The Lightning Conjurer Read online

  She flashed me an uncharacteristically impish grin. “Not at all. Would you mind if I helped?”

  With an arched eyebrow, I surveyed her up and down. “That,” I murmured, the corner of my mouth curling wickedly, “is a terribly indecent proposal.” Before she had time to react, I scooped her into my arms and slung her over my shoulder. “To the bathroom!” I shouted, pointing forward.

  “Put me down, you big brute!” she laughed, her fists banging against my back.

  “Says the most powerful Elementalist in the world.”

  “Yeah, an out-of-practice one!”

  I rolled my eyes. She could have easily knocked me on my ass with a flick of her slender wrist – if she ever allowed herself to stop holding those phenomenal powers of hers back, that is.

  I rounded the corner just past the kitchen and tore open the door to the guest bathroom. I set her down on the edge of the tub, then turned to lock the door behind us. As I pulled my sweater over my head, a flush spread across her cheeks, pleasing me. After four years, our attraction for one another had only grown. And, based on what that woman had done to me after stumbling into my classroom for the first time, that was saying a lot.

  She rose to her feet, tracing her warm fingers across my bare chest. Goosebumps erupted across my skin as I drew in a ragged breath. Clasping her hands behind my neck, she stood on tip-toes, brushing her soft lips against mine. “When was the last time we took a shower together, Professor Lawson?”

  I pursed my lips to keep myself from laughing. “I believe it was less than eight hours ago, Miss Fulman.”

  “That’s far too long,” she murmured against my lips. I felt a shiver race down my spine that had nothing to do with the weather.

  “Entirely too long,” I agreed, slipping my fingers beneath the hem of her sweater. I traced my fingers along the soft skin of her stomach as I lifted the shirt over her head, exposing the blue lace bra she was wearing underneath. She shook out her hair, those silky black waves falling over her shoulders, and gazed up at me with eyes so blue they were nearly violet. Just like the first time I gazed into her eyes – one sapphire and one amethyst at that point in time – my stomach did a little flip. She was so beautiful, so good. How could a man ever deserve such a woman?

  Cupping her face between my hands, I kissed her forehead, feeling her flush against my lips. “I love you, Aspen,” I whispered against her skin, not for the first time that day.

  “And I love you,” she murmured through a contented sigh.

  As I tilted her chin to kiss her again, I felt her fingers entwining in my hair as she pulled my open mouth against hers. I stiffened, the unexpected urgency of her kiss sending rolling waves of heat coursing through my body. With one hand gently cradling the back of her head and the other sliding across the small of her back, I pulled her against me, moving my mouth roughly against hers. She let out a quiet moan and arched her back as our bare torsos pressed together. The sound, soft as it was, set me on fire. My tongue danced across hers as I ground her pelvis against mine, my other hand fisting her hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Hoisting her onto the counter, I fumbled to unclasp her bra with one hand as she wrapped her legs around my torso. The heat between my legs pulsed, hot and deep with desire.

  An ill-timed rap on the door startled us both.

  “Oi! Are you finished yet?” Ted yelled. “Our other bathroom is taken and I really have to go.”

  Aspen bit her lip as she gazed up at me, her cheeks red with desire. I pressed my forehead against hers, trying to collect myself. Seeing her bite her lip like that certainly didn’t help. “Five minutes!” I shouted, my voice sounding indecorously ragged.

  “Make it one!” he hollered back.

  I turned back to Aspen, still cupping her flushed cheeks in both hands. “Listen to me. Forget Scrabble tonight. We’re leaving right after dinner.”

  “I would agree,” she started, her voice serious, “except for the fact that Mom made homemade apple pie with that butter streusel topping she knows you love.”

  Butter streusel topping? My stomach grumbled loudly at the thought. The conflicting primal urges of desire and hunger were confounding my already addled brain. “Alright, then change of plans,” I growled. “We’re leaving right after dessert. And taking an extra slice of pie with us.”

  “Deal,” she laughed, hopping down from the counter. As she reclasped her bra and pulled her shirt back over her head, I was sad to see the taut creamy skin of her stomach disappear. Her crimson red sweater did partially make up for it, though. One of my favorites, it perfectly offset her porcelain complexion and rosy cheeks.

