Ryder led Tairin in silence to her new room. Not more than four months ago Tairin had been just a boy she had a crush on, and now here they were walking to a room alone together in some strange magical-ish Healer's house.

How was this reality?

The scariest part of all, was that she needed him. She let her hand float away from her side and grabbed his as it swung, relief washed over her when he laced his fingers in her's.

The new room was a mirror image to the old one, and Ryder's eye went straight to the bed and its fluffy pillows. A place to escape from her body's building pain, and pretty much the whole terrible day. But Tairin pulled her to the couch, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her in. This was the most affection they had shared since the night of the party, he had taken her breath away with their first kiss.

The recent nights they had spent in the same bed had seemed mechanical, and distant. Both avoiding the truth it now seemed. But Ryder's explosion of fire seemed to be the ice breaker they needed.

"Are you ok?" Tairin asked, his concern evident.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, wanting to believe her own words despite her unnatural building headache, and bone ache. She began to examine the leather bracelets on his wrist to distract herself. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" She asked, afraid of his answer.

"No. I'm fine." He paused as if trying to decide if he should say what he was thinking.

Ryder beat him to the point, "Tairin, please ask me anything. I think we need to start being more open with each other."

He took a deep breath and her head rose and fell against his chest. "I don't know Ryder, I don't even know what happened. I feel like I'm going to wake up and realize all of this was just a dream. But after tonight, I guess I'm really just starting to understand how real this all is." He paused, "When I saw the smoke and opened the door to see the bathroom full of flames, I couldn't understand, I froze. Athos was there, and he pushed me back before I could get my wits and rush in, then Jade pinned me against the wall. To see you be carried from that inferno completely unharmed rocked me. I guess I hadn't really believed you had the same powers as everyone else here. I don't know, you have always been mysterious Ryder to me, but to feel like you know someone, and then to see that, just made me feel like I know nothing of who you really are."

"Welcome to the club." Ryder said bewildered.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to upset you or make you feel alienated." He added hastily.

"No, you're fine. I honestly thought the same thing. I was just waiting for them to tell me they had grabbed the wrong girl."

"So, what happens now? I mean are things like that supposed to happen? Is it normal to lose control, and set bathrooms on fire?"

Ryder felt her defenses rise up, she hated the idea of thinking she had lost control. Her whole life she had worked so hard to maintain control. She had told him he could ask anything, and this was a fair question.

"I'm not sure." She answered honestly. "But Athos does want to take some preemptive measures to make sure that no one gets hurt if this happens again." Her words trailed off, or more accurately her courage jumped ship.

Tairin prompted her, "Oh yeah? And what did he say?"

She could hear the skepticism in his voice, he wasn't going to make this easy.

"Well... As you saw Graynin was the one who had to come get me. Apparently he's the only one here who won't get hurt by my... outbursts." She was trying very hard to down play the significance of her point, but she could feel Tairin's muscle's tense under her. "So, to keep everyone safe, he needs to stay in the same room as me." She squinched her face, bracing herself for Tairin's response.

"What?! Why does he need to be in your room? I don't want to leave you alone with that douche." Tairin sat up straight forcing Ryder off his chest. She had no choice but to face him.

"You need to be in a different room because I don't want to hurt you."

"What? That's stupid, you wouldn't hurt me."

Ryder's temper broke, "Yes I would!" She yelled, "don't you see how lucky you are to still be alive. If I had done that when we were asleep you would have been burned to a crisp, and I probably wouldn't have even woken up from your screams! I am dangerous Tairin, I'm like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment." She felt the pressure of tears forming behind her eyes, she bit the inside of her lip. She did not want to cry.

He walked past her, to the window. "I will go to the room down the hall."

"Good, I'd hate for another part of the house to have to hear your snoring." She joked, unable to say what she really wanted, and it being the only thing she could say without bursting in to tears.

She joined him at the window. It was too dark to see much outside, the moon only a sliver. Tairin took her hand. Once again she was surprised by how much this simple gesture comforted her. She tightly locked her fingers with his.

