Elemental Betrayal

by Elle Middaugh

  I glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Why are we really going to the festival?”

  That boy was too smart. I unwound his overlapped arms and laced our fingers together, tugging him into an easy stroll around the block.

  “My dad called,” I said eventually.

  His features pulled into a worried frown. “And?”

  “And Holden wants to meet up for an information exchange.”

  Cade stopped in his tracks, anchoring me and bringing me to a halt ahead of him.

  “Why him?” he asked. “He’s been corresponding with us through your dad all summer. And why face to face?”

  I shrugged and gave him a fleeting smile. “I have no idea. Something about tapped phone lines, I guess.”

  Cade scoffed. “He wants to tap something, but it’s not your phone line.”

  I tugged on his hand and resumed our walk. “You know I don’t want Holden.”

  “But he definitely still wants you.”

  That was likely true. Holden didn’t give up easily and was used to getting his way, probably even more so since becoming the Modernist leader.

  I sighed.

  “It’s all right,” Cade said, dismissing his comment before I could reply to it. “We need whatever information he has. And anyway…I trust you.”

  Our eyes locked and some sort of intensity passed between us. It was the first time he’d uttered words such as those, and it felt completely groundbreaking, like the last of our defensive walls had crumbled and we were finally looking at one another in all our glorious vulnerability.

  My breathing shallowed, and the sudden urge to kiss him overwhelmed me. I dropped his hand and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his lips to mine. As our mouths collided, he steered us off the sidewalk and pushed me up against the wall of a brick building. The rough surface dug into my shoulders around my tank top, the sharpness of it contrasting with the smoothness of his hands roving up my sides.

  When my cell phone rang, he growled.

  “Ignore it,” he groaned against my lips.

  I took a deep, dizzying breath. “What if it’s important?”

  His hand slipped suggestively into the side of my black leggings, removing the cell phone as well as any desire I had to answer it. I kissed him harder, but he pulled away and glanced at the screen, sighing as he stepped away from me.

  “It’s your Aunt Marge,” he said, breathing heavily. “It probably is important.”

  Shit.

  I licked my swollen lips and concentrated on keeping my voice even. “Hello?”

  “Valerie!” she cried excitedly. “I found something that might be useful in our search!”

  My eyes suddenly shot to Cade. “Is that right?”

  “Yes! You need to come over right away!”

  I smiled at her enthusiasm. “I have a meeting with Holden at nine, but I can stop by beforehand, if that’s okay? I have a new book for you, anyway.”

  Ignoring everything else I’d said, she asked, “Holden Michaels? I thought you were with the Landston boy now?”

  “I am, Aunt Marge. This is a business meeting.”

  She sighed rather ungracefully. “Be careful, dear girl. I’d warn that you’re skating on thin ice where these boys are concerned, but considering you’re a Water, I don’t think that’d convey the proper severity.”

  I laughed. “No, I suppose not.”

  “Suffice it to say, you’re playing with fire. Wait, you’re also a Fire, so that doesn’t work either…”

  I laughed again. “It’s okay, Aunt Marge. I understand. Love you.”

  “I love you too, dear.”

  I hung up and my smile faded. Cade had turned away, staring behind us at the empty training grounds. The muscles in his back tensed as he crossed his arms.

  “She found something?” he asked, and his voice sounded surprisingly warm.

  “She thinks so,” I said, stepping closer to him.

  He knew she’d been searching for books and answers, but he didn’t know the entirety of her suspicions—our suspicions. Or maybe he did, and that was why he never asked…I wasn’t sure. Either way, if she’d finally been able to confirm our theory on Cade being Gifted then someone, somewhere had some serious explaining to do.

  “Come on,” I said, taking his hand yet again. “First things first. Let’s see how good you are at making pizza.”

  He chuckled. “Pizza is my specialty.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Everything is your specialty.”

  “I can’t help that I’m a good cook,” he teased.

  “I’m sure as hell not complaining, though my ass might be.”

