Although the fire didn’t burn me, it was hot, uncomfortable, and too bright. I didn’t like any of it and shrank back much like the flame had done when I’d tried to summon it.
“Pull the element to the surface,” he instructed. “Have it protect you.”
“Protect me? From what? It’s the same freakin’ element.”
“Is it?”
I didn’t understand his comment and drew in a breath to ask when I smelled it. It was the same scent I’d picked up last night. At least, I was pretty sure it was the same scent. I looked at him, searching his expression for anything that’d give him away. He didn’t falter.
Maybe Clay was right. Maybe I kept looking for something that wasn’t there.
“Fire is a coward,” Spencer explained.
I laughed in disbelief. “I’d like to see you say that to Rob’s face.”
“It favors elementals who lack discipline.”
That pretty much summed up my fire elemental. And my air elemental too. I couldn’t believe we were having a conversation standing inside a crowd of flames. They should be scalding our skin and singeing our lungs. I broke out in a sweat from the oppressive heat and yet it cooled me. Was that what he meant by having the element protect me?
“Are you saying I lack discipline?”
He looked at me.
Okay, I’d give him that one. Lifting my hand, I balled it into a fist, and the fire responded by slowly dying out. The field was once again silent, although now singed. The other handlers and charges were all watching us, except for Rob, who’d already stormed off. “I guess we really did put on a show.”
Spencer dropped my hand, and I wiped it on my pants to remove the sweat. Yuck. He had clammy palms.
Clapping caught our attention, and we both turned to see Professor Layden applauding. “How long have you two been working on that little trick?”
He glanced at his watch and frowned. “Hmm. It seems I’ve lost another watch to an element. What time do you have?”
The professor’s expression fell. “Are you telling me you just started working on that today?”
“That would be correct.” He brushed off his pants and ran his fingers through his completely unruffled hair. I was pretty sure I’d lost my eyebrows and would have to draw them in the rest of this term. I didn’t even want to see the state of my hair.
“So why have her inside the flames? That could have resulted in disaster.”
“She needs to work on her control. I’m merely forcing her to do exactly that by driving discipline. Fire is the most undisciplined of the elements. Katy also lacks discipline.”
“Hey, I’m right here.” And really didn’t appreciate the two of them carrying on a conversation as if I wasn’t.
Professor Layden nodded slowly. “Interesting theory. That must be why fire tends to not listen when I summon it. I’m extremely disciplined.”
“I’m sure it’s your weakest element as a result. I could work with you, if you’d like.” His offer almost seemed like an insult. She smiled kindly, but the tightness in the gesture gave her away. His comment irritated her. Hell, it irritated me too.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Next time, I’d prefer if you didn’t place the students in danger to prove a point.”
“With all due respect, Professor,” Spencer said in that smooth voice. “The only danger is not teaching your students the power they call is also theirs to control.”
She arched a dark eyebrow, challenging the very statement. She looked so tiny next to him, but that didn’t stop her from taking several steps toward him. My respect for the 3C professor grew by leaps and bounds.
“And with that power comes responsibility,” she countered in a cool voice. Although she appeared calm and collected as she questioned his tactics, the color in her cheeks told a different story. “I would be remiss, as the professor responsible for showing the students how to call, control, and conceal their elements, if I allowed them to take unnecessary risks simply as a demonstration of their power.”
His lips kicked into a grin as he nodded, conceding to the 3C professor. “Point taken.”
She nodded back, accepting his comment in compromise and shutting down the conversation. My respect for her soared. I couldn’t stop grinning as she put my arrogant handler in his place.
“Dangerous times call for dangerous measures,” Spencer muttered.
“What was that?”
He regarded her as his body language shifted. I braced myself, not liking his sudden change. When I picked up on it, I brought up my arms to stop him just as he said, “Katy was attacked last night.”
“Spencer!” Dammit. Now she’d run and tell the Council, who’d invoke the prophecy again. All that drama. All that chaos. I really didn’t want to repeat the past.
Professor Layden whipped her attention to me. “Is this true?”
I rocked my head back and forth. “More or less.”
“You told me you were attacked,” Spencer insisted. “And then an ominous fog set in, separating you from Clay.”
Jebus crispy chips, dude. Why not tell her about the tiger tattoo on my ass? Just for the record, I don’t really have a tiger tattoo on my ass. That was purely for dramatic reference.
“A fog?” She seemed exceptionally interested in that little tidbit. “What sort of fog?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “It was fog.”
“Was it thick?”
“Like pea soup. It was dark and had a weird smell.” I left out the part that it smelled like Alec.
“What sort of smell?”
“Like burnt human hair.”
“Was this up at the Point, by chance?”
I nodded, shocked she seemed to already know.
Her gaze rounded as she searched mine. For what, I had no idea. I just didn’t like it. When she smiled, it was tight, forced, and did nothing to warm her gaze as