"It'll be ok." He said quietly.

She laughed doubtfully, "yeah that's what everyone keeps saying."

She felt his gaze look down to her. Her gaze rose to meet his, and butterflies took flight in her stomach. "Thank you."

He gave her a confused smile, "For what?"

"For being here with me."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly, "this is a pretty crazy experience, how could I have passed it up. Backpacking through Europe isn't seeming that challenging anymore."

Ryder couldn't help but laugh.

Tairin pulled her in by the small of her back. The butterflies in her stomach began to flutter rapidly. His lips found hers. The sensation tingled throughout her entire body.

Their kisses grew from soft and sweet to deep and urgent, she felt that unknown hunger awakening. Her hands found his neck and pulled him in. He kissed her more fiercely, returning her need. The fire within her flared.

Suddenly all windows that had been left ajar blew wide open and the night air swirled in. Ryder didn't notice, all she could feel was the need growing inside of her. She bit Tairin's lip and he pulled her in even tighter. With that, the breeze turned into a less romantic mini cyclone.

Tairin pushed Ryder out to arm's length. They both stared at each other, both breathing hard. It wasn't until then that Ryder even noticed the swirling storm in the room, all the drapes flapped, and most of the pillows had been blown from the bed. As understanding set in, she shut down, and pulled away from Tairin, embarrassed and scared. Her headache, which had disappeared for a moment, settled back in, and with it her fear.

"Wow," Tairin said, "I knew I was good kisser, but I didn't know I was that good."

Ryder couldn't resist her need to punch him in the shoulder for his poorly timed joke. "It's not funny Tairin," but his joke had worked in lightening the mood.

"Well it kind of is." He laughed into her ear, as he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her cheek.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in." Ryder called out instantly, and Tairin's arms dropped away from her waist. She was grateful for the interruption, this was really only her second time kissing a boy. It was clear he was much more experienced than her. Which just made her all the more nervous that things could escalate faster than she intended. And that new fire in her was not going to help.

Graynin gracefully slipped into the room. Tairin tensed beside her.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted something." Graynin said insincerely. "I have just finished speaking with Athos and wanted to talk to you about how you felt about the arrangements." His grey blue eyes held Ryder's revealing nothing of what he thought, good or bad.

"Uh, yeah, we can talk." She didn't know what to do, everything was growing more awkward by the second as the three of them stood in what now felt like a tiny room.

"I guess I'll go then." Tairin said agitated.

He turned to Ryder and in one smooth move laced his fingers in her hair and laid a quick, but passionate kiss on her already swollen lips. Before she could react, he pulled away and walked out of the room without another word. She was left speechless, and embarrassed.

Ryder cleared her throat, trying to break the moment. Graynin held his look of indifference but there was something brewing behind his practiced stoicism. Graynin was even more intimidating now that they were alone, his handsomely cold features and the air of superiority that wafted around him seemed even more pronounced.

"So, what's up?" Ryder asked awkwardly, hating herself as soon as the words left her mouth.

"I just wanted to make sure Athos had explained everything to you, and you were comfortable with the conclusion."

She pulled her shoulders back, trying to mirror his posture. She had no idea how everyone here always stood so perfectly. "He explained his reasons to me, and I understand." Also trying to mimic their speech patterns, but that died quickly, "But are you sure it's safe for you to stay here?"

He almost laughed at her concern. "I will be fine. You have no need to worry for my safety."

His indifference irritated her, she was only trying to make sure she didn't hurt anyone. "Right, I forgot you always just do what you're told."

Graynin's eyebrows narrowed. "No one orders me to do anything. I choose which acts I perform and which I do not."

"But, don't you work for Athos?" Isn't that why you keep saving me? Was her real question, but she didn't have the guts to ask.

"I work for no one. I am a free agent, and only participate when I feel inclined." His brow rose in curiosity. "Why are you so surprised? Do I strike you as a mindless soldier?"

