Destiny's Fire (28 page)

“I guess not,” I agreed, then halted his hand. “Please, not in front of Jace.” I looked toward the corner of the room, but Jace was already nearing us. I stepped aside as he bolted through the door, glaring at Reese as he passed.

I shook my head. I knew Jace hated Reese, but why was he giving him the evil eye when I was the one he was disgusted with? I was the one who’d betrayed him—lied about myself to him. Maybe he couldn’t bring himself to even look at me, and Reese was a good target for his anger.

Lana sidled up next to us. “I suddenly feel like going to class is pointless,” she said with mock laughter in her voice. “I mean, if they have my whole life planned out, what do I really need to learn?”

I took her arm in mine as we headed into the hallway. “Well, regardless, let’s lay low. We don’t need to bring attention to ourselves by missing any more blocks.”

“Agreed.” Reese slipped his hand into my free one. “Let’s just make it through this week. Once the barrier spell is lifted, we’ll go from there.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Maybe the humans leaving is just an adverse effect of the spell. I’m not familiar with the magics, but anything’s possible.”

I laced my fingers through his. “That’s a good point.” He was right. The spells were only used by the Councils, and even they didn’t fully understand how to control them anymore. Because the Councils would suffer by the humans’ departure, too, I had to trust that Reese was right. Maybe they didn’t raise the spell correctly. It was all we had to go on.

Lana brightened. “At least our data communicators work again.” A smile struggled to break across her face.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t send anything personal,” Reese said. “Anything you don’t want the Councils to read.”

We paused before our classroom, and I looked up at him. “You think we’re being monitored?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you?”

The rest of the day went on without incident. We went to our blocks, half paying attention to distracted teachers as they sent students out for testing. We kept our heads down. And Jace continued to ignore me.

At dinner, he and Nick sat on one side of the cafeteria, and Lana, Reese, and I sat on the other. I felt bad for Lana. She was also getting the cold shoulder from Jace because she was hanging around me.

“Don’t sweat it,” she said, flicking a bean around her plate. “He’ll come around.”

I nodded halfheartedly. “I just miss him,” I admitted. And I did. This had been the longest time besides the change that I’d been distant from him. I truly wanted to believe Lana. But deep down, I feared the worst—that I’d lost Jace forever.

Chapter Twenty-Four

D
URING
T
HE
W
EEK
L
EADING
up to my test, I met with Reese every day at the falls. We were taking a huge risk by sneaking off grounds, but it was the only way for me to train. The basement was occupied by Jace, and even if we could find another place at the Academy to practice, I didn’t feel comfortable maxing out my power anywhere near there now that I knew they were looking for me.

I had to learn to rein in my power to levels the Councils would never suspect, and that required first getting a feel for my full strength. I never allowed myself to reach the dangerous level, though, as I always kept the crystal on me. The fear of losing control still hovered over me. I never told Reese that I felt I could push myself more. I was frightened about what that could mean—just what my power could do.

After watching how Jace treated Lana, I’d asked her to go back to Jace and Nick. I couldn’t stomach the triplets being separated and Jace ignoring her. She was hesitant, not wanting to abandon me, but I assured her Reese and I had to focus on getting me past the test. She conceded, reluctantly.

Seeing them back together made things feel almost right again. But I also had ulterior motives. I knew how Jace’s mind worked. Finding out the truth about me had to have increased his hatred for the Narcos. And with the Councils pushing the union between races, I knew it was only a matter of time before Jace snapped and tried to launch a rebellion. I needed Lana to keep an eye on him. I couldn’t focus on my training if I was constantly worried about him getting himself in trouble—or worse—killed. I told Lana to act as if she were upset with me, that way Jace wouldn’t keep anything from her. I only prayed he’d keep it together until Reese and I figured something out.

The day before my test, Reese and I sat on the bank near the river, passing currents between us. I held my glowing blue hands up before me, palms toward Reese, as he sent a stream of Charge to me.

“Can you feel the level of the current?” he asked, maintaining the current’s strength.

I smiled, taking in his serious expression and hard eyes. “Yes.” I felt a ripple of current along my skin. “And at this low level, I think I’m having a difficult time focusing on anything.”

His eyes shot open, a half-grin sneaking across his face. “Are you trying to sidetrack me? Do you know what I do to misbehaving students?” He broke the current, pulling me toward him then to the ground. “Okay, I think you got it down.” He buried his face in my neck.

I giggled. “Do you think I can really pass the test? I feel like I control Charge pretty well.”

I felt him nod. “Yup, and with that neat little trinket, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

My crystal pressed into my thigh as Reese lay on top of me. It was small enough that I could easily conceal it under my clothes during the test. Reese felt I didn’t even need it, but it was my security blanket. I was nervous about going in front of the Councils, and even if I didn’t need it, I felt comforted by its presence.

Reese pushed up and stared into my eyes. “You’re going to be fine.”

I locked my arms around his neck, drawing him to me. We’d been training so intensely that we hadn’t had much free time for anything else. I loved the feel of his weight bearing down on me, his body molding to mine—connecting us in an intimate way. His skin heated, sending waves of warmth over me as I pulled him closer.

I knew Reese wanted to wait—to make it special—but I couldn’t picture a more special moment. Every time his hand caressed, lingered, grasped, I wanted him that much more. Heat spread between my thighs, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, pressing his lower body persuasively against mine.

Reese pulled away and buried his head between my shoulder and neck, releasing a strained breath. “You’re killing me, Dez.”

I rested my hand on the back of his neck and weaved my fingers through his hair. “Well, that’s not the reaction I was going for.”

He palmed the ground on either side of my head and pushed up. “Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand and bringing me with him. “We should get back. We’ve pressed our luck this week.”

I frowned, pouting. But he was right. I was so close to the test—I didn’t want to call unwanted attention to myself. I began packing up our supplies.

