The Star Caster (6 page)

“I want you to train me,” I
say. “I want you to train me so that you can find yourself. You’re lost in your own misery and self-pity right now. Hello,” I grumble as I pull his hand into my lap. Then, I yank it harder, trying to get his attention. He doesn’t move, but I still talk to him. “Sterren, you’ve got to listen to me. You are going to train me.”

Sterren just
sighs. Then, he turns to look, first at his hand in my lap, and then, into my eyes. He smiles warily. “It appears that you, too, are honest,” he says a second later.

“So? Will you train me?” I nearly beg him.

Sterren smiles and nods once. “We will start tomorrow,” he says.

“So where are we supposed to sleep?” I ask him. As I wait for his response, I glance around the room. There is no way I am going to go back out the door I just walked in through.

“We are to share that bed,” Sterren says as he points to a small bed in the corner. I snap my head around to locate a small bed. Then, I raise my eyebrow at him.

Sterren laughs.

“Together?” I ask, half-intrigued, half-disgusted. I barely know this man. But I do feel that connection with him, and it is almost mesmerizing.

Sterren surprises me by
ignoring my question. He stands up and pulls me with him. He must surely think we are sleeping together tonight. But, I am more surprised when he stops and turns suddenly, and brings his hand up to caress my tattoos once more. I am held there by his stony gaze, by his soft breathing and smooth skin. I feel my eyelids flutter shut, and I lean my head back a little, so that he can run his fingers along my neck and collarbone. I shiver in delight as he traces my jaw, my lower lip.

Then, just as quickly, he pulls away.

I open my eyes. “What was that, Sterren?” I ask irritably. I stop, though, a little embarrassed at my outburst. I would never say something like that. Especially to a new, strange guy. I’m not that kind of woman.

Sterren
sighs and looks into my eyes. “Star Casters are meant to be together,” he says simply. “It is a connection.”

Well, duh. I think I could have figured that out on my own. “So?” I ask out loud. I want him to finish explaining this weirdo connection.
Is it normal? Do all Star Casters feel this for each other? Or is it just Sterren and I?

Sterren bites his sensuous lower lip, and I
feel my skin tingle with desire. Wow, he has got me right now, and I am so helpless. This realization brings up a distant memory, a memory of the only other man that has made me feel vulnerable. That man was my father.

You see, my dad is a huge
– and I mean huge – corporate lawyer. And I was his star, his prized possession. That is, until I decided that corporate law wasn’t really for me. After that, there was a fallout; there was a lot of screaming and we both said hateful words that we didn’t mean. But, to make matters worse, when I went back to apologize, I found out that he did, in fact, mean those vile words. He didn’t want to talk to me again, ever again.

Yet, s
omehow, I managed to stumble through the static that had become my life. I managed to pass my classes and chose to follow my heart. I became strong, and a damn good lawyer – well, law student – no thanks to my egotistical father.

Sterren seems to notice my inner turmoil, because
I’m pulled back to reality by his touch. It’s soothing and addicting, and I lean into it, falling closer to him. Sterren answers by opening his arms and pulling me into a warm embrace. One hand is around my waist and the other is stroking the back of my head. “I will find a way to save you, Danika. I swear it,” he whispers, and his voice is so soft, I almost miss it. No, Sterren was never gone. He was there, waiting for me to fall into him, waiting for me to need him.

Chapter 5

I wake the next morning, tangled in Sterren. We had, in fact, slept together on that tiny bed. Somehow, I
found it comfortable. Probably because Sterren was right there with me; probably, because he was all I had.

I look at Sterren, at his closed eyes and slight smile.
I take in the curve of his full lips, the contour of his muscular shoulders. I let my eyes trace the slight curve of his waist, and swallow as my heart flutters. He truly is the most beautiful man that I have ever seen.

His fit, tanned body reminds me of the
connection that he spoke of last night; it won’t leave my thoughts. Why? And since there are no answers from a sleeping Sterren, I decide to wake him up. I sigh and lift myself up so that I can trail my fingers over his soft skin. I reach out and trace the curve of his rising and falling chest; Sterren smiles, and I watch as his eyes flutter open. My hand moves to trail along his strong jaw, and I feel the same sense of falling. I know that things are escalating quickly, but I don’t care. There isn’t really time to take things slowly.

“Training will begin immediately,” Ego’s voice shouts.

I bolt upright, my heart hammering in my chest. “What the hell was that for?” I ask as I clutch my heart.

Ego laughs.*
It’s more of a cackle, really, and I can’t help but sneer as I stare at his crooked teeth and cracked lips. There are dark circles under his eyes; it looks like he hasn’t slept in far too long, far longer than one night.

“The Star Casters were getting too comfortable,” Val says nastily. He raise
s his eyebrows and blows kisses in my direction. That slimy bastard! He is so gross.

Val winks at me, and I stand up, feeling the need to knock him out, to knock some sense into him. He’s disgusting. But, I feel Sterren’s hand on my arm. He’s holding me back, and I turn toward
him, ready to listen to what he has to say.

Sterren just shakes his head once, simultaneously telling me his opin
ion and their ideas. They want me to freak, to push their boundaries. They want me to break something so that they can use me more easily. That’s right; they need to discover my weaknesses, and I have just let them figure one of them out: Sterren and my feelings.

Go me. I
am a real winner today. So, instead of saying anything, or letting my emotions betray me, I move closer to them. I can’t let them win everything. “Where’s the bathroom here?” I ask in an attempt at normalcy.

Val blinks but Ego is unfazed.
As usual. “It is down the hall,” he says as he turns and points to a hallway that lays hidden beside the staircase they used last night. From here, it looks long and winding, and I swallow, uncomfortable.

