Chapter 2 Chapter 002

ELORA’S POV

"What the..." I spun around so quickly that my words died in my throat, my heart slammed against my ribs, a man stood a few step away from me, he was the fellow that just bumped into me from behind, he was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling as though he had been running for his life, for several seconds, neither of us moved, I was still sitting on the cold dirt ground, my palms stinging from where I had caught myself after falling, my scattered coins lay around me forgotten. 

My eyes traveled over him before I could stop myself, his boots were covered in mud, as though he had been running through the slum for hours, his legs were long, his stance steady despite the way he was breathing, his dark pants were damp around the knees, my stubborn gaze move farther, till they landed on his chest, his chest was broad and powerful, the fabric clung to his chest, revealing the hard lines of the muscles beneath it, they were firm and defined like one from a model magazine, while his shoulders gave him an imposing presence that made it difficult to look anywhere else, I felt embarrassed of how easily he catch my attraction, but I wasn't looking away, my gaze move again, higher this time, his hoodie had fallen from his head and for a brief second I forgot to breathe, his hair was ink-black, messy from whatever Chase had brought him here, with several strands falling across the sides of his face, but it was his eyes that held me captive, they were dark, not ordinary dark, they reminded me of burning obsidian, black and intense, with something almost dangerous glowing beneath the surface. I had never seen eyes like that before; for several ridiculous moments, I simply stared. Who was this man? And why did he look like he had stepped straight out of some impossible dream? I had grown up surrounded by people who never stayed long enough to become family. The foster home had been filled with children coming and going, teenagers dreaming about the day they would finally leave and adults who never looked at us long enough to wonder what we had been through and I had seen plenty of boys there, but none of them looked anything like him, the stranger gaze were everywhere that when he finally drop to mine, something strange happened inside me. My stomach tightened; I should have been afraid instead. I found myself wondering why someone like him was running through the streets of Emberviel. His expression changed, and for the briefest second, I thought he looked startled to see me. Then his jaw tightened. "damn it," he muttered under his breath. Before I could ask what he was doing there, he turned away and, just like that, he started walking, then ran. I blinked. The nerve of this man. 

"What the hell?" He didn't stop; my mouth fell open, my brows furrowed. Was he seriously leaving after nearly knocking me flat on my back? "Hey!" I called out, but it was no use. I scrambled to my feet. "You bastard!" Still nothing, he was already several steps away. I glanced down at the coins scattered around my feet; of course, of all the things I had to worry about, it was chasing a mysterious stranger through the street because he had nearly knocked me over and couldn't even offer an apology. I quickly crouched and began gathering the coins. One after the other, "one," I grabbed another, "two," another rolled beneath a tree, "come on," I reached for it, snatched it up, and shoved everything into my pocket, when I lifted my head again, my heart sank, he was much farther away, "You have got to be kidding me." The man moved with ridiculous speed; his legs were long enough that every stride carried him several feet. I narrowed my eyes; there was no way in hell I was letting him get away without an apology. I pushed myself to my feet and ran after him. "Hey, wait!" He didn't even glance back; my anger grew with every step. "Do you always run away after knocking people over?" Still nothing, he wasn't even looking behind. "You could at least say sorry!" Still nothing. I picked up my pace; my boot struck the damp earth as I chased him deeper into the woods. The people blurred around me; the noise of the street disappeared. I was beginning to wonder if I had completely lost my mind when something inside me snapped. A strange warmth rushed through my body. I stumbled forward. "What..." I looked down at my hands, for one terrifying second I thought I had imagined it but then the warmth surged again, this time stronger, it traveled from my fingertips to my palms then up my arms, my breath caught, what was happening to me, ahead the stranger suddenly slowed, I almost smile, I pushed harder, determined to catch up, but before I could reach him, the warmth inside me exploded, I stopped, my eyes widened when the ground beneath my feet seemed to trembled, a faint golden light flashed beneath the soles of my boots toward the stranger, I know I was doom, for the first time I was letting someone see my power. I tried to stop it, but fuck, it was too late. 

"What the..." The stranger took another step, then froze. His entire body jerked backward as if he had slammed into an invisible wall. He looked down; confusion crossed his face. He tried lifting his foot; it wouldn't move. He pulled harder- nothing. "What the fuck?" His voice echoed through the street. I stared at him. He tried again; his boot remained firmly planted against the ground. "What did you do?" I blinked, then smiled, faking innocence. 

"Me?" He turned his head slowly; those obsidian eyes found mine. He looked at me, then at his foot. I expected him to be scared, but he just looked amused. A small smile found its way to his lips, making him look more handsome. I swallowed hard because my heart was pounding again, shaking my head, "I didn't do anything," his gaze dropped to the ground between us, I follow it, thin lines of golden light had appeared in the dirt of his boot, they form a strange pattern around his boot, my heart began pounding, not because I had never seen anything like this but because I was unknowingly revealing my identity to this stranger. Then he looked back at me

"Do you realize where you are?" That was the first question he asked. I opened my mouth; I should be the one asking him that, but then the question hit me. It had a deeper meaning. So I shut my lips. "Who are you?" He asked. I parted my lips for the second time, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say? A girl from a foster home? A nobody, or a witch, but I don't think any of them was a good enough answer. "I asked you a question." His voice was sharper now. I frowned; was he trying to scare me? I folded my arms under my bosom stubbornly. 

"Don't ask me questions," I retorted. "You are the one who ran away without apologizing." his eyebrows drew together; a small grin found its way to his lips. 

"Is that what you are worried about?" 

"Yes," I said without hesitating. He stared at me as if I were insane.

"You trapped my foot to the ground just for an apology?" 

"I didn't trap anything!"

"You did little witch." I rolled my eyes. 

"Fine, I did. Now apologize and get going?" I admitted not caring anymore. He laughed, then gestured for me to come closer, and I stupidly moved closer to him. He leaned forward till his lips found my ear. 

"Did you know dragons kill witches?"