A Blaze of Magic: Chosen Saga Book Two

by J. L. Clayton

  Mom crossed her arms: “Oh, dear I think I understand completely. You want to shirk your responsibilities of learning, to fraternize with someone whose family killed your family. Is that about right?”

  I was ticked, “No. Sorry, that’s not right. Mom you think you know what happened, but you just have hear say. You really don’t have a clue what happened, not really.”

  I crossed my arms and my skin turned a bright red color.

  Dad shook his head, his voice stern, “Kiddo!”

  Honestly, I was glad to hear him; I don’t think I could stand the silent hurt glares my mom was sending my way. Thank God I have my shield up, or her thoughts would have torn through me like a paper shredder and maybe I deserved it, maybe I should let my shields down to punish my own self. Well I guess there is one good thing to say about staying here, I will learn how to control my powers. Darn it, I hate when Mom is right. I do need to stay and learn as much as I can, but for four weeks? Ugh.

  Dad said, “Let’s give this a try. Ok Kiddo.”

  My shoulders sagged, “But for four weeks daddy?”

  Dad coughed, “How about we compromise, let’s say for three weeks, and if you are improving immensely then we will go home.”

  Oh little did he know I was already talking myself into staying and working up the nerve to apologize to Mom. Nevertheless, if I can wiggle my way out of a couple of weeks. . . Okay, then let the puppy-dog-eyes-pleading begin.

  I inhaled and bated my lashes: “How about . . .” I paused, “We give it a try for two weeks, and if I improve, then we will go home.” (Fingers crossed) “Hmm Daddy?”

  At this point Mom looked disgusted, her eyes traveled from me then back to my dad. She shook her head and left the room. Oh yeah, she knew what I was doing and she didn’t want to be a part of it.

  Dad smiled: “Two weeks and five days.”

  He was all but crumbling in my hands. Is it bad that I felt like doing a dance and saying moohahaha while rubbing my hands together? Oh well.

  I countered, “Two weeks and no days.”

  I threw in a smile, it was my-I am your little girl daddy, smile.

  Dad frowned, “Two weeks and two days.”

  I pouted: “But—“

  Dad set his jaw, “No more negotiating.”

  “But daddy?”

  Dad’s said determined, “No, but daddying me, this the bottom line Charlie, take it or we will go back to the four weeks.”

  Ugh, well I know when to stop dancing and moohahaing.

  Defeated I said, “Okay, deal, but you have to tell Mom.”

  I hardly remember what my house here looks like, but when we stepped into the Mansion I was shocked. The place had furniture straight out of the eighteen hundreds.

  For realz! And my room! Ooh. My room was beautiful, a princesses dream. Four-poster bed, a canopy wrapped around it, my own bathroom that had a huge round bathtub. It was a wonderful bathtub, one that a girl could get lost in.

  Jace waited for me as I explored. When I was finished I told Jace that I would walk him to the door. Everyone but Jace had already left and my mom and dad were already in bed. So it was just Jace and I, and boy did I have some questions for him.

  “Jace, now that I know what powers you have, it has me wondering.”

  “What might that be Fox,” Jace smiled his blue eyes flashing something sinful.

  God I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, pull him down to me and kiss him. Crap put on the mental blocks; I can’t let him read my mind. I can’t think about kissing him. He isn’t my boyfriend! I firmly slammed down or up, however you want to say it. Kinda like saying, the glass is half full or half empty. I had my shields up and still I wanted to run my hands through his blonde hair and bask in his kisses. It has been so long, I don’t know if I can even remember how Jace’s kiss is.

  I shook the thought away and asked. “Have you been using your magic on me?”

  “What?” Jace looked taken aback.

  “When,” I started, “I feel like kissing you, and then it’s this over whelming need, a burning within me. Are you using magic on me? Are you doing that, making me feel that way? Making me want you with magic?” Jace diverted his eyes, and looked so guilty. And so, so busted! I shoved him. “So you have. You rat; you’ve been using magic on me just to cop a feel!” I whispered loudly.

  “No, no.” Jace shook his head vehemently, “It-it’s not what you think,” Jace ran a frustrated hand through his beautiful locks.

