Eric
There comes a time when all is as it should be. Having Reina in my arms, being able to control her immense power for her, knowing she trusted me and no one else meant my world had just got better. Her green eyes held secrets I felt bound to unearth. When I controlled her power an invisible bond between us revealed itself briefly. Curiosity gnawed at my insides until I was not certain whether it was just the need to know more or something else. Every time I stared at her parts of me seemed to awaken which was odd.
I watched her jump on her feet eager to defeat her first real opponent. Day one of training was about royal abilities. The commanders needed to know more about our abilities even though they had healers describe our capabilities in detail. This was my fourth year in training. Only difference was I now had my very own squad. I stared at my opponent Nate then gazed at his brother Gabe who seemed to be enjoying dodging Reinaya's light orbs. He was toying with her and it almost distracted me. The need to look out for her almost cost me this match as a knife sliced my arm. Enigmas were a tricky kind. Main reason their squad was our first challenge. Fighting an enigma meant you had no idea what was coming. Their royal gifts manifested differently with each opponent.
Nate was creating real weapons from thin air. I could feel the metal in the knife that had sliced my arm. Interesting. "Haven't bled in a while?", he chuckled. Ignoring his taunts, I sent electricity through the ground. When it touched him, he screamed as I increased the voltage. I captured his mind as he screamed making him beg.
"Please stop! Stop it. You win!"
He tried fighting off my compulsion but the pain from the high voltage was debilitating. He created a weapon that shielded him from the current and then hurled bullets in my direction. I should have continued making him beg. "He is smart, not begging anymore?", I smirked. The bullets met an impenetrable shield of current that fried them. I sent blue rings towards Nate that he blocked using a rubber shield. He intended to shoot rubber bullets but they manifested as a rubber bomb. Yes definitely an Enigma. I got pushed by the force of the explosion towards a glowing Reina who was in the air with her opponent in a tight whip of her light. She got him alright. A five year old who could throw a bigger male around like a pillow. I wanted her on my side. Nate watched me concentrating on Reina's match and tied up my arms in cuffs. Big mistake mate. I immediately zap them with enough current to break them. His brown eyes widen as he comprehends what I am capable of. Nate tries to cage me with bars of rods as thick as my arms but I manage to find a weakness that frees me. Soon I realize he is exhausted and going for the easiest way to end a match. Incapacitate or confine your opponent. Our match was just beginning but being electrocuted for a few minutes meant his body was using up energy to heal which weakened him. All I had to do to win this match was keep zapping him and avoiding his weapons.
The Royal Guard trained it's members to have endurance regardless of the odds and as the youngest squad we were yet to learn this lesson. So imagine how embarrassing it was going to be for our squad members to exhaust the Enigmas. I felt confident that each of us was going to beat them because we were unrestrained, limitless and had abilities we had harnessed. No one on my squad was an amateur. After the try outs only the best had been taken on which proved that the Enigmas had no chance. Powers of the mind came with an advantage. A strong will enhanced them. I was oozing a strong will as I brought Nate to his knees. I was exultant in my strong will to make him bow to me. A part of me seemed to roar like a shifter as he fought the tremors of my voltage. I was grinning, my blues glowing as he screamed. Brown eyes turned red as I increased the voltage. My control slipped and I reveled in his pain. My entire body was coated with blue snapping layers of current and no one could reach out to me. I wasn't sure about what I was feeling but I felt the need to lift him up in the air with current and smack him against the arena walls. A warm light touched my mind and I snapped my head towards that light. She was next to me creating small snowflakes of white light. As I felt them touch me the need to slap Nate wavered. I saw healers run to his aid. He was convulsing which surprised me for some reason. I watched Zane teleport to my side and I instantly put a barrier between us. His eyes widened as he realized I was not myself.
He looked at Reina and nodded.
Soft hands caressing my face, playing with the hair at my nape, a forehead touching my own, bright green eyes boring into mine, a hand on my chest and a feeling I couldn't understand that felt like cool water on a parched throat, chocolate melting on my tongue bound me. The emotion burned bright in my mind. "Reina..", I whispered.
"It's okay Eric, the one who sees you is here", she murmured.
Her eyes didn't leave mine as a high voltage wave of electricity coated our bodies.
"I had no idea you could do that", her smiling eyes watched me as I took off my shirt and entered the cool water. I felt hot and sick. Calmer after the fiasco I just pulled.
"I had no idea too."
"Did you think of leaving? Tell me, how did you do it? I want to learn as well. Can't imagine the look on their faces right now. Wow! Eric you can teleport and you are just eight. This might be handy in future."
She talked too much but I liked it. Her thoughtful gaze landed on my amused one.
"What?"she asked suddenly defensive.
"Had no idea you spoke that much", I chuckled at her puzzled expressed.
Reina opened her mouth then shut it.
She turned and walked away. I disliked the sight of her walking away. It seemed irrational to possess all these emotions. I always thought things through,never lost control like I did but somehow in a few days of knowing this green eyed five year old I was a mess of feeling.
I closed the distance between us and sat next to her on a rock. I needed to look at her to understand what made her walk away.
I lifted her chin up and saw tears shimmer in her eyes.
Pain slashed my heart and confusion made me frown.
"I like that you talk alot. Don't ever stop. I like that you are curious and eager to learn, please keep being you."
She rubbed away the tears but they kept falling down her cheeks.
I used my thumb to dry them and wrapped my arms around her.
"You smell so good", she rubbed her nose against my chest. For some unknown reason my heart beat faster.
"You smell even better Princess", Her scent washed over my senses.
"Why do you call me Princess? she shifted from my arms to look at me."
"Because you are brave, strong, beautiful and very smart for a five year old."
"But I'm not part of the King's family."
"You never know, besides you are a special kind of Princess"
"What kind?"
"The kind that is about to get wet", I flung her into the water fall plunge pool and laughed as she screamed.
"Eric! I can't swim."
Rushing to her side I held her but she pushed my head into the water with surprising strength. Before I could get a hold of her she fled on legs like a mermaid without a tail.
"Cheater!", I yelled.
Her giggles echoed as she got washed into another part of the waterfall leading to a cave.
I found her mesmerized by flowers that bloomed in the darkness of caves.
Blue shiny light touched her face. Blue and golden glitters coated the orchid blue petals.
"Only a lighter can make these bloom", I told her. She raised her eyes to mine her small lips curving into a full toothy grin.
"Can I please see them again?"
"Of course you can."
I plucked one flower and placed it in her hair. Beaming she wiggled her fingers eliciting blue stars which danced around me.
"You must have had fun playing with such a gift as a baby",I murmured trying to hold a star.
"Actually I didn't. Mother was so afraid for me since my gifts manifested strongly earlier than most children. My gifts fully developed at four. Mom was in trouble, a shifter tried to hurt her. I trapped him in a prism so he couldn't break free."
"Did she report this to the Guard?"
"She did but they said a shifter wouldn't hurt a mated female since they respect the mate bond more than any other family of royals. I always wanted to be a shifter."
"Full of surprises I see." Thoughtful she peered at me,
"Do you want to talk about what happened with Nate?"