by Wendi Wilson
I was happy to hear they were growing close again.
I stroked Blossom’s furry little head, my fingers tracing the shape of her ears. Dad had given her to me because we’d had one conversation about animals and I’d lamented that I’d never had a pet before. He remembered, got permission from Finn for me to keep a pet, found the perfect animal, and gave her to me as a late birthday present.
He was living proof that all Zephyrs weren’t greedy, power-hungry monsters trying to take over the world.
And if he showed even half of that kindness and consideration to Mom, she had no choice but to fall hopelessly and irrevocably in love with him all over again. And by the sound of it, she had.
“Let’s watch a movie,” Shaela said, snapping me back to the present. “Something funny and romantic.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “You pick.”
As I settled against the pillows with my best friend and my bunny, I felt safe and secure and sheltered from all the bad the world had become. There were no evil queens trying to eliminate me, no conspiracies to take over the world, and no wars brimming in the background.
I was locked in a bubble of well-being that was bound to burst. Probably sooner, rather than later.
And I was determined to enjoy it while I still had the chance.
Chapter One Hundred One
3
Sweat beaded across my nose and lip within seconds of entering the gym. The humid air stuck to me like a second skin, and I could practically feel my hair frizzing. My heart stopped as a loud boom broke the eerie silence, and my palm slapped against my chest as it started beating again in double-time.
All at once, the air cooled and the humidity evaporated, giving me and my hair some sweet relief. Footsteps drew my attention to my left, and I turned to see my mother hurrying toward me. My father was a few steps behind.
“I’m sorry December,” she said as she drew near. “I didn’t realize you were there. The last thing I wanted to do was scare you.”
She was so sweet and considerate. I had no clue how Robin Goodman had raised such a kind soul.
“She’s fine,” Dad said to her as he sent a smirk my way. “You should see the storms December conjures up. They’re spectacular…and obnoxiously loud.”
“Hey,” I complained, narrowing my eyes at him.
But his good humor was infectious, and I couldn’t contain my own. My smile faltered as my eyes turned back to my mom. She looked unsure, like maybe Dad and I were exaggerating so she wouldn’t feel bad.
“I was just startled,” I said, reaching out to squeeze her hand.
“My ability to wield water and fire at once has always frightened other Sylphs. It made me a bit of an outsider my whole life. I guess I’m a little sensitive about it. I don’t want to scare you away like I did everyone else when I was young.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You know I can wield all four elements at once, right? I don’t think anything you could do would scare me.”
“Maybe you should just show her,” Dad suggested when Ellie’s face remained uncertain.
He grasped her shoulders and pulled her back a few steps, giving me a nod. I took a few cleansing breaths as I widened my stance and closed my eyes.
I called wind first. The light breeze grew in strength and velocity, whipping my hair forward and pounding into my parents. I shaped it then, twirling it around me into a raging twister that threatened to suck all the oxygen from the room.
Second, I called fire. Flames ignited around me, dancing on the wind in sparkling reds and oranges until the entire tornado was made of fire.
Then came the water. I pulled it toward me, and it evaporated, soon forming a thick vapor near the ceiling. The air grew thick and humid, and the buzz of electricity hummed across my skin.
Ignoring the exhaustion threatening to drag me under, I force more power into the fire. Lightning streaked across the ceiling, followed quickly by the crack of thunder.
With the waning of my energy, my elemental formations began to decrease in size and power. The air cooled slightly, the clouds above me began to dissipate, and my twister of fire shrank in size. I prepared to let them all blink out, but with the brush of a palm on my shoulder, power zinged through my veins before bursting through my fingertips.
I looked back to see Dad, his fingers grasping my arm as he gave me an encouraging nod. My eyes chased to Mom, who shuffled toward us with a dazed expression. I could see the sweat pouring down her temples, so I released fire completely.
It began to rain as the water re-solidified and fell to the floor in light, cooling droplets. With Dad’s energy coursing through me, I rushed the wind toward my mother, whipping it around her so fast, she was pushed toward me.
As she neared, the wind twirled faster and faster, lifting all three of us off our feet and floating us into the air. Ellie’s tinkling laughter filtered into my heart, warming me from the inside out. Dad’s grip slipped down my arm to my hand, his fingers twisting through mine.
I reached out my free hand to Mom, whose face lit up with joy as she spun in the air toward me. She reached for me, her fingertips brushing mine briefly before a surge in air speed ripped us apart. She laughed again, brushing her blonde hair from her face as she stretched her hand toward me again.
I tried to grab her, but as soon as my fingers touched the skin of her hand, the tornado heaved, pitching us away from each other once more.
“What the hell?” I shouted as the velocity of the spinning air returned to normal.
Determined, I reached for her again, this time guiding air to push me forward. Dad tightened his grip on my hand as I shot forward, his body floating behind mine. The fingers of my free hand bypassed her outstretched hand and went straight for her forearm, cinching around her wrist.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
My little tornado erupted into a full-blown hurricane in the blink of an eye. Dark clouds crowded against the ceiling as thunder rumbled around us. The wind churned at such high speeds I could barely breathe, causing fear and adrenaline to course through me.
