TELL ME THE TRUTH

Chapter Ten

                                                                                   Jeanne Saunier

                                                                                              2013

I groaned and rolled over.

"Jeanne, you have company."

"Tell 'em to go away."

He continued gently shaking me until a frighteningly familiar voice said, "I'll try if you want, Mr. Saunier."

"Go ahead."

Warm, rough hands touched my shoulders. Familiar storm magic entered my skin and travelled through my blood, awakening my senses and sweeping tingles across my skin. Unwillingly, I shivered as the charged energy roamed my veins. Ryan's low, dangerous chuckle reached my ears.

"Jeanne, it's time to get up," Ryan said softly, shooting a bolt of electricity through my body.

I jumped at the current that shocked me. "Fine," I grumbled. "Let me shower."

I rolled onto my back and waited for him to leave the room. I levitated the door shut and hurried through a shower. Once I was dressed in jeans and a singlet, I scraped my curly hair into a ponytail and headed to the kitchen for some coffee. No way was I going to be able to deal with Ryan without coffee strong enough to put hair on my chest.

The coffee was already made.

Thank you, Papa, I thought to myself happily as I poured a mug and took a seat at the table.

Ryan showed up in the kitchen as I was finishing my second cup of coffee.

"What do you want?" I grumbled.

"Still mad that I woke you up?"

I muttered a curse under my breath.

"We've got lots of practice to do today, Jeanne," he finally explained, leaning against the door frame.

"So much for my Saturday morning in bed."

He just laughed.

I levitated my now empty coffee mug into the sink.

"You're gettin' good at that."

"It's from all the practice you make me do."

"Bunker or library?"

"What're we workin' on?"

"Shields, levitation, defensive, and offensive magic. In between bouts of Liber ex Inferis, of course."

"You're workin' me to the bone, Ryan!" I made a face at him and stood up. "Bunker." I went into the hallway and drew on my magic. "Conspecto. My bunker." I waited for the portal to construct and stepped through it. Then I closed the portal behind me. "That oughta teach him," I grumbled.

Ryan arrived in his own portal mere moments later, laughing hysterically. "Really, Jeanne? Did you really think that would keep me away?"

I just rolled my eyes.

He continued laughing.

"Think fast," he said before chucking a pen at me.

I hastily built a shield, barely getting it up in time. More pens came flying at me, followed by a bolt of electricity. My shield collapsed under the blue electricity.