The Terrible Gift (Empath Found Book 1)

by Colette Rhodes

  “Briallen!” Leigh yelled in mock outrage, “what did you do that for?!”

  “Sorry, my love,” Briallen said sheepishly, retracting the vines.”I just wanted to see how that would play out.” She shrugged and tossed Leigh a mischievous grin.

  Between the three of them and Aderyn who was sitting on the rocks watching, their amusement tickled my skin so strongly, I had to resist the urge to squirm. I dived into the water instead, trying to distract myself from the strange sensation on my skin.

  When I broke the surface again, Marlen gave me a knowing smile. It was such a relief to have someone know my secret. Someone I could be my whole self around.

  I spent the next half hour in and out of the water to distract myself from the boys' rambunctious emotions. When Briallen joined their games again, I headed over to the rocks where Aderyn was sunbathing.

  “Do you fancy a climb to the top?” I asked her, eager to have a breather from the excitement.

  “Sounds great,” Aderyn agreed. Aderyn was such a soothing person to be around. Her emotional state was always so calm, being around her was like floating down a lazy river.

  We reached the top of the rocks, both panting for breath and slightly red in the face. I was relieved that I wasn’t the only one out of shape. The boys all did mandatory combat training and were in awesome shape, us girls got off easy.

  Aderyn and I sat next to each other on the rocks next to the waterfall, our legs dangling over the edge. There was a melancholy edge to Aderyn’s emotions today, it felt like a tight lump rising in my throat.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her cautiously. “You seem a little down today.”

  “You’re so intuitive,” Aderyn said with a smile and I laughed nervously.

  “Perhaps I’m just in a reflective mood today,” Aderyn hedged. “You know I’m not really supposed to be here? At the Academy?”

  “Of course you are,” I frowned. “Or you wouldn’t be here.”

  She gave me a taut smile, but I felt her sadness. “Twins are pretty rare among the fae. Did you know that?” I shook my head.

  “Marlen and I have an older brother and sister. They have mates now, have their own families… We don’t really have much to do with them, but that’s pretty normal for a fae family. With each child, it’s like starting over again from scratch because it’s been 50 years since the last one.”

  I guess that made sense. Marlen and Aderyn had always seemed like siblings to me, but every other fae I’d met had seemed like an only child. To all intents and purposes, they kind of were.

  “Okay…” I said slowly. “But what does that have to do with you being here?”

  “Our older siblings didn’t pay us much attention until Marlen’s affinity began to manifest. We were about five when we realized he had remarkable control over water. Our elemental abilities don’t usually manifest until we’re 18, but affinities show up much earlier, as do gifted abilities. There hasn’t been anyone with an affinity in our family for generations.” She took a deep, steadying breath.

  “Our parents are bakers. Did Marlen tell you that?” I nodded. “When we were 13, my dad had an accident at the bakery. He had terrible burns all the way up his arm. I think he’d probably been drinking. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good man, but the drink…he struggles sometimes.”

  She seemed uncomfortable to have revealed so much, and I patted her back awkwardly to try to comfort her. “I’m not judging,” I reassured her.

  “My older siblings came home to help out and Marlen was so distraught seeing dad’s arm. He touched the burn almost instinctively. That’s when he discovered his healing gift.”

  I felt her happiness. It was obviously a good memory for her.

  “There was no question that Marlen would attend the Academy of Avalon when we came of age — everyone with gifted abilities comes here.

  “My plan was to work with my parents like my older siblings had until I was mated. Then my mates and I would figure things out from there,” she shrugged.

  “But you came here instead?” I prompted, sensing she wasn’t sure how to proceed.

  “Not by choice. My older brother is quite vindictive. My theory is that he was trying to find a way to get Marlen out of the Academy. Instead, he stumbled upon a way to get me in. There’s some rule about siblings of current students, if they’re an eligible age, being given a place at the Academy automatically. It must have been a rule designed to keep multiples together, but there are so few of us, it’s barely used.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly, trying to make sense of the timeline.

