This book contains sexual content and is intended for readers 18+ only!
My alarm clock was a flick to the head.
“Ow!” I rubbed the offending spot as I opened my bleary eyes.
Charles, my once jovial and immature sidekick, would, starting this evening, become my grumpy and brooding fellow student. I had been warned of this several times in the last two weeks as I got used to my new home in Stefan’s mansion. With a bunch of vampire-resembling people.
“I’m a light sleeper, all you have to do is tell me to wake up,” I said in a matching grump, climbing out of the bed, which just felt wrong at five o’clock in the evening.
“Not as gratifying. C’mon, we have to go.”
Wiping my puffy eyes, I groaned. Charles’s kind was largely nocturnal, sleeping all day and active at night. They didn’t have a phobia of the sun, they just preferred the night—the reverse of humans. And because it was the reverse of humans, I’d found this new schedule—one I had tried to acclimate to over the past fourteen days—grueling. I wasn’t sleeping well during the daylight hours, and had a hard time keeping my eyes open near midnight and beyond, especially because I was using the time to work with knives and run obstacle courses to try and get in shape. It was a rough start to my new life.
But hopefully soon it would be different. I started instruction tonight to learn my craft—which was apparently magical in nature. How cool was that? So far I had done weird things while in the throes of danger, but now I would hopefully learn how to do weird things whenever I wanted!
Not only that, but I would get to make friends without worrying about that part of me that was always different from everyone else. The part that saw human-shaped shadows lurking in the night and had a sixth sense about pop quizzes or someone’s intentions. Since the shadow-people had turned out to be real and not some mental disorder, and my intuition could probably be explained with magic, I no longer had to hide. I could just be me, with the possibility of real intimacy and lasting friendships—something I’d always been denied until now. I would finally fit in!
I squeaked in excitement.
Charles answered with a glower. “You’re excited for nothing. This is gonna suck.”
“Oh, relax. It’ll be fun.”
The glower intensified.
I did sympathize with him. I would be seriously pissed if I had to go back to high school. Or college for that matter. Charles had been through all this magic stuff before. He was a big shot in Stefan’s band of warriors even though he was really young for the position. But now he had to guard me, in case their enemy came after me, and go through school all over again because Stefan thought he’d benefit from it. Charles was not enthused, but I got the feeling no one said ‘no’ to Stefan.
My stomach filled with butterflies. Just thinking of Stefan had my heart leaping. Since the first time I’d laid eyes on him, I’d been hooked. Uncommonly handsome with a lethal grace, Stefan could melt my body with a look. In the last two weeks, as I wandered around the mansion trying to learn about my new residence, I’d seen him from a distance. He’d be crossing the hall or exiting the house, busy and important with people leaning on his every word. He ran this establishment and everyone in it. He’d always look my way, without fail, seeming to feel my presence as I always felt his. His eyes would linger on my face, and then sweep my body, before his brow crumbled in something like guilt. His stare always turned frustrated and hostile right before he looked, and walked, away.
Charles assured me it was just because he was busy. That he was always like that. I really hoped so. I wanted to fit in here. Also…I had a weird attachment to him. Attraction bordering on distraction—whenever he was near; it was like my heart reached out to join his. When he wasn’t around, I constantly thought about him, wanting to be closer. I’d never felt anything like it. It was like a sweet addiction I never wanted to give up; but at the same time, needing someone that much scared the pants off me. It was a dicey situation.
I wiped my mind clear and followed Charles out of my secret hideaway at the edge of the huge property. It was a small house with a crap-load of spells, chants, incantations, and what not. Basically, it was invisible unless you knew it was there and stared really hard. Or, if the sun or moonlight hit it just right. Only three people could gain entry without some sort of alarm going off—me, Charles and apparently Stefan, though Stefan had never come to visit.
I suddenly felt like kicking something.
“What class is first on the agenda?” I asked, nearing the back entrance of the busy mansion. Tall and graceful people sauntered about their business, mostly attractive and all slightly sensuous. These people had an extremely loose view of sexual relations, which was putting it mildly.
