CHAPTER 18
We didn’t change before making our way out to the garden.
The sun was starting to set, and the red and orange glow set the flowers on fire as it sank towards the horizon.
I’ve always loved sunsets; they were always peaceful and serene, even after hectic days, and they somehow calmed me.
Zendryk let me take a moment to breathe it in, and I was thankful for that.
He watched me in silence the entire time, saying nothing, until I finally spoke, “Let’s go.”
We went towards the sparring ring again. “Wait, you don’t expect me to fight in this dress, do you?”
He laughed. I was starting to like the sound of it, deep and heartfelt, as he had never known unhappiness in his lifetime. “Although I would enjoy seeing that, I won’t make you do it, but we do need a clearing in case anything backfires.”
Ah, he has planned everything so thoroughly, such control.
“Every immortal has powers related to their houses. I’m sure the Professor went over this a little with you this morning.”
I nodded in response.
This morning, it seemed so far away with how busy today was.
“Usually, we start to develop them in our early teen years and fully reach their full potential in adulthood. Since we’re not sure which house you belong to or whether you even have any powers, we need to explore this further. The first step is feeling the power inside you.”
Walking over to me, he placed a hand over my stomach ever so gently, and I sucked in a sharp breath.
“This is where you’ll feel it first, like a small burst of energy pulling at you.
” He raised his hand to just above my left breast, over my heart, and it sent shivers down my spine.
“Then you’ll feel it here, ready to release into the world. ”
His hand lingered a moment longer than it should have, but I didn’t say anything as I looked up into those eyes that looked right through me to my soul. My heart was racing, and I knew he could feel it.
He lowered his hand to his side and clenched it into a fist, “To start, I want you to think of the houses and see if any of them resonate with you, or if you feel anything in your core.”
Think of the houses? I could barely remember to breathe right now from his touch. Focus, Avyn, focus.
Think of a house, right? Okay, there are seven houses, think! I closed my eyes, and an image of his eyes flashed through my mind.
“Do you have one?” He interrupted my thought process.
“Give me a minute.” I brought my hands together in front of me and felt the raised edges from the emblem scarred into my hand. “House of Darkness”
“Shocking.” He sarcastically rolled his eyes. “Do you remember the types of powers the Professor told you each house has?”
I searched my memory from this morning, “Something about controlling the dark.”
“We can darken our surroundings, manipulate shadows, block out light, sound, everything.”
“Can you do that?” I asked, genuinely curious about what he could do.
A smile reached his eyes. “Yes. However, it took me some time. Think about the nature of darkness, shadows, the night, and see if any of it resonates or gives you any sort of feeling.”
I closed my eyes again and pictured shadows dancing around me, day giving way to night, and darkness surrounding everyone and everything, devouring the light. I waited for a moment, and then another.
I opened one eye in his direction and said, “Nothing.”
“That’s okay, we have six more tries, and as I said, you may not have powers, maybe you skipped the whole power thing.
Why don’t we try something else, some basic powers first, instead of getting ahead of ourselves?
In your spare time,” I laughed at the inclination that I had spare time.
“Fine, when you’re doing something you don’t have to focus on, think of nature and what type of element you are drawn towards.
” He found a flower on a nearby bush and plucked it.
“For now, let’s start with simple movement. ”
“Doesn’t that hurt the flower? Aren’t they alive?” Why didn’t it hide from his touch?
“It doesn’t hurt them; they are alive but don’t feel pain.
If it was not ready to be picked, it would have curled up protecting itself.
” He opened his palm to me, showing me that the flower petals were wide open and fully bloomed, and placed it on the ground a couple of feet away from us.
“We’re going to try to move this flower. First picture, moving it in your mind.”
I was confused. “How do you want me to move it?”
“That’s up to you, you could lift it, shake it, or move it left or right. Do whatever feels right to you.”
What feels right to me? I never thought I would be at the House of Darkness trying to move a flower lying in the middle of the sparring ring. This didn’t feel right or normal in any sense.
“You’re overthinking it. Close your eyes.”
So, I closed my eyes.
“Good, now focus on your breathing.”
I inhaled and exhaled loudly; it came out shaky, and my nerves started getting the better of me. He placed his hand on my stomach; my eyes fluttered open at the contact, and my stomach tightened at his touch.
“In through your nose and out through your mouth.” He said calmly beside me.
Right, because that’s easier to do while he was touching me. His touch sent fire coursing through my body. Focus Avyn. Focus.
I closed my eyes again and inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth.
“There you go,” his voice was calm, low, almost a whisper. His breath caressed my ear, “Now, picture the flower moving.”
I did everything in my power to picture the flower moving, but I couldn’t concentrate with his body being so close to mine.
Okay, maybe if I pictured it blowing in the wind, something I’ve seen before.
The flower blew in my mind, its petals ruffling as the wind hit it.
Then, suddenly, the image of Zendryk pouring water over his bare chest jolted me.
Instinctively, like he could sense what just crossed my mind, his hand flexed on my stomach.
I opened my eyes to find his gaze locked onto mine.
“Your eyes… they change…” His eyes bored into mine.
“What do you mean they change?” Puzzled by what he said.
“When the sun hits them, your eyes drink in the rays; it brings the gold out in them.”
Fuck.
“And in the morning, they are a dark emerald green, and as the day goes on, they brighten. It’s like when sunlight filters through the leaves on a tree.”
Double fuck. His words danced through my entire body, setting it on fire, and at the same time, it sent chills down my spine. My bottom lip got trapped beneath my teeth as my heartbeat quickened.
And then, I stopped myself. I didn’t want to become just another number to him. Remembering the night under the willow tree and what he had done with Jane.
I lowered my gaze and took a step back, causing his hand to release from my stomach. “It’s getting late, and I’m tired from the day.”
Disappointment and a hint of a frown appeared, but then quickly disappeared as he regained his composure.
“We can call it a night then.” He tucked his hands into his pants pockets.
I didn’t notice, but the sun had almost set, and little lanterns were starting to come to life, with fairies bouncing around in them.
We walked in silence back to the manor; the sound of dirt crunching beneath his boots and the chirping of bugs filled the air around us.
Arriving at the hall to my bedroom, he didn’t even look at me.
He wished me goodnight and turned, walking away from me, leaving me standing there in a puddle of my own emotions.