by Quinn Loftis
“I told you,” he said softly, “I was curious.”
She squeezed her eyes tightly closed and forced herself to shove any feelings she had for Elias Creed into a box in her mind. Then she pictured herself pushing that box off a cliff while giving it the finger. Super healthy stuff, folks.
“Wrong answer,” she said, her voice no longer a breathy whisper. “I need you to leave.” She grasped the doorknob and twisted, then quickly pulled it open as she backed up, forcing him to retreat as well. She refused to look at him and hoped he would just get the message and walk out. He didn’t. Stupid, curious, intense, overbearing man.
“Tara.” He practically growled her name.
“Please, Elias. I’m tired and I find I’m done humoring your curiosity. Find someone else to be curious about.”
“Not happening,” he muttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When the words finally registered, he was gone, leaving her staring at a closed, locked door. Had she closed the door? Had she locked it?
“Dammit!” And there she was playing twenty questions again, all because of Elias Creed. And she didn’t want to see him tomorrow. Or the next day or the next. “I’m curious?” she yelled at the door, wishing her mind hadn’t shut down at the exact moment he made his declaration. “I’m going to give you something to be curious about when you have to figure out how to get my bloody foot out of your arse!” She mentally added “curious” to the list of words she was going to ban from her vocabulary, right along with hymen and mountains.
She hurried back to her room and snatched up her phone She had at least twenty messages from Shelly. She didn’t bother to read them. Instead, she just sent Shelly a quick text of her own.
I’m fine. He’s gone. We will talk tomorrow. I’m tired.
She turned off her bedroom light and climbed into bed. Just as she was getting comfortable, her phone beeped twice. She felt around for it on top of her comforter and snatched it up. She had two messages. One from Shelly and another from a number she didn’t want to see.
She tapped on Shelly’s message.
You’re a traitorous, calfless cow for making me wait until tomorrow. Love u. Night.
Tara shook her head at her best friend and then clicked on the message from the number she just decided would now be known in her contacts as Curious Asshat.
Sleep sweet, luv. -E
Because her pride wouldn’t give him the last word, she texted him back.
Piss off, tosser. -T
She was really loving all the British insults she’d learned on the shows she watched on BBC. Who knew they’d come in so handy?
The satisfaction of snapping at him quickly wore off as she remembered how it had felt to have him so close to her, his breath on her neck, his voice in her ear. His nearness had scorched her down to the very marrow in her bones. And yet he was only curious about her. Tara shook her head and tossed the phone aside. “He’s just a guy, Tara. Just an ordinary, human guy. Get over it.”
She closed her eyes and settled back into her pillow. Tara was determined to overcome her disturbing fascination with Elias, and if it took going on a date, or fifty, with Tucker, then so be it.
Elias stared at his phone, reading Tara’s response to his last text. He’d screwed up. Royally. He could have sworn that while he’d been with her, several times, he’d seen the connection in her, that she felt it, too. Or had he imagined it because he wanted her to feel it? He thought about their entire interaction that evening and when her demeanor toward him had changed. It had been when he’d been standing behind her at the door.
Elias had gotten close to her. Too close? He hadn’t thought so, but then again, he’d been trying to figure out what the bloody hell was drawing him to her. She was like an enchantress, and everything about her was designed to be a delight to all of his senses, including his magic. She’d smelled so good, and her hair had felt like silk against his face. It had taken a monumental amount of strength to keep from wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly so she couldn’t get away. No, that was creepy, and he was pretty sure that was his magic putting in its two cents. He wanted to hold her close to keep her safe, to provide shelter and warmth. Maybe he’d scared her? Had he come on too strong? He hadn’t gotten that feeling. She’d been receptive to his proximity. His magic had told him that much. When had it changed?
He’d told her to breathe because he was worried she was going to pass out, and then she’d asked him why he’d texted her today. And he’d said because he was curious. He breathed out as it suddenly dawned on him that if she did feel a connection to him, anywhere close to as strongly as he felt it for her, being told that he was merely curious about her was like a slap to the face. “Bloody hell.” He growled as he slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
He was about to text her back to apologize when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Elias turned to see Tucker slinking away into the trees behind Tara’s house. Elias hadn’t lied to Tara when he’d said he’d wanted to chat, but it hadn’t been the only reason he’d showed up. Doing what Jax had ordered him to do, he’d kept an eye on Tucker and followed him around all afternoon and evening. At 10:30 tonight, Tucker had gotten in his car, driven to Tara’s neighborhood, parked one street over, and then hoofed it to Tara’s house where he sat, staring at it from the cover of the trees. When Tucker had finally decided to do more than watch and had headed for the front door, Elias had beat him to it making the dark acolyte scurry back into hiding or risk being seen by Tara and then questioned about why he was hanging around her house so late at night.
When Tara had let Elias into her room, the first thing he’d noticed was that the blinds were closed and the curtains pulled mostly shut. That had made him feel a little better, that while Tucker had been staring like a creeper, he hadn’t been able to see into Tara’s room.