  I looked back and assessed the size of my rear. It had definitely plumped up throughout the summer.

  Cade reached around and grabbed a handful. “Now I’m the one who’s not complaining.”

  I giggled and pushed him, but he didn’t move. Earths were almost never thrown off balance.

  “You’re so different from that shy, angsty boy I met up with at the willow.”

  He threw an arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

  “It’s a wonderful thing. I love seeing how free you’ve become.”

  He was silent for a moment. “I’ve loosened up, yeah, but none of us will truly be free until the Elitists—and maybe even the Shadow Sect—are defeated.”

  I sighed. I knew it was true, but it still sucked.

  Back at the house, after everyone showered, we all went about our business as usual. Cade started cooking by creating the natural ingredients in the palm of his hand. Sienna and Xavier played video games with Kendrick and made damn sure not to talk about anything more than who killed who. Dad came home, loosened his tie, and immediately flicked on the local news to keep up with the Elemental war, and I retreated upstairs to get ready for the festival. I also wanted to find a brief moment of privacy to glance at the Elements of Darkness.

  According to the book, any evil ritual worth its salt would most definitely require the blood of an innocent. My stomach twisted, but my mind immediately started thinking of loopholes. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Maybe it wasn’t a human sacrifice, but rather a single drop of blood that was required? If that was the case, Kendrick could prick his finger and I’d be set. If a sacrifice was required, maybe it didn’t have to be human? Maybe I could trap a rodent and sacrifice it instead?

  How screwed up had my life become that I was lying in bed contemplating dark magic and human sacrifices?

  When I slammed the book shut, a tiny piece of paper shot out and floated to the floor. Curious, I reached down and scooped it up, finding a name and address scribbled in black ink.

  Madam Lucia’s Fortunes and Forecasts

  231 Snap Alley

  Radford, Pennsylvania

  I bit my bottom lip. What were the odds this woman was more than a simple fortune teller? I mean, look at the book her address was tucked into. If I went there and spoke to this Madam Lucia, perhaps she could help me call the dead so I could stop scouring the countryside for books.

  I thought of Sienna and Xavier downstairs, unspeaking, unhappy. If I could call the dead, I could fix their relationship. My best friend deserved more than this empty shell of a life she was living, and I truly believed her deceased parents could help in that area.

  Hell, maybe this woman would even know a thing or two about the true nature of Gifted Elementals. Anything was worth a shot at this point.

  I tucked the paper into my shorts pocket and shoved the book deep under my mattress. Then I fished around until I found the one I’d be dropping off at Aunt Marge’s. Skipping steps two at a time, I bounded downstairs and into the kitchen.

  Cade’s eyes widened as he took me in.

  I glanced down at my attire: dark gladiator sandals that laced up to my knees, distressed jean shorts, and a lacy black racerback tank. I’d pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and even applied a bit of smoky eyesha
dow.

  “Please tell me this has nothing to do with Holden,” Cade blurted, apparently too mesmerized to keep his jealousy in check.

  I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “When a woman dresses up, it’s for herself, not for a dumb boy.”

  “What about two dumb boys?” he asked.

  “How about no dumb boys?” I said, kissing his cheek before releasing him and holding the book in the air. “I’m heading to Aunt Marge’s now. I’ll meet you at the festival after.”

  Cade’s brows narrowed. “Val, what did we talk about?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t make me feel like an incompetent baby. You’re my boyfriend, not my guardian. I think I can go a couple miles by myself.”

  “I don’t like it,” Sienna shouted, never taking her eyes from the video game.

  “I don’t really care,” I sang back as she flipped me the bird.

  “Jameson, you’re with me on this, right?” Cade asked my dad.

  He sighed and ran a hand through his silvery brown hair. “I don’t know what I think. Part of me wants to protect my baby girl, but the other part of me wants to respect her independence.”

  Cade crossed his arms. “We can respect her independence after the Elitists are defeated.”

