Page 11 of A Clash of Stars

As we began dancing, I surprisingly enjoyed it, and for a moment, I had forgotten where I was. The extra spins, the laughs, and then I noticed it. He looked at me like I was everything he needed at that moment, like a breath of fresh air.

I wanted to know what was going on in his beautiful head. I knew his power was extraordinarily secretive and illusive. None of us genuinely knew the capacity to which he could control others with his persuasive magic. That made him even more interesting, not knowing all the parts of him. Mysterious.

“If you keep smiling like that, people might think you like me.”

Evander’s deep voice rattled me to my core. I flickered my eyes back to him and smirked.

“I think everyone knows that…” I paused, leaned on my tippy toes, and whispered, “I loathe you.”

Moving my weight back onto my heels, he swung me to the side for a severe spin. Then, he pulled me tightly into his firm chest. I didn’t try to fight him, mostly because I didn’t want to.

He leaned his tall, muscular body over mine and whispered into my ear, making my hair stand on end.

“Do you remember when all your silky pajamas mysteriously dipped in the creek out back?”

I nodded my head against his jaw. I could feel the roughness of his stubble along my temple.

“I did that,” he whispered.

I pulled myself back to look at him. Shock rippled through me.

“Are you kidding me? You destroyed all my pajamas! They were expensive, and they were gifts. Why would you do that?”

A deep dark, cynical laugh emerged as he spoke, “Ah, Clara, you are so oblivious. It’s because…” He looked at me deadpan, “I think you are a spoiled brat, whiney, and heinously irritating. It’s also because when you sneak out in your scandalous pajamas at night, it causes some of us to be…frenzied.”

I scoffed and tried to pull out of his grip. His hands gripped my arms tighter, causing me to divert my eyes around the room. Then his hand came up and clasped onto my chin, pulling it towards his face.

“Although I think you are insanely irritating in your fighting style, your ‘better than everyone’ attitude, and the fact thatyourparents are challenging mine, you should also know if anyone else did the things I did or said the things I just said about you…I’d kill them.”

I quickly tried to change my thoughts because there was no way Evander would ever honestly want to defend me. In the same breath, he insulted me and flattered me. Why was I feeling these…feelings? Maybe he was controlling my emotions, and I didn’t know it.

What an asshole. I wouldn’t be standing here now if I wasn’t attracted to him. He wouldn’t do anything to defend me. I hate him. Even though his smile is stunning and I know I like it, I have to act as if I hate it.

The dance was starting to end, and I was thanking my lucky stars. It was the final dance because I didn’t think I could exert any more strength or emotion with any of these men.

As I worked up the courage to separate myself from my current situation, an itch scratched the back of my neck, feeling almost like a claw trying to break through.

A second later, I heard this voice inside my head. I didn’t know if it was my thoughts or if I was somehow picking up on someone else’s.

I almost panicked because I thought it might have been Luke again protruding into my thoughts, but Luke was no longer in the room. Who could be reading into my mind? I glanced up at my dance partner, whose eyes had changed into a lightly glowing green, and I couldn’t help but wonder, was it him?

I needed a proper way to find out. Prying into the minds of others wasn’t a specialty of mine. I know with the power of nature that I can sense the emotions of others and control natural elements—fire, air, plants, animals,and water.

I could also have the upper hand in the fighting. I knew this because Griffin and I were the best two out of the bunch in our physical training. We had a knack for anticipating our enemies’ next move and striking cunning blows.

I had heard forest animals’ thoughts before but never other people. It was a first for me to hear someone else’s words other than Luke, but I couldn’t even make out what they said.

The problem I faced was that Evander couldn’t and shouldn’t be able to read my mind. His power is persuasion. He is powerful enough to pick up on emotions, not thoughts. He is a manipulator of emotions through and through. Everyone knew that, but we didn’t know what else he was capable of, and with that man in any position of power was a scary thought.

Instructor Edward dismissed the class shortly after, and the guys sauntered off to enjoy our little free time, but once everyone left the ballroom, I stayed sitting in a tan leather upholstered chair by the window. I heard the heels clack on the tile, immediately knowing who it might be.

“Well, what is Ms. Clara doing all by herself in this big ballroom?”

I laughed and looked up at Luna, my power advisor.

She wore black stilettos that she walked in effortlessly that elongated her legs, showcasing her tall frame. She had silky black hair with soft full cheeks that contrasted against her angular body. Her powerful look matched the wisdom inside of her as she always seemed to have the answers to the questions I asked.

“I just didn’t want to go to my room quite yet. I needed to decompress from our dance class,” I sighed.

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