Chapter 7
After grabbing a beer at the bar, I stifle a gag at the emerald-eyed blonde hanging on to every word of the male who fought before me in the pit. His head turns my way. I quickly look the other way, the heat of his gaze painting the side of my cheek with an unsettling intensity.
I will not give him the time of day, especially after what Sully said upstairs. Although I never actually agreed to his request, but that’s beside the point. If Sully is warning me about him, he must be real fucking trouble.
I rake my gaze across the room of swaying drunk Fae, spotting the violet-eyed female from the pit.
Lucky me, she survived. She must have gone after me while I was rushing Sully off before all Emberhell let loose.
A bored expression paints her face, which is propped up on her fist as her finger twirls the rim of her flute filled with sparkling Moonwine.
Adjacent to her is a burly blonde male, laying it on thick.
I prowl to her table, scraping a chair along the floor as I drag it next to hers. I plop down, resting my elbow on the table and my chin on a closed fist as her eyes snap to mine. It’s time to have some fun. Time to pretend I’m not a broken mess on the inside.
“Glad to see you survived, Violet.” I smile with heat in my eyes as I watch her pulse along her neck quicken under my gaze. The guy next to me rips my shoulder so I face him. Big mistake. I don’t indulge people touching me without my permission.
“Hey, we’re having a conversation here. Get lost.”
“I think you’re mistaken, Blondie. A conversation implies two people are involved. You were simply talking this stunning lady’s ear off, and she, politely, didn’t leave.” I glance towards her; a blushing smile paints her cheeks. I’ve certainly got her attention now.
Her rosy hue heats my skin, giving me the reassurance I wasn’t wrong earlier when I sensed she enjoys my face as much as I enjoy hers.
The smug blonde male’s voice starts again. “You clearly don’t know who I am—”
I use my air magic to pull the oxygen from his lungs as he grasps for his throat, eyes wide in terror.
“Let me stop you right there. I don’t give a fuck who you are, and I rather think you have squandered enough of this lady’s time.
” I release my hold on the air; he gulps and gasps like a fish out of water.
Very few Elarians can master that level of elemental air control unless they have air Pixie lineage in their veins.
He stands up, shoving his chair from the table. I listen for his movements. By the sound of the positioning of his feet and the way the cloth of his shirt creates friction against the leather, he has the gall to try and punch me.
I stand spinning, catching his fist in my hand. Now we are eye-level, my height matching his in my boots. Still holding his fist, I yank him into me, grabbing his shoulder.
I whisper into his ear, “Don’t pick a fight you know you can’t win, or I will further your embarrassment in front of everyone.” There’s a strange draining sensation in my palm right before I shove him back. His face ignites in flames with fury as he clenches his fists and storms away.
The pub is eerily quiet as I turn back to the violet-eyed girl, smiling at me with beautiful, generous lips. I bite my lower lip slowly, plopping back down in the chair with a confident lean. Finishing off Blondie’s beer before working on my own. I’m not above free alcohol.
“My name is Winx. Yours is Savaé, right?”
“Uh, yeah, actually. How did you know that?” I run my hand over the back of my neck. I’m not used to anyone other than Sully knowing my name, and he rarely uses it.
“Defeating a Ritherin kinda makes you a big deal. Plus, everyone saw the ex-Commander Sully Stonewall going up against Chancellor Ashfel.”
Ex-commander? Wait, that was the Celestials be dimmed Chancellor of Gildorea Universitás of War? Son of a fucking bitch.
My mind muddles like I’ve taken a blow to the head, trying to mince through the mindfuck of facts she just casually stated. I manage to choke out, “That skinny Arabellian?”
“Yep, that’s my dad… unfortunately.”
That comment has me spitting out my beer. “He’s your dad? But your eyes… your hair… uh, sorry about calling him skinny.”
A beautifully warm laugh bubbles up from her chest, warming me like glowing embers. “Don’t apologize. I’m skinny, too.” She giggles. “I got my eyes from my mother.” She twirls her fingers through her lavender hair in a way that drives me wild with lust.
“As for my hair, I dye it, silly. Having white hair really makes the pigments pop. I change the color quite often.” She gives me a flirtatious half-smile as her eyes drift up, like she’s pondering the next color she’ll dye it to suit her mood.
“So, let me guess, with eyes as striking as yours, your mother is a Pixie?”
