"I don't have any diseases," he said with a frown.
"I'll conjure my own knife, thank you," I said, retrieving a knife from our kitchen cabinet. I held the blade close to my palm and asked myself once more if this was the right decision.
"I can do it if you're scared."
"I'm not scared," I said, before dragging the edge along my palm. The pain was slight at first then sharp. Blood pooled in my palm as I held it over the cauldron.
One, two, three drops into the potion.
The mixture turned bright purple—my magic's color—then a brilliant white. Something tingled in the base of my stomach, and I knew it was done. We were both bound to the pact I'd written, that Gavon had tweaked.
Oh shit, what had I done?
"Now," James said, clapping his hands. "Let's get started, shall we?"
But I was staring at the cauldron, holding onto the feeling that I'd just made a grave mistake. "I'm such an idiot," I whispered.
There was no time to worry, because before I knew it, a bright green attack spell was headed straight for me. I had one second to react, diving out of the way. Curses spilled out of my mouth faster than I could think them. But James didn't give me an inch, firing three more, which had me scrambling across the sand as fast as I could.
"God, Alexis, make it a challenge, why don't you?" he drawled. "I asked you to spar with me, not play games."
I couldn't even get out the words to argue that he wasn't letting me breathe, but the more I dashed away, the more this became familiar. The tension in my chest, the anticipation of his next move. The pooling of magic in my hands. James was right—sparring with myself was no substitution for the thrill of having someone else hurling magic at me. He moved in ways I couldn't even fathom, his mastery of magic apparent from even my own amateur observations.
But he had a weakness—his own ego. He considered himself so above me that he'd left himself open to attack on his left side.
He saw the spell a second too late, and he flew backward, tumbling toward the shoreline. When he came to a stop, he looked dazed, sand dripping from his hair.
Despite myself, I grinned. Sparring with Gavon had always felt like I was playing catch-up; he'd held back for my benefit. But with James there would be no mercy. I'd either have to step up and fight back or get creamed.
I finally took a breath, gathering another attack spell in my hand. "You were saying?"
"Cockiness doesn't suit you, Alexis," he replied.
"Winning looks absolutely beautiful."
"Little early to be declaring yourself the victor."
"Yeah, I—" The force of magic hit hard, but harder still was the impact on the sand dune behind me. No, James would most assuredly not take it easy on me. He gave me just a moment to rest before another volley came like bright green cannonballs. I projected a wall of protective spells and watched the green balls bounce harmlessly off it. But that wouldn't hold for long.
Sure enough, the next volley tore right through my magical barrier. Just before it slammed into me, I transported to a safer spot on the beach. James' back was still turned, so I took advantage—
But my spells bounced harmlessly off his back. He glanced at me over his shoulder, wearing that cocky, smug smile.
"You never leave your back unprotected. Didn't you learn anything from Gavon?"
I glared at him. "You'll have to show me that trick."
"And give you an advantage? Not a chance."
"Like teaching me how to protect my back is an advantage," I said with a healthy roll of my eyes. "Unless…" I quirked a brow. "Are you saying we're evenly matched?"
The faintest hint of a blush appeared on his cheeks. "I'm saying that you're not a complete waste of my time. But I've also been taking it easy on you. Let's see how you fare when I come at you with all I've got."
I grinned wider. "Bring it on."
Nine
The sky was pink when I opened my eyes, and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore almost lulled me back to sleep. I couldn't remember how I'd gotten here except…
Awareness returned like a freight train and the memory of sparring with James came with it. I couldn't remember how or when I'd passed out, but the dull ache behind my eyes told me it was due to lack of magic. And the pink light above my head said I'd been asleep for hours.
Turning my head slowly, I spotted a dark form against the white sand. Gently, I gathered my strength to stand, each movement taking longer than usual from pain and exhaustion. Once I was upright, I stumbled over to the dark figure, ready for whatever he might throw at me.
His eyes were open as he stared at the stars, his face pale. He didn't acknowledge my presence except to blink twice. For a moment, I wondered if he was screwing with me. Perhaps he was trying to knock me off my guard. But at the same time, I doubted he could fake such lethargy. Besides, why wait until I was awake to hurt me when I'd been out cold for hours?
My body gave out, and I tumbled to my knees, before collapsing beside him.
"What happened?" I asked the sand.
"What do you think?" he replied hoarsely. "I can't move."
I was so weak I couldn't smile, but I could manage a snort. "I thought you were taking it easy on me."
"I was. Just you wait until next week."
"As far as I can tell, Riley, you're on the ground with me."
He released a loud breath. "True. I must be rusty. I was quite stupid not to bring a healing potion. I'm sure I'm going to hear all about it when I return home. Right after Gavon kills me."
I turned my head to watch him consider his unpleasant fate. "Why?"
"I've stayed out way past midnight." He groaned and rubbed his face. "This is going to be unpleasant."
"You…have a curfew?" It seemed so horribly mundane. James, the supposed leader of the evil gang that would take over the world…had to be home by midnight. "What, is Gavon going to ground you?"
"Ground?"
"You know, take away your magic."
