Read Risk (A Mageri World Novel) for Free Online Page B

deliciousness.
    “Hello,” he said, nodding.
    When he gestured toward a chair to her right, a pink blush tinted her cheeks. Her reaction took him off guard because the fierce strength behind her eyes told him she was no timid creature. The duality with this woman piqued his curiosity. When her eyes roamed to his lips, he wondered if she could lip-read.
    Simon made a concerted effort to choose words that would be short and easy to understand. “May I?”
    She shrugged with her eyebrows and looked away. He took a seat and put his elbow on the table, mashing his fist against his cheek as he watched her. Up close, she had extraordinary features that seemed otherworldly. Her blue eyes were rimmed in black and sparkled like aquamarine against the candlelight. The color was striking against her pale locks of red hair and fair skin.
    He could sense she didn’t like people staring at her, so to break the ice, he removed the fingerless glove from his right hand and gestured for a handshake. Confused, she flicked her eyes up at him. Breed didn’t shake hands, but young Learners often clung to human traditions out of habit.
    Most considered Simon uncouth because he liked to push buttons. But he knew when to back off, when to seduce, when to mouth off, and when to be gentle. The light that coursed within him was like that of every other Mage except for one thing: Simon had an extraordinary ability to read energy. Every Mage upon their creation acquires a unique light that flows within their body—a combination of their own core light and a smatter of their Creator’s. The smart ones kept their rare gifts concealed. It was the ace up his sleeve and one reason why he went out of his way to act indifferent, as if he had no idea his behavior was insulting or hurtful. That was the strategic part of him learning to hide his gift.
    Simon hadn’t been aware of his talents in the early years because all he ever sensed were painful currents of energy that spiked against his body. No one had ever explained Mage gifts to him, and it was only later that he realized that no one else could feel energy the way he could. He had the uncanny ability to read a Mage’s energy and tell when it spiked due to rage, fear, or lust. Simon’s gift made it easy to best a man in a competition, sensing his next move based on his emotional flares. Aside from that, most people didn’t pay attention to things such as the direction of one’s gaze or the lilt of a voice, which made it easy to read people.
    As he held out his palm, she finally took it. Simon slowly retracted his arm until they locked fingers, exposing their thumbs on top.
    “Thumb war,” he mouthed, tapping his thumb to the left and right.
    Her smile was subtle—masked behind a solemn face. Once the game was initiated, he weaved and tapped the tip of her thumb to provoke her to move. His fingers were longer and he had the clear advantage. As soon as she moved around his knuckle, he pinned her thumb. She struggled, and her slender finger slipped free. Simon flinched when she used her short nails as weapons to bite into his skin, including her other four fingers that were digging into his palm. With patient moves, she continued to bait him. It was exactly what he would have done if he were in her situation. She’d never win by going for the base of the thumb, and he held it too high for her to risk it. Each time he slammed his thumb down, she moved out of the way and tried for another pin.
    “My, don’t we have nimble fingers,” he said with a fiendish smirk. Simon finally pinned her thumb and she gave up, leaning back in her chair and shaking her hand. “You’re very good,” he mouthed, taking his time to pronounce the words. Simon sure as hell couldn’t lip-read, but she seemed perceptive. It didn’t take a brainiac to understand certain words combined with facial expressions.
    She continued to rub at her hand, which now had red marks from their rough play. No time better than the