“You talked about it last night. You didn’t confirm that it was starting today.” Lila wanted to pummel her teacher in frustration.
Sebastian looked over Lila’s shoulder at Evan, then at Lila again. “See you tonight.” And he left the house.
Lila took a long slow breath and turned away from the closed door. Her eyes met the reflection of Evan’s sunglasses. His eyebrows raised behind the glasses in question.
“Sebastian being his usual terse self?” he asked.
“So it would seem.”
Lila marched past him back to the kitchen to finish her lunch. She didn’t know how to feel about Evan being her bodyguard. She was both happy and nervous to be left alone with him. Then she remembered what Sebastian had said last night about not being left alone with an undesirable. So someone else was coming over; she wasn’t going to be alone with Evan.
When he returned to the kitchen, Evan once again found her sitting and chewing on her sandwich. He reseated himself opposite her.
“Care to enlighten me on the afternoon’s activities?” she asked between bites.
This time Evan’s eyebrows lowered. “You mean he told you nothing?”
“Yup.”
Evan huffed out a snort of contempt. “Figures.”
They stared at each other for a moment. Finally Evan said, ”I can only guess that someone is coming here, as I have no instructions to take you anywhere. Any ideas?”
“James must be coming,” said Lila. “He’s the only one I’d be uncomfortable with alone.”
Before Evan could comment on that statement, the doorbell rang.
“Let me get it,” he said standing.
Lila let him go to the door as she finished her lunch. She felt generally put out by not being informed of the change in the routine, and specifically annoyed by Sebastian’s inability to share details about her daily life with her. She would have to start laying down the law with all the men who thought she would just follow along unquestioningly.
Evan returned to the kitchen with James in tow.
“’Ello, Love!” exclaimed James on entering. Today he was putting on a cockney accent that reminded Lila of Oliver Twist. “Let’s make some magic togeva.”
Lila rolled her eyes at James, but did not notice that Evan tensed.
“What exactly do you mean?” she asked as she put her dish in the sink.
“I am here to help you fulfill your magical potential. If you’re ready, let’s go to the gym.”
When Lila looked at James questioningly, James dropped the accent and added, ”I’ll explain on the way.” They headed toward the stairs. “I have been informed that your power is potent, so we need a safe place to work magic in. Sebastian’s gym is underground and magically warded. So any accidents won't take the house down.”
The three of them had reached the gym, and James led Lila to the middle of the mats. Evan remained standing by the door. Lila looked back at Evan, unsure of why.
“Don’t worry about him, darling,” said James. ”Focus on me.”
Evan gave Lila a slight nod assuring her that he was watching her back. Lila turned back to James and focused on the lesson.
James spent the next two hours testing Lila’s ability, focus, and strength. His professional manner both surprised and encouraged her. She found that she liked professional James quite a bit more than casual James, the Ass Hat.
“All right my dear, where’s this power Sebastian spoke of?” James asked. Lila was uncertain if he wanted an answer, so she said nothing. James studied her face a minute before asking, ”Do you like to meditate?”
Lila was again unsure of what to answer. Most of the time meditation was something that happened to her naturally. She didn’t sit down with the intention of meditating. But the last two times, when her magic had flowed, had been easy. Her unease must have shown, because James changed tack and asked, ”Do you think you could show me your light the way you showed Sebastian?”
“Um, I can try,” she said honestly.
“All right, let’s try. You tell me what I can do to help, and I will.”
“You don’t need to do anything except not distract me,” she answered as she closed her eyes and began measuring her breathing to calm herself and focus inward.
It took much longer than it had with Sebastian, but finally Lila relaxed and was able to ignore everything around her. She concentrated first on her breath, then on her heartbeat, and finally on the flow of energy around her. This time she visualized the room and the air in the room moving around the space. Her awareness floated up to the ceiling. She saw herself and James sitting cross legged in the middle of the room, Evan standing by the door, the wall of weapons, and even the lights recessed in the ceiling. She could not see what James and Evan saw: she was glowing.
In a very quiet voice Lila heard James say, ”Very good Lila. Can you focus your thoughts on your light and dimming it?”
Lila’s eyes opened, looking at James.
He looked back at her squinting.
“I need you to control your light,” he said.
Lila closed her eyes again and focused on the light that came from within her. She decided the best way to control it was to send it into stealth mode, and with that thought, the light surrounding her dimmed.
Again James’s quiet voice came to her. “Excellent, Lila. One of the most important skills a mage has is the ability to hide his affinity for his element.”
“Affinity for his element?”
“Yes, you have an affinity for Air. It is particularly strong, and the only reason I can see that allows you to create light from within.”
“Are you saying that my glowing comes from an ability to manipulate air?”
“Basically, yes.”
Lila thought for a minute. The first time she’d seen the glowing, she’d been in the tub. She remembered feeling the water.
“Could I have an affinity for more than one element?”
James smirked.
“Being extra powerful not enough for you? Greedy thing.”
