Mortal Enchantment

by Stacey O'Neale

  A plain white gift box.

  The poison from the day before must have been in my system a lot longer than I anticipated because I never heard anyone come into my room. I picked up my little surprise for further investigation. There was no note on the outside from the sender. Inside the box, I discovered a canvas colored button-down shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and steel-toed leather boots. It was very urban cowgirl.

  I scooted out of bed, trying on my new attire. The loose fitting shirt was thicker than any I owned. I kept a bra and tank top on underneath in case I got too hot. The jeans were skinny cut, which fit my normal style. The boots were just the right size. I wasn't sure why I needed all this, but it was put here for a purpose. I pulled my hair in a ponytail as I headed outside.

  Once I got past the archway, I saw Rowan standing near the entrance to the portal leaning against a tree. My eyebrows furrowed as I took in his new, biker-like attire. Instead of relaxed mortal clothes, he wore black leather pants with a matching jacket and a tight black t-shirt. It was rock-band-meets-the-Matrix, minus the sunglasses. This guy took hotness to a whole new level, but at the same time, something about it made me wonder. Then, a second later, it was clear where my new attire had come from.

  I crossed my arms. "Next time you come to my room, I'd prefer you knock first.”

  "I did.” The corner of his mouth curled into a half smile. "You were passed out and snoring like a wild bear.”

  I wasn't sure if I was angry or mortified. There were a few times I had sleepovers as a kid, but no one ever mentioned me snoring. I had no idea if I really made noises in my sleep or if Rowan was just teasing me. I decided to play it off like I didn't care. "Well whatevs, just stay out of my room.”

  He made his way toward the enflamed entryway. "You needed flame-resistant clothing for what I have planned for today.”

  "What exactly do you have planned?” I asked, nerves already building in my belly.

  "We’re getting to an essential part of your training.” He glanced over his shoulder, smirking. "I’m going to get you all hot and bothered.”

  Heat warmed my cheeks. I was sure they were bright red. Something in his tone made my heart pound harder. Rather than giving him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me, I shook off those feelings, heading through the pathway without saying another word.

  We arrived at what had become our spot. Well, it wasn't our spot like we were dating and had a special place we called our own. I mean, if we had a spot it would be on the side of the mountain where he finally opened up to me. The beach was where we came to train which was totally different. Then again, the beach was where he almost kissed me―twice. He had pretended like he didn't, but he did.

  I was still deep in thought, I didn't notice him standing in front of me with an eyebrow raised, as if he was waiting on me. I seriously needed to snap out of this thing I felt for him. He wasn't my type anyway—I didn't even like leather jackets. They were so cliché, but damn did he look good in it. He was all bad boyish with secrets and crazy sword fighting skills and serious family drama from his past. I realized I was doing it again, and I wanted to either crawl under a rock or get the hell out of here. What was going on with me? Why was I thinking about Rowan so much?

  It wasn’t even twenty-four hours ago that I considered him a suspect. One of the voices did sound very similar to his. Plus he knew Dad and could’ve easily gotten close to him. Not to mention, Rowan was a warrior. I wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to take down Dad, but I was sure he could put up a good fight. Even with all the evidence, I didn’t think the voice could have been Rowan. Dad saved his life after all. I don’t believe Rowan would hurt him.

  I needed to get out of my own head.

  Tonight was the Ball and I needed to focus. With Dad still missing, I had to display my elemental power for the air court. I wasn’t sure about the specifics, but I knew the fire queen would throw a fireball at me and it was my job to extinguish it. Judging from my only meeting with her, I was sure she wasn’t going to make it easy.

  "Is it time to start catching some balls or what?” I did not just say that. Why am I so lame?

  He shook his head. "Don't try to make this sound simple. Trust me, it's not.”

  I sat on the sandy beach, crossed my legs, and leaned back on my hands. "Okay Master Jedi flame-thrower, show me what I need to know.”

  Rowan flexed his hand; small flares coated his fingertips. "Do you know what extinguishes fire?”

