Still, Eva gave nothing away. Not hint of what she was thinking or, more accurately, what she was plotting. But one thing was clear—the first move would have to be his. Jamie shot his arm out, and the roped coil of fire flashed through the air toward Eva’s neck. It happened in an instant, measured in fractions of a second. Yet, Eva had time to shake her head at him, her eyes narrowed with disappointment.
With one lazy wave of her hand, Eva dumped a curtain of water over his rope of fire. Jamie fought to keep it alive, pouring more of himself into it, and for a moment, water turned to steam. But ultimately, the laws of nature defeated him, and the fire dissipated with barely a sizzle.
“Pathetic,” Eva announced. “Again. But try thinking out of the box this time.”
“Come on, Eva,” Pete interjected. “Enough already. You’ve beaten Jamie. You’ve made your point—water does indeed put out a fire.”
“You want to take a turn?” Eva taunted. “Think you can beat me.”
Pete sighed and rolled his eyes.
“We aren’t even supposed to be sparring,” Gemma said, taking up Pete’s argument. “We’re supposed to be learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses so we can combine our Gifts in combat.”
Eva started to clap slowly, somehow making the sound seem scornful. “Well done, Gemma, that was perfect—almost word for word delivery of our instructions. If we ever need a parrot on our missions—remind me to nominate you.”
Gemma wilted instantly under the sarcasm, retreating with her eyes downcast.
“Stop, Eva,” Jamie snapped. If there was one thing he hated, it was a bully. And Eva had been behaving like a particularly obnoxious bully since they started Cleaner training.
“And—here’s white knight Jamie, riding to the rescue,” Eva said, her words strung together with a mocking lilt. Is that why you’re not with Allyra anymore? She didn’t need your help anymore and you couldn’t stand it.”
Angry, Jamie took a swift step toward Eva. Her cat-like eyes hardened, and with a quick curl of her fingers, Eva gathered the water spilled on the ground and called it to her hand.
“So, you are ready to go again,” she said. “What’s the score now? Fifteen nil to me?”
“What are you trying to prove, Eva?” Jamie asked quietly.
“I’m trying to help you think out the box. I’m trying to make us a stronger team. I didn’t join the Cleaners to be a healer’s helper or stack books in the library. I want to be part of the army, to see some action. So, you lot better pull your socks up and start showing me some spine.”
Jamie shook his head. “No,” he said quietly, thoughtfully. “I don’t think that’s it at all. I think it’s personal. I think you’re trying to prove you’re not afraid of fire, that you can beat an Inferno.”
Eva reached up and touched her left collarbone, tracing her fingers over a dark, geometric tattoo that snaked across her chest and down her arm. It was a reflexive, knee-jerk reaction. One which Jamie had only noticed recently.
He’d never paid much attention to Eva’s tattoo before. It wasn’t particularly artistic, and its dark color did nothing to draw the eye in. But since he’d been forced into such close quarters with Eva, he’d started to notice the way she touched it instinctively, almost reluctantly, whenever she was under pressure. It was enough to raise his curiosity, and Jamie had taken a closer look. Underneath the ink, the skin was imperfect and thickened with scar tissue. The tattoo wasn’t decorative; it was hiding something. It was hiding a moment in time Eva would rather forget, a moment when fire had left its mark on her otherwise flawless skin. And Jamie was willing to bet it was an Inferno who had left that mark. Or, more specifically, one particular Inferno—Jason.
Normally, Eva’s discomforted reaction would have been enough to make Jamie back off, but he’d had enough of her bad temper. He pressed his advantage. “Jason isn’t here. And beating me a hundred times over isn’t going to change the fact he beat you in the Elemental Trials.”
“He didn’t beat me,” Eva snapped furiously. “His team beat mine, but I could’ve killed him in that Arena. I would’ve killed him if Allyra hadn’t interfered.”
“Seriously, Eva?” Pete said incredulously. “Is that what all this is about? Jason?”
“You have to let it go,” Jamie said, more gently now. “That’s months ago now. No one even remembers it anymore.”
His words did nothing to calm Eva. Her fingers were clenched at her side, and an angry red flush had risen to her cheeks. Jamie steeled himself for a punch thrown at his face. While he’d suspected he was on the right track about Jason, Jamie was nonetheless surprised by the level of fury the subject had invoked in Eva. Through the overactive grapevine at the Elemental Trials, Jamie had learned that Jason and Eva were old enemies, both vying for Marcus’s attention—Jason as his protégé and Eva as his lover. But Jamie had honestly believed all that had been put to bed now that the Elemental Trials were over. Apparently, he was mistaken.
Eva stared him down, her breaths quick and sharp. Then the anger seemed to seep out of her. She narrowed her eyes at Jamie, but when she spoke, her words were calm and measured. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Jamie Thiessen.”
“Really? Is that why you’re almost shaking with rage.”
Eva shrugged carelessly. “I’m not angry. I’ve got nothing against Jason. In any case, he’s Allyra’s problem now.” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Jamie. “And you’ll soon be wishing I had killed Jason.
