by Wendi Wilson
My fingers closed around the best friends charm dangling from my neck. As I slid the delicate golden wings back and forth along the chain, I once again sent up a prayer of thanks to whomever was listening for bringing these people into my life—first Shaela, then Easton, and Charles, who was fast becoming a solid member of our group.
Our family.
“Again.”
I restrained myself from groaning. Barely.
I’d been at it for almost an hour, and Cris didn’t show any signs of letting me take a break. Call the wind. Strike a flame. Douse it with water.
He didn’t make me work with earth, which I was grateful for, though it was the one I needed the most practice with. It had responded well enough to my call during the confrontation with Sebille, but every other time I’d attempted to use it, the result had been mediocre, at best. A tremor of movement beneath my feet was usually all I could conjure.
After another round of wind, fire, water, Cris repeated his order for me to do it again. I let my legs buckle beneath me, sliding to the mats that covered the gymnasium floor where we’d headed to practice after meeting in his office.
“I need a break,” I said, trying to make my voice firm and not as whiny as I felt.
“Get up, December.”
“Please, just a minute. I promise,” I said, still breathing hard.
“You need to push yourself past that point of exhaustion,” he said. “Now get up. Do you think Queen Sebille will give you a few minutes to refresh yourself during your next battle with her?”
My first instinct was to lash out. To tell him exactly where he could stick his demands.
But thoughts of Rowan and what happened after I lost my temper with him stayed my tongue.
Screw you, Rowan.
Those were the last words I’d uttered to my former mentor before he died. And, despite not having any kind of relationship with Cris yet, I would not make that same mistake again. So I got up and repeated the steps.
Wind. Fire. Water. Wind. Fire. Water.
“Faster.”
The word lashed out of him, an order that demanded to be obeyed.
Sweat ran down into my eyes, and I let it, keeping my hands in the air as I called the elements to me again and again. Every ounce of concentration I possessed focused on keeping the cycle going. Wind. Fire. Water.
“Faster, December.”
The words came to me as if out of a fog. Like nothing existed in my world besides those three elements. They were all encompassing. All consuming.
I increased the tempo another notch, calling fire as the wind spun in front of me, water appearing a second behind. The fire hadn’t even dissipated yet when I called wind again, and it blew my hair across my face as it spiraled the cyclone of energy into a frenzy.
I gasped, the hypnosis of repetition broken as the small twister of fire exploded into a raging tornado that stretched nearly to the ceiling. Steam rolled off of it from the water I’d called forth, making my skin feel sticky.
My hands clapped over my ears, and I fell to my knees as a loud boom echoed through the room. A streak of lightning snaked out of the tornado, zig-zagging through the air and striking the floor several yards away. The hair on my arms and neck spiked out from my skin, reacting to the electricity in the air.
All at once, the energy dissipated. The wind died and the fire petered out until there was nothing but the charge of electricity in the air and a large puddle of water on the floor.
And a giant scorch mark on the mat, five feet from where Cris stood, clapping his hands together slowly.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded, jumping to my feet and rushing toward him.
“That, my dear December, was you starting to realize your full potential.”
“You knew that would happen?”
“I had an inkling,” he said, and my mouth dropped open.
Why would he do that? Why would he encourage me to experiment with my power that way, inside the gym? I could have killed us both, or at the very least, burned down the building.
“You’re crazy,” I breathed.
Cris smiled, and I swore I could see a hint of pride in his eyes. He proved it by saying, “And you’re amazing.”
I shook my head at him in disbelief, then looked back down at the burn mark on the floor. That lightning could have very easily hit him, killing him on the spot.
“I’m fine, December,” he said, sensing my thoughts. “I think that’s enough for today. See you in class tomorrow.”
And with that, he turned and walked away.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I mumbled as he disappeared out into the hall.
I wasn’t sure if having him as my mentor would turn out to be good or bad, but one thing was for certain—it wasn’t going to be boring.
Chapter 11
“So tell me, and I want you to really think about this before you answer—are all Zephyrs corrupt, evil beings hell-bent on the downfall of the human race?”
Cris’s question echoed through the classroom for a brief moment before several voices erupted, answering in the affirmative with shouts and raised fists. If I wasn’t slightly offended because of my own parentage, I might have laughed. Crispin Jonas had a way of garnering the attention of his students and getting them to actually participate in class discussions. And they participated with a certain gusto I’d never seen before.
And most of the voices were female. Ugh.
I looked at Shaela and she batted her eyelashes at me dramatically, mocking the overeager girls in our class. I stifled my laugh, which came out as more of a snort. I heard Easton chuckle behind me.
“Did you have something to add, December?”
The smile dropped from my face as my eyes snapped to our teacher, who leaned casually against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was filled with challenge, daring me to buck the herd mentality.
I was quickly discovering that I wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. Not anymore.
“Saying all Zephyrs are evil is like saying all Sylphs are good…or all blondes are airheads.”
