Chapter Sixteen

Alice Ruins a Lovely Party

            Several weeks went by and Alice tried to forget the visions, banishing them to the back of her mind.  After all, she believed Shakra was right - she was what she made herself.

After some persuasion she continued her practice with glamours, telling herself it was only small magic. It annoyed her that Tricia ended up being better at them then she was.  Alice took it as a sign that her ego was getting too big and tried to squash the indignant feelings.  She practiced holding a glamour all day Friday in preparation for Saturday night.  When she let it go at the end of the day with a satisfied smile, Gabriel stared at her in bafflement.

“Weren’t you just wearing a black skirt and a green shirt?”

            “Yes.” Alice grinned at his expression.

            “Now you’re wearing a red shirt and blue jeans.”

            “Yes.”

            “When did you change?”
            “I didn’t.” Alice struggled not to laugh.

            “Wha…oh, I get it. You’re practicing.”

            “How did I do?”

            “Obviously I couldn’t tell the difference.” He shook his head. “That’s very disconcerting.”

            “What are you wearing tomorrow?” she asked him, smiling.

            “I’m doing it the proper way and renting a costume.”

            “You think I’m doing it the improper way?” Alice made a face at him.

            “I think it’s cheating.”

            “It is not!” She thought about the Wizard who had made himself better looking at the bar. “Okay, maybe it’s a little like cheating, but it’s cheaper than renting a costume.”

            “True. Are you prepared for tomorrow night?”
            Her stomach lurched at the thought. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

            “You’re still determined to ask about that girl, aren’t you?”

            “Maya, and yes, I am.”

            Gabriel sighed. “Oh geeze. I hope you don’t offend him too mortally. I don’t feel like being hit by a lightning bolt or something.”

            “He’s not Zeus, and he wouldn’t attack us in front of other people.”

            “How do you know that?” Gabriel asked crossly.

            Alice shrugged noncommittally, but she remembered the feeling of touching all that magic, the electric tingle of power it had sent through her body. How easy it would have been to lift one hand and blast someone away. The amount of magic in the ballroom was about three or four times the shop’s contents.  She shivered just thinking about it.

            “You have a really weird look on your face.”

            “Do I?” She turned away, deeply thankful that Elves didn’t have mind reading power.

            Gabriel checked his watch. “I’ll close up tonight.”

            “You sure?” Alice didn’t protest much; she was tired, and a little stressed out thinking about tomorrow night. She climbed the stairs wearily, slipping into her warm flannel pyjamas and sinking thankfully between the sheets.  Sleep was lying in wait just beyond her eyelids.

            Altair was the first to arrive Saturday night. He came while Alice was eating dinner and knocked on the door of her suite.  She thought it must be Azura, and opened the door still dressed in nothing but her dressing gown.

“Altair!”

            He looked shocked, then he chuckled, “You’ve just been lying about all day?”

            “It’s my day off. Why are you so early?” She tried to shut the door on him, but he managed to wedge the toe of his boot in.

            “Hey, let me in! Don’t be unfriendly. Owch, that’s my foot.”

            Alice relented grumpily, allowing him to come in.  He looked very handsome, dressed in a full suit of black, complete with top hat and cane.

            “It really isn’t proper for you to see me in my dressing gown.”

            “What are you eighty years old? It’s a big fluffy housecoat. It leaves a lot to be desired.”

            Alice blushed deeply. “Quit being a jerk.”

            “That’s my specialty.” He winked.

            “Let me change” Alice darted into her room and called back to him, “Why are you so early?”

            “Figured I would come make sure you didn’t blow up the shop trying to cast a glamour.”

            Alice made a rude face before realizing he couldn’t see it. She re-emerged from the bedroom a minute later in jeans and a sweatshirt, and gave him the same face.

“You heard about that, huh? For your information, I haven’t had any more issues with touching magic.”
            “You haven’t had issues, or you haven’t touched it again?”

            “I’ve…only worked with small glamours, I’m not doing anything else.”

            “Touching it isn’t the problem, darlin’ - the problem is how you use it.”

            Alice shuddered. “I don’t want to see horrible things again.”

            “You won’t,” Altair said matter-of-factly, “Not when you’re calm.”

            “Why do I need to touch it?”

            He shrugged. “Practice?”

            Why was he trying to get her to touch the threads again?  What do you know about it anyways?” she changed the subject. “I thought you were an orphan raised by some street thief.”

            “I was. I have a few leftover childhood memories though, before my parents were killed.”

