Flicker and Flame: Magic Bound Book One

by Willow Hayes

  “Like Sasha?” Her innocence sends a spear through my heart.

  “Yeah, sweetie, like Sasha. Well my boss has said that Sasha…well that she can’t be a foster mom anymore.”

  Helka’s eyes grow confused, and her brows crease. “But why not?”

  I take a few breaths because no matter how many times I went over what I was going to say to this sweet girl none of it makes sense, and certainly none of it is fair, and she will absolutely see the unfairness of it all. “You know how your momma wasn’t well when I picked you up at the hospital?” Helka’s whole demeanor shifts, and she curls in on herself as she nods. “Well my boss wants to make sure you stay safe and to do that he wants to move you to a family who can’t get sick like your momma.”

  Her hazel eyes fill with fear as she looks at me and then at Sasha. “Is Ms. Sasha sick?”

  “No sweetie, I’m not sick,” Sasha finds her voice and pulls Helka into her lap, cuddling her close. “But there are only certain types of magical people who can get sick like your momma, and I’m one of them. It doesn’t mean I am sick, or that I will get sick, but Ms. Kenna’s boss says you need to go live with a family who can’t get sick.” She kisses the top of Helka’s head.

  “So I can’t live here anymore?” Her voice a whisper and her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

  “I wish you could stay here honey, but yeah, you won’t be able to live here anymore.” Sasha’s tears fall freely as she cuddles the little girl she has come to care so much for.

  “But I don’t want to go somewhere else.” Helka is crying in earnest now, and her little body is shaking with her sobs.

  “I know honey, I know.” Sasha rocks Helka as they cry together. The tears I worked to keep at bay now flow freely. My grief drowns me as I feel the injustice of this move and the echo of each move I had to make as a child. I tell Sasha I’ll be back in the morning to pick Helka up and say a tearful goodbye.

  Ten

  Kenna

  Work was a total shit show, but I didn’t have any major magical hiccups. The sparks on my hands at the office and then again leaving the Brown’s shouldn’t count because the sparks didn’t grow into flames, and I controlled it, just like I said I would. Which was especially great given the emotions of my meeting with the asshole Archie and my heart wrenching conversation with Helka.

  I didn’t know what to expect from my training today, so I changed before leaving work, and I’m wearing one of my many sets of spectacular black leggings and a hot pink sports bra, though this time with a black slouchy t-shirt thrown over. Driving to the guys’ house I mentally work to leave my baggage in the car, so I can focus on my lessons.

  Nakoa, in his signature look, walks me down into the private part of the property and tells me that next time I can drive around back and park there, so I don’t have to pass through the office. He leads me outside to where the rest of the guys are waiting. They are gathered at the beginning of what looks like an epic obstacle course. There’s a platform off to the right where they do gods knows what, and I seriously can’t even fathom what half the shit is for. A horrifying thought hits me. Gods, I hope they don’t want me to run the obstacle course or something! I am so not ready for that!

  Walking towards them I don’t know if I have ever been as nervous as I am right now, not even when I had to present my master’s thesis. My anxiety is making itself known by creating nonstop movement of my thoughts and body, as I swing my trainer clad foot back and forth while fiddling with my pony tail that needs no adjusting. “Are you sure we can’t start with some research?” I whine, trying desperately to put this off.

  “Awe, come on Spitfire, are you a chicken?” Teo quirks an eyebrow at me throwing down the challenge and looking mighty fine in black athletic shorts and a tank top showing off a ridiculous amount of his tattoos that stretch all the way up his shoulders.

  “I’m no chicken, Pretty Boy. I just don’t relish being set on fire again, or setting one of you on fire for that matter!” I am so stalling right now, but I can’t think straight especially with all of them watching me.

  “Pretty Boy, huh?” He laughs at the nickname and grins widely at me. I shrug, refusing to explain and shoot him a smirk.

  Callum shocks the shit out of me by telling the others to take a hike. “My magic can help manage hers, and she would do better without an audience the first time she intentionally tries to access her magic.”

