Page 56 of Serpent and Shadow

That one unlocked the gravity spell and made his arms pinwheel as he stumbled forward. In that split second, he was thrown completely off-balance as his muscular body went from fighting too much gravity to not enough.

The effect would only last a few seconds.

A straight, magical hit, one of the first offensive spells I’d learned, should do nicely to bring it home.

“Balah!” I growled, throwing real magic into my hands.

That one threw him in a straight line, back first, into the stone wall.

The impact made the lanterns sway where they hung around the edges of the high-ceilinged space. It was enough to distort and flicker the lighting briefly on the black-painted walls. The practice space had always made me think of caves.

Or dungeons, a voice whispered.

I flinched, and felt my face flush.

A familiar thread of heat coiled through my chest.

The presence that came with it cut my breath.

He’d stayed away for a while. Longer than I’d been dealing with all that well, if I was being honest.

You probably don’t want to ask me that question, he murmured.

Heat flickered over me again, so intensely, I couldn’t help wondering if he was asleep. He was never this open with me when he was awake. As it was, the amount of him I felt sucked the air out of my lungs, making me light-headed.

My magic flared outward, breaking into rippling, snake-like strands.

I stood back, heart pounding in my chest, while Quicksilver picked himself up off the practice room floor. Neither of us said anything at first. I was still trying to control my magic from that bare touch from Bones. Sometimes, most of the time, really, I didn’t know he was watching me until he made his presence known.

This time, he’d completely blindsided me.

I wondered if he was telling the truth, if he’d kept his distance until he couldn’t.

Fuck… you have no idea, kitten.

Heat shivered through me again, burning in my chest.

Watching you fight always did something to me, he added, softer.

I forced my eyes off Quicksilver, off where he was still grimacing in pain, his back against the wall while he sat on the floor, panting.

We were in Bones’s Experimental Magic Shed, which now half-belonged to me, like everything with the Bones name on it these days. Quicksilver informed me it had transferred ownership the first day I showed up for one of our one-on-one training classes. He’d requested we work together here, so we wouldn’t be interrupted by one of his other students.

I’d agreed, but told him it was doubtful I’d even be able to get inside without Bones there to unlock his chimaeras around the door.

As it turned out, that hadn’t been a problem. The door had opened on its own, the instant I stood in front of it. Quicksilver struck me as significantly less surprised.

Is that prick trying to get a leg over? Bones asked, annoyed. I might have to pay a little visit, if so. I already knew the bloody perv likes to stare at your arse…

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t answer.

The middle-aged wizard, with his rugged, scarred, but still very handsome face yanked himself the rest of the way to his feet. I’d expected him to be annoyed with my set up and hit, but he almost seemed satisfied. I watched as he stretched each of his arms across his chest, one by one, and nodded, almost to himself.

He went back to pacing the edges of our marked fighting ring.

“Okay,” he said. “Well, that Bones taught you.” He glanced up, his mouth twitching in what might have been humor. “Well, I assume he did. Unless that was something you got from Greythorne? What he lacks in killer instinct, he’s always made up for in brains.”

“I think it was Bones,” I said stiffly. “I apologize, if––”