The Wicked (7 page)

“So there’s nothing…er…to be worried about with those elements?”

“Nothing at all. They are weak. You cannot cause any damage with them.” She hesitated a moment then said, “Earth could be a problem, but I only think it came out as it did because you were releasing your magic. I’m not sure you would be able to create such a quake again.”

“There it goes again, another growl,”
Willow’s voice said snippily.
“Goodness, this one locks me up in a disgusting pig sty, gives me a stupid name and lets me go hungry.”

“You better shut that little fluffy face of yours or you’ll be sleeping out in the woods,” I snapped at her. “You think I’m mistreating you now wait until you’re covered in dirt and your hair is clumpy.”

She snorted in her cat’s way and padded off, but I heard her thought clearly.
“Now she resorts to threats.”

The next night, Zennah, Kyden’s ex-lover, was standing in the Witches Meadow doing her usual bitch. “Please tell me this isn’t the Air Witch?” I grumbled at Zia.

It would have been nice if Zia warned me last night this was whom I’d be meeting. At least, I could have prepared myself. If she wasn’t so damn beautiful—with her radiant features and super model physique—she’d matter nothing to me. But damn it, I hate when exes look better than I do.

“
Be nice.”
Zia’s voice scolded in my mind.
“She is very powerful in her element and is the best one to assist you.”

Our telepathic conversations were becoming easier as the nights passed. I usually left the connection open so that we could communicate. I liked having this with her.

“Oh, I’ll be nice,”
I snarled back.

Zia gave me a reproving look.

When we met up with Zennah, Zia said, “Thank you for meeting with us, Zennah. How are you doing this fine night?”

“I am well, Zia,” Zennah replied as friendly as can be, then she looked at me and went straight to bitch and beyond. “You ready to get started or what?”

“Be nice.”
Zia’s voice came loudly.

I sighed deeply. “Yes, thank you, Zennah. I…” My teeth ground together, “…appreciate your help.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Zennah’s voice was pretty much a sneer.

“Hurry up with this. It’s rained and the ground is wet,”
Willow demanded behind me.

“Would you just shut up?” I snapped.

Zennah’s eyes widened and a glare swept across her face. “Excuse me?”

“Not you,” I corrected, waving my hand dismissingly. “It’s the damn cat. She’s driving me batty. She’s such a grump of fluff.”

Zennah’s face softened—a little. “Well then, let’s get this over with. What do you want me to do with her, Zia?”

“Nexi needs to understand what her magic holds so she can get a better grasp on the power she yields,” Zia answered. “I thought you being talented in the Air Element you could aid her with this.”

“Pathetic,” Zennah murmured under her breath as she glanced at her feet.

“Listen, you…” I started.

Zia grabbed my arm and pulled me back quickly.
“We need her help here.”

I sighed again—this time even deeper.

“Let’s get this over with,” Zennah snapped as if I was an annoying itch she couldn’t reach to scratch. “Show me what you got.”

“What do you want me to do?” I replied.

“You’re joking?” Zennah snickered. “You don’t even know what you can do?”

I bit my lip, forcing my temper not to explode and shook my head.
I won’t kill her. I won’t bash in her face.

Zia chuckled.

Zennah shot her a quizzical gaze. “Something funny?”

“No,” Zia responded, seriously. “Please continue.”

“I don’t know what you can do,” Zennah said, meeting my gaze. “I’m no mind reader. Just tap into your magic and release it.”

If that’s what she wanted, then that’s what she’d get. “Okay. If I were you, I’d stand back,” I told her.

Zennah snorted. “I doubt you’re capable of anything that could cause me harm.”

“If you say so, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I closed my eyes, focusing on Air. I’d already proven the ability to trap someone, but I still didn’t even know how I did that. I settled for a moment, deciphering between all the layers of my magic. After I pushed away Fire, pushed away the Spirit connection with Zia, there was little feeling left. Did I understand it? Hell no. But I drew on it anyway.

Air instantly began to grow around me—wind whipping around my body, and with that, I released it. A split second later, Zia began laughing hysterically.

I snapped my eyes open. Zennah had wind whipping around her body in such a way that made her skirt fly straight over her head. She attempted to put it down, but the wind wouldn’t allow it. So, there she stood in her red lace undies, fully exposed.

“Oh shit,” I gasped, closing my eyes quickly, and focusing on the Air, withdrawing, quieting.

“You bitch,” Zennah snarled, pushing her skirt back into place.

As wrong as it was to laugh, I couldn’t help it. “I did warn you.” I chuckled.

Zennah’s glare deepened.

“She did,” Zia interjected. “Now, let’s move on.”

“Well, I see you do have some talent there,” Zennah said, her glare vanishing as she smoothed out her skirt until it was perfectly in place. “Without touching me your Air affected me.” That almost sounded like a compliment. “But your lack of control is pitiful.” Compliment over.

“Well, I’m working on it,” I retorted.

“And so you should be.”

Zia interrupted again. “Let’s move on, please.”

Zennah glanced to her, then back to me. “Yes, let’s move on. I have better things to do than be here. I will put this in simple terms for you.”

Bitch!

“You’re having trouble controlling your Air because you are forgetting to use it effectively. You just can’t send it out without having a plan first. It does not control you. You control it. Do you understand me so far?” Her tone clearly insinuating that I was mentally challenged in some way.

I nodded.
Fucking bitch!

“When you use the Air Element defensively you can use it in any way you choose. There is no limit to what you can do with it, but you have to use your head. You can’t just say,
go air, save me
.”

I ignored her snotty tone. “What you’re saying is all I have to do is believe in what I want and anything will happen.”

“Exactly. Isn’t all that hard is it?”

“Nope. Not hard all at.” Then, I thought in my mind,
Love to see you pick up a sword, you slithering slut.

