Born By Moonlight by Krista Street

Chapter 7

~ AVERY ~

The itching in my chest grew with a vengeance. When that had happened over the weekend, the Safrinite comet had annihilated my magic, destroying most of it in one fell swoop.

I scratched again, fervently hoping this wouldn’t be like last time, that instead the itching would be short-lived and abruptly stop.

But the itching grew.

Around me, the crowd cheered and shouted. Chris was in the ring, valiantly fighting two male werewolves simultaneously. They weren’t going easy on him, but he was admirably holding his own.

Even though I stood on the sidelines with my other squad mates, none of them noticed the panic welling up inside me. It felt as if termites were crawling around my rib cage, eating away at the shredded ribbon of magic I had left.

I forced myself to take a deep breath. My final test was next. I only had minutes until I stepped into the ring. All I needed was a little bit of magic to use my spells.

A feeling of hopelessness hit me hard when the itching became so bad that I wanted to scream.

And then . . . it stopped.

My lips parted when a feeling of weightlessness filled my center. What the hell?

I searched inside me just as Chris was knocked to the ground, blood gushing from his split lip. In a second, he was up again.

My breathing grew rapid. Where? Where did it go?

I called upon my magic—my weak, pathetic magic.

But I felt . . . nothing.

I gasped. Oh gods, no, no, no!

Tears pricked my eyes as I searched frantically inside me again. Where are you? Please! Don’t be gone!

But it was.

My last bit of magic had just disappeared down the drain like a swirling whirlpool. The Safrinite comet had finally and totally destroyed it.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my hand on my chest dropped. I nearly cried at the irony. Yesterday, I still had a sliver of magic. My spells hadn’t been strong, but I’d still been able to wield them.

But now?

No.

I had nothing, and my test hadn’t even begun. Shit! The only weapon in my arsenal had just disappeared, and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it.

“It’s almost time for your test,” Eliza said nudging me. “Are you nervous?”

Her question snapped my attention back to reality just as she let out another cheer for Chris. I licked my dry lips and forced myself to keep the tears at bay. “A little. You did fantastic, by the way.”

Eliza shrugged nonchalantly, but her cheeks turned pink in a rosy glow of satisfaction.

If only I were that lucky, but I wasn’t. The Safrinite comet had finally taken the last remnant of my power, which meant I had nothing to battle with other than my two hands, my strong legs, and my barely faster-than-human speed.

I knew that come tomorrow morning—if I was still alive and my life force hadn’t followed in my magic’s footsteps—that when I showed up at the healing center for my daily check-in, Farrah would be looking at me with shadowed eyes and downturned lips as she unveiled the news of something I already knew.

My magic was gone.

Totally and completely gone.

Everything I’ve been working on, has vanished, just like that.

Stifled breaths raised my chest. The room dissolved into an unsteady wave. It felt as if I was under water, struggling to breathe and hear. How could this be happening?

I forced another deep breath, some of my mind clearing. The cheers finally calmed, then applause rose. Chris stood triumphantly in the middle of the mat.

One of the judges faced me, calling my name. My final test was here. And I had zero magic to fall back on.

“Good luck,” someone said beside me. A few back pats and squeezes followed.

But I couldn’t move.

Couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t think.

How could I do this? How could I fight? I tumbled into a void, drowning in the onslaught of frayed nerves and a dark future. My magic was gone. The Safrinite comet had destroyed it.

My life force would be next.

The clock was ticking.

And the only loser would be me.

“Avery!” Major Armund’s loud voice snapped me from my dazed coma.

I blinked. She stood right in front of me, shaking me as Eliza stood at my side, wearing a worried expression.

I took an automatic step back, but my trainer’s fingers dug into my shoulders, halting my retreat. “Avery? Are you ready? It’s your turn.”

Behind her, Reese stood near the wall biting his nails, and just to the left of him—

I jolted.

Wyatt waited.

