Page 71 of Shattered Illusion

I snort a laugh, unable to hold it back. "Nah, he knows he's the only one for me. No one can quench my thirst like he can."

Thaddeus shoots me an incredulous look as he presses his hand to the electronic mechanism next to the door, admitting us into the same containment room we used the first time. But unlike the first time, I'm nowhere near as nervous now as I was then. It's easier to enter the room this time, too. I'm more than prepared for the thick molasses feeling, and it doesn't scare me as it once did.

After placing my to-go mug and hoodie against the wall, I move to the middle of the room, stretching out my arms and legs. There's a slight burn in my muscles from all the crap we do in combat class, but damn. It feels good.

"Alright, sunshine. We both know you can do fire." I snort again. "And you've got portals and speed down."

"And healing," I chime in, even though my healing isn't fully up to snuff. I can do it, but it takes a crap ton of magic to achieve and I don't have the stamina for it. Yet.

"And healing," he agrees, flashing that grin again. "Are there any you really want to work on right now? Any that you've been wondering what they do that I haven't mentioned."

"Yeah." Even though Thaddeus can see through his own glamour shielding my body, I carefully pull off my snowflake necklace, slipping it in my pocket for safekeeping. Never again will I allow someone else to remove it for me. Not after Jasper's office and running away without it. "This one." I tip my head back, tracing my fingers across the wavy lines on my throat. I've looked at them enough to know exactly how far apart they are, where they curve up and curve down. I'm just not one hundred percent certain what it does. But I have an idea.

"I'm so glad that's the one you chose. I actually just uncovered its meaning last night." Giddy anticipation roars through my veins at the prospect of finally knowing. "It's anamplifier." He joins me in the middle of the room, his own fingers tracing the lines around my throat. I have to suppress a shiver at how amazing his touch feels. The man is taken, and I shouldn't be enjoying this as much as I am. "Here." Both of his hands come up, tucking under my hair and softly pressing the tender spot right under my ears. "If used correctly, it will amplify your hearing, so you can hear much further distances than you can now. And I'm talking even further than any supernatural can." His fingers follow the pathway, up and down, until he reaches the middle of my throat. "And here, it can amplify your voice."

I swallow hard, sure there are hearts in my eyes, but fuck, there's something about this man that makes my insides all gooey.

Dammit.

I clear my throat, stepping back and putting much-needed distance between us before I say screw it and ruin his relationship for real. But I’m not a homewrecker, and I would never do that to him. He’s done way too much for me to think about interfering in his personal affairs.

"So same process for this one, yes?" Is my voice breathy? Fuck.

Stupid smurf.

"Y-yeah," Thaddeus stutters before scurrying back to the wall, leaving me standing in the middle alone.

I give myself one last glance at the handsome blue man, even though I shouldn't, before closing my eyes and seeking out my magic. It's there, right behind my heart, zipping around happily and ready to be used.So pretty,I coo in my head, watching as it reacts to my words by brightening, almost like a preening peacock. I giggle at its antics before mentally asking it to help me. It knows we aren't in danger but follows as I ask, goingstraight to my neck. The tender flesh of my throat heats, and Thaddeus sucks in a sharp breath, telling me it's working.

Quick-witted, I belt out, "I’m blue da ba dee da ba di," immediately clamping my hands over my ears as the sound bounces off the walls and filters through my ears at decibel levels I shouldn't even be able to hit. Thaddeus grimaces, clutching his pointed ears to shield himself from the noise. Or my singing.Jerk. So sue me if my singing voice isn't the best. At least I'm trying to have fun with it.

Once my garbled singing dissipates, I release my magic, giggling at the ticklish feeling it makes as it collects right back behind my heart.

"Great job, sunshine. You got that on the first try." Thaddeus claps his hands, and that lopsided smile he seems to reserve for me—wishful thinking, I know—makes an appearance. I curtsey, super freaking proud of myself for actually getting it, earning a loud guffaw from the blue fairy. “Are you ready to try the hearing part of it?”

“Is there something I do differently?” I shove my hands into the pockets of my joggers, my chin hitting my chest as I scrape my toe across the floor. My nerves kick up, drowning out the pride I was just feeling. What if I fuck it up? What if I can’t do this part? I just want to be successful—or hell, I’d be happy with semi-successful—at everything we try today.

“Hey.” Blue fingers grip my chin, tilting my head up. Ice blue eyes stare back at me, concern darkening those frosty orbs. “It’s all a learning process, sunshine. You’re doing amazing so far. Remember that. You came from knowing nothing, and now you’re hitting milestones that other newbies could only dream of.”

Well, shit. Why the hell does he have to be so sweet about it? Can’t he be dickish about it sometimes like the crappy professor?It would make this crush I have on him a hell of a lot easier to deal with.

“But to answer your question, I don’t know.” Thaddeus shakes his head, his long white locks bouncing around his broad shoulders. When he finally releases me, stepping back, my breath whooshes out of me, not that I knew I was even holding it. “Try focusing on the sense as you send it to the rune. You know you want to hear further, so focus on that while you do it.”

“Okay.” I shake myself out of my funk, closing my eyes.

“Bailey.” My eyes snap open, finding Thaddeus further away than he was. “Try doing it with your eyes open. You won’t always have the chance to center yourself before you use it. So you should practice it without looking within.”

He’s right. Dammit. I hate that he is. I’ve done other things without closing my eyes, so I’m not even sure why I do it.

“Okay,” I murmur, keeping my focus on him. Which isn’t hard. He’s pretty damn handsome to look at. For you know, a blue Smurf.

Following his advice, I keep my eyes wide open, and in my head, I ask my magic to cooperate, coaxing it to the rune around my neck again. It warms my skin, but as I think about sound, the heat shifts, coiling beneath my ears.

Immediately, it’s like someone turned up everything around me. Thaddeus’ breathing is loud in my ears even though he’s across the room. A growl rumbles loudly from somewhere else in the hallway, and it’s so dang loud, I can almost swear they are in here with us.

A quiet whisper kicks up from even further down the hall, drawing my attention. It’s way too low for me to make out what’s being said, so I push hard, strain more until it finally comes in clear.

“I know he’s cheating on me. I can just feel it. Gah. Why am I so stupid? Why didn’t I see this sooner?”My brows furrow,wondering who the heck this person is and who is cheating. She sounds almost familiar, but I can’t seem to place where I’ve heard the voice before. Maybe if she wasn’t whispering, it’d be clearer.

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