I’ve decided to finish out this year of training and then transfer. I think I might be more suited to being a Watcher. I’m not cut out for the solitary life. I might even go to college for a couple of years before I make a decision.
All I know is that I love you and I can’t wait to see you again. I don’t know how Jace will feel about us being together. I’ll send him an email sometime. Not to ask his permission, but to let him know that things may be a little different when I come home. Or, at least I hope things will be different. I plan to monopolize most of your time, leaving you very little opportunity to hang out with my brother. I desperately need to get some rest, but I’ll wait up for a few minutes, hoping you will email me back.
Love you and miss you,
Bryce
I didn’t hesitate a second before responding, hoping he would still be awake to read my email.
Dear Bryce,
It was wonderful hearing your voice too. The only problem is, now I miss you more than ever. Your parents were happy to hear from you as well. Your mother was literally crying with joy.
Something unprecedented happened today, however. Your brother, for the first time since I’ve known him, was actually able to concentrate on a single thought and remain undistracted by food. I know. It’s like the world suddenly started spinning in the opposite direction. The source of his obsession was who called me right before you called your mom. I admitted it was you, and that caused a bit of a stir. He didn’t take it well, to say the least, but by the time I left your house, he had almost fully recovered from the shock. Your parents seemed okay, so that was a relief.
I hope you’re not angry about the way I’ve handled things. Please don’t be mad. I just couldn’t outright lie to any of them. Please take care of yourself until you can come home to me. I miss you more than I ever thought possible, but tonight, as always, I’ll see you in my dreams.
Love always,
Alisa
I waited a few minutes for a response, and received this in reply:
Dear Alisa,
Why would I be angry? I’m glad it’s out in the open now. I’m sorry you had to do it alone. I wish I could have been there. If Jace gives you any crap, he’ll have to answer to me. That goes for anyone who messes with you. I’ve got an early day tomorrow, so I’d better get to sleep. Rest assured, I’ll be dreaming of you too.
Love you,
Bryce
I smiled as I read his message, shivering when I reached the part about taking care of anyone who messes with me. I fell asleep that night with Bryce on my mind, secure in the knowledge that the worst was behind me.
***
Time accelerated, it seemed, the day of our first softball game. Between schoolwork, ball games, practice, and training with Abe, I hardly had time to breathe. Every available moment I could spare was spent emailing Bryce or thinking about him and how much I missed him. It was surprising to me how easily I kept up with my busy life.
One amazing thing that happened was I actually got a date to the Prom. A shy senior from my English class asked me to accompany him and I graciously accepted. He fell over himself with gratitude when I said yes, almost to the point that I was embarrassed. He said it was the first time he’d actually attended a school dance and he was afraid he would never have the chance. Looking back at my life at the beginning of the school year, I knew just how he felt.
I cautiously mentioned my Prom date to Bryce and he became very jealous and possessive, threatening to use his magic in immoral and illegal ways should my date put a finger on me. I smiled when I read his email. It was the happiest I’d ever been.
Chapter Twenty
Rachel
Training with Abe was grueling. I’d always tried to keep myself in shape and considered myself to be in fairly good physical condition. I was accustomed to jumping and dancing in humid ninety-degree temperatures during pre-season football, and running laps in the warm spring weather during softball season. Abe’s idea of training was twice as brutal as anything my high school coaches could devise.
Jerica’s idea of training, however, was a million times worse. I’d expected meditation and brain exercises to be easy compared to being thrown around on lightly padded concrete, but this was not so. I found it exceedingly difficult to relinquish enough control to allow Jerica access to my mind. Although Jerica was surprised and impressed by how far I’d come on my own, she stressed that I still had much further to go.
“Without your pendant, a Hunter could sense your magic from a hundred miles away. Even with it, well you’ve already discovered for yourself that it doesn’t guarantee protection. You need to learn how to mask your power. Ideally, your magic should be kept under lock and key in the most hidden section of your mind, only to be released at your will.”
I didn’t understand what she was trying to tell me. One minute, Jerica said she needed me to loosen up a bit, to allow her entrance. The next, she told me my security wasn’t tight enough. She must have sensed my confusion, because she smiled and reached across the kitchen table to grab a notebook.
She drew a pyramid with five levels. She pointed to the largest section on the bottom. “This section represents your telepathic ability to communicate with Jace. This involves a certain amount of give and take. Your security is at its lowest when you communicate with him. Unless you learn to block the rest of your magic, anyone with similar powers could listen in.”
I felt very uncomfortable at hearing this. I would certainly be interested in learning to block some of our more intimate conversations from others.
“Second level from the bottom is your ability to hear people’s thoughts—your gift of clairaudience. Since this is primarily a one way flow of magic, your security level is a little higher. This means your magic is better protected. The third level of magic would be your ability to sense feelings—your Empathy. This was, I suppose, the first way your power chose to manifest itself. Again, the flow of magic is one way, and not as strong.” Jerica filled in the middle level on the pyramid.
