by JA Wren
“And how do you know we can trust him?”
“Because.” He leaned in and whispered against her ear so only she could hear him. “Xander’s not exactly a regular student.”
“What?” she blurted.
“Shh, no one but Hale knows.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer, making it look like a regular old lover’s embrace. No secret exchange of information. “After the Winterhound attack, I talked Hale into bringing in some extra insurance to make sure you were guarded sufficiently. I told you, I can’t protect you on my own, not until your powers kick in all the way. Thankfully, Hale agreed and let me pick who we brought in.”
“Xander’s that insurance?”
“Yes. He and I go way back. I’d trust him with my life, which is the only reason I’m willing to trust him with yours.”
She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, searching her memories for the guy, but there wasn’t even a trace of him. “Have I met him before?”
Asher laughed. “Actually, yes. You guys got on really well, though I think he always had a bit of crush on you. Even then.”
Her eyes widened. “We were friends?”
He nodded. “Not like you and Kally, but yeah, you were pretty tight.”
God, that was a crazy thought.
Asher kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, before sealing his mouth to her lips. “Cut him a little slack, okay? He’s probably waiting for the old Rayna to show up and give him shit right back.”
She wouldn’t mind Past-Rayna creeping out of the woodwork. It would be a whole lot easier if she could remember every part of her old life, but mostly she needed to learn her powers and the key was in her memories.
Training was only getting her so far. She was almost willing to risk another black-out from the star Nyx had given her if it meant getting her memories back. All of them. Every last second of her life.
Right down to her creepy Grim father.
“I’m heading to the library to look into that sigil, and before you remind me I promised not to leave you, Xander’s inside. He’ll watch out for you for a couple hours while I do some digging.”
She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but reminded herself they’d been friends once. Even if that made zero sense to her right now.
With one last lingering kiss, Asher left and Rayna ambled into the lecture hall. Professor Luther was already at the front of the class, perched on the edge of his messy desk with one leg swinging as he waited for students to file in.
Xander had picked a seat near the back, slouched in his chair and scrolling through his phone.
If they really had been friends once, she should make an effort to get along with him. Maybe then those memories would return without a glimpse into the star box. Reluctantly, she flopped down beside him and pulled out her textbook on every possible ability known to Spiritual Realm. She wished it came with a neon sign pointing to hers.
Xander gave her a frown-smile combo. “You lost, Knox?”
“Shut up. Ash says we used to be friends, so I’m playing nice. How about you try to do the same?”
“I always play nice.” He leaned closer, right against her shoulder. Faint electric hums rolled off of him, so very different from the heat Asher radiated. “Unless you don’t want me to, of course.”
She fixed her gaze on Luther as he slid off his desk and approached something in the corner covered by a black sheet. “Only when we train.”
Which she really needed to get back to ASAP. Maybe she could convince Hale to let her train instead of attending the rest of her classes.
Xander laughed and moved back into his chair.
“Right, students,” Luther said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Today was supposed to be somewhat of a field trip, but with the recent breach in security, all outings have been suspended until further notice.”
There was a collection of groans and whispers, rumors running wild about what had caused the breach.
“Okay, settle down.” Once the hall was reasonably quiet again, he grabbed hold of the sheet and ripped it away, revealing a sort of glass box. “This will be our alternative.”
“What is it?” a girl in the front row asked—Junne. She was one of the few celestials at the academy, born of an angel and a human, and had somewhat of a permanent glow around her head.
It was eerie.
Pretty. But eerie.
Professor Luther smiled, his dark eyes sparkling with obvious excitement behind his hipster glasses. Everyone said he was a rare Spiritual, part demi-god and part Sphinx, which was where he got his intellect from. “It’s called a Retention Chamber. And what it does is act like a sort of magical container. Some think of it as a prison, and yes, Retention Chambers have been known to house dangerous criminals. See, they trap magic, preventing it from leaving the box.”
He ran his fingers over the smooth glass surface. “But today, we’ll be using it to safely demonstrate your growing powers so we can better explore your potential. As you all know by now, the full spectrum of Spiritual Realm powers is infinite. There’s only one way to determine the scope of your abilities, and that’s to push the boundaries as hard and as far as you can. Within safe parameters, of course.”
Rayna tilted her head toward Xander and whispered. “He means he’s gonna shove us inside there and tell us to let rip with our abilities?”
“Yep,” he drawled, laughter clear in that one word.
Great.
Trapped in a glass coffin and forced to demonstrate her powers. Powers she kinda-sorta-sometimes could control.
That sounded like so much fun.
Not.
Twenty-One
The last thing Rayna wanted to do was get inside that glass box.
Retention Chamber.
Whatever.
She knew she needed to get her powers in order. Fuck, it was number one on her list of priorities. But the thought of stepping into a glass cage was freaking her out completely.
Luther had promised they could breathe inside, but claustrophobia beat at her door, demanding to be let in. Her heart crashed against her chest, and her ears were already ringing when he sealed the door behind her.
