Flicker and Flame: Magic Bound Book One Page 6
I’m silent for a beat before I recover, “Yeah…uh…this is Kenna.”
It’s his turn to be silent for a beat. “Kenna, I’m glad to hear from you. How are you?”
“I’ve been better, but that’s why I am calling.” I try to sound confident, but I still come across as hesitant and scared.
“Did something happen?” His voice is concerned and kind.
“I had an incident today that I’m fairly sure was magical, and I was thinking…hoping maybe we could meet to talk. That is if the offer still stands?” I hate talking about my weaknesses, and not knowing what is happening in my life makes me feel weak.
“Absolutely it still stands. What happened?” His gravelly voice warms as we talk, and it makes my body hum which is highly inconvenient and unhelpful. Damn hormones!
“It’s complicated. It involves flames on my arms jumping off and onto something else. Could I explain it all when we meet?” Seeing someone face to face helps me read them better.
“Absolutely, we can save the details until later. When would you like to meet?”
Eight
Kenna
Nerves threaten to turn my stomach inside out, and my hand pauses on the gleaming handle of the door. I shake myself out of it, open the door, and step inside, setting off a soft chime in the office. I wasn’t sure what I expected for the office of a security company, but it certainly wasn’t the elegant space we stepped into. It’s comfortable with plush carpet, grays and blue tones, and stunning black and white landscape photographs line the walls.
Before too long Nakoa strides down the hallway in a similar outfit as to what he wore at the coffee shop. Black pants and boots with another fitted t-shirt, this one in blue, his hair tied back, and I find myself drooling over him once again. I tell my libido to take a hike, but she talks back like the sassy trollop she is and tells me it is always a good time to ogle. His face brightens with a smile, sending my stomach into a backflip, and we say our greetings.
“Can I give you ladies a brief tour?” his gravelly voice washing over me with his question.
“Sure, I’d like that.” I blush, caught in my daydream. We walk by a few offices, a room full of what looks like computer monitors and television screens, and a conference room dominated by a stunning rectangular wooden table. All just as elegant and comfortable as the entrance. There is an occasional employee or two as we pass through, but Nakoa doesn’t introduce them as we keep going.
“And this is the private, personal part of the property and where we will be meeting. We find it easiest to be connected to the office in case of emergencies, so it works for us.” He punches a code in on the panel next to the door then opens it, gesturing for us to walk through. He points out the main living space which is an open-floor concept with dark wood and stormy gray tones with a splash of ocean blue. A glossy black grand piano presides over the corner. We walk down a hallway which he indicates are their bedrooms, the gym which might actually be nicer than Reg’s, and an indoor training room.
I am taken with the beauty of the entire space, and I find I am more than a little jealous at the idea of having a gym in my house! “What I wouldn’t give for a gym in my place!” I’m sure there are stars in my eyes, but I don’t care.
Teo
“Don’t get her started on the gym,” Rya says with exaggeration and continues on, “Kenna here teaches a defense and fighting basics class at a gym in town, and if she ever got over her hang ups she would kick the ass of anybody they put in the ring with her.” My blood heats at the image of going rounds with Kenna on the mats. I tuck that line of thinking away for later and turn to see Kenna blushing adorably as she half-heartedly glares at her friend. Wearing skintight dark jeans, tall brown boots, and a tight, green, long sleeved sweater coming to mid-thigh. Her wild mass of copper curls are piled high on her head with wisps falling down around her face. In a word, Kenna looks utterly edible.
“I do not have hang ups. I’m just not ready for the ring,” she huffs her answer and crosses her arms under her chest.
I get the sense that she, at least partially, feels fighting was her secret. She certainly didn’t mention it at the club, but I have a feeling her friend spilled the beans on purpose. “I bet I could kick your ass in the ring,” I throw the challenge down to see what she’ll do with it. She met every challenge I threw at her at the club, which was sexy as fuck, and I don’t think this little spitfire knows how to backdown.
She squares her shoulders, lifts her head, and meets me head on, stepping further into my space. “You’ll have to talk a lot more shit if you wanna intimidate me cause I’ll take your ass down in no time.” Holy fuck. Watching her rise to the challenge might be the sexiest thing I have ever seen, and now I’m trying to think of anything that will kill this hard-on I am sporting because of this sassy, fiery woman.
Having her this near means I can get a good whiff of her scent, and it has shifted subtly from what I remember. She still smells of a neroli on a summer wind, but I can smell the magic within her now, and I know it wasn’t there at the club. How in the fuck she went from being human to having magic, I have no clue, but hopefully we’ll be able to find some answers soon.
“You’re on. We’ll discuss terms later. I’ll go easy on you this time,” I throw in to mess with her. It has the desired effect of lighting a fire in her eyes. She turns away flipping me the bird. I follow her into the living room sporting a huge grin, my eyes tracing the shape of her delectable ass.
Nakoa gets the meeting going by gesturing to the couch, “Shall we?” We all make our way over and take a seat. “Kenna, maybe you can start by telling us what happened yesterday?”
