by Jess Bowen
“Funny, I was thinking more along the lines of arrogance.”
He didn’t seem at all irritated by her teasing. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it. “I guess we’ll find out, right?”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Hector nodded and watched her for a minute. Phoebe did nothing. She kept her stance casual and unconcerned as she watched every twitch that he made. Dorian hadn’t listed any rules, so she was going with “anything goes.” Hector didn’t even notice that ice was spreading out from her feet and covering the floor of the arena. Evan started to shout before Ethan wrapped his hand around his mouth. Hector stepped forward and slipped. He looked down to see that the floor was covered in ice and shook his head in disapproval.
“You really don’t play fair, do you?”
Phoebe shook her head and laughed. “I play fair, by my standards at least.”
“In that case…”
Hector spun so fast she wasn’t sure how he kept his balance on the ice. Large boulders flew at her as he spun around. A wall of ice went up just as quickly and deafening cracks sounded in the room as each boulder glanced off the ice. The floor shook violently, and the ice crumbled. Hector jumped over the shards of ice, and vines wrapped around Phoebe’s arms and waist. Dark clouds formed over their heads, and thunder cracked warningly. Hector didn’t release her, so lightning flashed down to break the vines.
There were only two feet between them, and Hector’s arm shot out. Phoebe caught it, but every bone in her hand felt broken, like it had just been smashed into a steel wall. She leaped back and threw her shield up as pain shot through her hand and up her entire arm. She had one more option. Truth Seeking didn’t work, but maybe Channeling would. It wasn’t helpful or harmful to him; it was just sharing, so there was a chance. She concentrated and willed his power to come to her.
She wasn’t sure if she had managed it or not. Hector shot boulders at her shield, and Phoebe inconspicuously pinched her arm to see if it had worked. Her skin didn’t give way. She felt the pressure, but she couldn’t even move her skin. She looked back up and smirked as she let down her shield. Hector returned her smirk as he lunged at her.
This time when she blocked his arm, it sounded like two metal bats had collided, and shock passed over his face. He was so surprised, he completely forgot about the fight, and Phoebe took him down two seconds later.
“I win,” she taunted as she stood up and offered him her hand.
It was a good thing she was still channeling his power or his grip probably would have crushed her hand again. She still wasn’t sure if it was broken. She couldn’t feel anything at the moment.
“But, you…your arm…my skin…not possible. How did you…? What happened?”
Phoebe shrugged. “I channeled your power.”
“How?” His eyes were still wide with disbelief.
Phoebe threw her arms out, and somebody groaned. She looked beside her to see that Dorian was standing with his hand wrapped around his stomach. “Where did you come from?” she asked.
“I’ve been here for almost a minute now!”
Dorian’s arm was wrapped around her waist, but she hadn’t felt it. She couldn’t feel it even after she realized it was there. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m still channeling. I didn’t feel you there.”
Dorian straightened back up. “It’s okay. It just took me by surprise. How are you channeling his power? Magic can’t affect him.”
“Well, it’s not affecting him. I’m just borrowing it. It’s still protecting him, but it’s also protecting me.”
Hector smiled for the first time since the end of the match, like something had made him truly happy. “Do you know how to turn it off?”
As long as Phoebe was channeling a power, she always knew exactly how to use it. She closed her eyes and concentrated before letting go of his power. She didn’t want to use it for longer than she had to. She already missed feeling Dorian’s arm around her.
She opened her eyes and gazed at Hector. “You have to know that you’re safe, and it will dissipate until you feel threatened again.”
Hector’s brow furrowed. “But I do know I’m safe here.”
Phoebe nodded. “But you also know that none of us are safe out there. I think it might be keeping your talent from leaving you unprotected. I guess it’s a state of mind. You’ll have to work on it.”
Instead of being disappointed, like she thought he would be, Hector actually jumped and crushed her in a hug. She felt a rib or two crack, in addition to her still throbbing hand. “Ouch, Hector. Can’t breathe!”
