Deathless (35 page)

Dominic smiled. “I’m sorry, no. Nothing can withstand the full force of a volkaane’s heat—not even me.” He recognized the disappointment that darkened Leesa’s face. “But you should already have a bit of innate tolerance to it, and I can train you to be even more resistant.”

Leesa remembered Balin’s surprise she was not more harmed when Rave lost control. She guessed her magic must have protected her at least a little. She turned to Rave and squeezed his arm.

“
You hear that? You’d better get yourself ready for some major making out.”

“
A guy can only dream,” Rave replied, grinning.

Leesa turned back to Dominic. “All of a sudden this magic stuff isn’t sounding so bad,” she said. “Not bad at all.”

“
Yes, I can see that,” Dominic replied, smiling. “But do not be so hasty. Learning to control even a tiny bit of your power will take much effort.” He reached out and gently grabbed Leesa’s arm, pulling her to a halt. His voice turned very serious. “And you must understand, the more you learn, the greater the danger from our enemies.”

Leesa swallowed hard. With visions of kissing Rave swirling in her head, she had kind of forgotten about the danger part for a moment.

“
Is that what you meant when you said I had a decision to make?” she asked. “That I could decide not to have you teach me and just keep dealing with this magic stuff when it pops up as best I can?” She didn’t really like the idea, but thought now that she knew where it was coming from, she might be able to handle things with less stress and worry. At least she would know she wasn’t going crazy—that was something all by itself.

“
That is one choice, certainly,” Dominic replied. “And I will go along with it if that is your wish. But leaving you like that is not one of the choices I wish to offer.”

“
What, then?” Leesa asked, confused now. She had thought she had but two choices: have Dominic train her, or send him away. She was glad to hear there might be a third option, whatever it was.

“
One choice you already know—for me to stay and teach you how to use your powers. That road will be a long and difficult one, and a very dangerous one. Still, it is the path I hope you will choose. But I realize how much I am asking of you. I want to make sure you fully understand the dangers before you decide.”

Leesa appreciated Dominic’s honesty. She almost felt like he was trying to talk her out of choosing the path he wanted her to follow—which meant such a path must be very dangerous, indeed.

“
What’s my other choice?” she asked.

“
If you wish, I can teach you to restrain your magic, to keep it locked inside you. You will not be able to use it, but it will not bother you the way it has been. Once I teach you that, I will go far from here, taking any danger with me.”

Lock up her magic
? Leesa had not realized that was a possibility—a possibility that sounded awfully good right now. She was tired of all this stuff, of nightmares disturbing her sleep and powers she could not control suddenly appearing out of nowhere. She had already done more than any young girl should be expected to do, helping to cure her mom and saving Bradley from Edwina. She just wanted to live happily with Rave and to enjoy her now healthy and happy family. Surely Dominic would understand if she chose to deny her powers, even if it messed up his big plan. Rave would understand, too, she knew. In fact, she thought Rave would probably prefer that choice.

“
What do you think I should do, Rave?”

Rave looked uncomfortable, one of the very few times she had ever seen him like that. She wondered why.

“
I’m torn,” he said after a moment. “My first thought is a selfish one—that I want you safe and as far from danger as possible.” He took both of Leesa’s hands in his. “But you once told me you would never let me risk giving up my fire for you, because my fire is the essence of my nature. So how can I ask you to give up your magic, because like it or not, magic is part of your nature. This is a decision only you can make. Just know I will be by your side whichever path you choose.”

Leesa realized Rave was right—no one could make this decision for her. Nor should they have to. She raised herself up on her toes and kissed Rave on the forehead, then turned to Dominic.

“
I need time to think about this,” she said. “It’s a really big decision.”

“
Yes, it is indeed. I would never rush you into it. Please, take all the time you need.”

“
Let’s continue our walk. You can tell me more about your magic—our magic. Then I’ll think about it tonight and try to have an answer for you in the morning. Okay?”

“
Yes, certainly,” Dominic said. “I’ll tell you all I can about our powers, and then give you as much time as you need to come to a decision.”

They had not gone far when Leesa suddenly stopped short. She grabbed Dominic’s forearm.

“
I just thought of something,” she said. “How old are you?”

Dominic looked perplexed. “I have seen six century marks.”

Leesa raised her eyebrows. She had known Dominic must be two hundred years old at least, but had not expected to hear he was three times that.

“
When you passed your magic on to me, did the age thing come along with it?”

Dominic allowed himself a small smile as he realized where Leesa was heading.

“
I’m not completely certain,” he said, “but to some extent, yes. If you choose to forgo your magic, you will probably still live a bit longer than the average human. If you embrace the magic, it’s possible you could see five centuries or more.”

“
Five centuries?” Leesa could not believe it.

“
Provided you survive our enemies, of course, which is by no means certain,” Dominic cautioned.

Suddenly, Leesa did not care about the danger. All she could think of was having five hundred years together with Rave. She wrapped her arm around his back and smiled. This was the easiest decision she had ever made.

“
I’m in,” she said to Dominic. “Teach me the magic.”

###

Scott Prussing
was born in New Jersey, but was smart enough to move to beautiful San Diego as soon as he received his Master's degree in psychology from Yale University. In addition to writing, Scott enjoys hiking, riding his bicycle near the beach, and golf. He is one of the few remaining people in the United States without a cell phone. .

Contact Scott and learn all about his books at
http://www.scottprussing.com
.