Finding Faerie (21 page)

A sob escaped my throat. “I just need time.”

He pulled me into his arms. “We have all the time in the world, my love.”

I
woke to someone banging on my door. Loudly. I crawled out of bed ready to rip someone a new asshole when I yanked it open. Thylus stood there grinning like a loon.

He swept a gaze from my head to my toes, taking in my rumpled appearance. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“I was sleeping,” I yawned. “I was up really late.”

He smiled. “By all means, crawl back under the covers. I’ll keep you company.”

I rolled my eyes. “Did you have a reason for stopping by?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I’m here for our first lesson.”

“We’re starting already, huh?”

“Ornessa insisted on it.” 

“Oh, I’m sure she did,” I grumbled. I felt like she was pushing me towards Ty in a romantic sense despite her earlier assurances.

“Do you need time to…change your clothes?”

I stretched and didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on my breasts. This guy was almost as bad as my horn dog ex-boyfriend, Chad. “What do I need to wear?”

“Something dark and athletic. We’re working on earth magic today.” Well, that explained his outfit. He was wearing black running shorts that fell right below his knees and tennis shoes. Period. He clearly had no qualms about walking around without a shirt on. Not that I was complaining. I was a healthy woman, after all. The difference between us was that I chose to have a little decorum. 

I bit my lip. “Could you maybe…conjure something for me? I’m trying to avoid using magic until I get a leash on it. Well, unless it’s for the lesson at least.”

He gave me another long once over. “As tempting as that is, there’s no need. Your closet is ensorcelled. Think of what you want before you open the door and it will be there.”

“I have a magic closet? Are you shitting me?” Talk about every girl’s dream. Now the perfectly tailored clothing from last night made more sense.

He scrunched his face. “I do not know this expression, ‘shitting me’.”

I laughed. “You don’t get out much, do you?”

He looked offended. “I have lived here my entire life. I am not ashamed of that.”

I stopped laughing. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you. Honestly. Your home is beautiful.”

“It’s your home too, you know. The sooner you accept that, the better off we’ll all be.”

“Yeah, and the sooner everyone accepts that Vegas is my home, the better off we’ll all be.”

He looked irritated. “How much time do you need before you’re ready?”

“Let me check with the guys.” I started walking outside to Vance’s hut.

“He’s not there,” he said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I ran into him on my way over. He was on the other end of the village with Naela.”

“Oh.”
I will not cry.
I repeated the mantra in my head several times. “Well, let me check with Leo then.”

He shook his head. “He’s not there either. I saw him lying in a field just staring at the sun. How strange is that?”

I placed my hand on my hip and glared. “Not strange at all considering he hasn’t been able to do so in half a century.”

He didn’t even acknowledge my foul mood. “It’s just you and me, beautiful.”

“Great,” I deadpanned.

We were standing in an open field in the middle of the forest. My enchanted closet had provided a black tank top, black yoga pants, and black running shoes. Ty said to imagine dark and athletic and this is what my mind’s eye came up with. Good thing too, considering his warning on the walk over here that we would be getting dirty. Earth magic was apparently messy stuff.

Ty widened his stance and clapped his hands together. “So, what do you know about the elemental part of your bloodline?”

“I come from all four houses,” I began. “Those houses are earth, air, water, and fire. Each one gives you the ability to channel power from their specific element.”

He smiled. “Very good. What abilities do you gain with the House of Earth?”

I scrunched my face, trying to remember what I read. “Um…earthly abilities?”

He laughed. “Close. The correct answer is geokinesis. Do you remember what that does?”

I was starting to vaguely recall the passage. “The ability to manipulate the ground?”

He nodded. “Correct. You can control, manipulate, or reshape the earth, in its various forms, at will.”

I thought about that for a moment. “Okay…so how would that be useful?”

“Lots of ways.”

“Such as?” I inquired.

“Well, for one, it comes in handy if you needed to defend yourself.” He used his fingers to tick off some examples. “You could create sink holes, barriers, avalanches, or earthquakes to name a few.”

I gaped. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “Seriously.”

“That’s badass!” I started bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Okay, so what else could I do? Give me an example not related to defense magic.”

“Gardening,” he said. “You can speed up or slow down the lifecycle of a plant, flower, vegetable, you name it. If it grows from the earth, you can control it.”

“Really? I always wanted a backyard garden. Vegas weather is hell on plants though.”

“All the more reason for you to stay here,” he pointed out.

I laughed. “Yeah, except you just gave me a loophole! After you teach me how to use it, I could magically grow my own beautiful garden in any climate, couldn’t I?”

He scowled. “Maybe we’ll skip that lesson.”

I laughed and mirrored his posture. “What are we waiting for? Teach me something.”

