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Chapter One
The glass is empty.
Levi eyed it with a shade of surprise. Hadn’t he just ordered one? His usual, Jack & Coke. Only tonight, he’d forgone the Coke altogether. His bemusement at the lack of liquid in his heavy bottomed glass was the only indication that he’d had any at all. Intoxication still remained stubbornly elusive. With his quickened metabolism, ‘drunk’ was the name of a rabbit he was chasing a lot lately.
With a quick gesture at the bartender, he signaled for another drink. Moments later, he was once again staring into amber depths.“You think maybe you ought to cool it with the whiskey, Levi?” Ajax leaned back against the bar beside him, eying the crowd that was only now beginning to thin. In a small town like this, the bar was the main attraction on a Saturday night. Which was the only reason why both he and Ajax happened to be there at the same time. Not because they were buddies.
“Nope.” He took another sip.
“If you want to know what I think—”
“I don’t.”
“—I think that with your little control problem, maybe you don’t need to add fuel to the fire. Get my meaning?”
“Fuck off, Ajax.” It was after midnight, and the other Elemental Warriors would still be out doing their thing: looking for Erratics, fighting Chaolt, all that shit. Trying to fight this war, to save humanity without them knowing.
He should be with them, not here at the bar with Ajax while he scouted for a woman for his night off. With Ajax’s long rock-star hair and good looks, he didn’t have any shortage of selection. He just wished Ajax would select somewhere else and leave him the hell alone.
They fought on the same team, but they weren’t friends. They hadn’t come here together. It was just the only place in Topaz Ridge to find a distraction. The liquid kind, or the female kind.
He took another gulp.
“Hey. Asshole.” Ajax aimed the words at him, even though his eyes were tracking the movement of a woman in a red leather tube top. A very tiny, red leather tube top. “We’re the ones who have to risk getting barbecued when you lose your shit. You’re risking more lives than your own by getting your swerve on.”
He clenched his jaw and swirled the remainder of his drink in his glass. “I’m not drunk, and you know it.” But not for lack of trying. “And you don’t need to worry about risking your pretty ass fighting with me.” He threw back the last gulp. “Walker suggested I take a break from patrols.”
He felt Ajax’s eyes boring into him, but Red Tube Top had noticed Ajax looking and turned around to engage him in conversation.
And really, Walker’s suggestion had come in the form of his hands fisted in his shirt, lifting his six foot one frame onto his toes. “You’re going to fucking kill somebody, Levi. You’re a goddamn liability! You’re off rotation until you can control yourself better.” And he’d let him go with a push, causing him to stumble.
The worst part was, Walker was right. He’d damn near fried them all. Worse yet, in the process they’d lost the Erratic they’d been trying to save, and the Chaolt had escaped to kill someone another day. Not to mention the wildfire caused by his untimely loss of control.
The familiar shame and regret flushed his cheeks and he drained the glass, careful to keep his eyes down in case they were glowing with repressed emotion. He was a Warrior, one of the powerful Elite. His purpose was to fight the forces of Chaos, the Chaolt, and not much else. He and the others were sent here to eradicate the enemy, and in so doing, protect this world, and his own.
So what was he supposed to do now? Walker had put a big kibosh on that right after the huge cluster-fuck of a fight.
When the enemy was close, they nulled their powers. That’s how it was supposed to work, and why they used hand to hand. Guns drew too much attention. So why was he different? Why did the Chaolt make his powers rage out of his control, and why was his control so tenuous the rest of the time? Was it just him, or did all other Fire Elementals have issues on the Mortal plane too? Maybe… maybe it was because water, earth, and air all had a resting state. Fire didn’t; fire only burned.
But there was no one to ask, no one to offer an answer save the Premiers back in Elementium. And it would be a one-way ticket if he decided to go back to the Elemental plane to ask, because the last thing the leaders of his world would want to hear was that one of their Warriors was less than perfect.
The bartender approached, and he motioned for another.
“Two more, and I’m cutting you off,” the bartender murmured as she poured.
He clenched his jaw, biting off the sharp retort on the tip of his tongue. “You know I can hold my liquor, Shanna. I’m not drunk.”
She sat the bottle down and shrugged. “Sorry, Levi. Policy.”
He knew better than to argue. Despite a free drink every now and then, he knew she wouldn’t jeopardize her job just so he could get a buzz. He shot the glass in one swallow, setting it down with a thunk. “Give them to me now then”, he said. She paused a moment with the bottle poised over his glass.
“You know, I’m a good listener. If you want to talk or anything, I get off at three. You could have another drink at my place.”
He looked up at her, brought out of his dark thoughts by her offer. He was a Warrior who couldn’t fight, an Elemental who couldn’t use his powers. And now, thanks to her cutting him off, he was a drinker who couldn’t drink. But he was still a male, and that part of him still worked fine. Maybe he should take her up on it? She was attractive, and though she mentioned talking, there was no mistaking the real offer.
But, shit. He had nothing against her—he just wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Or more. “Thanks Shanna, but I’m not fit for company tonight.” Not even his own.
