The next week consisted of Taylor inflicting all manner of impossible situations on me. I had learned quite a bit about how to manipulate air which had me pretty amped despite my frustration toward him. Without much effort, I could generate a gale-force wind one second and the most tranquil of breezes the next. Unfortunately, Taylor had taken it upon himself to rid me of my fear of drowning.
I had no idea what he had in mind today, as usual. He wasn’t exactly forthcoming with plans and such. So here I sat, waiting, three feet away from the enormous pond in his back yard. When I asked him how deep it was, he gave me a shrug then told me I’d find out soon enough on my own.
He seemed to take extreme pleasure in making me anticipate his next move. I was starting to believe that he had a bit of a sadist in him. As it was, he was late.
I whirled around the instant I heard his light approach. “Don’t think you’re going to drag me out to the middle of this pond just to pull me to the bottom.” My mind had been busy imagining all sorts of dark, twisted scenarios.
A smirk curled his sensual mouth. “Unlike you, I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. I am still amazed by what you can conjure.”
For some reason, I didn’t take that as a compliment.
He huffed. “That’s because it wasn’t meant to be. Stop torturing yourself with those ridiculous images and get over here.”
I backed up. “No way, buddy. Not before you explain what we’ll be doing today.” Up until now I had been the model student, but he was delusional if he thought I was going to let him torment me.
He lifted his face toward the water above us, shaking his head. “Very well, I will come to you.”
Oh, no he didn’t.
For every step he took, I backed away.
He gave me an impeccable frown. “You know, sometimes I think I actually lost when I was chosen to take you first.”
That induced a scowl from me worthy of Mr. Darcy. “I didn’t exactly want to come here. You can send me on my way anytime you’d like.”
His chest expanded sharply. “When are you going to learn to trust me?”
I shoved a finger at him. “When you stop torturing me!” Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating, but really, who wouldn’t consider having to stop a tornado before it demolished a small town without knowing how to do it, torture? Or better yet, being responsible for infusing enough oxygen into the air for a major city?
“You learned quickly,” Taylor commented, his voice soft.
“I had to!”
“That is my point. You seem to be forgetting we only have a limited number of days together. I want to make sure you are ready before I send you out into the realms. Some might not be so lenient with you.”
“Ha! Is that what you call what you have done with me?”
He managed to get between me and the water before he began circling me. “I have been more patient with you than any other Elemental I have ever trained.”
This was a new side of Taylor. He was now a predator. With his smooth exterior always showing, I hadn’t thought him capable. There was that word again. What else was Taylor capable of? “Well, I feel sorry for them then.”
He actually sneered at me. “Rayla, there is a reason I have been lord of air more often than any other man in my realm. I will never accept failure. Not from them and certainly not from you.”
“Jerk,” I muttered.
“You needn’t speak under your breath; I already heard you loud and clear!”
I’d hurt his feelings. It was apparent in the hard tone of his voice. My reluctance to trust him stemmed only from my fear of drowning. I knew that about myself, but I didn’t know how to change it.
“For starters, you can take my hand.”
I shoved my arms behind my back like the two year old I was mimicking. “I’m sick of you being in my head, Taylor,” I shouted. “I haven’t had a normal conversation since we left Lombarda. It would be nice to not have to defend my thoughts for once!”
“Then remove me from your mind. You have the ability.”
Sure I did. I’d done everything I could come up with to kick him out of my head and here we were, still, with him reacting to things he shouldn’t even know. Man I was sick of this. A week and a half. That’s all I had left.
I knew his game; he was avoiding thinking about her. He hadn’t mentioned Lily since we’d had our talk. It wasn’t healthy for him to hold his feelings in like he was, but I hadn’t been able to drag anything out of him. He was a different man when he let me hold him while he sobbed over losing her. He’d assured me he had put her behind him. I was his new focus. Again, lucky me.
Before I could avoid him, he had me trapped in a bear-hug. I wriggled, testing his hold on me.
“Would you just stop it!” he hissed into my ear.
I went stiff as week old bread, preparing myself to be submerged in water. His grip relaxed, and he stepped back. “I would never do such a thing.”
“How would I know that? You won’t tell me what you plan to do.”
“Fine. If you must know, I was just about to demonstrate using air to manipulate other elements.”
Oh. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
He shifted his attention to the pond. “The basic elements may be used together or separately, depending on your need. Watch closely.”
Him or the pond? Didn’t matter really because the water came to us, swirling around in a suspended whirlpool.
“Air is lighter than water, but water is moved with force. Think of a hurricane. What drives the water toward land?”
“The wind.”
“I want you to understand something very important, Rayla. Do you recall the five-fold symbol the Order is so fond of?”
I nodded. How could I forget it? Roger had made sure I knew the strange celtic symbol for the elements. It kind of looked like a four leaf clover tipped the wrong way with a central circle plopped inside the other four spheres.
