"Are you talking about King Lucian? The seven hundred year old fae who is the most powerful being in the universe? That Lucian?" Hal asks in wonder.
I fidget in my seat, "Uh, I guess I am. He's not like regal or anything. At least not with me." The entire table stares at me in shock and envy. Is Lucian that big of a deal? I mean, I know he's a king, but I guess he didn't act like I'm his subject. Does he treat me differently than others?
Cyrena almost shouts, "That is so amazing Tiana! You just have to bring him to the party! I've always wanted to have a close relationship with one of the masters," Her facial expression turns dreamy, "Especially Rai, he's just so air fae, you know?" I giggle at her obvious crush while Hal scowls. All the other women at the table have the same look of longing on their face.
I tease him, "Poor Hal, how will you compete?" He shakes his head while the girls burst out laughing.
***
The air quad is a beautiful open space with a simple sand floor. Racks of weapons and training gear line the walls just as the other quads had. Rai is standing with his back to me at the opposite end of the room when I walk in. He turns as I set my backpack down by the door and shuck off my coat.
He walks up, smiling, "Hello! Welcome to the air quad. This element will most likely be the easiest element to master. It is fairly straightforward in nature. Today we will focus on creating air funnels with the sand."
He grasps my hand, pulling me forward toward the center of the room. Admittedly, my feelings for Rai are less overwhelming than the other men. Don't get me wrong, he is very handsome and seems nice. It's just the connection, as Lucian calls it, isn't very strong. It feels like a slight buzzing against my skin rather than a tidal wave taking me under and leaving me in a pool of desire. And I'm kind of grateful.
He lets go of my hand and steps back while flicking his wrist to the side. A small wind funnel starts to grow from the ground. The sand is caught up in it as it swirls upward slowly, Rai's control keeping a tight leash on it. The wind funnel grows so large that the wind coming from it whips my hair around my face and I have to plant my feet.
Rai shouts over the wind, "Pull your power up from inside your chest, coax it outward. Beginners like to use their hands to control it!"
I do as he says and swish one hand in an upward motion while swirling my other in circles. To my complete surprise, it works. A small clumsy looking wind funnel is created in the sand beneath my feet. It spins slowly as if the wind tunnel is about to collapse in on itself. I twirl my hand faster and the wind within me responds, shooting out from my fingers in a gray mist and merging with the wind funnel.
As mine grows larger Rai laughs out loud, making me smile at him in response. The power of this element is not to be trifled with. I can feel it surging through me and filling my ears with the song of the wind.
"Now show me your control my merging the funnels! If you don't go-slow it will grow out of--," Biting my lip, I clap both my hands together, swinging them in from either side. The last thing I see is Rai surprised look before the funnels smash together and explode in a loud sonic boom of wind. My body is flung backward so fast that I slam into the quad doors before sliding to the ground.
I blink a few times and shake my head, trying to get my vision to stop blurring. Damn, I thought I'd need a lot of power to get those to merge. Obviously clapping my hands was the wrong approach. Duly noted. Rai is on the opposite side of the room, slowly rising from the ground. He stumbles forward toward me but ends up falling to one knee.
He calls, sounding muffled, "Just give me a minute, then I'll come check on you." All I can do is nod before rolling onto all fours and staggering up. I have to lean against the wall for support because the room keeps spinning. My ears are ringing, making everything seem far away. Do I have a concussion? It sure feels like I do. Rai is suddenly in front of me and I jump. How much time had passed?
"I don't feel great Rai. I'm light-headed and the room is spinning." He grasps my head between both hands and closes his eyes. Suddenly I feel a pressure in my head before my ears pop. My vision clears up a little and the room slows its circling fury.
He staggers against the wall next to me, "There, you should feel a little better. Unfortunately, you still have a mild concussion. Maybe go easy in your earth training today. You should heal overnight in plenty of time for the weekend. Sorry about this, I didn't realize you were going to blow the sound barrier."
For some reason his last statement makes me laugh. And once I start, I just can't stop. Rai chuckles at first, but ends up bending over and slapping his knee he's laughing so hard. We lean against each other, both a little lucky to be alive. The door to the air quad opens and Damon strides in looking pissed off. He spots us both leaning against the wall laughing hysterically.
"What the hell are you guys doing? Tiana was due at the Earth quad twenty minutes ago." Rai and I locked eyes and start laughing again. Damon gives us a weird look and comes closer to us.
I take a few deep breaths and wipe the tears from my eyes, "Ah, man. I'm sorry, we were injured when I broke the sound barrier!" Rai makes a strangled noise, like he's holding in a laugh, which only sets us off again.
Damon crosses his arms, "Are you alright? You seem a bit loopy to me."
"Yes, ah geez, yes we will be okay. I already healed part of her head trauma, but she still has a minor concussion," Rai gets out between breaths. I push off the wall and grab my backpack before flinging it over my shoulder. Damon and I walk toward the door together and I give Rai and salute of farewell while promising to see him later.