My dad yelled something, but I couldn’t hear him over the chugging sound that echoed off the walls. He extricated his fingers from my death-grip and, as soon as the contact was severed, the power of the storm seemed to diminish.
I took my first deep breath in what felt like an hour, willing myself to calm down and get the hurricane under control. I heard my father’s voice again, but I still couldn’t make out the words. I looked at him and shook my head to let him know I didn’t understand. The wind was pulling him farther and farther away from me and Mom.
He gripped one wrist with his opposite hand, then let go before pointing at us. I looked down at my hand, still wrapped tightly around Mom’s wrist. I sucked in a sharp breath as the truth hit me—her touch amplified my powers…even more so than Dad’s.
I snatched my hand away from her and we dropped several feet as the wind died completely. A scream caught in my throat as I watched the floor rise up to meet my face, then squeezed my eyes shut against the inevitable impact.
A strong gust of wind whipped me upward, where I hovered for a moment before floating gently toward the floor. My feet touched the mats and I looked around in awe. My father stood several feet away, his hands in the air as he guided the wind to set Mom down next to me.
My eyes flew to her, scanning her from head to toe. She looked a little windblown, but didn’t seemed to have a scratch on her. I checked Dad the same way as he jogged toward us, but he looked fine, too. I released a pent up breath on a sigh of relief. I hadn’t hurt them.
“That was—” my mother started, but I cut her off.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that would happen.”
“—amazing,” she finished. “Truly amazing.”
She smiled at me, the gesture filled with pride and affection, and I couldn’t help but return it. I glanced at Dad, who ran a hand through his hair before scrubbing the palm down his face.
“Sorry, Dad,” I offered.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. Both of you,” he sighed.
“We’re fine,” Mom said, then tilted her head with narrowed eyes. “Did you know that would happen, Crispin?”
Uh, oh. She used his full name, which meant he was in trouble. I tried to contain my smirk as I waited for his answer.
His cheeks turned pink as he replied, “I may have had an inkling. December and I discovered that when I touch her, her power multiplies. It’s like I’m feeding her magic with my own. I wondered if you might have the same effect on her, and I had plans to test the theory in a controlled environment.” He shot me a pointed look. “I didn’t expect her to grab onto us both while we were floating inside a wind tunnel.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“You have no reason to be sorry,” my mom said, placing a consoling hand on my shoulder. “Does she Cris?”
Her aggressive tone dared him to contradict her. She was in full-blown Mom mode, and honestly, I loved every second of it. She was protecting me from Dad, who was honestly the last person I’d need protection from.
But she didn’t know that. She hadn’t been around us long enough to get a real feel for our relationship. I wanted to laugh or cry…or both. Having a mom was awesome.
I settled for crossing my arms over my chest and waiting for Dad’s answer. He gave me a long-suffering look before turning back to Ellie.
“Of course not,” he said. “I was just scared.”
He stepped up and put his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. He mumbled something about having just found her again, and I gave them my back. I wandered a few steps away, trying to give them a little privacy.
“Don’t go, December,” Mom called out, and I turned to see her extricating herself from my father’s embrace. “I think we should try that again.”
Her tone was mischievous and her smile sly. I glanced at Dad, who rolled his eyes to the ceiling with a drawn out sigh. I copied my mother’s expression and walked back toward them.
“Let’s do this,” I agreed.
I was going to love having Ellie Goodman as a mother. She was amazing, talented, caring and considerate. She was…everything.
Chapter One Hundred Two
4
I was running my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the wild black locks when the sound of knuckles rapping against the door met my ear. My heart performed a somersault in my chest as I walked over to answer it, marveling at the fact that the boy on the other side still had that effect on me.
I swung open the wooden panel to reveal Easton’s smiling face and couldn’t help but mirror his expression with a big grin of my own. He was dressed in jeans and a tight black t-shirt, and he looked positively delicious.
His eyes travelled down my form much the same way mine had done his, and I felt a stab of uncertainty. I hoped I looked okay. I was wearing a tight red top and pair of fitted black pants I’d borrowed from Shaela.
As Easton’s eyes met mine, I saw a fire banked in their blue depths that made my insides churn. He definitely approved.
“You ready?” he asked, crooking out an elbow for me to take.
I slipped out into the hall with a nod, closing the door behind me. As we strolled down the hall, my gaze slipped up to take a peek at his aura. It was glowing brightly, yellow shot through with swirls of purple and pink. Happiness, pride, and affection.
I’d have to thank Shaela later for the outfit and her help applying some light makeup. She’d made herself scarce earlier, warning me to not do anything she wouldn’t do with a mischievous waggle of the eyebrows.
“What are you thinking about?” Easton asked.
“Oh, just something Shaela said earlier,” I hedged, knowing I couldn’t just make something up.
He’d know with a single glance at my aura if I didn’t tell the absolute truth.
“I don’t think I want to know,” he said, chuckling.