My gaze flicked to Tiana, catching her narrowed gaze before I smirked and refocused on Cris.
“You can’t define an entire race of people based on the characteristics of its majority. There will always be those that buck the system. Those that disagree but are subject to the whims and demands of their leadership. So no, I don’t think all Zephyrs are evil.”
Cris gave me a small nod, like he approved of my opinion. Or, at the very least, respected me for voicing it.
“If all Zephyrs aren’t evil, then why don’t the good ones help the humans?” Tiana called out, her eyes spitting fire.
I could only assume she didn’t like my dumb blonde joke. Funny, no one else seemed offended.
“Have you met Queen Sebille?” I asked, tilting my head to gaze at her. When her mouth opened and closed like a fish with no sound emerging, I said, “That’s what I thought. I’ve come face to face with her. She is evil, and scary as hell. And, much like Finn for the Sylphids, her word is law. They cannot resist her commands. But unlike Finn, she uses her power over them to do her bidding. They have no choice.”
I was grasping at straws, throwing out theories based on my own experience with Sebille. I had no idea how many Zephyrs relished their dominance over the human population. Maybe they were all evil. Or maybe not. I didn’t know.
My only goal was to make Tiana Avery shut the hell up.
When her mouth snapped closed and she spun around in her seat to face the front again, I smiled. I saw Shaela give me a little victory fist pump in my peripheral vision, and I turned my head to wink at her.
“Nice job,” Easton whispered, his breath stirring my hair.
I smiled, then locked eyes with Cris. He was wearing a strange expression, like he’d just seen an alien and was trying to figure out which end was up. Then with a shake of his head, he turned and continued his lesson.
; As I packed my things to leave after class, Cris called out for me to meet him there, in the classroom, rather than in the gym for our daily session at four. I nodded in agreement as I walked out, flanked by Shaela and Easton. Relief flooded me. There would be no magical hurricanes conjured up in the small confines of the room.
“Aw, man,” Shaela said in hushed tones as we ambled down the hall. “I was hoping to sneak into the gym and see you in action.”
I bumped my shoulder against hers and gave her a stern look. I’d told her all about the storm I’d created and how I’d nearly killed our new sociology teacher. Shaela, of course, found the story exhilarating and begged me to try it again so she could see.
“I don’t know if I could do that again if I tried and, besides, I’m not sure I want to.”
She gave me a short nod and smiled. She wouldn’t push me…at least, not right at that moment.
“See you at lunch,” she said with a wave as she split off from us to head to her next class.
Easton’s warm hand slid into mine, his fingers lacing through my own. I glanced over at him, and the look in his eyes was intense. Our pace slowed before he pulled me into a small alcove in the hall. We weren’t completely closed off from the other students moving down the corridor, but the shadows hid us from casual sight.
I assumed he wanted to kiss me, so I was surprised when he said, “I know you were just trying to shut Tiana up, but did you mean what you said in class? Do you think Sebille is forcing the Zephyrs to take over the planet?”
“I don’t know, Easton,” I said, bracing my shoulder against the wall. “I mean, I guess it’s possible, but that would take a lot of power. There are Zephyrs on every continent. How could she possibly keep every single one of them under her thumb?”
He seemed to consider my words for a moment before saying, “You’re probably right.”
Then he kissed me, his lips soft and tender. The touch of his tongue sent shivers down my spine, making my toes curl in my shoes. When he pulled back, his aura glowed pink around his head and shoulders.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Then he was gone, leaving me braced against the wall, my breath panting in and out as yearning coursed through me. I took a moment to get myself together, then stepped out into the hall, making my way to my math class.
Like I’d ever be able to concentrate after that kiss.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful until I got to my last class of the day. After changing into some loose shorts and a soft t-shirt, I wandered into the cavernous space, my eyes trailing to the mat where Cris had stood, nearly getting electrocuted by the freak storm I’d created.
The scorch mark was gone. I wasn’t sure if it had been replaced or magically repaired—I was just glad the evidence of my chaotic power was gone.
Easton met me in the middle of the room, one side of his mouth lifted into a smirk. It set me on edge, and I cocked a brow at him, tilting my head to the side.
“What?” I asked, my tone suspicious.
“Today we work on hand-to-hand combat,” he said.
“Okay,” I replied drawing the word out like a question.
We’d practiced Jiu Jitsu nearly every day. It was nothing new.
His smirk vanished, replaced by a serious expression. I mentally braced myself for his next words, knowing by his face I wasn’t going to like it. I never wore my ring to gym, but if I could read his aura, I’d bet my last dollar it was blue.
Easton was worried.
“We are going to do that,” he said, hooking a thumb toward the mats where students were sparring.
Charles was there, his pink wings fluttering as he raised himself into the air. His hands shot out in front of him and a gust of air followed their direction, gusting toward his opponent, who was also hovering several feet off the floor. The boy was propelled backward, the force of the wind causing him to flip onto his back before his wings flapped to correct his position.