  “It was only a few months ago my oldest brother found the loophole and contact Gwyneira on my behalf.” She said bitterly, and resentment rolled off her.

  “I had been working at the shop pretty happily for the past three years. Then I got a letter out of the blue from Gwyneira, apologizing profusely for the oversight and insisting I start my first year in the fall. My eldest brother was only too happy to take the credit, and my parents wouldn’t have dreamed of turning down an opportunity like this. So here I am.”

  “Is it so bad being here?” I asked curiously. I enjoyed life at the Academy, but I didn’t have many positive memories to compare it to.

  She sighed, her conflicted emotions rolling off her and written all over her face. “I’m grateful to be able to learn more about magic. Most weak fae don’t get the chance. I like seeing Marlen, even though I don’t want people to know we’re twins and ask questions about why I’m so behind. Fortunately, ‘Ferris’ is a common surname,” she said with a hollow laugh.

  “There’s something else,” I hedged. I could feel something was causing her pain.

  Aderyn smiled sadly and heaved a breath. “I haven’t felt the mating pull at all since I came here. I’m by far the lowest on the food chain. My minimal magic isn’t a match for anyone here.”

  My heart broke, feeling her loneliness and the burden of rejection she was carrying around. Maybe I’d been a bit of brat complaining about the intense mating pulls I’d felt.

  “The village my parents are from is tiny, there weren’t many eligible fae there. I had planned to travel this year to meet people. There’s still the Avalon Fair, it’s going be in a field a short walk away from the campus. Lots of people meet their mates there.” Her bright smile didn’t match the hopelessness she was feeling.

  I reached over and squeezed her hand. “What if you do and he’s from some far-off land? Will you leave?” I selfishly wanted her to stay, but I understood why she’d want to go.

  Aderyn shrugged. “Would you? There’s a high chance you’ll discover another strong connection there, you know.” She elbowed me lightly and grinned.

  I blanched. “I have enough, so I seriously hope not. I definitely wouldn’t leave the Academy though. I totally get that it might not be right for you,” I added hastily, “I just think this is where I’m supposed to be right now.”

  Aderyn laughed, not offended in the least. “Like you’d ever plan your future around a man. You’re the most independent female fae I’ve ever met. Most females with as much magic as you would have at least three suitors on the go, swapping them out when stronger mating pulls came along. Even Gwyneira kept her mates on a long leash for a couple of years, so the rumors say, not letting them get too close so she was able to put off claiming.”

  “I guess that’s my human showing,” I muttered uncomfortably. Not that I’d ever want a rotating harem of male lovers but between the threats I was keeping to myself, the mating pull driving Marlen and me crazy, and the tension between Bryn and me, I wondered if my independent streak had been causing more problems than it solved.

  ◆◆◆

  I entered the water elemental class with Aderyn, and we sat in our usual spot on the outer edge of the room. Since our waterfall trip a couple of days ago, I felt closer to her than ever. I was fully prepared for another pointless, unproductive lesson spent staring at my unmoving basin of water.

  Aderyn looked o
ver at my mopey face and chuckled. "It's definitely not going to get any easier if you don't even try, you know."

  I huffed and stared down at my basin of water. Why couldn't I crack this? Gwyneira had asked me to try gain control over the other elements without using my air affinity to help me, as I had in my fire class, and I’d made zero progress since then. I'd spent my entire life being the worst student because my head hurt too much to concentrate. It made me angry that I was failing here, even without the migraines.

  The master lounged in his seat at the front of the class, occasionally taking a lazy look around the room but otherwise leaving us to it. I couldn't even remember his name; we had so little to do with him. I suppose it must be infuriating for him as a water affinity to try to teach fae with no water inclinations.

  I stared at the basin of water, willing it to move and silently commanding my air magic to stay put when it gusted through my veins to come to my aid. Idly I wondered if Marlen's water magic felt like water in his veins since my magic always felt like air. I tried to imagine cold water trickling through my veins, and the tiniest ripple ran through the basin of water.