When I heard Kenna had called I was pumped but didn’t like hearing that she’d had an issue, likely with magic. As she tells her story a blush creeps across her skin. What she describes sounds like magic to me and with the change in her scent I’m convinced. When she finishes telling her story I pipe up, “You smell different too.” Her brows crease in confusion, so I continue, “At the club you smelled sexy as fuck, but now you smell sexy as fuck with a splash of magic.”
She blushes again which is adorably sexy and asks, “Um…you smelled me?”
I grin broadly and don’t answer right away because I can see I have ruffled her feathers again. After I let her squirm for a moment longer I answer by tapping my nose, “Shifter nose. Part of the territory.” She lifts an eyebrow and makes a non-committal sound, but I swear I see the corner of her mouth twitch.
She turns back to the rest of the group and continues her questioning, “Okay, so let’s say I do have magic, not that I’m necessarily agreeing that I do, and somehow my theoretical magic claimed you four as my Chosen, I still don’t understand how I could possibly be royalty. I’m a nobody from nowhere, so how does that fit in?” My brows crease at her description of herself. Does she really think she’s nobody?
“Maybe we could suspend the conversation about being part of the royal line for now. We don’t have any answers yet, but we have been working on getting them. We would, however, like for you to come train your magic and learn how to control it. I assume that is part of why you reached out?” Koa, ever the diplomat, steers the conversation.
Kenna
His logic makes sense. Whether I may or may not be from the royal line is not the most important part of the shit storm I have found myself in. “What would training my magic entail exactly?”
“Callum is our most experienced magic user and would be your tutor. Specifics can be hashed out later once we have a better understanding of your magic, which is part of what you would be exploring,” Nakoa explains as Callum dips his head slightly toward me.
“I can help with research and the book side of understanding your magic. Research is kind of my thing, so I’d love to help,” Luka offers with a genuine smile lighting up his face.
I tear my eyes away from Luka’s sexy smile and turn back to Nakoa. “So I would come here after work and train for a few hours every w
eek?” I ask trying to get a feel for what I would be committing to.
Nakoa looks hesitant for the first time as he says, “I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to go back to work until you have better control of your magic.”
I stare at him incredulously. “I have to work. My kids need me.”
Callum speaks up in his matter of fact tone, “Do you think it wise to be at work, around others who believe you to be human, especially given that you do not have your magic controlled or have any knowledge of what it does?”
I bristle at words. I can’t argue with his reasoning, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have no intention of abandoning my kids. “I got through the entire day at work without anything magical taking place. The fire only happened because I let my emotions get the best of me. It won’t happen again.” I will control this like I do everything else in my life. My stubborn streak is a mile wide and a mile deep when I’ve dug in my heels, and I’m digging them in now.
Callum’s gorgeous face looks incredulous, as if he can’t believe I would argue with him. Rya leans over and grabs my hand. “I know you feel like you can’t abandon your kids, but you’ll be no good to them if you are fired because of an incident, or if someone gets hurt. Not to mention you’ll get out of seeing that asshole Archibald again, so there’s a plus. But you set the punching bag on fire, Kenna,” Rya’s voice implores me to see reason.
I won’t let anything happen to my kids. Now that I know what this is it won’t happen again. My job is to protect my kids, and if I’m not there to do that then who will be? “Nothing is going to happen. I won’t let it.” She opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, “I’ll be doing my training here, and I’m sure I will pick things up in no time.”
Nakoa’s voice is gentle and hesitant, as if he’s afraid he’ll spook me, “Kenna, you went to work on Friday a human and are returning this week as a caster. Don’t you think this will draw some questions?”
“No, because I won’t use magic at work.” He opens his mouth to protest again, but I don’t let him, “I refuse to abandon my kids. I will learn magic while doing my job. I’m sorry, but this is the way it’s going to be.” At some point in the conversation I crossed my arms in front of my chest, and I’m sure my expression is mutinous, but I really could not care less.
I watch as resignation settles over each face, and Nakoa shakes his head, “We won’t force you to do anything, Kenna.” His face is pained as he says his next words, “Let’s work out a schedule for your training.” We arrange for lessons twice this week since I still have class at the gym after work as well. We say goodnight, and Nakoa walks us to our car. “You have my number, so please don’t hesitate to call if anything comes up.” I agree, and with a final wave Rya pulls away from the house.
Nine
Callum
I watch Kenna walk out the door feeling completely flummoxed. By the gods, what is she thinking going back to work? When Nakoa comes back his face looks as confused as I feel. “Does she truly not understand how dangerous it is, not only for her, but for everyone she encounters?” I try to make sense of her reasoning, but I simply cannot. Nakoa sadly shakes his head in response.
“How could she know? She was raised a human, so she has no concept of the power she holds,” Luka tries to be the voice of reason, but I only shake my head at his response.
“Is that not the very reason why she should be even more cautious?” I ask incredulously.
Teo’s voice is thoughtful when he poses his question, “How would you feel if you were suddenly dropped in the middle of a world where your magic was gone? Our entire lives have revolved around the use of our magic, so now you must figure out how to function without it.” I open my mouth to argue his flawed logic, but he cuts me off, “I know it isn’t the same thing Callum but hear me out. We have just asked this feisty, ball-busting woman to give up her entire life for something she doesn’t understand, and you expect her to simply oblige?” I cannot find any holes in his thinking, but she still should have heeded the warnings about the dangers of returning to work. I shake my head in confusion, but I do not argue further.
