“Come on, Ava. I don’t have all day.” His voice was rough. Was he still angry with her about the Cruciari guards?
“Have I done something?”
“You’re wasting my time. You’re weak and you need to learn to focus.”
Her temper flared and she could feel her necklace warm. She didn’t know why he was being like that. She envisioned him once more in water, but then she was slammed against a tree. Its bark dug into her back. Gabriel’s hand grasped around her neck and his eyes glared into hers.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked.
“I didn’t come out here to chit chat.”
“Why are you being such a jerk?”
“You think your enemy will be nice and friendly to you?”
“I didn’t think you were my enemy.”
Something flashed in his eyes and he removed his hand from her neck. He turned around and went back to his starting point. She didn’t know if making her angry was one of his tactics, but it worked.
Gabriel moved, and then she couldn’t see him. She listened for him. Then, she felt the familiar trickle of water down her arms. It was such an empowering feeling, being able to conjure water. She usually had to hide the ability, since she was around Ephemerals a lot. She saw a movement to her right and blasted him with water, knocking him to the ground. He coughed, but this time she didn’t console him.
They trained like that for a while. No words between the two of them.
Gabriel knocked Ava down again and then held her. For a second, their eyes met, and Ava’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t understand why. Was it the thoughtful way he looked at her? Was he trying to trick her again and put her in a trance like he did once before? “I think it’s time to take a break.” His voice held no feeling.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He jumped to his feet and then walked away. She raised to a sitting position and then stood. She made her way to Peter who was chatting with Eric.
“Are you okay?” Peter asked.
“Yeah, just tired.”
Eric softly smiled. “You’ve been through a lot in a short amount of time. It’s understandable.”
“Is Gabriel okay?”
“As far as I know. Why?”
“I don’t know. He seems different tonight.”
Eric shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What can Gabriel do?” Peter asked.
“He can teleport and stop time, but it’s kinda like putting you to sleep.”
“That is cool.”
“Actually, it isn’t. It was like waking up totally unaware of what was going on. Like you lost time. He did that to me once. He said he kills once he immobilizes the opponent.” She shivered.
“He won’t hurt you, you know?” Eric reminded her. “He pulls that stunt on all of us. Thinks it is oh so hilarious. But I have my own tricks up my sleeve.” He grinned. “I’ll see you two after practice.”
She knew Gabriel wouldn’t hurt her, but he seemed rather aloof with her. Almost the way Natalia treated her.
Peter nodded. “Are you really okay?”
“Yes. Just worried, I guess.”
“We’ll be fine, Ava,” he grabbed her hand and with his other hand forced her to look at him. “I will never let anything happen to you. I’m trying so hard to become stronger and to get used to all this. It’s all so…different. But amazing. I can’t believe I’m doing this or even a part of it. Sometimes it feels like I’m invincible. Did you feel like that?”
“At times, yes. How’s training with Maggie?”
“She’s tough. She doesn’t care that I’m new, but that’s good. At first, she just helped me figure out what I could do exactly, and then we went right into it. It’s so amazing. Maggie can transform her body into a weapon. She turned her arms into Sai daggers. How crazy is that? She cut my hand, but it healed back. Talk about surreal.”
Ava gasped. “Did it hurt?”
“Yeah, but once it healed, it stopped hurting. I feel bad for Joss though. She’s practicing with Gillian. She controlled Joss’s mind a couple of times and made her shock herself.”
“Gabriel overtook me several times.”
“Does anyone practice with Savina?”
“I don’t think so.”
“How are we supposed to defeat someone who can read your every move?” Peter questioned.
“Savina said you just have to catch them off guard or keep her out of your head. Like, clear your thoughts and have it unreadable. It’s hard, and Gabriel can help with that. You just have to stay focused.”
“Wow.” Peter exhaled a deep breath. “I wonder if I’ll ever master any of this.”
Ava frowned. She listened to his confessions; his worries; the same ones she had experienced. “I’m so sorry, Peter. I know it’s a lot to take in. I shouldn’t have brought you into this.”
“We’ve been through this a thousand times. This is what I want.”
She brought her hand to his smooth face and looked up into his assuring brown eyes.
Peter leaned in and kissed her and then whispered in her ear, “I love you, Ava.” With her eyes still closed, she embraced him and for a moment, she breathed slowly and felt the wind around them.
Ava’s necklace grew warm and then she felt Thomas’s jealousy and Gillian’s anger.
“And we have to ignore Gillian and Thomas right now. I’m trying, but it’s hard, I’ll admit. Being able to feel what everyone else is feeling is a bit overwhelming.”
“I know. It’s definitely something to get used to.” She sighed. “I have to talk to her.”
“You should wait until she’s cooled off.”
“Why is she still upset?” Ava searched through the field of several people talking and found Jeremy sweeping a short curl from Gillian’s face. She made her way toward them. “Can we talk?” she asked Gillian.
“I don’t have anything to say to you,” she spat and narrowed her eyes.
Jeremy pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Gillian, talk to her.”
“Why are you so upset with me? I know you see how important he is to me. I know you agree with it. You know he’s an asset to us.”
