Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
“She’s made it worse, ya gobshite,” Niamh replied.
“I’ve got it. Nessa?” Sebastian didn’t even bother looking at her to confirm she was on board. They worked their magic side by side, sectioning off a portion of the field in a pink-tinged magical box. The sides stopped the flames from spreading, and the top clamped down to cut off oxygen. Without fuel, the fire dwindled to nothing but smoke rising from the blackened ground.
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“That was my fault, Miss Jessie.” Cyra raised her hand. “I forgot about the likely repercussions of my actions. I’m used to Ivy House handling things.” Hand still up, she turned to the spectators. “Sorry, everyone. So sorry. My fault.”
“Do you normally think about repercussions when there’s a game afoot?” Hollace murmured, stepping in beside her again.
“No,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, “but it’s polite to take the blame, I think.”
“Or maybe not start fires in the first place,” Ulric said, laughing.
Sebastian slipped his hands into his jeans pockets as Nessa nodded and jogged away. I had no idea where she was headed, but she always seemed to be on the go.
“Like most sane people—” Sebastian said before his words cut off.
The crowd parted to my distant left, and Austin stepped through the mass in a tight white T-shirt and well-worn jeans. Broken Sue followed on the side closest to me. Kace, Austin’s longtime friend and the former beta, strode on the other side.
Sebastian shivered, and his magically altered face wobbled a little.
He’d decided that he would make O’Briens his residence for the foreseeable future so he could train me, but he didn’t want anyone knowing he was the infamous Elliot Graves. He preferred to keep the world’s mages guessing about his whereabouts—being elusive boosted his reputation, not to mention it made him more difficult to hunt and kill.
To keep his anonymity within the town, he’d assumed the disguise he’d worn before. The shifters would have recognized his scent, anyway. Our story was that he’d never actually died, and Niamh yelled at anyone who asked questions.
“As I was saying,” he continued, “like most sane people, I regret to mention this, but I agree with Edgar. Crap!” He flinched dramatically, looking over his shoulder. Edgar stood almost directly behind him, smiling with his large canines.
“Hello,” Edgar said. “I’m so glad you agree.”
Sebastian stepped away, dragging me with him. “I hate when he sneaks up on me,” he murmured. “He must know that because he does it all the time. I think he’s trying to psych me out.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “Actually, I think he’s just happy you notice him.”
Sebastian glanced back at Edgar again. “I’d like to learn the trick to ignoring him.” He shook himself out of it. “Anyway, Jessie, you may not have worked the fire element, but you did work air. The differences in the spells are very small. One detail out of place, and you get a different result. Elemental magic, as I’ve told you before, is the work of a master. You’re the only mage on the planet who has the power to do it solo. The rest of us have to work together, and we hate that.” I could hear the smile in his tone, but it didn’t show on his face. His magical disguise masked almost all of his expressions. “So even though your spell didn’t provide the desired result, you should take it as a win. That’s the first bit of elemental magic you’ve successfully done. It’s a huge achievement.”
“You have to be uplifting. You’re my teacher.”
“I certainly do not, no. I’ve heard and read that most magical teachers are very hard on their apprentices. I have no idea why.”
“To make them tough,” Nessa said, lifting up her hand as she passed us. “The side effect is a fragile ego.” She curled her hand into a fist. “We like fragile egos. They’re easy to break. Mind-fuckery, the best kind of offense.”
“She’s really good at her job,” Sebastian murmured, watching her go. “We have some things we need to discuss when you get back to Ivy House, hopefully sooner rather than later. Now, however…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, instead watching as Broken Sue approached us, and then swallowed dramatically before melting away behind me. Apparently, Edgar’s creepiness was preferable to Broken Sue’s menacing stare.
“Well hel-lo, mister.” Nessa stopped to gawk and then wink at Broken Sue.
He ignored her, his focus entirely on me. “Ironheart,” he said, using the name this territory had given me. His dark-eyed gaze beat into mine, something within his eyes slightly off-kilter. His haunting pain lurked just below the surface.
Recognizing it, and thinking of those who’d wronged him, I felt the darkness within me boil again. This time, though, the emotional disco ball was accompanied by a strange wooziness that made my thoughts hazy. The air between us seemed to pressurize, and little sparks of energy danced in the open space. And then a solid force slammed between his chest and mine, pulling taut and locking home.