“We only have one for a few months. Elements. The most basic freaking class of magic workers. And I have to be seen taking it again like some flunky.” Charles released a noisy breath and steered me to the left.
I patted his meaty shoulder. “Yes, but what would I do without you? You aren’t a flunky, you are an important and necessary element to a human fitting in. You’re like, the top of your class because you were chosen. Right?”
“Think you’re awfully important, don’t you…” Charles answered dryly. I could see the quirk of his lips, though. The pep talk seemed to help a little.
As we entered a dimly-lit hallway, my shoulder blades tingled from the stares. This had been happening since I started living here. People glanced at me because I was short and different, and then did a double-take, their eyes either stalling in confusion, suspicion, or like I had a ghost sitting on my shoulder rattling chains.
“Are you sure they’re staring because I’m human?” I asked in a hush as a heavy, unyielding hand steered me around a corner. “Because I’ve occasionally seen a human or two—even though they were all dazed out by pheromones—and no one stared at them.”
“You’re different than them. You’re unbalanced in the head.”
“Why are you so grumpy? So you have to learn about these elements again, so what? You’re still getting paid.”
“Sasha, I like to kill stuff. I like to stab things with my sword. And yes, you can take that with a double meaning. If I’m sitting in a stuffy classroom, I can’t do what I like. You could at least rectify one of those problems, but you refuse since you’re a prude. Where exactly does that leave me?”
“I didn’t know you knew words like ‘rectify’…”
His eyebrows crawled down his nose as the corners of his mouth curled upwards. He wanted to hate me at the moment, but he did love to banter. Conundrum. “I might start beating you to take the edge off.”
I snickered as we climbed the stairs and turned right. Then another right. Then a left. The place was massive! Eventually we strolled through an area that housed people who apparently didn’t keep normal business hours.
“I feel like an ant in here.” My gaze took in more than one naked person. “An overdressed ant.”
“Well, you look like a jackass.”
I rolled my eyes in Charles’s general direction.
“Oh, Charles!” A man wearing a hat and a boner stopped us. “Is this your new pet? She is simply divine! Might I borrow her?”
“She bites sensitive areas,” Charles replied in a dry tone as he steered me around the man and down the wide corridor.
“A red ant, then,” I amended.
We scaled a grand staircase to the third floor and took a right.
“In you go.” Charles opened the door and shoved me in front of him. I’d never seen him in such a bad mood.
After a second, I knew why.
A crowd of teens stood in the middle of a ballroom—all turned toward me, gawking. All different shapes and sizes, like human adolescents, they awkwardly stood, still growing into their bodies.
“They’re all kids!” I exclaimed to Charles in a frantic whisper. “Isn’t there a class my own age?”
“They are your age.”
My gaze swept the room again. Baby fat in plenty, the girls stooped awkwardly, often taller than their male counterpart. The boys bounced and jostled each other, a few steps behind in maturity and none the wiser. They were definitely going through puberty, one and all.
I had lived on the other side of puberty for a great many years. These kids were not my age. I said as much.
“They’ve had the same number of trips around the sun, then. We just age differently. We live way longer. They’re basically considered adults now, since their magic is coming in.”
“They’re still kids, though, Charles. Are there any other classes?”
“Magic hits at puberty, even in humans, though you seem too dimwitted to realize it—“
I elbowed him in the side. My arm bounced off muscle.
“I’m twenty-two, Charles. Way past puberty…”
“These children are here to develop their magic. I have already developed my magic. You have not. You belong here. I do not. I blame you for this.”
“You burnt my house down! You owe me one.”
His bushy eyebrows made a shelf over his eyes and his bottom lip protruded slightly. “Touché.”
Point in my column.
“Hello, hello!” A man with a tall red hat and a cheery disposition strolled into the room. His smile would’ve been twinkling if this had been T.V. “Welcome everyone! I am your instructor, Master Hilbert. You can call me Master Bert. I will be helping you develop that very special little gift inside each and every one of you. Do you know what that gift is called? Mmm?”
“Magic!” an enthused student in the front row yelled.
“Maw, why yes! Good for you. Magic!”