“Nailed it!” she says with a wink before taking another sip of her Moonwine.
Elarian- or Arabellian-Pixie crosses are a common bloodline choice, known as Lilliac. Named for the various hues of purple that glimmer in their blood, this unique power allows their eyes to flare neon colors.
Pixies’ elemental magic is so strong, you can literally see it simmer through their veins, but they can’t practice the wide variety of minor magics like Elarians.
Cerfios harness the element of earth; they have stone-like skin, almost as though they are sculpted from marble, nearly impenetrable with unnatural strength.
Those born of fire are known as Pyros. When channeling, they can levitate from the heat.
Their hair shifting into roaring flames, while their skin becomes extremely hot to the touch, almost glowing.
Some of the tax-collector guards passing through Estrella told me how they are known to be fierce and eccentric lovers.
Visci have the zeal of water. They gain unusual flexibility, their bones becoming fluid, nearly impossible to strike on the battlefield when trained. Some can even fit through small places and shapeshift. These abilities make them a favorite for the Spycraft division.
Last are those borne from the sky, known as Airias. They conjure air, flying on translucent wings powered by storms, while their hair appears like clouds. Some can even divine the whispers of the wind, the strongest Airia manipulating the weather.
My eyes flick up from my beer to Winx. She is clearly waiting for my next move.
I notice a subtle beating glow in her violet eyes, quickening my pulse with the heat of desire.
I imagine it will be quite fun to watch her power flare as waves of pleasure take hold of her body.
The air shifts between us, molecules vibrating in her radiating heat.
To ease the temperature, as I’m still debating whether she’s worth the risk, being the Chancellor’s daughter and all, I ask, “Did you fight today, or are you just here with your father?” I try to act nonchalant about who sired her, taking another sip of beer.
Her dad must be the one and only Chancellor of Universitás.
I regret my earlier snide comment to him and the fact Sully nearly fucked up my chances by cursing at him.
Maybe I should tread lightly with his daughter before he ensures my death at the next trial.
“I went last today. Killed the Casin with a crossbow bolt through the eye. My father and I aren’t close, but he said I had to do the trials with him in the outlands, where he is trying some new experiments.
Apparently, he needs to keep a closer eye on me.
I have a knack for getting into trouble in Riicah.
I love the electric nightlife. Plus… I like to make things go boom.
Tends to be frowned upon in a big city,” she muses with a flash of darkness in her eyes that pauses her finger, circling the rim of her Moonwine flute.
Her gaze climbs with anything but an innocent blaze, the pulse of her flaring irises speeding up.
Slowly, I exhale, realizing it is giving away the beat of her heart.
How divine. I savor the control this tell gives me.
“A crossbow to the eye. Sexy and deadly.” My eyes lock on hers as she drags her teeth along her lower lip. “Plus a Pyro. I guess that makes you a triple threat.”
She grabs my hand, which rests on the handle of the beer tankard. Heating up, I gaze into her eyes, which are flickering faster, glowing brighter as my beer sizzles.
I smirk at her. “Impressive fire magic to not burn my hand while ruining my beer. Excellent control.”
She pulls her hand away. “Oops. Sorry, I didn’t think about the hot beer.
My father always says I think about the consequences of my actions too late.
” She looks at the table. I can still see the flicker of her eyes, more erratic now she’s nervous.
Almost guilty, as if she’s expecting me to chastise her.
I lift the curve of my index finger to her chin, forcing her to peer up at me as I move in close to her.
There it is, that steady beat again, flickering like embers of a slowly building flame.
Heavens, she’s a fun time I’m struggling to resist. I know there are safer females to sate my need for distraction tonight, but I’d be lying if I said the Chancellor’s daughter doesn’t seem like an Emberhell of a good time.
One that can burn right through all the things I’d like to forget, even if just for a moment of reprieve.
I lean in even closer. “My beer isn’t the only thing that’s hot now.”
Her lips part, just inches from mine, her chest rising and falling, breath quickening.
I arch my eyebrow with a sly half-smile, moving another notch closer.
With the placement of my finger, I can feel the shiver that dances through her, the air molecules vibrating into a mesmerizing hum as the atmosphere swelters between us.
I lean my cheek parallel to hers, tucking the long part of her lavender angular bob behind her right ear.