My commander wore an unreadable expression as his stormy gaze locked onto mine. He stood taller than most of those around him. The brief realization hit me that I was seeing him one last time before I left the SF.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I tried to twist my gaze away, but I was like a moth ensnared in a flame. He looked even sexier than I remembered. A thin beard covered his cheeks, and his eyes were rimmed in gold. His rugged appearance and agitated energy made him even more attractive in a deadly sort of way.

But he’d betrayed me.

As soon as that thought came so did the knowledge that he’d assigned me to Major Armund. Because of him I’d received the best training possible. He’d also picked up my car while I’d been sleeping after the healing center, and he’d come to my apartment to tell me the truth about my condition.

But he’d still betrayed me.

Pain flayed me again. Wyatt’s complete and total rejection after the night under the stars still cut me so deep.

Exactly. Don’t be tricked by him again. Don’t let his nice gestures play you for a fool.

I shook my head. I knew better, but his behavior was still so confusing.

“Avery!” my trainer shouted. She grabbed my chin and jerked my attention to her. “Hey, don’t look at him. You look at me, and you listen to what I’m telling you. Okay?”

My eyes widened at her sharp tone.

“You focus on yourself and what you need to do right now. Your time has come. Your test is now! So you go in there and you show them what you’re made of. Do you understand?” Her dark-brown eyes held no sympathy. The woman was made of fire and steel.

My shoulders slumped as that empty feeling filled me again. “But my magic—”

“I know.” For the merest second, her expression faltered. “I know it’s dwindling—”

“No! It’s gone. I felt it go a few minutes ago. I have nothing.”

Her determined look slipped, if only for a second. “Okay, so we have two options. You can withdraw or continue. If you withdraw, I don’t know what will happen. We’ve never had an ambassador recruit do that before, so I don’t know if they’d give you a second chance or not. If you continue, you have to win one of your three tests. That’s it. Only one. All you have to do is make it six feet off the mat without being pinned. What do you want to do?”

Withdraw? Now?With no guarantee I could redo my test?

Fuck. I’d worked so hard for this. I couldn’t take that chance. “I don’t want to give up now. I want to pass so I can go to the Institute.”

Her diamond eyes cut through me like glass. “Okay, then you’re going to play this with everything I taught you. And you don’t have nothing. You remember your moves, right? You know how to fight. If your spells fail, they fail. You can’t do anything about that, but you can get in there and fight like hell. Do you understand, Private?”

I nodded and licked my lips just as the judge gave an impatient wave for me to enter the ring.

How long had I been standing there unresponsive? Seconds? Minutes? It could have been hours, and I wouldn’t have known.

Major Armund squeezed my chin again. “You got this.” She stepped off the mat.

I didn’t look at Wyatt again. Before, when my magic had still been intact, I would have no doubt sensed his pulsing alpha energy. But now—nothing.

“Good luck, Avery,” Eliza whispered from behind me.

“Go get ’em!” Charlotte added, squeezing my shoulder.

I gave them a wan smile, then entered the ring.

My opponent cut through the crowd on the other side. She was a woman, I could see that much, but I didn’t know anything else about her.

Since this was my final test, I wasn’t briefed on who I would be fighting or what they could do. Normally, my magic would have given me a heads-up as my internal radar registered their strength, but as I stared at the supernatural who appeared across the mat—a tall female with slanted eyes—nothing came to me. Not a hint. Not a whisper. Her stare was merely a cold, hard glare that carried neither weight nor clues to her power.

She could have been human for all I knew.

I could have been human.

Since I no longer have magic, does that mean I am one?

But I forced that thought off and remembered what Major Armund said. I may not have magic, but I still knew how to fight.

Don’t forget that, Avery.