  “By the way,” she remarked after straightening her tousled hair, “guess who’s coming to dinner tonight?”

  “Hmm…” I stroked my chin. “Evelyn?”

  “Nope. She and Robert are still in Glenwood Springs.”

  “Ah, yes. Enjoying his newfound retired status,” I smiled. “And Eileen and Sophia are celebrating their anniversary in Mexico this weekend, right?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Then I have no idea,” I replied, leaning over the sink to splash my face with warm water. “Tell me.”

  Her round indigo eyes flashed wickedly. “Ori.”

  I craned my head to gape at her, almost banging my forehead on the faucet. “Ori’s coming? All the way from Tokyo?”

  She nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Yep – Assembly’s adjourned for the time being.”

  “Well… this evening just got a lot more interesting,” I mused.

  “Aiden, if you don’t get out of there right now, so help me God, I will piss in your boots!” Ted hollered, banging his fist against the door.

  Aspen flung the door open. “I’d like to see you try!” she retorted, though her voice was playful. “Or have you forgotten that you have a Hydromancer in the house?”

  Ted stared at her blankly, then burst out laughing. “Jesus, you sound just like your father! Oh man, did I ever tell you about the time he and I went camping with the boys and, um—” he suddenly faltered, his unseasonably tan cheeks turning oddly pink.

  After yanking my sweater on – in his bladder-fueled state of emergency, Ted hadn’t even noticed I’d been shirtless – I frowned. Had I ever seen Ted blush before?

  “What?” Aspen planted her hands on her waist. “Tell me!”

  For some reason, he glanced at me before speaking. “Well, uh, now that I’m thinking about it, it’s not exactly, um… polite conversation.”

  At that, even I raised an eyebrow.

  Ted shrugged peevishly. “Let’s just say we were in college, had a few too many cans of cheap beer in the middle of the forest, and Hydromantic bets were made involving, uh, well…” He shifted his feet sheepishly.

  At that, I burst out laughing – I had unfortunately seen this before, years ago, in a men’s locker room at the D.C. training arena. Stereotypical as it may be, Hydromancers were the biggest jocks of the Elementalist community – and showboating ones, at that. Give them anything liquid, and they’ll find a way to demonstrate their Water-wielding prowess.

  Aspen looked at me, confused, but I just shook my head. “I’ll let the two of you navigate this awkward moment in peace. In the meantime, I’ll go and see if Elizabeth needs any help.”

  With that, I raked my fingers through my hair in a feeble attempt to tame my overgrown curls – novice professors, I’d learned, seldom have time for luxuries like haircuts – and made my way to the kitchen where Aspen’s mother had just returned from upstairs. She was humming as she set the table.

  “Can I help?” I asked, gathering some forks from the drawer.

  A loud groan from the hallway drowned out her reply.

  “Ewwww, Te-ed! That’s disgusting! Why would you tell me that?!”

  “I told you it wasn’t polite conversation! Now let me go to the damn bathroom before my bladder explodes!”

  “What’s that about?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Hydromantic t
ricks involving bodily fluids,” I replied dryly.

  Her mouth pressed into a thin smile. “Oh yes – I’ve heard that story before. And I don’t particularly care to hear it again. Would you please grab those placemats on the counter? We’ll need five tonight.”

  I did as she asked while she went back to tending the mashed potatoes on the stovetop. “So… Ori’s coming for a visit? Is there any special occasion?”

  “He says he has news, though I’m not sure what about.”

  “Maybe he and Kaylie got engaged?” Aspen suggested, stepping into the kitchen. As she wrangled her thick hair into a ponytail, several pieces fell to frame her flushed cheeks.

  I gave her a pointed look as I set down the extra place setting. “Those two – engaged? They’ve broken up more times than the Roman Empire.”

  “Then what could it be?”

  “News from the Order?” Elizabeth offered. “Maybe another plea for you to be the prime minister? An election year is coming up, so the timing’s just about right.”

  Aspen’s eyes narrowed. “He’d better not be bringing that up again. I’ve told him and everyone else a thousand times – it’s not happening. I’ll be a surgical resident by this time next year. The last thing I want is to have to—”

  The doorbell rang. Aspen trailed off, her expression suddenly wary.

