Page 27 of Flame and Starlight

They both watched me as I tried over and over again to open and close them, reveling in the feel of their weight. Now that I had them, I couldn’t imagine ever being without them. I let myself smile as I felt my ears again, their tips still gently pointed at the end under my wet hair. I felt giddy as I looked at my right shoulder, Asher’s dust now dancing a bit more brightly under my skin. I turned back to them and smiled broadly. Emric let out a laugh, and I bit the air at him, flashing my new fangs. Asher laughed softly.

“I think it’s more of a fair fight now.” I rolled my head from side to side. “Let’s give it a go,” I said and leapt into the air towards Emric.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Emric had time to brace himself, but my newfound strength sent him soaring backwards in the air as my hands collided with his chest. I had really only meant to shove him back a few feet, but I guess I wasn’t quite used to my muscles yet. He flew backwards and landed right on his butt. He did a backwards somersault and landed in a crouched position.

“Whoa,” I said, looking at my hands, and then I burst out laughing. Asher’s mark on my shoulder grew warm, and I looked over at him to find him staring at me with a smile on his face. I reared back like I was going to push him, too, and he threw his hands up in the air.

“Don’t start a fight you can’t finish, little duck.” He had a wicked glint in his eyes that made me think better of it. I let my arms drop. Asher winked at me, and I wondered how so much evil could fit inside someone who looked that handsome. Emric took advantage of me being distracted to come at me full speed and kick me directly in the stomach. The air whooshed out of me, but he must’ve held back because I didn’t go flying like he had. I stumbled back a few steps but thought quickly and used his combat training to start throwing punches and ducking at his.

I got a few good hits and kicks in, but I could feel it when he decided to really push himself into the fight. His punches I was blocking hit my forearms harder, and they kept coming more quickly. I let out a small yelp of excitement, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so broadly.

I ducked to miss another hit, but he changed his tactic and swept his leg down and under mine, and I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me. I groaned through the pain in my wings. Before I could catch my breath, he was on top of me and pressing the point of his dagger he always kept in his belt to my throat.

Asher let out a low growl, and Emric was immediately up and off me.

“Spoilsport,” I said through a cough at Asher.

“Good game, Wheezy. Now the fun can really begin,” Emric laughed. Asher grabbed my arm to

help me up, and even the fabric of my sweater couldn’t protect me from the onslaught of his emotions.

I pulled away from him, and if there was any surprise in his eyes, he covered it quickly. “What was in the forest back there?” I asked

“Let’s go inside and get you dry and warm, first, please,” Asher said, gesturing towards the

castle. I reached my hands up in my hair to wring some of the water out, and little crystals of ice held it together. I conceded and let them lead the way.

“I’d like to be able to get in and out without one of you. If Emric hadn’t come tonight and I had reached the castle in time, I wouldn’t have been able to get in.” Even though both of their backs were facing me, I saw the look they exchanged. I could feel the wariness seep into the air. “Where am I going to go? According to you guys, I’ve got a bounty on my head. Or people want to kill me. I don’t even know how to get back to England, and if I did, I wouldn’t fit in there anymore. Clearly.”

“She’s got a point, Ash,” Emric said. Asher sighed and turned around, stopping to face me.

“The promise you made me out in those woods stands if I allow you this and teach you how to do it.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know you don’t know me and you have no reason to trust me, but I made a promise. I will stand by it. But keep that in mind when you ask things of me. You haven’t earned my trust yet either.”

He didn’t seem to like that but nodded and led us back inside. Walking up to the door, Asher suddenly remembered that Isolde had run off and asked Emric to go get her and then meet us in his study.

“Hey, how do I get these things to go away?” I asked, pointing to the black bat-like wings towering out of my shoulder blades.

“You’ll have to use your magick. Don’t think too hard or you’ll just make it harder on yourself.” He came closer until the only scent around me was his. My head swam, and those stupid butterflies fluttered back to life. “Just tell them to go away.” He took one of my curls and twirled it around his finger. Heat curled deep in my belly. I watched it as he let it fall back to my shoulder. “Close your eyes, Alyssandra,” he purred. My entire body responded to the warmth pooling around his dust on my shoulder. I didn’t trust myself to look at him, so I did as he said.

“And then just tell them to go away?” I asked, my voice wavering more than I’d hoped it would.

“Use your power and tell them to go away for now. Create a space for them in the ether where they can stay until you need them again. They’re part of you and will listen.” I felt his breath on my face and struggled to concentrate.

“Maybe if you gave me a little space,” I said through a whisper. I heard him give a small laugh before the coolness of his shadows gave way. I took a steadying breath, free from him, and tried to steady myself.

“I’ve created a little space for you,” I said in my mind. “You’ll be safe there. Go there.”

The sudden absence of their weight made me take a step forward, my body bumping lightly into his. My eyes opened, and I looked behind me, and sure enough, they were gone. I took a step back.

“That will get quicker with time. They’ll learn to just know when you want them around and when you don’t.” He shrugged one shoulder and took off down the hall.

I knew my way around enough now that I could make it back to my room on my own. Asher, going off in another direction to do Gods knows what, shouted after me that his study was the door down the hall from his bedchamber. I waved back over my head and kept going. I wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of the change I had just gone through or if I just had too much to sort through and process, but I was exhausted.

All this newfound power meant things were going to start changing. I would be strong enough to protect myself now, and Asher would ultimately have to figure out what to do with me. It seemed inevitable that Theron would find out where I was and would either come for me or come for us both. I didn’t like this feeling of being in limbo, between two worlds.

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