The Tantalising Taste Of Water (Elemental Awakening, Book 4)

by Nicola Claire

  But everything felt like it weighed me down and left me close to breaking.

  Our largest tent rose up like an accusing finger pointing to the heavens, finally standing sentinel in the decreasing light. Aktor immediately urged Sonya inside and a soft glow of a lantern, or maybe his Fire, began to cast shadows on its side.

  “Come on,” Theo urged. “Let’s get out of the weather and start making a plan.”

  Nico and Mark were finishing off another smaller tent to the side, while Hip and Pisces were working on another. Isadora, in typical warrior princess mode, was erecting her own well away from the others.

  I bent low and pushed through the tent flap, feeling the warmth of Pyrkagia as soon as I entered. A small ball of flames floated in the air, right in front of Sonya’s wide eyes.

  I plonked myself down beside my bestie and leant against her side.

  “What do you see?” I asked, sleepily.

  “I have no freaking idea,” she murmured. “It kind of looks like a bunch of fireflies, but I’ve never seen fireflies this big before.”

  “Stick with that,” I said, patting her knee. “It works.”

  She nodded her head, looking relieved.

  Nico and Mark entered then, closely followed by Hip and Pisces. I would have liked to find a reason to send the Aeras and Nero back outside, so we could have a private chat without being overheard and reported on. But the tents were clearly up, and the storm was still raging out there, and I really was too exhausted to think up anything believable right then.

  Isadora was the last to arrive and despite Mark’s teasing words to her earlier, not a strand of hair was out of place. She was damp, but steaming slightly; drying right before our eyes. Even the heat of her Pyrkagia, though, hadn’t made her hair frizz. And I was sure she was wearing waterproof mascara.

  I rolled my eyes at Sonya, who stifled a giggle that caught Pisces’ eye.

  “You bring a human along with you?” he said sourly.

  “Sonya is my friend,” I stressed.

  His eyes swept over the assembled group and landed on my brother.

  “And an Alchemist,” he said with obvious derision.

  “Hey, don’t knock the Alchies,” Mark drawled. “We did, apparently, loan your King lightning.”

  All eyes darted to the Nero, who simply scowled in reply.

  OK, not exactly a friendly atmosphere, but I’d be getting answers from Gramps later tonight on the whole lightning thing. For now, we had to make plans.

  “The Gi,” I said.

  “I agree,” Theo immediately offered.

  Various nods of heads around the group abounded. Aktor began to hand out sustenance, minus the ouzo, as Pisces said, “Why?”

  This was going to get very old if we had to explain every step we made to the Nero. But then, if he were genuinely one of my team, he’d need to be aware of what we were up to.

  I struggled with the notion of bringing him in on our plans but, really, what choice did I have?

  “Balance will only be achieved if all branches of Ekmetalleftis unite,” I declared.

  “It has been many aeons since such a thing was attempted,” Pisces growled.

  “And because of that, we should give up?” I challenged.

  “I did not say that, Aether,” he rumbled. “But uniting the branches is not what will balance the world.”

  I raised my eyebrows at him. I was sure some of the others were as well.

  “What will?” I asked.

  “You.”

  I stifled a laugh. I actually wanted to cry. Of course, his answer was ‘me.’ But had he thought for a minute how I would achieve that?

  “We go to the Gi,” I said into the ensuing silence.

  “First light,” Theo announced. “Aktor, you and Sonya shall find somewhere in Manaus to hide.”

  “Manaus will be flattened,” Isadora pointed out. “The Amazon destroyed. If the Gi are still functioning, I’ll be very surprised.”

  She narrowed hazel eyes at me, daring me to contradict her. I met her steely gaze with one of my own. I may well be Aether, in possession of four Stoicheio at last count, but it all started with Gi.

  “They will have fought for the Amazon,” I said softly. Sometimes a soft rebuttal is the best.

  “You don’t know that,” she hissed in reply.

  “It’s what I would have done,” I said simply.

