Page 71 of Cruel Destinies

“Even in darkness, you’re still so beautiful,” he said softly.

I nestled my face into his hand, savoring his touch. I didn’t want this moment to end, but I knew it had to.

“I, um... I have to go,” I all but whispered. “I’m supposed to present my skills to your dad.”

“I know,” he said behind audibly gritted teeth.

“But I’ll come see you after. We can do more of this.”

I lingered against his broad chest for a moment longer, then pulled away and reached for the door knob. The door opened just a crack, but Tobias put his hand on my upper arm, gently stopping me.

“Wait. About the presentation... Don’t show him your siren voice.” In the half-light the cracked door cast on his face, he looked dead serious.

I didn’t ask why. Tobias knew his father better than I did. If Tobias was asking me to fail at that task, there must be a good reason.

I nodded. “Okay.”

Relief smoothed his face, and he dropped the arm that kept me in the room. “See you tonight.”

My senses still tingling from kissing him, I skipped to the private training room where I was due to meet Caesar and General Dracul, my steps getting smaller and slower the closer I got.

I opened the door. Along one wall of the small room was a row of chairs in which sat Caesar, Celeste and the intimidating man I’d only seen on screen before.

He was a large man, not just in height like Tobias, but also in girth. He looked like a tank. He had Tobias’s same char-black hair, the same serious look in his eyes, even if his were a darker shade of amber than his son’s. He radiated the same sort of aura, hot and powerful, like authority and pride and smoke merged together.

Next to them stood Niko, dressed in a military uniform and standing upright and stiff like a statue. Although, he did smirk and wink at me when I entered.

Along the opposite wall, standing on matching pedestals, were two steel bowls, one full of water and the other cradling blazing embers. I knew what those were for. And against the adjacent wall stood a rubber sparring dummy. I knew what that was for, too.

Upon my entry, all three rose from their chairs. General Dracul stepped forward and offered his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you at last, Miss Walker.” His smile was all charm, of which I’d seen whispers of in Tobias. The smile wasimmediately disarming, but my intuition told me not to drop my guard.

I shook his hand, surprised by the strength of it. “Thank you,” was all I could think to say.

“I have never met a chimera, so this is indeed a great honor,” he said, laying it on thick. “It would please me beyond words to see you demonstrate your skills. After all, our future lies in your lovely hands, and the soldiers I represent need to know your education is on track to help us win this war. If you’d be so kind.” He held out his hand toward the pedestals.

I nodded and stood in the space between the two. I stole a glance at Caesar and Celeste, both giving me nods of encouragement.

Light was the element I was most comfortable with, and with Tobias’s hot kiss still fresh on my lips, fueling it would be easy. I allowed the memory of seconds ago to fill me up, inviting the sheer jubilance of being his to overwhelm me. Then I turned to the flames and beckoned their light toward my open hand.

Just as countless times before, the light slithered out of the flames, as if being sucked through the air, and swirled into my palm. Turning toward the dummy diagonal to me, I tightened the light into a ball and hurled it. The orb shot through the air like a bullet and smashed into the dummy’s rubber chest, sending it crashing to the floor.

I turned to my audience to gauge their reactions. Celeste wore a pleased semi-smile, but both Caesar’s and General Dracul’s faces were unreadable. My eyes flicked toward Niko to see his brows were as high as they could go and his jaw slack.

When no one spoke, I turned toward the bowl of water. I wasn’t as confident with this skill, but I knew I could do simple tricks with the water, which would have to suffice. Closing my eyes, I focused on the water in the bowl and imagined that it was a part of me, just as Letti had taught me.

Then, as if I was raising my own hand, I willed the water to lift out of the bowl. I didn’t have to look at it to know that it had pulled into the air. I could feel it like a limb. I commanded it to stream like a mercurial banner, flying above our heads in a circle before returning to pool in the steel bowl.

Again, when I was finished, I looked at my audience of four. The water trick was obviously less entertaining than the light attack, but it was the best I could do, and though the faces of my superiors were masks, Niko didn’t look impressed. Then again, he was a dragon, and water rarely impressed them.

The general leaned forward and looked at Niko.

“Candida, approach Miss Walker,” he ordered.

Niko frowned in confusion, but he did as he was told. I felt as questioning as Niko looked.

“If you would, please demonstrate your siren voice on young Candida here,” General Dracul requested.

---