Coveted

by Grace White

  “You were.”

  I let out a long sigh. “The guys are going to go—”

  “Actually,” a voice says from the shadows. “The guys think you’re pretty amazing.” Cael appears from nowhere and kneels beside me, smoothing my hair from my eyes. My gaze flicks to Violet, but she has already backed away, her amused expression no longer there. “How are you feeling?” He brushes my cheek and I can’t help but lean into his touch.

  “Okay, I think.” I start to get up, but Cael slips his arm around me, pulling me with him.

  “So, you glow too?” Endo steps into my field of vision. “Does that mean I get to call you glow worm?” He smirks, but it quickly vanishes when Ross elbows him hard in the ribs.

  “How did you find me?” I ask no one in particular, but it’s Endo who replies, “Terra-watch, remember?”

  I roll my eyes and glance over at Violet who lingers behind the guys, then I settle my gaze back on the three of them. “Can you give us a minute, please?”

  “I’m not—” Cael starts but Endo slings his arm around his neck and drags him away from me, calling over his shoulder, “Two minutes and then the four of us are going to have a little chat.”

  “I can hardly wait.” I mumble, flashing him a wry smile. I wait for the three of them to reach the top of the auditorium and turn to the witch. “Violet.”

  “Let’s not,” she rushes out. “I knew. I knew you were different. I just didn’t know if you had it in you.”

  “What changed?”

  “Everything. Everything changed. I’m mortal, Terra. Sure, I’m used to being around the unexplainable, but to be in the presence of…” she pauses a beat, bowing her head again.

  “Will you please stop doing that?”

  “I saw her, Terra.” She lifts her head. “I saw Gaia. Felt her power, her infinite connection to everything.”

  “That’s great, but I’m still me. And I need all the help I can get, Violet.” I hold her awe-stricken gaze, trying to tell her everything I’m too afraid to say. When she doesn’t answer, I say, “Violet?”

  She blinks at me and stutters, “Y-yes?”

  “I still need your help.”

  “It would be my honor to serve you.”

  Not quite what I hoped to hear, but for now, I’ll take it.

  “Time’s up,” Endo yells and I glance up to the door where the three of them aren’t even trying to be discreet.

  “I guess that’s my cue to leave; you’ll be okay getting back to Canfield-Fisher?” I ask Violet.

  “Of course. I want to call the quarters anyway.”

  “Alone? Shouldn’t you wait for the others?”

  “I’ll be fine.” She bows her head again and I let out an exasperated breath.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? There are still things I want to know. To learn.”

  Violet presses her lips together and nods and I leave her to her spell. The guys pretend to be deep in conversation when I reach them, but I don’t stop, hurrying out of the door and down the hall.

  “Terra, wait up.” Cael is the first one to catch up with me. “What’s up?”

  “She knelt, Cael. I glowed, and she knelt.”

  “Ah. Well, it isn’t every day you get to be in the presence of an ancient deity.”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “She’s a good person, Kitten.” His pinky grazes mine and I want nothing more than to slide my fingers into his. But Ross and Endo are right behind us. Watching. Listening. And I’m still reeling from my new illumination trick. I snatch my hand away and jam it in my pocket. Cael’s soft laughter fills the hall, but I don’t dare look at him.

  When we leave the building, I expect them to offer to walk me back to my dorm, tell me to lock the doors and call at the first sign of danger. But with a mischievous glint in his eye, Endo says, “We were thinking. How would you like to learn a few tricks?”

  “Tricks?” I tilt my head, brows knitted together. “What kind of tricks?” Because if it involves me lighting up like a Christmas Tree, I’m not sure I want to go there again yet.

  “Well, we talked and you’re right. You need to test your strength. And it would be better to do that with us around than alone or with the witches.”

  “This isn’t your way of forcing me into another cage, is it?”

  “Kitten.” Cael nudges my shoulder. “We don’t want to suffocate you. We want to protect you. There’s a big difference.”