“Okay.” She smiled and shrugged, proving she wasn’t broken hearted, and poured the double before walking away to tend other customers. He let out a breath. He could use a diversion, but there probably wasn't a human woman on Earth who could distract him right now.
Downing his drink, he once again eyed the empty glass with animosity. He set it down with deliberate gentleness and threw a generous wad of bills on the bar. Leaving Ajax in Red's capable and wandering hands, he walked out into the crisp, rainy spring night.
His brain knew it was cold, but the skin on his face lacked sensation. The cold and the last few drinks seemed to have worked on his body, but his mind was still crystal clear, and still focused on only one thing. His failures.
Three weeks ago he could have warmed himself with his own blood. Now he didn’t even trust himself to control a temperature spike.
He barely felt his lips as he took his already lit cigarette from behind his ear and put it in the corner of his mouth. He never smoked it, not even one puff. But it was comforting, because it was still the one thing he could control. Just enough fire to keep it hot, but not enough to let it burn down.
Levi zipped up his black leather jacket and popped the collar, hunching down into it. He set off towards his car in long strides. It was parked a couple blocks down, but he had no worries about any danger lurking in the dark. The biggest threat he had to worry about in the sleepy little mountain town of Topaz Ridge was most likely himself.
Accidental immolation would be a shitty way to go.
Sensation returned to his face in a rush. Full sobriety rushed towards him at breakneck pace, denying him even the slight buzz he’d been able to achieve.
He got in the car and started it, fiddling with the controls until the heat came on full blast. He’d never bothered with it before, and it filled the space with the hot scent of burning dust and lint. Normally he liked the smell, but tonight it was one more in a long list
of reminders that he might as well be human now.
Sonofabitch.
He rested his forehead on the steering wheel, squeezing his eyes shut, but then blinked them open as fatigue pulled at him. He was lucky that he needed less sleep than a human, but he’d gone without long enough that it would soon be unavoidable.
Levi pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the compound.
With nowhere else to go, nothing to do, and dawn still a good five hours away, maybe a little sleep would help him face another day.
Brooke opened the newspaper with a little shake, but it continued to quiver from the fine tremor in her hands. The convenience store faded away as she scanned the pages, wrenching it open to the middle section.
There it was. Her name, alone, on the cover of the huge seasonal wedding insert. Finally.
Designed by Brooke Simmonds.
Her breath caught in the center of her chest. All these weeks to prepare, and she was still in shock. There were only a few advantages to being a graphic artist for a small town newspaper, but she was looking at the biggest one.
She'd been an assistant at the Topaz Ridge Times for three years, but with her supervisor Adam's unexpected job offer from a national magazine, she'd been the natural choice to replace him. She’d miss him, but she was more than willing, and able, to fill his position. She'd earned it, she’d deserved it, and she’d hit it out of the park with this project. The insert was a huge money-maker because it was featured in every other paper in the area, and had large, glossy, expensive full-color ads. Now instead of an assistant, she had complete creative control.
She'd probably need to hire her own assistant now.
The thought prompted a little squeal, and she paid for two papers at the counter. Once outside, she slung her purse over her shoulder and cradled the papers with both hands. Her mother would want to see it, might even frame her copy. Carrying them would prevent creases.
She set off toward the post office, but now that her paper was in her hands, she didn’t need to rush. She was happier than she had been in months. Years, maybe. For all her hard work to finally pay off, felt amazing. Besides, it was her first day off in a few weeks, and she was going to enjoy it. Maybe she would even buy some plants for her balcony to celebrate. It was the closest thing she had to a garden for now. But maybe she could change that soon, too, buy a little cottage with a yard somewhere when she saved up enough.
Breathing in deeply, she smiled at the smell of spring in the air. She’d loved Topaz Ridge from the day she’d set foot in this old mining town, nestled at the foothills of the mountains in the far northwest corner of Nevada. The Independence Mountains.
She couldn’t think of a better name.
Because of its mountain location, it was much more temperate than the rest of the state. It had orchards, farms, large sparkling reservoirs, rivers and lakes. She loved living in an area with so much water.
It was a special place. It felt more like home than any other place she’d ever lived, and not just because of all the water. The whole town seemed to be brighter this morning; crocuses and daffodils bloomed in window boxes and the bright sunshine made the old buildings look decades newer. It was like the town was celebrating along with her.
She vaguely noticed a man standing nearby and was about to open the door to the post office when a large hand reached out and opened it before her.
“Allow me,” a deep voice said.
She looked up to say thanks, and her breath caught. The man was… magnificent. That was the only word. He had dark hair, olive skin, and light amber eyes framed by eyelashes that would make any woman jealous. On top of the kind of muscular body that would make men jealous.
"Thank you." It came out breathier than she intended. Her dazed once-over prompted a sharp, sexy smile in return.
Brooke sucked in a breath. Unfair. That smile, it blinded her, burned her, and she couldn’t help smiling back as she walked past him. Slowly. With full eye contact.
Levi walked away from the post office with regret. Damn… that smile she'd given him had been full octane.
She's not your type.
