by Larissa Ladd
The Best Man
An Elemental Series Part Six
Larissa Ladd
Copyright © 2015 Larissa Ladd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
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ABOUT THE BEST MAN
HOW DANGEROUS COULD A WEDDING Be?
Dylan was happy for his brother Aiden. He had found love with Aira. The two brothers had once been her bodyguards. But now she was both ruler and the most powerful air elemental in generations. While Aira and Aiden were recognized as a bonded pair among the elementals, human society wouldn’t recognize them as a couple until they were married.
But, Aira had already made many powerful enemies, enemies that were looking for any opportunity to kill her off. As Aiden and Aira’s parents push for a wedding, headstrong Aira resists the whole idea. She’s already more than satisfied with the passion she and her mate share, a passion made all the power powerful by their combustible combination of air and fire elements.
When Dylan falls for an enemy spy, will his lust put the lives of his brother and his ruler in danger?
Will Aira’s enemies succeed to put a wedge between Dylan, Aiden, and Aira? Will any of them live long enough for it to even matter?
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Free Book for You
About The Best Man
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Free Book for You
A Special Note to Readers
Other Series by Larissa Ladd
About Larissa Ladd
CHAPTER ONE
“WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE to get married? We’re already bonded. That should be enough.” Aira asked Aiden.
Dylan tried to cover the smile at his lips as he watched Aira pace the living room floor. Months after coming into her full abilities as an elemental, after taking the role of monarch for her element and bonding with his brother, it seemed to Dylan as if—in spite of the lack of obvious threats against her life—things were only just starting to get interesting. He shook his head; since assuming the rule of her element, Aira had become more like part of his and Aiden’s team—she had asserted her right to rule her way, which meant that she refused to be chained to one location, or to wait politely for problem elementals to be brought to her for trial.
While she had bucked the authority of the Elders, Aira was finding the authority of parents—both his and Aiden’s as well as her own—to be more difficult to contend with. They had been together for a month when Jessica, Dylan’s and Aiden’s mother, had started campaigning for a wedding.
“You know as a monarch you have to make it official,” Aiden said, watching her intently. Dylan shook his head again. In spite of the fact that he couldn’t imagine two people having more passion for each other than Aira and Aiden, his brother still had his flaws—among them an authoritative disposition.
“I thought the whole point of what we did was so I didn’t have to give in to stupid things like that,” she shot back. The wind rose outside and then quieted, and Dylan knew that while Aira only had a light grip on her temper at the moment, it was there.
“You’re not up against the Elders, Aira,” Dylan pointed out. “Our mom and your mom are just … Well …” he shrugged. “At least you’re getting plenty of fruit in your diet.” Dylan glanced at the assembly of fruit baskets collected on the bar between the kitchen and the main area of the apartment. Jessica had begun sending the baskets as an overture; she wanted to get to know Aira better, she hoped Aira would have a chance to come by and visit sometime, maybe when Aiden and Dylan had a break from cases.
Aiden snorted and Aira turned on her heel to scowl at him. “This isn’t funny. You promised me you would never tie me down.” Dylan sat down, knowing that this would, for the moment, be between the two of them—there was nothing he could helpfully contribute to the conversation. He felt a flicker of something close to resentment; he didn’t resent Aiden for having Aira, exactly, or for the fact that his brother was finally happy—but it was difficult for Dylan not to feel a little lonely, seeing how much they loved each other.
“Tell me how it would be any different to be married,” Aiden said, holding Aira in place with a fearless look. “What are you afraid of?” Aira fidgeted, looking down at her feet. Dylan knew exactly what she was afraid of, but it wasn’t his position or his right to tell Aiden. Aira sighed and sat down heavily in one of the wingback chairs, close to Aiden.
“I just feel like … like it’s so irrevocable …” Aira pressed her lips together, glancing furtively at Aiden. “I mean, I know—in theory—that our bond is irrevocable already. And I don’t want to get rid of it, even if I could.”
“Technically you could,” Dylan said, in spite of his decision to keep out of it. “It would be agonizing, but you could. I don’t recommend it though.” Aira smirked.
“But getting married just … seems …” she shook her head. Dylan glanced at his brother. Aiden’s bright eyes widened, and he saw the telltale signs of Aiden having an epiphany.
“It seems like a big step, I know.” Aiden licked his lips and smiled slowly. “But the bond we have is way more irrevocable than a marriage.” Dylan watched Aiden rest his hand on top of hers and he did not have to be particularly in tune with either of them to feel the flow of energy that crackled between them. “Just … think about it. Meet our mom. She might back off a bit once she knows we’re not breaking up any time soon.”
“Don’t count on it, Aira. Mom’s fondest wish for the last, what ten years has been for Aiden to settle down and give her grandkids.” Dylan grinned as Aiden groaned, bringing his forehead down to rest on Aira’s arm.