  "Aderyn! Did you see that?" I exclaimed. I imagined the watery feeling again and the surface gave another weak ripple.

  "You did it, Fi! Well done, Marlen is going to be so excited that you manipulated his element," Aderyn laughed, and I joined her. I finally felt like I was making some progress towards becoming a fully-fledged fae.

  For my efforts, the master looked over and gave me a curt nod. Ah well, can’t win ‘em all. I still wasn’t going to bother learning his name.

  ◆◆◆

  I was gutted I didn’t get a chance to tell Marlen about my progress in water elemental class today, but I had a tutoring session with Arthus directly after my last class. Aderyn promised to tell Marlen at dinner. I hoped it made him happy since he was stuck on guard duty tonight and probably needed a pick-me-up.

  I entered the air mastery room just as Arthus finished setting up the obstacle course for tonight’s tutoring session. It looked the same as last time, and I was mildly disappointed we’d be doing the same thing. I’d gotten quite good at controlling my feather’s movements.

  “Good evening, Fi,” he murmured in his low, silky voice. It never ceased to amaze me the way my body responded to his voice alone. My nipples scraped painfully against my bra, and my panties were immediately damp. It was a little embarrassing how easily he got me going.

  “Good evening,” I said breathily, then cleared my throat and tried to pull myself together. Arthus smirked knowingly.

  “How was your day?”

  “Good, actually. I made some progress in my water elemental class. I’ve never made anything happen in that class, so it was a pretty big moment for me.”

  “That is an achievement worth celebrating,” Arthus said without a trace of sarcasm. “In many ways, it is easier to manipulate the elements for fae who don’t have an affinity. Our affinity element takes over, distracts us.”

  Of course, we would have this conversation after I’d figured out that I needed to set aside the sensation of air in my veins to try to imagine something else.

  “That’s what I figured out today, finally. Hopefully, I can replicate it for earth and fire now,” I said absently, pondering whether I needed to imagine dirt in my veins for earth magic. Something to ask Briallen about, she was the only earth affinity I was friendly with.

  “So, more feather obstacles today?” I asked brightly, careful to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I must not have succeeded as Arthus quirked a brow at me and I felt his amusement.

  “Don’t worry, Fi. I won’t let you get bored. Today, you’ll be completing the obstacle course multiple times over as fast as you can,” Arthus said, and I rolled my eyes internally. Easy peasy.

  “However, you’ll be switching the item you float through each time. You can start with the feather if you like,” Arthus added smugly. He laid out a row of small items that would easily fit through the obstacle course but were all different sizes and weights.

  Right, slightly more of a challenge then.

  Arthus positioned himself directly behind me so he could watch me work over my shoulder. Unthinkingly, I pulled my mass of curls over one shoulder. The feeling of his warm breath skittering across my neck gave me goosebumps.

  My feather went through the obstacle course without incident, but when I attempted the course again with a small rock, I knocked half of the course over within a few seconds. Arthus chuckled, and I remembered how incredibly close he was standing behind me.

  “Not as easy as you thought, hm? Maybe you need a strong hand to guide you,” he murmured, and I felt the effect of his words in my panties instantly even as my face heated.

  Hands shaking, I reassembled the obstacle course and attempted to float the marble through it. This time, I couldn’t even get the marble into the first hoop; it either fell short or shot rapidly into the air. Apparently, my newfound precision was exclusive to feathers, anything heavier, and I was out of my depth. I growled in frustration. It felt like I was always taking one step forward and two steps back.

  Arthus leaned forward until his lips were right at my ear. “Close your eyes, Fi. Take a deep breath. I know you can do this. I would never push you past your limits.”

  He definitely was talking about more than magic, and it was distracting as hell. But it did have the desired effect of calming me down so I could focus and start over.

