A Beautiful Dark

everything—“is pointless if you come back to the Order with me.”
    “Even if I have the powers, I don’t know that I can leave this behind. It’s my world.”
    “You can’t stay here.”
    The bell rang then, saving me from having to answer him. “Gotta get to class,” I said as I gathered up my things. “Tell Asher that you’re both off the hook. No angel training this afternoon.”
    Before he could protest—because I knew he would—I was heading for the door.
    I didn’t go to ski practice. I just went home. After my experience with the avalanche, I was afraid of what might happen once my competitive edge took over. I thought I should probably quit the ski team. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt because I couldn’t control whatever it was I was supposed to control.
    Friday night, I slept fitfully. I’d had a tense dinner with Aunt Jo, trying to put off telling her my decision, and another internet search turned up nothing.
    I woke with a start. The room was pitch-black, and the house was silent; it was the middle of the night. I turned over beneath my warm comforter, about to fall back asleep—when I realized that my nose and cheeks were cold.
    My eyes flew open. I caught a sharp, earthy fragrance. A shadow fell across a patch of moonlight coming through the window, and I scrambled back until I hit the headboard.
    “Damn it, Asher, I told you not to come into my room anymore.”
    “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll be angry when you find out why I came by.”
    “Yeah, and why’s that?” I demanded.
    “Freedom. Get dressed and bundle up. Meet me outside.”
    He went out the window. I closed and locked it behind him, not that it would do any good if he wanted in. I guessed his powers included the ability to manipulate locks. I was tempted just to go back to bed. Instead I changed into jeans and a soft sweater, wool socks, and snowboots.
    I crept down the stairs and through the dark house. The last thing I wanted to do was wake Aunt Jo. I threw on my parka and slipped outside. Asher was waiting at the edge of the trees. He was straddling a snowmobile.
    “Thought you might enjoy feeling the wind rushing around you,” he said as I approached.
    “If I wanted that, I could ski.”
    “Yeah, but you can’t hold on to me when you’re skiing.”
    True. And I missed skiing so much. “I don’t know.”
    “Come on, Skye. I know the past few days have been overwhelming. I also know that you didn’t go to ski practice today.”
    I felt a spark of anger surge through me. “Ellie told you.”
    “No. I went to watch you practice.”
    I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my parka and studied the moonlight glistening over the snow. “I wanted to go. I really, really did. But I was afraid.” I lifted my gaze to his, and knew he understood. “What if I cause another avalanche? What if someone is hurt or killed?” I couldn’t risk it. Not unless I figured out how to control myself, or discovered I had the ability to heal. But even then . . . It was too scary to think of the damage I could cause.
    “So you need this,” he said. “For tonight—let’s just pretend that neither of us has any powers and no one is watching to see what we do. We won’t even talk about the Order or the Rebellion. Let’s just have fun.”
    It was probably a very bad idea. Still, I threw my leg over the back of the vehicle, settled onto the seat, and wound my arms around his waist. “I’m ready.”
    He revved the engine, and we were soon flying over the snow, zigzagging around trees, racing down slopes, speeding toward peaks of snow. The moonlight illuminated everything in a whitish-blue glow. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of the woods and earth and Asher—so warm and solid in front of me. I tightened my arms around his waist.
    And I knew that he was generating heat to keep me from freezing as the wind whipped around us. I was content for the first time in days. The worry that I would create some catastrophe vanished.
    Asher brought the snowmobile to a halt at the top of a rise and we both got off. He unfolded a thermal blanket and I sat, wrapping my arms around my legs. Then he created tiny balls of fire that floated around us, creating a cocoon of warmth.
    “How do you keep those going without touching them?” I asked.
    “Practice.”
    “Did you do that in the snow cave? After I fell asleep?”
    “I did what I had to do to keep you alive.”
    “Because the Rebellion wants me