Hector let her go and smiled widely. “Thank you. I owe you forever!”
He sprinted out of the room. Phoebe wasn’t sure where he was going or what he was doing, but he seemed genuinely excited.
“Wow,” Lucy muttered. “That certainly made his day.”
Dorian looked a little put out. “Well, I guess you guys can take the rest of the day off. There’s not much more we can do today without Hector.”
Phoebe groaned. “Good, I think I need to go to the infirmary. My hand is killing me.”
Dorian examined her hand carefully before agreeing with her about going to the infirmary.
Evan still stared in disbelief. “Seriously? She won again? Is there no justice?”
Cynthia burst out laughing, closely followed by everyone else. Only Evan would be more distracted by the fact that she had won the match than something trivial like talent control and broken bones. Phoebe felt like life was already getting back to normal. She was refocused on what was important, and her emotions were under control. She couldn’t ask more than that for one day.
The rest of the day passed quickly. The pain in Phoebe’s hand was all but forgotten by the time the witches were able to look at it. She had broken seven bones in her hand, but they were mended within two hours. Her cracked ribs were also repaired. She lounged out by the lake with the others for the rest of the day and didn’t see Hector again. It was getting colder, but the temperature change didn’t affect any of them. Evan grumbled all day about the match. Jared and Cynthia played some kind of card game, and Ethan and Lucy lay in the grass and looked up at the clouds. Lucy was doing better than the day before. The loss of her brother was still very present in her mind, but with Ethan’s help, she was finding her way through her grief.
Dorian was always beside Phoebe. Not necessarily hovering, but not able to stay away. It would be overconfident for anyone else to think that someone stayed close because they couldn’t bear to be away, but for Phoebe it was just fact. She knew that’s how Dorian felt. She knew that was how she felt as well. Every day it was getting worse. Every day separating from him was just a little harder. Even if it was just for something as necessary as sleep.
Phoebe hadn’t paid attention when they walked inside, and she wasn’t sure where they were. It was dark outside, and wherever they went was no brighter. She felt Dorian’s breath on her cheek as she leaned against him, her eyes closed in exhaustion, and his arms around her. She knew she could see him if she opened her eyes—perfect vision had its perks—but she didn’t really want to move at all.
“I’m not tired,” she recited for the fifth time, even though she couldn’t even keep her eyes open any longer. She tried to drag them open, to prove her statement, but leaning against Dorian was so comfortable that she just didn’t want to.
Dorian sighed. “Yes, you are. You need sleep. How else will you dream?”
“Who needs dreams when you’re already living in one?”
Dorian’s fingers caressed her cheek. “Would you stop being so stubborn if I let you stay with me?”
She sighed happily. “Yes.”
He scooped her up in one fluid movement and started walking. She laid her head against his chest as his steady footsteps brought her closer and closer to sleep. Soon she felt the soft bed beneath her, and Dorian as he settled down next to her. She kicked off her shoes and curled into his chest. Dorian pulled the blankets up around her, though she didn’t n
eed them. She still used blankets out of habit and for comfort more than anything else. Dorian knew she wasn’t quite asleep yet.
“I don’t think Evan is going to forgive you for beating Hector,” he commented lightly.
“He’ll forget about it by tomorrow. Although, Hector may be a little put out once he gets past his shock.”
Dorian chuckled softly. “True, he doesn’t get beaten often.”
“I do hope he figures out how to turn off his talent. My emotions might be out of control, but at least I have them.”
“How are you feeling?” His voice was filled with concern. So was his mind. It was almost effortless to pass from her mind to his. He had been watching her closely all day, looking for something that signaled she was losing control again.
“Better, I think. Balanced. Hector’s condition seemed to put things into perspective for me,” her mouth replied.