  Dad pursed his lips. “But if we don’t respect her now and always, we’re basically shitty human beings.”

  I nodded as if it had been my point.

  Finally, Cade sighed. “All right, Val. I respect your ridiculous need to do shit by yourself, but I need you to also respect my desire to protect you. Will you call me when you get there? Or text, at least?”

  I smiled and stood a little taller. “Yes, I can definitely do that.”

  “You have half an hour,” he said with a darkened gaze. “If I don’t hear from you by then, I’m coming to personally make sure you’re safe. Deal?”

  “Deal,” I agreed with a smirk.

  Dad nodded and patted Cade’s shoulder. “I like this kid.”

  I scoffed. “If only his father liked me.”

  “He’s coming around,” Cade insisted as he put the finishing touches on the pizza—a light assortment of herbs he dusted across the crust and cheese.

  “No, I’m pretty sure he still hates her,” Xavier said as he continued to mash the buttons on his controller.

  “Seriously, bro?”

  “Oh, was that supposed to be, like, a secret or something?” Xavier asked, glancing over his shoulder at us. “Because he’s done an awful job of keeping it to himself.”

  Cade sighed and I laughed.

  “It’s all right,” I said, grinning. “I’ll win him over eventually.”

  He grabbed my hand and kissed my wrist. “One day he’ll realize how serious I am about you, even if I have to make a rock and put it on your finger before he finally gets it.”

  I blinked and my heart completely stopped. Was he talking about…an engagement?

  “Okay,” Dad nearly shouted, standing up and peering into the oven. “Are we ready to finish dinner or what? I’m starving and Valerie needs to be getting to her aunt’s.”

  I swallowed hard as Cade released my hand, that dark and determined look still dancing in his emerald gaze.

  My god, he was serious. He was apparently playing for keeps, and he wouldn’t be taking my protection—or my possession—lightly. The scariest part was, I knew if he asked me, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. We might’ve only been eighteen, but we’d been through enough shit in our young lives to know exactly what we wanted: the end of the Elemental war, and each other.

  I shook my head to clear my thoughts and opened the front door.

  “I love you guys,” I said to anyone who was listening.

  All five of them shouted back. “Love you too!”

  It’s an odd dynamic, I thought with a grin as I shut the door behind me. But it totally works for us.

  4

  As Aunt Marge’s house came into view, I stood in the woods and closed my eyes, feeling around for any heat signatures nearby.

  The infrared silhouette of a person showed up inside the house. It appeared to be sitting down in the kitchen, drinking something, probably tea. No other signatures appeared. I blinked and the image faded away.

  Pulling out my cell, I quickly texted Cade to let him know I’d made it.

  Then I crossed the yard and knocked on the door. Marge was there in an instant.

  “Come in, come in!” she said, ushering me inside. “I hope you’re hungry because I just finished cooking.”

  “I am, actually,” I said with a smile as I inhaled the decadent aroma. “I skipped pizza night to get here on time, but this smells delicious. What did you make?”

  Marge scurried over to the cupboard and added another plate and fork to the table.

  “Mediterranean baked sweet potatoes with garlic herb sauce.”

  My stomach rumbled at the thought.

  “Before I forget,” I said, reaching up into the side of my black tank top, “this book is for you. Should I put it in the study?”

  She took it and read the title aloud. “Religions of Nature.” Then she eyed me curiously. “What were you hoping we’d find in here?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, something about the original Elemental gods? Why they may have Gifted more than one Elemental?”

  “Ah, now I suppose that does make sense.”

  She wandered into the study to deposit the book while I sat down at the little three-seater kitchen table.

  Marge’s house had always been small and cozy with just enough organized clutter to appear homey rather than overwhelming. It was odd being there knowing I wouldn’t be sleeping in her spare bedroom anymore.

  It was also weird knowing I was so close to my potential future father-in-law. The Landstons used to live on the other side of the West Woods by the lake. Now Henrie—Cade and Xavier’s father—was the only one left.