“The top level, the small triangle at the top, is the source of your magic. This is the core of your being from which all of your magic forms. It is also the place where your magic returns and is stored until you are ready to use it again. This is where security should be at its highest. No one should be able to access this. If a Hunter came upon you right now, he could drain every bit of magic from you before you could even take a breath. You have no block, no filter even. It is very dangerous.” Jerica looked me directly in the eye, willing me to understand the seriousness of my situation.
“What is on the fourth level, the one underneath the top triangle?” I asked.
“This is where you will keep readily accessible magic,” Jerica explained, smiling at my confusion. “These are the skills you haven’t developed yet. The ability to create and execute spells, to move objects, to see and hear at an advanced level. These are gifts you may or may not develop. I have very high hopes for you, Rachel. I think you’ll fill that level nicely.”
“Theoretically, your security should be as strong at the lower levels as it is at the highest. Right now, you have none. We will start at the top and work our way down. Learning to put a block on the highest level is the easy part. It gets difficult when you start learning how to open and shut the iron door on the lower levels. I want you to keep this chart. I’m also going to give you some exercises to do at home and you’re going to have to practice at least thirty minutes every night without fail.”
I panicked when Jerica told me that. In the last few weeks since I’d been training with Jerica and Abe, my grades had begun to slip. I got a B on my last math test. My first B in high school history. I couldn’t keep up with everything—school, softball, chores, and now this frustrating and difficult training. No wonder Jace’s grades were mediocre.
Jerica and Abe had already determined my physical training should be conducted without Jace present. It was too distracting for both of us. Alisa made a good sparring par
tner. She instinctively knew to take it easy on me, but not enough to allow me to win. I noticed her skills seemed to increase as mine did. I assumed this was because she upped the ante each time I improved.
Abe was a machine. That was the only way to describe the way he fought. His motions were fluid and elegant, like a dancer. Jace, I noticed, was quickly improving, at least when it came to the martial arts lessons. The first time I’d observed Abe and Jace in the ring, I was speechless. And not just because Jace looked absolutely amazing without a shirt.
Abe and Jace were blessed with the gift of advanced speed. Paired with their preternatural strength, their skills were deadly. They went at each other with shocking ferocity, appearing as if they were sworn enemies. It was sometimes impossible to follow the match, such was their speed. The reinforced concrete floor often shook with the force of their collisions. Given the intensity of the training Jace was forced to undergo in the basement studio, I could only imagine what Bryce must experience training at a more professional level. Intense would be an understatement, I imagined.
The first time Jace bested his dad in the ring, both men were incredibly proud. Jace could talk of nothing else for a week. I certainly admired the effect the rigorous training had on Jace’s physique. He was a six-foot tall killing machine. The guys at school looked at him with increasing envy, and the girls looked at him with renewed lust.
Added to the constant stress of everyday living and the new demands brought on by training, I had an additional, and in some ways, greater concern. I couldn’t find comfort even in sleep, because my dreams had become my greatest worry. My mind turned against me as soon as I closed my eyes and I couldn’t figure out what to do about it. Talking to Jerica was out of the question.
When I first began dating Jace, I dreamed of him each and every night. Lately, I found myself dreaming of someone else. I loved Jace more than anyone in the world, and these dreams made me feel as if I had betrayed him in some way. For some reason, I felt as if I were disappointing the entire family.
Gone were the days of my recurring nightmare, and in its place was a series of dreams, one building upon the next, but always centering around one specific person—Re’Vel. In my soul, I knew he was timeless, immortal. Maybe he wasn’t even human. It was hard to tell because the moment I entered his vast, ancient forest, my mind went as hazy as the mists swirling around my bare ankles.
Re’Vel’s whispers caressed my ear. His breath caused the tendrils of hair at the nape of my neck to tease my sensitive skin. “They aren’t trying to help you reach your full potential, my love. They’re trying to stifle you. Only I can help you.”
“That’s not true.” My speech sounded slurred, unclear. “They’re doing everything they can to train me.”
“When Nevare comes for you, they’ll hand you over to save themselves,” he insisted.
My mind latched onto the name, and for a moment, my thoughts were clear. “Nevare…The blond? I haven’t dreamed of him in ages…”
“Because I drove him away. I won’t let anyone harm you, Rachel. You’re mine.”
I felt so safe in his arms. Each morning when I awoke, I yearned for my dream-lover in a way I’d once yearned for Jace. Re’Vel planted a tiny seedling of doubt into my mind, and once it took root, it began to choke the blossoms of trust I’d developed for the Alexander family. I knew I shouldn’t take my silly dreams so seriously, but I couldn’t help but scrutinize Jace’s parents a little closer. I began to question their motives and to pull away from Jace ever so slightly.