  I had absolutely no idea. I untied my boots, digging my feet into the soft, warm sand. "I must've missed that chemistry lesson. Do tell.”

  He stared at his hand, fisted, and the flame went out. "Fire cannot exist without oxygen. If you isolate the fire and remove the oxygen, the fire will go out.”

  Sounded perfectly complicated. "How am I supposed to do that?”

  "I've taught you how to push the air away from you. Now, you need to learn to return it into you.”

  A strange mental picture popped in my head. "You mean, like a vacuum?”

  "Exactly.”

  How was this even possible? It took me days to learn to push the energy out, and now I had only a few hours to learn this new technique. Talk about Mission: Never Gonna Happen.

  An aching sense of doubt settled on my shoulders. "Why didn't you teach me this first? All that other stuff could've waited until I got comfortable with this. Now what am I supposed to do if I can't figure it out? Let the fire queen burn me to death?”

  His face turned serious. "You can't be taught to take in your power without first learning to control it. This is serious shit we're talking about. Anything can happen if you can’t maintain your center.” He took a few steps away from me, mumbling to himself, then stopped, coming back to where he was originally. "You're going to have to trust me. I did what was best for your safety. Now we're wasting precious time. We need to get started. Are you ready?”

  He wasn't wrong. I was wasting time, I had no idea what the steps were in a power training. I rose to a standing position with my hands on my hips. "Let's get to it.”

  "Find your center like I taught you. Once you're relaxed, think about what it felt like to push the energy out through your arms.”

  I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. A cool breeze came off the ocean as the waves crashed into the beach. The salty air tickled my nostrils. It was easy to see why Rowan brought me here to train. This undisturbed oasis was perfect tranquility.

  Power surged beneath my skin, running from my shoulders to my fingers. "I feel it.”

  I opened my eyes and he was only inches from me. The silver barbell in his eyebrow shimmered in the sunlight. I jolted slightly when his hands cupped my elbows, sending tingles down the back of my arms. Gradually, he backed up while his hands slid down my forearms.

  He lightly clasped my wrists, positioning my opened hands toward the sky. "Concentrate on the palms of your hands,” he said, his voice soft and seductive. "Envision the energy you feel pulling something toward you, as if you were taking it inside of you.” He released my hands, backing up a few feet. An empty ache settled in my chest like I had just given away my favorite book.

  Rowan cupped his hands. As he pulled them apart, a perfectly round ball of blue fire rotated in the air. "I want you to position your hands exactly like mine, but don't release the surge of power you feel.” I nodded, "Now, concentrate on pulling the energy inside of you while you slowly bring your hands together.”

  I stared at my hands as they moved toward one another. I felt a suction; my hands were like magnets wanting desperately to join. They smacked together with a pop. I glanced up at Rowan. The fire he held was nothing more than a few strands of simmering smoke. I jumped up and down with excitement. "I did it!” I looked again just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. "I finally made something freakin’ work on the first try!”

  He winked and my legs turned to Jell-O. "You did great. Unfortunately, Liana isn't going to make it as simple as I did. You have to learn to d
o that while it's moving.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. "You mean while it's being thrown at me.”

  He cocked his head. "Hence the need for fire resistant clothing.”

  Yeah, he was right about the clothes, but I couldn't give him too much credit. The guys’ ego was big enough. "OK, so maybe you do know what I need,” I said, lazily shrugging my shoulders. "Sometimes.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. "Leave no doubt, Jelly Bean.”

  A girl gets caught in her Jelly Belly pajamas just once, and she can never live it down.

  But did the nickname really bother me? Maybe not as much as I let him believe. Maybe I was only acting like I cared. Maybe I liked his subtle flirtation. Maybe I wanted him to kiss me—twice. Crap on a cracker! There was no point in denying it anymore.

  I had feelings for Rowan.