The water continued to spin beside us, suspended in midair as the glowing symbol appeared in front of me. He pointed at the top circle. “Air.” Moving clockwise, his fingers skimmed the edges of the remaining circles. “Fire, water, earth, void. If you notice, fire and earth interconnect with air, while water only abuts our circle. Water starts the flow of yang.”
Yin yang. Since I set foot into the council chambers of the crystal castle a few weeks ago, I wanted to know which houses were dark and which were light. I didn’t interrupt him, but I did give him a pointed look.
“Air and fire are yin. We release energy to use our power while our brother houses absorb energy to harness theirs.”
“What about void?”
“They have the potential for either. As you see, void interconnects with all other elements.”
Interesting. Did that mean they could control all the elements? If so, how was I any different than them?
“They do have minor capabilities for manipulating all elements; however, they are unable to control all elements at once. The most that has been documented is three being used simultaneously, and that was an unusual circumstance.”
I bet Zach was the one that did it. Taylor cleared his throat in a way that made me think he didn’t want to discuss my once boyfriend. “Which court does the house of void belong to?”
“I should think the answer was obvious.”
“Neither?” I asked. He nodded. “But, what does that mean? I thought there was only light and dark.”
“They belong to the shadow court. They oversee the dealings of our main courts.”
I thought back to my time at Lombarda. There had been ten couples in the council chamber—four on either side, and two on the main platform. I couldn’t remember which house was what. This was just so confusing.
“You are getting distracted by things that don’t matter at the moment. The problems with our political system have existed for centuries. No amount of fussing on your part is going to fix it. For things to change, we need to have clear leadership.” With a fl
ick of his wrist, the image dissolved. “Enough talking.”
I frowned at him. “I still have questions.”
He took a measured breath. “I will answer your questions when, and if, you have complete control of air. Now ready yourself.”
I stiffened immediately when the whirlpool circled toward my head. “Taylor, this isn’t funny.” Despite my protests, he laughed. I backed up with it still pursuing me. There was no way I was going to come out of this lesson dry. I sprinted away from it, but the cool sensation of water doused my neck. I drifted to the opposite end of the lawn. The blasted thing came with me. “Stay out of my head!” I shouted at Taylor.
His laugh sounded distant, yet it was still clear enough for me to be miffed. I turned, facing the water. Okay. I could do this. As it inched nearer, I called the wind, making a wall between it and me. All I got for my effort was a face full of water, my hair in my eyes, and my wet clothes clinging to my skin. He might as well have dumped me in the pond by the time the water completely dispersed.
He was by my side instantly, laughing uncontrollably.
I wasn’t going to react to him. I wasn’t.
With gentle fingers, he reached out and wiped my cheek. He laughed louder.
It took two seconds for me to wish him wet as a drowned rat. Then he was. I didn’t know how it happened. I was sure I couldn’t recreate that if I wanted to, but I hadn’t even seen it happen. One minute he was dry. The next, he was soaking—even more so than me.
It was my turn to laugh. His eyes held contempt plus something else not quite tangible. “You have been able to manage your way out of dire situations using such techniques, but you are better off learning the mechanics of control.”
I tried to straighten my smile. I really did. I just couldn’t. I hadn’t laughed this hard in forever, and I needed the release.
Before I could blink, I was in the middle of the pond with Taylor playfully shoving my head under the water. When I came up, I splashed him a few times then made for the shore.
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said, swimming up behind me as if he were part fish. He grabbed my waist then hauled me against him.
His body was warm pressed to mine, his arms keeping me put. Neither of us moved other than to stay afloat. An awkward moment passed between us before the impossible happened. It wasn’t much, a twinge really, but it was unmistakably there. A spark of attraction ignited in my belly. “Well,” I said, letting out a sigh. “Damn.” He let me twist in his arms so I was now facing him. I shook my head, giving him a look. “Okay, you can stop now.”
He donned an innocent mask. “I do not know what you mean, my lady.”
Like I was going to buy that. “Don’t you ‘my lady’ me. You’re trying to compel me right now, and I don’t want you to.”
Dark brows shot up. “I am doing no such thing.”
“Whatever,” I said, pushing away from him. I made it to the shore, hating the feeling of my clothes clinging to me. Then I remembered I didn’t have to wait to get back to my room to change. I was dry in a nanosecond. I still didn’t understand the mechanics of switching clothes with just a thought, but it was really convenient so I wasn’t about to complain.
Taylor appeared beside me, eyeing my new outfit. He looked like he was going to say something, yet he just shrugged. “I was not compelling you, Rayla. I realize now I missed the perfect opportunity, but I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was too caught up in enjoying being near you.”
“Oh, come on, Taylor. You must think I am the most gullible girl on the planet.”
He looked away from me. “Believe what you wish.” Before I could answer, he spun on his heel, calling over his shoulder, “It is time for lunch.” Then he bounded away.
I’d pissed him off. That was for sure. Was it possible that he hadn’t compelled me?
There was only one way to find out.