Relief washed through Dorian’s mind, but he still remained watchful. His eyes studied her relaxed features, and he compared them with his memories, her contented look to the one of anger from the day before—her hollow black eyes and the cold, hardened expression of that face were frightening. Then he flipped to her sad and vacant expression from that morning. Her eyes had been empty of everything but pain; the rest of her face had been devoid of any expression at all, save the tears that had been falling down her cheeks.
Phoebe lay there with her eyes closed. Her breathing was slow and even, and the corners of her mouth were turned up. Dorian liked that expression best.
“It’s been a long couple of days.” As he spoke, his arm tightened around her and his hand brushed back her hair and traced her cheek.
His fingers wandered farther, over her jaw and down her neck. Her skin tingled hot under his fingers even though his touch was feather light. Phoebe nodded in agreement to his statement. It seemed like weeks had passed since she had been bouncing in excitement, waiting for the new family to emerge. It was difficult to wrap her head around the fact that it had only been thirty-six hours since then.
“Can we have one more day off?” she asked.
“What for?” Dorian’s tone was surprised.
“I dunno. Sitting around and relaxing with you sounds good to me.”
He laughed softly. “One minute you can’t wait to get back to training and the next you want some more time off.”
“It’s not my fault. You’re unknowingly making me apathetic to anything but you.”
His fingers paused at the curve of her chin as he enjoyed what she had said. He was pleased by that fact that she would rather be with him than do anything else in the world. He also felt…disappointed? Sad? Ashamed? She couldn’t quite get a handle on the other emotions as each passed quickly and was suppressed. He studied her face again. She couldn’t tell what he was looking for; he was blocking her. His finger extended again and traced the curve of her lip. Even from his mind, she could feel her body respond to his touch.
His emotion was brief before it was suppressed, but it was strong enough that she felt it—desire. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted it more than anything. More than air. She could sense his inner battle, locked behind a wall Phoebe couldn’t penetrate, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to kiss her. Wasn’t that enough? What was stopping him?
She leaned forward. He made a decision and held her back.
“But you want to,” she whispered.
“Not tonight,” he murmured.
He was completely blocking everything from her at the moment. She knew he wouldn’t be swayed on his decision, no matter how much he wanted it. She went back to her own body. Dorian leaned forward and rested his cheek against her forehead and hummed softly. Phoebe wanted to protest, but she slipped into unconsciousness before she could even try to speak.
29. Dressed
The next day passed without incident. Phoebe awoke to find Dorian in rigid control of his emotions, and although this was disappointing, it made trooping down to the training arena a little easier. She knew what he wanted, but there was no forcing anything when it came to him. If there was one thing that remained constant about Dorian, it was his stubbornness. It was a trait she admired at times, but not so much at others. But for the moment, it was enough to know that he wanted to kiss her. Like anything else, his control would reach its breaking point eventually.
Her own control of her emotions was enough to distract her. She still felt centered and balanced and was more lighthearted when they met up with the others. They were wary of her change of attitude at first, but before long, things went back to normal between them. Evan tried to tackle her when she wasn’t paying attention. Lucy and Cynthia planned their next day off, and Jared and Ethan argued over the best strategic defense to some maneuver they had been practicing.
Hector showed up on time and announced that he had gone to talk with Cassius the day before, which was why he had disappeared. He was buoyant and hopeful even though he hadn’t yet been able to turn off his talent. Training continued as usual with Hector becoming Phoebe’s partner until further notice. Even though she could channel his power and use it to her advantage, she still couldn’t read his mind, and it was much easier for him to have the upper hand when she didn’t know what was coming. Evan joyously celebrated when she lost four times in a row. That was until she smashed his shoulder with her iron-tight fist and he had to run up to the infirmary.
Dorian wasn’t too happy about that, but he eventually admitted that Evan had deserved it. Lucy wanted to spar with Hector, but Ethan flat out refused to let her. Needless to say, those two were distant with one another for the rest of the day. Jared, Ethan, and Hector had a three-way battle of Elements. It was harder to battle someone of the same Element because each attack was also a defense, which meant that all three of them were evenly matched. After nearly an hour, Dorian finally called a stop to the battle that still showed no signs of ending.
