Free Shattered by Kailin Gow

where it’s of absolutely no use.”
    “Okay.” I looked at him, ready to go.
    “Al right then, I want you to keep me from approaching you.”
    I nodded. “Okay.”

    He took a few steps and easily made it to my side. “We’l put that down as a miss. Let’s try again.” He backed away and gave me a nod.
    Once again I prepared to block him and once again he took a few steps forward, this time stumbling only a few feet away from me.
    “Hmmm, building from the bottom up,” he observed with a chuckle. “Interesting, but you’l have to go faster than that. One more time.” This time he bumped his shoulders against an invisible force, but stil managed to squeeze through to me.
    “I’m beginning to think that I’m the problem,” he said.
    “How’s that?”
    “Wel , how can you possibly want to keep me from getting close to you? Obviously, your great attraction to me is keeping you from barring me completely.”
    I cocked my head to the side. “Real y?” I droned with mock indignation. “Hold on a minute.
    Let me try it once more.”
    “Fine.” He backed away, a teasing gleam in his eyes. He marched confidently back to me only to come to a sudden stop just inches from me. After a groan of pain, he laughed. “Now that’s a strong barrier.” He put out his hands to embrace me, but was unable to due to the barrier.
    “Admit it. I’m a pretty quick learner.” He tried again to approach and was block.
    “Just as I knew you’d be. You can let it down now.” I relaxed my thoughts. “Okay.”

    But Torrid could stil not approach. “Have you let down the barrier?”
    “Yeah,” I said with growing concern. “My mind is completely open to you.”
    He pounded his fist at the barrier which was just as solid as the stone I’d picked up earlier.
    “You're not relaxed enough. Are you miffed by what I said about your attraction to me?”
    “No, absolutely not. Tel you the truth, I thought that might be the problem myself. I real y had to imagine you were someone I didn’t want near me. I imagined you were Dr. Sanz.”
    “Do you stil feel the fear of Dr. Sanz, now?”
    “Hmm, I guess. I mean, I’m a bit scared of what wil happen if I ever see him again.”
    “If you put up the barrier with the fear of Dr.
    Sanz and you stil feel that fear, the barrier could remain. It takes practice to fear one foe while being able to tear down a wal when faced with a friend.
    Set aside your fear for the moment. Think only of me. Think of holding me in your arms. Think of cuddling up with me.”
    I focused solely on him, on his touch, on his voice. His hand sunk slowly into the wal and soon voice. His hand sunk slowly into the wal and soon his whole arm passed through and he touched me with his fingertips. With that single light touch, the rest of the wal crumbled and Torrid pul ed me into his arms.
    A wave of relief spil ed over me. I hadn’t realized just how profoundly my fear of Dr. Sanz had taken over. “I was beginning to think the barrier would never come down. What if it happens again?
    What if I put up a barrier and it won’t come down when I need it to?”
    “You saw how it worked. Fears can be very helpful in erecting a barrier. For some it’s vital. They can’t put up a barrier if they don’t have that initial fear… those are also the ones who can more easily be caught off guard. Use your fear to help erect a barrier, especial y in an emergency, but don’t al ow fear to be the sole instigator.”
    Feeling reassured, not only by his words but by his touch, I relaxed completely and melted into Torrid’s arms.
    “Tired?” He whispered. His fingers worked through my hair, rubbing away whatever remained of the fear, tension and strain of the past weeks.

    “This is more exhausting than I’d thought.”
    “Yeah,” he said flippantly. He pul ed away and led me to our now familiar stone and sat down.
    “Most people think magical powers just come at the snap of your fingers… not so easy.”
    I took