  “I know. I do. But… you’ve all been so against this. Why now?”

  “Because you’re going to do it with or without us,” Ross says. “This way, at least we have a shot of keeping you safe.”

  I can’t argue with that. Besides, the idea of the three of them showing me anything is everything to me right now.

  So, with an uncertain smile, I say, “I’m in.”

  “Hmm, guys.” I glance around the dense woods and frown. “This isn’t quite what I had in mind.” I figured we’d practice some more with the feather and twine. Maybe introduce fire. But instead, I’m standing in the middle of a circular clearing in the forest behind Atchison campus.

  “Scared, Kitten?” Cael’s eyes flash with mischief, and I pull up to my full height which is still a good three inches shorter than the guys, glaring at him. He folds his arms across his chest, tucking his fingers in, and pouts. I fight a smile.

  “We thought a neutral open space would be the best training ground.” Endo says from his spot in front of me. Cael is positioned off to my left side and Ross on my right. I turn in a circle, studying my surroundings; letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.

  “Do you feel anything?” Cael asks.

  “The trees. The wind,” I say, closing my eyes and centering myself. “There’s a nest of hummingbirds over in that tree.” My head flicks beyond Endo.

  “Good,” he praises. “What else?”

  “I can hear the trickle of water. The river maybe?”

  “It’s about a kilometer east of here.”

  “And something else.” I focus, latching onto the thread of energy as it swirls around me. “There’s something about this area. Something happened.”

  A series of images flood my mind and I stagger back with the impact.

  “Terra,” one of the guys rushes out, but I hold up my palm.

  “I’m fine.” I inhale deeply, letting my mind assimilate the moving pictures. “There was a fire.” The smell of scorched earth cloys my senses.

  “It was one of the area’s worst disasters.”

  My eyes flicker open and I realize I’m crying. “I can feel the lingering pain in the ground, the trees. The stench of death and destruction.” It churns my stomach, stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. But I’m also stronger now, physically and emotionally, and although it hurts to breathe, I don’t waver.

  “She’s—” Ross starts but hesitates.

  “It’s amazing,” Cael finishes. “She’s amazing.”

  “Guys, what’s going on?”

  “You’re absorbing Gaia’s power.”

  “I am?”

  “We didn’t know how the transfer would happen,” Endo says. “Whether she would…”

  “Whether she would hijack my body? You really thought that might happen?” I ask incredulously.

  “No,” Cael adds but I can see from the doubt in his eyes, he’s just trying to make me feel better.

  “You’re still Terra. We think you’ll continue to be Terra, just an upgraded version.”

  There are so many questions to that statement I don’t know where to start. So instead, I focus on something I can control. Arms outstretched, I narrow my gaze on the piles of leaves beside Cael. They must sense my concentration because no one speaks. Like with the twine in Ross’ room, I channel the air around the leaves willing them to move. A gentle rustling sound fills the space and after a couple of seconds, they began to drift up, slow at first, and then quicker, swirling around Cael as he watches on in awe.

  My lips cur
ve as I imagine his face when he witnesses me controlling more than one element. I’ll have to wait until there’s some water at my disposal though.

  A loud crack of thunder rumbles overhead and I tilt my face up.

  “Is that you?” Endo asks, and I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”

  If it is, my power is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Floating feathers and tying twine, to full on thunder storms. But as the first raindrop falls, the hairs along the back of my neck electrify and I feel the tentacles of evil encroaching on the clearing.

  “It’s not me,” I yell over the increasing winds. My hair whips around my face as I fight to hold on to the leaves. “Do you feel it?”

  “Feel what?”

  My breath whooshes from my body as the thread snaps. The leaves drop to the ground and I rasp out, “The evil?”

  “You feel it?” Cael’s brows knit. “Right now?”

  I nod. The rain is torrential now. Beating down on us and I can barely make out the concerned expressions on the guys faces. If only I had the power to—

  Words flood my mind. An old language I don’t recognize but can read with ease. On the last note, I throw my hands up and watch through wide-eyes as the rain is held above the four of us, as if we’re standing underneath a glass dome.