That night, when everyone headed off to their rooms for the night, Phoebe absolutely refused to sleep in her bed, and after a half an hour of fruitless arguing, Dorian decided it wasn’t worth it and let her stay with him. If he thought he was the only stubborn one, he was dead wrong. Unfortunately, she was so exhausted that within seconds of lying down, she drifted off to sleep, before she could even try to persuade him to change his mind about kissing her.
And so the days passed. Phoebe became better, faster, and stronger. Hector became more and more infused into their small but close group, and within two weeks, he was as much a part of them as if he had been there from day one. He still wasn’t having any success with turning off his talent, but it didn’t dampen his spirits. If anything, he enjoyed the challenge.
Phoebe started doing surveillance around the Haven. She could reach up to fifty miles, but there was never anything to see. Nothing but a desolate wasteland devoid of any form of life. Sebastian had disappeared again. Dorian still seemed unconcerned, but it made Phoebe anxious.
They hardly even came across anyone in the Annexus anymore. Their training arena was in a remote area of the palace, and therefore they rarely met anyone whether they were coming or going. Dorian remained unnaturally stubborn, but by the end of the day, Phoebe was usually too tired to argue with him.
Days sped by and turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months, and before Phoebe knew it, the Water Season was coming to a close. The Water Tournament had been the day before, and they had gone to watch, but didn’t compete. Kali easily won the trophy. It was strange; after so many weeks of being away from her, Phoebe was amazed to find that her anger and hatred toward Kali had not lessened in the slightest. As the season drew to an end, the annual Water Celebration—a full-fledged ball with fancy clothing and dancing—became the topic of conversation among the students. Phoebe sighed; it was going to be like senior prom all over again.
***
On the day of the ball, Phoebe stood in her bathroom trying to figure out what she was supposed to look like for the event that she would much rather skip. She was failing
miserably at her task. In her defense, she had less than adequate help in her current predicament.
“This is really boring,” Hector commented.
“That’s because you’re not helping,” she replied.
“And what led you to believe I was the best person to give advice on dresses and hairstyles?” he asked incredulously.
“Absolutely nothing. You just happen to be the only one available.”
“Didn’t Cynthia and Lucy already help you pick out a dress? If you haven’t got one by now, I would say it’s too late. The ball starts in two hours.”
Phoebe stuck her head out the door so he could plainly see that she was not oblivious to that fact. “Really? I had no idea,” she said sarcastically.
Cynthia and Lucy burst into the room, closely followed by Evan, Jared, and Ethan. Phoebe sighed in relief. “Where have you been?” she demanded of Lucy and Cynthia.
“Busy,” they both replied nonchalantly.
Their hair was already perfect while Phoebe’s was in shambles. All they had to do was get dressed, and they’d be ready. Phoebe inwardly groaned. Why did the Water Celebration have to be a ball? Wasn’t it enough that she had to go? And on top of that, they wanted her to dance in front of everyone. She had taken dance lessons, so she wasn’t worried so much about the technicalities; she was more worried about everyone watching. This wasn’t like the Earth Festival where all Ethan had to do was stand on the platform and look pretty for ten minutes. No, she had to put on a show.
“Well, it’s about time you got back. Hector is completely useless.”
Hector shrugged his shoulders. “What did you want me to do? Did you want your hair to look worse?”
Evan and Ethan laughed. Phoebe was well aware that her hair looked like it had just come out of a blender. Cynthia and Lucy edged into the bathroom and stared at her in disbelief.
“What did you do to it?” Cynthia asked, horrified.
“I have absolutely no idea. Just fix it; I’m begging you,” Phoebe pleaded.
Lucy grimaced. “I never imagined that hair could actually look like that. I mean, I’ve seen some of Ethan’s memories from TV shows, but I had no idea it was actually possible to do on accident.”
