Elemental Awakening Book Bundle

by Nicola Claire

  "This led to arguments and disagreements between all Ekmetalleftis. Squabbles broke out, skirmishes erupted. Until finally, the Alchemists seized their chance. We'd given them so much knowledge, but humans are greedy creatures. They always hunger for more. And there can be no more greedier creature than an Alchemist, who is passionate about furthering their kind."

  He paused, flexed his fingers and then abruptly moved the hand closest to mine so it brushed against me. I jerked, but didn't pull right back. He took a deep breath and then laced his fingers with mine. I stopped breathing. To feel so connected to him by such a small amount of flesh was miraculous. My eyes lifted to his and he smiled. Then shrugged, as if to apologise.

  He pulled my hand across to his chest and lay it gently over where his heart would be, still laced with his fingers. I wondered if the placement was significant, or if it was just a comfortable spot we could both reach easily. I wondered if he'd planned to do it for a while, my tracing next to his hips a temptation he could no longer resist. I wondered how long he'd continue to touch me. I wanted it to last the entire night through. I wondered...

  Theo interrupted my thoughts by talking again.

  "They stole some vital information. When we were falling apart, they simply walked in and took what they needed. But for one thing. They have the required make-up of the four main Ekmetalleftis. Our DNA, if you will. Each branch is significantly different from the next, but only so far as our Stoicheio. However, Aetheros placed a lock on our DNA, a key that only he can use. The fifth Stoicheio. Quintessence, or as we call it, Aether, named after the God who wields it. It resides in each of us, but remains dormant until our God calls it forth.

  "Without it, the Alchemists cannot replicate us. But they can borrow some of what we do. They have made themselves hardier, they live longer lives, and they can manipulate the elements. Not as well as us, but enough to cause damage. They hunger for more. They will always hunger for more."

  He squeezed my fingers, maybe to make sure I was still paying attention, I'm not sure. I blinked at him and nodded, letting him know I was fully awake and hanging on every single word.

  "Can I come up there?" he asked, sounding way more tentative than I'd heard him sound before.

  "Oh, yeah, sure," I said, pulling back my hand reluctantly. He released my fingers too quickly. It made me frown.

  I moved back on the bed and sat against the headboard, my legs curled beneath me, ready to hear more. He rolled to his feet and turned and looked at me. Then sucked in a deep breath.

  "My turn to ask for a shirt," he muttered and stormed out of the room.

  My frown deepened, but then he returned wearing a T-shirt, moulded to his body and sinfully thin. So, he didn't want me drooling over him. I could understand that, we were talking about heavy Ekmetalleftis history here. Suddenly, he threw something soft at my chest. I stared down at it in my hands for a second, trying to puzzle through what it was.

  "Put it on," he instructed. "I'm having trouble concentrating," he added, and waved his hand to indicate my clearly ridiculous nightwear.

  "You chose it," I said smoothing the T-shirt out - one of his T-shirts - and then pulling it over my head. My arms slipped in as the collar gave way, letting my face emerge from within. Theo looked pained, standing there at the side of the bed.

  He swallowed thickly and muttered, "Better." Then climbed on the bed and sat with his back to the headboard beside me. "Where was I?" he asked, immediately taking up my hand into his. Fingers laced as though they'd done it a million times before, not just once.

  I found my voice and breathed out, "The Alchemists borrow our elements."

  "Yes, that's right." He shifted himself down in the bed, getting comfortable with my pillows behind his back. "The squabbles over our divulging of secrets to the Alchemists led to a fall-out we couldn't repair. It was decided that all four branches of the Ekmetalleftis would separate. It caused," he hesitated, a haunted look crossing his face, "immeasurable pain. Families torn asunder. Children taken by their fathers, leaving their mothers bereft. Some chose death. This time in our history was so agonising that it is ingrained in us all to avoid contact with any Ekmetalleftis other than our own."

  Well, that explained the over-the-top reaction when he found out I was a Gi.

  "The Temple of Aetheros was destroyed, because how could our God abandon us to this?" he murmured.

  He looked down at where our hands were intertwined. Staring blindly for a very long moment.

