Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(87)
Author: Gena Showalter

If I did this, made a success of it, I would be unstoppable. Ultimate power would be mine.

God, the strikes were adding up against me. How much longer would this man consider me worth the effort? How long till he left me? Here I was, becoming the very things he’d once told me he never wanted: infinitely powerful, an agent always in the middle of danger and a woman determined to date another man.

"Summon the element itself," he said, oblivious to my dark thoughts, "not the emotion you think comes with it." One step, two, he backed away from me.

I shook my head, backing away from him, as well. The distance between us continued to grow. "I need Tanner if I’m even going to think about trying something new."

"Sorry, he’s with Elaine. They’re talking to the scientists who have been studying Candace, trying to come up with a way for Elaine to experience skin-to-skin contact without killing people." I dearly hoped they’d succeed. If any couple deserved a shot at happiness – and nookie – it was them.

Yuck, there I was thinking about Tanner’s sex life again. It was almost as bad as thinking of Rome and Desert Gal. "Speaking of Candace," I said, stalling, "why didn’t you tell me you dated her?" He blinked over at me. "Excuse me?"

I stood my ground, planted my hands on my hips. "You heard me."

"What are you talking about? I never dated her."

"Yes, you did. You – "

"Uh, Belle," Jean-Luc called.

I swung around, facing him.

He tossed a small braided rope across the room and Lovey chased after it. Ginger chased after her.

"Mutts," Rome muttered.

"I lied," Jean-Luc continued. "You needed fury, so I gave you something to be furious about. Sorry."

"What?" I stomped my foot and ignored Rome. "I thought – "

"What the hell?" Rome interjected. "He told you I slept with Candace, so you believed him? Believed him over me?"

"Well…" I turned back to him, my lips pressed together and my cheeks reddening. "I’m sorry." He sighed. Pinched the bridge of his nose. "Forget it. After what I did to you, I deserve it." He was obviously still upset, but he held out a hand and motioned me over with a wave of his fingers. A challenge. "Come on. Ice me."

He clearly had not and would not forget it anytime soon. The irony? I wanted him to cleanse his memory palate. Since he wouldn’t – bastard – I’d have to make it up to him. Somehow. "First, bring Sherridan in here."

"No. She’s currently being examined, and you’re not allowed near her until after your surgery. Now come on. Do it."

My appointment for ear filters was tomorrow morning, and I couldn’t wait. I wanted to talk to Sherridan again. I needed to talk to her. I needed advice. Was I doing the right thing, trying to stay away from Rome until my dates with Jean-Luc were over?

"Stop stalling, Belle."

The man knew me very well. "Fine," I snapped. "I’ll ice the hell out of you." I spread my legs, clenched and unclenched my fists as I flashed scary pictures through my mind.

Rome clapped his hands together and the sound boomed through the gym. "You’re relying on your emotions. Stop."

"You can do it, Belle," Jean-Luc called. Lovey barked as if to second the motion.

Rome flicked him an irritated glance before returning his attention to me. "You want to be an effective agent, you’ve got to learn to protect yourself in an instant. You can’t do that if you have to force yourself to feel a certain way."

Everything he said was right. I knew it. Didn’t like it, but knew it. I can do this. I can do this. I’d done it before. Okay. Here goes. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Ice without fear. I closed my eyes, pictured ice in my mind. Glaciers, skating rinks, frigid nights with misty exhalations, hats and coats. Even the naked-female ice sculptures Tanner was always encouraging me to create.

Nothing happened.

Fighting disappointment – and relief – I – Wait. No emotions, not this time! Damn it. Okay, starting over. I blanked my mind, allowing the world around me to fade. Another deep breath in, another deep breath out. "I’m cold, I’m cold, I’m cold," I chanted softly.

Thankfully no one made fun of me for talking to myself.

"Ice is my bitch. I want it, I get it. I’m not afraid, but that doesn’t matter. Ice is mine to command. To beckon and dismiss. I’m cold, I’m cold, I’m cold." As I spoke, I pushed my conscious mind to the background. I wasn’t even here. Only my powers were.

To my utter shock, my blood slowly thickened, chilling inside my veins. My hands and feet grew frosty, my nose icy. I opened my eyes, saw that my breath was misting in front of my face, just as I’d imagined.

I held out my hand and sure enough, an ice ball formed. Small, but perfectly round. Clear, dangerous.

Doused as Rome was in that experimental chemical, we wouldn’t have known the true effectiveness of this method if I hit him with it. So, rather than toss it at Rome, I launched it at the wall behind him. The moment of contact, the ice spread, covering the entire span.

Rome never turned, never stopped eyeing me. "You did it." His voice was flat. "You really did it."

"Yes." I’d known any increase in my abilities could sever the bond between us, but experiencing it this soon? No. "Not fast enough for a battle with a scrim, though."

"With practice, you will." The flatness did not abate. "You’ll have the elements at your disposal, just like that." He snapped his fingers. "Now," he said, stalking to the far corner and grabbing one of the fire extinguishers he’d brought along. "Melt the ice with your fire." I nodded, already closing my eyes. Already willing the ice away. Not with emotion, not with my mind, but by backing away, letting my body take over and do what it wanted. Heat. Pure heat. "I’m burning," I told myself. "So hot. Sweating, blistering."

Again, to my surprise, my body gradually obeyed. Almost as if it had been waiting for this moment, ready to act as it had always wanted. My blood heated…heated…the ice melting away until only molten lava remained.

When I opened my eyes, my fingers were on fire, tiny flames smoldering. Mentally I commanded those flames to leap together. They did, a ball forming in the palm of my hand.

I tossed it at the wall. Orange-gold instantly spread, ice melting and pooling on the floor. When the final droplet fell, Rome used the extinguisher to douse the remaining conflagrations. Soon the wall was black with soot and white with foam.

"You were faster that time," Rome said, and dropped the extinguisher.