Page 59 of Dark Reckoning
“What if I'm stuck?”
“Is that possible?”
“Like what if I teleport myself in the middle of a steel wall and I can't breathe or move or talk to do the spell again?”
I had to think about his concerns, because they were valid. Kakashi and the others made it look so easy. Not to mention, they seem to be able to teleport anyone without fail, like how they did Adrian and me both times. “I'll practice first, then.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“I'll just do it from one place to another. I won't go far,” I said, because I didn't want him to worry. I didn't have his fear, mainly because I was really eager to learn how. Being fast had always been a perk as a shifter. The fact that I'd gotten even faster since becoming a vampire only made me more powerful. Being able to teleport was the ultimate ability. I wanted to master it.
I studied the page, memorizing the chant that would become a part of me. I then stood up with Adrian watching my every move and began practicing how to pull the right elements of magic from the air around me to infuse with the magic of the chant. I felt the moment when the magic formed inside of me, bonding with my being. Now, I didn't have to speak it, only think it. I had to use willpower to get it to work and the first time I tried, I felt a rumble in my body, then a shiver, but nothing happened.
“How does it feel?” Adrian asked.
“Weird, like static shock floating all inside of me,” I said, then concentrated again and when I heard Adrian yelp, I opened my eyes. But I was in the same place. “Did I do it?”
“Yeah.” He was smiling, his expression beaming with excitement and wonder. “But it's like you just blinked out really quickly.”
Okay, so I was on the right track. I did it again, only this time, I envisioned moving to the corner of the room. I felt the sensation inside of me intensify, then settle. I opened my eyes again and this time, I was standing in the right corner of the room, exactly where I wanted to be. “Oh shit!” I laughed and ran my hands over my body to make sure I was all there and solid.
“Wow, baby.” Adrian rose and walked over to me. “How did it feel?”
Again, I explained the sensation to him.
“Did it hurt?” he asked.
“No, it felt good, actually. Like tickles. Kind of like when you have to piss so badly, then you finally get it out and that wave washes over you of relief. That's what I felt as soon as the teleportation was complete. It's quick, but satisfying,” I said.
“Okay, now I feel like learning myself,” Adrian said.
“A pleasure to be your guinea pig,” I joked.
He gave me a cheeky grin, complete with sticking his tongue out. I laughed and watched him sit down at the table with the grimoire and turn to the teleportation spell he needed. While he began learning how to teleport, I continued to practice, landing in places throughout Salino's tower. I'd unnerved quite a few vampires, having popped up around them, then disappeared. That pleased me, because if they were afraid of me, then they'd be afraid of Salino and be less inclined to play stupid games. When I returned to the room with Adrian, he wasn't there, but he popped back in five minutes later.
“Having fun?” I asked him.
He grinned and gave me a really goofy laugh like he was half delirious. It made me chuckle. I wished we were learning this under better circumstances. I wanted to be able to truly celebrate this advancement, but we couldn't.
“Oh my god, it's so much fucking fun!” he blurted out, then did it again, only to return a few seconds later with a huge, mischievous grin on his face. “I scared Nakago.”
“Good, fuck that pompous bastard.”
“We can teleport to people we want to see. That is so awesome!”
“I want to learn how to teleport others to me, like the Council can do,” I said.
Adrian nodded. “Oh yeah, that would be cool.”
I walked over to Adrian, taking him into my arms, and kissed him, because feeling his lips against mine was the sensation I needed at the moment. “We need to leave.”
“What about Shi?”
“I'll text her. She can't come where we're going.”
“Why don't you see if you can teleport her back to the house? At least she can be with Nadia and everyone else,” Adrian said.
It was a good idea. Shi, though she was my bodyguard, couldn't enter the Council's meeting location. Not to mention, I didn't feel right leaving her there amongst strangers for the most part. “You're right.” I pulled out my cell and texted her to come back to the room and she did.
