Page 40 of The Last Aether

Kai gave my waist one last squeeze and then released me, heading for the water. Instead of wading in, he took off running and then hurtled himself into the water. Panic took hold when he didn’t surface.

Kerry patted my arm. “It’s okay. Those with a strong water affinity can stay under for far longer than humans or other elementals.”

I tried to let that ease my mind, but I didn’t take a full breath until Kai’s head popped out of the water. He stood, shaking the droplets from his skin. He was so damn gorgeous with his tanned skin and golden hair. And when those blue-green eyes cut to me, a wave of sensation swept over me.

“Hell, are you two going to go at it right here?” Kerry whispered.

A strangled sound escaped my throat, and I forced my gaze away from Kai. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I just don’t know if I’m down for live porn.”

I let out a soft laugh and turned my focus towards the professor.

“Okay, class, let’s begin.”

Professor Belthorn took us through a series of exercises to connect with the water and then had us all work on manipulating a stream of water, using only our minds. We weren’t allowed to touch the surface.

I morphed the stream from one shape to another and then had it dancing in the air. The freedom I felt now that my affinities were unlocked was unlike any experience I’d ever had before.

Kai bent down behind me and pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. “You’re amazing, Pip.”

“Mr. Torrent, please return to the classroom to retrieve the exercise balls for the next class,” Professor Belthorn ordered.

“But—”

She sent him a quelling look.

“Fine,” he grumbled, then turned to me. “Atlas is in your next class.”

“I know. I’ll be fine. Go. I need to focus.” Now that my powers were unlocked, I wanted to master them.

I turned back to the water and strained to bring it higher into the air.

Kerry let out a sound of frustration next to me. I lost my hold on the water and it fell back to the lake. “You okay?”

She glared at the lake. “I should be able to move it a little even if it’s not my affinity, but nothing.”

Drue and Xena snickered a few feet away. Xena made an exaggerated coughing sound. “Weakling.”

Kerry turned a deep shade of red.

I scowled at them and moved closer to my friend, placing my hand on her back. “You know that air feeling in you?”

“Like it’s always there. A part of me.”

I nodded. “Water is the same. It’s part of us. It’s what keeps us alive. Think about the lake as an extension of you. Breathe in and move it towards you, breathe out and move it away.”

Kerry focused on the lake in front of us and inhaled deeply. A small stream of water rose in the air and traveled towards us. When she breathed out, it released back into the water it came from.

Shock filled Kerry’s expression. “H-how?”

Professor Belthorn strode towards us. “I think that’s enough for today. Get changed and head to your next class.”

I glanced up at her, confusion evident on my face. We still had another thirty minutes left of class and we hadn’t even entered the water. But all of the other students were already heading to the changing stalls. The only one who lingered was Aiden as he stared at me with a puzzled expression.

Professor Belthorn waited until he headed to the stalls and then crouched down, her gaze locking with mine. “Don’t do that in front of anyone ever again. If people found out…just don’t.”

I opened my mouth to ask her why, but Professor Belthorn was already gone.