“Now try both hands on your hips.”
His other hand clamped to his hip. “I hate you so much right now…”
“Why? It’s practice, right?” I chuckled, my skin tingling with sheer delight. It wasn’t the power I had over him that made me feel so good, but rather my ability to control myself, to channel my own will into such specific commands. Having a good grip on myself mattered more than anything. “Show me how you put a ring on it, Richard.”
“Damn it, Thayen. Your parents should never have put that TV in your room when you were a kid,” he snarled, but had no choice as he brought a hand up and turned the palm over and back, just like in the original music video.
This was too much fun, and I was starting to feel guilty. However, it served to remove the tension that had lingered between us ever since Lubbock. At least we now knew that I could bend the living, too. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me,” I told him, sighing deeply. “I’m trying to… I don’t know, loosen us up a little.”
“I’m not afraid of you, you jerk! Now, stop making me dance like this! I don’t have the thighs for these moves!”
“What in the world is going on here?” Voss’s voice cut across the training hall, and I froze. My mind retreated into its blank space, and for a moment I ceased to function altogether.
Voss and Astra were standing in the wide-open double doorway, towels on their shoulders and water bottles in their hands. Their eyes were big and round and filled with questions, and I could only imagine what they were thinking, especially since Richard had not stopped dancing.
“Thayen, do something!” he muttered, his face turning red from effort and embarrassment.
I gawked at him, but I didn’t have a solution. “I’m trying to stop it.”
“Dude! You started it! You stop it! You did it with Seeley!”
“Guys, are you okay?” Astra asked, taking a step into the room.
Panic came over me, and I finally felt the strings snapping. Richard gasped and thanked the heavens, crouching and catching his breath for a good minute. I whirled around and gave Astra and Voss an awkward smile. “Hey, you…”
“Hey, yourself. What was that about?” Voss replied, his brow furrowed as he shifted his focus to Richard. “You okay there, cuz?”
Richard nodded once. “Yeah. Yeah. I just need a second.”
“Thayen. Explain,” Astra said, eyeing me intently.
She was my favorite among the Novaks, mainly because she was so weird and shy and deeply submerged in her own world that when she came out and socialized, no one knew how to react. She also made it impossible for me to lie to her, and not because of her sentry ability to read emotions—that didn’t work on vampires. No, Astra had a way of peering right into my soul, and she could smell a lie from a mile away.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, giving Richard a nervous glance. He winked, and I knew he had my back. We’d agreed to keep my ability a secret, and he wouldn’t betray that. “We’ve got the room for another half an hour.”
“It’s eleven. We’re booked from eleven. You were booked from ten,” Voss said.
“Thayen? Don’t change the subject. What did we just witness?” Astra insisted, and I stifled a frustrated groan.
“Can’t we just forget you saw anything?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. Talk. Now.”
“Have to say, I love it when you boss us around,” Richard said, chuckling.
I had two options here. Either I stood my ground and ended up arguing with Astra, thus pushing her and Voss away, or I told them the truth. The circle of those with knowledge would only expand by two people. It didn’t seem like a tragedy. Besides, I absolutely loathed lying to Astra because she could always tell, anyway. This was a lose-lose situation.
“So… remember that shard in my heart?” I began with a question, then told them about the Lubbock incident and Unending’s conclusions. Astra and Voss listened, their eyebrows raised, without interrupting or asking any questions. I appreciated that about them. It made me hopeful that they might understand what I was trying to accomplish through my secrecy.
“As you might have noticed, he’s still getting the hang of it,” Richard muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, and I gave him an apologetic smile.
“It’s nothing like what the Spirit Bender had, I promise,” I told them.
“Yeah, I can tell,” Astra replied. “I can read spiritual energy levels, remember? And that has nothing to do with a sentry’s ability to read one’s emotional aura. They’re completely different things. Your signature is still weaker than that of a Reaper, and that’s because you’re breathing. Once the soul is free of its body, the energy levels change.”
