by Ivy Asher
I laugh, having forgotten all about their shit talking to each other and the subsequent bet that ensued.
“Well, maybe that will keep your mouth from writing checks your ass can’t cash.”
Bastien’s eyes fill with mirth.
“Let’s blow off this meetup with douche and his asshole coven, and I’ll cash your ass right now.”
I roll my eyes at him. “We’re training, Bas, not having a tea party. I thought you lived for all that training and paladin shit. That’s all this is. Well better, because now you get to be a badass Sentinel, and let’s keep it real, that trumps paladin any day.”
“Don’t let Paladin Ender hear you say that,” Valen teases.
“I don’t know; I think I could take him.”
All the guys chuckle, and Bastien tweaks my nose.
“Now who’s writing checks her ass can’t cash?” Bastien exclaims.
“What, I got the drop on him before.”
Knox pats my knee. “Vinna, that man is a machine. I’ve never seen anyone do what he can, not even you or your sweet little ass.”
We pull up in front of the house and Enoch, Nash, Kallan, and Becket walk out to greet us. It gives me a sense of deja vu and pulls me back into the memory of the car ride with Pebble and his coven right after they forced me away from my Chosen. It’s a weird full circle moment, and something resonates inside of me, making me feel like something about this is important or pivotal.
It’s a strange feeling, like somehow I should be seeing something that’s right in front of me, but I can’t bring it into focus and catch the needed details. It’s that annoying sensation when you know a word, but it sits on the wrong side of your tongue, and you just can’t speak it into existence.
The light-hearted atmosphere that just filled the car evaporates. The guys get their game faces on, and there’s a collective deep fortifying breath taken before everyone climbs out of the car and faces off with Enoch and the others. There’s a long awkward pause where it seems no one knows what to do or say. Like we’re standing on opposite sides of a line and can’t decide if it’s worth crossing or dangerous in some way. Instead, both groups stand there taking each other’s measure.
I cross the invisible divide first and head right for Enoch’s door. I lived here, sort of, so I decide that means I can just walk into the house and right past whatever the fuck these guys are silently yelling at each other about, as they square off, arms folded over chests, and glare at one another. I walk through the house and out the back doors, heading straight for the training pit.
The dick measuring contest ends sooner than I thought it would, and Enoch catches up to me. I can practically feel the debate going on inside of his head, about what to say.
“I’m glad you called. I didn’t know if you’d want to hear from me or us,” he rubs the back of his neck, clearly searching for a way to make this interaction less awkward. “How are things going?”
I stop mid-stride, surprising him, and stare at him for a beat.
“Enoch, I’m not sure how to answer that.”
His face fills with confusion.
“You can tell me anything, Vinna. You can trust me.”
“That’s the thing though, I don’t know if I can. I’m trying to, but you ask me a simple question like how is everything going, and instead of just telling you the truth about all the crazy shit that’s going down, I debate if I can tell you anything. Right now, I’m weighing the risks in my head about whether you or your dad can use what I want to say against me somehow, or if I’m being set up for something I can’t see coming.”
Enoch runs frustrated fingers through his blond hair and takes a step towards me. As Enoch moves closer to me, I see Sabin out of the corner of my eye move to intercept him, but I give him a small wave to wait and let whatever is about to happen, happen.
“He made a power play, Vinna; it doesn’t make my dad evil, or me untrustworthy.”
“I’m not a chess piece, Enoch! Do you not understand that?”
“I know that...now. I didn’t know who you were when I saw you at the lake. I just knew what you were and what that could mean for me,” he gestures to the rest of his coven. “For us, if you were open to it. But then I started to get to know you, and it wasn’t all about the power and the politics anymore, because I started to see you. You are what’s important to me.”
“To us,” Nash chimes in.
“But then why not tell me what you knew. Why not just be honest?” I ask, frustrated and confused.
“Because you didn’t seem like you wanted anyone to know,” he points to where Sabin and the guys are gathered. “I didn’t know that they knew, or that your uncle and his coven knew. When Faron called you Baby Sentinel, and you looked more panicked than confused, I realized that clearly, you knew what you were, but I didn’t want to freak you out by bringing it up.”
I go to argue with that point, but Enoch beats me to it.
“What was I supposed to do, swagger on up to you and be all, so you’re a Sentinel want to be friends?”
“I mean leave out the weird Eeyore, Elvis voice you just did, but yeah, that would have been a hell of a lot better than letting your dad blindside me at the weekly family dinner!”
Enoch throws his hands out to his sides in a half-defensive, half-exasperated pose. “I didn’t know he was going to do that! I swear, I didn’t know he was going to come at you that way. You’re headstrong and don’t bow down to him; I don’t think he’s used to that.”
I take a step towards him, anger simmering just below the surface. “Don’t fucking defend your dad to me, Enoch. He threatened to expose me because I wouldn’t hop on your dick and hand over my abilities! I’m not going to find him redeemable because he’s related to you, or has issues with a female having a say in her own fucking life, or who she chooses to be with!”
“Fine. Let’s leave him out of it. This about you and me anyway! I’m sorry I didn’t just come out with the whole I know what you are thing. I didn’t know how to approach it; I thought Sentinels were just stories and then there you were, and you were...you.”
