“We’re starting already, huh?”
“Ornessa insisted on it.”
“Oh, I’m sure she did,” I grumbled. I felt like she was pushing me towards Ty in a romantic sense despite her earlier assurances.
“Do you need time to…change your clothes?”
I stretched and didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on my breasts. This guy was almost as bad as my horn dog ex-boyfriend, Chad. “What do I need to wear?”
“Something dark and athletic. We’re working on earth magic today.” Well, that explained his outfit. He was wearing black running shorts that fell right below his knees and tennis shoes. Period. He clearly had no qualms about walking around without a shirt on. Not that I was complaining. I was a healthy woman, after all. The difference between us was that I chose to have a little decorum.
I bit my lip. “Could you maybe…conjure something for me? I’m trying to avoid using magic until I get a leash on it. Well, unless it’s for the lesson at least.”
He gave me another long once over. “As tempting as that is, there’s no need. Your closet is ensorcelled. Think of what you want before you open the door and it will be there.”
“I have a magic closet? Are you shitting me?” Talk about every girl’s dream. Now the perfectly tailored clothing from last night made more sense.
He scrunched his face. “I do not know this expression, ‘shitting me’.”
I laughed. “You don’t get out much, do you?”
He looked offended. “I have lived here my entire life. I am not ashamed of that.”
I stopped laughing. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to offend you. Honestly. Your home is beautiful.”
“It’s your home too, you know. The sooner you accept that, the better off we’ll all be.”
“Yeah, and the sooner everyone acce
pts that Vegas is my home, the better off we’ll all be.”
He looked irritated. “How much time do you need before you’re ready?”
“Let me check with the guys.” I started walking outside to Vance’s hut.
“He’s not there,” he said.
“How do you know?”
“Because I ran into him on my way over. He was on the other end of the village with Naela.”
“Oh.” I will not cry. I repeated the mantra in my head several times. “Well, let me check with Leo then.”
He shook his head. “He’s not there either. I saw him lying in a field just staring at the sun. How strange is that?”
I placed my hand on my hip and glared. “Not strange at all considering he hasn’t been able to do so in half a century.”
He didn’t even acknowledge my foul mood. “It’s just you and me, beautiful.”
“Great,” I deadpanned.
We were standing in an open field in the middle of the forest. My enchanted closet had provided a black tank top, black yoga pants, and black running shoes. Ty said to imagine dark and athletic and this is what my mind’s eye came up with. Good thing too, considering his warning on the walk over here that we would be getting dirty. Earth magic was apparently messy stuff.
Ty widened his stance and clapped his hands together. “So, what do you know about the elemental part of your bloodline?”
“I come from all four houses,” I began. “Those houses are earth, air, water, and fire. Each one gives you the ability to channel power from their specific element.”
He smiled. “Very good. What abilities do you gain with the House of Earth?”