Page 25 of Midnight Deception

“Good, now thicken the shield until I can’t see you,” Dune instructs, just as he has been for the last twenty minutes.

My hands shake as I put more energy into it, but nothing seems to change, and eventually, I lose control of the shield. I grumble in frustration as it fizzles out into nothing. Remembering my audience, I look up, panting for breath, and see Dune and Atlas looking at each other.

“This is where she’s getting stuck. I remember you having the same issue. See if you can explain it better than I can.”

Atlas stiffens slightly at the master’s comment but doesn’t object. Sighing, he rubs his chin as he considers how to explain. Our eyes meet, and he doesn’t scowl at me for once. “When you pull your magic towards the shield, instead of adding more to it, imagine it hardening.” Seeing the confusion on my face, he gestures for me to come closer. “Once it’s solid, you can change the thickness. Watch.”

Holding out a hand, Atlas slowly conjures a shield of ice around himself. At first it’s so thin I can hardly see it, then I watch as the ice seems to harden, becoming solid. Frost creeps over it, cocooning him inside as it becomes so thick I can’t see through it. It’s beautiful and amazing to watch—not that I’m going to tell him that.

Unable to stop myself, I reach out and touch the shield, the cold ice biting into my hand. As I pull it away, I see my handprint still visible where my warmth melted it slightly. The frost creeps over the print, causing it to disappear within seconds. The sound of shattering glass startles me as Atlas’s shield fractures into a thousand pieces and he appears before me once more.

He raises a brow in question, and I nod, agreeing to try again. Closing my eyes, I focus on those feelings again. However, once the shield is up, no matter how I pull at my power, it doesn’t change. Too little magic does nothing, and when I push more power, it just causes it to shatter into a million stars. Huffing in frustration, I rub at my brow, wishing the pain in my head would go so I could focus on this.

Master Dune is standing at the other side of the room, leaning against the wall as he watches us, making no move to step in. Seeing that he’s going to be no help, I turn my frown to Atlas. Star whines at my side, and although my mate stiffens, he doesn’t comment. Instead, he studies me with an intense look.

“I can feel your fear. What are you thinking about when you call your magic?” he asks with a frown.

Damn him and our half-formed bond for calling me out. Sighing, I cross my arms over my chest, feeling exposed. There’s no harm in telling them, and they’ll probably find out at some point anyway.

“I’m thinking about the first time I used this magic. That’s the only way I can get the shield to form.”

There’s a brief moment of silence as my words sink in. Movement catches my eye, and I see Dune push away from the wall, his expression carefully neutral. “And your first experience of magic was fear?” he asks quietly, putting two and two together.

I don’t know why I’m suddenly feeling defensive, nor why I feel the need to explain more, but I can’t seem to stop myself.

“Yes, you must remember that I live among werewolves,” I begin, shaking my head as I remember that night. “When I created the shield, it confirmed that I wasn’t fully a wolf. My father and pack never would have treated me differently, but representatives from the council saw me.” The emotions I felt are still just as strong as they were that night. “Magic is a death sentence among wolves,” I continue. “I also learned that I wasn’t what I thought I was and that I’m part witch that night, and it changed my whole life. I was terrified.”

“You’re afraid of your magic,” Atlas says, sensing the issue. He’s right, I am afraid of my magic. I love Star and wouldn’t change her for the world, but the rest of the power I have has only ever caused me grief and pain. If there was a way to get rid of it, I would. Of course, Atlas senses all of this through the bond. Gritting my teeth, I wait for the smirk and snide comments.

“Atlas,” Dune says, his tone both an admonishment and a warning. It seems I’m not the only one to expect this from my mate.

Ignoring the tutor, he strides towards me, his expression still intense. “Take my hand. I’m going to show you how to call your magic.”

I want to step back from him, from the look in his eye and the power that’s rolling through him. He looks like a predator hunting down his next victim. However, I force myself to stay still as he stalks right up to me, holding out his hand expectantly. I have no idea what he plans to do. Is this a good idea? Unsure, I look over his shoulder to take in a frowning Dune. He doesn’t stop us, though, and I’m pretty sure he would if what Atlas was about to do was dangerous. Looking down at my mate’s extended hand, I lift mine hesitantly. As soon as our hands meet, a buzz travels through my body, and I’m aware of another being at the edge of my mind.

“Show me your power.”

I go to do exactly that, remembering what Constance taught me earlier. However, while I didn’t mind having her there, it feels entirely different to have Atlas in my mind, his magic electrifying everything he touches. Part of my mind rebels at having him there, the feeling too intimate. Although I don’t even know if it’s possible for him to see into my thoughts and mind, I panic. There are things I don’t want him seeing. The location of my pack, for example. He’s a werewolf hating witch. He could use that information to hurt my family.

The longer I panic and dither, the angrier I can feel him getting. That’s when I realise that he can sense what I’m thinking.

“You really think I’d do that?” he asks with disbelief. “Use teaching as an excuse to slide into your mind and take information so I can hurt you and your family?”

He abruptly yanks himself from my mind. Gasping, I open my eyes to see him glaring at me. “Lesson over,” he snarls, spinning around and stalking towards the doors, not even looking at Master Dune as he leaves.

Staring at the spot where he just stood, I try to process what the hell just happened, but all I can think of is the flash of hurt I felt from him before he left.

ChapterTen

Sprawled across the couch in my rooms with my arm resting over my face, I fall in and out of sleep. Star is draped over my middle, a warm comforting weight which only adds to my sleepiness. It’s been an exhausting day, and the morning has only just ended. After my disastrous encounter with Atlas, Master Dune let me leave early, and I somehow managed to stumble back to my rooms. It had taken me far longer to find them than I care to admit, but I was just glad to be back in the privacy of my own space. I fully plan on just lying here for the rest of the day and regaining my energy, not caring that I’m going to be missing my history lesson.

There’s a knock on the door, startling me from my dozing. I have no idea how much time has passed since I lay down, it could have been minutes or hours. I almost start to think that I imagined the knock until it sounds again, and I only just hold back my groan. “Come in,” I call without moving from my position, my arm still draped over my face. Given the lack of shouting from the other side of the door, I assume it’s one of the maids, and I don’t need to pretend to be perfect around them, so I needn’t move.

I sense a presence hovering over me and reluctantly open my eyes to find Kano staring down at me with a smile. “Lessons going that well, huh?”

Snorting, I cover my face again, not having the energy to move, even though I’m sure he’s here to tell me off for skipping lessons. Perhaps on another day it would have been different, but today I don’t particularly care if Kano disapproves or not.

“You’ve obviously not spoken to Master Dune or Atlas.” I attempt to make the comment light, but there’s a bite there that I can’t quite contain.

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