I’d almost forgotten about this particular skill of hers. It wasn’t the sharpest, nor did it work on everyone, but she could surprise me once in a while. As a half-Daughter, Astra had inherited some of Viola’s peculiarities, which had then mingled with Phoenix’s sentry heritage. She was still growing into it all, but Astra was able to not only read the emotional auras of people like the rest of the Hellswan line, but she could also read the spiritual energy—the life force or the intensity of our souls. While she couldn’t read my emotional aura because I was a vampire, my spiritual energy was hers to peruse as she pleased. A while back, she’d been able to ascertain that Reapers shone brighter than the living, and she’d actually written a really good paper on the topic, presented during one of the GASP forums on Calliope.
“Also, you’re a good person, Thayen. I’d never put you in the same league as the Spirit Bender. I’m sure Voss feels the same way,” Astra added. I looked at Voss, hoping for his agreement, and he gave me a sly grin.
“You so much as try that on me, and I’ll break both your legs,” he said, and I believed him. Voss was the spitting image of Field, his father, except with Aida’s golden-brown eyes. He was tall and wiry, but he had some superhuman strength in him. I’d tackled him in judo classes a couple of times, and he’d nearly splattered me all over the floor in response.
“I won’t, I promise!” I replied. “Richard and I were just playing. I’m still trying to figure out how this whole thing works.”
“He’s due to start training with Seeley tonight,” Richard said. “He’s staying on top of it.”
Astra chuckled softly. “He made you dance like that, and you’re still defending him. Oh, Richard, you are such a good friend.”
“Hey, if it helps him better himself, I’m here to help,” Richard said, then pointed a finger at me. “But change the playlist, dude. You know I’m more of a classic rock guy.”
I tried not to laugh, but I felt so relieved, so glad to know that I had the support of three of my closest friends in this. Maybe the others would react the same way once I told them about my glamoring ability. I could only hope.
“We’ll keep your secret, Thayen,” Astra said. “And then whenever you’re ready to share with everyone, we’ll support you, okay? It’s nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. It’s a cool ability to have, as long as you use it for the right reasons.”
Voss nodded, his eyes wide with excitement as the possibilities of my power finally sank in. “Oh, man. Imagine the edge you’ll have in combat!”
“I know, right?” I replied, smiling broadly.
“Cool. Now, get out. It’s our turn to train,” Astra shot back, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. Richard and I grabbed our gear and bid her and Voss farewell.
I walked out of the training hall feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Maybe I’d overthought the darker side of my ability and its association with the Spirit Bender. After all, with a power like glamoring came a titanic responsibility. The Reaper used his for evil and to cause suffering. I had no intention of ever hurting anyone with it.
I only wanted to be the best version of myself, and if said version came with this strange ability to bend spirits, then why the hell not?
Astra
(Daughter of Phoenix and Viola)
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It was hard for me to get Thayen’s new ability out of my head. It didn’t make me think less or more of him, but I was fascinated. It was an interesting yet dangerous power to have. Where would he draw the line? Who would he manipulate and for what reasons? In spite of my lingering questions, I had faith in Thayen’s good judgment. He’d seen the dark side of that ability for himself.
“Astra, are you paying attention?” Jericho asked. He’d joined me and Voss for this training session, mainly because they believed the two of them together might manage to knock me down. Their aspirations were admirable, but the reality… not so much.
“I’m still here,” I replied. Half an hour had passed since we’d seen Thayen leave, and I was unable to move past what Voss and I had learned about him.
“Good, because we’re not done with you,” Jericho shot back as he bolted toward me. I moved to the side, and he flew past me. Voss attacked while the fae-dragon swerved around to try again. They were both fast and strong, but I was a Daughter-Sentry hybrid, and the Daughter half came with certain perks. First and foremost, I was faster.
Voss went for my legs, but I jumped and threw mine out. I took him down, landing in a loose plank position just as Jericho slid across the floor and attempted a tackle. In a series of fluid movements, I hooked my arm around his neck and wrestled him into submission. He didn’t even realize what was happening until I was straddling his back and twisting his arm painfully.