“What does ‘maw’ mean?” I whispered.
“I think that’s just a weird sound he makes,” Charles answered just as quietly.
“First, let’s get in a circle so we can see each other and introduce ourselves to the new pupils,” Master Bert enthused.
While all the kids stood about my height, still growing, Charles topped the crowd and then some. The strongest and brawniest fighters with high power levels found themselves in the upper ranks of Stefan’s army. It meant that Charles stood out a little. The young girls noticed.
“They’re giggling!” Charles seethed.
“Yes, but just so you know, they are giggling at you, not with you.”
“Shut up.”
“Soon they will be laughing at you, not—“
“Shut up, I said.”
I smirked, realizing I hadn’t been listening to any of the names, and now Master Bert stared at me expectantly, a supportive smile on his face.
“I’m Sasha.”
“Maw, yes! And you are a human, is that correct?”
A few girls gasped. A few boys’ eyes sparked, and then roamed down my body.
Uncomfortably, I said, “Yes.”
“Maw, yes! That is wonderful. I have trained humans before, so don’t you worry. Now, who is this big, strong male next to you?”
“Charles. I’m a Watch Captain. Here to monitor my charge.” He jerked his head in my direction.
“Wonderful, yes.” Master Bert’s gaze slid down Charles’ body, noticing each bump and groove, stopping at his crotch.
In human-land, this teacher would get fired for that kind of behavior. But here in crazy-land, he got an erection and Charles preened at the notice. Good Lord.
“Alrighty. Elements. How exciting!” Master Bert rounded the room, eyeing each student. “Some of you are closer to harnessing your magic than others. Some will work with the elements immediately, and some will slide into it slowly.” His eyes touched me and then moved on. “Maw, we are not here to race, we are here to stroll.”
A couple students puffed up with a smug grin—overachievers. I could spot one immediately.
“Is it possible to cheat in this class?” I whispered out the side of my mouth. I was terrible at school and great at survival. I wasn’t proud of how I got by, but I did get by.
Judging by Charles’s scoff, he didn’t think cheating was necessary. Although, he’s not a valedictorian, either, so who is he to judge?
“Now, let’s talk elements, shall we?” Master Bert fluttered around happily. “Maw, as we know, we need to receive the elements. We need to open up, spread our arms wide, and pull from the very fiber of nature. Maw, yes, what a treat!”
My mind slipped sideways, like it always did when teachers started to drone on about important information. I tried to rein it back in, forcing myself not to care about the ballet bar against the wall…
I’ll bet the padded walls actually covered mirrors, though. I wonder if they have ballet lessons. I’d love to dabble with a shuffle ball change or two. Wait, is that ballet or tap…?
The nudge nearly had me sprawled on the floor.
“Pay attention!” Charles whisper-yelled at me.
I scowled at him, rubbing my arm where an elbow-sized bruise was sure to crop up.
“Maw, so let’s give it a try, shall we?” Master Bert waved everyone on, the rest of the class scrunching their faces in concentration.
“What are we trying?” I asked quietly.
“He talked for, like, two minutes. You can’t pay attention for two minutes?”
My heart sank. Because no, I couldn’t. Learning magic turned out to be no different than math or social sciences—I just couldn’t retain information when it was lectured at me. I tried to pay attention, and soak it all up, but my focus just wouldn’t stay put. Before I knew it, I’d been staring at a butterfly and thinking about random goings-on.
It had always been like this. In the past, I’d been so scared about all my secret box items, I didn’t want to tell my foster parents that I might have a learning problem. Through high school, I’d always had Jared to help me manage.
Tears clouded my vision as I once again felt the loss of my ex-boyfriend. He was in Florida in a job Stefan hooked him up with on the sly. I’d wanted to be mad that Stefan was reorganizing my life without my say-so, but in this instance, I couldn’t. Jared was doing extremely well, making a lot of money and approved for a loan to buy a house. Without me to drag him down, he was rising like bubbles in champagne.
But now I had no safety blanket and no tutor. Just a brooding giant pissed off that he had to learn elements with a girl who couldn’t even pay attention long enough to learn names.
