Page 80

Dad sighs heavily as he hands the spatula to Striker and walks over to stand in front of me. He cups my face and runs the pad of his thumb across my cheekbone. He looks like he’s lost in thought. I give him this moment to process everything, because I know that it’s scary. He has already lost Mom, and I know that he’s terrified of losing me again. I have known him for all of two weeks, and he has never been hesitant to show his feelings. He is trying to process them in a way that doesn’t freak me out. Right now, I am calm and accepting of this, but that might not always be the case.

“We will focus on basic attacks and defensive spells,” he says after a while. “After that, we focus on reaching that stored magia. Real-world experience with actual combat is the only way you are going to learn how to spellcast under pressure. You have plenty of people around you to help you and make sure that no one actually hurts you. I want to lock you up here, on this property, to keep you safe, but I know that I can’t. I know that I have to let you do this your way because you are the one being guided through life for this prophecy. You wholeheartedly believe that this has to happen for the prophecy to lead us to survival… then I will support whatever you have to do. Understand I will never stop fighting for you, though. Anyone who attempts or succeeds in hurting my daughters will suffer. No matter if you survive or not, I will avenge you, and they will beg for death by the time I’m done with them.”

“You know you do this thing where you say very violent things in a very sweet voice?” I say, and he smiles.

“I love you so much, Lilith. I’m trying hard to not treat you like a little girl. Part of me wants you to be a little girl forever so I can protect you, but know that you have to be the one to do this. No matter how much pain it brings me, I know that I have to step back and let you be your own person. Your mom would not want me to prevent you from growing into the person you should be. You have three loving and protective mates at your side. I will happily stand behind you no matter where you lead us.”

Tears fog my vision as they begin to spill down my cheeks quicker than I expected. Dad grabs me into a hug and squeezes, holding me tight as if it’s the only thing keeping me together. It pains me to see him feel helpless, but it brings me so much joy to know that he will always be behind me. I prayed my entire life to be surrounded by people who love me, and now I have that. I have my mates, my siblings, and my father. I may not be invincible, but together with their help, I am. We will win this war because they helped me.

When we get done with breakfast, the guys go off to get updates for me while Dad and I go to the courtyard to practice. He wanted to make a point of having me practice in front of everyone, so I was comfortable. People must see me practice and know that, although I am young and I am new to this, I am still trying.

The first spell we work on is putting up a protective barrier. It is important to be able to protect myself. When all else fails, I can put the barrier up and wait. There is no sense in getting myself killed when I could just put a barrier up and block everything out.

I practice for what seems like hours. Dad tests me by throwing random things at me. When I fail, he thinks it’s hilarious, but when it works, I think it’s hilarious. He eventually has people come over and try to get through the barrier that I put up. If they can get through it, I’m not doing it right. There are ways to be selective when putting a barrier up and who can get through it, but if I am in a situation where I need to use it, I don’t want anyone around me. My barrier will protect anyone who is directly beside me. If they are not there whenever I put it up, they are out of luck. If two witches simultaneously cast the same barrier, it will make it that much stronger, like when the plane first took off. Now, if you get a group of five to ten putting up the same barrier, you can spread it to protect an entire property like we are right now. They are far more advanced than I am, so they can be selective with who can get in.

For the most part, I am able to quickly get a grasp on the spells. Once I get it the first time, I’m okay. Some spells come easier than others. The barrier, for instance. Anything that protects me I pick up on is far easier than any attack. There are some attacks that I can’t actually practice because they are deadly. Dad makes sure that I understand the basics of it, and we do practice a little, but not to completion. For example, there is a spell that will allow me to boil somebody from the inside out. For whatever reason this one attracts my attention the most, but it’s not something I can realistically practice. Anyone that I practiced it on could suffer irreversible damage. These types of spells are reserved for when I have no other choice. It is far preferable for me to stick to things that I can actually practice and hone my skills instead of trying to use a spell that I can’t actually practice and then failing and getting myself killed. The best offense is a good defense.

Although I can learn any spell, nature-based spells are the easiest for me. Offensive spells that involve the natural elements are going to be the most efficient attacks for me. This is likely why the shock spell that I used on Kael came so easily to me. That spell in particular is my favorite because I can adjust the strength of it. Even when I first mated with the guys and shocked Kael, I very well could’ve laid his ass out. The more I practice it, the more strength I develop with it. Once I am actually able to tap into my reserve of magia and learn how to control it, all of these attacks are going to be a breeze.

For the last part of the day, we focus specifically on attack spells. Some of these include fireballs or ice spears, but shocking people is where I am the most comfortable. This allows me to keep my distance and also attack if someone gets too close. I can’t necessarily throw a fireball in someone’s face if they are two feet in front of me, but I can electrocute the shit out of them without doing the same to myself.

Vash volunteers to help me train. Dad gives him simple instructions. Pin me. Shifted or not, his goal is to get me down, and he is not to go easy on me just because I am the queen. If anything, he should go harder because I am the queen. I am a vital part of this fight, and I have to survive to make sure we win. I can’t do that if I’m dead.

While Vash tries to take me down, Dad will advise me in the moment what to do. The guys are standing off to the side with a few others. I can tell they’re uncomfortable with Vash rushing towards me, but they brought this on themselves. Now they get to watch another man try to pin me down.

By the time Vash steps up, everyone is watching. “Ready?” Dad asks me.

“Absolutely not,” I say, and Vash laughs.

“Are you scared, my Queen?” Vash taunts me.

“Iwillelectrocute you, Vash,” I give him a stern warning.

“See… I was going to be nice and not shift,” he says, stepping closer to me.

“Okay. That’s not nice. You have to give me a second before you do that,“ I laugh and back up.

“Please don’t break her,” Daemon says.

“We don’t have all day, Lilith. You’re stalling,” Dad says.

“Fine. I’m ready,” I say.

Vash doesn’t charge at me like I expected. Instead, he is slow and methodical. He moves around me, watching my every move. He doesn’t attack first, so I do. Everything I send his way, he either dodges, or my spell is too weak to do anything.

“Alright. This is annoying,” I say as I turn to Dad. He smirks at me right before Vash takes me down and pins me.

“Don’t take your eye off the person coming after you. Ever,” Vash says. “Your enemy will not hesitate to take advantage of your distraction.”

“That was rude,” I say with a frown when Vash gets off of me and helps me up.

“That was realistic, Lilith,” Vash says. “You think Zypher will fight fair?”

“No,” I say.

“Exactly,” he says. “Survival is the only way you win. Even if you are pinned, you never stop fighting. I don’t care what he is doing; you never stop fighting. If he gets you down, you find a way to fight, even if only with your mind. The second you give in, he wins.”

“I get it,” I sigh.