  My mouth hangs open, and the guys start grumbling as they head inside. I shake off my shock, already feeling better without an audience. I turn to Callum, taking in his casual loose fitting white linen shirt and black trousers and try not to drool. “Okay, so what…ah…what am l am I supposed to do?” I laugh nervously and internally berate myself because I’m a badass fighter with a whole shit ton of attitude, but I can’t find that girl anywhere right now. Apparently she went on vacation, along with my sanity.

  Callum motions to the platform and jumps up onto it. I follow suit and wait. “All magic comes from the same place, the Aether. However, how our magic feels inside of us and how it feels when we call upon it may be slightly different. I am going to explain then show you how I access my magic. Hopefully seeing someone else go through the process will help you to understand what you need to do.” I’m following his logic and nod for him to continue. “When I close my eyes and look inside for my magic I feel it here,” he points to his sternum. “My magic has two colors, purple for Healing and light blue for Air. You will have a distinct colored thread, likely red, spooling from the same place. Before I show you how I access mine I want you to see if you can see your magic. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and ask your magic to show itself.”

  I shake out my hands, despite the fact that I won’t be using them, silly Kenna, and reluctantly close my eyes. It takes a bit for my body to calm down enough for me to ask the question. Alright magic, here’s the deal, I know you’ve been chillin like a villain this whole time knowing I existed, but let’s pretend we are new acquaintances, okay? So, yeah, I would really like to get to know you. I’m totally having a conversation with my magic, or at least I assume I am since magic doesn’t actually have a voice.

  When I refocus I can see the place where my magic lives right where Callum said it would be, but it looks stuck somehow. There’s a jar with a lid, but the lid is cracked just enough that I can see wisps of my magic reaching out. I see glowing strands of red and green. Great, I’m a fucking Christmas special. My magic huffs at my thought, as though offended by my description. I open my eyes and tell Callum what I see, “My magic is a Christmas tree on crack, but it’s stuck in a jar. The lid is cracked, but my magic still can’t come out. There are tiny wisps reaching out, but the jar keeps the rest locked away.”

  “You were able to see your magic, and that is an important first step.” He is quiet for a moment, and his voice turns thoughtful, “As to the jar, if I were to make a guess I would say the jar is holding your magic because your magic was likely bound. It would also explain why you showed no signs of magic prior to this week, but we will have to look into what our next steps will be because I am unsure.”

  “Bound? Like someone hid my magic?” That is confusing and slightly alarming. Why would someone do that?

  “That would be my guess, yes.” Taking no heed of the fact that what he just said blew my mind he continues on, “When you say ‘Christmas tree’ what do you mean?” So I guess we are moving on from being bound, got it.

  “I mean there are red threads, like you thought, and green threads in the jar.”

  His eyes widen slightly. “Red represents an affinity for Fire and green for Earth. It appears as though you have two types of magic.” Now it’s my turn for my eyes to widen because did he say two types of magic? What? “I am going to call on my Air magic, and I want you to take note of what you see and what you feel.” I nod. He closes his eyes, and I watch him carefully, although I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be looking for. Right before a mini tornado of wind appea
rs on his palm his arm seems to glow with light blue streaks, and I feel a faint tingle in the air. Then again I could be looking for something so hard I’m inventing things. When I see the wind appear on his palm my eyes widen in wonder. Just because I live in a world with magic does not mean I’ve seen much of it. It’s amazing to see what he has effortlessly created with his magic. He opens his eyes, and the wind dies away. I feel a bit sad watching it go. “What did you see?”

  “I think I saw your arm glow a bit before the wind appeared on your palm. I also felt a tingle in the air before I saw the wind.” My voice is full of the awe I feel, and I’m sure my face reflects my feelings as well.

  “Good. Hopefully that will assist you as you as you call on your magic. I want you to close your eyes again and picture your magic. See if the threads will reach out to you when you call to them.”

