Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(56)

He scooted closer, and I jumped a little as he took my hands in his. Warmth flowed through me from his hands to mine, pooling in my lower belly, and suddenly I was filled with want. Our gazes locked, and his iridescent violet eyes burned into mine for just a moment.

“This will only take a second.”

He spoke another short incantation, and a wave of magical energy rushed across my skin, sending tingles from my head to my toes. And then he dropped my hands, and it was over.

“Unfortunately I’ve no time left to teach you more since we started so late,” he said, his tone tinged with regret. “You should be on your way now.”

“Wait!” The word burst from my lips as Iannis began to stand. I had a feeling there was something I was supposed to be telling him, something important, but my brain was too overwhelmed to tell me what. Instinctively I reached out and grabbed his wrist, then bit back a gasp as heat lightning arced between us.

“Yes?” Iannis’s eyes flared, but not with anger, and I knew that he felt it too. This strange connection we had, whatever it was, it was real. And as he stood above me, I had a feeling that we were both standing on opposite ends of a canyon, and that Iannis was just waiting for the right word from me to jump across it to the other side.

But the words, whatever they had been, dried on my tongue, and I swallowed. “Thank you,” I said quietly, looking away. I jumped to my feet, releasing his hand as I did so. “I have to go now. Goodnight.”

And I fled the room, leaving my pride somewhere between the Chief Mage’s couch cushions.





17





It was after nine o’clock by the time I finally made it out of the Palace, too late for me to be driving up to Turain now, so I reluctantly decided to postpone my trip until tomorrow. A little lost, I toyed with the idea of seeking out Comenius or Noria, but at this hour of the night I figured they’d be with their lovers, so I went on home instead.

After trying out the spell I’d seen Iannis use on my own doorknob – yes, it did work! – I traded in my leather pants and jacket for a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, then climbed into bed with the Residah, hoping the thick leather tome would lull me to sleep.

As I propped the book up on my thighs, it seemed to open of its own accord, the pages flipping until they finally settled on a chapter regarding self-control. My eyebrow arched, and I wondered if whichever god was watching from above was trying to send me a message. In any case, I figured it was as good a place as any to start, so I began reading.

Self-control is possibly the most important quality a mage must cultivate. In order to safely practice magic, a mage must have achieved mastery over every aspect of their existence – mind, body and soul. Magic is controlled by thought and intention, thus it is necessary to have a firm grip one one’s emotions before casting even the most minor spell. To do otherwise could have catastrophic results.

I pursed my lips as I thought about that. I’d always made fun of mages for being so stoic, but if they were taught from an early age that controlling their emotions was necessary to mastering magic, I supposed it only made sense that they were raised that way. And though I’d seen Iannis use his magic while angry a time or two, he’d never done so while performing any kind of major spell, and even when he’d been angry he’d somehow seemed in control. I knew that if I had the kind of power he did and I lashed out with the full force of my anger, I would cause all kinds of damage. Maybe he was right to place limits on my magic until I was ready to handle more.

I was about to dive back into the book when a loud knock at the door startled me. Jerking my head up, I strained my ears for any sign that there might be trouble – visitors were a rarity.

“I don’t think she’s home.” I blinked at the sound of Comenius’s voice.

“Of course she is home.” A woman’s richly accented voice floated through the crack beneath the doorway as I quickly shrugged on a robe and hurried into the living room. “You said the steambike parked at the curb belonged to her, did you not? And the lights are on. She must be here.”

“Well yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s –”

“Hey!” I threw open the door, a smile tugging at my lips at the thought of seeing a friendly face. Sure enough, Comenius was standing in the hall, dressed in one of his dark green tunics, and on his arm was his new girlfriend, Elania. “Wasn’t expecting any visitors.”

“I can see that,” Elania said, her throaty accent tinged with amusement. Her dark gaze swept over me, and as I took in her flawless pale skin, her perfectly curled, inky black hair, and the deep red velvet dress that hugged her curves, a wave of self-consciousness swept through me. But if she was unimpressed with my outfit, or lack thereof, she didn’t show it outwardly, so I tried to push the feeling aside and smiled at her.

“Sorry, Naya.” Comenius scratched the back of his head, looking vaguely embarrassed. “I can see that you were in bed, and we didn’t mean to disturb you –”

“Yes we did,” Elania said firmly, but kindly, squeezing Comenius’s arm. “My iubito has been fretting about you for the past few days, ever since he heard about your involvement with the terrorist attack on the bridge, to the point that it’s been affecting our time together. So I brought him over here to see you, so he can assure himself you are alive and well.”