“Sorry,” I muttered, lowering my face. I took a breath through a constricted chest and tried to feel for elements. Opening my mind, and feeling that heat in my chest, got me a firm feeling of expectation. But nothing happened.
“So?” Charles asked, trying to bend down to get a peek at my expression.
“Very good, Salline! You’ve pulled water. Maw, congrats!” Master Bert clapped for Salline, a beaming girl owning her overachiever status.
I took a deep breath. I could do this. I’d done it before. Somehow.
I closed my eyes and focused. Blackness greeted me, like I was meditating. I mentally searched, feeling for fire. I wiggled my toes, thinking of dirt. Air was easy—it was everywhere. I strained with it, trying to suck at air somehow.
“It is okay not to touch the elements on your first few tries,” Master Bert reiterated, but then quickly followed with, “Oh Marc, fabulous! Great work. And James—great!”
“You don’t have to hold your breath to wrangle an element,” Charles said with amusement.
Desperately, I strained harder, searching. I needed to be good at this! Without this, I had nothing. No job, no place to live, no friends–
Panicking, trying to turn my misting eyes away from Charles, who was grinning at me in mockery like he thought I was joking with him, I tried to pull. Except, I didn’t know what I was pulling at or with. I tried to focus on the heat in my chest, which usually meant magic; but it just sat there, like a lump. I scratched my palms against my jeans—a nervous habit I did when I was staring down at a test filled with foreign information. It was a telltale sign of failure.
A light hand pressed my shoulder gently. Master Bert wore a kind expression. “It’s okay—it often takes humans much longer to access their magic. Maw, some are never able to—it is cultural conditioning, not a personal matter. You should not take it personally.”
A glance told me that every other person—every single one—was smiling in jubilation. Salline had a pale purple flicker in her palm.
Oh goodie, I’m the dummy in a class full of achievers. Something new and different for me…
Sarcasm wasn’t helping.
Fear and the common feeling of failure welled up inside me. I shrugged at my stupid brain, the act practiced.
“Fantastic, class, fantastic!” Master Bert applauded. “Now, let’s talk some theory, and then we’ll try it again.”
The rest of the lesson passed in a haze of foreign information, elbows from an increasingly solemn Charles (who had realized I wasn’t joking), and another practice session containing everyone else’s accomplishments.
“What’s wrong?” Charles asked quietly when the class finally came to a close. “Usually you’re all peppy and excited. Why’d you stop trying?”
I shrugged, slowing so a couple boys could file in front. “I just don’t get it. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“So? Since when do you give up?”
I shrugged again as we waited to get through the door, the usual traffic jam of everyone in a hurry to get out after class was no different here than anywhere else.
A boy in front of us pushed his friend. “You were the last one. What an idiot!”
“Shut up,” the other boy spat. “I wasn’t raised with an older brother like you were—how could I’ve known how? And besides, the human didn’t get it at all.”
“The human doesn’t count. And hardly anyone has an older brother. Idiot!”
“Shut the hell up or I’m going to shove my foot up your ass!”
The first boy laughed harder, taunting. They would’ve gotten in a fight right there if not for Charles grabbing each by their shirts and tossing one first, and then the other, out the door. Limbs went flying.
“Don’t worry about them, Sasha,” Charles said in a low tone for my ears alone. “We know you can do it. You’re just new to all this. You’ll figure it out.”
I shrugged.
“Stop shrugging and have some faith in yourself.”
Jared said that to me all the time. Have faith in myself. I’d always commented that it was his job. And he always had. Except now, he was gone.
We hit the first floor. I paused, feeling that familiar tug from the back of the house. Where we should be headed for dinner, or to just go to bed. A glance told me the weird connection to Stefan was right—he stood in the center of the wide hallway, his body pointed directly at me, his eyes boring into mine. Like Moses parting the seas, people gave him a wide berth, his advisors standing by like a swat team on steroids.
He probably wanted to check up on his investment; find out what saving my life had yielded.
Goose egg, that’s what.
Pity party. Who brought the confetti?
