Braving the Elements (Darkness #2)(9)

“Get laid, already. Focus for two seconds. So pale gold is…” Her clear hazel eyes stared at him.

“Not as strong as the Boss.”

She nodded again. “The order is purple, as the lowest, blue, green, red, orange, gold, white, black.”

“Explain to me why this is so hard for you to remember?”

Sasha threw him a scowl. “I’ve never heard any of this stuff before. You’ve heard it since you were a kid. Give me a break. Okay, I should be extra awesome, since I’m supposed to be black, but instead, when I do things, they seem to have the opposite effect. Like I’m doing it wrong. Or something. I can’t understand Bert half the time when he tells me things.”

“Wait…you’re supposed to be black? Who said?”

Sasha waved it away. “I shoot black stuff in dire situations. Stefan thinks this is good news.”

Huh. Yeah, that would explain a great many things with the Boss. But he’d never even heard of a black power level…

Back on track, he said, “Maybe you’re not doing it wrong, but it’s just because you pack such a wallop?”

“I use red all the time. That should be middle tier. How is that a wallop?”

“I don’t know. Maybe use your normal power level and it gets easier?”

She shook her head in frustration. “That’s what I mean. It doesn’t seem to work like that for me. You guys struggle to pull magic when it gets closer to your power level. For me, when I get higher up there, all of a sudden it is like trying to hold back a flood. Like I am wrestling with a bear, or something. It’s not the same. Why am I not the same, Charles? Why am I always different?”

Charles had one terrified moment of panic when he thought she would cry. Her eyes glistened and her body bowed in on itself, fragile and vulnerable. Dealing with a lifetime of insecurities and loneliness. He’d asked some questions during her high after those car rides—she couldn’t remember actually losing her parents, but she constantly felt their absence; the hole where unconditional love was supposed to reside. Her foster family hadn’t fully taken her in; they’d merely been a place to live. Her boyfriend, as her chosen family, hadn’t ever really understood her. She’d always been the square peg trying to smash itself into the round hole.

Kind of like her set up right now.

Charles couldn’t help his heart going out to her, but it didn’t change his terror at what to do if she freaking cried! Should he pat her back, or give her a hug? Last time he tried to console a female, she got pissed off that he thought she was weak and kicked him in the face. Human women weren’t as violent, though. Right? The movies always had the guys being supportive—but he’d tried going the romance movie route and that had ended horribly.

I really hope she doesn’t punch me in the balls.

As the water wobbling in her eyes threatened to overflow, he scanned his plate for a place to put down his ribs. He had to do something.

Thankfully, though, a second later she shook out her shoulders and scrunched up her face, thinking again. Charles let out a sigh. She held it together this time, but the woman was a hair’s breath away from losing it. He kind of hoped he wasn’t around when she did. She was unpredictable.

“I can do this,” she muttered.

“Okay, excellent. Let’s practice the fire element one more time before we head to James for weapons. You’re best at that element.”

“Argh!” She threw her pencil at a tree. “Don’t you listen? I always pull too much magic.”

Charles knew this, but he loved watching the flame flicker in her fingers. It was neat. Besides, she always reigned herself in eventually. “Just go slow. And do not make me bald! I don’t need pity sex. Well…yes I do; but I don’t need pity to get sex, is what I meant. Except…”

Her eyes narrowed. “No, Charles, that wouldn’t work with me, either.”

“What the hell did I do to the Boss that he had to pair me with the biggest prude in the world?” He flashed her a grin. “For now.”

Sasha shook her head and closed her eyes. She dropped her hands to her knees, palms up. For a second, nothing happened, and then a faint blue flame flickered over her fingers. The flame turned green slowly, working toward more power. To red, her default. Lately, she’d stopped there, too nervous to draw more.

His eyes scanned the meat in front of him. And then swept the ground for the bottle of spicy BBQ sauce. The cooks were getting the hang of BBQ, but they still shied toward bland. He had to up the ante with sauce that would curl his hair.

“Where am I?” Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

Oh yeah.

Orange flame grew along her palm, rising six inches into the sky. He felt his own power stir. She had this awesome ability to coax another person to draw more magic. At least, she could with him. It was excellent and really helpful.

“Orange. Good job.”

Her breath came in fast pants. “It’s trying…to…force me…”

Charles reached forward to shake her shoulders, but he still had the ribs. Dang it! Orange started to morph toward gold. Her eyebrows dipped low over her eyes. If he wasn’t careful, soon he’d get a hairless fog!

Thinking fast, he leaned forward and slapped her across the face. Her eyes snapped open and the glow winked out. BBQ sauce smeared her cheek.