Page 49 of Fated for Dawn

I frowned. “Like my sword?”

“Exactly,” he said. “It responds to your fire. Maybe it can do the same with lightning, make it easier to control.”

That made sense. The sword was an extension of me, imbued with Calla’s magic. If lightning was part of me now, the sword should be able to contain it.

I unsheathed my blade and raised it to the sky. A bolt of lightning struck, absorbing into the sword. Power pulsedthrough me as I swung the blade, aiming at a target. A lightning bolt shot out, striking with a thunderous crack.

“Much better,” Zade said. “But you still need to control it without the sword.”

I sheathed the sword, feeling the energy dissipate. Exhaustion swept over me, but I grinned. “Come on, Zade. You have to admit that was freaking cool.”

Zade’s lips twitched in the tiniest of smiles. “Fine. It was adequate.”

“We’ll try again tomorrow after school,” Rafe suggested.

I nodded, too tired to argue.

“Hey guys, how’s the light show going?” Chad’s cheerful voice rang out as he jogged up, his smile as bright as ever.

I turned, managing a tired grin. “Just wrapping up. I’m beat.”

“Aww, already?” Chad’s puppy-dog eyes made me chuckle.

When Rafe and Zade said their goodnights, Chad wasted no time, pulling me into a hug.

ZAP!

“Ouch!” Chad yelped, jumping back. “What was that?”

“Sorry!” I winced. “Residual charge, I guess. Are you okay?”

Chad’s grin only widened. “Are you kidding? That was awesome! Do it again!”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’re insane.” But I couldn’t help it—I let a small spark jump between us as we touched.

Chad’s eyes lit up. “Oh man, that tingles in all the right places.”

“You’re always tingling, Chad.” I snorted. “I’m exhausted, but somehow I’ve still got all this electric energy buzzing through me. It’s weird.”

His grin turned wicked. “Oh, I know exactly how we can burn off some of that excess energy.”

Before I could blink, his clothes were in a pile on the ground, and he stood before me, gloriously naked and practically vibrating with eagerness.

“How did you get undressed so fast?”

“It’s a shifter thing.” He shrugged.

I snorted, “Eager, are we?”

“Always for you, little witch.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “How about this—you run through the woods, and if I catch you, I get to fuck you against a tree.”

I groaned at the mere thought of running. My muscles were already protesting from hours of training.

“Chad, I love you, but if you make me run, I will hex your ass. Can we just skip the running part?”

Chad’s laugh echoed through the courtyard as he scooped me up in his arms. “Evelyn Everhart, you’re my kind of female. How about this—you let me carry you, fuck you thoroughly, and afterward, I’ll run you a bath, rub your feet, and make sure you don’t move a single sore muscle unless it’s for somethingveryfun.”

Now he was talking. “I do like the sound of that.”

---