“Dylan, you are not helping,” Aiden said, turning his head to shoot his brother a baleful look. Dylan fought back the urge to chuckle. He knew the pressure wasn’t only on Aira, and it wasn’t simply a matter of parental meddling. Aiden had latched onto the idea of marrying Aira shortly after they had bonded, wanting to make their position official—not only to the elemental world, but also to their families and to himself. Aiden had been an inveterate bachelor before he had started watching over Aira, but there was a deep undercurrent of romanticism in him that Dylan knew Aiden kept carefully hidden.
Aiden had admitted to Dylan, one night while Aira slept, that he was hungry for a more “settled” life with the mercurial air elemental. It wasn’t that Aiden wanted to stop the work he did with Dylan and now with Aira, or even that he wanted her to assume anything resembling a subordinate role; Aiden wanted the comforts of a real “family” with the woman he loved.
“You know,” Aiden had said, tilting his head back and looking up at the stars, “I feel like she won’t be ready to have kids until long after she’s married. And … I never thought I’d say this … but I really want to have kids with her.” Dylan had shrugged, wondering just how much Aiden had actually consulted Aira on his thoughts and plans.
“Does she want kids?” he had aske
d his brother bluntly.
Aiden had made a face at Dylan’s question.
“Eventually, she says. She feels like it’s her responsibility, especially now that she’s the ruler of her element. But I think she’s scared of the idea. It’s another thing that would interfere with her independence.” Aiden had smiled to himself, and it sent a lurch through Dylan to see the pure, unadulterated affection on his older brother’s face. “I feel like she wants to be tamed—she wants someone to grab hold of her and not let go—but she also wants to be able to come and go as she pleases.”
“You bonded with her—you started the process before you even had any idea of what you were doing. There had to be something you saw in her that made you swap energies with her.”
Aiden’s smile grew wider as he reflected. “Oh yeah … I saw plenty in her. Mostly that she got on my last nerve,” Dylan laughed along with his brother. “But in a good way. She’s not afraid of me in the slightest.”
“Neither am I,” Dylan said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, but you’re my brother, you’re not supposed to be afraid of me. She saw right through me the first time we ever spoke. She might have actually beaten me in that first tussle we had if Lorene hadn’t come through and made us stop.”
Dylan laughed out loud at the thought of it.
“Leave it to you to fall in love with a woman who could kick your ass.”
Aiden and Aira were practically thrumming with the energy between them as Dylan thought about his conversation with his brother, about what he knew of Aira. He knew for a fact that they would end up married; it was a foregone conclusion. But he also knew that it would happen only on Aira’s terms. She had to come around to the idea on her own, she had to believe that she was getting married because she wanted to—not because people expected her to. Dylan watched the couple in front of him with an odd mixture of hunger and bitterness; he didn’t want Aira for himself. He knew that he and Aira, while they had an excellent understanding of each other, were just not right for each other as a couple. He liked the idea of Aira being part of his family—and admired the way she handled his brother, in ways that no one else could. But it was difficult to not feel as though they could exist perfectly well without him and even harder to know that a love so intense could exist—but he didn’t have it himself.
Dylan cleared his throat. Aiden and Aira snapped out of their enthrallment, and Aira smiled ruefully. “It just feels like it’s too soon, that’s all,” she said finally, shaking her head.
“Well, then, we’ll wait a while. But at least meet my mom. She’ll stop sending you fruit baskets for a while if you meet her.” Dylan chuckled, then added, “He’s right. Mom will stop sending you fruit baskets for a few weeks until she gets the itch for grandkids again.”
Aira sighed and looked at the assembly of fruit on her counter; Dylan was impressed that his mom had sprung for a couple of the more expensive baskets—ones that included tropical fruits, out of season in this hemisphere. He knew his mother had been intent on Aiden pairing off once it became clear that the elder brother was an unstable elemental; she had tried to find him a good earth elemental to ground him, but none of the suggested matches have ever worked. Dylan thought privately that his mother was as much interested in meeting Aira because she wanted to see just what kind of woman had managed to bond Aiden as she was in selling the idea of marriage.
Of course, Dylan was no fool; there were status signals to be considered as well. According to the traditions of the elemental world, Aiden and Aira might as well have been married. It wasn’t impossible for two bonded elementals to separate, but it was practically unheard of. The process of severing such a bond was so intensely painful to both parties that it took a very grave transgression to convince either to go through with it. Once the energies of two elementals were mingled together on such a basic level, pulling them apart again was such a difficult procedure that in a few instances, it had resulted in death.
“Okay,” Aira said, sighing. “I’ll meet her. But I am NOT going to set a date, and if you put a ring in front of me I will throw it in your damned face.”
