abandoned me and Dad to supposedly rescue Ivy from the clutches of her evil parents. "Okay, so how do I store the magic?"
Bella leaned back and balanced her chin on a hand, eyes distant with thought. After a moment, she pursed her lips and said, "How do you fill yourself with emotional energy?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. My tendril sucks it in automatically, like I'm drinking with a straw."
"Perhaps you could do the same with the magical energy?"
"Sure, why not?" I closed my eyes and reached into the place inside where I caged the demon and loosed my senses. When I opened my eyes, I saw the wondrous universe of magical energy again. Extending a tendril, I made contact with a puff of magic. The tingling sensation made me feel giddy as it curled around my probe and melted into it. Other particles of magic drifted toward the curling strand of my essence, drawn to it like a magnet. Soon, the air around it was hazy with energy.
"I'm doing it," I said with a jubilant shout and pumping a fist in the air. "Booyah!"
Bella squeezed my hand. "Great job, Justin."
I glanced at her and saw a similar haze around her aura. "Are you drawing in magic, too?" I asked.
She tilted her head. "How did you know?"
"I can see it melting into you."
"Within a minute or so, you should feel full, as though you've just eaten." She patted her stomach as if to illustrate her point.
"If it's anything like when I feed on emotions, I don't feel full so much as I just don't feel ravenous anymore." I really wasn't feeling full at all from drawing in the magic except the exhilarating rush of energy as it flooded along my senses.
"It shouldn't take long," Bella assured me. "Most new practitioners have a much smaller well which expands with use. You have to stretch it little by little or you might feel sick."
I continued to draw in magic, watching as it flowed from the tiny veins in the floor, up to my tendril, and into me. After another minute, I gave Bella an unsure look. "I don't think I'm doing it right."
She touched my chest and spoke a word, closing her eyes in concentration. "I sense energy in you, but I'm not very good at determining how much magic you've drawn in. Someone versed in arcane healing arts, like Meghan Andretti, could probably tell you more." She opened her eyes and smiled. "In any case, you probably have enough energy to work with."
I closed my eyes and walled up the demon part of me. I wondered sometimes if it was really a part of me, or if I had an alien presence living within. It brought a whole new meaning to the term "inner demons".
"By the way, you need to practice absorbing magic without closing your eyes first."
"But I have to close my eyes so I can concentrate."
Bella offered an apologetic smile. "I don't expect you to get it down pat today, but if you're in a situation requiring fast thinking and magic, you won't be able to close your eyes and concentrate."
My heart sank a little. "Dang. I thought I'd really improved."
She squeezed my hand. "You're doing great, Justin. You just learn differently from anyone else I've ever taught."
"He's definitely different," Elyssa said with a wink.
I stuck out my tongue at her. "Ha, ha."
"I'm going to make some tea and then we'll resume lessons," Bella said, and left the room.
Something prodded my leg from within the front pocket of my jeans. I leapt to my feet and felt inside, finding my new phone. "What the hell?"
"What?" Elyssa said.
"My phone poked me in the leg."
"Oh, you must have it set to poke instead of vibrate."
I glanced at the caller ID, but it was blocked. "Hello?"
"Justin, it's Felicia."
Adam Nosti's little sister, who just so happened to also be a vampire. I sucked in a breath. "Are you okay? Are you still spying on Maximus?"
Static crackled in the receiver, obscuring some of her words. "…don't have time. Maximus has something new for recruiting." More white noise obliterated whatever she said next.
"I can't hear you," I shouted into the microphone. "Reception is really bad." I turned on the speaker so Elyssa could listen in.
Felicia's voice cut in for a second then back out, leaving us in silence. I thought I'd lost her, when suddenly, she was back. "I don't know if you can hear this, Justin, so I'll repeat it again. Maximus has some kind of