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“I honestly don’t know much more than you. I only found out when Griffin did,” I said slightly breathily. I pulled my eyes from Griffin’s and cleared my throat. “To the Goddess’ ears, I was trying to prove I didn’t have magic when I grew that tree.” I gestured towards the fucking apples, then let my hands drop heavily into my lap and sighed. This was my life.
“If you have Earth, why the Air Mark?” Aiden asked.
“I had no power. None,” I answered. “Father had the tests done. Twice, to be safe. They were conclusive. No magic. No element. I was powerless. Father immediately destroyed the results and got me an Air Mark. Seemed safest.”
“Were the tests wrong? Or falsified?” E.Z. asked around a mouthful of food.
“I don’t know,” I groaned, searching my fingers for answers. “You can believe me or not, but you now know as much as I do about my magic.”
I could feel Griffin’s steady gaze still locked on me. For once, it didn’t feel probing. It felt warm and comforting. But the longer I focused on the feel of his eyes on me, the warmer that gaze felt, and it turned into a different type of heat, one that had me shifting in my seat. I didn’t dare look at him now. I couldn’t have him read that heat in my face.
“What do you know about the block?” Aiden asked, tossing a potato in his mouth, and smiling at me.
“Nothing. I didn’t even know about it until River told us,” I replied, wishing I could tell them more. Wishing beyond anything I knew something else.
“It’s a unique block,” River leaned back to get a better look. “One of the strongest I’ve ever seen, but special.”
“How so?” Elijah asked sternly.
River sent him a glare across the fire for his tone. Elijah fisted his hands tighter on his plate and didn’t back down.
E.Z. snatched a potato off his plate while he was too busy focusing on River to notice. He grinned at me when he caught me looking. It was all white teeth and potato, and that made me grin back despite my best efforts. He was such a boob.
“This block is around her power like a Spirit User would use to block off their own abilities. Most blocks are from a person’s own mind.” She studied me more intensely, tilting her head, her voice inquisitive. “Powerful Spirit Users can put them temporarily on others, but this still different from that.”
She sat back, shaking her head in wonder, before addressing Elijah again. “It is one of the strongest blocks I’ve ever encountered. Full strength, she wouldn’t have been able to use her abilities.” To me, she said, “Something must have happened to break it. Maybe that’s why your element is emerging.”
“Do you know what could have done that?” I asked her because I had no idea.
“No, sorry, but I know someone who may,” River hedged. She and Aiden exchanged a glance before she turned back to me with a reassuring smile. “I’ll make sure you meet him.”
Aiden looked hesitant for a beat before nodding.
“This poses the question of how and why you have a block you don’t know about,” E.Z. added, trying to steal more food from Elijah’s untouched plate.
“There’s apparently a lot I didn’t know about.” I shrugged, letting out another tired sigh as I watched their antics.
Elijah defended his plate for only a minute before just handing it over to E.Z. with a huff. His face softened slightly when he caught me looking. I must have looked pathetic.
I didn’t feel pathetic. It was the first time I’d felt free since being tested at thirteen. I no longer had to lie to a single person in this circle. They all knew. The thought of opening up had been gut-wrenching and terrifying, but I was glad I did. I could breathe better. My chest wasn’t as tight. My shoulders felt just that much less exhaustingly, excruciatingly heavy.
I peeked over at Griffin, pushing fly-away hair off my face. His hazel eyes followed the movement before catching mine.
The heat from his gaze had never died down. I felt it every time I moved. Along the curve of my neck when I turned away from him to look at Aiden. On my face when I smiled at E.Z.. On my lap when I was wringing my hands. On my mouth while I talked.
But with our eyes connected, that heat was reflected back at me, and I had to clench my thighs together, trying to relieve the ache that was building between my legs. Griffin’s eyes darkened and told me things my body had never heard, making me feel so hot. So needy.
I shuffled on the root, trying to calm down. I noted the others' attention shifting between Griffin and me, but I couldn’t look away. I needed to watch Griffin drink in my reaction to him. It was intoxicating.
Griffin’s muscles had tightened into cords. He looked like a beast preparing to strike. And fuck, did that make me even hotter.
River elbowed me in the side, her voice somehow echoing between my ears.Wake up,she screamed, then continued in less of a yell.We are all starting to get uncomfortable.
I turned to glare at her. Talking in my head was a new trick I wasn’t looking forward to.
You shouldn’t,she echoed again, followed by a giggle that tinkered all around me.
Aiden cleared his throat from her other side of the fire, and E.Z. barked out a laugh and said something about dinner with a show. I should have been embarrassed to be caught reacting like this in front of everyone. But I wasn’t. Tingles exploded in my belly, thinking about everyone watching me practically pant over Griffin and seeing him almost lose control. The tingles spread. They bounced and danced around my lower belly.
