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Chapter 38
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Fire and Water Chapter 39
It was after class the next day and James found himself in the Li-brary with a few books on the table before him. He wanted to get a jump start on his homework so that he wouldn’t have to spend the entire weekend trapped in a book. He cracked the first one—a number which discussed the use of bows and arrows by Genghis Khan for his Military History class—and began to read the first chapter. Or he tried to anyway. He breathed a heavy sigh as soon as he realized he had read the first sentence several times. He closed his eyes and clapped a hand to his forehead. Ever since working with Christian yesterday, his thoughts had been elsewhere. He couldn’t help but run the afternoon through his mind over and over. It was like that annoying song that gets stuck in your head and never goes away; it just replays over and over. But if James was honest with himself, there was a single word which described the undertones of each rerun: jealousy. The lingering doubts of himself as the element of air
Fire and Water Chapter 40
And so it was that he now found himself after dinner the very next Friday, the uniform of a Centurion laid out before him—leather sandals, burgundy-red cape . . . thingy, breastplate and helmet, and whatever you call the leather-like kilt contraption—when he suddenly realized what he had forgotten to do. With the party going on so late, there was no way that he and Eliza would be up in time for training in the morning. James swore at himself for being so forgetful. He checked the time and dashed from the room. Taking two steps at a time, he ran down the stairs and didn’t break stride as he hit the ground floor. He jogged around the lounging students and the massive statue of Athena, before darting down the main hallway and entering the area where the staff offices were. James slid to a stop in front of the door marked: Director. He slowed his breathing and knocked on the heavy wooden door. “Come in,” a voice sounded from the other side. He opened the door, stepped through, and c
Fire and Water Chapter 41
They climbed from the car, made sure the doors were locked, and worked their way through the sea of cars. He held out an arm, Eliza slid hers through the crook of his elbow, and they stepped up on to the decorated porch. Making their way to the front door, numerous costumed party-goers gawked as they walked past. “I think everyone’s staring at you,” she leaned in and whispered. But James shook his head and fought down a laugh. “Nope, not me. You.” “What?” she started to protest, but they’d already arrived at the door. James opened it up, the bass hitting them like the blast from a shockwave and allowed her step in first. She was a little shy and overwhelmed it seemed to him, especially eyeing all the revelry. There were extravagant decorations everywhere, black lights in random places, but that wasn’t the sight of her searching gaze. It was the students doing shots and making out and various other lewd activities in dark corners of the rooms. “It was never this wild when I came
Fire and Water Chapter 42
Start at Chapter 27A dank, musty breeze whispered inside the dark cavern. The lit candles and crackling fire in the large, black marbled fireplace flickered like fireflies. With the smells of the place and the dim, depressing atmosphere, you’d think anyone would hate it here. But to Nicholas Clurife, it was home. In fact, he despised having to leave this temple-like structure which had been forged from an underground cavern. Every time he came back into the deathly environment though, his blood sang exuberantly. It was as close as he could come to being at his father’s temple in the Underworld. His sharp features were half in shadow, but his pale skin glowed a light gold as he stood facing the warmth of the fire. From the expression in his cold, gray eyes and the strain on his face, he was filled to the brim with a quiet fury. He spun on the spot impatiently as he detected her soft, stealthy footfalls. “I have brought him for you, master,” Kali bowed slightly at the waist. Her
Fire and Water Chapter 43
The palpable tension in the air every time Christian and Dieter were near each other refused to abate. They were so close to continuing the fight which had started by the pool that it was as if heat waves could be seen between them like an asphalt blacktop on a sweltering summer day. James thought it was incredibly immature and he couldn’t believe how the two of them could act like such kids. Because of this, half of the time he normally would have spent focusing on homework or being with Eliza, he now spent making certain a brawl didn’t erupt. If Christian lost control and abused his abilities, hell would literally break loose. At least Christian was helping some by staying to himself whenever possible. Apparently one of the ways in which Christian relieved stress or vented or whatever was to grab his board and skate like a mad man. So, most afternoons, when he wasn’t training, Christian could be found skateboarding around the parking lots and setting up various obstacles to sk
Fire and Water Chapter 44
Surprisingly, a stampede did not spontaneously materialize. He figured that most of the people realized that the quickest way to get in would be for everyone to file in as orderly as possible, thus preventing any kind of clog. Now if only drivers on the freeway around D.C. could figure that one out, James thought. When he, Tres, Christian, and Adonis finally reached the doors the wave of tantalizing smells nearly knocked him over. Seared, roasted, and smoked meats filled the air, sizzling spices and butter, melted, bubbly cheeses and steamed vegetables, all mixed with the scent of cinnamon, pumpkin, and sugar which danced across the dining hall. His mouth was watering. Tres seemed to be n some kind of a food-induced daze and Christian and Adonis were eyeing the meats on the other side of the hall avidly. James spotted the girls at a table not too far from the serving lines and headed their way. As they pulled closer, he saw that Eliza and Svet were guarding the e
Fire and Water Chapter 45
The snow whipped against him like icy pellets hurling from the sky and the wind blasted in a blistering cold torrent driving deep into his bones. He was suspended in a complete whiteout in the middle of the air, still and steady as is the norm these days, but the blinding white was very different. Usually, he was in the middle of a thunderstorm, not a snowfilled nothingness. And normally the cold didn’t affect him as much. He shivered uncontrollably as a particularly freezing gust engulfed his body. Goose flesh rose along every inch of his skin and his teeth began to chatter noisily; his lips felt as if they were turning blue. James looked around him, still not able to see anything, and hunched inward to try and raise his core body temperature. Just as he could feel the blood in his veins thicken and chill, a deep, feathery voice surrounded him. It came from everywhere and nowhere all at once, reverberated from his very soul, and yet, its source was completely familiar . . . Hades.
Fire and Water Chapter 46
“We have much to be thankful for this year,” intoned Blakeney at the head of the small table. At the center of attention was a magnificent roast turkey. On all sides were traditional Thanksgiving dishes: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, candied yams, cranberries in a jellied sauce, and buttery crescent rolls. The scents filled his nostrils and uplifted his spirits. “So much has changed,” He continued with a warm smile. “We have new family, new friends, and . . . new purpose. Despite all that life brings against us, we will have each other. Always.” Blakeney turned his dark-gray eyes on James. “A son in everything but a name.” Then, he swiveled them onto Adonis and spoke kindly. “And a student, a friend, whom I am proud to know and of course whom I’ll expect free tickets from when your movies are up on the silver screen.” Blakeney chuckled as Adonis blushed shyly. “I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not blood that makes a family, but this . . . right here,” he waved around the
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