Page 36 of Within the Flames
"I don't know," she admitted sharply. Then sighed. "I'm sorry, it's been a rough..." she tried to count in her head but couldn't work it out. So much had happened that her days ran together a bit, especially with her time in the Voice's castle to take into account.
"No one said your path was going to be easy," he pointed out.
"No one gave me a choice," she spat, throwing the flask back at him.
Her efforts were somewhat ruined by the ease he caught it with.
"No one said you'd get that either."
"Are you purposefully so infuriating?" she demanded, her nostrils flaring and her hands tingling with the urge to use some kind of magic on him. At this rate, she couldn't even predict which of the six would come out of her. Though she'd had the most practice with water, fire had come just as easily yesterday. Burning Luc to a crisp did sound satisfying.
She flexed her fingers, unsure if she'd actually act on her thoughts or just think them.
"No. I'm telling you what you need to hear, Macey," he shot back, getting to his feet.
He boxed her in; his height should have been intimidating, but it just seemed to egg Macey's anger on that little bit more.
"I hate to disagree..." She lifted her hand but Luc was quicker, closing his hand around her wrist and squeezing gently.
"Just because you don't want to, doesn't mean you don't need to. Now I need to know, are you going to make my job more difficult than it is already?" His jovial tone had disappeared, leaving pure threat in his words.
Macey's eyes hardened as she looked up at him, only just noticing how perfectly proportioned his features were. It was as if the term sculpted by gods had been coined for him. Macey shook her head, breaking the tension between them. But not her rage. She could still feel that and not in a way she was used to. She wasn't simply frustrated. This was something more.
What if...no. She couldn't think that. There was no way she was housing one of Mahoun's siblings. That would be too obvious.
"No, I won't make it more difficult," she accepted, begrudging him every single word.
"Good. Now sit down and I'll tell you the rest." His calm and light air had returned along with a smile.
Macey shook her head. He made no sense.
"But first, show me your back."
"You've already seen it," she huffed, blushing at the earlier embarrassment.
"I need to see your marks properly or I won't be able to help you," he said, his patience amazing her. By now, she'd probably be screaming at herself rather than look as calm and collected as he did.
She sighed and turned her back to him, lifting her shirt.
"Beautiful," he muttered and she was very tempted to drop her top again. Hopefully, he was talking about the marks, not about her body. She really didn't want to have to deal with an admirer as well as an annoying daimon.
"They're glowing," he observed. "But one isn't."
"Wind," she nodded. "Somehow I couldn't connect to it."
"But you did manage to activate Air?"
Macey nodded, not wanting to expand on that. Air lived within her, so that had been one of the easiest elements. She was connected to Air, almost as closely as she was to her water magic.
"Air and Wind are very similar," the daimon said. "Maybe if you focus on Air again and then gently shift your focus, without letting go completely, it might work."
It was worth a try. She closed her eyes and thought of Air again. It was easier than it had been earlier. This time, she immediately felt the presence of its magic all around her. She was back hovering above her inner loch again, feeling the air's gentle embrace. She wasn't swaying, there was no wind, it was simply holding her in the air as if she was standing on solid ground. She trusted Air completely not to let her go.
She thought of Wind. That was far more unpredictable and violent. Wind could topple her and blow her down into the water. No, she didn't want that, she much preferred the gentleness of Air.
Well, there it was. She was afraid.
The realisation shocked her. How could she be afraid of one of her men's elements? She'd never been scared of Cam, and being scared of his magic was just weird. Wind was everywhere, it was refreshing when it got too hot, it helped boats sail, it transported seeds to new pastures. Wind was good, not just dangerous.
