into J.C.’s office while he’s here...isn’t that what you’ve been after this whole time?”
I let my shoulders drop. My wolf was right there. Topher saw it.
“Yeah,” I said. “Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”
My animal was putting Topher on high alert. He didn’t wait for another word from me. He turned and started running.
The moon rose high. The light of it seemed to enter my blood. I’d waited long enough.
I arched my back and shifted.
I felt the power of the stars and the moon inside of me. My father’s DNA. My mother’s. Thunder cracked and the first drops of rain began to fall.
Yes. She was with me tonight. I let the water cascade down my back. It became part of me. It always was. I reached the edge of the lake again and dug my paws into the dirt. I howled and summoned the magic she’d taught me. In my wolf, it flowed so much easier. A geyser of water shot up in front of me. I let it splash down, soaking me.
Lightning cracked again. A bolt split a tree to the east, catching it on fire. Howling once more, I brought the water down, extinguishing the flame.
Then, a shadow moved in front of me. Swayed. Danced. Gave chase.
My blood heated. The water rose up in a wall. I was out of control.
Fire danced at the corner of my vision. I turned toward it. It was gone. An illusion.
No.
Magic. I let out a howl. A geyser shot up again. This time, I let it crash down chasing the shadows. When the lightning came, it went sideways, dissipating in a shower of sparks.
I shifted. Water poured down my back. “Show yourself!”
And she did.
I charged her. She turned, trying to turn herself into a shadow, but this time I was too fast. This time, I saw her fire plain as the moon above us.
I caught her. Phaedra was soaking wet. The wall of water I’d thrown drenched her to the bone. Her white nightgown clung to her as if she were wearing nothing. Her pink nipples stood on end as she shivered. I realized at once it wasn’t from the cold. No, she was molten to my touch.
“How the hell did you get out?” I asked.
“The window,” she said, gasping.
“You stupid, stupid girl. Someone could have seen you. J.C. would have you killed for this!” Rage thundered through me. I wanted to shake her senseless. I wanted...
Something was wrong. I felt magic flowing through her. I don’t know how I knew, but it wasn’t borrowed. It was coming from inside of her. Her truth slammed into me. It was right there beneath my fingertips.
“You’re a witch!” I said. “My God. You’re a damn fire witch!”
If she meant to deny it, she couldn’t. Sparks skittered across her skin where I touched her.
“And what the hell are you then?” she cried. Fire and fury filled her eyes. I let her go. She didn’t run. Sparks danced between her fingertips. I’m not even sure if she was aware of it.
So much heat. So much power. My God. How had I not sensed it before?
“A spell,” I said. “You’ve been using a damn spell. What the hell are you thinking? Do you have any idea what the Ring would do to you if they found out?”
God. She was teeming with raw power. Elemental heat. So much. So strong. It was like she’d just shown me her face for the very first time.
I should have stayed away. Or maybe I should have summoned J.C. right then and there. She was a prize. A jewel unlike anything he’d likely ever seen. If I did it, if I bargained for her, I had no doubt he’d open the archives and give me any secret I wished for.
My mother’s face swam before me. Her pain. Her truth.
“Did you stand by and let it happen?” she asked.
“What?”
“Rose Kilgore. The earth witch. She was just a kid. Were you the one that buried her?”
“What? God, no.”
It was then I saw the fear in her eyes. She’d followed me out here. How much had she heard of my conversation with Topher? She’d think...God...she’d think maybe I meant to deliver her to this Krall asshole. Just the thought of it brought my wolf raging back to the surface.
Phaedra should have run. Instead, she advanced. She came to me, raising one sparking hand. She slapped me across the face.
“How could you?” she said. She cried tears of fire.
I grabbed her and pulled her to me.