Free Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe Page B

it easy.”
    “Wait. So did you see me shift? Am I Shythe?” Her face was a mask. “Mom? What happened?”
    She nodded her head lightly. “Yes, Destiny. You shifted. But I think you should wait till you’re feeling better before you try it on your own.”
    Screw that . My whole life I’d anticipated and feared this moment. I had to know what color my eyes were—what power I had. Hell, I had to watch myself shift into my Kythan form.
    And, oh!
    “My ink—my Kythan mark? Is it there?” I blurted, running my fingers over my neck. It still felt the same. I expected to feel raised skin, like on humans, after they’d gotten a tattoo. But it was smooth.
    She blew out a long breath. “Destiny…”
    “What?” I asked. Her eyes were dark. “Tell me. What is it?”
    “Your eyes are still the same.” She looked away. “You do have the Egyptian ink. But I’m not sure of your power.”
    I threw my legs over the side of my bed, waving away her protests. I stayed there for a moment until I felt strong enough to walk. Slowly, I took a step forward toward my dressing mirror.
    I studied my reflection. A black, swirled design, with the mark of the Kythan was centered on the left side of my lower neck, just above my collarbone. The ink wasn’t large, but anyone could see it at a glance. For added secrecy, most Kythan hid it when they shifted into human form. But I wanted to keep mine visible.
    My heart plummeted to my stomach as I stared into my familiar violet eyes. Frustrated, I leaned in closer to the mirror. Whatever Reese was, his eyes were red. He’d shifted them from red to purple and back without the use of eye lenses. Unless he was some kind of magician.
    “Destiny, come back to bed,” Mom said. “We have plenty of time to figure this out.”
    I ignored her as I stared into the mirror and concentrated. During the change, our bodies shifted by themselves, revealing to us how it was done. I’d obviously missed that part. But I was a shifter. I had to be able to do it at will.
    I concentrated harder, willing my form to change. My eyes glowed, my body shook. Before my eyes, I watched as my ears pointed, becoming longer. My skin paled to a rich porcelain color, like something off an Egyptian wall painting. I parted my mouth, feeling my two top eyeteeth press into my bottom lip. “Cool.” I was actually pretty sexy, though I still looked like death.
    Mom stood beside me. “Can you feel which power wants to come forth?”
    I lifted my arms, stretching my hands out, palms up. Something crackled, and a bright current zipped across my fingertips. My spirit soared.
    But before my elation was complete, a white flame burst from the center of my palms—lightning white, with currents firing in a swirling vortex around the flame. I panicked. Shaking my hands, I tried to douse the power, but froze when I saw my reflection. Fierce glowing eyes stared back at me. Blazing white.

Chapter Eight
    M ONDAY M ORNING , I L AY on the couch. Mom brought me soup and beverages, attempting to nurse me back to full strength. Every time she sat near me, I averted my eyes from hers.
    During my first—and only—shift, I’d panicked. I’d reached out and grabbed onto her wrist and burned it. The guilt gnawed at my stomach, making it hard to eat. I didn’t remember doing it. And that scared me almost more than the power itself.
    There was no way I could go to the Academy, now. We both knew it. So I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wallowing in my guilt and self-pity. What was worse, I had to avoid Jace.
    I could keep Lana and Nick in the dark about my power—they wouldn’t press me the way Jace would. I had to find a way to get out of my promise to spar with him. I lifted my arm, watching the light twinkle off the blue gem of my bracelet. My chest ached, hollow and burning.
    Mom entered the living room, carrying a laundry bag. “I’m taking the laundry down to the cleaners,” she said. “I grabbed everything from your room already,