  "You're Gi," he whispered eventually. "I'm Pyrkagia," he added. The mood had shifted, I wasn't sure why, but instead of fire, I felt ice. "Please don't get attached."

  What?

  He withdrew his hand and slipped from the bed, taking what little warmth had remained with him. His back was to me, his shoulders rigid. I was stunned and hurt. Why was I so hurt? Because he'd opened up, been nice to me, held my hand. How dare he hold my hand and then bruise my heart.

  He cleared his throat.

  "You shouldn't dream of me, Casey. This is an arrangement that benefits us both. You need protection and an education. I need," he paused, "to get you out of my system."

  Then he was gone.

  I couldn't even cry, because the door between our rooms wouldn't shut. I knew he'd hear every pain filled sound. So I held it in. I rolled up in a ball, on top of the covers, so the chill in the air would make me shiver, make me stay on guard and not break down in tears. And I spent the remainder of the night waiting for the first hint of dawn.

  I heard him rise and move about his room once the sun had kissed the horizon. I heard his shower turn on. Listened to the water falling and tried not to imagine it against his perfectly tanned skin. I didn't move while he chose his outfit for the day. I hardly breathed as his cologne reached me on the air. I held myself rigid as he crossed the room to my door and stood there for several seconds. Then finally he used his Stoicheio to release the lock on his own bedroom door.

  I allowed myself a few slow tears then, but couldn't really let go for fear he'd return or Aktor would appear. Forcing myself to dress, I found my yoga gear, cleanly laundered and folded neatly in the wardrobe. I dressed, tied my hair up in a messy knot, then watched through the parted curtains, sure to keep out of sight, as he walked to his car and got in.

  He didn't even look my way. Not one glance up to our floor.

  As soon as his car turned onto Mountain Road and disappeared I flew down the stairs. Past a stunned and strangely worried Aktor, and tore out of the front door and across the broken paving stones to throw myself into the cocoon of Theo's forest.

  I would have gone elsewhere. But it wasn't these trees fault that they lived on a cold hearted bastard's property. Besides, I don't think I would have made it. I barely made it to the protection of their canopy. Falling to my knees, I let the vines wrap around me, let them carry me tenderly further inside the safety of their darkened world, let them envelope me, care for me, and I suppose, feed me.

  They whispered sweet nothings, comforting words aimed to soothe. The smells of the plant life and Earth surrounded me, lifted my spirits but couldn't lift the ache from my heart. I'd told myself I wouldn't fall for him. I'd made myself promise to remember what this actually was. But I hadn't been as strong as Theo. He'd remembered. He'd caught himself last night and reminded us both.

  Because I saw it. Just a glimpse. He'd dropped his guard and let me in. For one brief moment in time it had been heaven. It had been everything I had imagined it could be.

  But he was right. We were enemies. Maybe his God hadn't intended it that way, but clearly his God no longer cared. So, this was the world of the Ekmetalleftis. This was the world I now walked in. And in this world Theo Peters was my enemy, part of the branch that gave our secrets away to the Alchemists.

  God, I still had so much to learn. The Alchemists were greedy and wanted to further human race with knowledge of Theo's - my - kind. But who were they really and what threat did they pose towards me?

  Theo
had wondered if I had been an Alchemist. Then when he realised I was truly a Gi, he had wondered if the Alchemists had made me. Had they? Were they the ones who put me in that pit of dirt?

  So, I had enemies everywhere. The Pyrkagia, and in particular Theo Peters, and every other Ekmetalleftis branch. Because I could hardly call the other Gi's, wherever they were, friends. They'd look at me the same way Theo does, sure I was an Alchemist mole. And now I had the Alchemists, because if they were responsible for creating me, for making me suffer two days in a pit of dirt, then I would use every ounce of my strength to repay them the kindness.

  The trees around me shifted restlessly, their branches creaking and groaning, sounding out a warning on the still morning air. Not a warning for me to be careful, but a warning to anyone who wanted to do me harm.

  You are ours, they whispered. We are yours to command, they added. We will fight with you, they promised. It is time.