  I close my eyes again and picture my magic. I see the glowing threads partially hidden by the lid of the jar. I try pulling at it, but it does nothing. I try harder and still nothing. My magic just looks at me like I’ve lost the plot. “Um Callum, I tried calling it, but my magic thinks I’m an idiot. What am I doing wrong?” I feel stupid and start to wonder if I am simply crazy and this is all in my head, but at that thought I feel a warmth spread in my chest. Maybe I’m not crazy after all.

  “Try using words when reaching for your magic. You must make your intention clear.”

  Okay, so now I’m supposed to talk to my magic. That doesn’t sound crazy at all, never mind that I was already talking to it. I close my eyes then roll them at my internal ramblings. Ok magic, here’s the deal, right now I am feeling a bit crazy and a whole lot nervous, but I am hoping we can meet and figure things out. Will you meet me halfway? At my words thin threads of red and green magic snake out through the crack in the lid. As the threads leave the jar I can suddenly feel my magic, and I grin. It feels amazing, but it’s also a bit overwhelming, like hearing too many voices at once. “So a thread of red and green came through the crack, and I can feel the magic, but it’s confusing with both coming at once.”

  “Ask to work with one thread at a time and see if that works.” His voice surprisingly patient as we work through this together.

  Ok, so you are amazing, and I can’t believe we are meeting at last, but if I could meet only one of you at a time that would really help. Can we do that? The thread of green reluctantly backs away, and I am left with the red. It sparks as if trying to light a fire. It’s warm and comforting, but also full of passion and possibility. It smells of campfires and the desert sun. “Callum, it’s unbelievable! It sparks like fire, and it feels warm and passionate!” I don’t dare open my eyes for fear that my magic will slip away, but I know I have a stupid goofy grin on my face.

  “Alright, now try calling your Earth affinity.”

  Thank you Fire, I promise we will explore soon. Can I meet Earth now please? When I speak to my magic my voice is tentative and not full of my usual snark and sarcasm. I feel awed by what is happening and completely unsure of myself. This time Fire reluctantly returns, and the green thread of Earth makes its way up. Earth feels so different from Fire but just as comfortable. It smells of newly turned soil and the richness of the forest. I feel it wrap around me like a familiar hug. It feels as deep and steady as the earth itself and of the promise of new life. I sense the sunlight as though it were warming my face. Thank you Earth, I promise I’ll be back soon. Earth makes its way back down, and I open my eyes to find tears tracking down my cheeks that I didn’t know were even there.

  I look at Callum with wonder and awe, filled with so much emotion. “It smelled of newly turned earth and of the forest. Callum, it felt deep and steady and full of sunlight and new life.” I shake my head because I can’t quite believe it. “Is this real or am I crazy?” I laugh, but there is a small part of me that still thinks that perhaps I am crazy, and I’ll be waking up from this dream any minute.

  He smiles at me, and my heart stops. He is stunning to begin with, but when he smiles he’s devastating, and I remember my wish to see this gorgeous man smile. “It is real, and you are certainly not crazy. I will not have you try anything else today. However, it would be a good idea for you to call your magic as often as you can. You will get to know it better and the more frequently you call it the more natural it will become.”

  I nod and in my excitement I launch myself at him and hug his neck. He stands still for a moment then wraps his arms around me, giving me an almost awkward pat on my back. My voice is full of emotion when I whisper into his ear, “Thank you.” I kiss his cheek and practically dance to the house in my joy.

  Eleven

  Kenna

  When I walk in the door the guys are all standing nearby, acting so intentionally casual I suspect they’ve been watching from here the whole time, but I don’t care. “I did it! I felt my magic, and it was incredible!” I’m grinning from ear to ear, and the guys, caught up in my enthusiasm, all grin back. “Gods, it was unbelievable. Fire was passion and heat, and Earth was deep and full of new life. Callum thinks my magic was bound somehow but small threads came out to play.” I spin around like a little kid then turn back to the guys, “Teacher Callum has declared magical training over for the day. Can I please beat the ever loving shit out of something?” I grin manically because by the gods do I need to work out some excess energy.

  Nakoa nods with a laugh, “Alright Firefly, let’s go beat some shit up.”

