by Wendi Wilson
“At least it wasn’t fire this time,” he said, barking out a laugh. “I would hate to have to explain to Grandfather how we managed to set my room ablaze.”
“Very funny,” I deadpanned, shaking my head at him.
He chuckled again, then sobered. His expression as he watched me was soft and understanding, and when he spoke, his words were filled with comfort.
“We’ll figure this out, D,” he said, adopting the nickname Shaela had given me. “Eventually, you’ll be able to kiss me without stuff like that happening.”
“You promise?” I asked, like him saying the words would make it so.
“I promise,” he pledged. “But until then, let’s keep our make-out sessions in your room. Can’t have you messing up all my stuff.”
“Oh, is that so?” I said, narrowing my eyes at his cocky grin.
Before he could respond, I summoned air, pushing it toward him. The pure force of the gust pushed him off of his elbow and onto his back next to me. I sat up and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips before I released the wind pressing him down.
“Hey, that’s cheating,” he said, and I chuckled as I attempted to tickle his ribs.
A gust of wind wrapped around me, and I quickly realized it wasn’t me controlling it. It was Easton.
With a waggle of his eyebrows, the wind moved upward, taking the hem of my skirt with it. I squealed, abandoning my tickle-attempts and pushed the material back down to cover my butt.
Easton laughed and the breeze dissipated. I tried to give him a reprimanding glare, but ended up laughing at his silly antics. At least he didn’t see anything.
His eyes drifted to a spot over my left shoulder, his grin widening. I sat up straight, still straddling him and turned to see what he was looking at. I gasped, seeing a mirror hanging on the wall behind me—with a clear view of me from behind.
“Easton!” I said, scrambling off of him.
He laughed again, rolling back onto his side as I climbed from the bed.
“I didn’t look. I swear.”
“You didn’t?”
“No, I didn’t,” he said, giving his head a little shake. “Promise. I was just teasing you.”
“Well, that was a dirty trick,” I complained, climbing back onto the bed and stretching out next to him.
“Like you holding me down and tickling me wasn’t?” he countered.
“Okay, then. We’re even,” I declared. “So, what do you want to do now?”
“I might have a few ideas,” he said, his tone deep and suggestive.
“Oh no,” I laughed. “I could destroy your stuff, remember?”
“Totally worth it,” he murmured, leaning over to press his lips to mine.
We held each other, cuddling and talking and making up for lost time. And kissing. Lots of kissing.
And I didn’t destroy anything with wind, burn the place down, drown us, or bury us alive. It was a good night.
Chapter 20
“I don’t know about this, Easton.”
I’d made it through a full day of classes, bearing all the fearful glances and hushed whispers with a stiff back full of tension. With exception of Easton, Shaela, and maybe Charles, every student at Oberon Academy was scared to death of me. And rightfully so.
We were back in gym class, and Easton was encouraging me to pick up where we’d left off the week before—physical fighting using my wings. Since my last attempt hadn’t worked out so well for me, I was nervous to try again.
What if I popped out my wings and someone made a snide comment like Tiana had? What if I lost it again, and really hurt someone this time? I wasn’t so sure the results warranted the risk.
But Easton was. He was convinced I needed to learn, at the very least, some defensive maneuvers to protect myself. I argued that my magic was enough. That no one would get close enough to touch me.
“What if someone sneaks up on you from behind? What if you’re using your magic to fend off an assailant, and another grabs you while you’re distracted? You need to have some basic skills, D.”
I knew he was right, and I tried to tamp down the fear building up inside me. I needed to be brave. Besides, Tiana and Aubrey were the only ones who had the balls to get in my face and say the horrible things that made me lose my temper.
I glanced over at them, standing on the other side of the gym. I met Aubrey’s eyes, and she looked away quickly. Her face paled, then looked a little green.
I didn’t think either of them would have the guts to attack me again, verbally or otherwise, but still…
“It would be so much easier if they just liked me,” I said.
“Who?” he asked.
“Tiana and Aubrey. If they didn’t hate me, I wouldn’t have so much to worry about.”
“Well, I wouldn’t hold my breath on that,” Easton chuckled.
“I know,” I sighed, then sucking in a deep breath, I popped out my wings. “Let’s just get this over with.”
I kept my focus on Easton, listening to his instructions and attempting to recreate his moves. I shut out all the other students, not wanting to see the fear or revulsion I was sure was etched across each of their faces. My efforts backfired, though, making me vulnerable to Easton’s attacks.
“Focus, December.”
“Sorry.”
I redoubled my efforts, listening to his instructions and following the movements. By the end of the class, I was using my wings to rise into the air and launch myself at him, spinning with an outstretched leg aimed for his face. I missed, of course, but it was a good start.
The progress filled me with a sense of pride I’d never felt before. Fighting like that, improving my skills in an art that I was completely in control of made me feel powerful. It was so unlike my magic, which seemed to take over whenever I had the audacity to feel something.