  Time for what exactly? Something was missing from my mental picture and I couldn't put a finger on what. I had to face Theo again, and how embarrassing would that be? I rubbed both hands over my face and cringed. I was a big girl and it's not as though Theo hasn't seen me squirm before. I'd just ignore my body's reaction and get on with this. Four weeks to figure out what this all meant and what I could do about it.

  Four weeks to be with someone who wanted only one thing. And I'd given that one thing to no one before in my life. It was precious to me, but I was about to have to hand it over to someone who didn't really care. I could have sobbed for that injustice. I could have caved right then and there. But the plants held me closer, the Earth shifted to make a comfortable bed, and I finally fell asleep some time before Theo returned.

  I woke to a grunting sound. A gargled, angry noise from the back of someone's throat. My eyes sprang open. I had to wait several seconds for them to adjust to the lowered light. It was darker in my tree cave. The sun, if it was still up, should have peeked through the leaves. But I was guessing the stars were out now. I'd slept the rest of the day here, missed my afternoon lessons with Theo - if they had been still scheduled that is, and I was guessing not - and woke to this.

  Theo hanging upside down in vines, tied up so tightly he couldn't lift a finger or open his mouth to speak. Every so often he'd incinerate them, but the speed with which more vines entrapped his body meant the effort was a waste of time. I wondered how many attempts he'd made to escape. How many vines had perished to hold him captive. For me.

  An incredulous sound sprang from my lips.

  "What the fuck?" I announced to the plants and man alike.

  We have a gift for you, the vines whispered. How would you like him to die?

  Chapter Ten

  And She Makes The Earth Dance To A Delicate Tune

  "Ah," I said, scrambling to my feet. I realised I was covered in dirt. It was on my face, in my hair, under the nails on my fingers. I must have looked a right sight. "Don't kill him," I instructed aloud, thinking Theo would want to hear my side of the conversation at least. He thrashed a little, set the latest vines alight and then garbled out a sound of disgust when he found himself trapped again.

  I frowned. Was Earth really that much stronger than Fire?

  "I still need him," I admitted on a sigh. "He's the only one who can help me."

  The trees complained, they groaned and scraped their branches together. It was entirely too creepy, but I understood their anger. He'd hurt me. They didn't like it.

  "You were a real arsehole," I pointed out to him and received a grunt and full body thrash in return. "What the hell are you doing here?"

  His eyebrows rose, a clear indication that he couldn't speak.

  "Release his mouth, but keep him contained," I added.

  The vines crushing his lips unravelled and he spat out a leaf or two.

  "Casey! Let me go."

  "It's not me, it's them."

  "They use your energy to do this. I have never been attacked by my own garden until you arrived." He did not sound happy about that.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

  "I was asleep, so I guess my hatred of you is so deep that even in my sleep I can command them to trap you."

  "I guess," he replied casually.

  "Why are you here, Theo?"

  "I was concerned." I scoffed at that. "Aktor said you hadn't come inside since early this morning. You must be starved."

  My stomach chose that moment to grumble. Traitor.

  "Let me go and we'll head inside for dinner. I haven't eaten yet either."

  "Why would I want to eat with you?" I demanded, angrily, if not a little immaturely. I didn't even want to be talking to him, even though I needed to. It hurt. I wasn't a masochist.

  Theo sighed. "I know I was harsh." I laughed. It wasn't pretty. "But surely you realise I am right. We can't let our feelings for each other grow. It will lead nowhere."

  "So you admit you have feelings for me?" And did that sound as desperate to his ears as it did to mine?

  He stared at me. Time stretched. I was so sure he was going to deny it. He looked rigid, face impassive, a mask in place to shut the world out. I braced for it. I'd have to accept that Theo wasn't ready to risk more than his life for me.

  "Oraia, I visited you for a year in your store," he said softly, after so much time had passed, I was getting ready to sit on the grass and have another snooze. I was awake again now. Completely. "I didn't even use my Stoicheio on you, I wanted you to take the next step when you were ready. Of course I have feelings for you. I have too many."

  "Ah, crap," I whispered, because now he'd gone and done it.

