The Touch Reader (#1 of the Elemental Originals Series)

Chapter Sixteen

I frowned as I looked around, exhaustion riding me. It wasn't very healthy for a person to use their element so many days in a row. And as if that wasn't enough, I wasn't able to watch over her.

Veranix Nocte. The girl made of ice. My Ice Queen.

She was so infuriating! And fascinating. And always capturing my attention no matter what it was that she was doing. 

But I hadn't been able to see her for a few days, and that was stressing me out whenever she wasn't in my view. Even now, I knew where she was but I was still agitated, so I was heading straight there.

"Why don't you just confess your undying love for her and you guys can close the door and put a sock on the handle? Moping about and getting antsy when she isn't around is just irritating."

"Shut up, Cal. I don't love her. I'm just supposed to look after her and I can't do that if I'm not with her."

"Oh, my Originals, you literally just need to be with her, and not in the protective way. Just get with her already and be done with it!"

"Holy shit, Cal, that's not going to happen! I'm just supposed to be where she is and I'm not, so it's worrying me!"

"Mhm. That's just what you tell yourself. And before you say anything about Tessa, you are not going out with her, and you owe her no obligations."

"I'm hooking up with her, though. I should-"

"No, you shouldn't. I know from your feelings that this thing between you two is something casual that happens whenever one of you want it. That means you don't hold hands in the hallway, you don't make-out in front of other people, and you don't owe her anything other than an explanation for why you ended it when you do. That's i/t. 

"I personally applaud you for only being with one girl at a time and telling her why you want to end things when you do; a lot of others wouldn't be so kind. But in this case, as you are clearly falling for someone else, you should end things with Tessa and pursue the person you actually want to be with."

"And what if the person I want to be with doesn't want to be with me?" I asked softly.

"Then that is their loss, but you should at least try and see if they do. You never know, maybe your feelings have been reciprocated for longer than you think."

I sighed and nodded even though I knew he couldn't see me. I rounded the corner and perked up when I saw the door with the sign saying "Veranix Alizeh Nocte."

When I knocked on the door, I heard the muffled voice of my charge call out, "Come in!"

I opened the door and froze when I saw her.

Her wavy white hair was starting to change, just as all Mage's did, even if they were Riders. The tips were turning the color of frost and streaks of hair were already shimmering in a silver color. But that wasn't what stopped me.

Her arms flexed muscles I didn't realize she had when she raised her arms tugging the shirt she was putting on over her body. But when my eyes dropped to her back, I bit back a gasp at the scars littered across her body, covering in black, swirling tattoos. But even the Rider's Mark couldn't hide the horror behind each and every single one of them.

And then the shirt dropped and she looked back at me, her eyes so blue that I almost couldn't believe she was real. That she was actually there, in front of me, gracing me with a beauty and elegance I didn't deserve.

"Hey, Ice Queen," I said, giving her a soft smile.

She rolled her eyes, amusement twinkling in them as she looked back at me with an expression I couldn't decipher. It was almost curious, but something else flashed in those icy depths.