He looked down at my feet. “Take off your socks and shoes.”

“Why?”

“The energy flows from your body into the earth. It’s best if there aren’t any barriers. At least not while you’re learning.”

Makes sense
, I supposed. I unlaced my shoes and took them off, carefully stuffing my socks into them. My toes sank into the soil. “Now what?”

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my torso. “Now, comes the fun part.”

“Wha—” I closed my mouth and tried again. Ty’s body was giving off a disturbing amount of energy. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled softly against my neck. “What’s wrong, Karli? Do I make you nervous?”

“No,” I said and shivered involuntarily, “but do you have to be so close?” I swear he purposely blew his warm breath into my ear. My ears were a big erogenous zone and I was having trouble focusing. 

“Yes, I do. It will help you concentrate.”

Oh, I begged to differ but I wasn’t about to admit that. “So now what?”

He slid his hands down my arms and laced our fingers together. “Close your eyes.”

I complied. “What’s next?”

He shifted behind me. “Firmly plant your feet into the ground and take deep, even breaths. Imagine that you’re growing roots of energy. Feel them burrowing through the soil, winding their way into the heart of the earth. Feel the massive energy that it contains. Tell me when you’re there.”

I kept my eyes closed, trying to visualize everything. I pressed the balls of my feet into the ground, imagining thick roots extending from them into the soil. “I think I’ve got it.”

“Good.” He squeezed my hands. “Keep focusing on your breathing…in through your nose, out through your mouth. Now, we need to bond your energy with the earth. Imagine that it is flowing through your veins like blood. You can’t live without it. It is part of your essential self.”

Ty had a great way with words, making it quite easy to picture everything he was saying. “Got it.”

He took our joined hands and crossed them over my chest. “Now, spread your toes to improve your balance. Once you’ve done that, focus on releasing your energy. I’m right here to catch you; don’t worry about anything else. Put everything you’ve got into the ground.”

I squeezed my eyes in concentration. One of the first things I’d learned about Fae magic was that concentration was key. You had to completely block out any outside noise and focus solely on the task at hand. I could no longer hear birds chirping or leaves rustling in the warm breeze. Jasmine and gardenias no longer perfumed the air. My senses were now consumed by the smell of dirt, the sounds of insects beneath the ground, and the feel of ferns tickling my toes.

Power was brewing inside of me. When I’d felt this twice before, it had circulated throughout my entire body. It could not be contained, it simply was there, ready to detonate. This time, I actually felt it flowing in a deliberate downward motion. The currents moved past my waist, down to my knees, then into my feet. I mentally pushed a little harder and felt them leaving my body. The crazy part was that I could still sense them as they traveled into the ground, burrowing through several layers of earth. 

Seconds later, the ground began to rumble. I opened my eyes and watched it shake. “Holy shit! Am I doing that?”

“You are,” Ty confirmed. “Now make it stop.”

“How do I do that?”

“Recall your energy. Sever your tie to the earth.”

“How do I do
that
?” The ground was shaking even harder.

“Breathe, Karli; you’re panicking. Do everything you just did, but backwards. It will stop immediately.”

I tried pulling it back but it wasn’t working. “I can’t!”

He released his hold on me and closed his eyes for a moment. The ground immediately ceased all movement. “See? Simple.”

“Yeah, if you’ve had a lifetime of practice.”

He laughed. “You did great. It’s normal for the energy to become unbalanced at first. Nobody gets it on the first try. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”

“Promise?”

He put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “I promise. How about we try something a little easier?”

“Okay.”

T
hylus and I practiced for a while until I started getting a handle on some of the basics. Surprisingly, he was a really good mentor. I could see why Ornessa had paired me with him. Sure, he was arrogant, and he seemed to find every excuse possible to touch me, but he definitely knew what he was doing. He was also quite articulate, which helped me grasp the subject matter more easily.

I was sweaty and dirty and tired by mid-afternoon. I had just finished downing a bottle of water when I caught movement in the forest. Vance and Naela were walking along the path directly below. The ground exploded behind me, catching their attention, and raining dirt over my head.  

“Break time!” I yelled to Ty. I stormed over to Vance and glared at him. “We need to talk.”

“No, we really don’t,” Vance argued.

“Yes, we do.” Dirt sprayed like geysers all around us, punctuating my statement.

Vance looked nervously at Naela. “Maybe it’s best if you head out?”

She shook soil out of her hair. “Um, yeah…sure. Thylus, come on. Let’s give these two some alone time.”

Ty brushed off his shoulders. “Karli, come find me when you’re ready to practice some more.”

“Yeah…whatever.” I never stopped glaring at Vance.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “What’d you want to talk about?”

“I saw you coming out of Naela’s this morning.”