“He doesn’t belong here, Ava. And you lost my trust when you went behind our backs and told an Ephemeral everything about us.”
“How else would you have had me do it? I tried talking to you—.”
“No, you brought him to our cabin after you ran to him.”
“Gillian, you knew of my feelings for him. Why is all this such a surprise now? You seemed supportive before.”
“That was before Devon tried to take us. I mean, you brought an Ephemeral into this. They aren’t supposed to be a part of this world. You’re so stubborn and immature and haven’t taken any of this seriously. Have you even stopped to notice how much Thomas is hurting?”
“He isn’t hurting. He’s angry.”
“Where do you think that anger comes from?”
“Probably because his father was just murdered.”
“Before that. I’ve had to comfort Thomas almost daily. He’s hurting because of what you did. You don’t get what you did to him.”
Gillian’s anger penetrated through Ava. It was as potent as Thomas’s fire burning her. A quick reflection on the past few months and Ava realized Gillian was right. She hadn’t made it easy for her coven to trust her, but she didn’t know how else to handle the situation.
Ava would not be bullied, especially by her own coven. She wondered if any of it would have happened had she not chosen Peter. But she loved him. So why was she having reservations?
“We’ll talk about this later,” Jeremy said. “Savina and Aaron are coming outside.”
Ava stood still, letting Gillian’s words and her own thoughts soak in, until she felt Peter take her hand.
“I’m glad to see you all practicing,” Savina said and everyone congregated near her and Aaron. “I think I want to rotate partners so as for you to try fighting differ
ent powers.”
Ava tensed for a moment. Who would Savina pair her with next?
Savina went down the line of experienced and inexperienced witches and matched them. Ava silently groaned for a second when Savina matched her with Natalia. The woman intimidated Ava and hated her.
“I hope you’re better than your ex.” Natalia smirked. Her shoulders drooped forward as she placed a hand on her thin hip.
“That’s a little insensitive. He just lost his father.”
“I really don’t care what you think.”
“Aren’t I immune to your singing?”
The right side of her lips curled into a taunting smile, but her eyes glared. And then, a high-pitched screech wailed, reverberating inside Ava’s head. It was so loud it felt as if her eardrum exploded. Her hands clasped on her ears and she fell to her knees with a scream. She writhed on the ground and felt a warm liquid oozing from her ears.
Finally, it stopped, and she could breathe again. She rolled onto her back and saw several people standing over her with shocked faces. Her hearing slowly came back. Peter rushed to her side and helped her sit up.
“Are you okay?”
Stunned, Ava nodded.
“What did you do to her?” Peter demanded Natalia.
“We’re supposed to be practicing. She needs to know what to expect.”
“She isn’t to feel pain like that,” Gabriel chided her.
“She should’ve been prepared.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s nothing.” Ava stood and wiped the blood from her ears. With wary eyes, the onlookers slowly resumed their practice. She thought it was strange that Gabriel stood up for her in a way given the way he acted earlier.
“I really didn’t think that would hurt you as much as it did. I can only assume that means you’re quite weak.”
Ava clenched her teeth. It was the second time she’d been called weak that day. But instead of letting her anger get the best of her, she remembered Gabriel’s speech of keeping focused and calm. “No, it’s fine. You know I’m new at this. I need to learn it.”
Natalia nodded and Ava quickly blasted water from her hands, knocking Natalia down. Ava held her to the ground by her throat as Natalia continued to struggle, but could not overpower Ava’s grip.
“I may be new at this, but I am much stronger than you and quite unpredictable. You may not like me, but you know what I can do.”
Natalia’s hazel eyes bulged and then she stopped struggling. Ava released her and stood.
“Nice. Catfight,” Eric said from behind Ava. She blasted him with water and he fell down.
“Okay. Don’t mess with Ava when she’s pissed.” She knew Eric was trying to make her laugh, but so far the day was filled with bullying and anger and she didn’t know why, but she was sick of it. She wanted to be alone, but didn’t want to give in to the intimidation.
So she stood up straight and faced Natalia with as much determination as she could muster. Ava would not let Natalia or anyone take her down.
CHAPTER TWELVE
STORIES
Training with Natalia definitely made Ava feel stronger. She was tough. Challenging. And relentless, just like Gabriel. Despite their mutual dislike for each other, they trained well together. Natalia taught her that even though she would never be able to tell when Natalia attacked, Ava had to be ready at any given second. She had to be quick and precise. And of course, stay focused.
After a few hours of practice, the weary and drained Enchanters congregated inside for dinner.
“That was so awesome.” Melissa nudged Ava’s arm as they sat down at the long table. “Is Natalia afraid of you now or what?”
“No, she’s not afraid. She just knows I’ll fight back.”
“What did she do to you?”
“You didn’t hear it?” Ava asked. How could she not?
“No. We were doing our thing and suddenly you screamed and were on the ground. Then we saw your ears bleeding.”
“She made me hear a screeching noise so loud it made my head throb.”
“Wow. Talk about a good way to immobilize someone. I’m sorry.”
