Shimmering Chaos (Enchanted Chaos 2)

“Maybe when we finally get it down, we’ll figure out where the hell all her power is coming from.” Foster continues to stare at me in quizzical wonderment, the crystals on his face twinkling in the light above. “You’re amazing, Sky. You really are. I’ve never seen anything like this.” His gaze descends to the crystals covering his arms and a smile graces his lips.

I flick a golden crystal off me, feeling self-conscious. “Just so you know, whatever just happened, I probably did it accidentally, so you shouldn’t be too impressed.”

“Accident or not, you managed to shove out any traces of Foster’s powers from your body,” Easton grins at me. “Do you know how badass that is?”

“It’s extremely badass,” Foster adds. “And rare. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of any other elemental being able to do that.” He surveys me over. “I’d like to try it again, but only if you want to. I don’t want to pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable with. But I do want to stress that the more you practice, the more powerful and safer you’ll be. Plus, I think you might turn into quite the badass.” He rubs at the crystals covering his arms, his touch melting them and leaving streaks of elemental colors on his flesh.

Their badass remarks are what win me over and make me want to do it again.

I hold up my palms in front of me. “All right, let’s do it.”

Grinning, Foster aligns his palms to mine and Easton claps his hands together.

“All right, badass girl, let’s see what other awesome tricks you have hidden up your sleeve.” Easton steps back, as if he expects me to do something magical.

And hey, at this point I’m kind of wondering the same thing.

Hours later, I’m beyond exhausted but feeling pretty good. Not only did I absorb Foster’s powers a few times and eliminate them from my body, but I blocked out my feelings from traveling down the link a couple of times as well. Not that I’m an expert yet. No, it’ll take quite a bit of practice before I can stand in a circle amongst all the Everettsons and let them blast all their powers into me like I saw them do with Foster the day I discovered their secret. But I’m feeling more confident about my powers than I did a couple of days ago, so that’s a plus.

Still, worry stews inside me about this whole link thing. I haven’t heard Easton or Foster mention their brothers at all, but the longer they’re gone, the more I find myself… concerned. I’m not sure why. I barely know them, yet they’re taking up a lot of space in my mind as I head up to my room to go to sleep for the night, feeling worn out and achy all over.

“Is it normal to be this tired from using my powers so much?” I ask Foster as we wander down the hallway toward our bedrooms.

He flicks a few pieces of crystal off the hem of his shirt. “Yeah. Even I still get exhausted sometimes. But it’s important to practice so you can go out into the worlds without having to worry about your powers getting the best of you. Plus, it’s good to know you can protect yourself.”

“What do you plan on doing once you graduate?” I ask through a yawn.

He stops in front of my door, his lips tugging into a half-smile. “Traveling with you. Remember?”

I slow to a stop with him. “Yeah, I remember. But what if you’d never met me? Then what would you have done?”

His smile vanishes quicker than my heart can take its next beat. “I probably would’ve followed in my parents’ footsteps—worked for the organization for most of my life then died alone.”

His words strike me square in the chest.

r /> “Foster … I—”

He places his finger over my lips. “I don’t want you to pity me. I know you’ve been just as lonely as I have. I saw it in your eyes the day I met you. But I do want you to know that you don’t have to be alone anymore.” He lowers his finger from my lips. “I’m so glad I met you. And I would’ve felt the same way I do about you now, even if you hadn’t turned out to be an elemental enchanter.” He gives a brief pause, then turns toward his shut bedroom door.

“Wait.” I call out and he pauses. “Will you …? Will you sleep with me again?” Face palm.

Did I seriously just ask him to sleep with me? Sometimes, I can be so awkward.

He twists back around, his lips quirking as his gaze zones in on my flushed cheeks.

“You’re so cute when you get embarrassed,” he says through a soft laugh. “And yeah, I’ll sleep with you, but only if you promise not to let your hands wander where they don’t belong.”

The heat in my cheeks grows hotter, yet I manage to get out an eye roll.

“Nice one, bro.” Easton snickers, appearing just down the hallway.

Great. When did he get here?

“No, not nice one bro.” I throw a smirk at Easton. “Anything that you think is nice isn’t nice at all. In fact, it’s the opposite.”

“You, lightning eyes, are becoming more and more entertaining by the day,” he quips with a grin, slanting against a shut door just a ways down from my bedroom. “But what’s most entertaining is when you blush. It’s by far the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Good gods,” Foster mutters, giving his brother a dirty look. “You don’t ever let up.”