“Try it. See if you can connect with the fire inside, then channel it. Orpullit, if you will. If you can guide it to one spot”—he taps my palm—“it should work.”
“You make it sound easy,” I say.
He huffs out a laugh. “Oh, no, I know it’s not. It took me eight years to do my first spell, Jericho. Iknowhow hard this is. But it’s also quite different for a mage. We have to bind with our magic first to be able to use it. Your gift is simply a part of you, as are all vamp gifts. Once you have them, they’re just there.”
“We still have to learn them.”
“Yes, but not in the same way we do. Our magic has to trust us to let us use it. It’s a relationship. Your gift is just a part of you. I believe once you pull at the source, you’ll be able to use it. I wish I could explain it better than that.”
Evan bumps me. “Just try. You said you can feel it, right?”
I nod. It was impossible to ignore the heat under my skin the last few days, to the point of wearing less clothes because of all the sweat.
“So try,” he encourages.
I sigh. I hate feeling like I’m going to let him down, leteveryonedown, if I don’t figure this out. So like an idiot, I close my eyes and try to focus all my attention on the heat. It’s easy to do since it’s constantly there now, like a fever waiting to break. But what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to control it?
The source is heavier in my chest, just above my heart. I open my hand and imagine a faucet, dripping the heat into my hand. To my surprise, it begins to move, rippling under my skin like velvet magma. It makes me shudder and shake, uncomfortable with the new sensation. Yet it’s not all that terrible either.
I try again, focusing on my palm until the heat intensifies.
“Hey! You did it,” Evan says.
I open my eyes, surprised when I see a sphere of fire in my palm. I’m not sure it can even qualify as a fireball since it’s hardly the size of a marble, but at least it’s something.
“There you go!” Red says. “See? It’s just a part of you. Now play with it, see if you can control the size.”
“Red! Come here for a minute,” Sage calls.
Red pats me on the back before strolling away.
I stare down at the little orb, rolling it between my fingers. I can’t believe I did it.
“Does it hurt?” Evan asks.
“No. I mean, it’s warm, but… no, it doesn’t hurt. Doesn’t even seem real.”
Evan reaches a tentative hand out, touching the flames with one finger, then quickly pulls away. “Okay, yeah, it’s real! Fuck, that’s so weird. Seriously cool, though. I’m a little jealous. Think you can throw it?”
I toss the ball up, and it falls back into my palm. “Only one way to find out.”
I walk to the field and stand near the center.
“Hey guys, clear out!” Evan calls.
Everyone moves to the side, exchanging weary but eager glances.
I turn to Evan. “You too, babe.”
He frowns.
“I’m serious. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He kisses me before walking away, whispering, “Smokin’ hot boyfriend.”
I take a moment to watch the ball of fire again. It’s crazy to think that I created it. Literally just thought it into existence. I try it in my other hand, using the same dripping technique I did before, and just as easily, another sphere forms. Tiny, but it’s there.
“Focus on the targets, Jer,” Evan says. “You can do this. Think of all those times we played softball with our friends.”