“Can you beguile cops into deciding they shouldn’t hand out tickets for going outrageously fast?” I asked Charles, not really caring if he could or not.
“Uh…maybe we should head toward the Boss. He seems… I think he wants you to go to him. See how your first class went…”
“My, my, Charles. I had no idea your analytical skills could deduce the obvious. Well done.”
“I don’t like this defiance thing you got going with him. Someone’s going to get hurt, and it’s probably going to be me.”
“I thought you wanted a little excitement.”
“Excitement, Sasha. I didn’t say public execution.”
Stefan kept staring, the pull on my chest trying to drag my body toward him. And there was absolutely nothing in the entire world I wanted more than to let him fold me in his arms and make everything all right; to smooth all this away. But I would just be the human who got special treatment from the Boss—assuming he’d even leave his drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend and play nursemaid to a pain in the ass. His help would look like a hand-out if he stooped low enough to give it.
Jesus. Forget a pity party, I was throwing myself a pity bonanza.
“I’m going to get in my car and drive really, really fast. As in danger-ville fast. Can you keep the cops from hauling me to jail?”
“Yeah,” he whined, staring at Stefan.
“Then let’s go for a ride. Speed always makes me feel better.”
A half hour later, the car was screaming down a two-lane road in the wooded area outside the city. Trees flashed by, a blur of shimmering green as the first rays of the sun sprinkled their leaves. I had to admit, I was partially testing Charles’ resolve, trying to see if he could hack it without the jitters. I took turns like the car was on rails, using both lanes of the road when the car got a little squirrely—which was often—dodging other cars when there were any. He’d screamed like a little girl, twice.
“Oooohhhhhh sssshiiiiittt!” Charles clutched the dashboard as my Firebird pitched over the crest of a hill. Tires left the ground for a beat before crashing back down, and jousting us forward.
A manic grin spread over my face. I needed this.
“We should…oh shit…we should…slow down!” Charles braced for a turn, grabbing the handle on his door with a white-knuckled grip.
“C’mon, Charles, I’m not going that fast. I thought you were a tough Watch Captain.”
“I can face my enemies head on with a sword,” Charles said through clenched teeth. “I have no control over dying right now, Sasha. Watch out for that tree!”
The car squealed around the turn, drifting to the other side of the road. Where another car was waiting.
Oh crap!
A punch of adrenaline rocked my body. I let off the gas, easing the car back toward my side of the road as a horn blared. I tucked the wheels back beyond the yellow line as the crawling sensation of a close call permeated my limbs. Warmth took its place, hot and spicy, ready for action.
I let out a huge, silent breath and let the speed dwindle. Not today. I was exhausted.
“Done now?” Charles asked through a tight throat. “Can we go home?”
“Yeah, I think I’m good. That helped.”
“What’s the deal with needing an adrenaline rush?” Charles asked as we headed back. “How can it possibly help anything?”
I shrugged, the warmth in my chest still zinging through my body, smoothing out my nerves. “It thrills me somehow, which then seems to just calm everything down. I get a big high, and then just, kinda…level out. I don’t know.”
Charles squinted. “I bet the thrill wakes up the magic, and then it fills you. That’s why you think you level out. You’ve probably learned to use your magic with that intuition thing you’ve talked about. You didn’t have teaching so you learned a rough version of controlling it on your own.”
“Quit analyzing me. My crazy needs no definition.”
A frown joined the thinking squint. “When you try to reach for the magic, nothing comes. When you sprint at death, you apparently access it easily and then save the day. As the mastermind behind this operation, I find it my duty to figure this out.”
“You figuring something out—yeah, that’s going to happen….”
Charles sighed and shook his head. “Sarcasm. How helpful.”
The next day went the same. And, so did the day after. I just couldn’t grab those danged elements. I didn’t even know where to look! I was supposed to open up somehow, see them pulsing out there (no one would identify where there was), and pull them to me. What kind of cockamamie directions were those, anyway? Yeah, sure, just open on up and pull at some imaginary, universal power streams. Good call. I’ll just do that, shall I?
It made no sense.
