Jennifer Estep - Kiss of Frost

"I'm sure it will be fine," Grandma said, trying to reassure me. "It's a wild animal, one that was never meant to be tortured or twisted by the Reapers. I'm sure it will be much happier in the forest than it ever has been before. There are other wolves that roam the mountains, and it might find a pack of them to join. Who knows? You might just see it again someday."

Her eyes took on an empty, glassy look for a second, and I wondered if she was seeing the wolf, if she was getting a glimpse of its future-or maybe even mine, too. But then the moment passed, and her eyes cleared once more.

I hesitated. "And what about my Gypsy gift? And what I can do with it now? Why do you think I have this new power?"

"You're seventeen, Gwen," Grandma Frost said. "You're not quite full grown yet, and neither is your magic. It's evolving and changing, just like you are. It will only continue to get stronger, just like you will. When I was your age, I was lucky if I could tell what time it was, much less see the future. But my magic got more and more powerful over the years, just like your mom's did-and just like yours will, too."

She drew in a breath. "And your psychometry isn't the end of your powers-it's just the beginning. You have what the old timers call touch magic. It's very rare and powerful. You always say that you touch stuff and see things, and that's true. But touch magic works both ways."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means that when you touch something, the object influences you-you see the memories and emotions attached to it. But the flip side of that is you should be able to influence the object or person you're touching as well. You should be able to feed that person your memories and emotions-and maybe more. At least, that's the theory. There's no telling what you'll be able to do with it someday. All you have to remember is to use your Gypsy gift wisely- help others, and yourself if you need it, and you'll be fine."

Somehow Grandma always knew just what to say to keep me from feeling like a freak, although I made a mental note to look up touch magic the next time I was in the Library of Antiquities. If there was more to my psychometry than just flashing on objects and people or using those memories, then I wanted to know what it was, so I could learn how to do it to protect myself-and Grandma Frost, too.

She reached out and clasped my hand, rubbing it in her spotted, wrinkled one, and I felt the warmth of her love wash over me, driving away everything that was cold, dark, and scary. At least for tonight.

"I just want to let you know how proud I am of you, pumpkin-and how proud your mom would be, too."

"Why?" I asked. "All I really did was almost get myself killed, along with Oliver and Logan."

My heart pounded again at the memory of Preston's burning red eyes and the evil sneer that had twisted his face. We'd all come so close to dying- so close . No matter what the others said, I knew it was my fault. Yeah, we'd all come through it okay, but that didn't ease my guilt about putting Oliver and Logan in danger and the horrible wounds they'd suffered because of me.

Grandma shook her head. "You stood by Oliver when it really counted and Logan, too. You figured out how to use your magic to save yourself and your friends. That makes you strong and smart, Gwen, and I couldn't be prouder of you. Now, get some rest. You've had a long day. We'll talk more in the morning before you go back to the academy."

She drew the quilt up to my neck, kissed my cheek, and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

You'd better finish me now, Gypsy. Or I'll get free one day, and I'll go kill that doddering old grandmother you love so much.

Preston's words rippled through my head again, a black echo that wouldn't fade away. I shivered and turned off the light by the bed, trying to put the Reaper's awful promise out of my mind. Preston was locked up where he couldn't hurt me anymore, and he was never, ever getting out.

I told myself that over and over again, but it was still a long, long time before I went to sleep.

Life went back to normal. Well, as normal as it could be, given the fact that I went to Mythos Academy. I went to class, snuck off campus to see Grandma Frost, and worked my shifts at the Library of Antiquities, just like usual.

One thing that was different was weapons training. It was a lot more fun these days. Oliver and I had become real friends, and even Kenzie was starting to warm up to me, despite the fact that I'd ruined his breakfast with Talia. Kenzie and Talia were now officially dating and extremely hot and heavy. Sometimes Kenzie would sneak out of weapons training early to go meet the Amazon for breakfast. The Spartan never noticed the sad, longing looks Oliver gave him. I wished things could have been different for Oliver, and I hoped he found someone to take his mind off Kenzie. I knew how much unrequited love sucked, and I didn't want my new friend to feel the same hopelessness that I did.

I was doing better during training, too. Now I could make it a whole minute before Logan mock killed me with his sword, and I could hit the edge of the target with my arrows every single time. I tried not to use my memories of Logan and Daphne during training, though. I wanted to know how to defend myself for real and not have to rely on my Gypsy gift and someone else's skills and memories to get me through another battle with a Reaper. It was slow going, but I felt like I was finally starting to learn how to be a real warrior.

And then, of course, there was Logan.

We hadn't really talked since we'd kissed in the construction site. Sure, we did weapons training together and joked around, but neither one of us had mentioned the kiss -the one that had made me feel so many wonderful things. I wasn't sure how to bring it up or even what to say. So I kept my mouth shut, and Logan did the same.

Every once in a while, though, I'd catch him staring at me, a worried look in his blue eyes. I knew Logan wanted to ask me what I'd seen when I'd kissed him, but I wasn't sure what I should tell him. I saw you crying over two dead bodies didn't exactly make for great romantic talk.

The days slipped by, until there were just a few more before the academy let out for the long holiday break. All the Mythos kids were going home to spend Christmas and New Year's with their families, and I was looking forward to having a simple holiday with Grandma Frost and Vic. I'd even bought the sword a little red Santa hat to wear, although I expected him to put up a fuss about it.

"Bloody holidays," Vic muttered to me one night in my dorm room. "We should be out fighting Reapers instead of thinking about stuffing ourselves with ham and pie."

I, for one, was looking forward to Grandma Frost's cooking, as well as a little peace and quiet, but I couldn't tell him that. If anything, Vic had become even more bloodthirsty since the fight with Preston. Apparently, I'd done so well during the battle that Vic now had some farfetched hope that I'd turn out to be "a right proper brawler after all."

I just rolled my eyes, turned up the television a little louder in my dorm room, and let the sword rant.

Two days later, the final bell rang, signaling the end of myth-history, my last class of the day. I stuffed my books into my messenger bag and started to file out of the room with the other kids, but Professor Metis stepped in front of me and gestured for me to stay behind.

"I need you to come with me, Gwen," Metis said. "Right now, please."

Icy dread filled my stomach at her serious tone and the grim look on her face. "What's wrong? Did something happen to my grandma?"

She shook her head. "No, your grandma's fine, but I need your help with something else."