Page 6 of Wooing the Wiccan
Shaking off my disappointment, I open my eyes. It’s fine. I knew this was going to take me a while to get the hang of. I’ll give myself a moment and then try again.
And again.
And again.
On my fifth attempt, it’s harder to let go of my frustration. I should be feelingsomethingby now, the tiniest touch of air.
“Hello again.”
I look up into solemn gray eyes and wish the spell had worked so I could have shown off for Raðulfr. It’s childish and ridiculous, but I wish it all the same.
“Hi. Uh, are you having a good time?” Mentally, I kick myself. At least Lynn’s too busy with her spell to laugh at me right now.
Raðulfr nods. “I am, actually. It’s delightful to see you all discovering this part of yourselves.”
That gives me a warm little feeling. “How was it for you?” I ask impulsively. “When you first learned.”
He makes a humming sound and slides into the chair beside me. “I can barely remember; it was so long ago. I felt… It was like all my life I’d been hearing music from afar. It was muffled, unclear, but still beautiful. And then as I learned spellcraft, the music became clearer and clearer, until I was standing in the midst of the most amazing symphony.” He grimaces. “The actual learning part was frustrating. It still is—whenever I try a new spell, I feel as though a door slams closed between me and the music, and I have to work to get it open all over again. It’s worth it, though.”
“It is,” I agree, though my smile is rueful. “That’s a great analogy. I like it a lot more than mine, which is that I’m shackled and can’t use magic until I get myself free.”
A tiny frown flickers over his face. “Do you feel shackled by your life?” he asks quietly, surprising me.
“No. I mean… not really. No.”
He watches me steadily and says nothing. I blow out a breath. “Not shackled, exactly. I have a good life that I love. There are some things that are still out of reach, but hey, that’s normal, right?” I chuckle, but even to me it sounds forced. Definitely not putting my best foot forward tonight.
CHAPTER FOUR
Raðulfr
Jared’s facewears a clearly uncomfortable expression, but I can’t let go of this subject yet. Perhaps I should—definitely, I should—but it’s been a long time since I met someone who so instantly fascinated me in this way. There’s physical attraction, yes, but that’s easy enough to disregard. It was the way he so genuinely tried to learn my name that captured my attention. People who show true respect for others in that way are far rarer than they should be.
Truthfully, though, his looks do have something to do with it. His narrow features are interesting, but it’s the warmth in his brown eyes and the wild way his dark curls tumble over his forehead that appeal to me the most. He’s handsome in an approachable way.
I’ve been watching him for the past half hour. Even when I was helping others, part of my attention was on him. There are differences between the way humans use the life force and elf spellcasting, but we share enough similarities that I can see what he’s trying to do. He has a lot of “magical” strength, and it’s easy to tell that he’s been diligent about practicing and building his ability. So far, these are all things I can respect deeply, and they just add to the interest I feel.
“It’s in the nature of beings such as us to constantly be setting new goals and dreams for ourselves, especially when we attain the old ones. There will always be something that seems out of reach—and perhaps it is. Perhaps it will stay that way. The important part is how you cope with the knowledge that you may never reach it.” I stop abruptly. I’m so used to giving counsel to my people that I’d forgotten for a moment that Jared isn’t one of them. To him, I’m not the life force’s representative to our species—I’m just a man he barely knows who’s presuming to give him advice he never asked for. How embarrassing.
I sneak a glance toward the corner where Ari, my guard today, is standing behind some clever spellwork that hides his presence. Sure enough, he’s watching with a big grin. This is definitely going to be discussed during the daily security briefing.
Holding in a sigh, I turn my attention back to Jared and say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lecture. Force of habit.”
To my surprise—and pleasure—he chuckles. “Please don’t apologize. You’re right. There are some things I may not ever get, and I still haven’t processed that. I guess that contributes to the whole shackled thing.”
Emotional maturity is so refreshing. I try to guess his age, but that’s something I struggle with when it comes to humans. He’s not old, but perhaps settled enough into life to understand himself.
“Do you think that’s what’s stopping me from manipulating air?” he asks, and I blink in surprise.
“No. You almost have it, in fact—a few more attempts should see success. Do you want to try again?”
Squaring his shoulders, he inhales deeply and nods. “Yes. Would you watch? Let me know if I’m getting off track?”
From what I’ve seen so far, he just needs to persevere, but I’m reluctant to give up the extra few moments with him, even if he will be concentrating on something else. “Of course.”
He smiles at me and then closes his eyes. I see the way the life force moves around him as he draws it to him in preparation for shaping it to his purpose. His lips move, and though I’m sure he never intended for me to hear, elf hearing is better than human. Not as good as shifter, or even vampire, but still good enough for me to catch the words of his spell. The life force reacts to his intent, a little more strongly than before, but not enough.
Jared opens his eyes, his mouth twisting into a disappointed smile. “I’ll keep trying.”
