Free 2 Hungry, Hungry Hoodoo by Liz Schulte Page A

plan. Cheney is strong. I don’t know if I can do what we talked about. I need more power.”
    Jaron raised his eyebrows. “But you’ll kill him once you’re in a position of power.”
    “If it comes to that.”
    Jaron’s eyes iced over. “You have feelings for him, don’t you?”
    I studied the ground as I thought about how to explain my feelings to him. “If I don’t have to, I don’t want to hurt him. Maybe we can do this peacefully.”
    “Or maybe we should break off from the fae and form our own society, like I’ve been saying. Look what your cousin has managed to do.”
    “I’m a half-elf. I have every right to be here. The king is wrong. His policy is wrong. And I’m going to set it right if it’s the last thing I do.” I wove my magic around him as I spoke, rendering him unable to move. He hated it when I did that, which was exactly why I chose this particular method to make him listen. “It will work. This is what you trained me for.”
    Plucking his very thin string of control was probably a bad idea, but I didn’t care. Jaron taught me how to control my feelings and to play the game the fae called life. I was tired of him being in control. I wanted him to feel helpless like us lesser mortals. Maybe then he would run wild and free with me. It was a risk, but the payoff would be limitless.
    “Don’t push me.” His voice was soft and thin.
    I tightened my hold. My control of him broke with nearly an audible snap. He lifted me off the ground, his fingers digging into my arms. “Do. Not. Push. Me. Selene.” His breath was ragged.
    “Live, Jaron. Let go. Why do you always hold back? What’s so great about being in control?”
    He dropped me to the ground and backed away, staring at the red blotches on my arms. “Leave, Selene. Don’t come back.”
     
    Jaron’s head was on my shoulder, and I was slumped against him when I came back. Not sure what to say, I ran my fingers through his hair instead of speaking.
    “I was goading you on purpose. I wanted you to lose control.”
    His chest rose with his breath, and a moment later he straightened. “I can’t lose control. You don’t understand.”
    There he was wrong. I did understand now. Better than anyone maybe. Thanks to my telekinetic abilities, when I got emotional and lost control, I destroyed everything around me. I wasn’t sure what happened when Jaron lost control, but no one who held on that tightly did so without reason. “Actually, I think I do.” I offered him my hand, letting touching me be his decision.
    He looked at my hand as if it were on fire.
    “So that whole thing about breaking off from the elves, is that still possible?” I asked.
    Jaron tore his eyes from my hand. “Are you serious?”
    I thought about what Sebastian and Cheney had discussed. I didn’t want there to be a war. If the half-elves left, Cheney could claim he exiled them and save face. We could leave. . . . No, I shook my head slightly. I couldn’t leave. I rubbed the spot on my chest where the bond ached and felt like crying, though it had nothing to do with the pain. “Maybe.”
    Jaron touched my face, as if seeing me for the first time. “This isn’t what you want.”
    If the half-elves exiled themselves, what would that mean for me? Would I never see Sy or Jaron again? If I kept playing both sides, how long would it be before I tripped up and this house of cards crumbled? Would Cheney change his mind if he knew everything? Would he still love me? “You don’t need me to do it.”
    Jaron’s face snapped closed, and his hand dropped to his side.
    I looked down. “I no longer care about being an elf.” My words were true. I didn’t care. I couldn’t tell if my elf half cared anymore or if she’d given up. There was only one thing that was clear to me. It was time to talk to Cheney.
     

 

     
    Sy took me back to the castle. It was late, and everything was quiet and serene. It somehow looked different now, tainted by my memory. I walked