by S. E. Akers
“Having a change of heart?” Silas posed, calling out my obvious stall.
“No,” I muttered. “Still going.”
“Well then, the door is that way,” he reminded with a nudging nod.
I turned towards the door, only to be halted by my thoughts again. This time, my mind carried me back to the evocative sight of the two wooden panels flying open when Tanner had rushed me back here after my stabbing. I could vividly recall how bad the pain had been—every jagged and fiery burn of the diamond’s torturous descent. But to my dismay, I remembered the fierce wrap of his powerful arms even more. Warm… Protective… And passionately unwavering.
Crap… I took a deep breath, feeling the cave of my heart as I shook away the memory. Now I REALLY need to get the heck out of here!
“So where shall I tell Professor Grey you went?” he asked.
“I don’t want you telling Professor Grey a thing,” I instructed, my wish adamant and words stern.
“What don’t you want Silas telling me?” The Amethyst Talisman probed as he swaggered into the foyer. Tanner’s confident stare shifted from the keys in my hand, to the purse hanging over my shoulder, and then finally back to me. His eyes were now washed in confusion. “Are you going somewhere?”
I looked directly at him, unwilling to speak. After all, he’d strutted in here like absolutely nothing had happened yesterday. Did he forget he hadn’t spoken to me for the past sixteen hours? Or wouldn’t let Silas speak to me as well? Maybe the Emotion-Whisper could turn his feelings on and off so easily, but I sure couldn’t.
My recent revelation etched the slyest of smiles in my mind. Though now I can, I affirmed.
Tanner kept his eyes curiously fixated on mine. “Silas, would you give us a moment?”
“As you wish,” Silas nodded. The house steward’s steps may have carried him out of the room, but I knew those Djinn ears were far from out of here completely.
“Where are you going?” Tanner asked, his words as soft and placid as the violet hue lighting his eyes.
“To Katie’s,” I said, my expression deadpan and standing firm.
“Can your visit wait?” he asked. “I need to speak to you.”
“Speak or fuss?” I questioned. “Because if it’s the latter, you can go right back to giving me the silent treatment. I won’t mind.”
I watched him for a moment. He seemed restless, and his eyes bore a distinct strain while he stood there quietly in his thoughts. The skin underneath my ruby cuff started to warm. That’s when I knew precisely what he was doing and why he was having so much trouble doing it.
I pushed up the sleeves of my jacket and folded my arms purposely. “Something wrong?” I inquired with a pucker, my eyes just as fiery as the ruby stone on my exposed wrist.
Tanner inhaled a deep breath and then averted his head with an enlightened shake. “Well now everything makes sense,” he breathed out. “And how is Kamya this morning?”
“Believe it or not, she’s not as upset as me,” I vowed.
His frame shifted into a more cavalier stance. “And why is that?”
REALLY? The only thing stretched wider than my mouth were my two gaping eyeballs, which couldn’t have possibly swirled with any more white-hot light than they were right now. My hand shot onto my hip with a huff. “Why do you THINK?”
“I’ve had full access to all of your emotions since the day we first met,” Tanner reminded casually. “It hasn’t bothered you so far.”
“I didn’t know there was a CHOICE available!” I stared at the door, my blood well on its way to a rolling boil. “Look — I just need to get out of here.” I secured my purse on my shoulder and whirled back around. “And I left your phantom crystal lying on the bedside table in my room. You can sleep well knowing it’s out of my manipulative little hands.” I sharpened my glare. “ . . . and back in yours.”
“You’re not leaving,” Tanner called out, his voice stony.
“Watch me,” I bit back with a fierce glance.
“You’re not finished here,” he contended.
My feet came to a squeaky halt on the marble tiles when I whirled around. “By my count, the dungeon is empty,” I insisted. “So that tells me I am.”
“And what about your lessons?” Tanner posed. “There’s still plenty of knowledge you have yet to gain.” He roused a dry grin. “You can’t possibly think you know everything.”
“Books read just as good poolside as they do from a library,” I countered. “And now that I can access Bea’s memories, I have my own databank to answer any of my questions — No mentor needed . . . nor desired.” That last crack may have been a little over the top, but I was good with it.
