My gemstones tickled my cheek as the words escaped me. The feeling was subtle and a tad painful, but a good indication that I had done something right.
In an instant, the roaming eyes of the crab closed tightly. I laughed in excitement, and unintentionally dropped my command, allowing the creature's eyes to reopen. If a crab had the ability to look confused, this one did.
“Damn it,” I muttered. I guess I had to really maintain my focus to hold a command. Hopefully that would change with time and practice.
I planted my feet firmly into the ground, steadying myself in the event that a rogue wave tried to knock me down. The hairs on my arms stood up as another blast of chilled wind raced by. I shuffled a little in the sand, pondering my next command for the crab.
Refocusing my mind, I softened my stance. “Freeze.”
The crab followed my order, its body instantly becoming rigid. The movement of its legs came to a halt, and its torso collapsed into my palm. I gazed at the tiny life held within my grasp, noting how peaceful the crab looked, though the moment was brief. I lost my focus again and the crab returned to its previous state, crawling back and forth through the trails in my skin.
I stumbled a little, my body suddenly feeling weak. I brushed it off as being hungry and exhausted. Speaking ofwhich, I had to be back to my room soon to meet Sebastian. He’d be pissed if I wasn't there when he showed up.
“Okay, let's try one more thing before I go,” I whispered to the crab. I corrected my stance one more time and allowed my brain to unwind.
“Jump.”
As soon as the word left my lips, the crab dove from my hand, plummeting towards the sand. I followed it down with my eyes, and gasped at the sound of its tiny carcass shattering when it landed on a rock.
I was shiveringby the time I made it up the stairs and to my room. My arms were weak as they yanked open my door, and I made a mental note to make sure I ate before power wielding next time—also to not sit in wet sand when it was freezing out.
My eyes widened at Sebastian as I stumbled into my room. He was lounging in my armchair, reading a book.
Shit.
His eyes landed on me. Slamming his book shut as he stood up, his long legs began striding towards me.
“Where have you been?”
I expected him to be angry, but his tone was casual as he took in the sight of me. Salt water and sand dripped off my clothes into a puddle on the floor where I stood in front of him.
Sebastian’s forehead creased. “Why are you wet?”
I frowned. “I killed a crab.”
A dark eyebrow arched. “Oh?”
I bent down to untie my boots, taking them off and tossing them by the door. “Wait a second.” I put my hands on my hips as I rose. “How did you get in here?”
Sebastian’s lips perked up. “I have a key.”
“Of course you do.” My eyes rolled as I trudged past him towards the washroom, leaving a trail of water behind me.
His hand caught the door as I tried to close it. “I'm serious. Where were you?”
“Sebastian, I'm soaked and freezing. Can you please just give me five minutes to shower and change before you interrogate me?”
He groaned, but pushed the door closed to give me some privacy.
The heat from the shower stung against my icy skin. I took longer under the water than I’d said, but my body needed the extra time to return to a normal temperature. When finished, I patted my hair dry with a towel and pulled on some loungewear. I didn't plan on accompanying Sebastian to get dinner anymore, I was far too tired.
Once decent, I exited the washroom and threw myself down onto my bed, curling up in the warmth of the quilt that covered it. “Okay, let the investigation commence,” I said.
Sebastian approached the foot of my bed, grasping the top of the footboard and leaning over it. “For the third time, where were you?”
“I went to the beach to try and practice my wielding.” I sighed, rolling away from him so that he couldn't see my face. “I was planning to be back before you arrived, but I tend to lose track of time when I don’t have mywatchwith me.”
He snickered at my comment. “Well? How did it go?”
