looks good when Jade does it," Zeke concluded. "Or her twin."
"Your twin seems like the polar opposite of you," Zackery commented. "No offense."
"None taken," I replied. "You don't know me well enough to confidently say that, though."
"Don't need to." Zeke winked at me. "My gut instinct tells me she's very different from you."
"Just like the persona you try to portray," Zeus added.
"Aww. Are you guys trying to figure me out?" I asked sweetly. "That's cute."
"Immune to pressure." Zion nodded. "I like her."
"I like me too," I replied and turned around, beginning to skip ahead. "Are we going to the change room or..."
My eyes narrowed as my earth magic triggered. My foot that landed on the ground was pushed back; a rock platform shot up a second before it was shattered by a ball of fire.
As I flipped in the air, my wind element activated next, wrapping around me protectively and blocking the shots of fire that tried to obliterate me.
Who was picking a bone with me?
My eyes began to scan the field, noticing the Troubled Four were watching from the grass. They looked confused but began to look around for the person targeting me.
Calling off the wind, I began to fall back toward the ground, but I bit my lip and swiftly turned my body to avoid the sharp shards of ice that shot past me, three of them slashing my arm.
Cursing in annoyance, I resummoned my wind element with a fierce force, creating a mini tornado in seconds that protected me.
I felt a presence behind me, but my body remained calm. Looking over my shoulder, I found Zeke chilling behind me.
Turning around to face him, I crossed my arms over my chest. "How did you get in here?"
"I jumped." He shrugged.
His eyes moved to my arm. "Didn't you just start today?"
"Yup," I replied, watching him as he reached out to take a closer look at my injured arm.
"Making enemies on your first day. Must be nice to be popular," he muttered. Lifting my arm slightly, he hovered his free hand over the injured area, which was beginning to bleed down my pale flesh and onto the ground.
"I can heal myself." I was a little irritated by his sudden affection. Light magic was the strongest but most energy-sucking element out of all eight.
Why spend it on me, a girl he just met and who is now being targeted for no reason?
"You're currently shielding yourself with a tornado while sending ice and fireballs out toward the three individuals who tried to take you down. I doubt you can juggle more than three elements at a time, but I will say I'm impressed with your control and perseverance." Even in his explanatory words, his voice still carried that seductiveness to it.
"Why do you talk like sex?" I questioned.
His hand began to glow a pinkish-white, but his black eyes locked onto mine, a smirk rising from the corner of his lip. "I talk like sex? Your terminology intrigues me."
"Your voice is like chocolate running over strawberries."
"I know what else would look delicious with chocolate running over it." He smirked.
"You're flirting with me," I confronted.
"Glad you notice and don't beat around the bush," he replied, his smirk widening to a smile. "Don't ignore what you're already feeling."
"Aside from the warmth your hand is producing while healing me, and the added wind happening around us, I'm unsure what you're referring to," I teased, but my body knew exactly what he was talking about.
The palpable tension between us was making me forget that someone was attacking us.
Well...me.
His hand moved away; the spot where I'd been scratched was healed to perfection. Taking a single step forward, he faced me. Our bodies were barely touching, but my mind was buzzing, struggling to concentrate on the elements I was wielding.
"What about now?"
Don't fall for it...
"Still don't know what yo—" He closed in, his face inches from mine as his eyes stared solely into mine. They were black with that silver rim, but as the seconds ticked, they began to shift to that dark blood color that matched mine when I used my dark energy.
"What about now, Jade?"
This man was going to kill me with his teasing, but I hated being the one on the receiving end.
Doing was a lot more fun.
That's exactly what I decided to do, closing the distance and kissing him firmly on the lips.
Neither of us closed our eyes, but he kissed me back immediately, not shocked that I'd definitely gone against the common norms and