  “Okay, then explain it to me. Are you . . . Have you used magic on me? And if so, why would you use magic on me?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  “Charlie, please, you don’t understand. From the moment I laid eyes on you again, all the feelings I had before came rushing back. I knew and remembered you, but you didn’t remember me. We have known each other all of our lives, you are my best friend. You are my heart and it hurt when you didn’t remember me. See when we first met, for me it was like love at first site or true love. To me true love is when you touch someone with your spirit, and in return they touch your soul with their heart. Charlie, you have done that and then some.”

  Jace shook his head and crossed his arms. I watched him in awe, wrapped up in his sad-beautiful words and knowing what he said was true. “God Charlie, do you know how bad it hurt me?” I put my head down, but Jace didn’t seem to notice. He was lost in his own pain. “To know that I remembered you, but you didn’t know who the hell I was. Charlie, you didn’t remember our past at all.” My head shot up in surprise. “So when you told me that you remembered me . . . I thought I was going to weep with joy.” He swallowed thickly. “To know that you finally remember me! My best friend, my heart remembers me, as I have always known you. God, Charlie it was amazing.” He looked pain stricken, but he still wasn’t answering my questions.

  “Jace, what you’re saying is so sweet. Maybe the sweetest thing I have ever heard someone tell me. Yet it doesn’t tell me why you have been using magic on me.” I felt a little sad. A little wistful and a whole lot confused.

  “I assumed,” Jace began, “That when you saw me again, you would remember me. Some part of my mind told me that if you just looked at me you would know me and everything could go back to the way it was every time you visited Callamose. So that night at your house when you looked at me as if I was a stranger, I knew I had to do something, I had to kiss you. I thought if I kissed you, it would help force something in your mind. I know we have never kissed, but looking at you, seeing you. Seeing how beautiful you have become, I Just couldn’t stop myself! I just thought this would do it; this would bring . . . You back to me! I couldn’t wait for you to regain your memories, so I had to try.” Jace sighed, and propped his hip against the side of the door frame. He looked so hot just then it killed me not reach out and touch him.

  “Jace, you are saying really nice, sweet things,” And he was, what he was saying made my heart melt and I wanted to cry, “But you aren’t answering my question.” I was starting to get frustrated.

  Jace lifted his eyes, looked at me with pain and nodded. “Yes, I have used magic on you.”

  “What!” I shouted, not caring if my mom and dad heard me. “You did what?”

  I was so flippen mad, yeah I suspected it, but I was holding out hope that what I thought could be wrong. My blood heated up and my skin turned red: A fiery red. I smelled ash and sulfur. Pinpricks of red light flickered out of my eyes, crackles and sparks seemed to shoot from my fingertips and then this humming noise sounded. And whoosh. Fire started to spread along my arms and legs, it started at my feet and slowly crawled its way up my thighs. The flames that were shooting from my fingertips worked their way up my arms, and the fire within my eyes seemed to be working its way down my neck. I started freaking out. Then I started screaming.

  I hopped around saying. “Put it out! Jace put me out! Oh God put me out!” I waved my hands back and forth, back and forth. I was trying to stop the inferno spreading along my body. I dropped to the fl
oor and rolled, when I learned that the stop drop and roll technique wasn’t working, and all it was doing was setting the carpet on fire, I hopped up. I saw Jace saying something; he was trying to get my attention. I stopped panicking; I drew in several deep breaths to calm down. Jace was stomping on the carpet. Thankfully the inferno died and I could hear what he was saying.

  “Charlie, calm down! You’re doing it! No-one has set you on fire, but you! Calm down!”

  Oh, God. I was mortified; there is no telling what I said during my going up in flames fiasco. I looked down and noticed that, besides the carpet being singed, my dress was burnt on the ends of my sleeves and the bottom seams. With that thought, came a more embarrassing thought. Oh God, if the fire would’ve spread any farther, and if Jace wouldn’t have got my attention… I might be standing here bare naked. Boy wouldn’t that have made Jace’s night! Ha, if he only knew that he was the one who stopped the rated PG peep show from going to rated R! On the bright side, now I know what one of my nightlight colors are. A freaking inferno! Fire: I really have one of the elements. I guess I should tell Mom, Dad and Eli. I started to shake as it really hit me. I was a freaking elemental. I could call on the elements. That thought had my body trembling all over. I didn’t want to be the chosen one. I didn’t want to be everyone’s savior. I didn’t even know how or if I could even do it.

