Chapter 11 #3
Stefan bows his head slightly. ‘I apologise if I have upset you. I can assure you that was not my intention. Let us refocus. It is time to see what you are capable of.’
He soon discovers exactly what that is.
Nothing.
Or at least, nothing by choice.
I’ve followed every instruction he has given – the stances, the hand positions, clearing my head and then visualising exactly what I want to happen – but there’s been no luck. Or, more accurately, no control.
Not a single snowflake has fallen from my fingers, and not a single glimmer of newly created ice has formed along the ground.
‘But you have used our magic?’ he asks dubiously, like he doesn’t believe I’m a quarter Issen at all despite the great beam of fucking light that shot into the air last night proving otherwise.
‘Yes,’ I confirm tersely. ‘It tends to happen when I get stressed. Angry. Emotional.’
‘And is it always ice?’ he asks.
I press my lips together, unsure how much I want to tell him.
‘Not always,’ I admit slowly. ‘There was one incident where my friend … he struggled to breathe.’ I hate it.
Hate reliving that moment when I nearly took Jonas’s life, though I was fully raging at him at the time.
It terrifies me to think of what would have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted by Summer, my housemaid.
Despite my obvious discomfort, Stefan’s face remains passive, almost emotionless, as he absorbs the information.
‘You removed the breath from his lungs.’
‘Did I?’ I murmur. ‘It felt like I was suffocating him.’
‘Yes,’ he says simply. ‘That is a very rare gift. Very rare indeed. Our magic is focused on the control of energy. Of removing it from places. It’s a very simplified explanation of what we do, of course, but it’s an apt description of how we make ice, freeze rivers, and shift storms. And yes, some can even withdraw breath. ’
‘It’s energy,’ I repeat, nodding slowly, making a mental note to tell Caz later.
‘So you’re saying this happens when you lose control,’ Stefan continues. ‘When was the last time that happened? The last time you lost control. Perhaps we could try to recreate a scene like that? See if there isn’t something you could have done differently to manage your magic.’
Heat fills my cheeks, and my eyes flicker to Kyor as I struggle to find an appropriate answer.
Kyor’s expression becomes one of pure male satisfaction. ‘I don’t think there’s much we would have changed about that particular scenario, was there, Thorn?’ Kyor purrs. ‘And as for recreating it, I’m not a fan of having an audience.’
Stefan pauses, frowns, then lightly clears his throat as he connects the dots. His pale skin flushes.
‘Right. Right.’ He shakes his head slightly and rubs his temple, as if he’s trying to dislodge the image that has just formed. ‘Well, that’s clearly not an option, so perhaps we should try something different. Tell me, Rose, when I tell you to clear your mind, what do you do?’
‘I clear my mind?’ I offer lamely.
‘Does it become devoid of thoughts? Empty?’
His gaze is surprisingly intense, and I find myself needing to look away. I’m not used to the icy-white eyes of the Issen; it feels as if he sees too much and finds me lacking.
‘I think of trying to make it empty,’ I respond, folding my arms.
Something close to a smile twitches at the corners of his mouth.
‘Ahh. I begin to see our problem. Maybe this will help.’ He steps closer and, with his eyes locked on mine, removes his shirt in one clean motion, revealing a delicious body that looks like it could be carved from the finest marble.
A bolt of lightning flashes across the sky.
‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ Kyor snarls, inserting himself between Stefan and me.
‘Calm down. I am not going to touch her,’ Stefan replies evenly. ‘Not unless it becomes necessary for training.’ His eyes return to mine. ‘She, however, has my permission to feel me. To study my breath. Rose, I want you to place your hand on my stomach. Can you do that?’
I can hear the static crackling off Kyor behind me.
‘I assure you, I am not seeking to do anything inappropriate,’ Stefan adds. It’s ostensibly to me, but we all know the words are for Kyor. ‘I am trying to help you control these powers, and I believe this will help. Help you regain some control over your breath and mind.’
Do I want to touch the attractive Issen’s abs? Not in the way my fingers were desperate to take hold of Kyor last night, but if it gets me closer to being able to do anything with this power of mine, then I’m willing to try it.
I step around Kyor to get closer to Stefan and place my hand lightly against the hard muscles of his abdomen. His skin is surprisingly warm – hot like Ruben’s – and I distantly wonder if Ruben could also have some Issen heritage.
Stefan places his own hand over mine and presses it slightly more firmly.
‘You need to really feel the muscles,’ he says.
‘These powers are all about control. And control starts with the breath. Can you feel my breath? The way my stomach moves in and out? Steady. Controlled.’ He leans slightly closer to my ear.
‘Even when your boyfriend attempts to disrupt the atmosphere.’
When he straightens again, he glances at Kyor and lets out the faintest breath of amusement, as if the two of us just shared some private joke.
Lightning splits the sky once again.