Chapter 20 #3
I turned to face her, offering her my hand again, a grin toying at the edge of my lips.
She reluctantly closed the distance between us and placed her smooth palm in mine. The discrepancy between our strength meant I could have crushed it like an autumn leaf, but instead, my fingers closed gently around hers and I drew her a step closer.
The scent of her skin was like oak on a summer breeze and I breathed her in despite myself, unable to deny the way my gaze trailed over the hard line of her lips and the musings about what it might take to thieve a smile from them.
“My father taught me how to summon,” I revealed, thinking of him and his rogue grin.
He’d had plenty of enemies in his life, but he had never shown his ruthless nature to us.
He cared for my mother and his children like there was nothing more precious than us in this world.
He’d killed for us. And I’d killed for him in the end.
“I can show you how. But you have to trust me, Ferris, if only for now. For this moment in time. Can you do that?”
“I’m not sure I can,” she admitted, throat rising and falling. This dress wasn’t good enough for her. It paled significantly in the face of her beauty.
“Try,” I encouraged, catching her hand and twirling her under one arm and pulling her flush against my body, taking her other hand too. She stilled in my grasp but didn’t move away and I found I liked the feel of her closeness all too much.
“It’s a thought, nothing more,” I said, lowering my head to speak in her ear. “But it takes courage and a will of pure power. I know you possess that. I’ve seen it in you. But I think you doubt yourself sometimes, Ferris Creed.”
Her chest rose and fell, her answer coming in a soft exhale. “I’m working on that.”
“Work harder.” I called upon the Fox, its fiery nature keenly humming within the amulet. All I had to do was coax it free while keeping a leash on it with my mind, holding it back, making sure it listened to my command.
“It’s important to maintain control of your spirit. The Dragon is yours to summon, lightwing, but it may be volatile. It may resist. But once you learn to force your will over it, it will do anything you ask.”
“You mean it will do anything I demand.”
“Same thing.”
“It isn’t,” she hissed.
I bit back a retort, not wanting to fall into another argument right now.
“Just focus,” I encouraged, inching even closer to her, the scent of her skin enveloping me, her warmth a beat of temptation away.
At this proximity, she would surely feel the rush of the Fox’s power as it raced from me, and perhaps knowing that feeling would be the key to unlocking it for herself. “See if you can feel it when I do it.”
“What do you mean fee- oh,” she gasped as I summoned the Fox.
I told the spirit to leave the amulet with a force of will, a command inside my head urging it to show itself.
The rush of its magic moved closer, welling up within me like a vortex until my entire being crackled with the potency of its fire.
It burst free, pouring from the amulet at my throat in a swirl of flames and landing in front of us, each flicker of fire collecting itself into its fur until the spirit sat beating its tail impatiently.
“Did you see how I did that?” I murmured, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear as the power of the Fox spirit shivered across my skin so close to hers.
A river of energy was humming between us, bridging the gap from my soul to hers, allowing her to feel the very heartbeats in my chest. I could feel hers in kind, thrumming so powerfully, it wasn’t like any heart I had heard before.
Certainly no human’s should beat like that, as if it was dictating life instead of the other way around.
“You must keep them collared,” I urged, lashing the energy spiralling out of the amulet around the Fox with a will of possessive power. “Now you try.”
“Alright,” Ferris breathed, squeezing my hands. She could have let go. I didn’t need to keep hold of her while she did this, but I didn’t release her either, only gripping tighter.
Her hair began to shine, shimmering teal appearing between the strands, alive with the power of the beast she’d claimed dominion over.
The energy in the atmosphere buzzed with a potent power that spoke of the Dragon.
I wanted to see it. I needed to look into its eyes and declare it mine.
Ferris may have been its wielder, but I’d be hers soon enough.
Her concentration cracked and I felt the connection between her and the amulet splinter. She whirled away from me, throwing a hand to her face as if she didn’t want me to read the emotion on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” she gasped, but she dropped her hand and her eyes turned to the window, desperation sparking in her gaze.
“What is it?” I looked that way to where the sunlight gilded the forest canopy. But there was nothing there.
“I can’t fuck this up,” she said under her breath. “Everything depends on it.”
“You’d better try again then,” I instructed firmly, and she tore her gaze from the window, nodding and striding back toward me, thrusting her hands into mine.
She really didn’t need to do that. But as she moved closer, I didn’t let the words of protest pass my lips. I drew my little human into the cage of my arms and devoured the warmth she offered, not daring to let myself wonder why I didn’t ever want to let go.