  “Shhh,” Jace stepped up to me and gave me a hug. “It’s ok, no one got hurt, shh.”

  “I am sorry Jace, I just got so mad when I found out you’ve been using magic to get me to kiss you.”

  “Look, I’m the one who is sorry, and I promise, when we kissed I never once used magic on you. The only time I did was when you asked me what was happening, remember?” I nodded. He continued, “You knew something was happening, that’s when you asked me to never do it again and I promised I would never do it to you again.” He looked suddenly sheepish. “Although I have slipped a time or two, but now with your shield it is impossible. Do you believe me Fox?”

  Jace’s shoulders sagged and then a playful teasing smile played along his lips. He goes, “You know, that was cool.” Jace beamed, “Well, now you will have to tell Eli what one of your colors are. Wow! You just went up in flames; first I was like what the hell. Then I was freaking out thinking something bad was happening to you. But, when I realized you weren’t dying, I calmed down. Man Fox, I always thought you were hotter than hell, but dang now you are literally on fire.” He chuckled.

  “Hah-hah you’re so not funny.” I said smiling.

  “You should have seen you. You looked so funny hopping around like a chicken. You were sooo cute.” He flicked my nose.

  “Shut up Jace.” I pushed him.

  He laughed grabbing hold of my wrists. Jace stopped laughing and leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. An electrical jolt shot through my body from that kiss. Then Jace shifted his weight, now I was pinned between him and the wall. Jace slid his palms up my arms and casually placed them on either side of my head.

  “Charlie?” Jace breathed, I looked into his eyes and melted. He swallowed nervously, “Will you let down one of your shields?” Jace whispered it into my ear.

  “W-w-which one,” I all but moaned.

  Jace let his breath caress my neck. He slowly breathed down the side of my cheek and around to my mouth, inches away from my lips. Just breathing me in! I was on fire and this time it was burning me up from the inside.

  As Jace spoke I felt the slight brush from his lips when he said, “Your empathic ability.”

  Then I did something completely stupid or completely wonderful, I guess it is all how you look at it. I let my shield down to see what he was felling. Oh man, hot. Scorching hot desire seemed to permeate the air between us from the want and need he was giving off. I decided to read his mind while I was at it. Oh man, the dirty things he wanted to do to me… the things he was thinking sent lust down to my core. There was so much longing. Jace wanted me with a ravishing hunger and love, so much love for me. It made me weak, I sagged against him. I hadn’t even kissed him yet. What would it be like to kiss him with my shield down letting him in? Oh, buddy!

  “Ja–” I tried to say his name, and I tried slamming my shields back down. I mean Jace was holding me up for God sakes, but I was all mushy.

  “Do you Fox, do you hear what I feel for you?” He whispered it into my ear; I closed my eyes and nodded holding back a moan of sensation. “Good,” Jace brushed a strand of hair out of my face sending sensation like tiny butterfly wings moving over my whole body. “Open your eyes; I’m going to kiss you now.”

  I bit my bottom lip and opened my eyes. And what did I see, but my mother standing behind Jace. Ooh so not good. As he went in for the kiss, I ducked and twirled out of his hold slamming my shields in place. Jace’s head hit the wall with a thwack. He growled with frustration and spun around. Hurt flashed in his eyes, but it was squished as soon as he saw mother dearest.

  “Mo-mom, what are you doing up?” I asked humiliated.

  She raised her eyebrows and opened the door. “Goodnight Jace, Charlie will see you tomorrow.”

  “Yes. See you tomorrow, bye.” Jace spun and hopped off the porch.

  “Mom, did you really have to do that?” I pointed my hand in Jace’s direction, his fast departing direction. Man he can move.

  “Yes, I did, when just three hours ago you wanted to go home so you could see that “boy,” come on, time for bed.”