“Oh,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
His hands landed on my shoulders and he turned me toward him. Bringing his face close to mine, he spoke, his voice equal parts firm and persuasive.
“Listen to me, December. This is what we’ve been working toward. You’re ready. You’ve got this.”
“I don’t know, Easton. What if my magic flares out of control? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I trust you,” he said, leaning his forehead against mine. “You just have to trust yourself.”
I swallowed against the lump in my throat and pulled back with a nod. He was right, I did need to practice that kind of combat. Another attack could come from Sebille at any time and, despite my previous besting of her, I wasn’t ready.
I wouldn’t have the element of surprise on my side again.
We moved toward the mats and, bracing myself for the inevitable reaction, I popped my wings out. A sense of relief washed over me for a short moment, and I rolled my head around, stretching my shoulders and neck.
Then everything tensed back up as the whispers rose in volume.
Everyone knew my wings were black, but because I kept them hidden most of the time, the other students still reacted when I brought them out. Words spun in the air around me, my body flushing with the heat of embarrassment.
Black. Strange. Ugly.
I tried my best to ignore them, but a familiar, nasty snicker accompanying that last word sounded behind me and I twirled around. My hand shot out before I formed a coherent thought and a gale-forced wind knocked Tiana and Aubrey right onto their asses.
Arms circled around my waist and tightened, spinning me away from them before I could do more damage. When the red haze of rage left my eyesight, I was out in the hall, the closed doors a barrier between me and the other students.
“Calm down, December. Come back to me.”
My eyes focused on Easton’s arctic blue gaze, confusion filling me.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
The concern didn’t leave his eyes as he murmured, “You tell me.”
I thought about it for a moment, then replied, “Tiana and Aubrey were being, well, themselves, and I got mad. I knocked them over with air and you pulled me out here to cool off.”
His lips turned white as he pressed them together. His eyes drifted shut and he took a deep breath before reopening them.
“You knocked them over with air, yes, but that is not where it ended.”
“What do you mean?”
“You really don’t remember?” he asked, his voice holding a note of desperation. I shook my head and he continued, “December, you started to float.”
“But—”
“You weren’t using your wings,” he cut in. “The air lifted you up as fireballs formed in your palms. I grabbed you before you could hurt anyone, and I’ve been trying to pull you out of the daze you were in since then. Your eyes were completely vacant.”
“You just pulled me out here, right?” I stuttered, afraid of his answer.
“It’s been ten minutes,” he mumbled, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. “You’ve been standing there staring at nothing for ten minutes like you were in some kind of trance. Ms. Jeannie ran to get Finn when it looked like you weren’t going to snap out of it.”
My breathing accelerated, my chest heaving with exertion as my brain tried to process what he was saying. My eyes started to burn, the tears quickly overflowing and running in rivulets down my cheeks.
“What is wrong with me?” I asked, fear and self-loathing quickly pushing out all other emotions.
“Nothing. December, there is nothing wrong with you. We’ll figure this out.”
But his words didn’t reach me. Panic overrode all rationale as I dropped to the floor, then curled up with my knees close to my chest.
He was wrong. There was something wrong with me.
I was a monster.
Chapter 12
After a short meeting in Finn’s office, I’d
headed back to my room. He’d offered a handful of platitudes, telling me everything was okay, that we’d figure out what triggered my episode. That’s what the staff was calling it—an episode.
I stormed into the room and spotted Shaela pacing the floor. She turned and bum-rushed me, throwing her arms around my neck before I had a chance to react. Or dodge her embrace. I soaked in the heat of her comfort for a moment before pulling away and putting several feet between us.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I mumbled when she gave me a pointed look.
Her shoulders dropped, her whole body deflating as she shook her head at me.
“You would never hurt me, D,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and rubbing her palms up and down her biceps.
“How can you be so sure?” I spat, my self-loathing coming out as anger. “Didn’t anyone tell you what happened?”
“Easton told me everything,” she said, her voice light and comforting.
But I refused to be comforted.
“I don’t remember it, Shaela. If Easton hadn’t been there to stop me…” I paused for a moment, letting my words sink in. “I’m dangerous.”
“D—”
“No,” I said, cutting her off with a slash of my hand, “I won’t risk it. I won’t risk you.”
“What are you saying?”
Her voice held a tremor of dread that nearly broke my resolve. Nearly.
“I think I should get my own room,” I said. “Until I can figure out how to control this…whatever it is. I can’t risk hurting you, Shaela. I won’t.”
“You would never,” she said, and her tone inferred she knew it as an indisputable fact.
I wasn’t so sure. Who knew what might happen if I fell into another one of those trances? What if I attacked her? Hell, it could even happen while we were sleeping. No.
“I’m sorry, Shaela. I love you too much to take that chance.”
I ran from the room with hot tears running down my cheeks. It pained me to push her away, but I knew it must be done. It was the right thing to do. When you love someone, you protect them, no matter the cost to yourself. Shaela taught me that.