It was hard seeing him like that.
The stress of it all ate at my nerves.
If Inarus didn’t pull through, I would never forgive myself.
I shook the thoughts away and focused on my task at hand. He’d wake up. I just had to keep believing that and make sure when he did, I was ready. He deserved retribution and I would give it to him.
The name of the game was to take out Jason. As my self-nominated trainer, he claimed he would whip me into shape and prepare me for the battle we all knew was coming.
The more I worked with him though, the more I thought he was trying to kill me. He didn’t pull his punches and I had the bruises to show for it.
A metal folding chair leaped through the air toward me.
“Don’t hit it!” Dia shouted. “Use your abilities.”
“I know,” I ground out.
On instinct, I called my fire to me but quickly realized that the stupid chair would just fly through whatever fire barrier I managed to erect.
Shit. I snuffed out my flames and raised both hands, trying to call on the telekinetic energy buried inside of me.
I didn’t use it often. Not with conscious thought.
It was volatile and I had no idea how to control it with any sort of precision, so I’d worked at burying it deep inside me. Doing so made it slow to respond but when it did … I shivered.
The chair closed in and I pulled harder on the ball of energy I knew was buried deep inside of me.
“Come on. Come on.” Sweat dripped down my brow. A slow vibration started beneath the surface of my skin, increasing to create a roar in my ears.
I threw my hands up in front of my face as the chair zipped closer. It slammed into an invisible barrier only inches from my face and hovered there.
I looked up. Relief flooded through me. I did it. I stopped the chair.
And then it pulled back, charged forward, and broke through the invisible shield I’d erected around myself, slamming into my face.
Ow!
I fell flat on my back. Blood dripped down my chin and my vision went black before it flickered in and out.
I groaned and rubbed my eyes. When my vision cleared, Dia’s face came into view above me. A shit-eating grin spread across her face.
“Well, you tried.”
I flipped her off and rolled to the side before pushing myself to my feet.
“Again.”
“Maybe it’s time for a break,” Dia suggested.
I waved her off. I didn’t need a break.
I leveled my gaze on Jason. “Again.”
“Fine by me.”
Declan remained quiet but I could feel disapproval radiating from him through our bond.
I shook my head to clear out the dark spots and took a few steps back. I slid my back foot out and assumed a fighters stance.
“Okay. Go.”
A table screeched across the floor toward me. I dodged it and blasted it with fire.
“Wrong ability,” Dia called.
“I know that!” The table whirled and slammed into my back, knocking me off my feet. I careened forward but managed to stay upright.
“Think faster.”
Dia’s voice grated on my nerves.
The table came at me again. The sound of scraping metal had me looking over my shoulder to see another table coming in from the rear.
I pulled my TK power to me and melded it with my fire. Air stirred all around me. This wasn’t working. At this rate, I was going to be pulverized by furniture and wouldn’t that make for a hilarious headstone.
Here lies Aria Naveed. Pyrokinetic. Mercenary. Idiot killed by a coffee table. May she rest in peace.
I bit my lower lip. I was making too many mistakes. I needed a Plan B.
I stilled and closed my eyes for a moment as I racked my brain. The name of the game was to avoid being hit using only my TK abilities. Which meant I couldn’t rely on my fire or my speed.
I snapped my eyes open and my fire surged back inside of me. The two tables closed in.
“Here goes nothing.”
Opening the floodgates on my TK abilities, I wrapped both tables in an invisible shield and forced them to halt.
My knees shook. My skin vibrated and sweat dripped down my back between my shoulder blades. It itched but I ignored it.
Jason shoved against my hold. My teeth clattered and my head pounded. Black spots filled my vision but I held on.
“Not today, buddy. Not today.”
I pushed back but it wasn’t enough. I was barely hanging on. I could already feel the mental push back. I wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer. Apprehension coursed through me. The blowback was going to hurt like a bitch.
I braced myself in anticipation.
A surge of warmth brushed along my subconscious and I reached for it.
The bond between Declan and I lit up like a neon sign at a strip club. I reached for it and a cascade of strength surged through my bloodstream.
Adrenaline consumed me and I shoved against Jason with everything I had as I roared a preemptive roar shout of victory.
The tables flew back, each slamming into the opposite wall with an audible thwack.
My knees buckled and I fell to the floor.
I did it. I finally did it.
Declan rushed toward me and pulled me to my feet. I smiled up with a wide grin and kissed him square on the lips.
“Thank you.” I was so happy I didn’t care that I was acting like a love-drunk idiot.
He scowled but pulled me close. “Next time, don’t wait so long to lean on me.”
I laughed. “Hell, if I