  “That’s him,” Elizabeth said, wiping her hands on her apron. “Whatever it is, we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Chapter 2

  spen sheli! Ma nishma!” Ori exclaimed, lifting her entire body off the ground for a hug. “How’s my favorite little lightning bolt?”

  I could hear her back pop from five feet away as she let out a choked gasp. “Ori,” she wheezed. “Good to see you!” At least, that’s what I think she said. It was hard to tell with her entire face smashed against his wool coat.

  I held back an exasperated sigh. I would be remiss if I claimed that Ori’s constant flirtatious behavior around Aspen didn’t bother me at all. After all, even I could recognize that he was a good-looking man. And he certainly didn’t win any favors from me when he started openly cursing the moment I proposed to Aspen at the hospital. Even the toast Ori gave at our engagement party involved something along the lines of, “If moving in together doesn’t go as well as hoped, Aspen, you have my number.” Both my fiancée and her mother had looked like they were going to have an aneurism, but before I could protest – or better yet, physically silence him by stuffing a cloth napkin into his flapping mouth – Evelyn had taken it upon herself to drag him away by the ear.

  It was a good memory.

  My thoughts of violence only a half-fleeting fantasy, I shot an outstretched hand in his direction to distract him from further smothering my fiancée. “Hey Ori. Welcome back, man.”

  He plopped Aspen back on the ground and, ignoring my bid for a handshake, rushed forward to give me an equally constricting hug. “Ahalan, achi. It’s been too long!”

  “Nice to see you too,” I croaked. Still, I couldn’t help but mean it. I loved the imbecile like a brother – even if he was waiting for the right moment to steal the woman I loved away from me.

  Aspen gave me a reassuring wink as she came to slide her arm around my waist. I did the same, squeezing her tightly to my side as I kissed the top of her head.

  With a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, Ori shook off his wet jacket before scooping Elizabeth into his arms and giving Ted a light punch on his good shoulder. Then, without preamble, he clapped his hands together. “So, what’s for dinner? I’m starving!”

  “Didn’t they serve you food on the plane?” Elizabeth asked, frowning.

  “After charging me a reservation fee, a baggage fee, and a seat fee, the metumtam airline wanted to charge me for pretzels. Pretzels! Ein sikuy! I’d rather go hungry.”

  “Well, dinner’s ready,” Elizabeth smiled. “Let’s not torture you any longer.”

  She and Ted led the way as the five of us made our way past the foyer and sitting room, then piled into the kitchen. There, mouthwatering smells of roast chicken and mashed potatoes greeted us. When Elizabeth took the perfectly baked pie out of the bottom oven, the scent of apple, cinnamon, and browned butter made me wish we could skip dinner and get right to the lucrative business of dessert. But Ori was making enough noise for the both of us, so I kept my strudel fantasies to myself.

  “Oh my God, I must be in heaven,” Ori sighed, lifting the lid from the mashed potatoes to inhale the steam.

  “The ladles are in the drawer on your left,” Elizabeth pointed. “Help yourself.”

  “Don’t tell him that!” Ted groaned, stealing the words from everyone else’s mouths. “There won’t be any left for the rest of us!”

  “I second that,” Aspen said as she gathered plates from the cabinet. “Try to save us a sliver or two, would you, Ori? I’m starving too.”

  “No promises!” he grinned, nudging her aside with his hip as he clutched the ladle like a trowel.

  After salvaging a plate of food from the pitiable amount Ori had left the rest of us, I took a seat at the table, next to Aspen. She clandestinely scooped some of her own food onto my plate, giving me a quick wink as she did.

  “I made sure to grab some extra,” she whispered.

  I squeezed her hand gratefully. “If you can distract Ori after dinner, I’ll smuggle the apple pie to the Jeep. We’ll call it ‘Operation: Save the Strudel.’”

  “You got it, Eighty-Six.”