Tanner pressed his eyes into two sharp slits. “And your weapons training?” he continued, still waiting for an appeasing enough answer.
“With the exception of my arrow shooting, there isn’t a weapon down there that I can’t wield proficiently,” I stated, holding my head high. “But don’t worry. I’m sure I can find an archery range to squeeze in a little practice somewhere if that will put your mind at ease.”
“And what about your combat skills?” Tanner remarked and took a bold step closer. “You haven’t come close to beating me all summer.”
I shot him a glare. “Oh, I’ve already conceded defeat,” I huffed and headed towards the door. And if I’d happened to have a white flag right now, I knew exactly where I would stick it.
“Still, it’s a vital part of your training,” Tanner reiterated.
“It may be, but I’m done with all of your games, and now I would like to enjoy what’s left of my summer.”
His rigid frame relaxed as he approached. “I didn’t realize how miserable you were here.” His eyes glided over my frame with the sweep of silk. “My sincerest apologies.”
My muscles started to slacken as soon as I spied the lavender halo circling his eyes. “I wasn’t miserable,” I sighed. “Just frustrated.” And humiliated, I added silently.
“I see,” Tanner hummed thoughtfully. His gaze fell on the table in the center of the room. “Well if you’re going, don’t forget to take your flowers.”
I glared at my vase of pity roses while my ears knocked away the frosty bite I’d sensed in his tone. The daggone blooms still looked as rich and red as ever. “You’re absolutely right. I can’t forget those,” I said, my eyes locked in a tight squint. I walked over and snatched them off the table. “Now I can go,” I affirmed, giving the roses a snarky sniff, and then cradled them in the bend of my arm.
Just as I started to grab the door handle, one of Tanner’s amethyst’s swords plunged into the wood slab just beside my head — less than two-freaking-inches by my count. If his sneaky ruby scheme and my misconceived fantasy of a romantic summer hadn’t pissed me off enough, the sight of his diamond-dusted amethyst blade had me seeing about a hundred shades of red.
That damn thing could have easily sliced my ear off!
I whirled back around, seething. “Do you really want to play?” I raged, gritting my teeth. “Because you can’t possibly know how raw I’m feeling right now!”
With a flick of his wrist, the water from my roses shot out of the vase and smacked me straight in the face. Son-of-a-Bitch…
“Who says I’m playing?” Tanner posed, his brow as steely as ever.
Silas rushed into the room straightaway, apparently needing an up-close & personal view to go along with his audio. He glided right over and relieved me of the vase. “I see we’ve received our ration of water for the day,” he acknowledged with a tart purse of his lips. “Now I’ll tend to these.”
I swiped my hand across my face and turned to Tanner. “You’re not going to let me leave, are you?”
The Amethyst Talisman’s head rocked out several slow and steady shakes, confirming my theory. “Not until you best me. Then you can leave.”
My head fell into a dubious tilt. “You think I’m going to take your word after yesterday’s reneging?”
; His eyes shot into a roll. “Said the person who used my phantom crystal against me.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded.
“But this is a promise I intend to keep,” he vowed. “If you beat me, you are free to go.” Then the Amethyst Talisman egged me on with a taunting grin. “All that’s left now is to see how bad you want out of here.”
“FINE!” I grumbled. I wrestled my hilt out of my purse and slung it down on the table. “And how will we know who wins?” I inquired. “Last one standing?”
Tanner bit back a laugh. “Nothing that extreme. Clean pierce to the shoulder or the thigh — straight through,” he added.
Silas’ eyes swept my frame suspiciously. “Professor, I think you may want to limit the match-point to upper body only,” he urged, arching his brow deductively.
Tanner studied the heat wafting from my surly stance. “You may be onto something,” he agreed. “Shoulder tap only.”
“Wise decision,” I smirked. After giving my wrist one angry whirl, the diamond blade shot out of the hilt, and I was now officially good-to-go.
Silas cleared his throat. “I do wish the children would take this downstairs to the vault, for my sake. I’ve had enough demolition-duty this summer to last a lifetime.” He proceeded to pull the french doors connecting the hall to a close, gave their knobs a secure tug, and then positioned himself in front of them like the most staunch and disciplined Buckingham Palace guard.
