by T. S. Ryder
"Are you sure?" Elaine's eyes were worried. "We know how lonely you can get, honey."
"I'm sure. I have a class starting in a few minutes," she lied, eager to get off of this line of questioning. "If I don't go now, I'll be late."
"Okaaay," Elaine dragged out the word like she always did when she knew Avalon was lying, but wanted her daughter to confess on her own. "Love you, sweetheart."
"I love you, too. And you too, Dad. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"Love you, bye."
Avalon disconnected the call and sat back, frowning. She had made a lot of progress. Good progress. She was starting to find new ways of developing a passion for her offensive magic, though it still remained her weakest subject.
The most frustrating thing was that defensive magic required a calm mind and the teachers expected her to use both fire and earth at the same time. It should be impossible to feel passionate and calm at the same time, yet Madame Fire was able to defend against and attack her students so effectively Avalon wondered if the tiny woman actually had two brains.
"I can see why you've had so much trouble in the past," Vaughn said, putting his hands on her shoulders. His touch was electrifying, made all the worse by how rarely they actually made physical contact. "They coddle you. Especially your father."
"They care about me. That's not coddling."
"They haven't prepared you for the real world. It's not their fault. They just love you and didn't want you faced with the awfulness of reality."
Avalon bristled and pulled away from him. "Was there something you wanted, Vaughn?"
"It's time for you to practice your fire magic. I've set up targets in a spare classroom in the offense building."
Avalon groaned.
Vaughn smirked at her. "You don't want me to tell your parents you lied to them about having a class do you?"
"Not fair! You're supposed to protect me, not blackmail me."
"I protect you by any means necessary."
He winked at her and a flutter went through her stomach. She wondered how he'd react if she marched up to him and threw her arms around him and planted a big, sloppy kiss on his lips.
There were times when she thought she saw an attraction towards her in him, like at Elsa's party, but Avalon was afraid she was just projecting her own feelings onto him. She might just not be his type. Lots of guys preferred smaller girls than her, just like a lot of girls preferred men who were taller and more tanned than Vaughn.
He's tall enough for me, she thought stubbornly. Any taller and I'd get a kink in my neck trying to kiss him. And I like his freckles. They give him character.
"Shoes," he called back at her as he stepped into the hallway. "I'm giving you two minutes and then I'll carry you on my back."
Avalon stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh as he closed the door. She quickly changed into some workout clothes, which were much more comfortable for the fighting that offensive magic required and mournfully looked at the pretty things in her closet. She'd lost weight since arriving at school and her clothes didn't fit her quite right anymore.
Well, at least that means I'll be able to go shopping again soon, she thought, ruffling her short bob. That always cheers me up. Hey, maybe that's the key to my magical fighting. I'm passionate about shopping, and it calms me down.
The thought made her smile as she went out to join Vaughn.
***
Elsa and Helen were sparring in the classroom that Vaughn had booked. Avalon watched Helen's form with envy. She was truly masterful at this! Her movements were smooth as she defended herself and attacked at the same time. Elsa wasn't as good, but she was still pretty darn efficient. As the two women prepped to leave, Elsa wandered over.
"Semester's almost done, isn't it exciting?" she gushed. "I'm arranging a dance to celebrate."
Avalon smiled. Elsa had parties and dances for everything. End of the month, end of midterms, beginning of rest week, just because she felt like it. "When?"
"May first. It's after all the final exams are done and everything. When we'll actually be able to relax and party. You'll come, right?"
"I'll try to," Avalon promised, glancing at Vaughn.
He hated parties. It was too difficult to keep track of all the moving bodies. If Avalon was honest, not being able to drink was pretty annoying and sucked a lot of the fun out of it for her, too. She'd been to a few of Elsa's gatherings and always left after only a couple of hours.
The Valentine's Day one was the worst. George was drunk and
had tried to kiss her. Vaughn had practically dragged her out after that and seethed for hours about all the ways toxins could be slipped into the body via the mouth. For the next few days every time he saw George he glowered, as though wanting to rip his head off.
Elsa followed her gaze and lowered her voice. "Oh, are you going to have your own party? Tell me–and you can trust me–how is he in bed? Are his abs as yummy as they look?"
Avalon's face flared red, but Helen saved her from having to reply.
"Elsa, come on. I want to catch a movie tonight."
Elsa sighed dramatically, but skipped away, waving.
Avalon, her face still beet red, faced Vaughn on the fighting mats. She tried to solidify her embarrassment to use as an attack, but her heart just wasn't in it. She was bored with routine. Elsa's dance seemed like just the thing to take her mind off magic for a couple hours and let her relax.
Now she just had to figure out a way to convince Vaughn.
Chapter Six
Vaughn shook his head. "Absolutely not."
Avalon picked out a sapphire necklace and tried it on. "It's the end of the semester. We're practically the only ones that are staying for summer school. I want to go and say goodbye to my friends. It's been four months since the ironide incident and I'm bored."
"The more time that goes by and the less vigilant we are, the more likely the assassin will strike again."