“Yield, I yield, damn it!” Jericho cried out.
“Finally,” I muttered. Voss wasn’t done, though. He hurled himself at me, but I gripped him by the shoulders and threw him to the side. He landed with a thump and rolled over a couple of times, grunting and panting.
“I thought you said it would be easier with the both of us,” he told Jericho, who’d just gotten back up, looking pained and defeated.
“We’ve been at this for twenty minutes,” I replied. “You’re welcome to keep trying, but I’m still going to whip your asses.”
Jericho pointed a finger at me. “One way or another, I’m going to take you down. Someday. Clearly not today.”
He made me laugh. “Not today?” I asked.
“Nope, not today. I think I pulled a hamstring,” he said, stretching his arms out and moving his hips in a circular motion.
“Well, thank you both for coming out to play,” I replied, bowing politely. “If it makes you feel any better, you’ve managed to keep me on my toes, and that is not an easy feat.”
I helped Voss up and handed them towels and bottles of water. Minutes later, they were looking much better, though covered in sweat and already bruising where I’d landed my sharper blows. They were also fast healers, so I didn’t worry about any long-term effects. Both Jericho and Voss had been adamant that I not hold back, and I hadn’t.
“You know, as a side note, I’ve never seen Viola in a combat position, now that I think about it. How come you’re so into it? I mean, the apple fell pretty far from the tree with you, huh?” Voss said as he and Jericho took to sparring with wooden swords, while I watched from the sideline.
“I’m not really into it. I’m just good at it. Bit of a difference,” I replied. Ironically, I wasn’t a fan of weapons, in general, and even though Dad had frequently urged me to at least learn some basic sword-fighting skills, I’d repeatedly refused. I didn’t see any real fighting in my future, anyway—not that I had the gift of foresight. No, I simply cherished a deeply embedded hope that my life journey would keep me miles away from violence. It just wasn’t for me, as it had never been for my mother, either. Training served to keep me active and fit, since I spent most of my waking hours reading or meditating.
“That’s right. Did she ever fight anyone or anything?” Jericho asked, looking at me.
I shrugged. “I think she had a moment or two during the final fight with Azazel, but not much else, from what I remember. Mom’s power rendered her useful in different ways. I guess I get that from her.”
“Yeah. Your dad’s a proficient ass-kicker.” Voss chuckled. “I sparred with Uncle Phoenix a couple of times. I’m willing to bet his barrier skill has gotten even stronger over the years. Mom was there when he pushed me against the wall without even touching me, and she was stunned.”
I could only imagine what Aida must’ve thought at the time. She wasn’t a coddler by nature, but she was a fierce mother when it came to protecting her cub. Fortunately for my father, Aida also understood the value of a good barrier tackle. It strengthened character, she’d once said, albeit jokingly. “A sentry’s ability can develop for decades,” I said. “I’m a half-breed, anyway. Most of my power comes from Mom.”
“No, you throw a mean barrier yourself,” Jericho countered with a firm nod. “I mean, sure, your aura reading is abysmal at best, and you don’t have True Sight, but the barrier? It’s one of the scarier things about you.”
I gave him a dry smile. “Now you’re just making me blush, cuz.”
Jericho was emboldened by Voss’s brief hesitation. He jumped forward and attacked, but Voss was quick to raise his training weapon and defend himself. Their wooden swords clacked in rapid succession as Jericho got closer. But Voss had an advantage—he was slightly smaller and more on the wiry side than Jericho, who’d taken after his father, Blaze, with a stocky muscle mass. It made Voss faster in sudden changes of direction, and it showed.
In a split second, he reached Jericho’s side and poked him in the ribs with his wooden sword. The dragon unleashed a slew of expletives as he hopped around and rubbed the affected area, which made Voss double over with laughter. It was always like this with these two. For a moment, I stepped outside the otherwise serious and pensive nature of my existence and allowed myself to be goofy and playful. These were times of peace, and our parents and grandparents encouraged us to laugh and have as much fun as we could.
