Page 6 of Tracking Snow

Small, built like a bird, but she got the drop on the big guy, which admittedly surprised all seven of us.

Impressed us, Five corrects.

"Are you serious?" I blink. "You. Saved me?"

She huffs, setting her hands on her hips. "Yeah. I mean, sure, you ended it, but I softened them up for you. Like putting butter in the microwave for a hot ten seconds. We were kind of like a team back there."

Two barks a laugh somewhere deep inside me.

I shake my head. She'd have a couple more holes in her body if I hadn't done something.

"I don't need your help." I begin walking again.

"Whoa, whoa," she calls after me, but I don't slow. "How did you do that though? Is that your thing? Super speed? Is that a fae thing or a mage thing? What kind of magic are you?"

She dogs my heels so closely she smacks into me when I stop abruptly and whip around. My hands shoot out, steadying her.

The soft heat of her bare arms radiates into my hands, up my arms, into my sternum. I break my hold almost as quickly as I formed it.

Oh fellas, I think the control-freak likeys, Four taunts, rising closer to the top of my consciousness.

She is objectively attractive, Six adds. Ever the pragmatic one.

Not helpful, I shoot back at him.

The woman licks her lips, her eyes darting to the center of my chest, and for a moment I wonder if she felt the same charge at our contact.

When she meets my eyes again, her shyness has all but disappeared. "That's probably a pretty rude question, isn't it? Let me start again. My name is Snow. I've been told I don't have a lot of tact, but I don't know how to ask the question better. It's just...I don't have powers or abilities, so I'm curious." An impish grin spreads across her face, and I suddenly can’t breathe.

"Why are you following me?" I force out with gruffness.

"I—" she falters, but then her eyes round with an earnest hunger. "—I think what you can do is cool. I just want to get to know you better."

Cool?

She thinks what I can do is...cool?

She doesn't know the half of it, Three says quietly.

You mean a seventh of it, Six corrects.

"Well actually," a sly smile spreads across her face, "I do possess a little magic." She holds her hand up and tilts it to the side. She covers her hand with the other then slides it to the side, and it looks like she’s sliding her forefinger off at the knuckle then back again.

She can’t be serious, Two groans.

Well, that’s kind of cute, Five muses, good-naturedly.

More than her simple, ridiculous illusory trick, the smug grin on her face is too much. Like she’s just pulled off the most amazing feat in all the realms.

This might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

I shove that thought down quick, so none of the others hear it from me.

"This is a human's world. Why would you ever want magic powers? It's not natural."

Her nose wrinkles with confusion. "What makes you think it's not natural? Most kids develop them in their early teens, like puberty, and puberty is normal. I mean disgusting and highly inconvenient, but natural."

Huh, did developing powers at the same time make puberty harder or better?