  We practiced for an hour, and I made good progress with the strip of fabric, the marble, and the leaves. The small rock and lump of amethyst were a total bust, though. A selfish part of me was glad I hadn’t mastered them since it would mean more tutoring sessions with Arthus. Then the non-idiotic part of my brain reminded me that I didn’t need to fail a class to spend time with a boy, and I should really get my shit together.

  I helped Arthus pack away the obstacle course, our fingers occasionally brushing together and sending the most delicious rush of sensation along my nerves. Arthus wasn’t generous with his touch. Every movement was controlled and deliberate. It made me appreciate the little moments of physical contact we did have all the more.

  As I went to leave, Arthus stepped in front of me and wrapped a lock of my hair around his finger, the same way he did last time. He searched my face for something, though I wasn’t sure what. His emotions were as controlled as ever. Eventually, I felt a hint of his satisfaction, and he released my hair slowly.

  “Goodnight, Fi,” he murmured.

  “Goodnight, Arthus,” I breathed quietly, not wanting to ruin this peaceful moment we were sharing.

  I walked back to my cabin, debating what my next step would be. I had already put significantly less fight into avoiding the mating pull with Arthus than I had with Marlen. It was as if giving into Marlen had opened the floodgates, I didn’t even want to fight my connection with Arthus, even logically knowing that my gift would become harder to manage if things ever got serious between us.

  Maybe I should just tell Arthus about my magic? I wasn't worried about him selling me out to the hunters. If anyone had a reason to avoid them as much as I did, it was Arthus. If I was honest with myself, I wanted to tell him about my gift. I wanted to talk to someone who understood the fear that came when your gift was also your curse.

  Mind made up, I went to find Marlen and tell him about what I planned to do.

  Arthus

  This girl was going to ruin me. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since our last tutoring session two nights ago. The way she swayed toward me when I stood behind her. The way she’d bared her neck to me without even thinking about it.

  I’d teased her into a frenzy during today’s air mastery class, but Fi didn’t even blink. Never complained, never whined for more, just took everything I threw at her. She really was perfect.

  I had expected Fi to vanish after class, probably to find Marlen Ferris to take care of her pent up sexual frustration. Instead, sh
e approached me nervously, looking uncharacteristically serious.

  “Are you free right now?” Fi asked, chewing on her lip. Unconsciously, I reached out and tugged her lip away from her teeth, soothing the worried skin with my thumb. She immediately relaxed into my touch, releasing a breathy sigh. It was the first time I’d touched her skin and I struggled to pull my hand away. Her lip was silky soft, her warm breath on the tip of my thumb affected my entire body.

  “I am,” I confirmed, inclining my head curiously. Fi hadn’t ever made any kind of move on me, she subconsciously seemed to defer to my dominant nature.

  Fi shook her slightly, refocusing her thoughts. “I wanted to talk to you about my gift. I know I said I wasn’t ready to discuss it before but I think I am now. Could we talk in my cabin? Marlen is waiting there too.”

  “Of course,” I agreed, following her out of the classroom and across the campus, ignoring the inquiring glances we were getting from other students. Fi had said she knew what it was like to have a coveted gift, maybe she wanted advice on dealing with it? This felt like an important step, whatever it was. She was trusting me.

  Fi let us into her cabin and Marlen crossed the room to greet her with a gentle kiss. Gods, I wished I could kiss her like that.

  “Arthus,” Marlen greeted me with a warm smile. I’d always liked him, he was a friendly guy.

  “Marlen,” I returned, inclining my head toward him in greeting as I pulled the cabin door closed and took a seat in one of the armchairs Fi indicated. She followed suit, sitting in the armchair next to me. We were angled toward each other, our knees almost touching.

  Marlen pulled out one of the wooden dining chairs and sat facing us, maintaining a small amount of distance. His presence seemed to be comforting for Fi but he was giving her space to lead the conversation. They were a good match.

  “So,” I broached when Fi continued gnawing on her lip and staring at her hands. “You wanted to talk to me about your gift?”