“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Sara said, leaning in so close to look at Dannie’s eyes that Sara had not just invaded Dannie’s personal space, but had conquered it for her own. “And you say this happened after you shifted into whatever it was you shifted into?”Da
Balric and Cass walked towards the center of the yard and started warming up. Dannie couldn’t help but watch them for a moment. Balric, despite his size, moved with quick grace. There was something primally attractive about him. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was, but it pushed all her buttons. Cass, Dannie had no doubts, could pull men in just as easily. Beautiful, quick, and strong, Cass was like poetry in motion. The two looked good together.
The rock, about the size of a golf ball, elevated around three inches off Dannie’s hand. Blood trickled from her nose and down her face. The temptation to clean it away made her fingers twitch. The rock wavered and Dannie forced her full focus back onto it. Holding the rock like that took much more effort than throwing it with her magic.
It hurt. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but it didn’t seem to take as long or hurt as much as the first time. Dannie heard Cass swear, fear in her voice and scent as she stood. Dannie opened and closed her clawed hands.“What-what is she?” Cass asked, again the fea
Sara swore and ducked behind the lab table when Dannie appeared on the medical bed. “What—Danielle, is that you?” She had forgotten she was still in her shifted form. Sara stood up cautiously, her hand over her heart when Dannie nodded. “I thought you were in Cheyenne. Is something wrong?”
Balric walked in, pushed the rocking chair over to Dannie’s bed and sat in it. His forearms rested on his thighs. “I heard you don’t want to do your magic anymore.”“There a question in there somewhere or you just want me to confirm what you heard is right?”
Dannie spent the rest of the evening and some of the night, thinking about how she’d be able to get an advantage over Voss when he would follow the breadcrumbs of her magic. In the library, the next day, Dannie was researching through the many books there when she smelled Balric, a moment before she saw Balric join her. “What can I do for you, Betrayer?”
As Dannie kissed Balric, she realized he wasn’t kissing her back. Her stomach sunk and she pulled back from him. “I’m so-” she started when Balric wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her back to him. His mouth fell on hers, demanding and hungry. Dannie’s heart stuttered as she kissed him back just as passionate. Their kiss deepened, and the taste of him exploded on her tongue. Balric smelled of musky earth, but his taste was robust and fresh.