Page 98 of The Lost Elemental

Kai was on his knees in front of me, hands going to my face. “You scared the hell out of us. I thought you promised never to do something like that again?”

“What happened?” My head thrummed and every muscle in my body ached. It felt like I’d been electrocuted and run through a washing machine. But touching Kai and Atlas, it helped somehow.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Headmaster Acker said, looking down at me. “What do you remember?”

“The Unveiling. I remember water, earth, fire. I remember walking over to Riven and—” My gaze flew to his. “I reacted to your magic.”

Riven’s mouth thinned into a hard line, but he didn’t say a word.

Phoenix lowered himself next to me on the couch and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close.

“I don’t think you should be touching her,” Dean Sinclair shrilled.

Phoenix leveled her with a look that had her stumbling back a step.

She whirled on the headmaster. “Sir, we don’t know what she is, but they have an effect on each other’s magic. You must think some distance is necessary.”

“We don’t know anything yet. Let’s all take a breath,” Acker said calmly.

Quincy leaned forward in his chair. “You reacted to all four affinities, Aura.”

My eyes widened. “Couldn’t it have just been a reaction to my weird double binding?”

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s quite possible you are the first aether in centuries.”

“That’s hogwash,” Sinclair huffed, turning to look behind me. “You can’t think they’re right.”

I glanced over my shoulder and my blood chilled. King Zephyr was looking at me like I was a bug he was about to dissect.

“I think we need some additional testing. I’ll take Aura back to my kingdom and—”

“Hell no,” Atlas clipped.

“Not happening,” Kai echoed.

Phoenix merely smoldered, flames flitting around him as he held me tight.

Acker cleared his throat. “Let’s all take a beat. First things first. Let’s find out if you have access to all four elements.”

My mouth went dry. “Okay.”

Phoenix leaned his forehead against mine. “You’ll be wiped out. You don’t have to worry.”

I nodded.

Kai sat back on his haunches. “We’re with you.”

Atlas pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Always.”

“Start with water,” Acker said.

I turned over my palms and imagined the flow of liquid through me. A second later, a stream poured onto the floor. Kai quickly helped me contain it and once I took a few deep breaths, I could call it back.

Acker handed me the bowl of dirt. “Earth.”

Hovering my hand over the bowl, I thought about the life force that flowed through me. The dirt in the bowl vibrated and then sprayed around us.

Sinclair spluttered, having gotten a face full of it.