“And…I killed someone,” I say quietly. She quirks an eyebrow at me. “Without touching them. With my emotional manipulation ability alone.”
She’s silent for a couple of heartbeats.
“Is that the first time you’ve done that? Killed with emotional manipulation?”
I nod.
“I see. How many?”
“Four fae.”
Her eyes widen a fraction at that.
“I didn’t even think it was possible! Never before have I heard of such a thing. Sure, we can manipulate and read, that’s what I was taught in Wetra and here in the Ezkai Academy. But to kill?” I shake my head. “I got sick afterward. Once my targets were dead, my body crumpled. Not because I killed, but it was just…as if my body couldn’t handle that power.”
“It requires a lot of energy for Decarios to attempt such a feat.”
“So, is that normal? Do other Decarios possess this…ability, too?”
She regards me with a closed-off face for a minute before she says, “I’ve heard of it happening. It’s extremely rare, though. And for a good reason.”
My eyebrows hike all the way to my hairline. “Why’s that?”
“Decarios are lethal as is. Imagine how much more dangerous it is to have a Decarios who can kill at a distance, on command.”
I gulp. Oh dear gods. That sort of power makes a Decarios?—
Kazh scatters my thoughts. “Besides, an untrained Decarios, or one who’s too arrogant in their abilities, could easily overextend themselves and die if they push too hard. Tell me again, how did it happen?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I was angry. Furious. It just…happened.”
The look she gives me is understanding and judging all at the same time. “That tells me you lost your grip on your emotions to conjure enough power to slay four fae.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. I’m thankful the color doesn’t show up on my skin. I press my lips into a thin line and lower my gaze. I may have lost my temper…
“You’re a stubborn little shit.” She spits the words after a charged silence between us. “Impossible to work with. I have trained over fifty gifted Decarios, and not a single one was this stubborn, arrogant, and stupid. If I hear that you lost your temper and killed someone with emotional manipulation ability one more time, there will be consequences.”
I roll my eyes, but I welcome the insults. I am much more comfortable with this, taking her bullying, rather than having an intimate heart-to-heart.
Kazh clicks her tongue. “You piss me off. I want to see you train twice as hard today as you did prior. Now, get your ass up from that damn rock and get into a singing swan position. Quickly, before I whip your ass!”
Kazh never goes easy on me. But today, she goes extra hard. As if she is trying to punish me for losing control over my emotions. By the time the sun sets and we finish our training, I’m dripping in sweat and panting like a farm horse. My legs are jelly, and I can barely walk as I make my way back inside the studio.
As always, Kazh leaves immediately, refusing Vera’s invitation to stay for dinner.
“You look run-down, darling,” Jax drawls when he sees me. “Still breathtaking.”
I flip him off and stalk upstairs, incredibly slow to wash up and change before dinner with Jax, Vera, and her gang. When I finally get back downstairs, everyone’s at the dining table and the food is ready. I take an empty seat on Vera’s right. As always, she’s at the head of the table. Jax sits in front of me.
“I’m starving,” I say, looking over all the freshly made delicious food in front of me. “This is a feast.”
“Morque knows how to take care of us well,” Vera says, and starts piling her plate with food.
I do the same. The first bite of grilled king mushroom is just as good as an orgasm. Maybe even better…I gobble down my food quickly and go in for seconds.
Vera jerks her chin at her crew. “Want to give me a quick update on where everyone’s at with clients this week? I’ve been preoccupied with other things, so I’m not up to date with everything that’s going on.”
“We’re hosting a party for Noblewoman Jollye and her wife, who just got back from a three-month trip to Emera. She’s a foreign affairs diplomat, and their family is very generous with us. Chose our entertainers over Ri’s for the third time round, so the old hag might be a bit prickly for a little while,” Hel says without looking up from her plate.
