by Katie Dunn
A knock on the door sent flutters through my chest. My palms became sweaty and my heart began to race in response to who must be on the other side. Tamara opened our door and jumped into the arms of a well-dressed Nalusa Chito blessed. Behind Harvey stood Devon with a handkerchief in his breast pocket that matched the color of Marion’s dress and a smile that had love written all over it.
Finally, Devon and Harvey moved aside, and my breath caught. Elliot still sported his spiky black hair but seeing him in a tuxedo made it hard to breathe. He smirked as if he knew how he affected me and walked over until he was standing only inches away. I had never seen someone more gorgeous than Elliot Maganot in that moment.
“You are beautiful, Serena,” Elliot complimented and produced a lily corsage from behind his back.
I smiled at the flower and held out my wrist. Elliot carefully took the flower from the container it was stored in and wrapped it around my wrist with a silk ribbon. I beamed at him and felt my cheeks heat at the formality of his behavior.
“Ready to go?” Harvey asked the group.
I continued staring into Elliot’s copper eyes and nodded. Fire seemed to dance within his irises as he smiled down at me and took my hand to lead me from the room.
Baaa
I turned to Panda and pointed to my bed. “Panda, stay. We don’t need you head butting anyone tonight.”
Panda responded by headbutting the back of my leg and bleating. I chuckled and picked her up. “I will be fine.”
My chest clenched in fear that maybe I wouldn’t be fine, but my familiar didn’t need to know that. It would only worry her. I rested the baby goat on my bed and walked from the room with Elliot in tow.
The dance was in the cafeteria, yet I almost didn’t recognize the room. All the tables had been pushed to the side and lights and streamers hung from the ceiling. Music was already playing when we arrived, and bodies moved in rhythm out on the dance floor. Marion and Devon joined the dancing group and Tam and Harvey went to grab a table.
I glanced up at Elliot to see what he wanted to do and the way he looked at me made me gasp. His eyes were intense but in a protective and I-want-you way. His hands glided across my arms down to my hands, leaving trails of heat in their wake. He leaned forward a fraction of an inch, silently asking me if he could get closer. I held my breath and stood still in case I somehow ruined that perfect moment. Elliot brought his head closer and softly brushed his lips against mine.
I didn’t realize I was still frozen and hadn’t even closed my eyes to enjoy the kiss until Elliot pulled back and stared into my eyes. I was just shocked that someone as tough and brilliant as Elliot wanted to kiss me. For the first time I could see vulnerability and doubt in his gaze. I did not want him ever to feel that way around me. I grabbed the front of his suit and pulled him to me, crushing our lips together in the most amazing kiss I ever took part in. I had been kissed before, when I was a freshman, but nothing was as moving or searing like this one. It felt like minutes or hours later that we finally broke apart. I was pleased to see he was just as affected as I felt. We were breathing hard and he seemed to stare into my very soul. Elliot leaned forward again and pressed a softer kiss onto my lips leaving my mind foggy and my heart happy.
“Wanna dance?” He asked, smiling at me.
It took me a moment to understand what he said, my mind still focused on the touch of his lips and hands on my arms. He smirked at my silence, somehow knowing that I was too affected to speak. He led me out to the dance floor, a little away from the large group but still nearby enough that it didn’t look weird. He led me in a somewhat slow dance even though the music was more upbeat. I felt my cheeks heating but thankfully the room was more on the dark side so Elliot couldn’t have noticed.
“So, I’ve been reading Nurse Lydia’s notes,” Elliot whispered.
I froze at the mention of Lydia but uncoiled as Elliot’s hands rubbed my arms. I cleared my throat so that my voice would come out strong rather than unnecessarily frightened. “What did you find?”
Elliot spun me around before bringing me back close to him. “They were about the myth experiments she did, the people she got blessed, and many were about you.”
A shock jolted me at the fact she had notes on me and my whole being needed to know what she found. “And? What did she have about me?”
Elliot shrugged. “Nothing much. Just observations, that meeting she had with you after fall break, and notes from your time in the facility.”
I nodded slowly. I figured that meeting after fall break was odd when she didn’t talk to anyone else. Elliot must have gotten a hold of her notes from the facility in addition to the ones in her nurse’s office because the notes from the facility had been with her when she…when she died.
“You know, even though she didn’t discover how you came to have two myths, I think I figured it out,” Elliot said thoughtfully.
