Chapter 17 #2
I continued nodding even as she pulled away from me and uncovered my mouth. I stood up in a bit of a daze, then fought to keep my legs straight my entire way over to the sand bar where Rafe waited.
“Ready?” Rafe asked, his dark eyes looking over me.
I nodded, even though I didn’t feel ready at all.
Skye had already been reading through every old book she owned, and not a single one mentioned anything close to this new affinity.
The only affinates who could wield lightning could control all weather, and there’d only been a few of those throughout history, the most recent being a fucking terrorist.
And an affinity for electricity?
I shook my head. Unheard of.
Although…looking between Rafe and Skye…
Unheard of affinities seemed to be right up our alley.
“So how do the shadows listen to you?” I asked Rafe, his dark clothing in stark contrast to the bright sand. “Because the zappies aren’t listening to me at all.”
“Zappies?” Rafe arched a dark eyebrow, and I swear I almost blushed.
“I thought we were calling them the zaps,” Skye called out. She’d sat down on one of the picnic tables, fussing at her braid.
“That’s also cool,” I grumbled. Rafe chuckled.
“First thing’s first,” he said, taking up a position next to me. “The shadows do what they want.”
“Seriously?” My jaw dropped. “You don’t command them at all?”
“I didn’t say that.” Rafe scoffed, seeming a little offended. “I do command them, but they choose to listen to me.” Then he muttered, “Most of the time.”
I blinked at him. Skye giggled from the sidelines.
“I suspect Skye’s affinity is the same,” Rafe said, his dark eyes darting toward her.
Skye pursed her lips. It was my turn to snicker. Skye liked teasing us, but she really didn’t like being teased back. It was adorable.
“And that’s why I suspect the zaps will be the same, too.” Rafe went on. I frowned. I really preferred zappies. “You need to identify where they come from inside you.”
“My arms,” I said immediately. “It rolls down my arms. Like static. I’ve always felt it, actually, I just didn’t understand what it was.”
“Good,” Rafe replied. “Does it go any deeper? In the chest maybe?”
“No,” I answered.
Rafe sighed. “You didn’t even think about my question.”
“I did, too!” I snapped. “I don’t feel it there!”
“Don’t be upset, angel, he’s just trying to help you.” Skye called out.
My shoulders dropped instantly just at the sound of her voice.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
Rafe grinned as I turned away, reaching for my water bottle. “Does she always make you this agreeable?”
I rubbed the back of my neck before taking a sip. “I’m always agreeable with Skye.”
“Always?” he hedged.
I lifted my head slowly, catching his gaze. His eyes glimmered with amusement and…something else I didn’t know what to think of.
“Always,” I replied, my throat impossibly dry even though I’d just taken a sip of water. “Is that not the case for you?”
“It is,” Rafe said slowly. “I’d do pretty much anything she asked. You, too, for that matter.”
I choked on my water.
Me too? What the fuck did that mean? Anything I asked? Why the fuck was he looking at me like that?
Rafe’s eyes moved over me assessingly, and I found myself holding back a shiver of awareness.
“It’s a shame she didn’t invite me back after our little dance party,” Rafe said, his voice lowered slightly.
“Sure,” I replied. “I assume you were looking forward to showering in the pink bathroom this morning.”
Rafe’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and then he grinned. “Actually–”
“You okay?” Skye was suddenly very close to us, surprising me.
“Yeah,” I replied quickly. “All good.”
“Good,” she said slowly, her silver eyes darting back and forth between us like she knew I was lying. She was probably ready to throttle Rafe, though, since she wasn’t sure exactly what was making me uncomfortable.
“Anyway,” Rafe stretched his arms, his voice back to normal. “The best thing you can do is practice focusing your control on the affinity when you feel it coming to the surface.”
“It only does that when I’m pissed,” I said.
“So, next time you’re pissed, take a moment to practice.” Rafe said with an eye-roll. “Any time you feel that static, try to focus on it.”
“Maybe we should have brought Wyatt,” Skye sighed.
My stomach dropped. I whipped around to face her. “What? Why?”
She shrugged. “Maybe he could have helped. He could get in your head and–”
“No fucking way,” I hissed. What the fuck was she even suggesting that for?
I’d never actually been irritated at Skye before, and the anger washing down my spine bothered me. I didn’t want to be pissed at Skye. She had to mean well–
“There it is,” Rafe’s deep voice pulled me out of my head. “Any static?”
I blinked several times. “What? Yeah, I…”
Holy shit.
The static sizzled along my palms, and I quickly tried to focus. I imagined holding it in my hand like it was my fire, a little ball of light. There was a soft sizzling sound, and a few sparks danced in my palm. I jumped slightly, and they fizzled out completely.
“Fuck,” I grumbled.
“Aiden, you did it!” Skye threw her arms around my neck and smacked a kiss on my cheek. “I’m sorry I did that.”
“What?” I grinned at her. With her hanging on me I’d completely forgotten why I was mad at her. Wait…was I even mad? I frowned.
Rafe chuckled from beside us. “It was a good idea, love.”
“I only mentioned Wyatt to piss you off,” Skye explained. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”
Oh.
“I’m not mad,” I replied with a chuckle. “I need to find a new way to summon it, though. I can’t always count on being pissed to use it, or even just practice.”
“I know,” Skye reassured me, then kissed the corner of my mouth. “You’ll get better, I know it.”
I chased after her mouth with mine, smiling against her lips when she laughed. “You can’t put your lips on me and not expect this,” I said.
“I’d expect nothing less,” Skye replied, laughing as I nuzzled against her neck. She pulled back, turning toward Rafe, who was watching us with a smirk. “Thanks for the help, third wheel.”
Rafe’s smirk grew, and he looked away with the shake of his head. Then his expression dropped as he ran a hand through his hair. “So, are you holding up your part of the deal? Dinner?”
Skye sighed dramatically, but then grinned. “Sure.”