Page 63 of Queen of Vengeance

Either way, Jax was going to have to wow him. “All you have to do is look at the location you wish for the port powder to take you. It has to be within a certain distance and visible to your eye—but I believe with more tweaking, we can get this port powder to do even greater things.”

“I might have missed my calling as a salesman,” he congratulated himself.

“Let me see it work,” Mr. Elfin demanded.

Jax took a handful of the port powder and looked to the back of the office where Mr. Elfin was sitting. He then dropped the powder to his feet and appeared between the window and the chair of the potion producer.

“Great Solare! That is quite an impressive potion, especially for someone so young. I don’t normally sponsor a potionist unless they have an agent present, but I will make an exception with you. You have ambition, and that’s important. If you stick with me, I’ll take you to the top!”

Jax’s eyes watched as Mr. Elfin reached into his desk and grabbed a contract.

Jax was so overwhelmed he could hardly see straight. He always knew he would obtain his dreams but never imagined what it would feel like. It was better than anything he’d ever known.

The fruits of his labor were sweet indeed.

“Of course, you’ll have to move here full-time and get to work immediately,” Mr. Elfin explained as Jax signed his life away without reading the document.

“But what about my school?”

“That’s the question you’re asking right now! You should drop down to your knees and kiss his talons,” Jax scolded himself in his mind.

“You won’t be needing that. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. You will never have to return to whatever hole you crawled out of.”

Jax wasn’t sure how to feel. It was all he ever wanted, but he never imagined the feeling would be bittersweet.

Dask was his home, after all. Even though he was ashamed of it, it was all he had ever known. Maybe that was why more people in his village never left. It was all that they were used to.

“Congratulations, Mr. Ransom. Welcome to the team.”

As Jax reached for Mr. Elfin’s hand, his shoulder began to burn, and not just from the wound inflicted upon him by Zane. This sigil, branded into his back, felt like it was trying to set him on fire. “Thank you. You won’t be disappointed.”

23

LEA

“Lea, did you hear what I was saying?” Dineta tapped my arm, pulling me back into reality.

I shook my head and turned to her with a smile. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“What are you thinking so long and hard about? And you haven’t even eaten your food yet. How were you supposed to heal if you don’t eat?” Her face scrunched with worry as she started doting on me.

Miller pointed his fork at me, flinging a piece of egg across the table. “I know that look. The wheels are turning in your head. You’re thinking of a potion, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?” I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

“It’s the same face you made when you threw together that healing salve for your stab wound. Honestly, I didn’t think you could pull it off. You didn’t have the pick of the litter when it came to ingredients.” Miller analyzed me with just as much suspicion.

“Damn. And here I was, thinking of a potion to help heal your ears.” I watched with delight as his face softened.

“Why?” It was the only response he could manage at the time.

“Because it wasn’t right what they did to you. And you kind of saved my life, I owe you.” I scrunched my nose and rolled my eyes up to the ceiling playfully.

My fork stabbed into whatever congealed meat was sitting on my plate.

Just the mere smell of it churned my stomach.

Usually, I find myself hungry by now.

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