Read Online Risk (A Mageri World Novel) by Dannika Dark - Free Book Online

connection and fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. She felt him tug on her long braid, but it was all too confusing. Even her hands were shaking. Ella didn’t show emotions like this to anyone, and now it seemed impossible to stop. Four years in silence, shut away from the world and unable to express a single word to anyone. A desperate thought flew into her head. What if he was the only person she could share this connection with? What if he turned around and walked out, never to return?
    When she felt a tap on her knee, she lowered her hands and saw him kneeling before her, wiggling his fingers in an invitation to touch him once more.
    Nervously, she slipped her hand into his.
    I’m Simon Hunt , he said.
    Ella. Ella Freund . Even her thoughts were shaky.
    It was a strange sensation, as if they were sharing the same room in another realm. There were moments she could hear his breath and even see faint images fluttering through his mind.
    Do you know why I’m here?
    She shook her head.
    Your Creator seems to think you’re a bit of a problem child and in need of training. I’ll pass along the word that you’re quite skilled with wet willies .
    She suppressed a smile. I can’t believe this is possible.
    He squeezed her hand. In all my years, I’ve never heard of a Mage with this ability. There are mentalists who can do something similar, but nothing that’s initiated by touch, and definitely not with this much clarity and control. Perhaps it has something to do with my … his mental voice trailed off in a mutter.
    Ella frowned. Your what?
    When he looked away evasively, she heard a faint whisper. He was concealing his mind, seeking a way to separate thoughts directed toward her from all the other stuff floating around in his head.
    Did she send you to train me? Ella asked. I guess that’s a good sign. I kept wondering why she hadn’t sentenced me to death by now .
    Simon’s eyes flashed up to hers. I wouldn’t put it past her, so it’s in your best interest to prove you’re a capable Learner. Tell me why I’m here. What’s so incompetent about your training?
    I’m not incompetent!
    She pulled away so he couldn’t eavesdrop on all the profanities that were swirling around in her head. He pinched his chin and examined the floor as if he were solving a mystery. The real mystery was why Hannah would send someone like him to evaluate her.
    Simon didn’t dress like the other immortals. While he wasn’t wearing leather pants today, his jeans had two holes, and his shirt was threadbare. Ella was five foot six on a good day, and this guy was over six feet tall. Lean muscle and dexterous hands from what she could tell. She analyzed everything about him, including the bulge near his ankle that tipped her off he had a dagger strapped to his leg. She felt swallowed up by his presence. If Hannah had sent him to train her, then he was probably one of the best.
    But not skilled enough to thwart off an attack by a wet willy.
    When he took her hand, she noticed how pale her skin looked against his, and he wasn’t all that tan. Ella didn’t polish her nails or wear perfume; how plain he must have thought her compared to other women. She shielded her innermost thoughts, building a wall around them so that he couldn’t get in.
    I remember you , he said. You were the one who gave my queen a run for her money on the night of the bombing .
    The memory was sobering. That’s when I lost my hearing. My Creator doesn’t communicate with me at all. She hides me away, and I’m not allowed to leave the property. I come down here and practice what she taught me, but I don’t learn anything new anymore. I’ve been on my own for a long time.
    Not anymore .
    A thrill moved through her body—the exhilarating sense of freedom in something as basic as conversation.
    Simon pulled her to her feet and looked about the room. You’ll never learn what you need to know down here. Tell you what, let’s have a match and you