“Great job,” Easton said at the end of class as I wiped the sweat from my face with a thin towel. “There might actually be hope for you, yet.”
I snapped the towel at him, saying “We’ll see what you have to say when I’m kicking your ass.”
He jerked himself out of reach just before the corner of the towel popped him, his deep chuckle echoing through the gymnasium. I could feel eyes on us, just as I had the entire hour, but I continued to ignore the feeling. I wasn’t going to let anything, or anyone, ruin the high I was riding.
“Hey, December?”
My spine stiffened as the voice called out from behind me. I squeezed my eyes closed, mentally commanding myself to stay in control. I could not let Tiana Avery get under my skin again. There would be no repeat of what happened last time. I had to show everyone, including myself, that I wasn’t some out-of-control magical psycho always on the verge of exploding.
I opened my eyes to see Easton, his expression asking me if I wanted him to take care of it and get rid of her. I gave him a slight shake of the head and spun on a heel to face my nemesis. Or nemeses, since Aubrey was with her, as usual.
“What do you want, Tiana?” I asked, my voice dull with resignation.
“Sorry to bother you, but we just wanted to know if you would like to sit with us at dinner tonight?”
My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as I turned to look at Easton, who’d moved to stand beside me. His expression was more suspicious than shocked, his narrowed gaze focused on Tiana. He didn’t say anything, letting me handle it on my own with his unspoken support.
“Are you serious?” I asked, my eyes moving back to her. “You want me to sit with you?”
“Yeah,” she said, a bright smile lighting up her face. “I realize we got off on the wrong foot, but I feel like we could really be friends, if we tried.”
“Um, no thanks. I sit with Shaela and Easton.”
“Of course, Easton could join us, too,” she said, making no mention of Shaela. “Let us know if you change your mind.”
The two girls spun around in unison, blonde hair flying out in matching arcs like the move was somehow choreo
graphed. I watched them disappear through the entrance to the locker room before turning back to Easton.
“Okay, that was the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me,” I said.
And that was saying a lot.
“I don’t trust them,” he said, his eyes still trained on the now-closed door. “They’re up to something.”
“Yeah, well, whatever it is, I’m not falling for it,” I said.
I knew I was going to have to watch my back, because whatever those mean girls were up to, it was definitely no good.
“They did what?”
Shaela’s surprised shout reverberated through our room, making me flinch. I came back to change into something more comfortable for my session with Cris and told her everything that happened in gym.
“I know, right?” I said as I pulled a soft t-shirt Shaela loaned me over my head. “They have some master plan to humiliate me somehow, I’m sure.”
“Maybe you should sit with them,” Shaela mused, her voice soft.
I glanced at her sharply, saying “No way. Are you nuts?”
“Just hear me out,” she said, holding up her hands in supplication. “You won’t be able to figure out what they’re up to, otherwise. Keep your enemies closer. Right?”
“Nope. Not worth it,” I said, shaking my head as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Besides, after I told them I like sitting with you and Easton, Tiana said Easton could sit with them too.”
She waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Believe me, I had no delusions that the high bitch would invite me to her table, so I’m not disappointed. I still think you should do it. At least for tonight.”
“I don’t know Shaela,” I said, an uneasy feeling washing over me. “It’s too risky. What if she, well, acts like herself, and I lose control again?”
“That dining hall needs remodeling anyway,” she said flippantly.
I laughed, shaking my head at her. “I’m serious. Someone could get hurt.”
“It’s your decision,” she said, giving up the debate. “I still think you should do it, but I won’t badger you about it anymore.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’ll be keeping my eye on her,” she added.
“Yeah, that makes two of us,” I said. “Or three, including Easton.”
“Charles makes four. He has friends closer to her inner circle, so I’ll ask him to keep his ears open.”
“Speaking of Charles,” I said, arching a single brow.
Shaela’s face flooded with color, and I grinned. Checking the time, I realized I still had about twenty minutes before I needed to meet Cris.
“Tell me everything.”
Chapter 21
“I think we’ll give your elemental magic a break and work on basic skills today,” Cris said as I crossed the gym floor.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, there are other types of magic besides calling the elements. You need to master those, too.”
I hadn’t really thought about anything besides my uncontrollable power over wind, fire, water and earth. I knew my friends had other abilities—Shaela could change people’s feelings and Easton saw auras—but I didn’t know what my own extra-sensory ability was.
“All Fae can use Glamour,” he said, “as you already know since you apparently made some girl think all her hair fell out.” There was a pregnant pause before he added, “Unintentionally, of course.”
“Of course,” I said.
And it was unintentional. I had no idea Sylphs existed or that I was anything but human at that point. Lauren Blackburn had been bullying me, much like Tiana. In a moment of anger, I’d wished all her hair would fall out. Within a few seconds, she’d seen it happening. Felt the strands coming out in clumps between her fingers.
In another instance, I’d prayed to be invisible and a group of kids walked right past me, not realizing I was there. I hadn’t thought too much of it at the time, but I was pretty sure that I’d used my Glamour that time, too.
