“Come on, Ari,” Jackson whispers next to me, even though I barely hear him, so hard am I concentrating on the paper, on the magic within me. “You can do this.” But suddenly I feel his hand on my back, warm and encouraging. I take a deep breath, trying to lean into his faith, but I have to admit my
“Well, I did,” Alvez says, smirking a little at his upper hand. “She can create it.” “Your mom can make…storms?” Tony asks, a little wide-eyed, leaning over to look at Jesse. “She can control all the weather,” Jesse says casually, sending Tony a wink. “She’s a badass. Plus, I always get snow on
“Ariel,” Rafe sighs, slumping down in his chair and covering his face with his hand, shaking his head. “Seriously? Do you always have to be so dramatic?” “What!” I protest, turning to stare at him. “We agreed we were going to tell him! What’s the big deal?” Rafe sighs. “The big deal is –“ “Wai
I gasp, and a vicious snarl instantly rips from Jackson’s lips as Tony gasps in shock, but before anyone can do anything more than that Alvez is already striding out the door. “What is with him?” Tony asks, coming to stand between Jackson and I, looking between us, appalled. “You see it too?” Ja
Ariel doesn’t come up once the dinner is served and Rafe scowls at her portion, growing cold on its plate. God damn sisters. Why does she have to be so…willful, always pushing forward on her instincts, blurting things out or taking insane actions just because it “feels” right? And what even is g
When she sees who’s standing out there, holding a plate of food in his hand, her face breaks into a wide, laughing smile. She swings the door open and leans against the frame, staring up into Rafe Sinclair’s pretty green eyes. “Well, aren’t you a surprise,” she says, beaming at him. “Thought you
“Rafe,” Daphne murmurs, clearly guilty as she reaches out and cups his cheek in her palm. “I’m sorry, I just –“ “No, Daphne,” Rafe replies, laying back against the pillow and closing his eyes, moving his arms so that his hands press lightly against her back. “Don’t be sorry – don’t ever be sorry f
Jesse’s shoulder slump and he looks down at his bedspread, tracing his fingers across it. Rafe, a little moody in turn, doesn’t say anything and heads directly for his bed, opening his dresser and pulling out some pajamas. “Where have you been!?” I bite out from my place in my nook when Jackson
“We won’t be here all the time.” A new voice surprises me and I turn, starting to cry in earnest when I see my dad come around one of the houses, Rafe at his side. “We have a country to run, after all.” He grins at me, opening an arm. “Dad,” I croak, shaking my head and tucking myself against his
“Come back here,” Neumann calls, pointing at the ground in front of him. Midnight appears again in the corner, dismissing her shadows, and dashes back over, smiling her delight. “Are you seriously encouraging this?” the Captain murmurs, shaking his head and heaving a big sigh. Neuman doesn’t rep
“If I’m dismissed from the Academy now,” I interrupt, holding up a hand and conjuring up my blue flames, which make him take a step back in surprise. “Then the military of Moon Valley loses the opportunity to train and make use of its most powerful weapon. Which, if you ask me, is far too much of a
“Ut-oh,” Jesse says, turning to grin at me. “Looks like the secrets out.” “You could look less cheerful about it,” I say, glaring at him even as I climb out of bed and move towards the door as Jackson pulls on his shirt. “It’s not your education at stake, after all.” “Nooo, don’t forbid me my gl
Marigold laughs a little but just nods. “Are we doing this?” Jesse says, glancing up at the clock that looms large over the entire station. “We don’t have a ton of time.” Jackson looks at me and arches a brow. I laugh and nod, grinning at our little party. “Let’s go!” The next morning I wake u
Marigold, perched high on Jackson’s arm, looks around the train station with wide eyes as she munches on a cookie. I bite my lip for a moment, watching her, anxious that she’ll be anxious. After all, her life has already involved so much change… “She’s fine,” Jackson murmurs, smirking down at me f
I can’t help it. I just get incredibly jealous. “Tell me,” Jackson urges, feeling the shift in my emotions, tightening his arms around me. “I just want to do that,” I say, laughing a little, shaking my head, feeling petulant. “It sounds so cool, and important, and…vivid. I want to do that work,
I scootch forward on the window seat, making room behind me. Jackson takes a moment to dip low, pressing a kiss to Marigold’s cheek and then to her hair, telling her how much he missed her and how glad he is to see her. The little girl laughs, beaming up at her father, and I can feel both of our hea
“Ariel,” my mom calls after me. “Please, come and talk to us –“ “It’s time for the meeting anyway, Ella,” dad murmurs. “She needs space to think and we don’t have any more time to talk.” As I head into the darkness of the hall Jackson’s voice appears in my mind, soft and apologetic. Do you wan