            “If your mother was a Sorceress and your father, a powerful Wizard wouldn’t you have more magic then you do?”

            “That’s what my father wanted…but magic isn’t hereditary.” Altair pointed out, “Or you wouldn’t be a Sorceress.”

            “Witch,” Alice corrected absently.

            “Come on,” Altair stood up straight, “Would you quit pretending?”

            Alice looked up at him, startled. He sounded annoyed.

            “You are in the worst denial!  I know the word “Sorceress” may seem evil or scary to you, but this isn’t Snow White. It’s real, and it simply means you have more power than Shakra or Azura.”

            She blushed angrily. He was right about her aversion to the word.

 “That’s not necessarily true…”

            “Don’t pretend you didn’t hear Shakra say it. She’s talking to me now too, in case you didn’t notice.  It didn’t take long after that for me to figure out she’s not a White Tiger.”

            “No shit.”

            “Don’t sass me. It won’t get me off the subject.”

Altair stocked over and planted both hands on either side of her where she stood against the table, leaning into her face. “You’re scared, Alice. You’re scared that you’re surpassing Azura and Shakra and that you’ll have no one there to tell you what to do.”

            “I am not scared.” It was a lie. She was terrified just thinking about it. She was frightened she would have problems they couldn’t help her with, like what had happened with the threads. Azura hadn’t helped her, the anchor on her bracelet had. Alice looked down at the charm bracelet on her wrist. She would never ever take it off. Not even when she slept. She had heard the panic in Azura’s voice when she’d been trying to get her to let go of the magic. Her teacher hadn’t known what to do. What would have happened if she hadn’t had the bracelet on?  What if things got out of control like that again?  Would the bracelet save her every time?

            “I’m not scared,” she whispered, as if by saying it out loud, she could make it true.

            “Then admit you’re a Sorceress.”

            “No.”

            “You are scared.”

His face was mere inches from her, the tips of their noses nearly touching.  She couldn’t remember how they’d gotten this close or why she’d allowed it.  She should be telling him to back off, but his eyes were so blue.  She was extremely thankful she had just brushed her teeth.

            “If I kissed you, would you hit me?” he asked.

            Her breath caught in her throat. “I…don’t know.”

            “I’ll chance it.” His hand was suddenly on the side of her face, the other pressed to the small of her back.  It wasn’t the softest or most tender kiss she’d ever had. His whiskers scratched her lips and his hand pressed her firmly into him, as if he were afraid she might run away.  He tasted like peppermint. A little thrill went through her as his lips pressed into hers; she got tingles down to her toes. He pulled away far sooner then she would have liked, and her breath escaped her in a rush that almost sounded like a sigh.     

“I’m sorry,” he said, “But I’ve wanted to do that since the minute you threw me across the coffee shop the second time I saw you.”

            “Because you like crazy, angry women?”

            “Because you have fire in you.” Altair let his hand drop from her face, trailing his finger along her jaw. “But you don’t know it yet.” He didn’t take his hand from her lower back. Instead he pressed her closer to him for just a moment. When he finally pulled away from her he murmured, “I’m glad you didn’t hit me.”

            “Should I have?”

            “You think I have dishonourable intentions?” He did his best to sound wounded.

            “What exactly are your intentions?” She was only half joking.

He didn’t smile. “I intend to follow you like a puppy dog from country to country whenever you move the shop until you agree to be with me.”

            “Where will you sleep?”

            “I’ll get a motel.”

            “What if there is no motel?”

            “There’s always a nearby ditch.”

            “Sounds lovely.”

            “…and inexpensive.”

            “Sounds dangerous too.”

            “You’re right. Perhaps you’d better agree to it right now.”

            Alice hesitated. Part of her, most of her in fact, wanted to say yes.  But maybe when he wasn’t standing in front her looking like he stepped out of a magazine, her decision would be different. There was no denying he was charming and good-looking, but this man had made his living cheating people. Who’s to say his love life wasn’t the same? The last thing she needed right now was another failed relationship.

            “Don’t give me an answer yet,” Altair said, looking disappointed. “Wait a while if you need to.”

            Alice nodded, saying nothing. She felt frustrated at her inability to just give in to her feelings. She remembered Jason’s words about her not being impulsive or spontaneous enough. . She was probably insane. This man, with his rugged features and electric eyes, was telling her he would follow her to the ends of the earth until she agreed to be with him, and here she was turning him down. Was she crazy? Probably…

TIRED OF WAITING? Get the entire story on Amazon for just $2.99 (link is on my profile).