"Well, no." She said hastily, caught off guard, "But the night when you taught me how the lights work, and I thanked you for saving my life, you simply said that you were completing your mission."

He looked slightly surprised by her point, "Well that was the truth. You were my mission. I choose my own assignments, but when I accept them I always complete them."

"So, you chose to take me on as a mission? Why?" She crossed her arms, feeling like the power was shifting.

"You ask a lot of questions." He said, his growing irritation evident.

"Yes, I do." She answered with pride, "I like to understand things, I don't like to walk blindly through life. I find people who do that don't live very full lives."

A half smile caught his lip, "True. But people who don't ask so many questions tend to have longer ones."

A chill ran down her spine, but she wasn't about to show Graynin that. "Well, if you're too scared to answer my questions, and your willing to break the promise you made to me, then fine." She lazily watched him, trying to be nonchalant, even though her heart was beating way too fast.

The half-smile vanished from his face. She had done it, she had landed a direct blow to his cold ego.

"You're right. I am afraid to answer your questions. But not for myself, I am afraid for you. Just as I was that night running from the Dakawolves. So please forgive me if I'm breaking a promise I made when I was doing everything in my power to save your life."

Ryder's mouth went dry as a bone. He was dead serious, and it made her furious. "You know, I'm really getting sick of everyone telling me how worried they are for me, while at the same time telling me absolutely nothing. If you people know so much about me, or the danger I'm facing, then why the hell won't you let me in on the information? I'm not stupid. Don't you think I've put two and two together? That I'm not just a danger to myself, but to everyone around me. I deserve some answers. Maybe if someone told me what was going on I might not have so many nightmares, maybe my subconscious wouldn't feel so inclined to work overtime tormenting my sleep, supposedly trying to fill in the blanks you people are leaving out. If someone would just tell me a whole truth for once, and not always be apologizing for their inability to be honest with me, I might actually be able to find some peace in this terrifyingly, horrible world!"

Ryder grabbed two fistfuls of the oversized Healers robe, turned and ran into the bathroom, leaving a bewildered Graynin. She slammed her back against the door and slid into a crumpled heap. She felt the anger-fueled adrenaline coursing through her body. She wished she had ran out of the room instead of hiding in the bathroom, all she wanted was to run, to be outside and away from the confines of the house, to be lost in her body, rather than trapped in her mind.

She tried to calm herself, but only ragged shallow breaths came. She could tell her rampant emotions were on the brink of causing an episode, she could feel herself losing control. She squeezed her head between her hands, digging her nails into her temples, she could feel her hands warming, the need for fire boiling in her soul, the desire to cleanse growing strong in her mind along with the buzz of voices.

Then the most surprising thing happened, she heard Graynin's voice softly coming through the bathroom door. "You're right Ryder, it's not fair how you've been left in the dark. I truly am sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. I can't imagine how difficult and confusing this all must be for you. You are handling it quite well. I know I wouldn't have been able to be as patient as you have been. Don't lose faith, I know it doesn't make sense right now, but it will, you will learn everything, when you are ready."

Ryder felt the heat subsiding inside her, the hum of the elements was pushed away as she strained to hear his calm voice. Guiding her away from the edge of chaos.

"I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed by your gift. To feel like you have no control over it, and that it's stronger than you. But it's not. I learned to control it, and I know you will too. And someday you won't feel like you've been cursed or forsaken, but that you have been blessed. That the elements are your closest allies, not your enemy. That they are the only ones who understand who you really are." He paused and amended, "Well, if you're lucky they aren't the only ones who know who you really are." His voice trailed off.

Ryder's heart began to beat at a normal pace. She slowly stood, supporting herself against the door, her legs felt like jello, and her hands shook.

Graynin stood a few feet away from the door in his traditional pose. But his face was much softer, his grey blue eyes held compassion and concern as she emerged from the bathroom.

"I'd like to go to bed now." She said in a way that almost sounded like a question. She felt like a little girl asking permission after doing something bad.

Graynin gently nodded his agreement.