He released a soft breath. "And a lecture, I'm sure. Gavon loves his lectures. I swear I've heard the same one ten times this year. Usually while I've got a rag in hand, cleaning that damned library of his. I hate that library."
My lack of magic had made me loopy, because that sounded hilarious. "Gavon makes you clean when you're in trouble?"
"That's his favorite method of punishment. Take away my magic, force me to clean until he's satisfied, then I get it back." James finally sat up, white sand falling from his hair. He mumbled something unintelligible while rubbing his pale face. Then, a bit of his charm returned as he smirked. "Next time, tell your sister to make us a healing potion."
"Sure, I'll just tell her you and I are having a rousing sparring match and she'll get right on it."
James shook his head. "Was that sarcasm?"
"Duh," I said. At his confused expression, I rolled my eyes as I pushed myself to sit. "Obviously she doesn't know about you. That would just freak her out."
"Then bring your other sister."
I blinked. "But she's… Gavon doesn't know about Marie?"
"What about her?"
I clamped my jaw shut. "Nothing. She's horrible. Doesn't heal me. That's all."
If Gavon didn't know that Marie had been gone the past year and a half, that meant he hadn't been…well, around. And although I hadn't seen him, I'd always had this vision of him hiding in the bushes or watching me in some crystal ball and making sure I was all right. Maybe I just wanted to believe that I was still wrong about him.
But it was too early to stress about Gavon, not when my eyes wanted to close and fall back into a deep, dark sleep.
"Well, then I suppose the next time we spar, we should take more care not to exhaust ourselves," James said. "Unlike you, I don't have a healer and a potion-maker waiting around at home for me." He pushed himself to stand and swayed for a moment before steadying himself. "I suppose I might as well get it over with."
"Warriors don't whine, we just do,
" I said, playing with the sand.
"Yeah." He made a face. "I hate when Gavon says that."
I smiled. "Good luck."
I transported myself back home, feeling like I could sleep for a thousand years. I'd never missed Marie more. I was tempted to text her and beg her to heal me, but I was pretty sure she'd ignore it. Which meant it was up to me to hide my exhaustion from Nicole.
Face pressed against the pillow, I waited for sleep to come. But there was an excited undercurrent swimming amongst the lethargy. Sparring with myself was tiring, but this? This was exhaustion mixed in with the supreme satisfaction of accomplishing something great. This was like working for days on a project and turning it in to receive an A. This was…
Probably what James had been talking about.
I'd been too new at sparring when I was fifteen to understand the difference. Then, sparring had been something I wanted—more like needed—to do, but I'd always assumed it was because I wanted to be closer to Gavon. Now, even though I hated James, I couldn't wait to get into the sparring ring with him.
But to be honest, it wasn't just about the fighting. James represented an entire existence that could have been mine, had things gone differently. Jeanie had always been a hands-off sort of guardian, leaving the three of us to our own devices most of the time. And with me, Gavon seemed to be okay with me failing miserably before he offered up some wisdom. James, however, seemed to have a much different opinion of him.
But I was Gavon's… (I shuddered) and James was…well, I didn't know who James was really. He was a Riley, which meant he'd probably descended from the James Riley who'd led the Separation. Gavon had said that Warriors usually take apprentices from other families, in order to keep to a strict training schedule without emotion.
Maybe that explained the difference between his approach with James and me.
Still, it didn't really matter. His actions spoke clearly: he'd let Cyrus come after me and my sisters. He'd let Cyrus kill my aunt, the same way he'd let my mother die.
Her memory floated back to me, another part of the magical memory I'd obtained because she'd used my magic to defend her family. Along with my almost innate ability to fight, the memory also gave me the blessing and curse of hearing my dead mother's last words. With them I felt the brunt of her fear, her bravery, and the resolution that she would die before she let anything happen to her family.
It was that emotional hurricane that I'd poured into the barrier spell around the house, and that had been driving me to spar, to be better, to learn everything I could. And even though I was still worried I'd made a terrible mistake with James, I could at least convince myself that it was in pursuit of making myself a more powerful protector.
I must've fallen asleep because a soft rapping jerked me awake. "Lexie? Are you still asleep?"
"Yah," I said as she opened the door. The sun was brighter than I remembered, so I must've slept in. "Late night."
"You were out of it," she said with a suspicious glance. "Do you even remember me coming in this morning?"
I shook my head. Thank God I'd come back from the sparring beach before she'd noticed I was missing.
"My car's acting up again, so I had to take it to the shop," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "Five hundred bucks."
"Ow," I said. "Do you need some money?"
"No," Nicole said. "It's my car, my problem."
"I can use some of my tutoring money. I've got a bunch now."
"I can't ask that of you," she said before cracking a smile. "When you're still living here during college, then you can pay some rent."
I huffed. "I'm not staying here."
Her smile faltered for a moment then returned. "In any case, I appreciate the offer, but I don't need help. I've picked up a few shifts at the pharmacy."
The stone pressing against my chest grew warm and I quirked a brow. "Really?"
"Yeah," Nicole said. Even if the stone hadn't alerted me to her lie, I would've known by the way she glanced everywhere but me. Nicole had always been a terrible liar.