Tanner strolled past me to collect his sword. He lowered its blade and holstered his hilt immediately. “You heard the man,” Tanner said and waved me towards the triptych.
I retracted my blade as well and tightened my grin. “Of course,” I agreed and nodded to Silas respectfully. Then not a sly second later, I conjured a whirling funnel that scooped Tanner up and thrust his butt towards the triptych. He crashed straight through the panels, leaving a tattered mess of ripped canvas and scraps of wood in my path.
“After you,” I cooed as I hopped over his pummeled frame and then headed down the steps. My descent may have started off cucumber-cool, however as soon as I spied the flaming warpath look on Tanner’s face when he sprang to his feet, it shot straight into bat-out-of-hell real quick. I bolted down the craggy stone staircase, fully intending to get to the arsenal first. I was halfway there when I slipped on the steps and tumbled down to the next floor, landing flat on my face and dropping my hilt.
“Watch your step,” Tanner winked as he was about to pass. “They’re a bit slick.”
I noticed the sheen glazing the stones, now feeling more than a touch irate. A fluid stream of water was seeping into the stairwell from the walls to the point that the daggone staircase was starting to look like a trickling waterfall.
I slammed my fists on the floor. “I HATE your element!”
I was reaching for my hilt when Tanner kicked it further down the steps. Ass! My middle finger sprang up before I could stop myself.
“That’s an interesting choice of weapon,” he laughed smugly. “How much punch does it pack?” He paused to pull something out of his pocket. “As much as this?”
The corners of my mouth dropped as soon as I saw the carnelian in his hand, along with its diamond-coating that was still well intact. He’d failed to mention bringing back that Mexican souvenir.
“That’s not one of your powers,” I mocked.
“No, but nothing’s off-limits today,” he admitted and then roused a wry grin. “See you in the vault.”
I’d barely dived out of the carnelian’s path when it smacked the wall to my rear. The explosion sent me tumbling down another flight of steps. But on the plus-side, I’d come to a stop much closer to my hilt. I looked back up at the flames dwindling on the wall and stairs. I could have reignited them with the heat of my glare alone. He was definitely going to pay for that one.
I caught up to Tanner just as the doors to the arsenal were starting to swing open. He paused long enough to shoot me a cutesy grin and then turned to enter. I quickly channeled a gust into the room and guided them back out with a speedy tug, sending the silver panels straight into his face. He was laid out on his back when I dashed into the vault. The only thing that would have tickled me more was seeing a parade of stars circling his head.
I wasn’t sure how long I had before he came to, so I snatched up as many devices as I could and went to loading my pockets like a mad bandit. Some elemental shurkins… A few daggers dipped in various poisons… The tiniest of throwing knives… A particularly nasty orb that upon impact would have any supernatural creature soaking their skin for a week… Just a standard grocery-list of items any gal would need to put a little extra-hurting on an insensitive and controlling bastard before a ruthless swordfight.
I quickly made my way over to the wall where all the shields were mounted, needing to secure “Jaws” — my favorite one. That’s what I’d dubbed the handy silver guarding-device that featured a saw-toothed design on its surface that would magically clamp down like a set of choppers on anything that came within a hair of striking it. I’d just secured my arm in its handgrip when a stabbing pain struck my leg just down from my butt, forcing me to erupt in a grumbly scream. I whirled around to find a small bronze ax sticking out of my leg and Tanner standing beside one of the armor suits, laughing.
The Amethyst Talisman extended the fakest of winces as he watched me yank out the axe-blade with a grimace. “That’s right,” he scolded. “We were sticking to the upper body. My mistake.”
His facetious chuckles came to a swift halt when the tiniest of gusts helped me serve him up a little below-the-belt payback — courtesy of the platinum armor’s leg and that weighty poleyn guarding its knee. And judging by how fast he’d landed on the floor buckled over and the depth of his groan, I would say I’d successfully bagged both his stones.