Behind me, Sterren’s stirring yanks me from my unease. “Let’s go,” he says as he reaches out to take my hand. Together, we walk down the hallway – and yes, it is winding – until we reach the very end of it. There, a large door leads into an even larger bathroom. The tile isn’t just on the floor; it frames the walls, too. Thankfully, it’s a light color that helps make the room appear more
open and spacious. The illusion is comforting to me, and I step into the room first, wanting to freshen up before Sterren.

The
shower that I take is warm and the air is cold as I step out and dry myself off. My blonde hair is tangled from my scrubbing, and I push it in front of my shoulder so that I can comb the ends with my fingers. Then, I lean forward and wipe the steam from the mirror so that I can look at this new version of myself.

My lips are held in a tight line, and I
bite my lower one uncertainly. My blonde hair is tousled and wavy. Brown highlights shimmer in the light of the lamps, and I sigh as I stare at my previously worn, dirty clothes. I guess I have to wear them again – yet another sign of my glorious captivity. I get dressed quickly, not wanting to dwell on it.

When I reemerge minutes later, I find
Sterren holding some clothes: new jeans and a comfortable looking shirt. And there, on top of the small pile, is my favorite leather jacket. “Where did you get these?” I ask as I take the clothes. “How did you…?”

Sterren shrugs. “We were asked to take what we could find. I thought about clothes.”

I bite my lower lip, reminded of Sterren’s original place in this whole mess. I reach out, though, letting him know that he is forgiven, that I only care about what he does now.

He nods.

I nod in return before stepping back in the bathroom. Once there, I change into my clean clothes. The familiar jeans hug my hips, and I roll up the bottoms of my skinny jeans before slipping my Vans back on. My worn, white shirt fits loosely, and hangs over the tops of my jeans. The leather jacket hugs me tightly, and I almost feel like I’m at home. The effect is calming and when I walk back out, I smile at Sterren in thanks.

Sterren smirks
and moves past me so that he can take his turn in the bathroom. I wait outside, alternating between staring at the wall and pacing. This whole place is eerie and dark. They seriously need some more electrical appliances, like light fixtures or sconces.

Sterren walks out just as I’m tracing the jagged edges of the stone wall. He looks at me, his grey eye shimmering in the light that falls out of the bathroom. I smile back, trying hard not to lower my gaze. I know that he’s got that amazing body, those muscles and abs. There is no need to let him know that I appreciate them, though. I’m sure he already knows
anyway.

“Are you ready?” he asks as his eyes drift to my tattoo. I watch as he lowers them further, his eyes firmly planted on my lips. I lick them nervously, not quite ready to answer him. I’m afraid that my voice will quiver.

Sterren smirks knowingly and reaches out to trace my jaw with his knuckle. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he whispers huskily. “I have been waiting for you for a while.”

I swallow, still unable to speak. His fingers move, tracing down the length of my neck, trailing my collarbone like soft feathers. His sensuous mouth is held taut; his eyes are focused on my body.
As his fingers trail back toward my neck, his hand opens, and his palm is now pressed against my neck as he pulls me into him. I close my eyes.

“We said that the Star Casters were getting too close,” Val teases from behind me.

Sighing, I pull back and open my eyes. Fine, then. They could have it their way. “Let’s go,” I say to Sterren before I turn to follow Val back down the hallway.

“You will be
training in the dungeon,” Val states. “Then, when the sun falls, we will take you out of here and test your abilities.”

“Don’t you already know what they are?” I ask.

Val laughs instead of responding.

Sterren finds my hand a
nd squeezes it as we emerge from the hall. “Each Caster has different abilities. For example, some wishes are granted within minutes, while others are granted after a few hours, or even days,” he says.

That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard
.
Who cares when the wishes come true? Weirdos
, I think. Instead, I say, “That’s fascinating.”

Sterren rolls his eyes. He knows that I’
m lying to him, but he continues anyway. “Some Casters have the ability to grant illegal wishes, too.”

That sparks my interest. “Illegal wishes?”

“Oh yes,” Ego interrupts with a grin. He lifts his hands up again and taps his fingertips together in a devious motion. “There are three illegal wishes. One,” he says as he lifts one finger. “You cannot bring people back from the dead. Two: you cannot make anyone fall in love with another person.”

Val giggles. “And three,” he says mischievously. “You cannot murder another.”

I gulp. Oh no.

Yes.

I shake my head furiously. “Do you honestly think that’s me?” I ask. “A future lawyer?”

Ego laughs this time. “Job choices don’t matter.”

“But morals do,” I claim.

“Your morals don’t matter any longer. You are someone that is meant to be used. You are a tool. You don’t make decisions for yourself any longer.”

I yank my hand from Sterren’s grip and place both on my hips. I am about to go white-girl-crazy on this weirdo. He seriously needs to be committed or something. I raise my right hand automatically, something that I always do when I’m pushing to get my point across. “Listen up, Crazies,” I start to say.

Then, Sterren clears his throat, interrupting my train of thought.

I turn and glare at him, because no one interrupts me when I’m trying to win a case.

Sterren just shakes his head. And
just like last time, it pulls me back. I take a deep breath and focus on releasing my pent up anger as I exhale. Breathe in and let it all out.

“Let’s go,” he says as he grabs my hand. I mumble assent and turn from Ego and Val. I follow Sterren as he leads me back into the dungeon.

“Am I supposed to just let them use me?” I ask him.

Sterren keeps walking deeper into the darkness. “
We do what we must, Danika. We focus on our survival as of now.”

I sigh inwardly.

Sterren stops, sensing my unrest. He turns and looks into my eyes. I look back into his, wishing that he would show his gold one. Why does he insist on wearing his hair so that no one can see it?