Elias leaned his seat back and got comfortable. There was no way he was leaving her unprotected with a dark acolyte sniffing around. Also, the thought of leaving her made his magic boil inside of him. So he stared at the house, also like a creeper, feeling sick that he’d hurt Tara and wondering how in the name of Mother Gaia he was going to fix it.
Chapter 13
Elias never thought a girl would be his demise. But now he sat staring at his phone, trying to force it to alert him of a message from Tara. I’m going mad. This little slip of a girl whom he barely knew was slowly bringing him to his knees. The damn phone simply stared back with all the interaction of a dark screen.
It had been two days since he’d left Tara’s house in the pouring rain. Two days without any responses to his texts. And like he’d promised, he’d shown back up on her doorstep both nights, but she refused to answer the door. Thankfully, her foster mom hadn’t been home. She’d probably have called the police on him for stalking Tara. And she wouldn’t be wrong. Everywhere Tara went, Elias was there, in the shadows, watching her, protecting her. Because he wasn’t the only one following her. Tucker, the dark water acolyte, was also in the shadows. The boy was a little too infatuated with Tara. Granted, with the way Elias was feeling toward her, any guy who glanced her way was too infatuated with her for his liking. Yep, he’d gone barking mad.
Today was Friday, and Tucker wouldn’t have to be in hiding to be near Tara because he was taking her on a date. The thought of the acolyte’s dark magic anywhere near Tara was infuriating to Elias. The fact that she was going to be with a male who wasn’t him was equally infuriating. He’d known her a week and apparently had staked a claim … because that was normal. “You’re a right git,” he muttered to himself.
Short of killing Tucker, which he wasn’t opposed to doing, or abducting Tara, which he was also not opposed to doing and clearly meant he was a nutter, Elias couldn’t stop the date from happening. His magic, which had truly begun to feel like a separate entity inside of him, had plenty to say about the dreaded date. Though the magic didn’t speak to him with words, emotions and intentions flowed from it in
to Elias’s mind. It had never been that way before, and he had never heard any other elementalist describe their magic in that way. There was also a new sensation growing inside of him—something primal and essential to his being that felt as though Tara was also essential to his being.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he startled when his phone rang. Jax’s name popped up on the screen. Elias sighed but swallowed his disappointment as he answered. “All right?”
“I know why you’ve turned into a lovesick puppy with no mind of your own,” Jax said without preamble.
Elias’s lips pursed. “I’m not a lovesick puppy, and I still have my own mind. Has my mind gone off its trolley? Absolutely.”
“I have no idea what trolleys have to do with this,” Jax said then continued before Elias could explain. “I was able to speak with Master Alaric.”
“I thought he’d retired and was in some undisclosed location living out the rest of his days in peace,” Elias repeated almost verbatim what they’d learned about the oldest-living Master Nat Vent.
“Undisclosed to some but not all,” Jax corrected.
“So what did he say? What’s happening to me?” Elias heard the impatience in his own voice. Part of the irritation was from having Tara ignore him so thoroughly. The other part was because he really wanted to know why he was acting so out of character and, frankly, a bit irrational.
“He only could tell me what had been kept on the scrolls of our history, and this particular scroll has been nearly destroyed,” Jax said. “I’m going to read what was left of it.”
Elias tried to relax, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that what Jax was about to read was going to change his entire world.
“Natura Venatori were created because darkness touched their souls, souls that had been connected to their sire’s and mother’s since their inception.” Jax paused. “There’s been some text torn out so there’s something missing in between what I just read you and this next part. For some, the evil that touched them was so dark that it ripped some of their soul away, but for some it did not.”
“Hold up,” Elias said, interrupting Jax. “None of that is taught to the new recruits. There is nothing about our souls having anything to do with why we became Natura Venatori.”
“I know,” Jax said quietly. “And there are reasons for that, but we don’t have time to get into all of it. It is something we will discuss with the headmaster and headmistress after we get Tara removed from the threat that is Tucker and the other dark acolytes in Buffalo.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, mate,” Elias said.
“I’ve no doubt,” Jax muttered. “Try to let me finish without interrupting.” He paused as if testing to see if Elias would comment on the order. When he didn’t, Jax continued reading. “Those who have pieces of their soul removed cannot resist the darkness. They will be drawn to it because their soul is trying to be complete again. They must be joined with a Natura Venatori whose soul is whole in order to keep from becoming a powerful acolyte. These souls and the magic inside each of the Natura Venatori will recognize their match. It will be all-consuming in a way they won’t understand, but it has to be. In order for the torn soul to want to resist the darkness, it has to be completed by love. They will be drawn to one another, and with each interaction, the connection and need will grow. When they join their souls and bind their magic because of the love that seals it, their power will overflow, unable to be contained. For the greatest power that light holds over darkness is the ability to love. These will be known as the Soul Bonded.”
Elias could hear Jax’s voice coming through the phone, calling his name, but Elias was unable to respond. His body was numb all over, yet his blood was rushing through his veins, the magic inside of him was doing the damn jig, and then there was his soul. How had he never been aware of this other consciousness that was a part of him but separate from his Natura Venatori magic? But now that Jax had shined a huge light onto him, revealing that his soul was meant to be joined and bonded to another, he was completely aware of it. And aware that it was yelling at him to go find Tara, to find the soul that was his match. “Damn, this is a right mess,” he said in a shaky breath.
