An angel dressed in a sinfully perfect uniform. I’d never noticed it before, having not cared that everyone wore the same outfit. But Claire, mmm, her legs looked amazing in that skirt.
Providing me with the perfect idea for a distraction.
I sent a heat wave to the beautiful apex between her thighs—a part of her I was never going to grow tired of, even if I did fuck her twice this morning.
Her eyes widened, as she clenched her legs together and shot me a glare. I grinned and pointed at Professor Vulcan, who was droning on about how to use fire in controlled bursts.
Pay attention,I mouthed.
She thrust her middle finger up at me in response. I frowned, unsure of what that meant. I would have to ask River about human gestures.
The class itself was mind-numbingly boring, at least to me.Neat piles of straw dotted the outdoor arena with a marker for difficulty. I could set them all ablaze in two seconds flat, but the goal of the exercise was to burn a particular target without igniting the surrounding ones.
Control Concentration was my least favorite course.
Hmm, but how would Claire perform with the task? Would she be able to do it while distracted?
I smiled, intrigued by my own wickedness.
Normally, this would be a good exercise for her—without the distraction. But if she really needed to conjure a controlled flame, it wouldn’t be in an environment of complete silence where she could focus. Someone had taken Exos and was powerful enough to keep him sedated, and if they came after her, she would need to be ready for them.
I’d been training with Claire for weeks. Power came easily to her, but control? Not so much. And while I loved to make her lose control, it was time she learned how to master her powers.
“Claire,” Professor Vulcan said, making her flinch. “Why don’t you and your guardian take point and make the first attempt.”
Claire’s face paled as she glanced at me. I knew that look. She definitely didn’t want to be in the spotlight, much less go first in an exercise she’d never done before.
The rest of the class had been curiously watching us the entire time, a sea of Fire Fae who were edges and hardness against Claire’s delicate form. She surveyed the group, most of them with tattoos or spiked hair that might come off as intimidating to a human. I liked my people; they were blunt, real, and passionate. Claire would learn more about them, and they’d get to know her and love her like I did. All she needed to do was be her beautiful self.
I took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll show you the exercise. It’ll be fun.”
Professor Vulcan glowered at us. He resembled a flame himself, his hair standing straight up with a red streak down the middle. He stepped aside and crossed his muscular arms. “Only one demonstration, Titus. I need to assess the Halfling’s control before I place her in more classes.”
Claire swallowed hard. “So, this is a test?”
I sent a trickle of flame behind her ear, and she swatted at it.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You can’t fail a test here. This is about embracing your fire.” I kissed her on the cheek and she stiffened, her eyes darting to our audience.
Everyone was staring.
Most of the students had done this exercise before, but they wanted to see what Claire could do. She suffered from a bad reputation born of her mother’s doing and was then framed for stirring elemental chaos on campus. But she was innocent, proved to be a victim herself, and she’d survived. What she didn’t realize was the respect that came with her survival. I saw it in the eyes of our fellow fae. They wanted to admire her for coming through the firestorm alive.
I needed to give Claire all the courage to feel accepted here. All she had to do was believe in herself.
I pointed at a distant patch of straw with a red flag poking out the center of it. “See that middle marker? I’m going to ignite it without touching any of the other piles nearby. The goal here is control, Claire.” I teased her skin with a caress of heat, causing her to arch an eyebrow at me.
“You? Control?” She glanced pointedly at the goose bumps creeping across her arm. “Uh-huh.”
I responded with another brush of warmth, stirring a shiver from her. “Doubting my ability already, sweetheart?”
Her eyes narrowed, her focus falling to me instead of our audience. “Show me what you can do.”
“We both know what I can do,” I said, flexing my mental muscles and locating the marked pile. “Ready?”
“Stop teasing and do it,” she said, her feistiness coming through.
I waggled my brows and ignited the straw with barely a thought.