Zia chuckled again.

When Zennah looked her way, Zia immediately stopped. “Oh my Nexi, your kitty is very funny.” We all looked toward Willow who was sound asleep on the ground. Zia cleared her throat. “You must have missed it.”

I smiled back at Zia.

“Anyway, with Air you need to think light,” Zennah said. “You have the Fire ability, right?” I nodded so she continued. “Air isn’t anything like Fire. It isn’t hot or potent. It’s wispy and free. That is why it’s coming out so intense when you are using it. You are putting too much into it. Demanding too much of it. It’s why you’re causing a bloody tornado with it.”

“What do I do with it then?”

“This is ridiculous,” she said, eyeing me as if I was a tick stuck in her skin. “Why such a strong element would be granted to someone like you is beyond me.”

“Just get through this,”
Zia said quickly in my mind.

“Yeah, well, you’ve got me,” I responded. “I didn’t ask for any of this, but here I am with it. So let’s get rid of all this snippety talk and just get this over with. Trust me, I’m enjoying this about as much as you are.”

“Fine then, close your eyes,” Zennah retorted. “If you can handle that?” As she continued, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Air isn’t a warm element. It’s cold. Does your body feel cold to you at all?”

“Not really—I just feel a spark of power, but it’s not cold.” I wasn’t quite sure what it was, except that there was definitely a source of strength within me.

“Then search deeper. The coldness is the source of the Air Element. It will be there within you…somewhere.”

The heat that raced through me was so powerful, but when I focused on it, I did notice that behind that heat sat a lingering coldness. I asked it to come forward—push its way through the warmth that seemed to live constantly in me now.

“I think I feel something.” It was similar to a cold fall day. Instantly, I wanted to go home, have a hot bath, put on some comfies, and curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a chick-flick.

“It’s about damn time,” Zennah snapped.

“What should I do next?” I asked, opening my eyes. This bitch was pissing me off. But there was no way in hell I’d do something stupid with Zia standing next to me. I was in enough trouble as it is.

“I don’t know what you have to do,” Zennah replied. “Just do something, use it however you want to.”

I glanced around, my gaze landing on my cat, Willow. She was due a little payback and definitely needed a good lesson in just who was boss in
this
relationship. So, with the coolness filling my body I sent a little wisp of air straight for her.

“What on earth…you,”
Willow growled as she flew up and down in the air.

Zia and I burst out laughing. Even Zennah chuckled a little beside me.

I left Willow to dance through the air for a while. What can I say, she’d been a royal pain in my ass.

“Put me down. Right now,”
Willow demanded.

“Next time you get saucy with me you’ll get worse,” I said, but did feel a tinge bad for treating my kitty in such a way. When she was close to the ground, I released my magic.

Willow landed, shook her fur which appeared even fluffier.
“I will be giving you the silent treatment. That is what you deserve.”
Then, she sauntered away.

“Willow said I’ll be getting the silent treatment.” I smiled at Zia. “How long do you think that’ll last?”

“An hour tops,” Zia replied, wiping tears from her eyes.

“There, are we done now? She seems fine,” Zennah ground out, then she turned away and whispered, “Dim-witted, but fine.”

That was it—the icing on the cake.

I didn’t care who this bitch was or how much she was helping me. No one—and I mean no one—calls me dim-witted.

“Nexi…no,” Zia shouted, just as I sent Zennah flying across the Meadow on a blast of air.

“You stupid bitch! You think you’re stronger than me?” Zennah yelled, and threw her air at me, sending me sky high.

When I finally landed, I glared at her. “Get over it. Kyden dumped you. He used you for the slut you are and threw you to the curb like sluts deserve.”

If she hated me before, those words changed that to utter loathing. Air began whipping around her so fast. Fear grew inside me. She looked scary—damn scary. Okay, I’m brave and all, but I ain’t superwoman, and this witch was about to blast me straight to the moon.

“Stop it,” Zia shouted.

Zennah ignored her order and sent her magic spiraling toward me. A big gust of wind, moving with impeccable speed, came directly at me.

My eyes shut on their own accord as I prayed that she wasn’t about to kill me. It did get windy, that was for damn sure, but shockingly seconds later that was it. I never went to visit the clouds. Confused, I opened my eyes

Zennah and Zia looked completely stunned.

My expression mirrored theirs instantly. Zennah’s wind was whipping around my body, but not touching me. Apparently, there was a shield surrounding me. When the wind hit it, it deflected away.

Zennah suddenly backed away, her magic disengaging. “What was that?” she gasped.

I glanced to Zia. “Er…I have no idea.”

Zia approached me quickly. “I have never seen anything like that. How did you do that?”

I shrugged. “How the hell should I know? I never know what I do. It just happens.”

“What were you thinking of?” Zia asked.

“I was thinking her Air was going to kill me and I just wanted it to go away.”

Zia shook her head, her expression clearly awed.

The two of them continued to gawk at me for so long it began to get annoying. “What? Why are you both looking at me like I’m some sort of surprise child you didn’t know you had?”

“It was as if you had a shield around you,” Zia said. “I have never seen anything like that.”

That kinda came as a surprise. “So, witches can’t deter magic then?”

“No,” she said simply.

“That—that…” Zennah stammered. “That was amazing.”

Hard to believe, but that was actually a compliment without some bitchy end. Maybe things between Zennah and I just got a whole lot better. I shook away the thought and glanced back at Zia. “What does that mean exactly? Why can I do that?”

“I have no idea. I can only guess that is the Spirit Element within you, but I have never seen a Spirit Witch with that ability before. Yes, Spirit Witches do have the ability to heal, but to shield yourself from magic… That was brilliant.” Zia gave me a curious look then said, “Try to do what you just did again, but this time, I will send Water to you.”