Page 103 of Tears of Gold

Erritt meets my gaze over Harper’s head and shakes his head. There’s more than a quarter blood in him that’s not human, surely. Or else it’s a very powerful quarter. Yet even if that’s true, his qi use seems limited.

Erritt holds his hands up in submission. “Fine, no n-need to bite my head off.”

“You’d be tetchy too if a dragon half drowned you.”

Erritt chuckles deep in the back of his throat. “True, but that’s why I don’t let him try.”

“Well, we won’t anymore,” I mutter. They both turn to look at me. “We’ve reached a plateau. This technique isn’t working anymore, and quite frankly, I don’t like doing it.”

Harper’s eyes widen and he leans over to ruffle my wet hair. “And here I thought you were a sadist who loved trying to kill me!”

I lever his hand off my head, but he tackles me. We wrestle on the ground until he begins to cough again and I roll off him to give him room to breathe. Through our touch, I read his affection for me and a warmth rolls through my bones. I really like this guy.

That’s why it’s getting harder and harder to walk that fine line between helping him and drowning him, since the beast inside me is actually getting protective of the rogue.

Harper catches my look. “Shit, you look like you’re going to eat me or something. Rabbits are that way.” He points toward the woods.

I laugh.

“So, Harper, you up for a . . . qi battle?” Erritt asks.

I point rudely. “Not with you. You shouldn’t even be holding a barrier right now.” I chuck my head in the direction of the cabin.

Erritt shrugs. “I’m recovering. Besides, I’m barely stuttering. Harper’s kiss cured me.”

“Fuck off,” Harper scowls.

Erritt smiles.

“So, why the qi workout?” I ask.

“I want to test something.” Erritt’s brilliant blue eyes sparkle.

I sit up. “You up for it, Harps?”

He nods. “We’re here for training, right?”

“Fine, but I’m doing the heavy lifting,” I grumble.

“If you insist.” Erritt waves one regal hand toward the gentle uphill slope. I spring up and mark off twenty paces.

“At least put some clothes on, you pervert,” Harper yells.

I put my hands on my waist and swing my hips in a circle. “Why, see something you like?”

“Ew!” Harper cries, covering his face. I cackle as even Erritt shields his eyes.

“Fine!” It only takes me a minute to retrieve my clothes and return. Summoning a ribbon of water, I crack it experimentally. “Ready to block?”

Harper’s arm glows pink as his small shield forms, and we begin. Although I like sparring with Harper, a part of me is always wary. I bruised him quite a bit the other day messing around in the house, and not so long ago, I bit him. And, despite his raw qi having grown by nearly half in the last couple of weeks, it’s still his weak point.

He hasn’t shown the ability to summon any aggressive qi, only defensive. I rein in the cool fizz of my own power that’s ready to spill out in overpowering waves, releasing small darts I know Harper can easily manage.

“Come on, Skye, stop going easy on him,” Erritt calls.

I frown.

“Yeah, Skye, I’m getting offended here with your pussy-footing,” Harper adds, rolling his eyes.