Page 36 of Stormbringer (Tracthesian Academy #1)

S he sucked at shielding so badly. Wave ground her teeth as she walked.

She needed a moment to cool her temper because she just couldn’t figure out why her shields didn’t work like Marc explained.

All she could pull up was an external shield on top of her trio.

She had even tried to drop her third shield, but that had no effect beyond bruises on her ass from the falling.

The campus was quieter in the evening, but it never fully died down. There were too many nocturnal creatures and night classes to ever feel fully alone. Wave mulled over her options when a prickling at the back of her neck made her stiffen.

Was someone following her?

She whipped her head around but saw nothing out of place. Great. Now she was jumping at shadows. By instinct, she pulled up a flimsy external shield that they had barely practiced in time to avoid a fireball smashing into her face.

Another followed, and then a barrage of flickers and flames. Some part of her brain noted that the fire was meant to hurt, not kill. The heat was intense enough to burn her skin, so she wasn’t too comforted by the thought.

She focused on keeping up the watery shield and building it up enough that the fire didn’t blister her anymore. The narrow street looked darker and more menacing than it had a moment before, as the flames died down.

Wave didn’t need to guess who was behind this little ambush, and inwardly she cursed her inattention. When she tried to keep going, a wall of flickers greeted her. Behind her, more fire crackled.

So, Elena had dragged her entourage along.

Wave’s healing kicked in, soothing the burns on her face and hands.

She really wished she could shield like Marc, since her shield walls didn’t exactly move with her.

Hunkering down behind those shields forever didn’t seem like a wise option, but Wave pulled up a wall of water. At least she wouldn’t burn.

“Bitch,” Elena snarled as she stepped into her distorted view.

“I guess it takes one to know one,” Wave muttered.

A fireball hit her water wall, and Wave’s stormbringer powers threatened to slip. Fuck. She needed to stay calm. She was safe. The fire couldn’t burn her. Safe. No need to pull down an ice storm.

Her siren side wasn’t much better, eyeing Elena like a delicious snack. Just a little song and the bitch would lick her sparkly new sneakers.

No. Wave almost dropped her shield from the shock when the thought wormed into her head.

“Look at you, cowering in the corner.” Elena laughed. “Where are your males now, slut? Did they tire of your games already?”

“Fuck off,” Wave whispered, fighting to keep her voice in check. No power leakage.

“I’ll roast you,” Elena seethed. “Stay away from my fiancé , whore.”

She really needed to learn better insults.

“I’m not interested—”

A barrage of flames cut her off, and her shield wavered. If Elena pushed just a little more, Wave would either have let the shield fall or pull on her true power. The fire clan heir apparent didn’t have any qualms about punching down at a spirit, it seemed.

Lightning started to build in her veins, as her powers reared to fight back.

Gods, she really hated fire.

“Someone’s coming!” A shout came behind her and startled Wave enough that her shield fell. Elena took full advantage and threw a fist-sized ball of blue fire at her cheek.

“Shit!” Wave gasped and then moaned when a thin sheet of ice covered her.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Irishen roared as he ran toward them.

Wave’s eyes were blurry with tears, but she still saw the sneer on Elena’s face.

“Teaching your little slut a lesson,” she spat.

The ice over her burned cheek soothed the pain, and Wave wished she could roll around in it. It helped to calm her powers, and her siren seemed more interested in Irishen than Elena now.

“Get the hell away from her,” Irishen said, voice so cold it crackled in the air. Or was it the ice wall that now formed around Wave? She couldn’t focus on the couple snapping at each other when his ice invaded all her senses.

Irishen’s cold palm cradling her aching cheek pulled her back to the present. Wave blinked and looked around her, but the street was once again empty and quiet. No sign of Elena or her friends, nor a flicker of fire in sight.

“Are you alright?” he asked, taking her in.

“I’m fine,” Wave replied automatically.

Irishen frowned and more cold stroked over her burned flesh. It felt like that kicked her healing into overdrive, and the pain vanished in seconds. Wave had to fight against the urge to lean into the touch.

“I’m walking you home,” Irishen announced. It was a statement, not a question, and Wave wanted to argue, but the words froze on her tongue. There was worry in his eyes.

“Fine,” she muttered. She didn’t expect his shoulders to relax or the way her stomach clenched when he stroked her cheek with the tip of his finger.

What was wrong with her?

Frowning, Wave started to walk toward her dorm, and Irishen followed.

“Seriously, are you all right, morsel? The fire—”

“The burns weren’t that bad,” Wave muttered, trying to downplay her healing.

“Uh-huh,” Irishen hummed, not sounding like he believed her, but he didn’t push her for more. It was a surprisingly comfortable silence. And his hand felt cool against her palm. She liked the feel of him.

That made Wave jerk her hand free and scowl at the prince. Irishen just sighed and kept walking. When she realized she was staring at his ass in the slacks and the way his shoulders filled the dress shirt—seriously, who dressed like that all the time—she snarled and hurried to catch up.

She needed to get her head examined. There was no way she was attracted to the ice prince.