“One more thing.” He took a step closer to me, leaving only inches between us.
My breath lodged in my chest. He had to know exactly what he was doing to me.
“I really need you to be careful. I know you hate having to tell me where and when you are going somewhere, but I need you to take this extra seriously now.Please.” His face was the most serious I'd ever seen. He was worried.
“I will,” I assured him, and meant it.
Chapter
Seventeen
“No more bullshit!” Sebastian yelled across the arena as he took his position on the mat. “Tonight, you're trying to use your power to its full ability.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. I saw that coming. He’d been trying to convince me to perform more difficult commands on him for a while now.
The past two weeks had been rough, to say the least. Though wielding had gotten easier with practice, I still struggled with the aftermath. I had been putting off using more complicated compulsions in fear that I'd show Sebastian how fragile I was, but tonight he would get his way.
“It's going to be fine,” he assured me.
“What if I can’t do it?”
“Only one way to find out.”
“What if I accidentally compel you to jump off a cliff and then we have the crab incident all over again?”
“We’re inside. And you're really hung up on that crab, aren't you?”
“Well yeah, I don't particularly enjoy taking innocent lives.”
“That's good. I’d be a bit concerned if you did.”
I crinkled my nose. “Well what if?—”
He held a hand up to silence me. “Enough.” Realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere with this conversation, Sebastian came towards me. “First of all, you didn'tkillthe crab. You told it to jump and it did. It's not your fault that it had bad aim.” He took a step closer. “Second of all, I have very effective mental shields. They're always up, except for when I'm training with you. If I don't want someone's magic affecting me, it won't.”
“Why do you keep them up all the time?” I knew he had to let his guard down while we trained, but he even kept his shields up with Sawyer and Kohen?
He ignored my question, moving his body to stand behind me. My blood rushed to my core, sending my mind into a frenzy. I gasped as he brushed my braid over my shoulder.
Then, time froze for a moment. All I could feel was the rise and fall of his chest against my body, and all I could think about was how badly I wished he’d spin me around and pull my lips to his. I trembled so obviously at the thought that there was no way he didn't notice how my body shook from his touch.
“Third of all,” his words slipped into my ear, his breath tickling the back of my neck, “you're going to want this back.” With a flick of his wrist, he unclasped the star pendant from my neck then rushed back to his place on the mat.
Asshole.
He waved the silver chain in the air. “Whenever you're ready,” he taunted with a wink, knowing damn well what he just did to me. “And don't just tell me to give it back. Make it more complicated. No more simple commands.”
I rolled my eyes. What didnot simplemean to him? Asking him to give the necklace back was too basic. Telling him to drop it on the ground was quick and easy.
I contemplated my options and when ready, allowed my powers to flow through my soul. My cheek prickled as magicpooled into my bloodstream. “Put my necklace back on,” I commanded.
I held my ground as Sebastian did what I instructed, the feeling of his fingers creating the same reaction as before.
I've got to get control of myself.
He finished and I released him from the grip of my powers.
“That was perfect,” he exclaimed with a smile.