  “By the gods, that is...” someone speaks, but it’s taking every shred of my concentration to hold the energy, the surge of power vibrating under my skin.

  “Terra?”

  “You still can’t feel it?”

  “Nothing.” Endo confirms glancing around, eyes narrowed as he searches for any signs of something not being right.

  “Me neither.”

  “Nor me.” Ross closes his eyes.

  “Is that supposed to happen?” I reinforce the barrier between us and the storm. Whatever—or whoever—is controlling the storm is strong, their power butting up against mine, looking for an entry point.

  “I can’t hold it much longer. Are you sure you don’t feel anything?” But from their troubled expressions, I know they don’t. “I can’t—” my words are swallowed as my body trembles and I lose control. The invisible barrier shatters, knocking the wind clean from my lungs, and I clamp my eyes shut bracing myself for the deluge of water suspended above us to hit.

  But it never comes.

  My lids flicker open and I watch in awe as the three of them silently mouth unrecognizable words, their hands outstretched the way mine had been. I can’t see their energy, but I feel it. Like an invisible force-field it ripples around us, pushing the watertight dome further and further until the storm passes and silence envelops the forest once more.

  Pushing wet strands of hair from my face, I look around at the three of them. They hardly look like they broke a sweat, yet I felt like I ran a marathon. “You’ve been holding out on me,” I pant.

  “And we need to get you out of those wet clothes,” Endo’s eyes dart from my face to my chest, the sodden jacket molded to my curves like spandex.

  “Seriously?” I murmur under my breath earning me a snicker from Cael.

  “Come on,” he says as if we didn’t just engage in some kind of elemental war with an unknown force. “Endo’s right. We should get you… inside.” His lips curve with amusement and I glower at him as I stomp past the two of them, water squelching in my sneakers and fire burning in my blood.

  Whatever—whoever—is toying with me, is testing me. Learning my strengths and trying to uncover my weaknesses. And I can’t help but think, it’s more than that. It feels personal somehow. And I know things are going to get much worse before they get better.

  If they ever get better.

  When I slip out of Endo’s small bathroom, I pause at the sight of the guys deep in conversation. Cael and Endo are arguing, their eyes narrowed on the other, while Ross hangs back scrubbing his jaw.

  I clear my throat and their heads snap in my direction. “Thanks for the dry clothes.” I glance down at the sweat pants and t-shirt Endo let me borrow. His eyes linger on me, the intensity burning my skin.

  “Get comfy.” He flicks his head to his bed and I go to it, making myself at home while the three of them continue their discussion. I catch the odd word. Witches... Threat... Barrier.

  My body sinks further into Endo’s pillows and I pull one closer to me, resting my head against it as I try to fight the urge to close my eyes.

  “Guys,” a distant voice says. “She’s exhausted. We should let her sleep.”

  “What? Here?”

  “I’m fine,” I murmur, walking a fine line between consciousness and slumber.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Cael leans down, tracing my face with his fingers. “Get some rest. Endo will be right here.”

  He will? I want to say but the pull is too strong, and my eyes drift closed. Somewhere in the distance a door closes and I’m vaguely aware of Endo as he wriggles the covers down around me and slides me inside. “Sleep, Vasilissa.”

  Reaching out for him, I grab his hand and peek at him through half-closed eyes. “Will you stay?”

  He swallows hard, his eyes alight with something I can’t decipher. “Always.”

  I fight a smile as I let sleep take me.

  I bolt upright, panic clawing up my throat. Where am I? My eyes strain against the darkness as images flood my mind.

  “Terra? What is it? What’s wrong?” Endo rushes to my side and my brows pinch.

  “Endo? What—”

  “You crashed here, remember? After the storm.”

  The storm.

  I sink back against the pillows and inhale a deep breath. “Oh yeah. I remember.”

