writing I will!

Please vote and comment and I promise you'll keep a tired writer entertained. Thanks for reading!