“No, Jackson,” I say, pulling away a second. “What?”“Nothing,” he whispers, his face suddenly a little said. “I was…going to ask you for a promise you couldn’t keep. So. I won’t ask it.”I tighten my hands in his shirt, desperate to know what it is that he wants, desperate to give it to him –But h
“Ariel!” The word bursts from Jackson even as he grins, I think swept away by my laughter even as he’s confused by the direction of my thoughts. “Seriously, what are you talking about? What on earth makes you want to do that?”“I was jealous!” I say, throwing my hands out, my laughter subsiding. “Wh
He laughs, tightening his arms, pulling me a bit closer.“But Jacks,” I say on a sigh, looking up at him. “If you can pass me energy in the morning after our runs and that keeps me going all day…shouldn’t I take advantage of it? I mean, not forever, but right now our time is limited and I want to le
My eyes fly open in the real world and I’m instantly in action, as is Jackson – because the shouts here?God, they’re even louder and more panicked than those we heard dreaming.I leap out of bed, ripping the curtain open, already starting across the room when I stumble over my own feet, my jaw drop
“I do,” Jackson replies, nodding once. “Not important right now. Just…let’s get these shadows tucked away, all right? I want you to imagine like…a fishing rod, with all the shadows attached to the line. And now slowly, mentally, just…start to reel that fish in, okay?”A moment passes as Jesse stares
When the bottle comes around to me I’m ready for it, taking my own long drink, but the boys have already moved on.“Wait so,” Jesse asks, eyes on Jackson, “how did you know how to do that?”Jackson sighs and gives a brief summary of his magic for Jesse’s sake, and then elaborates for all of us. “Whe
He looks up at us and shrugs, his expression wary, like he thinks he might sound crazy.“That’s…scary, man,” Rafe says, his voice breathy. “But also really cool.”Slowly, Jesse breaks out into a smile. “Yeah, I…I think it kind of is.”“Fire goddess, shadow lord,” Jackson murmurs, looking around at u
The next morning I find myself, by some bizarre miracle…at the foot of the bed, blinking awake with my face pressed against Jackson’s chest.God, how did I even get here? I yawn and reach up a hand to rub my eyes. Did I like…crawl down here in my sleep?“We’re never doing this again,” Jackson murmur
“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