CHAPTER TWO
IN THE MONTHS SINCE THEY had come together as a team—no longer as plagued by the potential for Aira’s death—Dylan, Aiden, and Aira had developed a kind of steady companionship, a division of labor that made them one of the most powerful forces at the right hand of the Elders. They had brought in several intractable elementals; which also meant that Aira had gained some deep-seated enemies. Among them were those who had wanted her dead so that she wouldn’t be a threat to their own ambitions; those who feared that the balance among the elemental rulers would remain shifted towards the fire and earth elementals were joined by those specific families who had been affected by the efforts to bring those especially dangerous people to justice.
The Elders had not asked Aira to put anyone to death since she had proven herself capable by killing Alex under their orders; but she had grown into her full abilities in ways that impressed both Dylan and Aiden. They were still careful to protect her, however, but for different reasons; Dylan because of his promise to her grandmother and because of his loyalty to her as his sister, and Aiden because of his obvious, deep love of her. But Aira had set them both straight early on in their first assignment together, tracking down a Chinese earth elemental who was causing earthquakes: She was no longer their client and they were no longer her bodyguards. She would take on her own share of the risks and she would work by their sides, not from behind them.
When Aira decided to meet Jessica, Aiden and Dylan’s mother, the brothers had started to make the necessary arrangements. Aira had to make sure that the Elders knew where she was at all times—as the ruler, she was one of three members of the upper echelon of elemental society, and part of her job was to judge unstable elementals, to take care of matters affecting the air elementals in particular. There was no air elemental on the planet who was her equal; Dylan had concluded that before she had become the ruler of her element. But because her elemental essence was so strong, she was extremely vulnerable to attacks from earth and water elementals. Even without her bond with Aiden, she would have been fairly immune to fire magic; while she could burn like almost anyone else, her ability to manipulate air and wind made it easy for her to curtail or redirect the fire.
So while Aira checked in with the Elders, Aiden and Dylan made security arrangements. Their mother lived in Tennessee, a fairly long trek from Aira’s apartment. While she was happy to fly, Aiden and Dylan both preferred to drive. It took longer, of course, but they had slightly better control of the transportation and they could evade notice more readily. Aiden quietly kept tabs on the people who might have an interest in taking Aira out, while Dylan contacted their mother and a few highly-placed water elementals. Because of her ties to her grandmother, Aira enjoyed uncommon approval among the water elementals; it was common knowledge that Lorene had given Aira a great deal of her energy at passing—which was seen as a tacit indication that she wanted Aira to be her “heir” among the rulers. Even though Dylan had pulled the last of that energy out of Aira in order to cure her of the poison that Alex had inflicted, she still enjoyed a kind of honorary status among the water elementals.
When the arrangements were all in place, they made their way to where Aiden and Dylan’s mother lived, taking turns driving through the night. Dylan knew that Aira was nervous; he had been studying the tomes that her grandmother had left behind, and strengthening his own elemental abilities, particularly his natural empathy—a trait that came along with allegiance to water. Where Aira was becoming better and better at projecting thoughts and words into other people’s minds, Dylan was becoming more and more sensitive to the perception of feelings and thoughts. Even if he hadn’t been able to read her, Dylan would have known that Aira was nervous. She chattered, talking about irrelevant things, jumping from one subject to another without transitions.
Dylan could see that his brother was aware of her n
ervousness, but wasn’t sure how to fix the problem. “You could stop somewhere that has a decent hotel and screw her brains out,” Dylan suggested while Aira was inside a convenience store getting drinks for them all.
Aiden looked at Dylan in confusion at the non sequitur. “She’s nervous, full of energy,” Dylan explained. “Screw her brains out—it’ll take what, 2-3 hours? Mom won’t mind if we run a little late.”
Aiden rolled his eyes, though Dylan could feel the pulse of lust in his older brother that indicated he was considering the idea—seriously or not.
“And while we’re trashing a hotel room, you’ll be?” Dylan shrugged.
“In another room, several doors down or on a different floor, watching TV ... with the volume up as loud as it will go.”
Aiden appeared to consider it and then shook his head.
“If we can just get to Mom’s, Aira will meet her, and everything will be fine.”
Dylan shrugged.
“Just wanted to give you a chance to be alone with her before Mom gives you separate rooms.”
Aiden turned and scowled.
“We’re bound. Mom won’t make us have separate rooms.”
“Bound, but not married. She might make the distinction and you know it—probably just to try and force you to propose. Did you bring the ring with you, by the way?”
Aira suspected that Aiden already had a ring for the purposes of their engagement; but Dylan knew his brother had never shown it to her. It was made of white gold, with a large ruby inset. Dylan thought that if anyone ever doubted that Aira was entwined with a fire elemental, that ring would put them on notice. Since the materials were fire-aligned, Aira could wear it without sapping her strength.
“Yeah, it’s buried in my suitcase,” Aiden admitted, smiling in a slightly sheepish way. It was never far away; Dylan knew Aiden was waiting for the proper moment. Eventually, Aira would have to come around to the idea of marrying him, and Aiden—who had had the ring made a few weeks after they had bonded—wanted to be ready for to seize the moment.
