some, but we had never directly pit our powers against each other in the past. I could shift, raise myself from his line of attack, but that wouldn’t end the battle with him, it would merely be fleeing. In a real battle, that might not be an option, particularly if I were protecting my mates. My Phoenix warbled a cry—protecting them is exactly what she planned to do, but a different kind of energy was humming through us now. I liked facing off with them, I realized. I liked the high it gave me as I challenged myself against them in any form. I’d seen some of that when Damien and I had battled midair before, but it was easy to see how this could quickly become an obsession.
Theo darted forward, his whips lashing out. I reacted with fire instinctively, the water sizzling and evaporating when it hit the bright edge of my flames, even as my fire shrunk briefly under the onslaught. I whirled from his next attack, dodging the whips and forming a pair of my own to counteract his. I pumped extra heat into the flames, forcing his whips to dissolve faster under the higher temperature. I didn’t want to hurt Theo, even knowing Ryder was standing by for any injuries that were obtained during this training session, but I didn’t want to lose either. My Phoenix crowed her agreement—she wanted to show our mates what we could do. Theo’s blue eyes were bright, his head cocked slightly as he regarded me, his own battle strategy streaming through his mind as he considered our strengths and weaknesses.
Moving like lightning, he lashed out with water again, curling a wave around me and attempting to flatten me to the ground. I let heat flare from my body, focusing on the warmth rather than the waves of flame themselves, turning myself into a living oven. I pumped off wave after wave of energy, stoking the flame higher and higher, forcing Theo’s water to evaporate before it was able to hit me and bend me to his will. Theo’s grin was brilliant, his eyes narrowed as he focused on me while he circled like the predator he was. He couldn’t overwhelm me with his water from a distance this way, but I couldn’t risk getting too close to him either. I fisted my hands, focusing as I forced balls of fire to dance in the air around me, lashing out against his strikes, darting forward like daggers in an attempt to score a hit against him, but he merely flowed around each attack, as liquid as the weapons he wielded against me.
I bit my lip, pushing myself harder as I extended my range of heat, the scalding wall creeping closer even as my fireballs darted and swerved around him. Theo was sweating, his golden hair sticking to his scalp, as he faced the barrier I’d created. His own powers rose to combat it, creating a mist of steam around us, the white tendrils fogging the air as the contact of my heat and his water sizzled.
“You can’t evade forever, Nix,” Theo scolded slightly, ice shaping into thick balls around the flames I had dancing in the air, turning into crystal stars to hurl at me. Even as he said the words I darted forward, pushing with my powers. I tugged on the sensation deep inside my chest, slowing the world around us by just a few heartbeats. I lashed out, kicking into his abdomen and then swiping his legs out from under him, landing with both of my knees on his chest and the glowing star of ice and flame I had called to me pressed against his throat.
“Who said I was evading?” I teased as I let my powers drop, my Phoenix screeching her victory.
“Now that was a show.” I whirled at the deep rumble, my power flaring into my hands as I turned to face the unfamiliar voice. Standing beside a beaming Damien was none other than former Councilman Drake Williams.
“Dad!” Joshua’s voice broke through the shock that had been holding me in place, and I carefully slid off of Theo, holding out a hand to lift him to his feet. I wasn’t the only nervous one. All around us, friends and allies were murmuring and shifting as they watched the pair greet each other with a tight hug. I knew many of those eyes were trained on Damien, observing him for an indication of how to respond, but