But now, she was looking at the clock on the wall. "Aren't you supposed to be tutoring right now?"
I seized, panic coursing through me. It was 2:20—and my tutoring with Charles started twenty minutes ago.
"Ah shit!"
I appeared in the bathroom of the library, bracing myself against the sides of the stall as the room swayed around me. I'd not only used magic to transport here, but also to do a quick costume change and tie my hair up. It would've been better to stay home and cancel, but I was already on one strike with Mrs. Gilly and if I flaked again, I'd lose my customer.
Once the world stopped moving, I hurried out of the bathroom, praying Charles hadn't left yet. I really needed the money, and Mrs. Gilly seemed like the kind of person who would blackball me if I crossed her.
"And then when you want to solve for X—"
I stopped short. James sat next to my young charge, who was looking up at the older teen with a wide-eyed admiration. The older guy had a pen in hand, hunched over a piece of paper while walking Charles through whatever he was talking about. As I came closer, I saw algebra. James was teaching Charles how to do algebra.
Well, wasn't that surprising.
"Um," I said, loud enough to get their attention.
"Oh good, you're here," James said, standing up. He didn't look tired at all, and considering how lethargic he'd been earlier, he must've found some kind of potion. His gaze traveled up and down my body. "Sleep late?"
I glared at him. "What are you doing here?"
"At the moment, helping Charles with his algebra since his tutor was twenty minutes late." The son of a bitch looked like he was trying not to smile, and that just made me angrier.
"I got waylaid," I snapped, brushing by him. "Sorry, Charles, I can stay later if you want—"
"No, I'm going to tell my mom that I want James to tutor me," he announced with his nose in the air. "At least he makes sense."
I turned back to James and placed a hand on my hip. "You? A good teacher?"
He simply smiled. "Sorry, I'm not available for tutoring. I'm sure Lexie will figure it out eventually. And as for why I'm here, I wanted to give you something."
I glanced at the kid then told him to wait while I followed James around a bookshelf. "What?"
He grinned. "Don't be so mean, Lexie, or I won't give you this healing potion."
My mouth watered at the idea, even though every healing potion I'd ever had tasted like feet. "What do you want in return?"
"A fully rested partner for Friday," he said, placing a small vial in my hand. "You look like the dead."
I closed my hand around the vial, but didn't move to drink it. "There's no poison in this is there? Or mind control or—"
"No, Lexie," he said, and my sapphire remained cool against my skin. "And one of these days, you're going to have to trust me. After all, we spent all night passed out on a beach together and not a hair on your head was harmed."
I blushed, although I wasn't sure why. Neither was I sure why I asked, "So did you get grounded?"
He shrugged, but not before his upper lip curled briefly. "I got a lecture about sparring without healing potions while he forced me to make one."
I looked down at the vial in my hand, suddenly curious if James was here because he wanted me fully rested or because Gavon had forced him to. Or maybe both.
"See you at school on Monday." And with that, he transported away.
I was so surprised to see his display of magic that it took me a moment to realize what it meant. Gavon had loosened the leash a bit, allowing James to have magic on this side. Or perhaps it was only so he could deliver the potion.
I opened the vial and sniffed. It certainly smelled like a healing potion. I pressed the glass to my lips and took a sip. The taste was immediate, as was the need to chase it with something better-tasting. But the dull ache behind my eyes lessened. It was a healing potion, all right.
Bracing mys
elf for the disgusting taste, I tossed back the rest of it. Although it was just a few tablespoons, it filled me up from my head to my toes, like a cup of coffee without the jittery caffeine. My eyes opened a bit wider, my brain cleared, and my bones didn't hurt so much.
"Are you done back here?" came Charles' annoyed voice. "Where did James go?"
"Back home," I said, pocketing the vial so he wouldn't see it. "Come on, let's get to work."
But as we sat down and got started, a question entered my mind. "James wasn't really that good a teacher, was he? I mean, sure he's cool, but—"
"No, he showed me this cool trick with solving for X," Charles said, sliding over his paper to show me.
"Huh…" That seemed awfully…out of character for him. James was no idiot, and Gavon had made sure he was educated on all the important things. But to offer a kid some help, even if he was just passing the time until I showed up, was new.
I decided it was probably because he'd gotten some hero worship out of it.
"All right, show me what he taught you, and we'll work on that."
Ten
James and I sparred every Friday night for three weeks straight and I was starting to enjoy it. Not because I found his company pleasurable, but because I was able to see it for what it really was. A chance to make myself stronger, to become a better Warrior. This was an opportunity I'd probably never have again, so I wasn't going to squander it.
James constantly changed his tactics, keeping me on my toes, and making me feel like an idiot and a genius at the same time. I was always learning something new—either from myself or from him. Although we tried not to overdo it, inevitably, we always did. Luckily, James started bringing healing potions so we could at least make it back home afterward. Even with the potion, Saturday mornings were rough—especially when Nicole barged into my room, asking why I was so tired. I finally told her that I was going out with friends. After she stopped screaming from shock, she gave me a free pass to spend as much time with these "friends" as possible.
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