“Yeah? I saw you too. Up on the hill with your
boyfriend
.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” I bit my lip. “I don’t know what he is.”

“No?” he challenged. “Could’ve fooled me. You two looked pretty cozy up there.”

“Did you have sex with her?”

“Who? Naela?”

“Who the fuck else would I be talking about?”

His jaw ticked. “Yeah, I did. Why do you care?”

“Don’t be an ass.”

“Don’t be a bitch,” he retorted.

The ground started to rumble again. “
Excuse me
?”

He widened his stance to steady himself. He said something in Latin and the ground stopped moving entirely.

“How—how did you do that?”

“Parlor trick,” he replied smugly. “I’ve been nullifying since before you were born.”

“Oh, don’t start throwing our age difference into this. That doesn’t matter and you know it!” Vance had been alive significantly longer than I had, but it wasn’t an issue. When you stopped aging in your twenties, everyone looked and acted relatively the same. Immortals didn’t have traditional generational gaps.

“I’m not so sure, anymore. When I think about it, you really are just a baby. I think it’s time I sought out a real woman.”

“Like Naela?” The ground was shaking again but he stopped it just as easily as the first time. It was really bugging me that I’d had no idea he could do that before now.

“Why not Naela? She’s smart and kind and let’s not forget, hot as fuck. She’s gotten better with age.”

“How nice for her,” I deadpanned.

He shrugged. “I’m certainly not complaining.”

I clenched my fists. “Oh, screw you, Vance!”

“You have no right to be angry!” 

“
I know I don’t!
” I beat on his chest. “But I can’t help it!”

He trapped my hands against his body. “Dammit, Karli! Stop it! You made your choice.
And it wasn’t me!
”

I pushed away from him. “That’s not true!
I chose you first
! But then Maria fucked it all up!” The wind picked up drastically and started blowing leaves all around.

He laughed without humor. “So, Leo is just a consolation prize, huh?”

The air stopped blowing. “What?
No!
”

He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking confused. You can’t have it both ways!”

“I know I can’t!”

Dark clouds rolled in at a frightening pace and started pelting us with rain.

Vance looked up at the sky. “Would you knock that shit off?”

I smoothed wet hair away from my face. “I’m not doing that!”

“Oh, Jesus! You don’t even realize you’re causing it?” He chanted something in Latin again but the rain didn’t stop.

I jutted my chin. “Told you it wasn’t me.”

He looked worried. “Karli, yes, it is. It’s pouring off of you. Make it stop.”

“I’m not doing anything!”

The wind started gusting again, blowing the rain sideways. Vance was chanting in Latin and throwing fairy dust everywhere. “Fuck! I can’t make it stop!” He turned towards me and his mouth fell open. “Oh, shit, what’s happening to you?”

“What are you talking abou—" I fell to the ground screaming as pain ricocheted through my skull. I was on my hands and knees, panting and clawing the dirt as the pressure increased.

Vance ran towards me and dropped to his knees. “Karli, stay with me. We need to get help.”

Where would I go
, I thought.
I tried saying that aloud but I couldn’t form the words.

He tried scooping me up but backed away as soon as he touched me. “What’s happening? You’re burning up!”

I cried out and fell flat on my face into the mud. I curled into a fetal position and shook violently as visions flashed through my head in rapid succession. I was in a forest,
this forest
, surrounded by brutally savaged bodies. In the next moment, Connor was standing over me, with fangs extended, ruby red eyes lusting for my blood. The third flicker showed Maria, stunning as always, ripping out Naela’s throat with her fangs. Deafening screams surrounded me.

I covered my ears and groaned. “Make them stop. Please make them stop screaming.”

Vance pulled my hands away from my head as he flipped me onto my back. My fingers were coated in blood. What the hell?

“What screams? Never mind, honey, just hold on. I’m going to fix this.” I saw a blue light glowing as my eyelids fluttered. I think he was trying to heal me but I couldn’t be sure; the fog was getting thicker. “It’s not working. Dammit!”

I forced my eyes to remain on his ruggedly beautiful face. “What’s happening to me?”

He blinked through his tears. “I don’t know.”

A peaceful vision swam through my mind. I was in a pond with Vance. I knew that pond. It was the same one we’d made love in during that dream I’d once had.

I smiled. “It’s okay, Vance. The pain stopped. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I just need to sleep.”

His eyes widened. “What? No! Stay with me.
Do not close your eyes!”
He grabbed my face and held me in place. “Do you hear me?
Do not close your eyes!”

I tried to listen. I really did. But my eyes rolled back anyway.

“Fuck!” He shook me. “Karli, snap out of it!
Look at me!
Goddammit! What the hell is going on?” He shook me harder, making my teeth clack together. “
SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

And…fade to black.