I bent my knees, loosening my joints as I scouted for exit points. If I could just make it off the mat and six feet away from the ring, it would count as a victory. Normally, at these final tests, the judges wanted to see direct combat while using powers that were unique to each supernatural. But as an ambassador student, my role was different. If I were in this position in my ambassador job in real life, I would run—I wouldn’t fight. So that was how I was tested.

The many weeks of training that Major Armund had drilled into me came back with a vengeance, as if second nature. My breathing calmed as the judges’ watchful eyes looked on.

My trainer was right.

I could do this.

The judge raised his arm from behind the panel. “Begin!”

The tall supernatural gave me a sly grin and prowled along the edge of the mat. I inhaled deeply, trying to decipher something from her that would give away her species, but all I detected was the scent of sweat and rubber.

The crowd hushed, their attention now focused on me and my opponent. I knew to the bottom of my soul that my magic was gone, but I still began whispering my binding spell, desperately hoping it would work, but when I reached the last word—nothing.

Not a spark, click, or flare registered in my chest where my magic had resided.

My breath stopped. It really was gone.

Which meant I needed to run.

Now.

Out of nowhere, she leaped.

I dove out of the way at the last moment, barely escaping her tackle, but just as I was about to roll to my feet and make a leap for safety, she grabbed my shoulder from behind and yanked me down.

I fell on my back. Hard.

But I rolled out of the way just as she went in for a kill shot that would have effectively ended the test.

I sprang to my feet and ran again, catapulting myself toward the ring’s edge.

A hiss of anticipation rose from the crowd.

But just when I reached the mat’s edge, the woman grabbed me from behind, although not as forcefully, probably because I was an ambassador student.

Gods. She was cutting me a break.

I took advantage of her hesitance, dipped, and slashed with my arms through her restraint. Out of my peripheral view, Major Armund nodded.

Another opening presented itself, to the right. I dodged and ran, but as before, the woman was faster. She cut me off, then locked her hand around my throat.

I was flat on my back before I knew what hit me.

Her hand was latched around my windpipe, a gleam in her eyes. She’d effectively engaged a kill shot. So much for going easier on me.

And then it hit me. I’d just lost.

My eyes flashed wide. Holy shit. My first test was over that fast? It couldn’t have been more than two minutes.

Nobody had been defeated that quickly.

Sighs and murmured comments rose from the crowd. The tall supernatural stood, her grip loosening before she offered me her hand.

She pulled me up as shock zinged along my nerves. She hadn’t even broken a sweat.

Test one was done? Seriously? I’d never failed that spectacularly before—not since my first week of training with Major Armund.

Embarrassment stained my cheeks red as the crowd’s whispers increased. I hadn’t even made it five minutes. If that had happened in real life, I would be dead.

Unable to meet Major Armund’s gaze, I retreated to my side of the mat. My hands shook as clammy sweat lined my palms.

Eliza, Charlotte, and the rest of my squad watched on.

“Shake it off, Meyers!” Chris yelled.

“Yeah,” Nick echoed. “Shake it off!”

“You still have two more tests!” Charlotte encouraged. “You can do this!”

“Come on, Avery!” Eliza cupped her hands around her mouth. “Show them what you’re made of!”

Despite their words of encouragement, I couldn’t face them either. None of them had failed.

The judges’ heads dipped as they wrote notes on their scoring sheets. Humiliation washed through me again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Charlotte was right. I had two more tests. Two more.

I would do better on the next one.

Resolved, I stood up straighter and squared my shoulders. The tall supernatural I’d just battled inclined her head in respect before she stepped off the mat and my second opponent appeared.

He stood at around five-ten with thick arms. At first glance, I would have guessed he was a werewolf, but he was shorter than most wolves. That meant he could also be a sorcerer or half-demon. It was also possible he was a glamoured fairy.

Crap. Having my magic would have come in quite handy right about now.

I nervously waited for the second test to begin. After the judges finished their markings, the one on the end raised his hand. “Begin.” His arm lowered.

