Biting the inside of my lip hard enough to get the metallic tang of blood in my mouth, I nod. Not sure where he’s going with this.
“It won’t hurt me, it won’t hurt you. We have to learn to manage it, okay?”
“Itdoes hurt.” My voice comes out as a whine.
“That’s because you’re holding it too tight. I know it’s hard, but you’re going to have to let it go. Imagine it dissolving. Don’t send it out, don’t absorb it, just let it fizzle out.”
Looking down at my hands, I see the energy covering my skin. Sparks of light shimmer up my arms and over my chest. I suck in a breath and the burn intensifies, and realizing what I’ve done, I blow it out quickly. Instead, I imagine each spark bursting into the air, tiny little pops of light thatdon’t do any damage, just fill the air with a static charge.
Slowly itbegins to work, and the heaviness in my chest dissipates until I’m able to feel individual strands of energy pulsing inside me.
“That’s it Muenster,” Ollie assures me. When I’m confident I have control over the remaining energy, I focus on the pool of sand and send a single bolt of power out. It hits the sand with a small crack.
I fall back on my butt the moment it’s gone, exhaustion overtaking me. I groan and drop back so I’m lying on the hard floor of the gym.
Ollie’s sheepish face comes into view above me. “Too much, too soon?” A bark of laughter erupts from me, but it ends on another groan. Everything hurts.
* * *
“One thing I can say about our little experiment,” I pause, before shoving the spoonful of Nutella into my mouth, “is that I think I finally figured out how to take just a little power at a time and send it out in smaller blasts.” The sweet chocolaty goodness hits my tongue and I moan around the spoon. My eyes close in bliss, I get the hype.
“Let’s focus on the positives then, shall we.” Ollie takes the empty spoon from my fingers and dips it back into the container, before returning it to me. I roll my lips in to hide the grin, I know a bribe when I see it.
“You’re double dipping,” I tell him, but herolls his eyes and hands me the brimming spoon.
“Do we have to keep going?” This little reprieve was just a break. We’d only been at it five minutes and I still need to work on my other ability.
“Yes, but we’ll take it easy,” he offers after taking the spoon from me and dropping it into the sink.
I hop down from the stool feeling better after the sugar. As we make our way back downstairs, I’m relieved that I only have one other ability. It’s gotten almost impossible to ignore the draw I feel toward Dante’s powers, but I think it’s because we’re bonded.
“Okay, Milo said you have the shadow under control, how about going invisible?”
“I thought you said we’re going to take it easy?” I scoff, doubt clear in my tone. That’s something I’ve only managed when I’m near Ares. When I’m with the others, I feelsome of the emotions they’re feeling. I can even adjust my sight so I can see in exceptionally low light. But the ghost girl routine only seems to work when I’m pulling directly from Ares.“You know the shadow stuff comes much easier when I’m with the dark lord.”
Ollie snickers. “I’m going to tell him you call him that.”
“Don’t, it will only make him cockier.”
“You’re right, that’s something we don’t need.” Ollie bobs his head. “We need to see if you can reach that level of power when you aren’t with the catalyst.”
I know this, he and Ares have already explained itto me,so I don’t really have a reason to pout, but I do. Crossing my arms over my chest, I close my eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. I’d much ratherbe cuddled between Milo and Dante on the couch where I left them.
“Now, feel yourself fading,” Ollie instructs.
I open one eye and glare at him. “That is not how it works.” I snap my eye shut again. Clearing my mind, I focus on the strand of something inside me that is uniquely Ares. Once I feel like I have a good grasp on it, I let his power come over me. Ares’s ability is deep, Idon’t know any other way to describe thevastness of it. It feels as if I’m only touching a small piece of what he’s capable of. Dropping my arms to my sides I take a step into the darkness, I don’t move my physical body, just release myself into what I know to be Ares’s ability.
“That’s it,” Ollie whispers. It’s almost enough to distract me, but I squeeze my eyes shut. He feels too warm, like his heat is calling to me. Another step and I’m floating in a cool pool, where Ollie’s heat is no longer threating to pull me away.
I open my eyes slowly and the room looks much darker. Everything is in shades of gray instead of the vibrant colors I know it to be. Ollie’s aura is the only brightness I see. He glows orange and yellow like the flicker of a candle flame. I think about feeling those colors on my skin, to see if they’re as warm as Ollie is. But that’s all it takes to have me next to him, a single thought, and I transported from one place to the next.
Feeling a little woozy, I reach out for him. The moment my handmakes contact with his skin I return to myself with a jolt. The brightness of the room is overwhelming, the sounds I hadn’t realized that hadbeen muted return in full force. I hear my heart thumping, hear the sway of my hair as I shake my head, which sends an ache through my skull. “Ugh, I think I might be sick.” My voice sounds like I’m yelling, but I know I’m not. I brace my hands on my head and squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as I can.
Ollie places a gentle hand on my shoulder and my skin prickles under his touch. I pull away, it’s all too much too fast. I don’t know if my legs give out, or if Ijustlet myself fall to the floor, but that’s where I find myself. Again. Sitting with my knees lifted, so they cradle my forehead.
“I’ll get Ares,” Ollie murmurs. I don’t know how much time has passed, but I can hear their rushed footsteps in the carpeted hallway as they return. The closer Ares gets, the less off-kilter I feel. It’s like his energy is pouring into me. I lift my head from my knees and watch him with heavy eyes as he rounds the doorframe.
It’s such a relief to see him, to feel his strength filling me, that I sigh. “What happened?” Ares demands, his voice harsh. I wince and make a shushing sound. He kneels beside me, his hand pressing against my forehead like I’m a child with a fever.