“Let’s start with something simple,” Cris said, pulling me out of my memories. “Try to make your appearance change.”
“That’s simple?”
“A kindergartner could do it, December,” he said, smiling to soften the bite of the words. “Just imagine what you want to look like and will it into being.”
I nodded and let my eyes drift closed. Focusing on the changes I wanted to make, silently begged the universe to make it so. When I didn’t feel any different, I opened my eyes with a sigh.
Cris was staring at me, a troubled look on his face.
“I know, I know,” I groaned. “A kindergartner could do it.”
“Is that really what you want to look like?” he asked, and I swore I heard a waver in it.
I grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling it over my shoulder so I could see it. It was bright blonde with darker streaks through it, and it practically sparkled under the gym lights. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing the curve of a right wing, its color a beautiful periwinkle.
“December?”
I looked back at Cris. He had a weird look on his face, like he was about to cry…or maybe throw up. I shook the glamour off, watching as my hair faded back to its natural black. When I looked back up, my mentor’s expression had gone back to neutral.
“You told me to change my appearance,” I reminded him.
“Interesting, the choices you made.”
“It’s just what popped in my head,” I said, starting to feel defensive. Why was he badgering me about it?
“You immediately thought to change the things that make you unique? That make you a diamond in a sea of amber?”
“It would make my life a lot easier,” I mumbled.
“If you were the same as them?” he barked, throwing an arm up to point toward the main area of the school.
The way he said the word them, spitting the word like it was vile in his mouth, startled me. Did he hate the students so much? Why did he even come to the academy if he felt that way?
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice once again calm and even. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just…you’re so special, December. And when I say that, I mean both sides of you. Not just the light.”
“Yeah, I get what you’re saying,” I replied. “But it’s hard, you know? If I were just a normal Sylph, things would be so much easier.”
“Nothing worth having ever came easy,” he said, frowning. He shook off whatever thoughts bounced around in his head and said, “Okay, you’ve got a good handle on Glamour. Let’s try conjuring.”
“I’ve conjured wind, fire, and water. Even some tremors in the earth.”
“Using you elemental magic is not the same. You can create those things because the elements are drawn to you. They follow your commands. What I want you to do is create something out of nothing. Something that is not an element or something directly created by one.”
“Like what?”
He stared at me for a moment, then snapped his fingers as an idea occurred to him.
“You like chocolate, right?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, my tone suggesting his question was ridiculous. Of course I liked chocolate. Who didn’t?
“Well, make some appear.”
“How?” I asked.
“How do you control the elements?”
“Mostly by accident,” I mumbled.
“Imagine what you want,” he said, ignoring my frustrated words, “and focus your power on bringing it into being.”
“Easy as that?” I asked, the words dripping with sarcasm.
I knew I was being difficult, but I couldn’t help it. What Cris was suggesting seemed to be beyond the realm of possibility, though I’d seen Rowan do it with ease. My throat tightened with the thought of him.
“Stop doubting yourself, December. You’ve already proven what a force you are. And we’re only testing your abilities right now. If you can’t do it, it’s okay. No pressure. All I ask is that you give it you
r all.”
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. I stretched my arm out, palm facing up, and stared at it with narrowed eyes. I imagined a bar of chocolate resting there. I pictured its rectangular shape, its smooth brown color, its sugary sweetness.
I centered myself, feeling for the power residing deep inside me, and willed the candy to appear. My hand grew warm, and excitement coursed through me as I waited for something to happen.
Nothing happened. The warmth petered out and the power slipped through my fingers. My hand dropped as my shoulders slumped, and my gaze fell to the floor.
“Sorry, Cris,” I murmured. “I can’t do it.”
“Uh, December?”
Hearing the uncertainty in his voice, I looked up. Cris was staring at a spot behind me, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. I spun around, and my gasp echoed through the gymnasium.
Levitating in the air at eye level was a stack of several chocolate bars—ten, to be exact. Wrapped in silver foil and larger than average, they floated toward me, slowly closing the distance until they hovered right in front of my face.
I reached up and wrapped my hand around them, feeling a slight resistance before it vanished, and the bars were in my hand like I’d plucked them from a store shelf. Dumbfounded, I stared at them for several moments before whirling around to shoot an accusing glare at Cris.
“Did you do this?” I demanded.
“No,” he said, his eyebrows raised with disbelief. “Conjuration is not my specialty. I can create a few basic items…but nothing like that.”
“I don’t understand,” I stuttered, looking back down at the bars. “I imagined one bar appearing in my hand. How is this possible?”
“You need to stop underestimating your power, December. I know we haven’t discussed it much, but the fact that you’re half-Sylph and half-Zephyr gives you the abilities of both races. And the effects of those powers combining is…well, it’s unprecedented. Uncharted territory. That’s why we’re doing these experiments—to see just how far you can go.”
I set the chocolate on the floor and steeled my spine. Giving Cris a determined look, I asked, “What’s next?”