40.

powerful as me, I couldn't give you the ability to possess another, but you should be able to do well with what you were given."

Relief pushed away some of Farren's distress. He had no wish to take over anyone's body. To find out the djinn couldn't give that to him certainly didn't ruin his day.

"I will help you reach your full potential. In turn, you will help me take over your world."

"What do I get out of it?" Farren desperately hoped the djinn couldn't read his mind.

He dressed frantically while he waited for a reply.

"Power, my boy. You get all the power you could ever want. Go to your classes or whatever thing you do to occupy your day. I'll be in touch. Maybe you should spend more time with your boyfriend. He seems like a nice enough fellow."

The djinn's presence vanished. Farren fell on the bed, gasping.

He knows about Dan.

Before now the djinn had worried him, but not until he'd mentioned Dan had Farren become truly concerned. Farren had to find a way to block the powerful creature from his mind while also trying to discover the full meaning of the mark on his back. Farren didn't only have djinn blood-his father had been a talented magic user in his own right. Maybe he could find a spell to reverse the mark or something. He needed to go to the library.

Farren glanced at the clock on the wall. He had ten minutes to make it to class. Farren quickly stripped off his clothes, grabbed a refresh spell ball, activated the spell then dressed in new clothing within five minutes. Grabbing his pack, he ran out the door and quickly flipped the lock behind him.

He briefly wondered where Maddox had gone off to but brushed away his curiosity in his rush to get to class. Like usual, he was the last to arrive. Besides Farren, there were nine other students. Professor Firestorm frowned at him but didn't speak. A few sly grins from his fellow classmates didn't reassure Farren that his day would get any better. He'd never meshed well with the other students. Maybe they could sense he wasn't like them.

Leon, a water wizard, stood at the front of the class clutching his focus stone in his hand. His lean face turned paler as he concentrated. If the guy wasn't such a dick, Farren would've been concerned over the amount of effort it seemed to be taking Leon, not to mention the strain.

41.

Professor Firestorm nodded to Farren but quickly turned back to the water wizard. "Go ahead, Leon, try calling your avatar again," the professor encouraged.

How many times had Leon tried before? Farren settled into his seat to watch. Maybe Leon would take the whole frigging class and Farren could bypass this horrible process and do it later-much later. Like after he figured out how to call up a bunny or some other fluffy creature.

Pleased he hadn't got an ass chewing for his tardiness, Farren tried to keep quiet. His shoulder tingled and burned as if the djinn were trying to influence him in some way. He absently rubbed at the mark, hoping the sensation would fade away. If not, it would be a long time before he was comfortable in his own skin.

Leon closed his eyes, clenched his fists and muttered some sort of watery prayer.

Holding back laughter had never been more difficult.

After repeating his mantra offer for several minutes, a loud pop filled the room. A small, drippy water dragon floated in midair. It gave a soft snort of a greeting.

Farren smiled at the cute creature. He hoped he would get something that innocuous as his avatar.

The class applauded.

"Congratulations, Leon," Professor Firestorm said.

"Pitiful," the djinn's voice echoed in his head. Farren squeezed his eyes shut. The djinn talking in his head was like having a constant imaginary friend that never went away.

"You're next, Farren."

Of course he was. Firestorm disliked him for no reason that Farren could determine.

Maybe he shouldn't have made faces when Firestorm had announced they were going to practise calling their own avatar.

"Yes, Professor." Farren didn't try to back out of it. Firestorm wouldn't hesitate to flunk a student who didn't attempt a calling.

Farren didn't even pretend enthusiasm as he walked in front of the class. Leon's little dragon had already evaporated. Farren didn't know if the water wizard had dismissed his avatar or if he wasn't strong enough to hold it. Either way, he'd succeeded where Farren would probably not.

42.

Leon smirked as Farren approached, but didn't say anything. He probably didn't want to lose his spot as class favourite. For some reason, Firestorm liked the cocky wizard. Farren gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to say something scathing.

Farren tried to remember everything Professor Firestorm had taught them. He had to at least give the impression of trying to call an avatar. A failed attempt was still an attempt.

Firestorm wouldn't know how much effort Farren put into the project. He could fake a constipated concentration face as well as the next student-well, at least as good as Leon.

"Where's your stone?" Firestorm asked in a hard voice.

Farren reluctantly pulled his ruby from his pocket. "Right here."

The wizarding equipment manager had assigned him the stone. The pretty gnome had taken one look at Farren and handed him a ruby the size of a baby fist-if the fist belonged to a troll baby. Farren had to be careful where he left it since he'd have to eventually return the rock. It belonged to the college. When he moved out on his own, hopefully he could figure out how to call one without a focus stone, or at least a much smaller one.

Here, fluffy bunny! Farren silently called. With his luck it would be a flaming bunny with saber teeth.

Professor Firestorm cleared his throat. "We're ready whenever you are, Farren."

"Thank you." He ignored Firestorm's tone of disapproval. He couldn't explain why he'd been running late. He doubted Firestorm would accept oversleeping after hot sex with his boyfriend and talking to a djinn as good excuses.

Unlike Leon, Farren kept his eyes open. He wanted to see anything that might approach. A life of caution hadn't changed with school enrolment. He'd never trusted anyone before. He didn't plan to start now-not while surrounded by other magic users.