Lila rolled her eyes.
“Is it possible?”
“No. While we all can learn to use all four elements, we only get a special relationship with one of them. Bastian should have gone over this with you already.”
“And why is it important to hide my ability?”
“In your case, it would be wise to keep the extent of your abilities to yourself. You never want to show all your cards to another mage.“
“Again, why?”
“Because you are the most powerful mage we have ever seen.”
Lila stared at James in disbelief.
“Great. Is that why so many of you are protecting me?“
“Have you studied the prophecy with Sebastian?”
“Yes,--- no,--- I mean, I’ve read the prophecy, but I haven’t studied it, I’m not into religion.”
“Ahh, well, now’s as good a time as any, and it may help to answer your question.”
Then James began to recite:
“When the world is as full of evil as it is good,
and magic is in peril from its weakness,
a Chosen One will arrive.
He will possess the greatest light of all.
He will come out of darkness from nowhere
and have no ties to anyone.
He will bind himself to the other three of the elements
for strength, perseverance, comfort, and growth,
but he will remain the Chosen One.
The four will create one power to unite and defend magic
against all enemies, and allow him to continue as he once had
in harmony with the rest.”
They sat in contemplation for a moment. Lila couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about what James had just recited seemed different from the one she had read. She had to review his words in her head before she found it.
“Why do you use the word “He” instead of “it?” Lila asked.
>
“The first time the prophecy was spoken by the Oracle, “It” was used,” James answered. “As time passed, the word was changed to “He” because it made more sense.”
“Why not ‘she?”
“Why not indeed?” he said, smirking at her.
Lila narrowed her eyes at James.
“What are you driving at?”
“Really? I need to dissect it for you?”
“Yes,” Lila said, and crossed her arms stubbornly.
“Very well,” James began in a professorial tone,”Who do we know who came from nowhere and has ties to no one? Who possesses the greatest magic?”
Lila stared at him in disbelief.
“You believe that I am this Chosen One?”
“I believe in very few things, my dear, but one thing I believe in completely is the prophecy about a Chosen One. One who comes to us from nowhere and leads us to a unified peace. So far I’ve seen nothing to discourage my belief that you are the Chosen One.”
“Does Sebastian think so , too?”
“Yes, and Alexander.”
Lila was dumbfounded. Prophecy? Chosen one? Unified peace? Holy hell, Lila was never going to wrap her brain around this. She was also irritated that she was continually getting information about herself in a haphazard way. Her irritation grew to actual anger.
“James, can you name all the people on my team or case or whatever?”
“Yes,” he was a little taken aback by the subject change.
“Sebastian, Xander, myself, Evan, and Adam.”
“And presumably, me?” she asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“And, can anyone on the team call a mandatory meeting?”
“Well, yes,” James answered hesitantly.
“Good. Can you help me call everyone in for a meeting?”
“Yes. Is there anything in particular you would like to cover during this meeting? It might help us prepare the proper information …” James trailed off as Lila’s expression darkened.
Lila just looked at him, anger clearly evident in her expression. Then she stood and left the gym, Evan trailing behind her.
Lila was trying very hard not to explode with rage and frustration. There was too much information being withheld from her and she didn’t know how much more she could tolerate without wanting to break something, or someone. She stomped up the stairs to the living room and began pacing, her turmoil not allowing her to stand still.
“Angel,” Evan’s quiet voice broke through her agitation, “Turn your light down, you’re lit up like the 4th of July.”
Lila glared at him, but dimmed her light.
“Why do you call me that?” she demanded. “And if you say anything about a prophecy or chosen one, I will hurt you.”
Evan smiled at her then. A beautiful, genuine, almost boyish smile.
“Well, aside from the fact that you glow with angelic light, you also resemble my idea of one.”
Lila was in no mood for compliments, so she had no idea what to do with this information. Continuing her pacing, she decided to start her inquisition with Evan, since he was here.
“What’s your role on the team?” She practically sneered the word.
“I’m your personal guard.”
“That’s it?”
“For now.”
A delicate ping sounded from Evan’s phone. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket and read a text.
“There’s a team meeting here tonight at 6,” he said to Lila, showing her the text on his phone. ”Do you want to get carry-out for the group?”
“No. I want all the men who are withholding information about me to be as uncomfortable as possible at this meeting.”
“Better hide the liquor then,” Evan suggested mildly.
James stuck his head around the corner.
“I’m off, see you at 6, darling.”
Lila turned her back on James and flipped him the bird as she walked to the kitchen to get herself something to drink. She poured herself an iced tea, sat at the table, and stared into space while she considered the best way to get all pertinent information out of her team. Physical torture a la mob movie was the first thing that came to mind. It presented a gratifying picture, but she knew she couldn’t really do it. Not against three experienced mages, to say the least.
“There’s smoke coming out of your ears, your tinkin’ so hard, girl,” Evan said, sitting across from her. His lilt, usually so sexy, was now annoying her. Did he think she didn’t hold him just as responsible for withholding information as the others? She narrowed her gaze at him.
