Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3) (10 page)

Ava felt a little hurt that she hadn’t been the one helping Peter. “He seems to have made good friends with the Russians.”

“Yeah. They’re a good group. Anyway, I think I’m going to go home and sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He hugged her and left the room.

Sleep sounded good to Ava as well, if only she could without having some nightmare. She moved closer to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder. “You’re still coming over right?”

“Actually, I’m gonna stay here. We’ll hang out tomorrow, I promise.” He kissed her cheek as if that made up for not coming.

She was upset, but masked it. Disappointed, she left Peter and the others to their boring chemistry talk and drove home. Ava couldn’t ignore the fact that he hadn’t seemed to notice she hadn’t been there all night. Why did he stay there? What was so important that he couldn’t hang out with her? His constant rejections tired her.

The night felt darker, colder and she couldn’t escape the feeling that someone or something was watching her. The wind blew, rustling the bare branches, and the clouds moved in, covering the moon. Ava shivered and hugged herself.

When she looked around the quiet parking lot, nothing appeared amiss. And then the feeling of being watched was gone. Her pulse quickened. Had someone been inside her apartment?

She bolted across the parking lot and up the stairs. She fumbled with her keys in the lock but finally managed to open the door. “Dad?” she called, turning on the light. She sighed with relief once she saw him on the couch under a blanket.

Her father groaned and squinted from the light. “What is it?” He sat up. The pillow had left indentions on his short bearded face.

“Nothing. I just…are you okay?” She moved closer to him. He looked pale and couldn’t keep his eyes open.

He sneezed, then withdrew a handkerchief from his flannel pajama pants and blew his nose. Ava hated that he used a handkerchief. There were disposable tissues made for that purpose. “Not really. I think I have the flu. Or something.”

“Want me to call Savina?”

“No, I took some medicine. I should be fine in a few days.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Dad, stop being stubborn.”

“How was it tonight?”

His changing subjects annoyed her, but she played along. “It was fine. I didn’t watch tonight.”

“Oh, you practiced with the group?”

“No, Gabriel and I went to the beach and swam.”

“Swimming? In December? Do you have your powers back?” he asked, his eyes more alert.

“Somewhat. I can change my temperature again. But that’s about all.”

“That’s a start. That’s really good, Ava. I’m proud of you.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “I haven’t done much for you to be proud of me lately.”

“Don’t go down that road again.”

“Fine. But I’m calling Savina in the morning.”

“You will not. Don’t bother her with something so silly.”

“Dad—.” She could hear the irritation in her voice.

“Ava, I mean it.”

“Okay.” She held up her hands in surrender, and he lay back down. “Do you want to go to bed?”

“No, I can watch TV out here if I can’t sleep.”

“I’ll stay out here with you. I can’t sleep much these days.” For once, he didn’t argue with her as she went to the hall closet and pulled a blanket from the shelf. She dropped it into the easy chair and then kissed her dad on the forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Ava turned off the light, then settled in the chair. She watched her father fall asleep to the blue glow of the TV. She grabbed her cell phone and pressed a button. Its bright light almost blinded her, but she saw no messages from Peter. She missed talking to him and spending time with him. The ache had begun to grow. She couldn’t help it, but even though it was after midnight, she dialed his number, needing to hear his voice.

“Hello?” Peter answered with a weary voice.

“Hey.”

“What’s up? It’s kinda late.”

His short response hurt her feelings. He never cared before how late she called. “Sorry. I wanted to make sure you got home okay.” She made up a lie.

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry but I need to sleep. I’m exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, definitely,” she said and then hung up. Her stomach twisted into knots. She clutched her necklace, feeling Peter’s remorse. Did he feel sorry for her? Why? It didn’t make sense. She wished for things to be normal again with them. Sometimes, all she wanted was to curl up in a ball. She sighed and shook her head. Way to be pathetic.

Her phone vibrated, signaling a new message. She opened it, seeing Gabriel’s name.

Turn your brain off and try to sleep tonight. See you tomorrow.

Even though Ava rolled her eyes, she smiled. She took a deep breath and heeded his advice.

Ava unraveled the scarf from her neck as she walked inside the Manor. It was quieter than usual. She peeked in the library, saw no one, and then made her way down the long hallway to the conservatory. Some people stood around, but as she made her way outside into the blistering cold, she found the group. The Russians had their powers back as did Gabriel, Natalia, and Eric. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Thomas create fire with his hand. Gillian’s eyes couldn’t get any bigger as she praised him. 

“Hey,” Gabriel greeted.

“Hey.” 

“You look tired. Have you not slept?”

“It’s hard for me to think about sleep.”

“You need to rest.”

“Are they fully healed?” She nodded to Thomas and Gillian.

“Not quite, but getting there. Have you noticed anything?”

“No.” Why hadn’t she though? Thomas had his ability back.

“Calm down.” He winked. “Have you tried anything?”

She shook her head.

“Try to conjure water.”

