“You’re up?”
“It has been known.”
“Okay. I’m going to take it as a sign. Come on.” He beckons, but I hop and fling my arms around his neck and hug him instead. Maybe a little test, but I can’t contain the joy of being able to do this. His arm sweeps my waist to hold me to him in such an easy motion that for a second, I panic that I got this wrong, and he still has his magic, but it’s just his natural strength. He doesn’t need magic to hold me. “Thank you for helping,” I tell him, but don’t let go. Not yet.
“It’s only training. Do I need to remind you that I knocked you down? Hard.”
I give him another squeeze before I release him, and he drops me back onto my feet. “No, you do not. But even then, you did it to help. Thank you.”
“I’ll remind you of that when you’re cursing me in an hour. Come on.”
Despite the repeat of yesterday, I still have a smile on my face when we finish and come back for breakfast. I’m still all beams and delight, so I’m not expecting the usual mix of tired or evenglum faces in the hall. Nobody seems to be as excited for today as I am, which takes some of the shine off. Maybe, if you hadn’t grown up with touch as I had, being able to offer a hug or a hand when you chose, you didn’t miss it in the same way?
Calix and I go to the servery first, and he again encourages me to load my plate before we take our seats. Ten is already at a table, and we make our way over to him, but Crimson gets there first. I hadn’t even seen her in the hall. She slides a hand over Ten’s shoulders, her palm caressing his back, and I stiffen as I watch. But the smile on my lips returns as I see him tense, his body going solid, and the not-so-subtle shrug of his shoulders as she sits down next to him, Azur on the other side.
Crimson’s presence doesn’t halt Calix, who is still moving in the same direction, although he does pull back when he notices I’m not by his side. He looks at me, then at where I’m staring.
“Oh, you might want to stay out of their way today. You know.” He shrugs as if that’s explanation enough.
Fucking shrugs.
I will do no such thing.
My booted feet march forward, and I sit down opposite Ten before Calix has a chance to take that spot.
“Morning,” I smile cheerfully, refusing to look at Crimson.
Ten’s eyes lock on mine, and he smiles back, the girl to his side forgotten. “Hey, you. You’re still in one piece. Did she pull anything on you, Cal?” he grins to his friend.
“Nothing I can’t handle. She did try to climb me in greeting this morning.” He chuckles.
“A hug. Jeez, you can’t even distinguish the difference? Hugging is not climbing.” I spear him with a smirk.
“You can’t get enough of me. Admit it.”
“Knock it off, you two. There’s plenty of time for that later, right, Ten,” Crimson purrs.
But Ten ignores Crimson’s comment. He’s still staring at me, but his brows are creased between his eyes. If it weren’t a new moon, I’d guess he was trying to sense my feelings, perhaps.
“Calix won’t be touching Ever again unless he wants to lose a hand.” He shifts his gaze to his friend, although with the look he bestows, friend might not be such an obvious description right now. And then he shifts back to me. “And Ever will refrain from hugging other men,” he growls in command.
“Okay. What did I miss?” Calix asks, but I keep my eyes on Ten. He’s still staring, a dare in his eyes for me to even try and go against him. It’s intense. The heat that usually accompanies any of our connections, even before the Transference, sweeps back over my body and lodges behind my ribs.
“Just… don’t,” Ten’s tone softens, barely.
Images of what we did last night rush to mind, and I’m suddenly thankful that I don’t have my power.What if they slip into someone else’s mind? Like I did with Ten?My eyes skitter across the table, and I peek up at who else is in our vicinity.
I’m going to have to learn how to protect my thoughts.
“Morning, everyone. We’ll be working hand-to-hand today. Let’s see how your skills have progressed without your powers. Outside in ten minutes.” Rowan claps his hands together, and there’s a collective moan from the trainees.
Maybe today isn’t going to be so fun after all.
The training and pointers I’d been receiving for the last two days only serve to help me for about thirty seconds in the ring. Everyone else is stronger, quicker, and better than I am. Or at least that’s what my body is telling me after losing against everyone.
And I’m pretty sure that Calix went easy on me and, instead of fighting to win, used it as an added lesson.
They were all better because they had been taught and trained for weeks before I arrived. The bruises and contusionsthat now litter my body scream that they had. Luckily for me, I ran out of time to feel just how much Ascella or Crimson hate me, as Rowan calls it a day.