  I swelled with pride. It may have taken a full bottle of wine for us to get through it, but I’d finally gotten her to watch the entire first season of Get Smart over fall break. She seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. My father and I didn’t have many father-son traditions growing up since he devoted most of his life to the Asterian Order. But of the handful of good memories I had from when I was young, staying up late on Thursday nights to watch those campy reruns with him was one I always remembered fondly – a pleasant memory that eased the pain of his sudden passing and the many unanswered questions he’d left behind.

  Aspen squeezed my knee gently. The rest of the table had started eating, but she was watching me with curious eyes. She actively chose not to read my thoughts since my mind was one of the select few she could access easily, but nothing stopped her from picking up on my mood.

  “Everything alright?” she whispered, her eyes probing mine.

  “Everything’s great,” I replied, lifting her hand to gently kiss her knuckles.

  “Hey, Aiden,” Ori interrupted, eyeing my plate. “If you’re not going to have that roll, can I have it?”

  Not breaking eye contact with him, I quickly stuffed the entire thing in my mouth. “Nope,” I replied through a mouthful of bread. “Sorry!”

  “Kusss-emec,” he muttered.

  “What does that mean?” Aspen asked, cocking her head. “I haven’t heard you use that one before.”

  His cheeks turning pink, Ori glanced at Elizabeth before giving Aspen a sheepish shrug. “It means, ‘Thank you very much anyway, dear brother of mine.’”

  Ted and I let out an incredulous snort at the same time.

  The rest of dinner was relatively uneventful. While we all knew Ori had some big news to share, his overflowing plate of food took precedence and his response to most questions was a monosyllabic grunt as he shoveled green beans into his mouth.

  “How is it possible that you look skinnier than the last time we saw you?” Aspen asked, pinching his arm. The rest of us had all put our forks down, but Ori was still attacking his residual mountain of mashed potatoes and gravy.

  “I’ve been too busy,” he groused. “Things have gotten crazy lately – lots of new legislation and big debates happening at the moment. Plus, being the Chamber Speaker, I have to prepare notes and manage the agenda on top of everything else.”

  Aspen frowned. “What sorts of legislation and debates?”

  “Is that why Kaylie isn’t here tonight? Schedule conflicts?” Ted asked at the sa
me time.

  Rolling his eyes, Ori pointedly chose to answer Ted’s question over Aspen’s. “We broke up again.”

  I couldn’t help but give Aspen an I-told-you-so glance.

  Ori continued without noticing. “We could tolerate not seeing one another when she was on tour for her not-so-fictional elemental fantasy series. But now it’s constant campaigning, always being hemispheres apart. Not to mention strongly conflicting differences of opinion…” He glanced out the dark kitchen window, a pensive look on his face.

  “Campaigning?” Ted asked. “Campaigning for what?”

  “An election year is coming,” Ori replied, casting Aspen a pointed glance as he did. “With Mei on her way out, Kaylie has her eye put on the ministership. Which has been another source of chafing for us.”

  “Friction,” I whispered under my breath.

  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed slightly. “But Kaylie was once a sub-Prelate. Doesn’t that harm her chances, given the Community’s negative opinions of the old Inner Circle? Jahi, in particular, left a nasty legacy alongside Keres. And Kaylie served directly under him.”

  Ori shrugged. “She was – what’s the word?” He rapped his knuckles on the table as he muttered to himself. “Zakayeet… exaggerated? No – Exorcised?”

  “Exonerated?” I offered.

  “Ah, right,” he rubbed his forehead wearily. “Yes, exonerated after Jahi’s death.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Besides, she and Mei are the only Polymancers left since the Inner Circle was basically wiped out. Her Elemental power has earned her wide support and ha'aratza in the Community. Her book fame in the outside world has gotten her plenty of money and resources, and she’s also happy to talk about subjects that most of the other Prime Representatives won’t touch.”

  “And what subjects has she been speaking out about? I haven’t heard anything.”

  “You haven’t been around much to hear,” Ori replied, setting his fork down for the first time that night.

  “I see.” Aspen grew silent. Her eyes angled downward, where her hands were tightly clasped in her lap. Then, with a small sigh and a wan smile, she added, “I’m really sorry to hear about the breakup, Ori. That must have been hard for you. But you two have broken up before, right? I’m sure you’ll work it out—”