If I was being honest, I wanted him to do a lot more than just kiss me.
The image of the bed he’d conjured flashed into my head. I closed my eyes, my cheeks filling with warmth.
I shook my head. When I opened my eyes, he locked gazes with me, and fire consumed my body.
I cleared my throat and straightened my spine. I couldn’t keep looking at him. He would distract me from the trial. Although, maybe that was a good thing. Maybe that was what I needed so I didn’t come across as too powerful.
I only had to do enough for them to sign off on my getting a job so I could bring
my sisters across without anyone knowing, nothing more. I couldn’t let them see what I was really capable of, or everything would be ruined.
“Okay.” I nodded once. “Let’s do this.”
Matlock walked forward and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Good luck, Ava.”
“Thank you.”
I took a deep breath as he and Nathan disappeared behind the veil and I was left in the room with the disturbingly quiet and small Fae, Abigail. She seemed nice enough, but I was already uncomfortable with everything here. I wasn’t as savvy as I hoped to be.
“This is all very, odd.” I said to her. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for me to say that in the first place, but I couldn’t help it.
She smiled. “I have to return the compliment, Ava. I too believe that you are quite... odd. But in the best way. You aren’t like the many Witches I have met before you or that I have worked with like this. I’m eager to see what you can do.”
I cocked my head at her, frowning. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. My pride tickled; I wanted to show everyone here what I could do, what I really was, but I knew that wasn’t the smartest thing.
“That’s a compliment,” I stated, surprised.
I wasn’t sure the Fae were capable of compliments. Tavlor surely wasn’t.
She laughed, actually laughed, then pulled her face into the semblance of calm. “It is,” she said. “Most certainly.”
She walked across the room and took off her long outer robe off, revealing a flowing white outfit. It had strips upon strips of material and it made her look a bit like a tree. However, it was striking and it complemented her willowy shape.
“So, what’s the first step?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips. I rocked my weight back and forth, letting out a breath.
She smiled again. “You aren’t familiar with what’s going on today.”
Was I that obvious?
“No, I’m now,” I admitted. I barely remembered Tavlor talking to me about the trial in between our heated confrontation. “We do three tests, and you see how strong I am in each element.”
Abigail smiled. “Yes. Since you don’t know the way we do things, I’ll give you a little more time than normal. The first task for me is to ask you a few questions.”
“Oh, that’s right. Like a job interview.”
Abigail nodded. “Next is to see how well you defend yourself, then an attack spell, then a third test of your choosing.”
“My choosing?” I cocked my head to the side. I hadn’t heard about that part.
“Well... yes. It’s to show case your talents. But we’ll get to that in a moment. Firstly, Ava. Tell me about yourself. Where do you see yourself in the future?”
I glanced towards the veil that hid all the other witches and warlocks. I nearly rolled my eyes. Mother didn’t like us watching television but Court was addicted. This particular question seemed to be common amongst humans and it was more cliché than I realized now that I had to deal with it directly. “Can they hear everything I say?” I asked in a low voice.
“Yes.” She nodded once. She did that a lot. “They take notes and then may ask questions at the end of the trials to clarify points, to ask for explanations, that sort of thing. There’s nothing for you to worry about, Ava, I assure you.”
I wasn’t sure about that, but she seemed so sincere, it was hard not to believe her. “Oh... okay.” I fiddled with my fingernails before snapping my fingers away. “Well, I was home schooled by my mother, my whole life. I don’t know what sort of jobs I would be good at.”
Abigail nodded and conjured two chairs facing one another. “Please, have a seat.”