26: GRADY

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I hide in my wardrobe with my heart hammering right out of my chest. Why are they still torturing me? And why can’t I stop them? Oh, right. Because my roommates are giant jerks and there are two of them.

Hiding is actually pointless. As soon as I get the tiniest bit worried, my earth spark betrays me, going full on rabid and sending my collar into a bark frenzy.

Every.

Doggone.

Time.

I do try to defend myself. Sometimes I even land a wild kick or punch. But, more often than not, my flailing limbs get restrained to keep me from fighting back. Milo, a Light Earth Wielder, is particularly fond of any type of vine having thorns. And when they’re done, Amal, a Dark Earth Wielder, dutifully dissolves the evidence of their assault.

“Grady,” Milo tremors, “come out of there.”

“Here boy,” Amal joins him, making kiss sounds with his lips.

I can’t come out even if I want to, which I don’t. I really, really don’t. My earth spark lades my limbs. I’m sure they know that. Besides, dragging me out kicking and screaming is part of their joy. I’m sure of that too.

Milo swings the door open, shaking his head while Amal extracts me. He doesn’t bind me for once, just stands there looking disappointed in me like I’m a bad dog. “Do you like this?” His tone holds some curiosity instead of the usual edge.

“You know I don’t,” I force through gritted teeth, my earth spark tightening around my chew toys and filling my lungs with sand.

“Stop us then,” he thumps.

When they reach forward with one hand each on my arms, I resist the pull. There’s a slight reprieve from the crushing weight as my earth spark runs to greet them, giddy at the escape hatch.

But I’ve had enough of being bullied. I’ve had enough of them taking whatever they want. More, it isn’t just these spunkbuckets bullying me. My spark is bullying me too, demanding release and opening me up to these doggone attacks, inviting them. I’m sick and tired of it controlling me. I’m sick and tired of running. I’ve had enough of everyone’s bullpucky.

“Enough!” I bay.

They laugh. My earth spark woofs.

But I’m not laughing, and I’m going to make them stop too. I send vines whipping through my insides, skating along my veins like the tethers they so frequently use to restrain me. My earth spark recoils, trying to break free of the hold, but I’m not letting go. Not for anything. I grip it tighter, yanking it away from my chew toys. Where the sand is filling my lungs, I force it back out in a snarl of defiance. It bucks wildly against my hold, trying to break free. Milo and Amal stand back amazed when I stop their attempt.

“You did it, man,” Milo thuds warmly, clapping me on the shoulder. “You blocked the release.”

But I’m not done. I’m not nearly finished because my earth spark is still wild inside me, a caged beast that doesn’t want to be tamed. Screw this. I’m the master of my house, and this bullheaded dog is going to heel. I fight against it for several more minutes while my muscles strain and sweat pours down my face.

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“Crap,” Amal quakes. “What do we do? He’s gonna blow!”

But I don’t blow. Just as I think the earth spark inside me might finally break free to unleash its feral fury, it stills. It bows its head low and reveres me, looking up with pleading eyes and asking a question instead of forcing its demands on me. And, finally, I give it the permission it seeks. It skitters toward where Milo still has hold of my shoulder, running out the door like an overexcited puppy needing to take an urgent piss.

My tensed shoulders fall in a wave of absolute relief like I’ve just taken the world’s greatest dump. The collar holding me hostage since Luke slapped it on me falls too. It makes a soft plunk as it meets the tile below. A turd hitting toilet water. Its last dying breath before I flush it.

“Holy crap!” Milo thwomps. “How do you want to celebrate?”

I headtilt, not sure what he means.

“Dude, you blocked us and that’s great, but don’t you realize what just happened?” he backroads.

“You tamed your spark.” Amal chuckles darkly. “You don’t have to take crap from anyone or give it to them either.”

I blink, trying to reconcile what’s happened. It isn’t a choice between willingly giving my spark up or imploding. No one can take it against my will either. I have the authority now. I’ve tamed my earth spark. It’s curled up on a warm blanket just waiting for me to pet it. We can go for walks, play at the park, or cuddle whenever I like.

I feel invincible, indestructible, and my excitement shifts into something new I want nothing more than to explore while I’m riding this adrenaline high. Desire. I’m going to see Sunny and finish what she tried to start earlier.

I strut down the hall toward her room with my chest puffed out in pride. She has the most privacy of us all. Her roommates are scared she’ll slit their throats in their sleep, so her bed is enclosed in a sarcophagus of ice.

She’s lying on her pillow listening to something on her Sparklet when I squeeze through the small opening by her feet. “Here to finish the job?” she ticks.

I climb up the bed, rip the earbuds away, and press my mouth to hers in one seamless movement. She parts her lips and draws my tongue inside where it dances around the curved barbell at the center of her piercing.

When her thighs split wide, I push my body into the empty space to grind my already throbbing yowler against her heat. She’s so fricking hot for me already.

“Yes, Grady,” she smoulders, dragging her pointed nails through my scalp.

I rip my shirt over my shoulders and reach down to hike up her skirt. My earth spark rumbles its pleasure over her bare tinderbox greeting us. Frick, this girl has every-doggone-thing pierced.

I try to gentle my approach, needing to slow this down a beat, or it’ll be over before it really begins, but she isn’t having any of that. She flings her hand between us and shoves my fingers inside her forcefully. Her heat increases still as she writhes at my touch.

My yowler feels like a rock pressing into my pants. She uses her eager hand to free it. She’s not at all gentle as she jerks me forward to line me up. “Do me now,” she demands.

Am I ready for this? Heck to the yes. I drive into her with force, my head coming to rest beside her neck while she wraps her legs around my waist so tight I worry she might crush my kidneys. Her nails sweep across my back, biting into the flesh and encouraging me to pound into her harder. I didn’t need the encouragement, but the permission frees my last restraint. I drill into her with punishing thrusts until she’s screaming my name loud enough the whole floor must hear it.

Then her sphere is filling with heat, her jacket clamping around me, and I can’t hold out much longer. “You’re so fricking hot,” I growl in her ear.

She screams as she explodes with pleasure, and I’m about to fall off the edge with her, except she’s growing even hotter. Doggone, she’s burning. My chew toys are lit with an explosive wave of heat. I rear back, shrieking in pain. Her body starts convulsing on the bed while smoke pours out of her atomic tinderbox.

I’m scared to look down, afraid there might be nothing left but the stub of what used to be a rather decent endowment. But it has to still be there. How else could I still feel this unrelenting inferno?

“Ward Emergency?” I hear her roommate saying. “Yeah, we’ve got a charge fornication fiasco.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“That’s right,” she agrees. “Exploded tinderbox in room one oh three. No clue about his. I’ll let him know. Thanks.”

She looks around the coffin of ice like it’s perfectly normal Sunny’s screaming in pain, and I should also be howling my yowler off except I already did. “Grab your flint. They can reattach it.”

I faint.