Page 67 of #Resort Love
“Outdated,” Aster corrected. “But yes. With what I saw, your percentage has probably doubled by now.”
“Was it difficult to get rid of my bloodwork before?” I asked warily, finally looking at Aster.
She raised her eyebrow, her eyes slightly narrowing on me. “No, it wasn’t.”
“Right. I guess we should retest it before Samian comes back?” I said, holding out my arm.
Aster smirked, leaving her chair to gather supplies. Placing them on a cart, she rolled it to me. She wrapped a cloth tightly around my arm, just above my elbow. I grimaced when she pulled out a needle and looked away. Aster chuckled, muttering something about humans and needles under her breath, like it was something she dealt with often.
The needle went in with a pinch, but Aster made quick work of filling the vials. My shoulders relaxed once she removed the needle and I let out a breath. She sent her healing magic into my skin, stopping the bleeding, then took the cart back to a workstation to begin analyzing my blood.
I looked back to the door.
I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of his amusement.
The air felt heavy with her words, charged by the emotions she kept hidden behind them. Though it wasn’t the choice of words that I would have used, it made me feel strangely closer to her, even angry for what she had to endure byhim. I shuddered at the thought of Ambrose, how close he had come to finding me healed and awake. What torture would he give me if he knew, if that warm glow Aster wrapped around me hadn’t been there?
Both Aster and Samian’s voices sounded tight and closed off in Ambrose’s presence. It was like they were keeping their closeness a secret from him. As though Ambrose would see their attachment as an affront to him, as something to destroy.
Unable to stop myself, I bristled. I was supposed to be wary of Samian, to not allow him to get close, to push away the ease I feel when he is near. But I couldn’t help the way my heart clenched when I saw Samian and Aster together. Even when we first met, when Samian chided her about the weather, my heart felt heavy, almost green with envy. I shoved that memory deep down, wishing it would smother.
“What was that light around me when Ambrose was here?” I asked, trying to keep Samian off my mind.
“Hmm?” Aster hummed, distracted. She was still bent over her workstation, but before I could ask again, she said, “It was my healing magic, but it acted as a shield to block Ambrose from sensing your emotions. We needed him to think you were still asleep.”
“So, it’s true then?” I murmured, silently cursing myself for not paying closer attention. “Ambrose can sense emotions and manipulate them.” It was more a statement than a question.
“Yes,” she sighed heavily. “It’s a power that he usually keeps to himself, even though he uses it pretty often. I’m surprised more haven’t caught on to his tricks.”
“Is that something I can do? To shield, I mean.”
Aster straightened, turning from her work to look at me. She studied me for a moment and shrugged. “I don’t see why not. It might take some practice but learning to shield yourself could protect you from unwanted emotions, amongst other things. Samian should have taught you that first. I’m not sure why he didn’t.”
I frowned, remembering that he mentioned it during our first lesson. We were interrupted and then the rest of the days became a whirlwind, leaving nothing but chaos in its wake.
I stared down at my hands, searching for my magic, but all I could feel was emptiness. It was like my magic had been extinguished, knowing that if it surfaced, agony would follow.
Aster walked over to me, taking my hand in hers. Closing her eyes, I felt her magic flow through me, its calming warmth felt like mine.
Her mouth twitched and she opened her eyes a moment later. “Did he give you a command regarding your magic?”
I nodded, looking down to where our hands were linked. She exhaled, pulling her hand away from mine. The sudden withdrawal of her magic sent a shiver down my spine. “Did Samian explain how to feel for your magic?”
“He did, on my first day here.”
“Good. While I finish up the lab work, try to feel for your magic. Don’t get upset if it takes time. Just keep searching, understood?”
Her tone was stern. She had a severe look that reminded me of a mother scolding a child about to do something stupid. I didn’t know if I should laugh or bristle under her steely stare, but I fought against it, knowing that she probably wouldn’t find it amusing if I did either.
“Okay.” I nodded, not wanting to get on her bad side.
She lifted her nose at me, narrowing her eyes to study me. I gave her a weak smile and she huffed, returning to her work. I watched her hover over her microscope while I settled onto the bed, closing my eyes.
I took a calming breath, letting my body relax. Searching, I looked for the warmth I had found during my first lesson with Samian. That chain around my heart tightened, ready to snap tight at the first sign of magic stirring. I wavered, my stomach churning from the memory of that ache, how it felt like I was being ripped to shreds, but I pushed through. I took another deep breath, pushing further inside past the barrier that locked my magic away, until I found myself in a small black windowless room.
I frowned and put a hand on the blackened wall, wincing. The feel of it was so cold, so glacial, that it burned against my hand. Stepping back, I rubbed at the ache in my chest. The room felt foreign, like it wasn’t a part of me. Like it was there to separate me from myself and all that I was.
I breathed in, recalling the warmth that had surrounded me the first time I reached for it, how it coated my skin, seeping into my very core. I pulled that memory closer, letting it grow and take shape.