He didn’t have a type actually. But if he did, his type would be a woman who looked like a piece of sunshine had materialized in a floral skirt and a jaunty ponytail. With beautiful blue eyes, and that smile that lit a spark inside him as quickly as striking a match. One so hot, he could probably light his cigarette by it.
So maybe she was his type.
Where the bartender’s offer last night had barely piqued his interest, one smile from the woman going into the post office was enough to make him agree to anything. Everything.
There was power in that smile of hers. Not like Elemental power, but something strong all the same. It had made his mood go from sour to down right sunny in an instant.
He took a deep breath of the spring air, and felt a grin twitch across his lips at the memory of her smile. She’d had that look he’d seen a few times, the wowed look. For him. She’d looked at him, really looked at him.
And she hadn’t seen someone weak.
It reminded him of when he’d first found out he was a Warrior. It was an honor, a position of high esteem for his people. Warriors were the only Elementals allowed in this world besides the Auxiliaries, and the only ones strong enough to fight Chaos. The Auxiliaries were on the other end of the spectrum, very weak Elementals, sent here to prepare and to take care of Warrior’s needs. When he’d found out he was destined to be a Warrior… that had been a great day. He’d felt strong, powerful, determined.
He’d kind of forgotten that feeling lately.
With another deep breath, he sucked the cool morning air into his lungs. Somehow a smile from a stranger had been just what he needed.
But then he slowed on the sidewalk, his senses tingling. He sensed another Elemental nearby, he was sure of it. Just a brush along the edges of his senses, there and gone before he could identify who or what. Someone who wasn’t a Warrior, someone… unfamiliar. He looked ahead, eyes searching the few people in the town square to see if he could determine who it was. Unsuccessful, he turned around in a 360, searching, searching—And almost running into the pretty lady from before.
“Oops, sorry. Excuse me,” she said, moving to the side. He did the same, his movements mirroring hers, and they found themselves doing the uncomfortable shuffle of strangers trying unsuccessfully to get out of each other's way.
She let out a sheepish laugh and finally looked up at him. He heard her intake of breath, and was dazzled by a blushing smile. “Sorry, are you trying to get around me?” she asked.
He took a quick glimpse over her head at the few people scattering the sidewalks. The Elemental he’d been looking for wasn’t among them, was no longer even registering on his senses. Gone.
Which meant he could do what he’d already been thinking about: coaxing another one of those smiles from the woman in front of him. “No ma'am, I'm trying to dance with you.” He held his hands up in a waltz position, a grin spreading across his lips. “But you're making it awfully hard.”
Her laugh bubbled out at his unexpected response to their awkward situation, and his smile grew. She stepped up into the circle of his arms and placed her hands in his. Instantly he was waltzing her across the sidewalk, simply copying the moves he’d seen on human television so many times over the years. He spun her out to the side with one hand, her skirt swirling around her knees. She grinned up at him. With his hand still holding hers and his eyes on her face, he bowed. She curtsied in response, laughing, and then let go of his hand and pulled her purse back up on her shoulder.
"Listen, this may be insane—” she started, “it probably is insane, since I don't know you and you don't me.” She stopped for a second and took a big breath. “But there's a coffee shop around the corner. Would you like to… go with me?”
The yes was forming on his lips when all his senses went on high alert again. Not an Elemental this time, a Fire Erratic. Nearby. He could f
eel him, feel the affinity between their powers pulling at him.
His smile faded into a disappointed twist. “As much as I'd like to, I can't.” His eyes scanned the square for any sign of the Erratic. “I'm looking for someone.”
“Oh, okay. Of course,”she said, blushing. Seeing that bright smile of hers falter made him feel like a giant asshole. But he couldn't change his mind, even though he wanted to. “Well, maybe some other time then.”
He nodded, hands in his pockets. There couldn’t be another time, but he didn’t want to say that.
She gave him a little smile. “Thanks for the dance.” With a small wave, she turned and walked away.
He watched her for a moment and then turned away with a curse. No matter how much he wanted to do something as normal as get to know a pretty lady over a cup of coffee, his job—his mission—came first. And Walker could take him off the team, take him off rotations, but he couldn’t keep him from doing his job. He had to find that Fire Erratic right now, and drain him of his latent Elemental powers. Because if there was an Erratic nearby, then the bastard Chaolt weren’t that far behind.
Erratics were rare. Even in a large city, there would only be a handful. Unless the city, large or small, had a portal like the one by their base. The doorway between the Elemental and Mortal worlds. Then you would find considerably more. Erratics were drawn to the portals, settling nearby, their subconscious happier being close to ‘home’. This desire to be near the portal made Topaz Ridge, and other towns like it all over the world, ground zero for the war against Chaos.
The Erratics drew the forces of Chaos like ants to sugar. The Chaolt used them as a weapon, making them self-destruct with as much collateral damage as possible. Flash floods, blizzards, avalanches, wind storms, the earthquake in 2008… they could all be blamed on the Chaolt. And that was just in Nevada. Depending on the amount of power in an Erratic, the damage could be much, much worse. The loss of human life could be staggering.
And all anyone had to do to see they were losing the war against Chaos was to watch the news.
Burn (Elemental Hearts Book 1) Page 1