  “And you, a mere child, are an expert on the Gi? I have spent decades watching them. I know their tics, I know how they fight. I know how they think. You know nothing.”

  “I know what they feel.”

  Isadora opened her mouth to counter, but Theo simply shook his head. Her teeth clattered as she snapped them together. A disgruntled look marring her perfect features.

  “We’ll find out soon enough,” Theo advised.

  “How do you think they’ll greet us?” Nico enquired.

  “Warily, I should think,” Theo offered. “But Casey is Gi at heart, and Isadora is known to them. We’ll tread carefully, but we will win them over. There is no other option.”

  Pisces studied Theo and then turned deep blue eyes to me. His face was that Athanatos mask they all wear from time to time, but the cogs were turning behind the impassive façade. I’m not sure he liked the fact that Theo had said I was at heart a Gi.

  “Mark and Pisces shall be our backup on this first approach,” Theo advised.

  Mark simply nodded his head, but Pisces bristled.

  “I go where Aether goes.”

  “You are not her Thisavros,” Theo suddenly snapped.

  “I am her guard!” Pisces growled back.

  Gold flared, met with brutal ice-blue. Power surged. Sonya made a gurgling sound. The tent walls flapped as if possessed by demons.

  “Cut that out!” I ordered, raising a hand and bringing it down between them. The power vanished as if commanded by the movement. I wasn’t sure that it was. But Theo responded to my Thisavros plea, and Pisces had an ulterior motive.

  “My father has charged me with your care,” Pisces rumbled.

  “You are not my Thisavros,” I pressed in return.

  “Thisavros,” Pisces hissed. “You let that connection rule you?”

  Anger surged, hot and fierce. Pyrkagia along with it; mine not Theo’s this time. Rain pelted down on the tent’s roof. Wind buffeted the sides. The ground shuddered.

  The scent of the ocean invaded the small enclosure; so incongruous on top of this mountain.

  Pisces held my stare.

  Crustaceans clacked. Sea creatures called mournfully. Invisible seaweed stroked down my arm.

  I shuddered.

  Pisces eyes flared a frosty blue. I swayed.

  And then I lifted a hand before anyone could stop me and hurled a thin stream of water straight at Pisces’ neck.

  “YOU ARE NOT MY THISAVROS!” I yelled.

  Mark reached out and caught the Water spear before it could take the Nero’s head.

  Everyone sat stunned and silent. All I could hear was my harsh breaths. My nails bit into my palms. Ice-blue bathed the entire tent. Mine not Pisces’. No one moved an inch.

  Then Isadora said, “Unstable.”

  And was instantly covered in a bucket’s worth of Water. Oops.

  “That’s enough,” Theo said in a low, hard voice. I blinked. Then turned my head stiffly to meet his eyes. But they weren’t on me; they were all for Pisces. “You will not do that again.”

  The Nero puffed up, ready to strike.

  “Cassandra is my Thisarvos. I am hers. You may have forgotten, Nero, but once you held that connection very dear. Remember,” he urged. “Or lose your head.”

  Pisces blinked, took a moment to stare down Theo, and then turned his steel blue eyes on me.

  “This is new? This possession? Protective instinct?”

  “Yes,” Theo snapped.

  “Since Nero Awakened?” he pressed.

  “Yes,” Theo repeated, while I struggled to breathe and lowe
r my frosty headlights.

  I realised I’d placed myself half in front of Theo, half in his lap. It was entirely undignified, but for the life of me, I couldn’t care. My hand gripped his thigh, nails digging into his hard muscle. And still, I flashed ice-blue.

  Pisces finally lowered his head, breaking eye contact, allowing me to breathe again.

  The silence was loud in my ears. Crustaceans. Sea creatures. A siren call that was all mine. The Nero stared at the tent floor and said nothing. My fingers slowly unclenched and I heard Theo hiss out a relieved breath.

  His hand found the back of my neck, and he rubbed it gently. And suddenly I felt so very, very tired.