“You need to tell me everything you know about me, my case, your role on the team, everything.”
Evan studied her angry expression, wondering if his decision to take this job had been a good idea. He felt that perhaps he’d let his cock make the initial decision, and now he was left to corral this she-wolf because the men in charge hadn’t thought to give Lila all the information. If she had been a man, he was sure that Alexander and Sebastian would have told her much more, but as a woman, they probably thought it best to coddle her and treat her like a child.
Those two mages had little experience with modern human women. They had no idea how fiercely independent they were. They did not know about the inequality that human women struggled with every day of their lives, because they lived in the Magique world where most women were happy to be taken care of by their men.
In Evan’s experience, female mages were solely for the purpose of servicing the sexual needs of male mages, and bearing their children. It was only in the last century that female mages had gained any power or respect in their hierarchy. Sebastian and Alexander might have noble intentions of teaching and protecting Lila, but they were so far removed from the human world, they didn’t even know that they were treating her as an inferior. According to James and the prophecy, she was or would be magically more powerful, so treating her badly would undoubtedly come back to bite them in the ars.
Lila still thought like a human. She was outspoken and entitled. Add that to her powerful magic, and she would be a force to be reckoned with. Evan liked her humanity and her boldness. Her sex appeal may be magic induced, but he was confident that he could ignore his lustful feelings for her, for a little while at least. Long enough, he hoped, to land on her good side and be considered friend, not foe. To this end, he disclosed everything about his position on the team.
“You’ll have to get the details about this prophecy thing tonight. It’s mage business that I am not privy to. I am to guard you from all physical threats, and escort you any time Sebastian cannot.”
“How long have you been working for the ISF ?”
The corner of Evan’s mouth curled up in an amused smile. “I don’t work for them, they contracted my services.”
“Why you?”
“Because my track record is perfect, because I can’t be bought, tortured, or otherwise coerced, and because I’m hard to kill.”
“Are those general vampire traits? Or do you have special skills like a mage?”
“Vampires are hard to incapacitate, and even harder to kill. We are not typically what you’d call ‘joiners.’ We’re mostly selfish bastards who horde our money and enjoy our privacy. ‘Special skills’ only come with age. I have one or two.”
Lila’s eyebrows went up with interest. When he didn’t speak she pressed, ”Well? Aren’t you going to share?”
He looked at her through his dark sunglasses and still said nothing.
“Oh come on! You know my skills, it’s not fair.”
He smiled again.
“Fine. I can always torture it out of James.”
“Don’t go poking your nose into places it doesn’t belong.”
“Shouldn’t I know all the things you can do?”
“With luck you’ll never need to know.”
“Are all vampires this cryptic?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Of course, not a joiner. Any weaknes
ses I should know about? Other than women, that is.” They both smiled at that.
“One weakness: a wooden spike into the body will paralyse any vampire.”
“Really? Anywhere in the body?”
Evan nodded his head.
“That seems like a big weakness for a bodyguard. Anyone could sneak up and take you out and then get to me.”
“It’s nearly impossible to sneak up on me.”
“Why?”
“I see perfectly in the dark, I hear better than anything, and I am faster than anything. Not to mention my superior fighting skills make it difficult to get near me, and consequently, you.”
Lila looked at Evan for a long time then. Finally she asked him, ”Why did you take this job?”
Evan shrugged his shoulders. He couldn’t tell her the truth, that after nearly coming in his pants during their first dance, he had gone to Alexander and demanded the job.
“Curiosity, I suppose.”
“About?’
“About you, and this prophecy.”
“I thought vampires were only interested in themselves.” She smirked at him.
Evan’s phone pinged. When he looked at it, he asked, ”Where is your phone?”
“My room, why?”
“Sebastian wants to speak with you.”
Lila sighed heavily and let her forehead drop to the table. “I’m not sure I want to talk to him yet.” She rolled her head to the side, her cheek now resting on the table. She glanced up to see Evan glaring at her.
“Sorry, Evan, I shouldn’t put you in the middle. I’ll call Sebastian from my room.” She got up and started in the direction of her room. Hearing Evan get up behind her, she turned to see him following.
“Do you need to guard me inside the house?”
“No,” he said. “But we didn’t secure the house after James left, so I’m going to make sure he didn’t allow anyone in. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
“Oh, in that case I’ll get my phone and come back down here.”
“What’s wrong?” he teased. “Don’t want me near your knickers?”
Lila turned away to climb the stairs, her cheeks turning pink. That was exactly right. She did not want Evan anywhere near her panties, her bed, not even her toothbrush, because that would give her reason to hope.
She retrieved her phone off the bedside table in her room and saw that she had six messages from her teacher. Each one was written with stronger language than the last, starting with a request that she call him to explain herself and ending with the threat that if she did not call back this instant there would be hell to pay.
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