That night, Brianna laid in bed lost in thought. She did not plan for any of that to happen and was puzzled by the consequences of her acts. The construction of a rational train of thought was constantly broken by flashes of his hands on her body, the softness of his hair, and then the agonizing detachment of their lips. She shook her head trying to focus. There was something there, just underneath the surface. It needed to be thought through and brought out.

She was a master of the elements and her purpose was to answer their callings and tend to their needs, not the callings of men. Mankind had a way of satisfying their needs without her and she had no business messing with the natural flow of things.

Nevertheless, he had called for her. At that moment by the water, he called for her in painful desire and she asked what he wanted. From the moment she did, there was no going back. She was bound to tend to his need, it was her nature and her purpose. But she had refused the callings of people before. Why was he different?

She had tended to the elements her whole life and in a sense, they were more her masters than she was theirs. She could never say no to a calling, had no reason to. She felt the same with him, the pulling to complete a task, the blissful satisfaction once it was completed.

Maybe it was his nature. He was a man from fire, and perhaps that changed things. For now, that little understanding, that sparkle of comprehension on the events of the day, was enough to allow her head to rest.

The following morning came way too soon for the witch. She had barely slept that night and the air was shifting uncomfortably, sensing the impending conversation that was bound to happen that day. By the time she reached the clearing, the phoenix was already there.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, Nathaniel”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I shouldn’t have asked what you wanted; it was irresponsible of me to put you in that position”

“That makes no sense, Brianna. I put myself in that position”

“But you didn’t. I could see you had a need and I should have known better than to draw it from you. There’s no simple wish in the heart of men, even a man made of fire, and it was wrong of me to assume I could tend to it.”

It took him a while to figure out what she meant, but when he did a flood of doubt crept into his mind, making him wonder if he would have answered her the same thing had she not used her pull to identify his most immediate need.

“Why did you stop it?”

“Because it was wrong”

“Why?”

“Because I drew a need from you that was incomplete and unsure”

“That is not a reason Brianna, why did you stop?”

“I don’t know” She stated, looking away from his piercing gaze. He closed the distance between them and cupped her face again, mirroring their pose from the day before and forcing her to look him in the eyes. There was something there, some sort of… curiosity? She truly didn’t know why she had done it. Then maybe…

“What do you want Brianna?” It was not just a question.

She didn’t answer for a while, but he knew she felt it. She was finding the words to bring out the truth.

“I want fire”

“Then we shall burn”

There was not a soul in the world who could stop him from answering her calling. She had asked for him, and he heard her. Nate let his fingers slide from her cheeks to the back of her head, entangling her hair, bringing her face closer to his, and kissing her with a burning passion.

Her lips were soft against his, and he didn’t wait much to start exploring every corner of her mouth. Wanting to feel more of her, he lowered his hands to her back and embraced her tightly, never wanting to let go. He felt her hands entangled in his hair and her teeth pulled his lower lip, playfully showing him that she wanted more.

He was craving her since the day before and the feeling of her body responding to him ignited his inner fire like no one ever did before. Their first kiss was eager and passionate, and now he realized she was absolutely holding back.

She hadn’t been playful or daring like she was now, nor had she brushed her sexy little body against him like a mischievous teaser. She was playing with fire, and he was about to show her what it really meant to burn.

He allowed his flames to rise throughout his body as he had desperately wanted to do the day before. Their bodies would feel the heat and wouldn’t burn, but their few pieces of garment would not have the same luck.

Brianna gasped when she understood his action and for a brief second mourned about the loss of good clothing, but the warmth of his body against her quickly took her mind away from it. She smiled against his mouth, silently appreciating the fact that he didn’t want to get away from her anymore than she did.

She knew he had drawn that answer from her, and although her rational side was running the odds of a future regret, there was no denying the truth; she wanted him deeply and fiercely. She hadn’t simply asked for fire. She unmistakably asked for him.