The meaty-looking man didn’t move. I crouched, waiting anxiously for his attack. I had to get around him or to the side. It was against the rules for me to simply step off the mat behind me.

Since I didn’t have any offensive moves or magic, I was in pure defense mode. In other words, I was a sitting duck.

I leapt to the right and began to run off the mat. I was three steps into my sprint when his binding spell hit me.

Agony ripped through me. It slammed into me so hard that I fell to the ground. My mouth opened and closed like a fish. I hadn’t even felt or seen it coming.

Surprise flashed in the sorcerer’s eyes.

That’s right. I no longer have my shield spell to protect me.

My teeth chattered together as the force of his binding spell paralyzed me. He obviously hadn’t anticipated it actually working. I gritted my teeth and tried desperately to fight his spell. I had to push through it. I had to move so I could get off the mat and the six feet to the finish line.

Fight it. Break out of it. Come on, other supernaturals can break through them! You can’t lose this test too!

I heaved and strained.

Roll. Try rolling.

I moved an inch.

Hope blossomed in me. Again!

But just when lactic acid began to fill my muscles, his spell roped me tighter. My eyes flashed wide open.

I couldn’t move. I was completely restrained.

A regretful frown covered the sorcerer’s face, and I knew he hadn’t tightened the spell on purpose. The spell had done it on its own as they were designed to do.

He kept his distance—waiting and watching, and I knew what he was doing.

He was giving me time to break through it. He wanted me to. He was trying to give me a chance at success.

Probably because he knew I was so weak. That I wasn’t one of them.

Humiliation burned through me anew, and I willed myself to roll. I gasped, the effort tiring me more than any training session had.

A low growl came from off the mat. A few curious glances from the onlookers drifted to Wyatt. For the merest second, we made eye contact.

His eyes glowed liquid gold.

I tried to dip my chin, to avoid the sympathetic and pitying looks I saw in those around him, but I couldn’t move. My chin didn’t even tremble.

So I did the only thing I could. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Soft footsteps came from my right. I finally opened my eyes to see the sorcerer moving toward me. He moved slower than necessary, still trying to give me time to break out of his spell.

But I couldn’t.

He paused and actually stopped a few feet away to give me even more time, but I was no stronger than a hare snagged within a trap. I was that weak, and he was the fox who’d come to claim his prey.

Another minute passed, and he sighed deeply. With a resigned snap of his jaw, he crossed the remaining distance between us and withdrew an SF weapon from his pocket. It was small, easy to hide, and hummed with magically infused particles.

With a regretful smile, he crouched down and lifted the gun to my head.

My eyes fluttered closed. I was dead.

He’d won.

His magic abruptly released as he called off the binding spell. I sagged in defeat. Like my first opponent, he also offered me a hand up.

Somehow, I managed to stand upright, but tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Test two had gone just as miserably as test one.

I hastily blinked so nobody would see my reaction, but it didn’t stop the surprised murmurings in the crowd. It was pathetic how badly I was doing.

The judges again dipped their heads, and a moment of panic stole over me. That was two of my three tests. Two tests were gone, and I’d failed both miserably.

Only one to go, and I couldn’t fail it. I couldn’t. If I did . . .

No, I wouldn’t think about that.

I’d worked too hard to get here. What was I doing in those first two tests anyway? Idiot. I needed to run and move faster, not wait for them to attack, not even a second of waiting. Without my spells, I was entirely vulnerable. I needed to act immediately and get off the mat.

I darted a look at Major Armund. Her jaw was set in a hard line, but she gave me a nod when our gazes connected.

Behind her, Reese and Wyatt watched, but I couldn’t look at my commander. It was bad enough that all of my squad mates and the SF members around me had witnessed my utter failure. I couldn’t take pity from Wyatt too.

The crowd parted, and my final opponent stepped onto the mat. It was another woman. She was small and demure looking, but pointed ears poked through her hair.

My shoulders sagged.

A full-blooded fairy for my final test.