"Who is it? Tell me who wants me dead and then I'll think you're not paranoid," Avalon a raised brow at the dragon, who flushed and looked away, his expression unhappy. "That's what I thought. You know what I think? I think you're just jealous and you don't want me making out with any of the hot guys that are going to be there."
Vaughn's face went the same color as his hair. "That is not true!"
"Because that's exactly what I plan to do. I'm going to find a guy and we're going to make out. And if things go well we're going to find a room and do a little more than making out. In the morning he won't remember my name, I won't remember his and if he comes back for fall we won't even remember who the other is and it will be all fine."
Vaughn's jaw dropped and he stared in horror.
Avalon began applying her lipstick. "Going to call me a slut now?"
"I… no!" Vaughn spluttered for a long moment. "But what if you choose the assassin?"
"There is no assassin!"
"There is an assassin! And if you go to this party I am going to be right by your side at all times, including if you go find a room!"
"I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," Avalon said nastily, then regretted her tone. "It's not that I want to make your job harder. And I probably won't end up doing that. I'm just bored and—"
"Horny?"
It was Avalon's turn to blush. "Maybe, yeah."
How could I not be when I'm stuck in such close proximity with you all the time?
"It's been a couple years since my boyfriend broke up with me, and… And I guess I'm really just a little lonely. I've never had a one night stand and I don't really want to start now but I just… I want to be able to just cut loose for a few hours and not worry about being in control."
Vaughn stepped closer, looking at her seriously. "Avalon, you've been working hard. I understand that. But putting yourself in danger like this isn't the way to relax."
"I'm not in danger."
"How many people know you're staying for the summer? Now would be the prime time to
target you, while everybody is letting loose and getting too drunk to notice when suspicious things happen."
The urgency of his voice made Avalon hesitate. She cast a glance in the mirror. Blue sequined top paired with tight black slacks. She looked fantastic! No guy at Elsa's dance would be able to resist her.
But she didn't want any of those guys, anyway.
She wanted Vaughn. He didn't want her, though, that was obvious. So she had decided to move past him, find some other guy to quell her physical urgings.
But she didn't want a one-night stand. She just wanted to move on from this hang up she had. If Vaughn was going to be her bonded dragon one day, her protector for life, then she couldn't have this simmering desire for him. It would screw her up for the rest of her life.
Tonight might not be the best time to try to force herself to move on, though.
"Fine," she relented. "I'll tell Elsa I'm feeling sick and can't go."
Vaughn put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."
Looking at him, Avalon was almost overcome by the desire to kiss him. So she hurriedly turned away and tried to think instead of the five steps of making a dreamless sleep potion to distract herself.
***
The vase exploded when Avalon tried to wrap a shield around it. She shrieked, hiding her face as shards of glass flew at her. Vaughn was there in an instant, shielding her with a pillow.
The glass didn't get quite that far, but a scratch of Avalon's cheek showed where Vaughn had been a little too slow the previous day and he wasn't taking any chances.
"I'm getting worse!" Avalon waved her hand at the shattered glass, banding it back together as a vase.
Why couldn't fighting magic come as easily to her as everyday grooming or housekeeping tasks? The vase was soon back on the small table, no indication that it had been broken in the first place.
"Let's take a break from this," Vaughn suggested. "Let's work on levitating while fighting hand-to-hand."
"I'm tired. I don't want to do this anymore."
Avalon grabbed a towel, checking it for glass shards before she mopped the sweat off her face. It had been a week since the end of the last semester and the new one was meant to start again in a couple of days. But all throughout the break she had been distracted and couldn't control either her earth or fire magic.
It was worse than ever and Avalon just wanted to run away, find a hole in the ground and become a hobbit.
"What's holding you back?"
"If I knew, don't you think I'd be able to figure this out?" Avalon glowered at him, though she knew he was just trying to help.
Vaughn's expression was just as frustrated as hers and he beckoned her with one finger to join him on a bench. Avalon reluctantly did so. Tears pricked her eyes.
"I just don't know how I'm going to do this," she whispered.
"You just need to use your strengths. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, hold it… now release," his hand touched hers. "Tell me what you're thinking."
"I wish I'd gone to Elsa's dance," she blurted. "I'm angry at you for not letting me go."
Vaughn's jaw dropped. Avalon flushed. She knew she had no right to still be angry over that, but it was as close to the truth as she could say out loud.
"Avalon, I didn't want you to go because—"
"Because of the danger. I know. I know, but I had… reasons for wanting to go. And I just feel like if I had been able to go, I might have been able to—" She cut herself off before she could say “get over you.” That wasn't a confession she wanted to make right now.
Vaughn was silent for a long moment. Eventually, his hand moved over hers and squeezed. "I may have been overly cautious–okay, paranoid." That half-smile was back, looking smug even though he had nothing to be smug about. "I just… I could never live with myself if something happened to you because I wasn't careful enough. It's more than just my duty, Avalon. I…"
Avalon's breath caught in her chest. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Her heartbeat increased and her hand in his suddenly felt clammy. She wanted him to say the words so badly…
"My life depends on your safety. I couldn’t live if anything happened to you," he grinned suddenly, eyes twinkling. "Uncle Stane would kill me. Now come on, break's over."
