Page 35 of I Am the Storm

"I don't know. I guess it's an inherent part of my powers."

"I hope it's contagious," I say, swiping again at my forehead as sweat burns my eyes.

"Let's see what you can do," he says, standing in front of me. "Remember, I'm fireproof, so don't worry about losing control. I've got you."

That does make me feel better. "How do I start?"

"Imagine a flame in the center of your body, deep within. Tap into that flame, letting it flare within you until you can feel it in your hands," he says.

I close my eyes and attempt to do what he says, but instead of fire, a strong wind blows around us.

I sigh and open my eyes. "Wrong element."

He chuckles. "But close. Fire and air are aligned. Air helps stoke fire's flames. Fire can't breathe without air. Keep trying."

This time he stands behind me and wraps his arms around me, holding my hands in his. I close my eyes and lean into him as his body heats up. I feel his flames, simmering in his palms, glancing against my flesh, but it doesn't burn me. It warms me.

His lips are against my ear, his voice soft as he guides me. "Do you feel the fire in me?" he asks.

I nod.

"It's in you as well. You just have to find it. Unlike us, you have more than one element at work, so it might be confusing. But it's there. Let my flame light your way."

His heat burns through my own resistance and I slide deeper into myself. There, in the center of my soul, I see the elemental powers that animate my magic. My breathing hitches as I realize it's not just a few of the elements I can access.

It's all of them.

All six.

I embrace the fire and feel the balancing tonic of earth and air. The light in me is strong and powerful. But it is the darkness, lurking beneath, floating like a black cloud, that scares me. I shy away from it, unwilling to touch it lest it corrupt me and turn me into something I do not want to be. I focus back on the fire, urging the tiny flame to grow.

After a moment, I feel Liam's arms tighten around me. "Open your eyes," he whispers.

I do, slowly, and at first all I see is his fire dancing on his palms. Then I look more closely and realize my hand also hold the flame.

"I'm doing it," I say, excitement surging with me.

"You are," he says, smiling against my cheek. "Now see if you can control it. Try to throw the flame at the wall."

"What if I break something?" I ask.

"Trust me, this place has seen it all. It's indestructible. At least, by fire."

I nod and focus my mind on the ball of fire in my hand. With a flick of my wrist, I toss it, and to my surprise, I'm successful! The flaming ball flies across the room, slams into the stone wall, and fizzles out at impact.

Liam steps back and grins, his flames gone now. "You're a fast study," he says. "That took an incredible amount of control."

"That was amazing," I say, studying my hands like they might reveal all the answers. "I've never felt like that before. When I used my powers before, it was by accident. I didn't know what I was doing. I still don't know how I did what I did. But now, I could feel the control, the power. It's raw and rusty, but still…I did it."

He nods. "You'll get more proficient at it with time. Now you need to practice."

And so we do. For the next hour, Liam has me throwing balls of fire, setting things on fire, dancing flames off my fingertips, and finally, he instructs me to light a candle. This proves to be the hardest of all. I melt a few candles down to the wick in my attempts to light them.

"I can't do this," I say. "I feel like I could burn a small village down, but I can't seem to light one stupid candle."

"You're tired, and smaller things require more control. You can't just unleash it all at once, you have to learn to manage your power. You'll get there. Let's pause for tonight. You look like you could use a bath and a rest."

A bath sounds amazing, and Liam walks me up to my room, gently kisses me goodnight, and leaves me to tend to myself.