Through our consistent training and education, they’d made sure we’d be ready for whatever challenges fate might decide to throw at us in the future. Until then, however, we allowed ourselves to act like kids, if only once in a while.
“Okay, you win this round,” Jericho grumbled, while Voss grinned victoriously.
“Two out of three, right?” he asked.
They had radically different personalities, and I often wondered how the two of them got along so well. Jericho was the fire spirit—quite literally, though he got his actual fire abilities from Caia. He lived life to the max and loved chasing girls. It got him the occasional reprimanding from his mother, though there wasn’t much she could do about it. He was his own man. Half the Vale human girls were still pining over him, but Jericho had already moved on. He never made promises he couldn’t keep, and I respected that, but he was also irresistible, and his fae genes had played a part by influencing his looks. The fae were generally beautiful people. Thankfully, he never took himself too seriously. And when it came to his friends, Jericho would move mountains.
Voss, on the other hand, was a creature of two worlds. He saw life from the ground and the woods as a werewolf, and he saw life from the sky with a bird’s eye view, thanks to his hawk wings, which no one had thought he’d grow when he was still a baby. Not only was Voss a miracle of nature, but he was also one of the finest agents GASP had seen over the past twenty years. Aida and Field were understandably proud of him, and they had high expectations. Voss, unlike Jericho, was never in any particular rush. He took his time. He thought things through. He’d yet to pick a specialization within the federation, but I had a feeling all roads would lead him into the field, eventually.
I watched as Jericho and Voss sparred for two more rounds. Jericho won the second, but only out of sheer luck after the wolf-hawk slipped. Voss took the third and final round, sealing the results for the day. He grinned happily, promising Jericho a chance at a rematch one of these days. The fae-dragon was itching to do better. This was the defining trait of our generation, I’d realized a few months back. This drive to be capable of more, to push ourselves bey
ond our limits, to put our hearts and souls into absolutely everything we did.
I was proud to be a part of this crew, though I didn’t spend as much time with them as I would’ve liked. Solitude was my thing, and Calliope was my home. I spent only four to five months of the year in The Shade.
“I heard there was a bit of a scuffle in Lubbock,” Voss said after gulping two bottles of spring water. He put the glass receptacles into the refill basket, since the staff in charge would have them washed and refilled in the morning. Our water came straight from the springs of the Black Heights, which was pure and incredibly refreshing. “What was that about?”
“Yeah, something about Thayen and Richard and a couple of poltergeists?” Isabelle interjected as she walked into the training hall, accompanied by Dafne Eraeus. Lethe and Elodie’s daughter fascinated me, mainly because she was considered a miracle, like me. No one had thought an ice dragon would be capable of having children with a human—the genetic factors simply hadn’t allowed it before—much like the situation with my mom and dad. But thanks to Amane and Amal’s persistence, Dafne and I had both found our way into this world.
“Hey, Dafne,” Jericho said, his voice lower than usual. His aura was vibrating, but I couldn’t quite make out its colors. Then again, aura reading wasn’t exactly my forte.
“Who are you again?” Dafne asked dryly, leaving Jericho at a loss for words.
Voss chuckled. “Oh, the heartthrob of The Shade isn’t as popular as he thought.”
Isabelle and Dafne were an equally interesting combination of their parents. The former had short hair, and black, like her mother, and her father’s steely gray eyes, along with half of Draven’s Druid genes. She was tall and somewhat imposing, which reminded me of Serena, albeit unintentionally. Dafne, on the other hand, was a petite woman in her humanoid form, much like Elodie, with cold gray-blue eyes like Lethe, and long black hair flowing over one shoulder. She wasn’t big in dragon form, either, but that was the gamble with these new generations—especially those who were conceived through IVF. Their supernatural features could be full-blown, like their parents, or they could be greatly reduced if certain gene snipping was required to make the pregnancy viable. Basically, Dafne was a successful mix between both parents, ice dragon and human, and it showed in her dragon size and abilities.
A Shade of Vampire 87: A Shade of Mystery Page 6