  “Using that kind of power can take it out of you. And you looked so peaceful we didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “And you’ve been sleeping where exactly?” My eyes can’t help but drink in the sight of him in shorts and a dark tank top, his muscular arms on display.

  “I took the floor.” He drags a hand through his hair.

  “Endo, you didn’t need to do that.”

  “I am nothing if not a gentleman.” He winks, and I wriggle closer to the wall, dropping my eyes to the space beside me.

  “You’re sure?” His brow quirks up.

  “I am. Besides, I could use a heater, it’s freezing in here.”

  “It’s like that, huh?”

  “How else would it be?” I smirk, but really, I’m a ball of nerves as Endo slips his arm around my shoulder, tugging me against him. Butterflies explode in my stomach.

  “You’re trembling, Vasilissa,” he whispers against my hair.

  “I told you, it’s cold,” I reply, ignoring the fact he called me Vasilissa.

  “And here’s me thinking you were nervous about being in bed with me.”

  “Endo,” I gasp pressing my hand into his rock-solid chest. “You can’t say things like that.”

  “I can’t? Why not?”

  “Because it reminds me how weird this is.” I admit, burying my face into his tank.

  He nudges me away, sliding his finger to my face and guiding it up to meet his. “It’s only weird if you let it be.”

  “You don’t mind this? Me, you…” I hesitate. “Cael and Ross.”

  “Don’t forget Sol, our fearless leader.” The corner of his mouth lifts.

  “I’m not sure about that.” My gaze darts away.

  “Terra, he’s in this, whether you like him or not. It’s just the way it is. You. Us.”

  “You make it sound so simple.”

  “Isn’t it?” He lowers his face to mine and like a moth to a flame, I can’t help but slide my gaze back to his. “We have waited for you for nineteen years. But our story is much older than that.”

  “I saw it, you know. The day you were… anointed?” I think that’s what Eros had called it.

  His eyes widen with surprise, but it quickly melts into wistfulness. “I can remember it like it was yesterday. I’ve never been prouder, or more terrified.”

  “Will you
tell me?”

  “One day I will tell you everything.”

  “Why not now?”

  “Because right now, there’s something much more important to deliberate.”

  “There is?”

  “Indeed.” His eyes drop to my mouth and he softly grips my jaw, inching closing. When there’s no more space between us and I can feel his mouth ghosting over mine, he captures my lips in a tender kiss. I expect him to devour me—to unleash the fire I know lives inside him.

  But he doesn’t.

  Eyes still closed as if he’s savoring the moment, Endo eases away. “I have dreamed of this moment so many times.” His eyes flicker open and I can see flames dancing in his irises. “But nothing has ever come close to the real thing.”

  I touch a finger to my lips and my mind starts to wander. To confusing places. Places where there’s me and Endo… and Cael… and Ross.

  “Don’t overthink it, Terra.” Endo breaks the heavy silence. “Don’t hold yourself to the standards set by society. Standards that don’t apply here.”

  He’s right.

  Deep down, I know he is.

  The rules don’t apply here… because they are not our rules. But I realize something else—even if they did, I’m not sure I care.

  My fingers twist into the soft material of his tank and I yank him forward, our mouths crashing together. Tongues and teeth. Fire and need. But it isn’t enough, and my hands slide around his back, pulling and clawing until he rolls me underneath him and presses the hard lines of his body against the soft curves of mine.

  “Vasilissa,” he rasps, staring down at me with such reverie I can’t breathe. I can feel him—all of him—pressed up against all of me, only the thin layers of our clothes separating us.

  “Endo,” I whisper, reaching out to trace the planes of his face.

  “What do you need, Terra? Tell me what you need?”

  “I…” I swallow the words because while I want more, I know more leads down a road I’m still not sure I’m ready for.

  Endo leans down, brushing his nose along my jaw and up the column of my neck to my ear. “Tha édina ta pánta gia na ime mazí sou,” he whispers, and I ask, “What language is that?”

  “It’s Greek,” he explains.