We're halfway to the earth quad when Damon finally speaks again, "You have to be more careful with your powers. You had a real scare back there. Breaking the sound barrier is no small feat and you're in shock from your injuries. And if Rai isn't going to reprimand you, I will. Be more careful."
"I understand."
My previous elation from all the laughing melts away. He's probably right. It was irresponsible of me to try to control a force of wind that strong. The power just carried me away and left me feeling out of control. And for all I know, I could have hurt Adrian. Shame over my actions burns in my chest and I vow to myself that I will never attempt something so dangerous again without training. Damon is silent and brooding for the rest of the walk.
Once we get to the earth quad training center Damon opens the door for me. Inside is a massive forest filled with trees and various bright colored flowers I've never seen before. Birds call to each other throughout the trees and for the first time there are other students running throughout the trees. They're chasing each other and flowers are sprouting in their wake. I can't help but be in awe of the beauty. A green magical mist coats the air, making it smell fresh and clean.
Damon ushers me into the trees, and we walk for some time before coming into a cozy clearing filled with soft looking moss. He sits down in the middle of the clearing and gestures for me to sit across from him. I do so without complaint, detecting an immediate connection to the earth beneath me. It responds to my magic greedily, seeping it out of me to nourish itself. My eyes fly back open and I gasp out loud, Damon is smiling at me.
He says, "The earth is ravenous in its hunger for magic. It will consume you if you don't draw a line. Your earth element will be the only one that has a special connection with other living things besides humans, that's strictly for spirit fae. Now that you're magical well is freely flowing every time you touch something of the earth it will crave your energy to sustain itself. And while as earth fae we give bouts of energy to thank mother earth for our magic, we do know when to stop. That's what we will work on today," He pauses, gesturing for me to close my eyes, "Now, allow your magic to seep into the earth. Feel the connection, test it, familiarize yourself with it, and become comfortable."
I do as he asks, rushing my earth magic into the ground beneath me. The living things around me respond with a collective sigh of pleasure, happily soaking up my contribution. The release of this magic makes me
feel infinitely better than I did yesterday. My anxiety lessens which allows me to explore my connection to the earth.
I imagine mother earth as a beautiful goddess beneath the ground made of every root of every plant. The green energy of the earth swirls around me, playing with my own magic. A sense of calm blankets over me and I feel the earth embrace me, giving back as much as I'm donating. And we stay there like that for so long that I start to hum with pleasure.
Damon's soft voice comes from far away, "Tiana, our session is over." I blink my eyes open to find him kneeling in front of me, staring at me with a look of adoration. He leans toward me, caressing my face. I lean into the touch, green sparkling crystals of magic falling off me. He whispers, "You are painfully beautiful, you know that? Look what you made." He gestures around us. When I look up there are flowers blooming across the trees and so much magic in the air that it's hazy. The entire room is humming with my power, and new tall hibiscus flowers have bloomed all around us, encasing us in their sweet scent.
Damon shifts me toward his lap, and being on the high of earth magic, I let him. My earth element is screaming at me to bed him, to claim him, to feast on his magic and let him feast upon mine. The insistence of that need made hot desire unfurl in my core and my cheeks heat. But all Damon does is pull my legs around his waist for a full embrace. He holds me tenderly, lovingly, and runs soothing hands down my back.
When I pull back to look into his eyes they're glowing a brilliant jade green. I can't help but kiss him. When our lips connect a rush of magic swirls around us and sinks into the earth. My eyes flutter closed, and instead of a soft blackness, I see two burning violet eyes staring into me. It startles me so much that I jerked away from the passionate kiss Damon and I had been sharing.
Damon gasps as if my abrupt departure had physically hurt him, "Are you alright? What's wrong?" Disappointment flashes in his eyes when I pull away and sit by myself in the grass.
"Uh, yeah I'm fine. I think I just need to go lie down. This concussion might be worse that Rai thought," I scramble to my feet and start backing out of the clearing, "I'll see you later?" Damon just watches me while leaning back on his forearms. The look on his face is unreadable. It makes a pang of guilt shoot through my heart.
I halfway through the trees when I swear I hear him whisper, "I'll be waiting for you, my sweet flower."
The shiver of desire that courses through me is so strong that I break into a run toward the spirit dorm.
***
Back at the spirit dorm I burst inside and slam the door behind me, breathing heavily. Lucian is lounging at the breakfast bar, drinking tea and scribbling on a piece of paper. He glances up at me once before refocusing on his task. I catch my breath before walking into the kitchen and flipping open the pizza box that’s on the counter. Eating a slice, I watch him as he continues to write furiously for a few more minutes.
Just as I’m about to ask what he’s doing, he says, “Here! I’ve finished your daily tasks for training and getting to know your spirit. A lot of your spirit training will be done alone after our first session today. Knowing your spirit and training yourself to effectively use your powers is an intimate act and should be done alone. However, I will supervise and correct you during this first session so you know what to expect as you move forward.”