  I spent the next several hours having fireballs thrown at me from various distances. By sunset I was covered in sand and sweat. The good news, I managed to extinguish many of the fireballs. The bad news, I couldn't do it every time and I was weak from all the practice.

  "I thought you did really well today. I'm actually impressed.” He used the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe sweat off his brow. The curved muscles of his abdomen were on full display.

  The urge to reach over and touch them made my fingers tingle. Look away before he sees you! "I would appreciate the sentiment more if you didn't sound so surprised.”

  He paused. I thought for sure he noticed me staring at him. "I ran into Ariel this morning and she told me about the poisoned dress.” I wasn’t expecting that.

  I cringed. "I owe her a serious apology. I said things I should’ve never said. I even accused her of being involved in Dad’s disappearance. I can only hope she’ll forgive me.”

  He shrugged. “She didn’t seem to be angry with you when I spoke to her. Mostly, she was concerned about you. I told her you were okay.”

  “Well, one positive thing did happen during the fitting.”

  "What?”

  "I overheard a conversation in the basement of the castle. A plan, I think. It had something to do with the Ball.”

  His eyes widened. "And you're just now mentioning this?”

  A genuinely valid statement. Why hadn't I told him the minute I first saw him today? Oh, right, because I thought he was a suspect. Oh, and his new sexy-as-all-hell look that brought on my inability to think clearly. "Well, I'm not exactly sure of what I heard.”

  He crossed his arms and with a stern look said, "Tell me everything.”

  "That's the thing, I'm not exactly sure who it was or what I saw. I was still feeling the effects of the poison when I headed down one of the staircases and ended up in the castle basement. I heard voices coming from a sealed door. I got down on the floor to try to see who it was.”

  "Who was it?” Blue fire ignited at the tips of his fingers. He realized it quickly, fisted his hands, and the flame extinguished.

  The surge of his power made my muscles tense. My body temper rose, which was weird because a cool breeze blew all around us.

  "All I could make out were their feet. A man in a nice suit who came off pretty intimidating, and an air court elemental wearing yellow robes. The air court voice I didn't recognize, but the other sounded a bit like you.”

  He chuckled. "Like me?”

  "No, I mean, the door was shut, and it was one of the thick iron doors. They seemed to be standing in an old prison cell.”

  "Why would I be meeting with someone in the basement cells?”

  "Well, obviously it wasn’t you. They were talking about preparations. I came in at the tail-end of the conversation, but it was about everything continuing to go as planned. And they mentioned the council, the Ball, and I think they were also talking about me.”

  He rubbed the side of his cheek. "Did they mention your Dad?”

  "No, but I feel like this air court member was close to Dad. Maybe he was helping the other guy kidnap him.”

  He waved his arms. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whatever you do, don't repeat that to anyone else.”

  I was overwhelmed with urgency. "Why? I need to go in front of the council and tell them what I saw.”

  "You saw feet and heard part of a conversation. You can’t go to the council until you have solid proof that an air elemental was involved. It could be someone on the council. You don’t want to let them know. They could panic and kill your father, Kalin.” Rowan put his hand on my shoulder. "You could be on to something, but we need to find evidence before we get anyone else involved.”

  "But that's what I mean. Nothing's happened. No evidence. No nothing.” I took an exaggerated breath. "Something is going to happen at the Ball. I can feel it.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. "Kalin, we don't know if they were talking about your Dad. Like you said, they never mentioned him or the kidnapping. You need to be smarter about this. You have to find proof.”

  "Then help me. Come to the Ball tonight.”

  He immediately shook his head. "I'll head down into the basement and look for clues while everyone else is at the Ball. This way, no one will get suspicious.”

  I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he wasn’t coming to the Ball. Yeah, it was lame considering the circumstances, but I would bet he looked amazing in a tuxedo. "Okay fine. I'm going to go meet up with Ariel and see what kind of dress I can salvage for the Ball. Track me down if you find any evidence.”