It didn’t take him long to recover, unfortunately. And I’ll be damned if he didn’t head straight for that kurki. “Don’t you even think about it!” I warned, pointing my finger as sharp as any weapon in here.
Tanner’s hand hovered over the skin-melting blade for a moment. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t after that last move?”
I ran over and snatched up one of the more lethal water lances. “Because I’ll stick this thing in you like a syringe and drain all the water out of your hide until it’s as dry as the Sahara Desert!” I blurted and shored up my promise with a rigid nod. And with the weapon’s mystical dehydrating powers, it could do it and then some.
“Agreed,” Tanner conceded, quite eagerly in fact. His stare fell back on the blade, now looking at it just a shade too curious for my comfort. Then he snatched the kurki out of its cradle, eyeing its gleam and feeling out its energy with a peculiar urgency. “This has been used,” he charged. His head popped up like a Jack-in-the-Box, his expression every bit as scary. “RECENTLY . . . ”
I reined in the swell of my eyes and shook my head like he was crazy. “No, it hasn’t,” I insisted and then dashed behind one of the dividing storage cases with a cringe. The feeling that rushed over me was so eerily similar to every time I’d come home with the slightest ding on my Charger. Somehow Daddy always knew.
I peeked back around to make sure Tanner had abandoned the blade. It was back in its cradle, though he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly I felt Tanner’s essence building to my rear. I whirled around only to spy nothing there, though his presence was much stronger…and that only meant one thing.
Knowing he was invisible, I swiftly pulled a mace out of a nearby rack and whirled it towards him before he could strike. The spiked club boomed out a “CLUNK” and stopped in midair when it collided into something. Judging from the way the weapon vibrated right out of my tightly-clenched hand and then sent a rumbling shockwave coursing through me, I knew I’d hit the Thunderstruck shield, which he was so fond of using. I fell back on my ass in a tremble to ride out the rocky vibes that were rattling my core and ringing my head like a room full of Cathedral bells — and the whole time I could still hear
him snickering!
Just as soon as my muscles had shaken off enough of the Thunderstruck shield’s defensive blow, I sent the one I held soaring straight towards the spot where I thought he was standing with a fierce blast of wind. Its saw-toothed teeth clamped down on something immediately and hovered in the air. I watched the shield rock back and forth wildly while Mr. Not-so-Invisible-anymore tried loosening its clasp. So now I had something to chuckle about. With his cover blown, Tanner peeled off the Shadow-Veil cloak that he’d wrapped himself in and tossed the useless wad of devices onto the ground. He now stood before me completely shirtless, his chest as bronze as it was sculpted, and eyes undeniably eager. So it seemed Jaws had snagged his t-shirt in the crossfire. Regardless of how bad I wanted to hurl the acid-orb I was hiding at him right now, sadly I couldn’t coax myself into wrecking my view — not for the life of me.
My eyes narrowed into sharp V once I’d pried them off the never-ending slabs of honed muscle standing before me. I nodded to his shoulder. “That just gives me a better target,” I smirked and then flipped around in a scramble to get onto my feet. He dove towards me and grabbed hold of my ankle, stopping me in my tracks and causing me to fall smack on top of the spiked mace. So now both my front and backside were aching and bloody. I turned over when I sensed his pause. Then with a speedy jerk, he tugged me towards him.
Tanner lifted my foot in the air. “Where did you get THAT?” he demanded, pointing out my little peridot.
I angled my eyes slyly towards the lime-green stone dangling from my ankle bracelet. “Amando,” I gushed. “He stopped by for a visit while you were away.” I bit my lower lip. “You know, he’s quite the charmer.”
His mouth puttered out a foul grunt. “You know he has about a thousand children,” Tanner scoffed.
“I like kids,” I nodded, looking all innocent-eyed.
With another firm tug, Tanner pulled me closer and leaned into my face. “That’s because you are one,” he grinned.
“I may be,” I countered, smiling just as sweetly, “but I’m a kid who’s got a mace in their hands,” I blasted and then swung it swiftly into his ribcage. I threw him off-guard even further by blowing him back several yards where he crashed into the entire case of helmets. And I was hoping that some of the spikier ones were able to find a much cozier new home.