Ava shrugged. “Part of it.”
“By the way, don’t listen to Gillian.”
“She’s right though.”
“No, she isn’t. I just don’t get why she has such an aversion to Peter. I would have thought by now she would have gotten over it. She’s been acting kinda weird lately though.”
“Weird how?”
Melissa lifted a shoulder and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. She’ll be talking about whatever and then she’ll stop and just get really quiet like she’s thinking about something. And you have to nudge her to get her out of the trance or whatever you want to call it. And then some days I’ll ask to hang out but she says she doesn’t want to leave her house.”
That was weird. “Have you asked her about it?”
“Yeah. But she waves it off like it’s nothing. And she keeps making appalling remarks about the Ephemerals.”
“Well, they’re possibly the ones responsible for almost killing you all. She’s probably just blowing off steam.”
“Maybe,” Melissa said, but the look in her eye told Ava she doubted it.
“Hi.” Joss brightly smiled as she set bowls in front of Melissa and Ava. The side of her face had what looked like a rash and small cuts. “Colden’s making goulash. It’s really tasty. How was training?” She sat across from them.
“Very informative,” Melissa said. “Eric and Gabriel are tough. Gabriel sorta taught me that I could create a shield with rocks or dirt or whatever. Does Eric ever mess with you with all his duplications of himself?”
A little smile appeared on her small face. “Yes, sometimes. But I get back at him.”
“I have to ask. Are you wearing contacts or are your eyes really that awesome?” Melissa asked. Joss had vibrant violet eyes and Ava wondered if they were real as well.
“They’re real.”
“You must get that a lot.”
She shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“What happened to your face?”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Mel, what’s with all the questions?”
“It’s okay. I don’t care. Actually, Jeremy did that. He’s pretty strong with that wind. Felt like my skin was tearing off. I’ll go to Savina after dinner. She’ll heal me right up.”
Peter, Lance, and Eric joined them at the table. Savina, Ava’s father, and Mrs. Arrington sat at the other end and the others filled in the empty seats. Colden and Aaron placed pots of the goulash on the table and everyone began dipping soup into their bowls.
“Peter, how does it feel to be an Enchanter now?” Joss crumbled crackers into her soup.
“It’s strange, but extraordinary.”
“I can imagine. Still, it’s good that you had a choice.” She lowered her voice. “I feel terrible for the Halflings. But I gotta say, you two are so intense.” She smiled at Ava and Peter. “I think everyone here agrees that you two are definitely meant for each other. It’s unusual that that happens between Ephemerals and Enchanters—feelings of that strength.”
Ava felt a smile on her lips, but then her amulet warmed and she clutched it as she felt Thomas’s jealousy and remembered Gillian’s harsh words.
She heard a spoon clatter against a bowl and realized it was Peter’s. She took his hand in hers.
Joss’s cheeks flushed and her face fell. “He probably hates me now.”
“No one could possibly hate you.” Eric kissed her cheek.
“Please don’t be embarrassed,” Ava said.
“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
“You didn’t,” Melissa said. “Thomas is just dealing with a lot right now. We’ll all grow from this, I’m sure.”
“I agree. Thomas will find someone.” Joss beamed.
Ava hoped things wouldn’t always be so awkward with her and her coven. But she felt like she needed to talk to Thomas a
nd apologize. She’d torn her group apart and it cost her.
After dinner, she caught him as he was heading up the stairs. “Thomas?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you hate me. But I just need you to please understand that I never meant to hurt you.”
He exhaled. “Ava, I don’t hate you, but I can’t lie and pretend like everything is okay. I know I didn’t treat you well but I would’ve worked on things if you’d given me the chance.”
She doubted him, but maybe recent events had changed him. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s just all really messed up right now. I hate that you’re with him. That you chose him over me. I could really need you now.”
She felt a small twinge of sadness. “You still have me. As a friend.”
He shook his head. “You know that can’t happen right now. We’re in the same coven and I won’t hurt you or him.” The words were forced. Knowing he wasn’t ready to forgive her, she nodded and then he retreated upstairs.
“Everything okay?” Peter asked.
“Yeah.” Ava turned around and he took her hands in his.
“Wanna go up?”
“I think I want to go back to the library.”
“Okay. I’m exhausted so I’m gonna head up.”
A strange feeling overcame her as she thought of her earlier reservations and second-guessing her decision about Peter. She was in love with him and shouldn’t be embarrassed or wonder about their love. She didn’t care what anyone else thought. She placed her hands on either side of his face, and kissed him, fervently. Electricity zoomed throughout her body.
“Think I just got my second wind,” Peter whispered.
Ava smiled. “I’ll see you in a few.” She made her way into the massive library. It was like her second home. If it wasn’t for it, she would be completely miserable at the Manor. She walked past Jeremy, Link, and Nicole sitting at one of the tables chatting to one of the bookshelves. She wanted to find the Edgar Allan Poe book and relax.
“Your book is right here.” She heard Gabriel’s voice from behind her.
She was reluctant to turn around, but did. He held out a large black book and she warily took it. “Thanks.” Ava stepped beside him.
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