“Did the things I just read describe how you feel about Tara?” Jax asked.
“That about sums it up.”
“The scroll says the connection grows stronger the more you are with each other. Perhaps I should take over watching Tara until it’s time for her to come to the academy and we can sort all of this out from the safety of the mountain. I’m not sure about the whole ‘all-consuming’ part. I’m hoping that doesn’t mean you’re going to become a raging lunatic if you can’t be with her. Which you know you can’t be. Not yet. The protection spell she has will shatter the minute she learns about the supernatural world. She’s too vulnerable to be beyond the academy walls without it.”
That sounded like a completely reasonable course of action, and Elias knew he couldn’t allow anything to happen between them that might reveal the supernatural world. That didn’t stop him from responding to Jax’s suggestion with a growl. “I’m not leaving without her, you wanker.” Apparently raging lunatic was definitely part of the bond.
“Okay, that escalated quickly. Let’s try again. In three days, I have a hunt I need you to join. We believe there are some dark water sirens at work in a fishing town off the coast of Maine. So, you’ve got three days to prepare your soul to be away from her.”
“Bloody hell, that sounds weird,” he said as he looked over to the school. Students were milling about carrying lunch sacks. Like a heat-seeking missile, Elias zeroed in on Tara in a matter of seconds. Was that his soul? Was it able to find her because she was his match? So many questions. But in that moment, the only one that mattered was how much trouble would he get in with the school if he got out of his car, walked across the street and over to the bench where Tara sat, and broke the hand that Tucker had placed on her shoulder?
“Are you going to be all right?” Jax asked.
“Don’t worry about me, mate,” Elias said, his eyes still on Tara. “I’ll keep an eye on her, but I’ll keep my distance.” He did not promise to keep his distance from Tucker. The acolyte might not be hurting Tara, but he was near her, and that was reason enough for Elias to want to kill him.
“I can’t imagine how difficult this has to be. What that scroll described sounded more like a curse than a blessing.”
“Your positive input is overwhelming. Please dial it back a notch,” Elias said dryly.
Jax chuckled. “All right. I had planned to stay with you, but Zuri gave me some disturbing news while I was at the academy. Apparently Tucker and the dark acolytes hanging around aren’t alone. There have been more than a dozen sightings in the states surrounding Kentucky.”
“Not a coincidence,” Elias said. He wondered if there were more of the soul-torn humans out there needing their own soul bond and destined to become evil if their souls didn’t find one another.
“Evil doesn’t just wander around aimlessly hoping for a weak soul. It schemes, it watches, and when it finally attacks, it’s not an explosion. It’s a subtle poison that gets you sick slowly.”
“Mate, all you had to do was say, ‘Right, not a coincidence,’” Elias said.
“My apologies. I forgot that your mind has been blown. Keep me apprised on things. Zuri will take over for you on day three. She’ll also kick your ass if you give her any problems when she comes to relieve you.” Jax ended the call on that lovely note.
“Great. Not only do I get to pine after a girl who doesn’t like me, but I will also have the pleasure of having my arse handed to me when my soul and magic try to make me stay near her.” Elias probably shouldn't pretend that it was only his soul and magic that wanted to stay with Tara. It was a lie. His heart and mind were every bit as bound to her as the other parts.
Tara sat in the passenger seat of Shelly’s car staring down at the poem that Mrs. Thorton had returned to her. She’d g
otten an A. There was a sticky note attached to it that read, “Well done. My mind is blown. I hope you are able to let go of your past. The future is only as bright as we choose to make it.”
If that were the case, then Tara’s future was about as bright as a flashlight with nearly dead batteries.
“Have you gotten another text from Your Cat?” Shelly asked, pulling Tara from her thoughts. Tara folded the paper and shoved it into her backpack. She was too emotionally worn out to walk home today, so she was allowing Shelly to drive her. Which meant she was going to have to come forth with some deets about Elias. Tara grinned at her best friend’s question. Shelly had taken to calling Elias “Your Cat,” “The Cat,” or Tara’s favorite, “Ass Cat,” because she told her about the question she’d asked him and the answer he’d given. Shelly had said that he needed to be reminded what curiosity did to a cat … and so he’d become the three different types of cats that were destined to die from curiosity. Or Shelly’s wrath, whichever came first. Her BFFF had been so indignant on her behalf that Tara had had to talk her down from slashing Elias’s tires and throat punching him. Of course, those things could only happen if they ever saw him again.
“He texted me when the final bell rang,” Tara admitted. She didn’t mention she’d nearly ripped off a fingernail trying to get the phone out of her back pocket because she wanted it to be a text from him so badly. She was like a dry sponge, and every text was a drop of water.
“Did it say anything different than ‘I’m a git’, ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you’, or ‘Can we please talk’?” Shelly asked.
When they pulled into Carol’s driveway, Tara handed Shelly her phone so she could read the text herself.