“Yeah, probably not,” I agreed, smiling. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“This way,” he answered, pointing toward the staircase that led to the roof.
“This conservatory?” I asked, the excitement I felt thrumming through me leaking into my voice.
The rooftop garden was my favorite place in the whole school. Filled with warmth and color, it was like a tropical paradise in a world of browns and grays. And it was also where Easton took me on our first date—where we first started really getting to know each other over a lunch of my favorite foods.
“Back to where it all began,” he murmured, voicing my thoughts.
As we stepped into the conservatory, I paused, letting the warm, fragrant air wash over me as I inhaled deeply. Flowers bloomed everywhere, even more than there’d been last fall. Springtime had come to Oberon Academy.
Easton pulled me forward, making his way around a silver statue to a blanket on the grass near the small, tinkling stream. It was nearing nightfall, so small globes of light lit the path, and soon the twinkling of stars in the night sky would be seen through the glass ceiling.
I stopped in my tracks and stared at the exact setup of our first date—the same location, the same blanket, the same basket. The aroma of fried chicken met my nostrils and I nearly groaned in ecstasy.
Easton leaned into me, bringing his mouth so close to my ear his lips brushed against my skin as he whispered, “Our food is going to get cold.”
It was the same thing he’d said to me that day when I couldn’t stop staring at my surroundings. I looked at him with wide eyes and a smile tugging at my lips.
Of course, I remembered every detail of that day. It was my first date, my first picnic, my first time seeing flowers…the memory was imprinted on my brain as the best lunch of my life. The fact that Easton remembered made me a little giddy.
He led me to the blanket where I sat down, crossing my legs in front of me and reaching for the basket of food. I was starving, and the scent of chicken was sending me over the edge. Easton chuckled as my hand popped out gripping a warm piece of crunchy, greasy goodness.
He stretched out on the blanket next to me, laying on his side with his head propped in one hand. I looked from my chicken leg to his face, my eyes soaking in his soft smile and pleasant yellow aura.
“Are you just going to watch me eat?” I asked.
“Yep,” he said, unabashed.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yes,” he said, not making a move to sit up and get some food.
A sense of déjà vu washed over me. He’d given me the same answer when I’d asked the same question the first time we came here so many months before. His knowing smile told me he remembered that, too. I smiled back at him and bit into my chicken, groaning with pleasure as the flavors burst on my tongue.
A flare of color caught my attention, bringing my gaze back to Easton. His aura glowed brightly in the low light of dusk, a dark rose color that reflected in his hungry eyes.
Yes, he was hungry. But not for the chicken.
The piece I’d been eating dropped to the blanket, forgotten as I got lost in his fiery gaze. Licking my lips, I leaned back and stretched out on my back next to him. His hand moved to my cheek, his palm pressing against my skin in a loving caress.
He leaned over me, his lips stopping a hair’s breadth from mine as he whispered “I love you, December.”
“I love you, too,” I murmured.
Before my next breath, he kissed me like his life depended on it. Like his mouth on mine was the only thing that mattered. In that moment, I was his life source. His food, his water, his air. And he was the same for me.
Desire whipped through me like a fiery chord, twisting and turning and lashing out until my entire body was engulfed by the flames. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, couldn’t feel any more, Easton’s hand slipped under the hem of my shirt to tease the bare skin of my side.
Images flashed through my mind of the two of us, skin to skin and coming together in a h
aze of pure need and desperate craving. We hadn’t gone so far since that first time. Circumstances hadn’t allowed it. Plus, the changes my life had undergone in the last couple of weeks had kept me pretty preoccupied.
Easton’s hand slid upward, his palm brushing over my bra, and I sucked in a sharp breath and broke my mouth away from his.
“Easton,” I gasped out between harsh breaths, “we’re in a public place. Anyone could walk in and see us.”
He smiled softly, his hand staying right where it wanted to be while he looked down at me with molten silver lava in his eyes.
“I locked the place up tight. The doors won’t open and I also placed a privacy bubble around us to muffle any sounds we might make.”
“You did?” I asked, my voice laced with wonder.
He nodded, his expression turning serious. “I don’t expect anything, December. I just wanted us to have some privacy, away from prying eyes and recording devices.”
My lips tilted up at that last bit. Tiana hadn’t broadcast any recordings of us in a while, but I wouldn’t put it past her, especially since she held me personally responsible for her best friend turning out to be a Zephyr spy. It was ridiculous, but she needed someone to blame and revenge was kind of her thing.
“I just thought you might want to do some stargazing. It’s supposed to be a clear night, and the view from up here is spectacular.”
I looked over his shoulder to the darkening sky, where pinpoints of light were just beginning to sparkle across its vastness. It really was beautiful, and Easton had known I would love it.
“I guess I just got a little carried a—” he started, but I cut him off by pulling him to me for another kiss.
The heat between us flared to life in an instant. It was always there, brimming just under the surface, and as Easton’s hand slipped under the material of my bra to touch my bare skin, it nearly manifested into an actual fire.