  I sat down on the dirt and felt tears pool in my eyes. This was a strange kind of pain. An ache so poignant that I felt hollow inside, completely emptied out and filled up with grief.

  "What do we do now?" I asked, my throat constricting so tightly I had to swallow several times to get all the words out.

  "We have four weeks to enjoy each other, then we go our separate ways."

  "That's going to hurt," I pointed out.

  "Why do you think I freaked out last night?" he replied, making me smile, because 'Theo Peters' and 'freaked out' were just words you didn't see in the same sentence. Ever.

  "Let him go," I whispered, then mentally added, gently. He'd seen enough of my heart laid bare for now.

  The vines unravelled and lowered Theo to the ground. He looked around stunned at their retreat. I was guessing it was the manner in which it was performed. He had just crispy-crittered several of their branches.

  "You need to apologise to them," I said, still not getting up from my lotus style position in the dirt.

  "Ah," Theo said, glancing around at the trees. "I was trying to protect her. Sorry."

  I found it amusing that his apology was for hurting me last night, not for burning them to a crisp. They seemed happy with that though, waving gently and singing a tuneless sound on the air that was quite divine.

  "You really have a delightful touch with them," he said, walking over and offering me a hand.

  I stared at it for a moment, wondering if I could do this. Be with him and then walk away in four week's time.

  "You can't hurt like that again, Theo," I said, still staring at his outstretched hand. It was immaculate. No dirt under the nails.

  "I can't promise you that, Oraia. But know I am hurting myself as well."

  What a strange statement. If it hurt him too wouldn't he avoid it?

  I sighed and took the still outstretched hand. I needed answers, he could help me get them. And along the way I was going to lose my heart. There wasn't a thing I could do about it. Just wait for it to happen and hope I survived.

  "I am sorry," he whispered, brushing a kiss against my cheek. When he pulled back to look at me, dirt smudged his lower lip. A smile tipped up the edges of my mouth. I couldn't help the little huff of a laugh that escaped. He cocked his head and gave me a questioning look.

  "I think I need a shower,"
I advised instead of explaining.

  "Now, what a splendid idea," Theo quipped, returning to the teaser he'd become before last night.

  "And I'm hungry," I announced, as we began to wend our way out of the forest.

  "We could combine the two," Theo suggested. "You lick the honey off me and I'll..."

  "Theo!"

  "OK, chocolate. But I bags licking the ice cream, it'll melt too quickly on my skin."

  I shook my head. How could I stop this, when he could be so full of light and fun? He made me want to fall for him. He made me not realise I had already handed him my heart.

  "You're very dangerous," I whispered. If he heard me, he chose not to remark.

  Aktor was pacing when we walked through the side door to the house. He took one look at me and burst into a flurry of activity.

  "What's he doing?" I asked, as we followed in his slipstream.

  "Probably running you a bath and then creating a masterpiece for your meal. He's rather fond of you."

  "He only met me last night."

  "Yes, well, you must have made an impression."

  "Hardly, I argued about what he should call me."

  "He always did like a girl with spirit," Theo pointed out. I just laughed. "That," he whispered in my ear, "is so much better. I missed it. I'm so..."

  "Stop!" I insisted, turning to face him. We were on the landing near our rooms. "It happened, it's passed. If you keep apologising, it'll make me nervous. And if you keep being nice to me, I'll..." Now it was my turn to not complete the sentence.

  "We are a fine pair," Theo announced, brushing some loose tendrils of my hair back off my face. "Shall we make a promise to each other? Despite what happens, where we both end up, we try to enjoy this for as long as we have it."

  I nodded.

  "I want to show you off tonight. Bathe, get dressed and meet me downstairs for a quick bite to eat."

  So, the plans were still on track. For some reason that made me feel sad. I don't know why. I guess it was the reality it brought to the front of my mind. Theo may have declared some sort of feelings for me, but I had more pressing matters to be concerned with right now. I couldn't enjoy the sensation of believing he felt the same way as me, I didn't have that luxury. And with reality, came doubt. In front of his kind how would he act? Alone he could show he cared, no one would judge. Out there, with Pyrkagia watching, I was thinking things would be different.