THE REST OF THE WEEK was hard. We fought against each other singly and in pairs, each of us determined to learn what else we could do with our gifts. Kassie could now capably lift herself and anyone else into the air. It had just taken a full explanation from Elena for it to click. The trick was to realize that because air is essentially everywhere it isn't about the weight that you lift, rather how much air you draw around it and how you space the molecules. Like with all new things there were a couple of practices that didn't go as intended, although they only resulted in bruises.'Better a bruised butt than a broken one, Cat,' Sian grinned impishly. I scowled at her while I eased down to the ground.Elena had Kassie and Loi practice shielding, using their energy rather than the physical manifestation. They'd picked it up quickly, while Sian and I struggled to keep ours in place.'Your gifts are better used offensively,' Elena explained reassuringly. 'You will be able to do it wit
ALEK HELPED ME INTO A heavy overcoat when Sabyn and Loi came out of the back room. We could see she'd been crying, but the smile she gave us seemed brighter. I caught Sabyn's eye, mouthing 'thanks' once Loi had walked past.'Hurry up people!'We turned and laughed at Citaan, all ready and waiting on Phroma's back, bouncing with excitement. The heavy overcoat she wore concealed her baby bump and at the moment she looked like an over-tall, impatient child. Alek still hadn't told me where we were going, but if I went by Citaan's reaction, it would be good.ALEK SNAPPED SHUT THE LAST clasp on Cat's overcoat and tossed her up on to Loushka's back.'Hey! Manners much.' Cat poked her tongue out at him. He glowered at her. You can't actually die from sexual frustration, the annoying voice in his mind pointed out. A certain part of his anatomy disagreed.It didn't seem fair that she could strut around in that and still have the go-slow rule in place. Really, those thigh high boots ought
THE FOREST WAS MUCH SPARSER here and I could smell salt in the air. I squirmed in the saddle, trying to see more. Alek laughed at me.'Pull Cat up to standing,' Loushka thought to us both. 'It's a good view.'Helping me out of the stiff overcoat, Alek pulled me to my feet. I leaned back against him, looking out. What a spectacular sight. We approached what must be a city. It looked miles bigger than Gartoll and I could just make out a harbour littered with boats. I felt a rush of excitement and twisted to look up at Alek. 'Are we going to the city?''No, we're going to somewhere even better.'We settled back down into the saddle and I stretched my arms out, relieved to be rid of that coat.'Would you stop that?''What?' I looked up in surprise as he stared down with a bemused smile.'I said we'd discuss your outfit later, arching your back like that isn't helpful.'Whoops. I'd actually forgotten how low the v-neck on my sweater was.I laughed at him. 'No-one's making you loo
THEY STOPPED AT A WEAPONS stall next and the men watched in amusement while the girls enthusiastically studied each piece. Cat appeared much taken with a sleeve that held throwing blades, while Sian examined an expanding sword with great interest.Daron laughed at her. 'Pixie, I don't think you need that. You've got a sword.'Both Kassie and Cat began to laugh as they exclaimed, 'Pixie?'Sian ignored the girls and gave him her best innocent eyes. 'But this one I can fit in my pocket. It's practically an accessory.'He gave her an exasperated look and leaned forward to bargain with the stall owner.I EXCHANGED AN AMUSED GLANCE with Kass when Daron paid for the sword Sian wanted. She always excelled at getting men to buy things for her, though usually it was drinks not weapons. I looked back at the throwing sleeve in my hands. The stall owner began to run through its attributes, again. 'Extremely durable, the sleeve is made of dragon skin and will last for eons. The edges of the
THEY FELT THE FLUSH OF pain radiate through Cat's energy and froze; the three girls stared at each other.'Where the hell is she?''What's she doing?!'A loud scream of pain rang out and a tall brunette staggered out from between a couple of tents, clutching her face while blood dripped down her arms.'Rayna!' Alek lunged toward the brunette but stopped short when Cat stepped out. The angry red mark on her forehead and the red stripe across her chest said it all.'What happened?''Your charming ex thought she'd try accosting me. I wasn't in the mood.' Cat's face looked dark, eyebrows low and lips flat.Alek stared in astonishment, appearing uncertain as to who to help. Sian felt annoyed, she glanced at the other two and jerked her head toward Cat. They moved to her side. 'You okay?' Sian reached to Cat's forehead and gently pressed the piece of ice she'd created to the developing bruise.'Ouch! Yeah I'm fine, I lost a couple of blades.''Not to worry, we'll'The brunette in
ALEK HERDED ME TOWARD A jewellery stall while he explained. 'An isanith is a type of faerie. There are hundreds of different types of fae, but the isanith is a pretty basic version. It hunts insects and will even kill other faerie if they're small enough and not quick to get away. They have a nasty bite and a sting.''Eww. They sound like wasps, are they considered a pest?''Depends on where they are,' he smiled at me. 'They can be very useful to farmers if they've had an infestation of wetans or deni. But if they found a hive near their house then they'd get rid of it.''Oooh, pretty.' I forgot the conversation in an instant and beamed at the gorgeous jewellery on display, making Alek chuckle. The girls and I examined each piece, to the obvious delight of the stall owner.THE MEN INSISTED ON BUYING a piece for each of the women, though Cat refused to let Alek. Sian felt bad for him and touched his arm when Cat was preoccupied with examining something. 'Buy her a piece to wea
WHEN I FELL INTO BED that night, with Audi already snoring away beside my bed, it hit me. The ball was in just three days. We had weapons training tomorrow and then two days in which the castle became even more chaotic with preparations. On the eve of the second day was the ball, after which, we would start our normal life at the castle and fulfil Elena's expectations, as protectors of the Realm. I could feel the beginning of a panic attack while images of what had happened in the last month bombarded me. I sat up, ripping the covers back.Breathe. In out. In out.I kept the chant up in my head, trying to keep quiet so I didn't disturb the others. Audrey sat upright a moment after I did and cuddled against my leg, her head on my thigh as she studied me with a concerned expression. I smiled down at her and stroked her head. 'Beautiful girl,' I cooed, feeling the anxiety lift a little. Her tail swished and she gave me little kisses on the nose then nibbled it, something she did o
When I walked back into our quarters, I found the girls awake and piled onto Sian's bed, chatting.'Where've you been, Cat?' asked Loi.'Yakov gave me a tour of the rest of this floor.'I wandered over and climbed on the bed, then told them about the beautiful picture. It inspired us to make a trip to the libraryfinallyand we spent the rest of the day there. It made for a good distraction with us nervous at the idea of starting our new, official lives and it gave me something else to think about when I fell into bed that night.We didn't say much when we woke and dealt with the usual morning stuff then walked to breakfast together. The Great Hall buzzed with activity as we neared it. Servants worked on opening the walls between the ballrooms and the throne room. The castle had two ballrooms divided by the main corridor, and the walls on the corridor were bi-folding so that the two rooms could be linked for large events. The throne room linked to the outer most ballroom, which overl