He hands me a stack of papers and I look it over. It’s composed of mental exercises such as raising and lowering my shield, sitting within my magical well with spirit, and practicing how to move things with my mind. It also has hands on activities like changing people's emotions, comforting them, etc.
“This seems doable. So what do I do first?”
He grabs a slice of pizza before sitting opposite me at the breakfast bar. He stares intently at me for a moment before I begin to see magic burning in his gaze, and a violet glow surface on his skin.
“In order to complete some of the later physical tasks on the list, you must master and learn from the mental abilities. Spirit is an extremely fragile and dangerous element to work with. Look inside yourself, focus on your magical well, and call forth spirit and only spirit. Communicate with it, learn from it, understand it.”
I do as he says, diving deep within myself to that dark place I had been in with Adrian the day before. Instead of calling all elements, I call for spirit alone. It’s slow to respond, and when it does so it hangs back from me making its disdain clear. Instead of pressuring it I sit down and fold my legs beneath me.
I think, tell me what bothers you. Tell me how I may heal you.
My spirit moves closer, circling me. It brushes against me a few times, and each time I feel an overwhelming sadness. My chest squeezes and I close my eyes, trying to take it in without crying out.
I am you, and you have neglected our connection. Cherish me, nurture me, and you will feel wholly fae.
We sit there for a long time together, taking in each other’s emotions and energy. My spirit feels wild, untamed, and unaccepting. I can tell that it has had years to resent me for pushing it away. It’s as if it’s a good friend that I had left for dead on the side of the road. That’s how much anger and resentment I feel. It’s unpleasant, but I sit through it and send nothing back but love and an apology over and over again. It seems uninterested in my words. Like it doesn’t believe in them.
Follow the direction of the king, practice your power, exercise your birthright. Perhaps then we can become acquainted.
I’m thrown out of my own mind, and I gasped, eyes flying open to look at Lucian. He smiles kindly and places a good natured hand on my shoulder to give me calming energy. My breathing slows down and I’m about to tell him what happened when he holds up his hand.
“You do not need to tell me. While I will help you to mend your relationship with your spirit, it is entirely personal. Continue to visit daily, talk or not, and you will grow familiar together. It’s a start in a very long process,” He stands up and moves away from me, “Now practice your mental shield for ten minutes until it feels like second nature. Then we will work on telekinesis.”
Chapter 8
The final days of my first week go by rather smoothly. My elements have been responding to my slow coaxing, Lucian has been working with my spirit, and I'm making enough friends to go to a party tonight. The only thing I can't stand is the amount of sexual tension that has been building between the masters and I. Well, the sex appeal is coming mostly from Orin, Damon, and Adrian. Rai appears to be more of a fast friend. Ever since that first day of training, we can't stop laughing together. If anything, he's the soul mate for my playful side.
Don't even get my started on Lucian. He flirts with me one minute, and is aloof the next. Plus, he sleeps in my bed each night despite his protest. We tried to sleep apart for a few days, but it caused tossing and turning which led to walking around like a zombie the next day. It got so bad that one of us eventually started to move into the other person's bed in the middle of the night.
By that time we agreed to do what our elements wanted. Not that Lucian seemed particularly happy about it. I know that we have a connection similar to what I have with the others, but Lucian is fighting it. And even if it hurts my spirit to deny our connection, I will if it's not something Lucian is interested in.
By the time I get to the dorm on Friday afternoon Lucian doesn't appear to be back yet. Or at least he's not in the common room. After dropping my stuff in my room I raid the kitchen for something to eat. I don't really feel like going to dinner with everyone else. It's better to save my social energy for the party tonight.
Right as I realize that the kitchen has little more than to-go breakfast foods Lucian comes in the front door. And with him comes the scent of delicious cheesy greasy pizza.
"You read my mind! God, I'm so hungry." He sets down the box on the counter and flips it open to show my absolute favorite pizza. The ultimate toppings of meat lovers with mushrooms and onion. The exact match to my tastes makes me round on him with narrowed eyes, "Wait, did you actually re
ad my mind?"
He shrugs, holding up his hands. "You we're practically screaming that you wanted pizza. It's not my fault that your unending appetite reached out to me." I roll my eyes and grab two paper plates. But Lucian just grabs a slice, folds it in half, and shoves it into his mouth in one big bite.
My mouth drops open at the sight, and before I can stop myself I make a stupid joke, "Damn, you're probably good at going down on guys." He stops mid chew and looks at me, both eyebrows rising toward his hairline with surprise. "Oh my god, I'm sorry that's so inappropriate to say to you. You're my teacher, and my king, and. . .and. . . ." I trail off lamely, looking at anything but him. I feel him step closer to me before he lifts my chin. Our eyes connect and I swear I can see the stars within his. The violet is so stunning that it takes my breath away.
"You have no reason to be formal around me. We can be friends without boundaries, I'd actually prefer it to be that way," He moves back again, grabbing two more slices of pizza to plop them on his plate, "Oh, and by the way, I am excellent at going down on anyone."
High Fae Academy - Year One: Fae Paranormal Romance Page 6