  Marge returned carrying what appeared to be an old pink journal that had long ago turned a silvery brown. She handed it to me, and I carefully flipped through the pages as she filled our plates with food.

  “What is this?” I asked, eventually abandoning the book in favor of my fork.

  “My mother’s diary,” she said with a hint of mystique in her voice.

  I knew immediately it must be important. Taking a bite of sweet potato, I chewed as I pieced things together. Then it clicked. I swallowed just before my mouth fell open.

  “This is the useful piece of information you were telling me about? Alana’s diary?”

  She nodded, pale green eyes slowly filling with excitement. “In one of the entries, she mentions a dream in which she speaks to Ida herself.”

  I pursed my lips and rested my chin on my hands. “We’re not seriously going to put our faith in a hundreds-of-years-old dream, are we?”

  Marge plonked a bite of sweet potato into her mouth almost matter-of-factly. “I don’t believe it’s a matter of faith, nor do I feel it’s necessary to put all our eggs in this one basket. I’m simply saying it’s possible she came in contact with the Fire goddess, and if she did, maybe you can.”

  That got the wheels in my head spinning once more.

  “Because we were both Gifted,” I said in a rush. “And if so, maybe I can personally ask her what the heck is going on.”

  “Exactly.”

  I picked the journal back up and studied it.

  “So, how’d she do it? Take a potion? Perform a ritual? Eat a magic mushroom?”

  Marge shrugged. “It doesn’t say.”

  My shoulders slumped, and what little hope I had drained out of me. “Then how am I supposed to try this out?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Perhaps the book you brought this evening will come in handy after all.”

  I sighed and took another bite of dinner. “Let’s hope so, because we’re running out of time to stop Nicholai and the Elitists.”

  “Speaking of,” Marge began slowly,
“have you reconsidered the Shadow Sect’s offer?”

  “You mean their order, the one where I play puppet for the Traditionalists and we let the Modernists and Elitists eliminate each other? No. That ship has sailed and sunk. I’m pretty sure they’re after me now, for noncompliance or something.”

  Marge winced but shook her head. “I don’t know. I feel like, if they were after you, they’d have caught you by now. They must be waiting on something.”

  “Well I hope they hold their breath while they wait. They’ll be doing everyone a favor.”

  Marge grinned but dropped the subject.

  “Have you heard from Elise since that day?” I asked.

  She shook her head and quickly took a bite, probably so she didn’t have to speak.

  I nodded. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

  I hadn’t heard from her either, but I had no doubt she was alive. She was smart and resourceful, and she’d been one of the Sect’s agents for a while now. Surely my disobedience wouldn’t result in her being harmed, right?

  Worry suddenly crept into my gut and snaked its icy tendrils through my body.

  The aquamarine crystals on my bracelet hummed with life and energy as they fought to contain any frosty outbursts from my Water element.

  Between the bracelet and my fire opal necklace, I hadn’t faced any Elemental power surges in months. It was amazing how much freer I felt just knowing I didn’t have to worry about losing control or accidentally killing people at random.

  After we ate, we just sort of sat there, awkwardly staring at one another.

  Eventually Marge sighed. “You have some time?”

  I glanced up at the clock. It was only seven.

  “Yeah, about an hour or so.”

  She nodded. “Screw it. Let’s look through that book and see what we can find, shall we?”

  I grinned. “Let’s do it.”

  She led the way into the study and we both sank into her old green sofa.

  After a few long and silent minutes of scanning pages, Marge and I realized two things. One, there was absolutely zero info about Gifted Elementals within these pages, and two, we’d been wrong about the number of Elementals present in the world.

  When Marge had explained things to me months ago, she’d said producing Elemental children required both parents to be Elemental, and that they would only have two children—one with the mother’s Elemental power, one with the father’s. I’d never really stopped to think about that logistically, but apparently the assumption had been wrong. Elementals could breed with humans, and sometimes the resulting child could have Elemental powers, just much weaker than a full-blood’s powers would be.