Enoch motions up and down towards me and gives a slight shrug. Nash chuckles.
“What does that mean... I was me?”
“He means you’re hot,” Kallan tells me,
I roll my eyes.
“I saw the chicks you had with you at the beach; I’m not falling for the I can’t talk to pretty girls bullshit.”
Valen interjects by walking over and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I stare up at him, and his hazel eyes burn with an unreadable emotion as they stay locked on mine.
“You’re not pretty, Vinna...you’re everything. Everything that we could have ever hoped for, and so much more.”
Before I can shake myself out of my shocked stupor and think of a response, he turns to Enoch.
“It’s great that you guys see that about her too, but she’s our mate, and we’re here to work, so let’s get to it.”
With that, Valen guides me away from Enoch, closing the distance to the training area.
Valen’s jaw ticks as we walk, irritation radiating off of him.
“Valen, he knows what you guys are to me.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he does,” he tells me, and a strained smile stretches across his mouth. “It’s fine, your Chosen will be happy to clear things up for him; we’ll remind him—and them—for however long they need it,” he tells me, his strained smile smoothing out into something lascivious.
I laugh. “Don’t start too much shit, we need them to help, okay?”
My plea gets swallowed up by his lips when he stops at the entrance to the training arena and kisses me. It’s not an I need inside of you right now kind of kiss, but it hints at that, and I can taste the reminder on my lips of who he is to me and who I am to him.
Nash squeezes past us mumbling. “Might as well just piss all over her.”
His grumbling steals me away from the questions Valen’s kiss has
stirred up, and I chuckle.
“Nah, golden showers aren’t my kink,” I announce, as Valen pulls away from me and we follow Nash further into the sand and stone training pit.
I clap my hands together once loudly, and everyone’s eyes fall on me.
“Okay, here’s what’s going to go down.” I focus on Enoch and his crew. “ You guys are going to do what we normally do, build a course and try to keep me from getting through it.”
Kallan smiles devilishly, and the rest nod their understanding.
I turn to the serious faces that each of my guys are wearing.
"I’m going to activate runes so that you can feel and hear what I’m doing when I call my magic. Valen and I think this will be the easiest way for you guys to get a feel for the different branches of magic and how I call weapons. I’ll run their course until you feel like you’re ready to join, and then we’ll team off and try to take each other out. Sound good?" I ask, looking around at everyone.
They all nod to me, but everyone is quiet, and it’s uncomfortable. The guys go sit on the stone benches and I watch them get settled. Why are they treating Enoch and the others like they’re a threat to what we have together? I don’t mind the territorial gestures, but I do mind the fog of doubt that seems to have permeated my Chosen. Kallan walks over to me, and I set my questions aside to focus on what we’re here to do.
He nudges me with his shoulder and smiles down at me. “If I give you a hug, is one of them going to stab me?" he teases.
“I’m not going lie, it’s a possibility,” I admit, running my gaze over the guys where they’re seated one last time.
Kallan chuckles and wraps his arms around me anyway. “Worth the risk,” he announces, as he squeezes me tightly in a hug that pulls my feet off the ground.
I chuckle but shoot him a scolding look as he plants my feet back on the ground. We make our way out toward the tree line so the rest of his coven can work out the course they want to put together without me seeing or overhearing anything.
"So, have they at least pulled their heads out of their asses and started working with you and your magic?” Kallan asks casually. “Are you keeping up with the drills that we set up, or do they have you working a different plan?”
“I’ve mostly been trying to help them to use their new magic. I haven't focused too much on what I need to develop."
Kallan lets out an annoyed grunt and shakes his head at me.
"Vinna, you can't let what they want get in the way of what you need to do. You can’t always rely on brute strength or blades. You have to work on mastering your power, now more than ever after your awakening. You were doing well here; you need to keep that momentum going!”
“Kallan, I know that. There’s so much shit going on, but I promise I’ve not lost sight of what I need to do. Why do you think I called you guys? I need help. I'm so out of my depth on figuring out what I'm capable of, and now I have to help them sort it out, too. That's why I'm here."
He pulls me in for another hug. He nods his chin towards my Chosen.
"Don't worry about them so much. They'll figure it out, they’ve lived their whole life knowing what magic is and how to use it. All they need to know now is how to recognize the different branches and separate them out. They're paladin. They know how to work hard, and it’ll click into place for them. But who's going to help you do the same, Vinna? I promise I’m not trying to start shit. I really am just trying to look out for you, but whenever you're with them, you back away from what you need to do. Why is that?"
"Don't make it sound like I'm walking away from what I need, for them. It's not like that. I just haven’t figured out the balance of it all. Work, play, study, train, fighting off seen and unseen enemies, I’m figuring it out. If you’ve got an instruction manual that you want to hand over, I’m game, but if not, don’t judge, just help me work through it.”
Kallan chuckles and lets out a sigh. “Fair enough. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened at Elder Cleary's house, and I'm sorry that Enoch was keeping the truth from you...and from us."
Kallan's tone has a bitter edge to it, and I take a moment to look at him, really look at him.
