Spell Fire by Ariella Moon

back there."
    A bunch of oddballs walking a spiral? I'm so not worried. I shrugged, as if conjuring up dragons was a natural family occurrence. Which maybe it was.
    "Suit yourself." A wounded expression flitted across his face. Guilt crept over me since he had tried to make nice. I took a circuitous path, pausing to look at crystal earrings. I glanced up and caught Jett's stare before he averted his gaze.
    I sauntered over to a table draped in gold brocade and trailed my fingers over a bronze Buddha statue. A book about attracting wealth distracted me for a few more seconds, then I ambled toward the basket of tarot decks.
    A low drumming reverberated in my chest before registering in my ears. The mural, with its odd perspective, tilted forward as if scooping me up, then angled back. My stomach dive-bombed. I lost feeling in my legs. The drumbeats grew more insistent. My body buzzed as though it were a cell phone set on vibrate. I grabbed the display table to anchor myself and shut my eyes against the shifting floor.
    My shoulder blades tingled with imagined wings. Massive wings. The drums burrowed into my brain, changing my DNA. Cool air skimmed my body, and I breathed in deep-water lakes and forbidding mountain summits. My legs became weightless, ready to detach from my body and float away. The huge wings tugged my shoulders. My vision shifted, growing keener. I focused on the distant peaks. Smoke seared my nostrils. My wings ruffled and began to unfold.
    Heat encircled me. Cinnamon breath puffed against my cheek. "Hold on!" Jett sounded far away. "I've got you."

 
    Chapter Ten
     
    What a rush. If space flight felt like this, I would so become an astronaut after Columbia.
    Jett's wiry arms encircled my waist, and with a whoosh, the floor and mural righted themselves, and I reentered my body. The drums ceased. The tingshaws rang three times. Dazed, I glanced down and wondered if Jett's pulse had hit warp speed beneath his crosshatched scars. Mine careened all over the place. "You can release me now."
    "Oh. Sorry." He slid his hands apart and stepped back. I waited for the I told you so. Instead, as I twisted to face him, his fingers plowed through his overgrown bangs.
    "You better send down your grounding cords," Jett warned.
    I wobbled in my stilettos. "What?"
    He caught me by the arm and steadied me. "Open your foot chakras and throw down roots."
    I tried to throw him a you're-insane look, but my eyes crossed.
    "You have to ground. Hurry. Take off your shoes."
    "What is it with you and heels?" I mumbled, sliding my feet out of the stilettos and onto the rough commercial carpet.
    "Pretend you're a tree. Imagine roots springing from the bottom of your feet. Send them deep into the earth, so when the drums start up again you'll be safely tethered."
    I was pretty sure he was crazy, but I did it anyway. My imaginary roots were halfway to the earth's core when the tingshaws rang again. Mentally, I looped my roots around large boulders deep within the planet.
    The wooziness stopped.
    Jett stiffened. I realized we were no longer alone. I wasn't sure when the boy with the sandy-blond ponytail had joined us. White light haloed his entire body. He touched my arm and relaxing warmth seeped into my muscles and bones.
    "You okay?" he asked.
    "She's fine." An edge tinged Jett's voice, like flint striking a sword.
    Hello. I can speak for myself.
    "Lucky you were there to help." The blond's voice remained smooth and even.
    Jett eyed him, disarmed if not exactly charmed.
    "Yes, thank you," I said.
    Jett rubbed the ink flames on his knuckles.
    "Your aunt wanted to check on you herself," the blond told me, "but I insisted."
    "Why?" Jett and I said in unison. We exchanged a surprised look, then focused back on the hunk.
    "Because it was my fault you got…sucked in."
    "I knew you guys should have waited until the store closed," Jett snapped.
    My face burned. Not like a sunburn, but from within, like I radiated light or heat. I rolled my