Koa, his voice resigned, says, “We are going to set up a rotation of far guard shifts and hope she figures out the dangers before someone gets hurt.” We draft a schedule for the week for guarding and training. Nakoa and Teo are on first watch, so I head off to get some rest.
Luka and I are relieving Teo and Nakoa after their night watch, and they report that all was quiet. It is still mostly dark as we settle into position. From my viewpoint I see a balcony that is as much a forest as it is a balcony. The sliding glass door opens, and a sleep rumpled Kenna walks out with a watering can. As she waters the balcony forest I pick up the faint tingle of magic. I examine her closely but see no visible trace of her magic. I file away the thought for our training session later today.
Remaining unseen in an office is not difficult when no one is looking for you, and the office is full of dark places to disappear into. I watch as Kenna, wearing a black sweater dress over black boots, and her curls cascading down her back, sits down at her desk and locks her purse away. She begins reading through some files, a pen in one hand tapping on the hard surface, and the other hand absent mindedly playing with a curl that has fallen over her shoulder.
A man wearing a tailored black suit with the presence of someone who has worked in the Royal Guard approaches Kenna’s desk. He is as large as Koa, but lacks his warmth and looks as though he enjoys bringing his subordinates to heel far more than is necessary. Kenna tenses at his presence, and I am instantly on edge, evaluating the man as a threat.
“Good morning, Ms. Ainsley,” his cheerful tone belies the predatory gleam in his eyes as he watches her.
“Archibald,” Kenna’s voice is full of frost, so different from her feisty warmth.
“I need the transfer paperwork finalized for the shifter girl by lunch today. She simply cannot remain with that family any longer. In fact, once all the appropriate phone calls are made you are to move her immediately and terminate the host family’s status,” the satisfaction in his voice is unmistakable. It leaves me curious about what could possibly bring him so much pleasure in something that causes Kenna to be so upset.
“I’ll get on it,” her jaw is clenched so tight it is a wonder she was able to speak the words at all.
“You do that.” He is taking immense pleasure in making her angry. The man is a bully, and I find I want very much to defend Kenna. He walks off with his hands in his pockets, whistling a tune. When I look back to Kenna I see her entire body shaking with fury. She is clenching and unclenching her fists under her desk while taking deep breaths. I watch, certain her emotional response will bring about a show of her magic, but nothing happens.
After she is calmer she makes two phone calls. One to the family set to receive the shifter child and the other to the family from which the child will be removed. Kenna’s voice is rough with emotion when she speaks with the second person, who is crying and confused, “I know Sasha, it’s an extremely unfair situation. My hands are tied though. The regional office changed the policies for shifter families being able to be host families.” She pauses as the woman on the phone grows angry, “I know. Gods, I know. I wish there was something I could do. Helka deserves better and so do you.” She pauses again, “If you could hold off on telling her until I could be there I would be grateful.” The woman agrees, and they both hang up.
Kenna stares unseeingly at the phone, and when a few tears spill down her cheeks she brushes them away and clenches her jaw. Her dedication to her job is admirable but still foolish given the current circumstances. She picks up her pen and finishes the report on her desk then walks it across the hall. She has a terse exchange with the bully and walks out with fists tightly clenched, and anger written on her face. Dancing down her fingers, unseen by her, are the smallest red sparks of magic.
Kenna
Sitting in front of the Brown’s home I work desperat
ely to bring my emotions under control. I mentally rail at the unfairness of it all. I’m supposed to advocate for Helka, to place her in the best home, but Archibald stripped me of my power to do so by forcing me to do the very opposite. Sasha’s angry tears were nearly my undoing. Removing Helka and their ability to foster children, even shifter children like them, is one more right ripped away in the fear and prejudice surrounding the shifter disease. It is a terrible disease, but it has only emboldened the voices of those who already hated shifters. I check my reflection in the mirror and reluctantly climb out of the car.
Sasha’s eyes are red rimmed and full of sadness when she opens the door. I don’t normally hug the families, but I reach out and wrap my arms tightly around her. She shakes with silent sobs.
Helka’s voice can be heard from the living room, calling for Sasha. Sasha wipes her face and attempts a brave smile. I follow her to the living room where I see Helka cuddled on the couch under a fuzzy yellow blanket. “Hey there, Helka,” my voice cracks, and I pause before going on, “What are you doing over there?”
“I’m watching my favorite movie,” her sweet voice excited as she gives me a big grin.
“Is that so?” She nods. “Would it be okay if I came and sat with you?” She enthusiastically nods and pats the seat next to her. I move to the spot she indicated and reach out to run my fingers through her beautiful blonde hair.
Sasha pauses the movie, and Helka looks at her questioningly. “Ms. Kenna has something we need to talk about.” Helka’s eyes grow wide and fearful as she looks at me.
“Helka, I know how much you love it here.” She slowly nods. She’s five, but I think she understands what’s about to happen. “My boss, the person who tells me what to do-”