Enoch is part of his coven and his future compeer, and I can’t imagine how I would feel in his shoes.
"I'm sorry he did that to you. How are you guys? How are things?”
"To be honest none of us have really been talking to each other. Well, Enoch and Nash are, but Nash wasn’t in the same boat as me and Becket. Enoch told him what was going on. This is the first time we've all been around each other for any length of time since the night you left."
I’m surprised by his admission and it takes me a moment to think of something to say to that.
“Do you think you guys will get past it?
He shrugs. "If Enoch was keeping this from us, I can't help but wonder if there’s more he’s keeping from us. Becket feels the same way. I know some paladin and covens aren't close, and they treat working together more like a job, but we never wanted that to be us.”
I look out at the trees. I scan our surroundings and nod at him. I empathize with the shitty situation he’s in and wish there was more I could do or say to make the situation better.
A whistle from the practice arena sounds behind us, and Kallan turns to me expectantly.
"Should we do this first run through together, since you’re all rusty and shit and clearly need me to kick your ass into gear?"
I run my finger over the runes on my sternum and the ones behind my ear. I give Kallan a mock salute. "Yes, drill sergeant!" I yell in my best impersonation of a soldier.
He chuckles, and then I watch as his take-no-fucks persona shutters down over his face. His features harden, and his body language becomes rigid and unyielding.
“Let’s fucking do this, now move!”
40
Sand flies at me from every possible direction, and wind whips my ponytail around my face and claws at my clothes. Enoch seems to be tapping into his sense of humor for this battle round because he's been laying the sand tornadoes and lightning on pretty thick. I call on my Elemental magic and shove the sand away from my airway and face.
Fuck, cleaning this shit out of my every nook and cranny is going to be a pain in the ass, I grumble to myself. Maybe one of the guys will help me with that. My name is shouted, and the sound of it whips through the cyclone surrounding me, swirling around before the wind chases it away. Fucking hell, Kallan, how does he always know when I'm not focused? He has to have some kind of freaky radar or something.
I use the cover of the magical storm to track where Kallan, Becket, and Enoch are in relation to me. I reach out with my Defensive magic and get a feel for what they have waiting for me when I’m out of Enoch’s current trap. Enoch has tendrils sinking into the earth in addition to the tornado he’s creating, but they feel like back up and not an active effort to fuck with the ground beneath my feet. Becket has his Defensive magic focused on Kallan, which makes me think he has something particularly brutal waiting for me as he’s being protected.
But I’m not falling for it. Kallan is an excellent strategist, but he hasn’t been using any spells in any of the four previous battles, and that’s the type of magic he has. I steal back the air around me, and the swirling stops as sand falls back to the ground. I don’t go for Kallan or Enoch, the more obvious threats in this round, but instead, focus on Becket.
A pulse of fuschia magic darts from me towards him and Becket pulls the shield from Kallan and erects it around himself. My magic hits the barrier and starts to coat it. I reach for the tendrils of magic that Enoch has waiting in the ground and force my magic towards them forcing a wall of dirt up and around him. Offensive magic fully surrounds Becket’s barrier, and I force a streak of lightning into it.
The barrier-turned-cage lights up with energy trapping Becket inside. I feel the shield-runes on my body go on high alert, and a shield explodes out of my side and a red ball of magic slams into it. I
turn to Enoch and throw orbs of fuschia magic in return, lighting up the atmosphere around us with Offensive magic as the orbs slam into each other and fight to connect with the other person.
Snake-like tendrils of the ground form around me and they come for me, trying to wrap themselves and find purchase anywhere they can, to cage me in. I dodge and weave, running towards Enoch as I jump, spin, and dash through sections of the earth that try to claim me and keep me from my target. I pull the magic from Becket’s barrier as I fight towards Enoch. I release throwing knives in Becket’s direction and send a pulse of orange magic at Kallan, knocking him back from where he’s running at me.
I look up just as Enoch is feet from me, and we slam into each other at full speed. I let out a pained grunt at the contact and instinctively shove both of my hands against his chest. Power shoots out of my palms when they connect with Enoch, and as soon as I register the color, I try to pull my hands away and stop, but I can’t move.
Violet magic slams into Enoch’s chest, and judging by the look on his face, whatever I’m doing is hurting him. I scream out my effort to pull away from him and get control of what I’m doing. I reach into my core and try to constrict the flow of Sentinel magic flooding out of me. I close my eyes and focus everything that I have on reigning myself in. Hands wrap themselves around my wrists, and my eyes flash open to find Valen staring at me, panic in his eyes.
“I can’t stop,” I shout to him, but I don’t know if he can hear me past the loud rushing sound coming from the power I’m forcing into Enoch.
Suddenly all the Sentinel magic flooding Enoch, pulses out of him, slamming into everyone else before it continues to flash out towards the trees, and disappears. I take shaky hands away from Enoch, and he collapses to the ground as I scramble backward away from him. Valen wraps his arms around me, keeping me from moving any further away and the other guys rush to surround us. The guys crowd around me, running their hands and eyes all over me to make sure I’m okay, each of them wearing a look of alarm.