Page 32 of Crossing Between
"I think we start like this." Elias folded his arms together over his chest. "Basic workout, as we have her show us her magic. Once we have a better take on her magic, we can move on to showing her how to wield it, which we'll need Quilith for."
Varon was stretching his legs on the ground, his back bowed as his hands reached his feet. "Quilith will be her mentor more than us, but we can at least assist in that responsibility."
I pulled my right arm over my head toward my back by my elbow. "Are we going to talk about how all of us are interested in her and each other now?" I laughed softly as both of them groaned at the same time.
"You're like a dog with a bone. You won't give it up." Elias smacked me on the back.
"I mean, I'll give it up to any of you three any time you ask." I fluttered my eyes at him as he sputtered, and Varon just shook his head.
"Would you just start sparring, you idiot?" Elias threw a punch at me as I was bent forward in astretch.
I evaded with a swift sidestep, my movements practiced and fluid. Elias followed up with a series of powerful kicks, each one aimed with precision, but my reflexes were impeccable as I ducked and weaved through Elias' onslaught. He had a bit of anger stored up that he was releasing.
The tempo of the sparring session quickened, as Varon observed from the side of the mat. Elias unleashed a flurry of punches with multiple tentacles, but I parried and countered with a spinning kick that sent Elias staggering backward.
Just as our session was heating up, Quilith's portal appeared in the room a few feet away. Elias pulled back as I did, and I wiped my forearm across my brow. I'd just started to get a nice sweat going.
Zoey stepped through the portal in a new change of clothes, which made me grin. She was a dazzling burst of color. Every stitch of clothing she wore was bright neon colors. I suspected it was her way of providing a mental shield against the world. I couldn't wait to break that shield down and get inside her head. Not to mention tasting her delicious body.
She smiled as she saw us, and the room became brighter still. I sighed. I was such a cliche.
"You guys started right away." She pulled her hair up in a bun as she walked toward us next to Quilith. "I was hoping for some breakfast before you decided to start whipping me into shape."
"Here, my darling." Quilith tossed her a protein shake that they had in a pack they'd had on their back. "You're going to want a little on your stomach but not much once we get started." They stopped in front of us. "I'm going to teach you how to unlock your full power. Not just the power you've been training." They gestured at Varon, Elias, and me. "They're going to be here to helpmold your control."
"Let's get started." Zoey threw the empty bottle over her shoulder.
Man, she just made me want to jump her and hump her right there like a heathen.
Chapter 23: Zoey
"Stop pushing and just focus." Quilith flicked my forehead.
"Ow." I rubbed my head as I glared at my friend. "I am focusing!"
We'd been sitting on the ground with our legs crossed and knees touching as we faced each other for about two hours. Quilith wanted me to meditate and pull my full power out, to feel it blossom like a lotus blooming, but I didn't feel anything different from my normal power that I usually kept locked down. It felt strange allowing it out to surround me, but my magic pulsed around both of us like a blanket with joy, but I didn't feel it any differently than usual. It was eager to reach out to anything dead, to any souls that were around, but there weren't any around.
"You're thinking too much. You want to let your power just become its own. Right now, you want to control it, like you always have, but this type of magic is sentient on its own. You are its conductor." Quilith opened one eye to glare at me. "Stop trying to hold it back and let it justbe."
"I don't understand what you mean." I threw my hands up and stood up after grunting a little. I was not ateen anymore; that took effort. "How can my magic be alive? How can I be a 'conductor'?"
I knew my power was different than others. That much was obvious since I raised my mother from the dead when I was a kid. I didn't understand how magic could be alive. I started to pace and chewed on my thumbnail.
"Why don't we take a break?" Kenji popped up in front of me, grabbed my shoulders to stop me from running into him, and glanced at Quilith. "I think our Zoey girl is still overwhelmed from the past 24 hours. I think a little fun is in order."
I looked up at the big oni with curiosity. "Fun? I could go for some fun."
Kenji's fangs grew slightly with his grin, making him look wickedly handsome in the light. His eyes were full of devilry that made goosebumps pop up on my arms. I felt warmth in my chest as his scent hit me because he was so close. I wonder if anyone would notice if I leaned upward and licked his neck. I bet he tasted fantastic.
"How about some paintball?" Kenji looked at all the others.
I shook my head as I tried to focus on the question. "Paintball?"
"That sounds interesting. Teams?" Varon stepped up closer to us. "I'll be on Zoey's team."
I let out a squawk when he gripped my waist and pulled me away from Kenji.
"Hey! That's not fair," Kenji gave a low growl. "I was going to be on her team."
