Read Dread Nemesis of Mine for Free Online

knuckle-cracking fists
and stormed away from the table. I wanted to hit something. Break
it. Find Maximus and pound him into toothpaste. I took a deep
breath. And another. It did little to curb my murderous rage, but
the juvenile desire to smash one of Shelton's tables faded. I could
do this. I'd faced rough odds before, and when I wasn't jumping
headfirst without thinking, I could usually figure my way out.
    My gaze went automatically to Elyssa. Her
bright eyes met mine. Fierce determination blazed within and she
set her jaw in a grim line. She was my strength. My love.
Confidence surged within my chest, pushing out the helplessness I'd
felt. With her and my friends, I would find Ivy and save her. And
if I got to break Maximus's teeth along the way, so much the
better.
    I smiled. Bella flinched back, eyes wide.
    "Do I have broccoli on my teeth or
something?" I said.
    The Arcane shook her head. "No, but you
smiled like a wolf who has cornered a baby deer."
    I walked back to the table and took a seat.
"Elyssa, I assume the Templars are tracking Maximus. Can they tell
me where he is now?"
    "I'll make some calls," she said, and walked
across the room, phone in hand.
    "Shelton, any idea when this recording was
made?"
    He picked up the ASE and examined it. "Since
the video didn't show the date, I'll have to hack into the file
system and see if the device date-stamped the recording."
    I leaned back, confused. "A file system? But
isn't this a magical thingy?"
    He groaned. "That's a whole other can of
worms, hotshot."
    "Give me the abridged version."
    "The files are in ArcOS format, just like the
spells you can save on your phone."
    That much I could understand. "Will you check
out the dates for me?"
    "Yeah, sure, but it'll take a little while to
hook it up." Shelton turned to Bella. "Why don't you give Mr.
Bossypants here a lesson while I dig into this?"
    Bella took my arm, and turned her violet eyes
on me. "Are you up to it, Justin?"
    I nodded. "Yeah, it'll help take my mind
off…things."
    She took me into the large testing room, back
to a quiet section. "You've been practicing your circles?"
    "Yep. I can get a circle up in no time now."
I pulled out my handy-dandy chalk from a plastic pouch on my belt
and knelt. In a blur of supernatural speed, I whipped a small
circle around me, pressed a thumb against the line, and willed it
closed. The air crackled and snapped. Magical energy pressed
against me. I rubbed out the line with a foot and felt the energy
rush out.
    "Excellent," Bella said. "And you've
practiced the basic spells?"
    Basic was hardly the term I'd use to
describe the spells she and Shelton had me practice. One was
blowing out a candle. Another was lighting the candle. I'd managed
to blow the candle off its pedestal where it set fire to the
curtains in Elyssa's bedroom. And while trying to light the candle,
I'd managed to melt the wax to a puddle without ever actually
lighting the wick.
    "Uh, yeah, I did some practicing."
    Bella arched an eyebrow. "I take it your fine
control is still lacking."
    "You might say that."
    "You didn't hurt anyone this time, did
you?"
    I fended off her question with a wave of my
hands. "No, nobody lost any hair the last few times."
    "Because Shelton wasn't happy about losing
his eyebrows. I still don't know how you managed—"
    "Can we start? Please?" I looked around the
room for the candles I'd been using for practice, but didn't see
them.
    She smiled. "Today, we'll be entering another
phase of control. I hope you've been running through the meditation
rituals."
    "I haven't really had a chance. It's only
been a couple of days."
    "Well, you're going to need proper meditation
skills to light a candle, Justin. And since you won't be able to
rely on circles for everything, you need to learn how to fill your
internal well with energy." She touched my stomach just above the
naval. "I can't emphasize enough just how important it is you learn
to fill your well."
    I crossed my arms. "I think you and