  He cupped my shoulders with his hands, peering down until we were only inches apart. The cinnamon scent of him was all around and I took in a deep breath. "Try to get this out of your head. All you need to be thinking about is the display of power. Keep your emotions under control. I know you can do this.”

  So my to-do list consists of the following: Going to the Ball in what's left of my dress, displaying my brand new power by extinguishing a fireball as it's thrown at my head, uncovering evidence to stop a traitor’s plot, oh and of course, save my father's life. Sure, no problem.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After I got out of the bath, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. When I opened it, Ariel stood there with a gown folded under her arm, a wrapped box in her hand. We made eye contact and the side of her mouth twitched slightly. But when she smiled, the guilt from yesterday churned in my stomach.

  I stepped out of the way so she could come inside. She laid the dress and gift box on the bed, then she turned around to face me. She was a total knockout in a beautiful lavender strapless gown with a fitted bodice and flowing empire skirt. Her hair hung down her back in loose curls, and her lips were cherry red.

  I held up my hand. "Before you say anything, I need to apologize. I feel awful about what I said and how I left. I was so wrong on every possible level.”

  The tension she had in her shoulders visibly released. "I'm sorry too. I should have had the fabric inspected. I never imagined something like that would happen.”

  Ariel had gone out of her way to help me since I’d first arrived. She had become more than just an aid assigned to support me. She was a friend I could be totally honest with. A person who understood me. And no matter what, I did not want to lose her. "You know, I'd rather just forget it ever happened. Are we still friends?”

  "Of course!”

  I wrapped my arms tight around her neck. It was a hug-it-out moment. "Since we've cleared that up, what goodies have you brought me?”

  I released her from my embrace. She held up the dress. To my complete shock, it was the poisoned dress. "How is this possible? Is it safe?”

  "Of course! The woodland faeries have their own brand of concoctions. They used some kind of herbal powder to remove the toxins. Then they repaired the damages.” She fluffed the bottom of the gown. "I told you, they're the best.”

  I took a closer look at the fabric. It was perfect. "I'm completely impressed.” I ran my fingers over the elegant cloth. It was still as soft as it was on the spool.

  Ariel laid the garment back down on the bed. "We've
got plenty left to do before you're ready to try it on again.”

  She spent the next hour twisting and pinning my wavy hair into an over-the-shoulder style. I reached behind, running my hand down a curved braid with tiny flowers tucked inside. My hair was truly glamorous. After my tresses were fit for a red carpet, Ariel applied my make-up. She used subtle cool tones for my eyes and cheeks, but when she got to my lips, she chose the same bright red lipstick she was wearing.

  When I saw the finished product, I was overwhelmed. I could not believe it was me in the mirror’s reflection. I put my hand on my chest. "Thank you so much for this. Everything is so perfect.”

  "Not just yet.” She wiggled her eyebrows, heading over to the gift box she had sat on my bed, she handed it to me. "Somebody left this outside your door. By the size of the box, I'm guessing its jewelry. Maybe it's meant for the Ball?”

  The only person who had left anything for me was Rowan. Could he have left another gift? Something he wanted me to wear to the Ball? The thought gave me a shimmer of excitement. I opened the box, another soft black box sat inside. It was a ring box. I recognized it from all the engagement advertisements on television.

  I opened the box, taking a heavy breath as Ariel gasped. It was a thick white-gold ring with a yellow topaz round stone in the center. The air court symbols were embedded on both sides of the center stone.

  I would recognize the ring anywhere.

  Dad never took it off.

  "What does this mean?” Ariel shrieked.

  I held the ring inside my clenched fist. The metal dug into my skin. "It means the people who took my father are here.”

  Ariel was visibly shaking with what I assumed was fear. Her eyes darted around the room like she expected to find a hidden camera or something. "But how did they get so close to you? And why would they leave the ring?”

  Because they wanted me to be afraid, and they succeeded. "I think they want me to know how easy it is to get to me. To make me feel vulnerable.”

  Ariel rushed to the door. "We need to report this to Jarrod. We have to alert the knights.”