Changes

I look around and notice that it had gotten dark. I must have been in there a lot longer than I thought. I look down and lift my hand, looking for traces of what happened earlier but I don't see anything.

Mago softly asks, "What happened? What's wrong with your hand?" I shake my head and say, "Nothing." As I turn to walk out, I freeze. Bolin is leaning against the doorway with a dark smirk on his handsome face.

The shadows in the room seem to gravitate towards him as he says, "I leave you for a few hours only to find that you don't listen very well. You seem to have a knack for trouble." I give him a look of disapproval as I say, "And why should I listen to you?"

Suddenly the candles go out and the whole room is blanketed in darkness but it's darker than it should be. I can't see anything, causing my heart to race. Bolin's deep smooth voice appears next to my ear as he says, "Because it's dangerous when traveling in the unknown."

I turn but I still can't see anything. His voice is suddenly next to my other ear as he softly says, "And because you wish for me to teach you. As a student, don't you think you should listen to your teacher?"

I raise my hand, pushing my magic into it and creating a bright light. The shadows scatter, crawling and shifting away as if they had minds of their own. Bolin remains by the door, smiling at me with amusement. He never moved from his spot.

I throw the ball of light up, letting it hover in the air above us as I say, "If you are unwilling to teach me, I will find out on my own. Do not mistake my asking for help as a need. I do not need you."

Bolin watches her with dark eyes that glowed with amusement and admiration. Men may have discovered fire, but women discovered how to play with it. This woman had a fire burning in her eyes and he loved it.

He playfully lifts both hands as he says, "Relax, I'm just worried about you. I've been here for an hour waiting for you to return. I almost came in after you." What he didn't say was that he had already tried to go in after her but couldn't.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enter the ripple or see what was inside. He did however notice that someone else was here with them. He called her Master but no matter what he did, he couldn't find the man.

More and more mysteries with this woman. She held so many wonders and secrets, he wondered if he could ever get close enough to the real her. She kept him at a distance but watching her with the others, he quickly realized that she does it with everyone.

There are only two types of people who do that, those who have a lot to hide or someone who's been hurt. He thought that it was just because she had been hurt but judging by what he's seen with her so far, it seemed to be both.

And the ball of light? How was that even possible? Just like the day she put all the broken things back together. It should be impossible, but she made it look effortless. The shadows he had placed on her had told him what she had done to the nasty Fang man, but he wished to see it for himself.

Something about her power was awe-inspiring. It had the power to destroy like theirs, but it also had the ability to create.

She made a face at him before saying, "I was completely fine on my own. I feel like I only have to try a few more times before I get the hang of it." Bolin kept his face neutral, but his heart raced with fear.

She was entirely too smart and too strong. He hadn't taught her a thing and yet she nearly has it down? Does that mean she'll be leaving soon? No, he can't let that happen. He hasn't even begun yet and she was already trying to leave!

Bolin slowly walks up to her, his body easily overshadowing her smaller frame. He looks down into her grey eyes and fights for control. He slowly reaches out, about to touch her cheek when he freezes.

He quickly looks towards the door as a large explosion is heard from the front of the estate. His dark eyes grow darker as he turns and faces the door. He doesn't bother to go out and see who it is, they were quickly heading this way.

_______

When I see Bolin turn towards the door, I too turn and look. What the hell was happening? Suddenly, I'm hit with magic. My entire body stiffens as I realize whose magic saturates the air. Bolin suddenly reaches out and gently pushes me behind him, effectively blocking my view and the view of others.

Several men in black boots come to a stop in the doorway before making way for someone. Dade slowly makes his way over before coming to a stop. He looks up at the floating ball of light and smiles before saying, "Lyra, I'm glad your safe."

I grit my teeth, stepping to the side of Bolin with a dry look on my face. Of course, it's him. Why couldn't it have been Vanir or someone else from the council? Hell, I'd even take Aiya. At least I could kill her then.

I keep a dry tone as I say, "Dade" He smirks at me and says, "It looks like you could use a little help." I hate that smirk; it literally makes my skin crawl. I give him a twisted smirk of my own as I hook my thumb to the side and say, "Thanks but I already have help."

As if just now noticing him, Dade looks over and freezes. He eyes Bolin up and down before saying, "Enough playing, Lyra. Let's go home. I'll take you back." The unspoken words hang in the air like a bloody rag.

I scoff a little and say, "Who are you kidding Dade? You'll just bring me back out of the goodness of your black heart? Hah, tell me what you really want in return for 'saving me'." His smile grows as he says, "You were always so clever with reading people and their intentions except for when it came to Aiya and her family."

Anger washes through me like a hot wave but I remain silent. When he doesn't get a reaction, he shrugs with a smirk still in place and says, "It's simple. You marry me, and I will not only bring you back, but I will also help you kill Aiya and her parents. I'll help you wipe them all out."

Suddenly a dark chuckle is heard as the air around us becomes freezing cold. Everyone looks toward Bolin as the man says, "First you break into my home, now you stand here and insult my woman in front of me. Who should I kill first?"