His announcement startled me. “You did?” I tried not to feel too excited since it was just a guess, but Elliot had been right about my conflicting elements so his was a good a guess as any.
Elliot nodded and looked off to the side before moving us away from the dancing group a little more. “Nurse Lydia had notes on tons of myths and none of them could reproduce the same outcome as you. Yet, there was one myth she never tried.” He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to catch on to his idea.
I knew for a fact she had tried sirens since she had one bless her daughter but out of all the myths in that facility, I did not see an important one. “She didn’t try a chimera.”
He nodded and beamed at me, pleased that I realized her mistake. “I started reading up on Chimera’s and they live in constant unrest, always struggling with harmony in itself since the lion, snake, and goat are not quite symbiotic.”
I nodded in understanding. “So, you think since the chimera blessed me, I was able to hold another blessing because it would make me less harmonious inside just like the myth.”
Elliot nodded and I sighed. Well, the chimera got what it wanted. Water and fire do not mix well, and my body struggled with itself every time I tried to use my gifts or get near the elements. If Lydia had come to the same conclusion we had, she could have had an army of very powerful myth blessed. The chimera on its own had tons of gifts but pair that with another powerful myth and…I didn’t want to think what could have happened. I still hadn’t figured out whether being blessed by two myths was a blessing or a curse. I had gone through so much with these powers in just a few months. I was glad that we finally figured out how it was possible, and my heart warmed toward Elliot for going through all that research and helping me.
I rested my head on his shoulder and chuckled. “Ever thought you, Elliot Maganot, would be dancing with a siren blessed?”
His chest rumbled against my ear as he chuckled. “With you, anything is possible.”
My heart fluttered at that statement and we continued to slow dance through two more songs.
After a while, Elliot and I joined Tamara and Harvey at the table, clasping each other’s hands, unable to separate. Something more was between us now, whether it was from our kiss or shared revelation of my dual myths. Either way, I was both nervous and excited it was happening.
“I wish Rae could have joined us,” Tam pouted across from me.
I pictured my poofy, orange headed friend and chuckled. “Me too, she is probably going to get revenge on us somehow for being excluded.” Rae was already grumpy at Harvey for not bringing her to the facility to help rescue us, something I was extremely grateful she missed.
“I’m sorry Tamara,” I blurted out.
The three of them blinked at me in confusion. Understanding my meaning, Tamara frowned and slapped my hand that rested on the table. “Do not apologize. My captivity was not your fault, it was Laneli’s, who I for one am glad you dealt with.” Tamara leaned back and crossed her arms in defiance.
A twinge in my heart and burning in my eyes started at the mention of Laneli
’s death by venomous bite and Tamara’s enslavement. I didn’t think I could ever get over those events. Tamara was the strongest person I knew, and I was glad she continued to be my friend even after all of that. I on the other hand felt like I would crumble to pieces at any moment. Looking around me I knew I would have the best people around to help keep me sane.
I didn’t want any myth or myth blessed to ever go through something like that. I was powerful, and whether my powers were a gift or a curse, I would use them to keep my friends safe. My plans in Hawaii were to graduate, move across the country, and become an analyst or detective. After everything that had happened, my goals have changed. I would graduate and become an agent of the Society for Mythical Protection. A sense of purpose settled in my belly and for once, without Panda, my dual myths were aligned and at peace.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank Victoria Gillette for continuously being supportive and willing to read my books. I always appreciate her feedback. I quite literally wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her.
I want to thank Phoenix Designs from 99designs for giving me an incredible cover that embodies the character and story exceptionally. Out of all the designers that presented ideas, Phoenix Designs had the best.
Lastly, I would love to acknowledge my readers and all the support they have given me over the past year. You guys have helped me stay in the spirit of writing.
About Author
Katie Dunn grew up in the hot part of Arizona where she graduated NAU and became a teacher. She got a taste of the author life after her first YA contemporary fantasy novel Ancient Elements. Finding out she loved writing just as much as reading, teaching, and traveling, she sat down and wrote the first installment of the YA fantasy adventure Skor Stone trilogy: Pirates from Under and YA contemporary fantasy novel Myth Blessed.
You can check out more about Katie Dunn’s books and works in progress at:
Facebook.com/AuthorKatieDunn/
Kdunnauthor.com