Reese took the other end of the blanket I was folding, bringing it to meet mine. Then he cupped my face. “I can’t wait till this is behind us and I can focus only on you.”

My cheeks warmed. I wanted the same, although Jace lingered in the background of my mind. But there was nothing I could do about Jace’s feelings toward me. I just hoped Lana would keep him out of trouble.

Once we were back at the Academy, we slipped in through the side door, the one Mr. Liam had left open the night we’d snuck onboard the airship. I hadn’t told Mr. Liam any more about me, and he never asked. I felt he was definitely on our side, not wanting whatever the Councils had planned, but he wasn’t ready to be a player yet.

And Reese and I weren’t big players to begin with, either. We still couldn’t figure out how uniting the races would free us as guardians. Or if we, the living test subjects, had anything at all to do with that. We could only sit idly by, waiting to discover their next move and hoping to gain a clue.

I said goodnight to Reese and headed for my unit. Lana was lying on her bed, sending a message—to Devon, probably—as I entered. “Hey,” I said, flopping down on my bed.

“Hey.” Lana sat up and crossed her legs. “You ready for tomorrow?”

“As ready as ever.” I rolled over, facing her. “How’s Jace?”

She blew out a deep breath. “He’s Jace.” She shrugged. “He’s still secretly working on deciphering that scroll. He’s convinced it has something to do with whatever the Narco Council is up to.”

“Well, he might be right. Who knows?” I bit down on my lip. “Has he said anything about me?”

She shook her head, and I rolled back over and stared at the low ceiling.

“Dez, just give him more time. This is hard for him.” She bounced up and came to sit beside me. “I don’t want to remind you of this, but even if he didn’t have an issue with you being half Narco, he still walked in on you and Reese.”

“I know.” I buried my head under my pillow.

Lana pulled it away. “He’s loved you forever. This is tough for him.” She smiled wanly. “But I know my brother. He still cares about you.”

I appreciated her faith but couldn’t trust it. I spun the bracelet he’d given me around my wrist, watching the dim lights of our room reflect its blue back at me. Somehow I had to find a way to make things right between us.

The next morning my nerves were a wreck. I knew I’d be called soon. Now that Lana was with the guys in the far corner of the room, Reese had taken her seat next to me in Mr. Liam’s class and in our general studies block. I still felt guilty whenever I glimpsed Jace during our classes, but I was thankful for Reese’s close presence today. I felt like my nerves were going to implode at any minute.

I rubbed the small crystal in my pocket, waiting for my moment to be called. As Reese passed over my text, Mr. Liam’s communicator went off. My head shot up, and his eyes found mine. I knew it was my turn.

“Dez Harkly,” he said with slight hesitation in his voice. “The Councils are ready for you.”

As I stood, Reese reached out and clasped my hand. I gave him a strong smile though my legs threatened to drop me right to the floor. Before I reached the classroom door, I glanced at Lana, Jace, and Nick. Lana gave me a warm smile, and I smiled back until I saw the worry on Jace’s face—in his eyes. I forced a small, hesitant smile. He didn’t return it, but his gaze held mine as I pushed through the door.

Before I approached the headmaster’s office, I quickly slipped my crystal down the front of my shirt, nestling it into the pocket of my bra. As I neared the door where two Narcolym guards stood, I bit down on my lip and shifted into my Kythan form.

I took a deep breath and entered through the open doors as the guards pulled them apart. Sitting at an oblong mahogany table, three members watched me walk across the room. Three sets of glowing eyes—two blue and one red—studied my every move. My breath hitched.

“Please stand in the center of the room, Ms. Harkly,” one of the Shythe members said, waving his hand before him.

I nodded once, smiling tight-lipped, and remained quiet. Just as Reese had instructed me. From my peripheral, I saw a guard moving toward me. He held something dark in his hands, but I didn’t turn my head to investigate as he sidled up behind me.

The Council member in the middle, the one with red eyes, spoke next. “We’re screening students for our matching program. We’d like you to commence your practice routine. The same one you perform in your power training block.” He smiled, revealing his elongated eyeteeth. His eyes methodically raked over me, and my heart hammered painfully against my chest.

Forcing myself to breathe, I responded, “Of course.” I’d practiced this routine dozens of times in my training course and in front of others. I relaxed a little, preparing to begin my routine.

He tilted his head and motioned to the guard behind me. “But with one difference,” he added. The guard approached and slipped a dark fabric over my eyes. “You’re to be blindfolded. And, we’d like you to summon your full power.”

The guard finished tying the blindfold, yanking my hair in the process.
Ow.
After my eyes were fully covered, I nodded my head once and calmed my breathing—centering myself.

I felt a little less confident, but I’d performed this routine many times. Though, I didn’t understand how being blindfolded would help or hinder me. Or what it would prove to them. I sucked in a breath and began, bringing my arms before me and sparking my Charge. The current crackled as I connected a stream between my palms.
Cake
.

I concentrated on arcing the current higher into the air. But not too high. I imagined how it looked—a simple stream of blue bending, vibrating on a low frequency. I moved into my next position and separated the stream. Bending at the knee, my arms shook as I
pretended
to use my full power, sending the currents higher into the air. I locked onto the feel of my power, maintaining the level Reese and I had practiced. Even though I couldn’t see, I could feel the level of power.

I finished each position easily. The blindfold actually helped keep my nerves in check. I couldn’t see the Council members, so I couldn’t watch them judge me. Only after I was done with my performance and the cloth was removed, did I feel my stomach flutter. They were taking notes, their eyes glancing up momentarily and then back at their notes. Even though their reaction to my performance gave me nothing to worry about, I kept waiting for them to signal the guards, chain me up, and haul me away. But when they were finished writing, they only said thank you.