The Alchemist's Flame by Becca Andre Page B

arms came around me, his embrace tight. I pressed my cheek to his chest, aware as always of his silent heart beneath my ear. “I won’t let that happen.”
    “Ad.” He squeezed me.
    “Alchemy created this, there’s got to be a way to fix it.”
    Footsteps echoed from the hall, preceding Elysia’s entrance. “Fix what?” She glanced between us, a frown creasing her brow.
    I lifted my head, feeling oddly guilty about hugging James. “His link to his brothers.”
    “What do you mean?” She looked up at James. I guess he hadn’t told her about that.
    “If they die, so does he.” I stepped out of his arms.
    “What? That sounds like a soul bond.” Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. “But your brother…”
    “I have three brothers,” he said. “Had.”
    Elysia turned her frown on me. “And you think you can sever this link—with alchemy?”
    “It stands to reason that there should be such a solution.”
    “There must be necromancy involved, as well.”
    I shrugged. “Then I’ll incorporate that, too. If I only knew how it was done originally…” My mind ran over that familiar problem, but nothing new came to light. God, this was so frustrating.
    “ You plan to incorporate necromancy,” Elysia said. “I didn’t think you were magical.”
    “I’m not. I’m an alchemist.”
    James cleared his throat. “I haven’t seen her do it, but apparently she can raise and command the dead.”
    “With necromancer blood,” I clarified. It wasn’t like I could create that kind of magic out of thin air.
    Elysia’s brows rose. “Necromancer blood?”
    Right. She didn’t know me. “I’m a blood alchemist. I know we get a bad rap, but it can also be used for good.”
    “Um, necromancer.” She raised her hand. “I get bad reputations.”
    I smiled. Yeah, I liked her.
    “So, are we going to order some pizza?” James asked.
    “We? You’re staying?” He hadn’t yet told me what his relationship was with Elysia.
    “I’ll help you with this potion. And if you don’t mind, I would like to sleep on the couch,” he said.
    Okay, maybe they weren’t as close as they seemed.
    “You can stay for pizza,” Elysia said, “but you don’t need to sleep here. I can call you, remember?”
    “But—”
    She reached up and pressed a finger to his lips. “I’ll call you if I need you. Now, what do you like on your pizza?”
    “Order him a large meat lover’s,” I said, opening a cabinet to grab a couple of flasks.
    “A large?” she asked.
    “Apparently, you haven’t seen him eat.”
    She laughed. “Even after all we’ve been through, no I haven’t.”
     
    I held the test tube up, eyeing the dark orange powder. The light glinted off the occasional golden flake, and the powder sparkled.
    “And that’s the essence of his power?” Elysia asked me. Her white eyes narrowed as she studied the tube I held.
    “Yes.” I pushed a stopper into the end of the tube and set it in the nearby rack.
    “You can do that with anyone’s blood?”
    “Anyone who has power.” I looked up, meeting her eyes. “As soon as I talk with Ian, I’ll start on your antidote, but I need to do this first—before Colby burns something else.”
    “I understand,” Elysia said. “After seeing the plane, I think Colby should definitely take precedence.”
    “Will this do?” James asked, setting the crucible on the trivet to cool. He removed the tongs, and I leaned over to eye the lightly smoking contents. The white powder was uniform—not a single grain scorched.
    “Nice work.” I gave him a smile and selected a vial of dried water lily. Ian did keep my lab well stocked in finely ground ingredients. I sprinkled a little into the crucible, then picked up a glass rod to give it a gentle stir.
    “You really are an alchemist,” Elysia said to James.
    “In training,” he admitted.
    “He’s going to be a good one.” I nudged him with my shoulder, then laughed when he blushed.
    Elysia was watching us again, but