I felt disloyal for doubting Jace and for comparing him to my nocturnal visitor. Although the dreams weren’t necessarily romantic in nature, there was an element of physical attraction. Perhaps that was the reason I felt such an overpowering sense of guilt each time I looked at Jace. Or maybe it was because I’d begun to fantasize about Re’Vel while I was awake. I was drawn to him, attracted to him in an obsessive way.
Despite the fact that he was a Spellbringer, Jace was a typical teenage boy. He liked video games, music, television, cars, eating, and sleeping. I felt connected to him both magically and emotionally, but at the end of the day, Jace was just a teenager. I wasn’t becoming bored with him, but Jace was a known entity, Re’Vel was not.
Jace had begun to notice I wasn’t quite myself. When he questioned my odd behavior, I told him I was just stressed about school. It wasn’t a total lie. As finals approached, it was usually after midnight when I finally turned off my light and hopped into bed. I was exhausted much of the time and was finding it increasingly difficult to mask my magic.
The week before finals, I had a run in with a Hunter, but this time I was a little more prepared than my last encounter. After softball practice, I stopped at the gas station to fill up my tank and grab a soda. On my way back out to the car, I caught a glimpse of a large man peeking out from behind a parked tractor-trailer. His red eyes glinted in the sunlight and I knew then he was no ordinary man. I was closer to my car than he was, but I wasn’t sure if I should risk making a run for it.
Before panic completely took over, I remembered what Jerica taught me. Slowing my breathing to normal and focusing on controlling my magic, I rushed back inside the store, called Jerica, and explained as cryptically as possible that someone was following me. Five minutes later, Abe pulled up in front of the gas station. The Hunter fled immediately when Abe got out of the car.
Abe followed me back to his house. Jace and Jerica were nervous and pacing when Abe and I arrived. Jace was forced to stay behind, much to his extremely loud, verbal dissatisfaction. Jerica decided that until Jace was able to put a stronger block on his magic, it was better to send Abe when Hunters were sighted. Jace would only be sent to help as a last resort. Jerica thought his sometimes sporadic leakage of magic would send Hunters into a frenzy of hunger, adding fuel to the fire. He hugged me tightly as soon as I walked in the door. I felt safe and protected in his arms, just like old times.
As soon as Jace released me, I blurted, “My necklace isn’t working anymore, is it?” I tried not to freak out, but I felt like a moving target.
Jerica’s voice was calm and soothing. “The protection in the necklace your father gave you was only meant to last until you were able to protect yourself. In a way, this is a good thing. It means you are exercising a reasonable amount of control over your magic. The downside, of course, is that Hunters can detect you a little easier if you’re not careful. If you’re worried or distracted, and relinquish just a fraction of the hold you have on your power, they can find you.”
“Can’t you do something? Just until finals? I feel like I have no control right now. There’s too much going on in my life and my magic is going to be like a beacon for every Hunter in Georgia.” I felt bad when I saw the stricken look on Jace’s face, but continued anyway. “What’s to stop them from getting me at home? What if they come right in while I’m sleeping? I would kill myself if anything happened to my mother because of me.”
“Rachel, have you ever seen a Hunter come close to our house?” Jerica asked calmly.
I’d never really thought about it, but no. I wondered why.
“We have powerful spells of protection in every room of this house. That same protection is built into your home. You are safer there or here in our home than anywhere else.”
“How do you know my home is safe?” I asked.
Abe sighed. “Rachel, I can’t be certain until my friend completes his research, but I think we can safely assume your father was a powerful Spellbringer. After all, your magic had to have come from somewhere.”
“When we have any new information, we’ll let you know,” Jerica said. “But right now, I can assure you your home is safe. I can feel the spells of protection surrounding it. Your enemies cannot harm you while you’re there.”
“But how can you be sure?” I asked, desperately wanting to believe them.
Jerica smiled and reached out to squeeze my hand. “Sweetie, it’s my job. I studied at the Watcher Aca
demy for four years. I’ve studied spells extensively. Abe studied at WTB—the Warrior Training Bureau. He is my official Protector, and yours for the time being. Do you think we would have sent you home without any protection at all?”
I thought about Re’Vel and his insistence that the Alexanders were holding out on me. “Why didn’t you say anything before? About the spells, I mean.”
“We didn’t want to mention it until we had more information about your father. But we believe he is responsible for the protection surrounding your home,” she explained.
Abe broke in. “Right now, we’re just dealing with theories. I suspect the same spell tattooed on your brother was engraved inside your necklace.” He exchanged a look with his wife. “Jerica and I think it might be time to stop wearing the necklace your father gave you. Now that its protection has worn off, the spell may have a negative effect. Again, this is just a theory. Until we know for sure, you don’t have to stop wearing it.”
Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) Page 20