  God what a nightmare, I thought she would be happy that I wasn’t thinking about Tru, and then she has to go and throw it in my face. Nice! Well, I’ll not tell her about my inferno. Let’s see how she likes them apples.

  “Charlie, what happened to your dress? Oh my, what happened to my carpet?” Mom asked. I smiled at her and headed up to my room. “Charlie?”

  “Goodnight Mom.” I giggled. “Didn’t you tell me it was time for bed?!” And with that, I left her standing there stunned.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Finding Out Who the Dream Voice Belongs to

  I awoke to a very familiar, very seductive and I hate to say it-but missed voice.

  “Come. Come to me Love.” His voice was rich and sensual, seeming to probe every corner of my mind. I shivered. “Let me look upon thee.” He continued low and thick, a deep-sensual-husky sound. “Let me look upon thee now. Come to me. Come to me my love. I need to see thee. I need to see thee now that you have required your abilities, now that you have been reborn.”

  I sighed, I knew no matter what I did, his voice was just too compelling and to damn sexy to ignore. That worried me a little about Jace and his abilities. Would he ever use them on me in this way? Sighing, I slowly set up and glanced around. First thing I noticed about my surrounding area- was that I was not in the bed I fell asleep in. Huh? I stretched like a lazy cat that has just been woken, taking my sweet time trying to put off the inevitable. Reluctantly and just a little anxious I moved to the door that over looked the garden at my house in the other world. Earth!

  Beam me up Scotty.

  Or would that be down? Maybe sideways? I don’t know how it really works. No, I’m in a whole other world, a whole other realm. So sideways-definitely sideways. How I got here, was always baffling. Maybe my subliminal mind conjured or picked this out of my head. Maybe, because here is where I always hear his voice, therefore, theologically here is where my subliminal mind should send me, right? It does, after all, seem that here is where my mystery figment, my dangerous desire, my delicious sin always dwells.

  A shiver crept up my spine at the thought of this person, this voice being desirable and delicious. This was bad, very-very bad. To desire someone, something that I have never seen, nor touched was bad. Snap out of it Charlie! Sighing in disappointment, I opened the balcony door and peered out as an old song played in my head: It was just my imagination.

  I shook myself and stepped out onto the balcony in the darkest corner imaginable. For some reason I didn’t want to step out into the light. It was just too
bright, a spotlight glaring down on me. If I stepped into it, he would see all of me. I would be bare. Spotlighted! Maybe trapped! Groaning, I scooted as far from the light that I could, knowing what I was doing was cowardly and just plain silly; but still I did it. A tiny tingle glided along my body. I watched in astonishment, as my nightgown changed into the white ballroom gown I wore the night I almost died, it now laid upon my body. Why? Why would my mind, if this is my imagination, put me in this dress once again? Of all the clothes, or nice things I can imagine.

  Why this? This dress brings back horrible, terrible memories-memories of a night when three evil drunk men almost took my innocence away from me-a horrible night that is now seared in my mind for all eternity. I remember hands grabbing-pulling me down, down and sick breath sliding across my skin. I remember blood, lots of blood. My blood! Oh God-torn flesh and a burning pain as a blade slashed down-down-down. That night my virtue was almost taken away along with my life. Almost until-until something, someone saved me and then Nikko found me. I thought about Nikko, his impossible-extraordinary-violet-blue-eyes, ink black hair and shining brown skin. He was my savior my best friend. I smiled thinking of him my hero. Thinking of him seemed to cause the tension coursing through my body to ease a little.

  Yet this dress kept the thought of that night from leaving my head and those three sick twisted drunk men. I saw their faces and felt like throwing up. When I first started school I found out that there was a dance that weekend. Boy was I happy! Give me a break. I didn’t even want to go and to top off my misery; it was sort-of a gender swapping dance, where the girls have to ask the guys out.

  As my friend Dee would put it, “We have the power to choose, not the boys.”

  So stubborn me-since I couldn’t make my mind up between Tru and Jace-I decided to go solo. Was that a bad idea or what? Okay, so Jace and Tru were determined to win my undivided attention. Don’t get me wrong, having two gorgeous guys swoon over me, well hell that was just totally awesome. Let me give you a mental picture of what I had to choose from, and trust me they wanted me to choose them.