Mortal Enchantment (13 page)

After more endless roaming, I found a guard who led me to my room. The evening skies outside my window appeared to be made of purple cotton candy. My body was weak, my empty stomach growled. Before I could find food, I needed to clean up. I slipped off the robe and then unpeeled the bandage on my hand. The injury was fully healed. Whatever those creams were, they must have contained something magical.

Next up is a much needed bath. Afterwards, I’ll have to figure out what I can wear to the Ball since my other dress was totally shredded.

Soaking within warm bubbles, I closed my eyes and let the heat warm my aching muscles. My world had been clearer under the poison’s influence. Now, I wondered if Rowan was the traitor. If I was correct, who was his accomplice? He didn’t seem to have any friends here, especially from his own court. But if it wasn’t him, I was sure I’d heard that voice before. His tone was aloof, but terrifying, as if he had no emotion within him. I guessed he was someone with great power.

I had to find out the truth. My next move had to be the right one. For starters, I would attend the council meetings. Based on the conversation I heard, I suspected the traitor would be there. Whether or not it was Rowan remained to be seen. Training with him suddenly seemed more important than ever.

Something told me I would soon be fighting for not only my father's life, but my own.

I got up late the next day. It was difficult to fall asleep with the voices I heard behind the door still ringing in my ears. Who were they? One of them had to be part of the air court. It was the only way someone could’ve gotten close to my father. Someone he trusted. Was it a member of the council? A knight? The possibilities were endless. I rubbed my hands over my face, then I noticed something new sitting at the bottom of my bed.

A plain white gift box.

The poison from the day before must have been in my system a lot longer than I anticipated because I never heard anyone come into my room. I picked up my little surprise for further investigation. There was no note on the outside from the sender. Inside the box, I discovered a canvas colored button-down shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and steel-toed leather boots. It was very urban cowgirl.

I scooted out of bed, trying on my new attire. The loose fitting shirt was thicker than any I owned. I kept a bra and tank top on underneath in case I got too hot. The jeans were skinny cut, which fit my normal style. The boots were just the right size. I wasn't sure why I needed all this, but it was put here for a purpose. I pulled my hair in a ponytail as I headed outside.

Once I got past the archway, I saw Rowan standing near the entrance to the portal leaning against a tree. My eyebrows furrowed as I took in his new, biker-like attire. Instead of relaxed mortal clothes, he wore black leather pants with a matching jacket and a tight black t-shirt. It was rock-band-meets-the-Matrix,
minus the sunglasses. This guy took hotness to a whole new level, but at the same time, something about it made me wonder. Then, a second later, it was clear where my new attire had come from.

I crossed my arms. ‟Next time you come to my room, I'd prefer you knock first.”

‟I did.” The corner of his mouth curled into a half smile. ‟You were passed out and snoring like a wild bear.”

I wasn't sure if I was angry or mortified. There were a few times I had sleepovers as a kid, but no one ever mentioned me snoring. I had no idea if I really made noises in my sleep or if Rowan was just teasing me. I decided to play it off like I didn't care. ‟Well whatevs, just stay out of my room.”

He made his way toward the enflamed entryway. ‟You needed flame-resistant clothing for what I have planned for today.”

‟What exactly do you have planned?” I asked, nerves already building in my belly.

‟We’re getting to an essential part of your training.” He glanced over his shoulder, smirking. ‟I’m going to get you all hot and bothered.”

Heat warmed my cheeks. I was sure they were bright red. Something in his tone made my heart pound harder. Rather than giving him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me, I shook off those feelings, heading through the pathway without saying another word.

We arrived at what had become our spot. Well, it wasn't
our spot
like we were dating and had a special place we called our own. I mean, if we had a spot it would be on the side of the mountain where he finally opened up to me. The beach was where we came to train which was totally different. Then again, the beach was where he almost kissed me―twice. He had pretended like he didn't, but he did.

I was still deep in thought, I didn't notice him standing in front of me with an eyebrow raised, as if he was waiting on me. I seriously needed to snap out of this
thing
I felt for him. He wasn't my type anyway—I didn't even like leather jackets. They were so cliché, but damn did he look good in it. He was all bad boyish with secrets and crazy sword fighting skills and serious family drama from his past. I realized I was doing it again, and I wanted to either crawl under a rock or get the hell out of here. What was going on with me? Why was I thinking about Rowan so much?

It wasn’t even twenty-four hours ago that I considered him a suspect. One of the voices did sound very similar to his. Plus he knew Dad and could’ve easily gotten close to him. Not to mention, Rowan was a warrior. I wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to take down Dad, but I was sure he could put up a good fight. Even with all the evidence, I didn’t think the voice could have been Rowan. Dad saved his life after all. I don’t believe Rowan would hurt him.

I needed to get out of my own head.

Tonight was the Ball and I needed to focus. With Dad still missing, I had to display my elemental power for the air court. I wasn’t sure about the specifics, but I knew the fire queen would throw a fireball at me and it was my job to extinguish it. Judging from my only meeting with her, I was sure she wasn’t going to make it easy.

‟Is it time to start catching some balls or what?”
I did not just say that. Why am I so lame?

He shook his head. ‟Don't try to make this sound simple. Trust me, it's not.”

I sat on the sandy beach, crossed my legs, and leaned back on my hands. ‟Okay Master Jedi flame-thrower, show me what I need to know.”

Rowan flexed his hand; small flares coated his fingertips. ‟Do you know what extinguishes fire?”

I had absolutely no idea. I untied my boots, digging my feet into the soft, warm sand. ‟I must've missed that chemistry lesson. Do tell.”