  “Oh that nickname is not gonna fly buster!” I shake my finger at him which only makes him grin wider, causing my heart to skip a beat.

  “What’s wrong, Princess? Can’t take the heat? I thought you were tough shit and all?” Luka taunts with a teasing grin.

  “No Princess. No Firefly. And of course I dish it back, Romeo. As for you,” I point at Nakoa, “you better get your ass to the mats.” I sashay away from the group making my pony tail sway with the movement and go check out the equipment in the gym. It is a jealousy inducing gym, I gotta give them that.

  “Alright Firefly, I’ll stop calling you that if you can get my ass on the mats,” Nakoa taunts with a grin, mischief in his eyes. This lighthearted Nakoa makes me feel weak in the knees, so I revert to the old standby, shit talking.

  “You’re on, Boss Man.” I’m talking a good game, but seriously, these guys are supernaturally fast. I might be able to hang at the human gym, but these guys….we’ll see if I’m still able to move by the end of the session. I gotta keep my shit talk flowing though to distract myself from the truth. “You’re ass ain’t gonna be the only thing on the mats, and if you’re really nice I might bring you some ice to make it feel better,” I taunt right back and wave my fingers indicating where he should be standing.

  He toes off his boots and saunters on over, hands in his pockets, showing me that he’s in no hurry to get there. “Alright I’m here, what do you want?” He smirks at me.

  You, is what I want to say, but instead I say, “to kick your ass.”

  We circle each other, taking measure of one another, and when Nakoa doesn’t make a move I decide to attack first. I go in to do a punch-kick combo, but my punch is blocked, and he grabs my ankle and uses my momentum to throw me to the mat. I jump up and scuttle back. He is still just circling me, so I attack again. This time I stay on my feet, but he blocks me with ease once more. I feel my frustration building, but I haven’t kicked ass in the ring by giving up. I try again and again, and each attempt is blocked with frustrating ease.

  Nakoa hasn’t gone on the attack once, leaving me a sweaty mess while he is as cool as a cucumber. I decide to try something that is more than likely going to fail, but I have nothing to lose, so why the fuck not. I launch myself at him with the intention of using his leg as leverage to boost me up to throw my knee at his face. He catches me and sends me tumbling to the mats, only this time he follows. He has my hands pinned down on either side of my head and is on his knees straddling my hips. Having him this close and feeling the way he holds down my wrist
s leaves me feeling unbelievably turned on. I need to get out of here and away from the sweaty testosterone and heated look in Nakoa’s eyes.

  “Seems like you have a thing or two to learn, Firefly.” He smirks, and I can feel his breath puff across my face. “It seems to me that for all your shit talking the wrong person ended up their back.”

  I groan inwardly because his talk of my being on my back, while he’s straddling me no less, is killing me. I very much want to lean up and kiss him, but that is so not a good idea. “I guess there are a few things I could learn to get your back on the mat, Boss Man.”

  Nakoa’s eyes dilate at my words until all I can see is the gold ring around his chocolate brown eyes, and I swear I could hear a low growl from someone in the room. “I guess so Firefly, but I look forward to providing your lessons.”

  This time I can’t hold back the groan that escapes me. These guys have my hormones in overdrive, and I need an orgasm or six. My groan seems to have had a domino effect in the room as I hear echoing groans, but I am lost in Nakoa’s gaze and don’t turn to check it out. I decide to be bold and say, “I’m sure there are other lessons I could look forward to as well.”

  I smirk because he shifts where he’s straddling me, affected by my words, and I wish I had my legs wrapped around him instead. He leans down and rubs his nose along my neck to my ear, making goosebumps erupt in his wake. He whispers for my ears only, “Careful what you wish for, Firefly.” He nips my ear which sends a shiver straight to my clit and nuzzles my neck again.

  I whisper back, “I know exactly what I wish for.” I nip his ear in return and have the satisfaction of hearing his sharp intake of breath. He growls in my ear for a moment before he’s gone, and not just from straddling me, but gone from the room. I smirk knowing I affected him just as much.