I caught up to Taylor in the courtyard. The intense fragrance of roses swam around us. Even with him standing away from me, I could tell how upset he was. His fingers worked furiously, deadheading the bushes as if each little bud had been stamped with my face. I placed unsteady fingers on his rigid shoulder. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I wasn’t trying to insult you. I had only hoped to be able to avoid more compulsion. When I thought you were compelling me, I jumped to conclusions.”
His muscles tensed under my touch. “We are wasting our time here. You will never give me a chance to win you. I should have stayed with Jessica.”
Taking a deep breath, I inched around him. “Help me understand this…these feelings I have inside me…they are all consuming at times.”
He spun on his heel, giving me a casual once over. “Why should I? Your mind is apparently set where I am concerned.”
Was he right? I didn’t know anymore. In fact, I didn’t know anything anymore. Confusion over everything that had transpired threatened my sanity. “I feel like I’m crazy. I don’t know what’s real. I know you tried to explain it to me, but it still doesn’t make much sense. How can I feel this deeply for so many men?” If I could have a do-over, I would have picked someone instead of running away from Tabitha. No matter what, my life wouldn’t have been worse than it was now. But then I would have never known Heath. I immediately kicked him out of my mind.
I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything for Taylor. It was better this way. I was bound to hurt two men as it was when I made my choice. I didn’t want there to be a third. It was easier to see Taylor as someone too distant to connect with.
If Taylor was so different than I thought he was, did that mean Jett was too? Jett had been right about one thing. I had vilified him. It was easier for me that way, too. He had been overbearing, but that was what these men were used to. How was I ever going to make a decision that would be best for everyone involved? How was I going to deal with this?
Taylor nudged my chin higher. His honey eyes were soft, his compassion for me clear. “I know why you have come to me, but are you sure you want this? Are you sure you want to know?”
I swallowed hard, my heart already beating so loud I would have sworn he could hear it. What if he could compel me? What if I would never be able to know what my true feelings were? Did it matter anymore?
“I don’t have to do this. I will help you understand. You were right. I’m not sure I am ready for a new relationship, Rayla.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Besides, you aren’t the easiest person to get along with.”
I chuckled, the sound coming out nervous. “Yeah, I’ve been told that once or twice in my life.”
He stepped back a bit then began pacing in front of me. “When Tabitha first uttered the prophecy, none of us believed it would happen. The idea of having an Elemental born with the capability to control all elements at once seemed impossible. Even from the beginning, we had to split the power. None were strong enough to successfully harness the full capacity of such power.”
“Are you saying some of you tried?”
He nodded, taking a deep breath. “The concentration it takes to master one element is hard enough to manage even for the gifted. Don’t you see, you are the catalyst for changing that? The thought of being able to harness that much power is more tempting than you can ever imagine.”
He would know. He was in my head. I could feel him there, gauging my reactions.
“Why would you want it?” I grimaced. “I certainly don’t.”
The hollows of his cheeks flushed. “I owe it to my people. I was the one that chose this life for them. I was the first to choose a house.”
“What do you mean?”
He laughed. “As it turns out, I have a bit of luck. When it comes to casting lots, at least, I almost always win.”
I doubted he thought winning this time around was stellar. I could see that about him, though. He had a silent pull I was sure would be hypnotic to an Elemental that wasn’t already connected to someone else.
His face brightened. “You understand more about compulsion than you know, my lady
. If I were to compel you and there was no connection between us, my effort would be for naught.”
He more than any other lord slipped into formal dialect at the most frustrating times. I sometimes had to think about it to get what he meant. “So what you’re saying is if I wasn’t really into you at all, compulsion wouldn’t work on me?”
“Exactly.”
So if he did try to compel me and I felt it, then that would mean…
He took my shoulders between his elegant fingers. “All it would mean is that we have the capability to have a solid connection.”
Capability. I needed to remember that. It didn’t mean I would be stuck with him.
“On the contrary, Rayla, all it would do is clarify a question that still remains in your heart.” His lips turned in a genuine smile that made my heart squeeze. I had misjudged him in so many ways. I needed to learn not to jump to conclusions about people. From my experience, first impressions were rarely right.
I peeked up at him. He waited patiently in front of me, letting me come to my own conclusions. The most amazing thought surfaced. If I was equally attracted to all the lords through compulsion then it pretty much didn’t matter. The choice was still ultimately mine to make.
Styx had said as much to me in the borderlands. I had been so afraid of someone else taking this decision from me, but that wasn’t really possible anymore. I was still in control, well, as much control as a person can have in situations like this.
I missed Styx. I wished I could have talked more to him before I came with Taylor. Undoubtedly, he would have had some advice for me.
His pain had been undeniable. Why would Jett have his mate? I needed to find a way to help him.
Taylor touched my arm. “Getting off course again, aren’t you?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Am I right though?”
“Mostly.”
When he didn’t go on, I asked, “Are you going to explain that?”
“You’ve got the basics. That’s all you really need to know.”
I took a deep breath, lifting my chin. “Then do it.”
Genesis Page 7