Each day after class, Stefan would be waiting in a place where I was sure to run into him. The weird link I had with him, which seemed to have gotten stronger since the last time he saved my life, hinted that he was worried. About me? About his clan? I didn’t know; but yesterday, when I finally wanted to give in and sob in defeat on his chest, that tart, Darla, had been loitering around, giving me eye-threats. No way did I want to mess with her. Plus, I looked like a rat after it’d gotten spit out of the sewer, and she looked like a super model in the middle of a runway. I wasn’t winning any glamour votes.
Day four and I still had no idea. No one gave me condescending looks anymore—now I got pity or indifference. When I pointed this out to Charles, hinting that this whole experiment into magic land was probably a mistake, he’d said, “Don’t give up yet, Sasha. We’ll get it. I’ve been thinking about when you use your magic, and I think that maybe I just need to threaten your life. That’s bound to wake your magic up. I’ll just, like, ruff you up a whole bunch. Or, I know—I’ll get Jonas in here. If there’s anyone who wants to choke the life out of you, it’s Jonas. I betcha he’ll spark your magic survival reflex.”
He meant well.
Master Bert clapped with a beaming smile as he sashayed into the room. “Okay, everyone, I have a special treat for you today. Maw, I have been reminded by the Boss himself that it is often easier to connect with the elements when we are out amongst them. He personally sought me out to tell me this!”
“Jesus, he sounds like a groupie.”
Charles smirked and rolled his eyes.
“So let’s go, let’s go. Follow me!” Master Bert gestured everyone out through the doors.
As everyone shuffled outside—the girls all throwing red faced glances Charles’s way, as usual—Charles said, “You’ve hit red, I don’t understand the problem…”
I didn’t, either.
I stepped through the backdoor of the mansion and onto a stone path. We followed the rest of the students through swaying trees, huddling in the darkness, the inky black licking my senses.
I closed my eyes as we walked, feeling that pulsing in my chest—the one I had tried to find inside, but hadn’t been able to. Now, with the night looming around me, pressing on all sides, it felt like something was released. Something inside me relaxed, the block dissolving away.
Suddenly, I felt the magic crouching in Charles where he touched my back to direct me. The darkness whispered in the form of leaves rustling, of night birds calling, of the tickle of the wind as it stirred my hair. I connected with my childhood; peering through the darkness, seeking out the imaginary people. Feeling the whisper in my body, the tickle of my senses.
It had always been magic. I just hadn’t known. And I attributed it to the night. I’d probably learned to control it, as Charles said, when on my own, feeling my way through the darkness.
Joy filled my body, sensing Master Bert now, a glowing orb burning within him. Onto the other students, many with tiny sparks, nothing more than colored winks, and only two with a small flame.
I stopped, eyes closed, feeling the ground beneath me. Shoes quickly shed, I stepped off the path, dirt at my feet, clutching Charles’s hand and dragging him with me. His inner orb felt my petting and started to dance, spinning and twirling.
The air brushed my face, wanting to be let in. The dirt at my feet wanted to climb up my body. The heat grew, the joy making me laugh. I raised my hands, my smile twisting, electricity filling the air, humidity squeezing out water. Charles stood mute behind me, his orange orb starting to flicker brighter, a deeper color, merging with my power and intensifying.
“Isn’t it wonderful?”
Was that my voice? It sounded deep and sultry, sensuous. I laughed, carefree and light, my fingers crackling with power, spikes of pain pricking my skin.
“No, Sasha!”
My body whipped around, brought into an iron chest and surrounded by bands of steel arms. The joy cut off by a control more fastidious. Somehow, my magic was smoothed out and balanced, dissolving the danger.
In opposition, my heart jumped, beating wildly in my chest. Heat filled me, but not from magic. I leaned my head against Stefan’s hard chest and sighed.
“What are you playing at?” His words bounced off my head.
“I don’t know, it felt wonderful. I was so happy for a minute.”
“You were trying to draw too much. You have to learn to control each element before you bring them together. Most importantly, you have to learn to cut off the draw.”