Just as another gust of wind blew, her body warmed itself. She appreciated that so much more now. She closed her eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. Her heart accelerated in frustration.

She felt Gabriel’s hand on her shoulder, and she opened her eyes, embarrassed.

“How about we go to the waterfall?”

“It won’t work,” she said firmly.

“Ava, don’t,” he warned. “It’ll help you. I’ll drive.”

She watched the field of Enchanters with powers and it only infuriated her. She knew she should be happy for them, but why couldn’t she do anything? She saw Peter laughing with Konstantin, Eric, and Katarina. She hadn’t seen Peter laugh like that in months. She turned on her heel and followed Gabriel.

“Why are you doing this? Am I that feeble?” She asked as they got in his car.

“Because you need help, and I want to help is all. And no, you are not feeble. I remember the first time this happened to me. I was so grateful to have Natalia, Eric, and Joss to get me through it.”

“Speaking of Natalia, are you sure she won’t mind you helping me?”

“Why would she?”

“She doesn’t like me.”

“She doesn’t like a lot of people. She knows what I went through when I lost my powers before.”

“I see it though. I see that it annoys her that you even talk to me.”

“She’ll get over it.” He shrugged.

“What did you say to her that day I came back? She was actually nice to me.”

Gabriel smirked. “I told her to lay off.”

“Does she think I’m a bad influence?”

“No. She tends to have very little patience with young Enchanters. Mostly because of drama and such. She hates it.”

“Apparently, it loves me. I got enough to last me a while.” She thought of the drama with Peter. It made her throat close and her chest tighten.

“Is something else wrong?”

Ava drew a deep breath and pushed the thoughts away. How did Gabriel do it? “No. If your powers are back, why are you driving?”

“I like driving.”

“If I had a car like this, I would like driving, too.”

He gave a short laugh.

When they arrived at the waterfall, her mind flashed back to all those days after school she spent with Peter. It reminded her of a blissful time, but now, all she got from him was nothing. Her stomach twisted as she got out of the car. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting so sad and fearful? She knew Gabriel could feel her, but either he chose to ignore it or was polite not to ask about it.

“Today, we’re going to work with the basics and see what you’re able to do,” he shouted over the noise of the waterfall. “Stand on the edge of the pool, and try beckoning the water. Don’t think about anything else.”

With a short nod, she inhaled and exhaled slowly. She listened to the thunderous water collide with the pool and rush downstream. It drowned out any noise including those in her head. She immersed herself, letting the water consume her.

Ava gasped and looked down at her hands. The water gently wrapped itself around her arms as it moved up. Her body absorbed the water. She watched in awe and relief as she relished in the occurrence.

Ava laughed while she conjured water and shot it from her hands. She was glad she was able to remember how to use her ability. It was like riding a bike.

She caught Gabriel smiling, but then he turned serious. “Okay, now try creating a wave or a water ball.”

“Okay.”

“When we find them, you’ll need to summon water like you did that day Xavier ambushed us.”

She learned that she was a Healer that day. She wanted that strength back. All of it.

“It’s okay. Don’t push it.” He motioned for her to get into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. She moved into the freezing water, but she changed her temperature. The water hugged her body as if it missed her.

“Create a wave,” Gabriel urged as he stood on the rocks, watching, arms crossed. 

“Okay.” The water slowly moved with her, listening to her. She raised her hands and the water followed suit.

“Without using your hands.”

“What?” she asked, dropping her arms. Water splashed all around her.

“You heard me. You have to learn to do these things fast without taking too much time to focus. You were pretty quick before, but now your body is weak so it’s like wearing the training wheels again. Your body will remember, but you have to train it back into shape. It’s like working out. The longer you go without working out, the longer it takes to get back to where you were. Try again.”

“Should we be doing so much right now? I mean, is this going to affect my healing?”

“Only if you go at it for hours with no break.”

Ava took a deep breath and started to raise her hands but stopped. Forcing the water to rise with her mind proved to be difficult. She used to conjure water and create tidal waves. But standing there in the waist high shallow part of the pool, she couldn’t make a wave.

She tried again.

“Don’t give yourself a brain hemorrhage,” Gabriel joked.

Ava snapped her eyes open, annoyed, but when she saw his smile, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Maybe if I gave you an incentive.” He rubbed his chin.

“Like what?”

“Attack me. I promise if I overtake you, I won’t let you stand here for long.” He gave a wicked grin that she found to be sexy.

Remembering his strange ability to lapse time without the subject knowing, she shuddered. He had gazed into her eyes, and when she blinked, time had passed.

Without hesitation, she forced water to rise once again, using only her mind. It circled around her, faster and faster, turning into a tornado of water. Feeling it spray on her face enlivened her. She lifted it above her and it darted toward Gabriel, smashing into him. He fell over the rocks with the water splashing all around him.

When he didn’t move, she trudged through the water and climbed out. She leaned over his still body. “Gabriel! Wake up!” She shook him.

