I scrunched my face, trying to remember what I read. “Um…earthly abilities?”
He laughed. “Close. The correct answer is geokinesis. Do you remember what that does?”
I was starting to vaguely recall the passage. “The ability to manipulate the ground?”
He nodded. “Correct. You can control, manipulate, or reshape the earth, in its various forms, at will.”
I thought about that for a moment. “Okay…so how would that be useful?”
“Lots of ways.”
“Such as?” I inquired.
“Well, for one, it comes in handy if you needed to defend yourself.” He used his fingers to tick off some examples. “You could create sink holes, barriers, avalanches, or earthquakes to name a few.”
I gaped. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Seriously.”
“That’s badass!” I started bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Okay, so what else could I do? Give me an example not related to defense magic.”
“Gardening,” he said. “You can speed up or slow down the lifecycle of a plant, flower, vegetable, you name it. If it grows from the earth, you can control it.”
“Really? I always wanted a backyard garden. Vegas weather is hell on plants though.”
“All the more reason for you to stay here,” he pointed out.
I laughed. “Yeah, except you just gave me a loophole! After you teach me how to use it, I could magically grow my own beautiful garden in any climate, couldn’t I?”
He scowled. “Maybe we’ll skip that lesson.”
I laughed and mirrored his posture. “What are we waiting for? Teach me something.”
He looked down at my feet. “Take off your socks and shoes.”
“Why?”
“The energy flows from your body into the earth. It’s best if there aren’t any barriers. At least not while you’re learning.”
Makes sense, I supposed. I unlaced my shoes and took them off, carefully stuffing my socks into them. My toes sank into the soil. “Now what?”
He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my torso. “Now, comes the fun part.”
“Wha—” I closed my mouth and tried again. Ty’s body was giving off a disturbing amount of energy. “What are you doing?”
He chuckled softly against my neck. “What’s wrong, Karli? Do I make you nervous?”
“No,” I said and shivered involuntarily, “but do you have to be so close?” I swear he purposely blew his warm breath into my ear. My ears were a big erogenous zone and I was having trouble focusing.
“Yes, I do. It will help you concentrate.”
Oh, I begged to differ but I wasn’t about to admit that. “So now what?”
He slid his hands down my arms and laced our fingers together. “Close your eyes.”
I complied. “What’s next?”
He shifted behind me. “Firmly plant your feet into the ground and take deep, even breaths. Imagine that you’re growing roots of energy. Feel them burrowing through the soil, winding their way into the heart of the earth. Feel the massive energy that it contains. Tell me when you’re there.”