Page 5 of Elemental Hope
“Evrain! Put that poor boy down and get your incompetent butt over here! We have work to do.”
Dominic shook with laughter.
“Shit.” Evrain turned into his godfather’s intimidating glare. Gregory was standing by the garden gate, tapping his long fingers impatiently against the rough wood. His expression softened when he met Dominic’s eyes. Dominic imagined his tousled, damp hair and kiss-bruised lips told their own story.
“Good morning, Dominic.”
“Hello, Gregory. You’re early.” Dominic grinned. He liked Evrain’s godfather and his partner Coryn a lot. They were always kind to him and treated him like an equal despite Gregory being another powerful warlock. As Gregory’s life partner, Coryn was one of the few men alive who could understand Dominic’s position and what he went through every time Evrain used him to channel his power. Evrain, however, they handled with less sensitivity. Gregory had extracted Evrain’s promise that he would accept training from him and he took that promise very seriously. He imposed the harshest discipline and Evrain was expected to accept his word as law. Love was at the root of it, Dominic knew. Training Evrain to use his prodigious talent could be the difference between life and death for both of them. Dominic could tell Evrain hated it, but he submitted anyway, keeping his dominant nature at bay.
“It is fortunate that I wasn’t here any sooner, I can see.” Gregory scowled in Evrain’s direction. “What are you waiting for, boy? We have a long day ahead of us. I hope you haven’t exerted too much energy already.”
Evrain squared his shoulders with a sigh, straightened his clothing then walked toward his godfather. Dominic gave a low chuckle and received a scowl in return along with a muttered, “I’ll deal with you later.”
Dominic turned to the garden. He strolled to the shed that housed most of his hand tools. He unlatched the door and let it swing open. The scent of earth and wood enveloped him. He breathed deeply, the familiarity of it comforting. A small spider dropped from its web on a line of almost invisible silk to dangle in front of his face.
“Well, hi there.” Dominic ducked under the spider. His favorite spade was propped against the wall. He rubbed his hand along the smooth grain of the wooden handle—it was warm to the touch. He’d always found he preferred tools made from more traditional materials. They were heavier but felt better in his hands. He picked up the spade then left the cool dark of the shed and returned to the sunshine. At the back of the property was a large plot he planned to dig over ready for late summer planting. Monotonous, heavy work would help him when Evrain began to channel, which he was doing more and more in his sessions with Gregory. He picked a spot to start, stamped the spade into the earth and waited for the pain to begin. It didn’t remove his ability to work but the sensation was nowhere near as enjoyable as the erotic pain Evrain inflicted. For that, Dominic had a much higher threshold. His nipples twinged at the thought, making him smile.
Evrain followed Gregory to the other side of the cottage where a small copse of trees stood alongside a field of rough grass. A stream bubbled at its far end, water bouncing across stones polished to a diamond shine. In the center of the field two huge, granite boulders sat brooding—the lone remnants of an ancient medicine wheel, as Gregory called it. ‘Stone circle’ was the term Evrain recognized.
“Your grandmother and many generations of your family have lived here for good reason, Evrain,” Gregory said. “The confluence of ley lines beneath the stones provides a valuable source of restorative power.”
“I know. My grandmother spoke of it repeatedly. She used to come and sit out here a lot.” Evrain trailed his fingers across one of the stones. “You haven’t brought me out here before.”
“Things are changing, Evrain. It’s a good place to train you. It should help your focus considerably and we need to move things along.” His forehead creased into a frown. “Now, I want to see your warm-up exercises. I do hope you’ve been practicing.” Gregory sat on the ground with his back against a boulder. He crossed his ankles, looking for all the world like he was on a relaxing day out. All he needed was a Thermos flask and picnic basket to complete the picture.
Evrain rolled his eyes but held back the sarcastic retort that rose too freely to his lips. He calmed his thoughts then started to manipulate his fingers, twisting them into shape after shape. Glistening droplets of water formed in the air. They hovered in place while tiny flames appeared alongside them. Wisps of wind formed miniature tornadoes, dancing and spinning. Evrain braced himself, legs set apart. He changed his movements a fraction and a dozen small stones rose from the ground to join the display. It took intense concentration to manipulate all four elements at the same time. Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead as his fingers flickered faster and faster. He couldn’t stop to wipe the moisture away. Unless he channeled, this was the physical equivalent of running a marathon with a bag full of rocks strapped to his back.
Gregory gave a heavy sigh and got to his feet. He walked around Evrain in a slow circle, then his long fingers flickered into action and tiny sparks began to hit Evrain’s exposed skin, his face, neck and hands. Yelping, he lost concentration andstumbled. The flames extinguished, pebbles dropped to the ground and an uncontrolled gust of wind blew the water droplets into his face.
“Fuck it!” He batted at his skin where the sparks had hit him, rubbing away the small hurts. Impatiently, he wiped water and sweat from his face and glowered at Gregory.
“Adjust your attitude, boy. Look at me with respect.”
Evrain kicked at the ground. He didn’t appreciate being called a boy but knew that to Gregory he was just that. He cast his eyes down. “I apologize.”
Gregory grunted his acceptance of the apology. “You are too easily distracted. You lack discipline. If you cannot master even these simple tasks, how do you expect to control your full strength? You have too much power to be careless, Evrain.” He squeezed Evrain’s shoulder lightly. “Why didn’t you channel?”
“Because I don’t want to hurt Dominic unless I really have to.”
“I’m afraid you do have to. Just as I hurt Coryn—though he barely feels me after all these years.”
“The sensation fades?” Evrain was genuinely curious.
“It did for Coryn and I’m sure it will for Dominic. Does he suffer greatly?”
“He says not.” Evrain scuffed his foot into the grass. “I don’t believe him.”
“Well, you should. Dominic’s not the kind to lie just to salve your delicate feelings. He understands his role and has accepted it. He knows you love him.”
“I feel like I’m using him.”
“You are. I’m not going to pretty it up for you, Evrain. But you need him and he has the strength to be there for you. You have to trust him just as he trusts you.”
Evrain knew it was true. He nodded.
“Good. Now take your shirt off. I’m an old man and I need a bigger target.”
“Charming.” Evrain stripped off Dominic’s shirt, immediately mourning the loss of his scent. Ferns rose around his ankles. They twisted around his calves, holding him in place.