His blue eyes opened, and he snatched her, pulling her over him and onto the rocks. He pinned her down, his mouth curving into a half smile. “See, I told you. Some incentive did the trick.”

Ava twisted out of his strong arms. “I thought I hurt you.”

“I won’t lie. It stung,” he admitted.

“Stung?” She was disappointed. She wanted to do more than sting her opponents.

“It was a joke. It obviously took me by surprise. You did well.” He helped her to her feet.

“What if I can’t do this when we leave?”

He frowned and held her eyes with a heavy gaze. “Don’t doubt your strength, Ava. I know you remember what you can do, and I realize you’ve been heavily distracted lately. But you’ll get back to it. You’ll be incredible.”

“What about healing? Will that ever come back?”

“It should.”

She nodded. “I want to kill Sorcha for doing this to us.”

“I know. We all do.”

They stayed a little while longer, and Ava’s stomach rumbled. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as they hiked through the woods back to his car.

“A little. I’ll eat when I get home.”

“No, because then you’ll ‘forget’ and I can’t have you doing that. Come on.”

He took her to a small pizza place that was almost empty because of the late hour. Only a short brunette leaned on the counter, texting on her phone. She smiled, showing off a mouth full of pink braces. Glitter swathed her small eyelids while dark mascara made her lashes clumpy.

“Hello. What would you like to eat?” she asked in a high chipper voice. She wore a large green off-the-shoulder blouse with a black belt around her thin waist. She was as skinny as Natalia. Her black tights were a little loose around her legs.

Ava envied her innocence and youthful exuberance. She had missed those days of being a carefree teenager. 

They both ordered and then took a booth near the back. The kitchen had a small radio that played 80s music. The cute server brought them each a Coke and their silverware, and then retreated to the front to continue texting. Ava hoped glitter hadn’t fallen in her drink.

After a few minutes of silence, Gabriel cleared his throat. “Have things gotten better with Peter?”

Ava was taken by surprise. “Um. They’re about the same.” She didn’t want to talk about Peter. “So if we can’t do this, we’re Havok’s? I mean, if our souls get reaped, are we dead?”

“We’ll defeat him. It won’t be easy, but we’ll do it.”

“What about Sorcha?”

“I’ll stop time and kill her.”

“Why didn’t it work when we fought them?”

“I couldn’t find her. At first, she wasn’t out on the field, then she just appeared.” He looked away, disappointment written on his face. He acted like it was his job to kill Sorcha and he let everyone down.

“Do you blame yourself for not killing her?”

He met her eyes. “I’ve tried so many times. It’s like a game.”

“Like it was with Trudy and me.”

“Exactly.”

She shook her head. “How can he have such a huge army? What is he telling people to make them to join?”

“Some of them are born into it. Or don’t know any better. Or are afraid that if they side against him, he’ll kill them. Which he would.”

“He’s a lunatic. And they follow every single word of his. Makes me sick.”

“Makes a lot of us sick.”

There was a moment of silence. “Thanks for helping me through this. It still feels weird to be around everyone after what I did.”

He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I know it’s hard. Over time, you’ll learn to forgive yourself and not carry that blame. You learned from it, right?”

“Oh yeah. No more Necromancers for me. Or seeking the truth about someone who never even cared about me.”

Gabriel frowned.

The waitress returned and placed their pizza in front of them, separating their hands. “Would y’all like a refill on your drinks?”

“Sure,” they both replied and handed the cups to her.

“I’m sorry,” he said once the waitress left.

“Don’t be.”

The waitress returned their drinks and left them again.

They were silent while they ate. Ava had eaten almost half of the giant New York style slice.

“So, when Corbin or Havok showed himself to me, I felt this strange pull. It was like when Devon tried to take my powers. Havok has the ability to spread disease, but Colden could reap souls. Does that mean Havok can do the same now? I mean, that’s why he’s been on a hunt for us. So he can have our powers.”

“I don’t know. Seems likely.”

Ava nodded and played with her napkin. “Since my soul is promised to Havok, what exactly does that mean? That I’m supposed to just hand myself over?”

“Havok can’t take your soul unless you let him. Or he overpowers you. He had every chance to take it when you were in that room alone with him. But he didn’t.”

“He could’ve. And the more time we sit around, the stronger he becomes. I can’t believe she did that.”

“We’ll find out why.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure I want to know. It makes me feel like I was nothing to her.”

“Like she abandoned you.”

“Yes.” Her voice strained, and her eyes watered. She clenched her teeth and gripped the edge of the seat, unable to catch her breath. She jumped up from the booth and left the restaurant.

The cold air kissed her face, and she inhaled a deep breath. Then, she felt Gabriel take her hand and pull him to her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she let go of her tears.

They arrived back at the Manor a little after eleven. Ava needed to sleep and contemplated staying there, but she wanted to check on her father. She found Peter in the library next to the fireplace with Katarina and Ilya. A few others sat around at the tables.