He stared at his hand, fisted, and the flame went out. ‟Fire cannot exist without oxygen. If you isolate the fire and remove the oxygen, the fire will go out.”

Sounded perfectly complicated. ‟How am I supposed to do that?”

‟I've taught you how to push the air away from you. Now, you need to learn to return it into you.”

A strange mental picture popped in my head. ‟You mean, like a vacuum?”

‟Exactly.”

How was this even possible? It took me days to learn to push the energy out, and now I had only a few hours to learn this new technique. Talk about
Mission: Never Gonna Happen
.

An aching sense of doubt settled on my shoulders. ‟Why didn't you teach me this first? All that other stuff could've waited until I got comfortable with this. Now what am I supposed to do if I can't figure it out? Let the fire queen burn me to death?”

His face turned serious. ‟You can't be taught to take in your power without first learning to control it. This is serious shit we're talking about. Anything can happen if you can’t maintain your center.” He took a few steps away from me, mumbling to himself, then stopped, coming back to where he was originally. ‟You're going to have to trust me. I did what was best for your safety. Now we're wasting precious time. We need to get started. Are you ready?”

He wasn't wrong. I was wasting time, I had no idea what the steps were in a power training. I rose to a standing position with my hands on my hips. ‟Let's get to it.”

‟Find your center like I taught you. Once you're relaxed, think about what it felt like to push the energy out through your arms.”

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. A cool breeze came off the ocean as the waves crashed into the beach. The salty air tickled my nostrils. It was easy to see why Rowan brought me here to train. This undisturbed oasis was perfect tranquility.

Power surged beneath my skin, running from my shoulders to my fingers. ‟I feel it.”

I opened my eyes and he was only inches from me. The silver barbell in his eyebrow shimmered in the sunlight. I jolted slightly when his hands cupped my elbows, sending tingles down the back of my arms. Gradually, he backed up while his hands slid down my forearms.

He lightly clasped my wrists, positioning my opened hands toward the sky. ‟Concentrate on the palms of your hands,” he said, his voice soft and seductive.  ‟Envision the energy you feel pulling something toward you, as if you were taking it inside of you.” He released my hands, backing up a few feet. An empty ache settled in my chest like I had just given away my favorite book.

Rowan cupped his hands. As he pulled them apart, a perfectly round ball of blue fire rotated in the air. ‟I want you to position your hands exactly like mine, but don't release the surge of power you feel.” I nodded, ‟Now, concentrate on pulling the energy inside of you while you slowly bring your hands together.”

I stared at my hands as they moved toward one another. I felt a suction; my hands were like magnets wanting desperately to join. They smacked together with a pop. I glanced up at Rowan. The fire he held was nothing more than a few strands of simmering smoke. I jumped up and down with excitement. ‟I did it!” I looked again just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. ‟I finally made something freakin’ work on the first try!”

He winked and my legs turned to Jell-O. ‟You did great. Unfortunately, Liana isn't going to make it as simple as I did. You have to learn to do that while it's moving.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. ‟You mean while it's being thrown at me.”

He cocked his head. ‟Hence the need for fire resistant clothing.”

Yeah, he was right about the clothes, but I couldn't give him too much credit. The guys’ ego was big enough. ‟OK, so maybe you do know what I need,” I said, lazily shrugging my shoulders. ‟Sometimes.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. ‟Leave no doubt, Jelly Bean.”

A girl gets caught in her Jelly Belly pajamas just once, and she can never live it down.

But did the nickname really bother me? Maybe not as much as I let him believe. Maybe I was only acting like I cared. Maybe I liked his subtle flirtation. Maybe I wanted him to kiss me—twice. Crap on a cracker! There was no point in denying it anymore.

I had feelings for Rowan.

I spent the next several hours having fireballs thrown at me from various distances. By sunset I was covered in sand and sweat. The good news, I managed to extinguish many of the fireballs. The bad news, I couldn't do it every time and I was weak from all the practice.

‟I thought you did really well today. I'm actually impressed.” He used the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe sweat off his brow. The curved muscles of his abdomen were on full display.

The urge to reach over and touch them made my fingers tingle.
Look away before he sees you!
‟I would appreciate the sentiment more if you didn't sound so surprised.”

He paused. I thought for sure he noticed me staring at him. ‟I ran into Ariel this morning and she told me about the poisoned dress.” I wasn’t expecting that.

I cringed. ‟I owe her a serious apology. I said things I should’ve never said. I even accused her of being involved in Dad’s disappearance. I can only hope she’ll forgive me.”

He shrugged. “She didn’t seem to be angry with you when I spoke to her. Mostly, she was concerned about you. I told her you were okay.”

“Well, one positive thing did happen during the fitting.”

‟What?”

‟I overheard a conversation in the basement of the castle. A plan, I think. It had something to do with the Ball.”

His eyes widened. ‟And you're just now mentioning this?”

A genuinely valid statement. Why hadn't I told him the minute I first saw him today?
Oh, right, because I thought he was a suspect. Oh, and his new sexy-as-all-hell look that brought on my inability to think clearly.
‟Well, I'm not exactly sure of what I heard.”

He crossed his arms and with a stern look said, ‟Tell me everything.”

‟That's the thing, I'm not exactly sure who it was or what I saw. I was still feeling the effects of the poison when I headed down one of the staircases and ended up in the castle basement. I heard voices coming from a sealed door. I got down on the floor to try to see who it was.”

‟Who was it?” Blue fire ignited at the tips of his fingers. He realized it quickly, fisted his hands, and the flame extinguished.

The surge of his power made my muscles tense. My body temper rose, which was weird because a cool breeze blew all around us.