He raised his wand and began speaking, low and in a language I didn’t understand.
I whipped my hand through the air, casting an impenetrable shield, and then pulled my wand from the magical pocket on the side of my thigh. Mother had taught us all to carry our wands in a way that was hidden, so we would blend in with the human world if it was needed.
Despite being raised in an isolated realm, from the age of thirteen, we were required to carry our wands with us at all times. Our mother had been paranoid about us being hurt, injured, or kidnapped and had taught us how to defend ourselves from an early age.
I’d never realized how important that lesson was until now. Not just for the human world, but for this very magical realm that she’d once called home.
Our wands, of course, weren’t needed to create magic, but they were a fantastic amplifier, and funnel for your magic, especially when you were first learning.
Tavlor’s sp
ell came at my shield like a thousand needles, sharp and cold.
But I could feel him holding back.
“Very good,” he said and dropped the attack.
My shoulders slumped. “Was that it?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on, my mother used to throw harsher spells at me when I was ten years old.”
He narrowed his eyes and I laughed at him.
“You’re holding back,” I said. “Don’t.”
A grin lit up his face, transforming him from handsome to fucking gorgeous. My knees shook.
I pointed at him. “But no smiling! Using your looks to seduce me isn’t fair.”
His face fell, wiping the beautiful smile from his face, but light and amusement danced in his eyes. “Okay, Ava. You asked for it.”
He whipped his wand through the air and I pushed out with a stronger, harder shield.
His spell hit with the strength of a hurricane and I took two steps back as I wrapped both hands around my wand.
Holy shit, he was strong.
I clenched my teeth and focused on making the shield stronger, bigger, wider.
He flicked his wand back and forth, until I felt the sting on his spell on my face. A technique I’d never seen and one I obviously needed to learn.
Then it was gone and he dropped his arms. “I win that round. So, we move onto the next one.”
“Bullshit. Why? Because you got a fleck on my skin? That’s not the end.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Listen, Ava, this is a simple test, okay? It isn’t a battle. As soon as they score on you tomorrow, they will stop the challenge immediately, give you a mark, and move on to the next thing.”
I lifted my chin and dropped my arms, relaxing my magic for a moment. “Well, what sort of score would you give me?”
He shrugged. “About a six. You need to be more flexible and channel your magic faster.”
Anger boiled in my belly, and I clenched my fists. Despite my attraction to him, I had the overwhelming urge to punch him in the face.
I hated to lose, especially when the opponent found me ‘easy’ to dispense with.
“Fine,” I snapped. “Thanks for the critique. What’s the next test?”