Farren had no doubt he could take them individually, but as a group they might be able to overpower him unless he was willing to burn down the university. He would save that for plan B.

Clenching his fists, Farren tried to clear his mind. What could he call that wouldn't alert them to his genetic status? He'd heard another guy had called a phoenix. That sounded good.

Surely he'd be able to call a small firebird to be his familiar without arousing any suspicion?

"Don't overthink it, Farren," Firestorm said. "Call what you feel."

43.

Farren didn't laugh. He knew the professor was trying to help. Firestorm didn't know that Farren could pull djinn from opposite planes.

He clutched the ruby until the sharp edges cut his palms. Blood pooled in his fist, small sticky drips sliding through his fingers, but Farren ignored it as he thought over what he wanted to call.

Imagining a tiny phoenix roughly the size of Leon's dragon, Farren sent out his call.

"Please heed me," he pleaded silently. "I just need you for a few classes then you'll be free. I wouldn't bind someone to me forever."

Farren had no interest in enslaving a beast to his beck and call no matter how much it would improve his magic. Although most wizards treated their avatars well, he'd seen a few that treated them like slaves, making them fetch and carry like beasts of burden instead of like the magic amplifiers they were.

He kept up his calling, alternating words now and then. A drop of blood splashed on the floor, a spot of crimson on the white tile. Before Farren could call for a bandage to wrap his hand, the air pressure dropped and the tiny hairs on the back of his neck jumped on edge like soldiers at attention.

"Oh fuck."

Heat warped the tiles beneath his feet while the smell of crackling glaze and charred furniture filled Farren's nose until he couldn't smell anything but scorched materials.

In the middle of the classroom, an enormous flaming snake uncoiled its turquoise scales, shimmering like the ocean on a clear, sunny day. Farren barely caught a glimpse of the serpent before his knees hit the floor and he bowed low. "Greetings, Xiuhcoatl."

He'd once seen representations of the fire deity's spirit form in a book among his mother's things. The image of the snake had stuck with him because it had been the most fearsome creature he'd ever seen.

"Greetings, Farren, child of my favourite. May you live long and your scales always shine bright." The snakes words, drenched with power, poured across Farren like a weighty blanket until he almost collapsed beneath the burden of each magical syllable.

Taking shallow breaths to keep back his panic, Farren remained kneeling on the floor.

He'd never met a god, but he'd read of more encounters with them that didn't go well than *

44.

ones that did. The burning pain on Farren's shoulder even retreated with the presence of the fire god. Maybe one was cancelling out the other.

"How may I serve you, god of fire?" Farren asked when it became apparent the snake wasn't going to speak further without any input from Farren.

"You called for a helper, I have decided to answer. You will be important, child of fire.

Your mother did me a favour many years ago. Before she died, she asked for a boon-for me to watch over her only child and come to you if you have need. I have come to keep my promise."

"Um, thank you." Farren kept his head down. Looking directly at a god couldn't be a good thing. The dry slide of scales brushing against the ground and the crackling fire surrounding the snake overwhelmed Farren's senses.

"You are humble despite your powerful magic. You will be an excellent guardian."

"A guardian of what?"

"My child." The snake god leaned over the circle and opened his mouth. A small blue snake dropped on the floor beside Farren. "Watch over her and she will remain loyal to you for the rest of your days. If you can conquer your fears, you will live a long life, fire child, but there are many who wish to see you destroyed. It is important that you learn to embrace your heritage, not hide it."

"And if I don't?" Farren dared to ask.

"You already know the answer to that question-you and everyone you love will die."

Xiuhcoatl slithered closer. Before Farren could wonder what the snake was up to, he flickered his tongue against Farren's cheek. Fire seared along his skin. He bit the inside of his cheek to hold back the scream, ignoring the blood filling his mouth. Showing weakness wasn't an option when dealing with gods or djinn.

"I have marked you as my warrior. You are safe from djinn possession. The one stalking you can no longer take you completely over. If he finds a way inside your body, you will still have control of your mind. One day that will be an important edge to your battle."

"Um, thank you." Farren didn't know what to say about that, but he did know to always thank someone for a gift.

Farren had a great many more questions, but before he could ask them, the snake god vanished, leaving Farren kneeling on the melted classroom floor with a turquoise snake *

45.

slithering inches from his nose. He admired the shiny turquoise scales on the reptile then a wave of heat washed over him and he realised the fire god hadn't finished with him.

"Farren!" Firestorm shouted.

Farren opened his mouth to talk, but he couldn't get any word out past the pain scorching the words from his chest. Before he could figure out the problem or try to stop the pain, the world went black.

"Farren... Farren, baby, open those pretty eyes," a soft voice pleaded.

He knew that voice. He did. The name evaded him like a tricky fog, without form or substance, but he recognised it as someone he cared about.

Farren struggled to open his eyes. The speaker's distraught tone pulled at him from the haze of his mind.

"Come on, baby, wake up," the voice entreated.

A scent, spicy like a good chili pepper, tickled his nose. Blinking, he tried to focus his eyes. A handsome face looked down at him, and recognition snapped him fully into reality.

"Dan," he whispered, smiling at the beautiful man. "Hey there, why so glum?"

Dan blinked as if to hold back tears, but that couldn't be right. Why would Dan be crying? Dan was a happy guy who almost always had a grin on his face.

Farren held out his hand, relieved when Dan accepted it.