His heart pushed against my cheek pleasantly. “That’s what I did?” I backed off his chest so I could meet his intense black eyes. His handsome face took my breath away, his strength and power had me floating, his presence and charisma making me melt. It wasn’t fair, this thing he did to me. It wasn’t fair that his choice as mate was an equally beautiful jerk named Darla who didn’t deserve him.
“How’d you know I needed to come outside?” I whispered.
His head leaned down fractionally, getting closer. “You feel things. You respond. React. You’re not a planner or a plodder. I figured if you were exposed to it, your body would remember how to do it. But you have to control it. It was dangerous what you just did. You know what happens when you draw too much.”
“I don’t…” I shook my head. “I don’t know how to control it.”
“That’s why you’re in school,” he whispered, his pupils dilating. His eyes roamed my face, touching my eyes, my nose, glancing across my cheek, then to my mouth. He sucked in a deep breath, his eyelids drooping. His fingers tightened on my arms, drawing my body closer.
My hands landed on his lateral muscles, bumpy and delicious. I breathed in his smell, musk and masculine. Safety and protection.
“Boss, Bert is nearly here. This the way you want him to see you? Damn it, she smells good when she’s turned on!”
Stefan jerked me away from him, his eyes blinking quickly as they refocused. He let me go and stepped back.
I could have kicked Charles!
Master Bert hustled up, his eyes catching me and relaxing. A second later, they hit Charles with a scowl, then hit Stefan. “Oh my gosh! Boss! What are–hello! Did you detain them? Maw, I feared something had happened to them, the tricky little monkeys.”
“Something did.” Stefan gently pushed me toward Charles. Before he took his hand away, I could have sworn his thumb brushed my collarbone. “Sasha tried to draw too much. Charles let her do it, staring at her like a googly-eyed teenager. She needs to be watched. She’s above the other students in power level—dangerously so.”
“Well, hmm.” Master Bert put his hand to his chest in thought. “I confess, I didn’t know if she could even reach her power. What an excellent suggestion, then, coming out here. Maw, yes. Hmm. Should I separate them? Move them up a level?”
Stefan blew out a breath. “We’ll have to divide her time. Put her in more classes; speed up her education. Learn elements from you, push her to James for weapons, then to Darla for incantations.”
“Not Darla,” I blurted.
Stefan speared me with his Boss stare. My back and lower cheeks tingled, a warning that danger headed my way. I shut the hell up before he did something awful.
To Master Bert he said, “This starts tomorrow. Get her working. We don’t have a lot of time—she’s in danger every time she uses her magic without control.” His bearing still filled with command, expecting to be obeyed at any cost, his next words were for me. “And no more reckless car rides. You’re putting yourself in needless danger. They stop immediately.”
My argument died on my lips as his powerful gaze shocked into my system. Didn’t mean I agreed, though. Easier to ask forgiveness than permission…
“Maw, yes!” Master Bert nodded at Charles and I, still thinking about my education. “Absolutely, Boss! Your pet is safe with me.”
As the words sank in, the world slowed down. My gaze swiveled to Master Bert, incredulous.
“Yes, well.” Stefan turned, a flash of irritation smearing his face before he stalked off.
“Pet?” I asked Charles in a disbelieving whisper as Master Bert led the way. “Is that what he said?”
My mind flashed back to Jonas on the first night we met them. When he and Charles had called me little pet. They’d thought Jared and I would break down and do as they said in mindless agreement. We were only as good as our willingness to drop our pants. Dimwitted humans. Lesser species.
Anger filled me. Shaking my head and blinking, I realized that I was being led by an oblivious Charles. His thoughts weren’t bent on how wrong that term was, how immoral. Quite the opposite. It was a given.
What the hell was wrong with these people?
I sucked that thought in. I tucked it away. I didn’t know how to handle it yet, the pain of it—so I would stuff it in a new secret box. I’d thought that if I learned this stuff, earned my reputation, I’d fit in. Nowhere in that equation was stooping to being a pet human.
My chin rose as my heart fell, refusing to let that term diminish my accomplishment of sucking in elements. I’d show them I wasn’t just a stupid human. I’d learn this stuff and rock their world.
Return to Braving the ElementsBuy the Book