She’d watched in horror as several other students had gone through this, each with varying results and zero freak-outs. But of course she had to be the only one losing her shit. She clenched her fists, one cooler than the other thanks to Dave’s mark, unsure if she was summoning the darkness or just trying to keep control of her own breathing.
That was probably the first step in Retention Chamber 101—don’t panic.
Too late.
She searched the lecture hall, trying to find something else to focus on, and her gaze landed on Xander. Not exactly her first choice, but she’d take it. His expression had turned serious, his brows furrowed together so he looked completely different. Older.
Almost…familiar.
Something whispered in the back of her mind even as Luther rattled on about what she should do.
“Harness your abilities, Rayna. Let them flow through you, but do not fight them. Remember, the chamber enables you to reach your full extent without endangering anyone. You and the class are perfectly safe.” He stepped back and sat on the edge of his desk again. “Whenever you’re ready.”
She snorted, doubting she’d ever be ready to face this. But since it was the ideal chance for her to test her skills, she pulled on the frigid darkness hiding in the shadows of the room. Still as easy as breathing. It coiled around the glass box, encasing her in near-black fog, and tingled in her hands.
“Very nice, Rayna,” Luther praised, then raised his voice, presumably talking to the class. “This is what we call Erebokinesis, students. It’s the ability to create and manipulate darkness, and usually it can be controlled in a multitude of ways. It’s an extension of the person and acts according to their will.”
Erebokinesis.
Like Erebos?
That definitely confirmed her
suspicion her powers came from her father. At least the darkness did. Was something from Nyx still lurking within her? Her stomach clenched, an uneasy feeling swirling inside her belly as the image of the Grim Reaper danced in front of her.
Maybe Erebos wasn’t the Reaper after all.
Maybe that was her destiny.
The darkness pooled around her hands, growing thicker. Heavier. Until a staff was clutched between her hands, made entirely from the black smoke. Same as she’d made during her last training session.
It lengthened, pouring out on one end in a sort of arc, then growing denser, taking the shape of a wickedly curved blade.
A scythe.
Just like a fucking reaper.
She dropped it like it had burned her, expecting it to clatter against the glass box or maybe even break the chamber. Instead, it faded back into wisps of smoke to join the rest of the darkness around her. Shielding the class, and Professor Luther, from what she’d done.
What she was capable of.
Only death.
The Valkyrie’s words pierced through her thoughts, crashing into her like a sledgehammer. More smoke billowed around her, the temperature inside the chamber dropping rapidly. Her ragged breaths ghosted from her lips.
“Let me out,” she called, banging her fist on the glass where ice crept across the surface like webbing. “Please. Let me out of here.”
“Rayna, calm down,” Luther said, seemingly closer. “Concentrate. The darkness is yours to command and will only do as you tell it. I can’t let you out until you disperse it, make it fade away. We need to ensure everyone’s safety—”
She screamed, panic taking over. “Let me out!”
The darkness thickened instead of fading, swirling around her almost angrily. Like it wanted to be freed. Unleashed on the world.
Darkness and death.
She beat on the chamber door with her marked palm, desperate to escape. The scent of ozone crackled around her as if a thunder storm loomed on the horizon. Blood red light snapped inside the smoke, flickering like lightning around her.
She stared down at her inner wrists and there, inside her veins, red electricity pumped through her along with her blood.
Tears poured down her cheeks in cold trails, almost icy against her skin. Her body vibrated, energy flowing through her veins in electric swells. More and more darkness, so thick now she worried she’d choke on the stuff.
But of course it didn’t affect her.
She tingled, her nerves and skin almost buzzing. So much so she missed the tell-tale sign of Tink, only realizing she’d fled from her necklace when the Wisp hovered right in front of her nose.
“I don’t know what’s happening, Tink,” she gritted out. “Something’s not right.”
She scraped her nails down the front of the glass, sure she’d leave grooves in the surface, while the ice covering it thickened. The smoke crowded closer, expanding and pressing against the chamber.
A sharp crack pierced the air, the glass fracturing under her palms.
Shit.
She doubted that was supposed to happen.
Gasps came from outside the box, and then Luther’s frantic voice urging everyone out of the lecture hall.
“Tink,” Rayna whimpered. “Help me, please.”
The Wisp touched her cheek with a tiny hand, her skin almost as warm as Asher’s compared to the freezing temperature inside the chamber. Then she flew into the glass, right at a small crack, and disappeared out of the box, her light winking out.
“Tink!” Rayna fell to her knees, alone with the darkness tornadoing around her. “Don’t leave me.”
She clung to the glass, but black tar was oozing down the surface, replacing the layers of ice and making it too slick to hold onto. “Tink!”
She couldn’t do this on her own. Couldn’t face her destiny. This was far worse than the star.
“Please,” she whimpered, leaning her head on the cold, cracked glass covered in tar. “Don’t leave me.”
Her nightmare had truly come to life. Alone in the darkness, her powers out of control and threatening to hurt those she loved. To cover every inch of the world.
She didn’t want to be a weapon. Didn’t want to harm anyone.
