Bloodrage - Helen Harper Page 0,61

him; I was genuinely curious.

“Ah, well, you were actually fighting me that time. It’s a whole different ball game when your opponent is not only using magic but is also seeing things through the veil of emotion.” He inclined his head. “You are a superior fighter to me, of that there is no doubt. Hence you managed to beat me in the cafeteria. And I admit, I am still feeling the effects of it now. However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t still teach you more than a few things to make you an even more effective attacker. Good teachers don’t seek to train their students to be as good as they are, they seek to make them better.”

I was shocked by his honesty, and mulled over his words all the way to the portal for my session with Jacoby Bryant. I even half-imagined that my trip through the portal was less nausea inducing than usual because I was so caught up in thinking about what he’d said and how he’d acted. I’d certainly been warming to Thomas since the previous week, but now I was wondering if I’d gotten him completely wrong. Sure, he’d been rude when I’d first arrived, but then maybe he’d had good reason to be. I tried to imagine what it would have been like down in Cornwall if some unknown mage had shown up because the Brethren had ordered us to teach them to be like shifters. Even for myself as a non-shifter, I knew I’d have been disgusted.

Entering the reception area, and seeing exactly the same girl who I’d barked at and flamed at the week before, made me also half-expect to see Corrigan striding through from round the corridor again. However, this time the girl stayed behind the desk and I felt the briefest flicker of disappointment that the only other person I’d clearly be seeing this time would be the counsellor himself. I told myself that I should be grateful: the last thing I needed was to see the Lord Alpha before our so-called date. He’d probably just make some snarky comments about my attire. Nope, I didn’t want or need to see him. Definitely not. No. No. No.

I discussed with Bryant what had happened during the preceding seven days, leaving out any mention of my now somewhat more doused bloodfire of course, and we spoke about what had worked and what hadn’t. He was pleased with my progress and I felt an unexpected thrill zip through me at doing so well. Perhaps there was hope for me yet. He recommended that I continue with the techniques he’d already shown me, and then I left without further incident.

However, the next morning, when I awoke, I could feel little spikes of flame flickering through my toes and fingers. I lay in bed for several moments, ignoring the discomfort it provided, purely trying to calm myself down and use all the tips I’d been given. Despite the numerous talks Alex and I had had about how to act once I got to Kingsway, I was still feeling nervous and more than a little scared about how it would pan out. I really didn’t want to let him down, but stealing from the undead right now seemed like a suicide mission. I imagined myself keeling over at Corrigan’s feet in dramatic dying swan fashion, and him raising one sardonic eyebrow at me for bringing it all onto my own head in the first place. For one thing, I still didn’t actually have anything to wear. Despite his promises to the contrary, Alex still hadn’t come through with a suitable outfit. At this rate I’d have to squeeze back into Deborah’s micro-mini, which remained under my bed as I’d not quite managed to guiltily sneak back into the laundry yet.

A knock at the door startled me out of my reverie. I reached over and twisted the doorknob, swinging it open to see who it was.

“Hey! Baldi…I mean, Mack! How’s it going? Ready for the big date?” It was Mary, with Deborah in tow. Naturally, they’d gotten wind of my impending evening.

I forced myself up to a sitting position. “I can’t wait.”

Mary shot me a look of suspicion at my unenthusiastic comment. “You know, the reason why you are feeling like this, Mack, is because you haven’t yet been beautified.”

Uh, say what?

Deborah grinned at me. “We’ve spoken to the boys and they’ve agreed that it’s fine to put off today’s training session till tomorrow. So we