Soon, I fell into the smooth, even rhythm of meditation. My breaths pulled jinsei into my core, and every exhale purged impurities from the sacred energy and flushed them into my aura, where they could be used for serpents or disposed of as I saw fit. I ignored the aspects and concentrated on maximizing every breath to cycle as much of the jinsei as possible. That was the surest way to advance, and I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to do that.
Even when my core was filled with jinsei, I kept pulling in more and more of the sacred energy. I had to push myself past the limits that held me back. If I kept going, I’d reach a new, higher level of mastery and my core would become more powerful. The spiritual power was a thunderhead inside my core, flashes of lightning lancing from within it. Just a little further...
“Jace.” Rachel’s voice was a soft, early spring breeze. “We should go. It’s getting late.”
It was hard to release the power inside me, and harder still to claw my way up from the depths of my meditation. My eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each, and my heartbeats were slow and heavy. My breath was thick and wet in my lungs, as if I had to draw each gulp of air through a soaking wet cloth.
The outside world pushed itself into my thoughts and scattered the storm of energy that I’d gathered. My Eclipse nature thrashed and raged in a confused tantrum at what it had been denied. It had felt how close we were to advancing and hated that I’d been distracted from my goal. Its hunger drove me to my feet, fists clenched, eyes narrowed into angry slits.
“Jace.” Rachel backed away from me, one slow step at a time.
I realized my core had used the cold aspects in my aura to summon my serpents. The twin tendrils of frosty white light arched away from my shoulders, their heads weaving in Rachel’s direction.
“I’m sorry,” I said, stumbling over the words and banishing the serpents into clouds of ice crystals. “Please, I’m sorry.”
Rachel stopped backing away, cocked her head to the left, then stepped forward until we were almost touching. She looked up at me, amber eyes warm and glowing with a curious warmth.
“You’re a dangerous man, Jace Warin,” she said, her voice low and husky. I’d never heard that tone from Rachel. It was dark and surprising.
And exciting.
We stared at one another for a long moment, before she shivered and took my hand.
“It’s late, we need to get back to the dorms.” Rachel threaded her fingers through mine, and we started down the mountain path.
The trip seemed shorter going down than it had going up. I wasn’t sure if it was the terrain or the warmth of Rachel’s fingers laced with mine. It all seemed like a strange and pleasant dream, which would end as soon as we stepped off the path and back into the stone halls of the School of Swords and Serpents. Maybe that was the real reason the trip back felt like it only lasted a few minutes.
“What time is it?” I asked. The sky had shifted from a pale blue to a deep purple velvet, though the terrain was lit up as clearly as if it were still noon. The strange combination and the jarring return from my meditations had my sense of time completely out of whack.
“After ten,” Rachel said, a faint blush on her cheeks.
“Oh,” I said. “I had no idea. I’ve been so focused on strengthening my core that time just slips away from me.”
While there was no curfew for upperclassmen, a pair of students, alone, out well past dinner might raise a few eyebrows.
“It’s all right,” Rachel assured me. She squeezed my hand in hers and smiled up at me. “I like hanging out with you. Even if you are a little scary.”
I’d never considered myself scary. Intense, maybe. Driven, sure. But scary?
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
We’d reached the end of the path. One more step would take us back into the stone halls of study and practice. We paused there, neither willing to be the one who broke the spell we’d woven around ourselves.
“I had a nice time.” The words sounded lame even to my own ears.
“Me, too.” Rachel turned toward me and took my other hand.
We were so close the fabric of our robes rustled against one another. Rachel’s fingers were warm between mine, a tingling pressure that made my heart race. I’d always thought she was pretty, but standing there in the strange light, I realized how stunning she was.
She rose onto her tiptoes, bringing her face within inches of mine. Her lips parted and the warmth of her breath brushed against my face. I knew what she wanted. I wanted it, too.
All I had to do was lean forward and—
“Get away from my sister.”
I recognized that voice.
Rafael.
The Disciple stood motionless in the hallway. His aura was filled with so many rage aspects it was nearly black. A flicker of jinsei danced from his hand, and I knew he was moments away from summoning his fusion sword.
My Eclipse nature swarmed out of the darkness, suddenly territorial. It didn’t want to protect just me. It now regarded Rachel as part of the deal, and it was fiercely protective. If Rafael attacked, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to wrestle my darker urges under control.
“Raph,” Rachel said, her voice sharp. Anger and embarrassment aspects danced in her aura like sparks from a bonfire. “This is none of your business. Leave us alone.”
I was stunned speechless. The fact that Rachel and Rafael were brother and sister had never occurred to me. They didn’t look anything alike, and Rafael had been at the School while Rachel was studying at the Golden Sun Academy. None of it made any sense.
“You dishonored my family once,” Rafael