Avalon's heart fell as quickly as it had risen. Her shoulders slumped and she dragged herself off the bench, trying to ignore the pit of disappointment sinking into her stomach.
Chapter Seven
Avalon nervously eyed Vaughn as he stood on a chair in front of her. They were in the training rooms again and Vaughn had the idea that if she could levitate things and blow them up at the same time, then perhaps she could use her defensive levitation as an offensive technique.
He had a nerf gun in his hands, pointing it towards her. She was meant to levitate the chair he was on since no magic worked on him, while shielding herself from the nerfs.
"I don't know about this." She swiped some of her short hair from her eyes. "What if I blow up the chair and hurt you?"
"You won't," he said, his voice confident. "You have the skills to do this, Avalon. You're just doubting yourself."
Well, that was the truth.
Avalon took a deep breath, tucking her hands into her pockets. It was easier to do these spells if she could make the hand gestures, but Vaughn insisted that would give her enemies time to counter the spell and in a fight, she needed every advantage she could get.
As Avalon let out her breath, she was able to raise the chair. It was easy and her shoulders relaxed. As Vaughn shot off the first nerf at her, she summoned a shield. It sparked pale orange around her, stopping the nerf in place. He emptied the gun and though there was a slight strain on her mental barrier, the chair remained in place and none of the nerfs hit her.
"Good!" Vaughn jumped from the chair, landing lightly on the floor, making almost no noise despite his impressive muscular configuration. "Now how about you use the levitation as an offensive weapon now?"
Avalon caught onto his meaning right away. She swung the chair at him and he danced out of the way, laughing. As he was distracted by the clumsy chair pursuing him around the room, Avalon raised one nerf half an inch off the ground and trailed it over to him. By the time he noticed it, the nerf was at his feet. Avalon shot it upwards, bopping him on the nose.
She laughed at the look of surprise that came over his face and bombarded him with the rest of the nerfs. He smacked them all away, hands moving so fast she could hardly see them and Avalon clapped her hands, delighted, as she kept tossing the nerfs back at him. Vaughn grabbed one of the chair legs, trying to tug it from where it still hovered over his head, but couldn't budge it.
"I am so good," Avalon bragged, doing a little victory dance as the nerfs bounced off the dragon's chest.
Vaughn grinned and leaped towards her. His skin turned fire-engine red and smooth, shiny scales burst from his pores, covering every inch of him with tiny, glittering armor. He ripped off his shirt and Avalon gasped. Large, leathery wings burst from his back and his face lengthened. His mouth gleamed with serrated teeth.
It was only when his arms closed around her waist that she realized she had dropped her shield. As he swung her around, growling with curls of smoke coming from his wide nostrils, she shrieked.
Not from fear, though her heart was suddenly pounding as hard as it ever had. There was a tremor of fright racing through her blood, but it was the type of fright that dilated her pupils and heated her everywhere his body pressed against hers. The type of fright that sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
The dragon faded from him, leaving him with pale skin that was just a little too pink, with his hard, muscular chest under her fingers. She couldn’t breathe. What was he going to do?
"Make me let go of you," he ordered, pushing her against the wall. "If your enemies are this close, you're physically helpless."
She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him that she didn't want him to let her
go, she never wanted him to let her go, but the words got stuck in her throat. Vaughn chuckled, moving his mouth slowly towards hers.
Abruptly she was angry. How dare he? He knew her feelings for him–it wasn't like she could hide her reaction to him and there was a reason he no longer walked around the dorm without a shirt on. And he was using her feelings for him to put her in a position where he demanded she fight him off, knowing full well she couldn't.
"Let go of me," she seethed.
"Make me."
Avalon summoned her shield, hugging it against her body. Glaring into Vaughn's blue eyes, she thrust it outward, expanding the shield. His hair rippled, but his grip on her was just as firm as it ever was.
His lips were almost against hers and he stopped. He stared into her eyes and maybe he saw the anger in them because he let her go and stepped back. His chest heaved, as though he had run a marathon, and he shook his head.
"I shouldn't have done that. I apologize."
"No," Avalon said. "You shouldn't have."
***
Avalon trained with Madame Fire for the rest of the day. It surprised her that Vaughn would leave her alone with somebody that wasn't him for so long, but she wasn't going to complain. She needed some space from him.
The past four months had been her and him in close quarters constantly. And though that hadn't really bothered her, the way he almost kissed her earlier did. It was humiliating the way she wished he hadn't changed his mind, especially when all she wanted to do was forget it.
For the last three hours of training Madame Fire just had her meditate and so Avalon was feeling much calmer and energized when Vaughn came to collect her. They didn't talk as they walked back to the dorm, but just outside the door Vaughn stopped and faced her.
"Avalon, about earlier—"
"It's fine. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just forget it happened." She smiled at him, not wanting to bring up those feelings again.
"It's not fine. I acted… inappropriately. I wasn't thinking. Well, I