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I rolled my eyes. This god’s obsession with my titties knew no bounds. “You’re right. Growing up, I spent countless days outside playing on the streets with friends and swimming at Battery Beach as a child, but never got sunburnt. I literally sunbathed nude in the Hamptons last summer without sunscreen for hours and just got a tan.” So weird.How could I not notice that?I wondered if it was my power manifesting beneath the block I had.
“You sunbathed nude? With other people looking at you? In public?” Bash’s usual cocky expression morphed into a deep scowl, his eyebrows set in a stern line that let us know he was not having it.
“Calm down, Cathy. Charlie’s uncle has a place up there, so we got a group of friends together for a long weekend. I didn’t even know you then.”
“You know, you can always sunbathe in the nude here. We have a few balconies that get great sun in the summer months.” Ares licked and bit his lower lip. “I can always join you.” Imagining what it would be like to sunbathe with Ares nude was difficult, because I had a feeling we wouldn’t be sunning ourselves for long.
“Yes, no more public nudity for you. You can do it at the house,” Bash grumped, crossing his arms.
“Yeah, I have no choice but to do that here. I’mdead,remember?” The irritation I had felt on and off since I got here clouded my emotions. I had such a great lunch, why did Bash have to ruin it with his ridiculous jealousy?
“It’s for your own safety.” Bash looked away from me at the floor. His guilt did nothing to make me less pissy about the situation. A tense silence settled among us.
Ares cleared his throat. “Diana, look what you can eventually do once you master your fire magic,” he said excitedly, lighting his tumbler of whiskey on fire.
“No, don’t teach her that,” Bash begged. “We don’t need another party animal in the house lighting shite on fire!”
“Flaming shot!” He shouted triumphantly as he downed the whole glass, wiping away the little dribble of alcohol that trickled from his mouth on the back of his hand.
Ares refilled his own glass and passed me a finger of amber liquid. I used the same technique to light both of our glasses up. We clinked our glasses together, downing the shots. The rich, warm liquid made me feel better, and I even managed to laugh a little at Ares’ mischievous face. When he tried to pour himself a third shot, Bash stole the bottle from his hand, setting it on the other side near him.
“No, you’re both done,” Bash reprimanded. “Diana, you have to stay sober for your next lesson with Mal.” Bash’s proper British accent made it hard to take him seriously when we were already acting so silly.Party pooper.
“Yes, Govenah! I said, standing and curtsying. “Pip pip, cheerio!”
By the end of the lunch I was able to light my fingertips on fire like a blow torch. We realized we were running late, so Ares walked me to the basement for my lesson with Malcontent the Malevolent Manhole.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked me on the way. “I’d like to keep you company.”
“Ares, you’re the sweetest. I don’t need a babysitter. If it will make you feel better, I’ll call for you if I need you.” I patted him on his back to show him I was truly okay with going alone.
As sweet as his offer was, I wasn’t going to look weak in front of Mal by having a chaperone. The fear coiling in my gut would have to take a hike. I could handle his piss poor attitude, and he wasn’t stupid enough to hurt someone his friends cared about. When we descended the steps to the basement, Ares walked me toward another door on the right. An orb of fire sprang to life in his palm as he led the way down the dark stairwell. He put his hand over the center of the door to unlock it and light spilled into the small, cramped space as it opened. The well lit room beyond looked like a weapons room for a tactical team. There were knives, guns, mallets, and strange tools covering the entire far wall. Two rows of tool carts lined the other walls, and some of them were clear containers holding various metal implements. The middle of the room held a chair with restraints, a steel medical table, and a Saint Andrew’s cross. Holy shit, was this the torture room?What the fuck?Mal leaned, half-sitting against the table, his arms crossed and a blasé expression on his face.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to sit in and help out, Diana?” Ares gave me a serious grimace. Could he smell my fear?
“A-Bomb, calm down,” Mal said as he straightened himself to stand. “I’m not going to damage your preciousLittle Goddess.” The way the S whistled through Mal’s teeth made him sound like a snake in the grass.
The evil smile that curled his lips did nothing to reassure me that he would stick to his word.Calm down, having our lesson here is a scare tactic.
“I’ll be okay, handsome. Come back for me in about an hour, okay?” Ares didn’t look comfortable with leaving, but he did. That was something I liked about him. He trusted me to handle myself, whereas Bash would have steamrolled the situation and made my choice for me.
Mal watched Ares leave. As soon as the door closed, he spun on his heels and strode over to me. My palms instinctually rotated, so they were facing him. When he walked past me, brushing his bicep against my shoulder, I turned around to keep an eye on him. I didn’t trust him not to attack me from behind foreducational purposes.
“You have good instincts. Always keep a predator in your sights, and don’t let them catch you unaware.” Malcontent stood in front of the wall of knives, gazing at them fondly like they were long lost lovers. An inanimate object was probably the only thing capable of loving someone like him. They were held up by magnetic strips, their metal blades glimmering in the fluorescent overhead lighting. He picked a small dagger with a long, sharp blade that came to a point at the end. The handle was a worn red leather, which made me think it was an antique. He placed it on the metal table and gestured for me to come over.
“Desmond said you can barely move anything more than a few inches off the ground. How are you trying to lift them?” Malcolm asked in a less condescending tone than he usually used with me.
“I imagine the object lifting as I concentrate on it.” I found it weird to explain what my brain did. It just did it. Except when I wanted to move things.
“Hm, you’re not skilled enough for that. Any witch, in theory, can learn to move or levitate objects for short, sighted distances. But for some reason, he thinks you have the ability for telekinesis, which is transporting objects to completely different locations. Noteveryonecan do that.”There’s the condescension.I knew it would make an appearance eventually. “While you’re trying to move that knife on the table, I want you to focus on the phraseleve pondusin your head. It’s Latin for light weight. Maybe it will help you concentrate on what you’re trying to do.”
Struggling with telekinesis bothered me, because I usually excelled in all my subjects at school. I wanted to master it. Despite the mental nature of the task, I lifted my arms over my head and laced my fingers together to stretch out my anxiousness. My shirt rode up, showing off some of my stomach. I saw Mal glance at me, an unreadable expression on his face. He was probably staring at my stretch marks.Well, get an eyeful, douchebag, all women have them,especially Ms. Piggy, and there’s nothing shameful about it.I lifted my palms, pointing them toward the knife as I mentally chantedleve pondusto myself. Immediately, it lifted at least a foot off the table.
“I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to lift it,” Mal snarked. “You don’t strike me as very talented. Try moving it toward the empty spot on the wall to put it back.”
That fucking asshole. I wasn’t going to let him get to me. My eyes trailed from the knife on the table to the blank spot on the wall, while I continued repeating the phrase in my mind. Despite being able to move the knife to the wall several feet away, I couldn’t aim it into the blank spot. It clattered to the floor instead. I walked over to pick it up, but it slid to the left as I reached out for it. I straightened out and turned around. Malcolm’s snickering filled the air, his blue eyes alight with a cruel mirth.
“Oh no, you’re not allowed to touch it. You’re going to use your magic.”