Come on, Knox. Get yourself together.
She clenched her hands into fists, reaching for control.
You can do this. Deep down, you know how. You don’t need a star to tell you who you are, to reveal your destiny or whatever other shit Nyx had spouted.
You know who you are. Maybe not in your former life. But in this one.
She squeezed her eyes closed and took a deep breath, unfazed by the thick, black smoke still swirling around her in faster circles. It was either get her powers under control or lose everything.
Asher.
Her life.
And the lives of everyone she loved.
She sucked in a deep breath, and the darkness slowly faded away. The red in her veins lightened until they were only faint sparks. Tar pooled at her feet, thick and messy, but even it seeped into the glass beneath her and melted like it had never been.
The chamber door flung open and Rayna fell out, caught by a pair of strong arms, the scent of sulfur and leather cocooning her.
“Rayna, love?” His voice was a soothing balm. A warm blanket over a freezing body. “Shh, I got you.”
“This is becoming a habit.” She was shivering so hard she wondered how he’d even decipher her words. “Me losing my shit. Tink flying off to call you. And you sweeping in to save me.”
“You saved yourself by pulling your powers back into you.” His fiery wings unfurled, wrapping around her. Warmth engulfed her and slowly her shivers stopped. “And this is what happens when uniformed professors lock you in a cage crafted by lesser gods.”
“What?”
“The chamber. It was never designed to hold a Primordial. Luther thought you still hadn’t figured out your powers. Assumed you wouldn’t do more than create a little smoke, if anything.” Asher clutched her closer and rose to his feet, carrying her in his arms as he headed for the exit. “He’s lucky you’re gaining control or you could’ve decimated the entire building.”
Yeah, that wasn’t exactly comforting.
When he burst through the door, the entire class stood huddled in the hallway outside the lecture room, gawking at her as they passed.
“Rayna—” Professor Luther started, but Asher didn’t give him even a chance to say more.
Within seconds he had her outside, snapped his wings either side of him, and took flight. They passed a couple of students training in the Aerial Labs, almost knocking into one who wasn’t looking where she was flying.
Rayna hoped they weren’t headed for the infirmary again, because she really didn’t feel like hanging out there for several days. Even if Delilah was right next door.
Asher soared high above the academy, over the golden spires of the main building glittering in the midday sun, and down towards Alpha Dormitory.
Rayna clung tighter to him as he descended.
“You need rest,” he said as his feet touched ground.
“No, I need to learn control.” She let him go and stood on wobbly legs. “Things could’ve gone really wrong back there.”
“But you—”
“Yeah, I got my shit together this time,” she interrupted him. “But what if I can’t control it next time? I could endanger everyone.”
She shuddered at the thought of what might’ve happened if she hadn’t pulled the darkness back. The red electricity. They’d be one step closer to her causing Armageddon. Or Nyx shoving her back into a star.
Asher shook his head, his eyes blazing copper. But he didn’t say a word, probably because he knew she was right.
Rayna reached up and cupped his cheek. “We only have four more days, Ash. Then Nyx will ship me back to the sky.”
He growled, low and fierce. “I won’t let that happen.”
“Neither will I.” She let he
r hand slide down to his neck, his pulse hammering against her fingers. “Which means it’s time to kick things up another notch.”
Lines of worry creased his brow. “You mean the star?”
She shuddered. “No. I understand you want me to get my memories back. To remember the life we had before and the woman you loved—”
“I love you, Rayna.” He sighed as he placed his hand over hers, holding her to him. “Yes, I love the woman you were, but that doesn’t mean I need you to remember our past life in order to love the woman you are now. You’re still my soulmate. My other half. Whether you remember or not, that will never change.”
Her heart swelled and she fought the happy tears threatening to fill her eyes. “Good. Because I need to learn to control my powers as me. This version of me. Not the woman I was before. But the woman I am, standing here now.”
The truth had been staring her in the face the whole time. Why else hadn’t Nyx given her all her memories back right away? They were a last resort. The star-in-a-box was a contingency plan if Rayna failed to control her powers on her own.
Nyx threatened her with eternity in the sky to motivate her. To push her to get her shit together faster. To force her into action and stop hiding from her own powers. That’s what she meant by not looking inside that box until she was ready.
“I don’t need the star to tell me who I am and how to control my powers.”
She needed to learn to accept them instead of fearing them.
Easier said than done.
Asher didn’t argue, instead squeezing her hand in support. Trusting her. “Then what do you have in mind?”
Livanna wasn’t the easiest girl on campus to find, but Rayna finally located the Valkyrie just exiting the gym. She’d convinced Asher to leave her side with the assurance she wasn’t about to go dark, that she had her powers locked away tight.
And that Tink would call him the second things started to look like she wasn’t in control of herself.
She’d asked him to gather Kally and Xander, then meet her outside the Lunar Field for an epic training session. Professor Bjerk was great, but he was better at teaching hand-to-hand combat. Rayna wanted to step things up to another level with her powers, one she wasn’t sure he’d approve of, so she was assembling her own team she felt comfortable with.