Spencer grunted and bared his teeth as my beam of light hit him in the center of his chest. Good. I hope it hurts, dick hole. Coughing and gasping behind me caught my attention. I whipped around as Leo sat up, his hand on his chest as he drew in breath after breath. Oh, thank God.
“Leo!” I ran to him and helped him to his feet. He nodded in thanks and rested his forehead to mine. “Are you okay?”
“He used a forbidden call on me.” He stated the obvious, as usual. Yep, my air elemental would be just fine.
I couldn’t say the same about my handler. I stood and approached him still on the ground, tied up by roots squeezing him just enough for him to struggle to breathe. Placing my foot on a root, I rested my elbow on my knee and leaned in. “And I didn’t even use a forbidden call. Just remember, Spencer. You fuck with one of my guys, you fuck with me.”
With that, I walked away, taking Leo with me. Only when we were far enough away did I call the roots to release Spencer with a flick of my wrist and didn’t turn back around.
“That was pretty badass,” Leo stated once we were near the dorms. He rubbed a shoulder as he rolled it, working out the kinks. “I don’t like that guy.”
“You and me both. Did my light short you out?”
He nodded. “I was already weak from him using air to attack me like that. I don’t know why I couldn’t call my own air to counter. It was like it ignored my call.”
I stopped, completely focused on that last part. Clay had said the same thing, and I already knew the element was ignoring me. “Your air disappeared?”
He nodded again.
“Mine has been sporadic at best and lately won’t even listen.”
“Do you think it has anything to do with air being your handler’s primary?”
That question threw me off. “He’s undeclared.” When Leo shook his head, I asked, “Isn’t he?”
“Not according to Clay. Spencer’s air call is by far the strongest of his elements. He’s just posing as undeclared.”
“Is that why our air calls aren’t working? He really is stealing our elements?”
He nodded a third time. “He’s not some all-powerful quad as he claims. He’s just really good at stealing everyone else’s elements. That’s why light doesn’t completely kill his ability to call. He just steals another element. He’s got to be a leecher.”
“What’s a leecher?”
“I don’t know why we didn’t pick up on this before.” Leo ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s why we didn’t feel his elements when we shook his hand. It’s why he didn’t want Professor Layden to touch him. I thought the Council had them all rounded up and bound their powers.”
“Leo! What’s a leecher?”
“A parasite. A weak elemental that sucks powers from other elementals. They’re dangerous, which is why the Council banned them. If they want to live in this world, they have to bind their powers.”
That…didn’t sound good. “How do they steal powers?”
“Dark magic. They cast spells to force the elements against their will. Since the elements won’t answer their calls alone, they have to steal the calls from other elementals. I seriously thought they were all gone.”
“And you’re sure he’s one of these leechers?”
“How else would you explain the way he steals all of our calls? Even yours. Our elements aren’t ignoring us. They’re being forced to listen to him.”
Great. That was just ridiculously awesome. I had a handler who used forbidden calls in lessons and stole elements to beat his opponent. As much as I hated him—and I really hated him—I began to understand why he’d never lost a battle. He cheated.
“Hi, Katy!” Trevor came sprinting over, his eager grin taking up most of his pale face. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before holding up his bandaged arms. “Want to sign my casts?”
“Those aren’t casts. They’re gauze wraps.”
He thrust them in my face. “I saved a spot for you to sign each one. I even have a pen.” He pulled a Sharpie from his bag and held it out for me. Smiling to cover the fact I’d rather draw something inappropriate on his face, I uncapped the pen and scribbled something on one arm before capping it and handing it back. “What about the other one?”
“Be happy with the one you got.”
“Okay.” His smile wilted as he lowered his head. Jebus, dude. He looked like I just broke his favorite crayon. When he read what I wrote, his bright expression returned, as did his wide grin. “Stay in school. That’s awesome! You want me to stick around! See ya!” He hurried off, holding out his arm as if holding a priceless artifact.
“Stay in school?” Leo teased. “Really?”
I shrugged. “It was either that or don’t do drugs. I stand by my decision.” I raised my hand as I said my pledge.
Leo focused on the cut on my hand and frowned. “That looks bad, babe.”
“It’s fine.” I hid my hand behind my back and changed the subject. Until I processed what Bryan and his mom had said last night, I’d continue to hide it. No one else needed to see a cut on my palm and immediately equate that with being dark. I still had no idea how one equated to the other. “Hungry?”
“Starving,” Rob declared as he walked up, his dark gaze on me. He wasn’t in his usual attire of tank top and shorts, instead had on the black suit he wore on extractions, which I hated seeing him in. He looked so much better with fewer clothes. “How you doin’, Reed?”
“Aren’t you mad at me?”
“Yep.” He grinned, but it seemed forced.
“So…”