  “Sonya and Aktor in Manaus,” Theo said quietly. “Mark and Pisces as our backup, within the Amazon itself. The rest of us enter Gi tomorrow. Be ready for anything. As the Nero have proved,” - Pisces looked up at that - “there will be a fight.”

  Pisces curled the corner of his lip, baring his pointed teeth.

  Theo held his stare with one just as lethal, then slipped his hand into mine and moved us toward the exit of the tent. No one said a thing. I’m not sure that any of them breathed. I’m not sure I really did either until I stood under the clouds with the wind in my hair and the rain on my face and the rocks beneath my feet.

  “Come, Cassandra,” Theo said softly. “You need to sleep.”

  What I needed was my Thisavros. What I needed was some clarity in the form of Gramps’ wise words.

  What I needed was for this to be over and the world to be balanced and our child to grow up safe and healthy.

  Theo led me to the farthest tent; I was sure it had been the one Isadora had constructed. I took perverse pleasure in claiming it. The tent was small and the thin mattress not nearly big enough, but I had no intention of spreading out on my own, so I gladly collapsed down its length waiting for Theo.

  He quirked an eyebrow but moved to lie beside me, wrapping me up in his arms. His warm lips kissed my temple. His hot breath fanned my hair, sending shivers down my neck. Making me purr.

  “You really are a handful, Oraia,” he groused good-naturedly. “Whatever am I to do with you?”

  I had a few ideas. He chuckled. Clearly sensing my intention, or already on board with my plan.

  Pyrkagia flared, and Theo moaned out loud, gripping me closer. “Casey,” he said, succumbing to my own version of a siren call. It was a little wicked, granted, but being Pyrkagia himself he understood. I lay kisses across his jaw, down his neck, into the hollow at the base there that I’ve always adored. I savoured every lick and touch. He sighed and ran his fingers through my hair, seeking tactile comfort, wrapping a hot palm around the back of my neck. He pulled me closer and closer. I came willingly. My lips found his. His tongue delved inside. In seconds the tent was steaming, heat unfurling, our hands frantically removing clothing. Our soft moans and decadent groans flying free in the air.

  I’d been exhausted when we’d been in the larger tent with the others, but now endorphins fuelled me, my Thisavros’ Pyrkagia tangled with mine, and Nero called to us both; luring, tantalising, drawing us ever closer and closer to the edge.

  “Casey,” Theo groaned. “My beautiful, beautiful, Casey!”

  I loved it when he let himself go.

  “You are my life, my one and only,” he whispered against my feverish skin. “My everything. Sweet, sweet, Casey. Let me show you. Let me love you. Casey.” The last was a fervent moan of hunger and need.

  We moved together. Skin on skin. We tasted. We touched. We inhaled deeply. So many senses, so keen as only Ekmetalleftis can be. I was overflowing with sensations. I was bursting with love and need. This wasn’t just the newly Awakened Nero Thisavros connection. This wasn’t even Pyrkagia wanting to tangle with its own. This was him and me. A man and a woman. Casey and Theo.

  “Thisavros!” Theo shouted as his head threw back and his hips thrust forward. I accepted him into me with absolutely abandon. I opened myself to him completely. “Oh, Casey,” he murmured, gold eyes flaring as he stared down at me, a possessive glint of his own flickering in the unnatural hue.

  He thrust harder. I arched my back. Sweat slicked our skin as our fingers stroked and our nails scratched, and our hands grasped for purchase. Our bodies moved in tandem; a dance as old as time. Our eyes stayed locked on each other, as our flesh pressed together, sliding and rubbing in the most primitive and primal ways of man.

  I cried out as a climax consumed me, my Pyrkagia flaring, Theo’s tangling with it in a blaze of flickering flames that threatened to burn the whole tent down. But Nero rose to the challenge, dousing the flames and soothing instead. Coaxing. Tantalising. Licking over our sensitive skin. Swirling around us, driving us both insane with need.

  “I can’t get enough,” Theo growled, nipping at the curve between my neck and shoulder. “What are you doing, Casey?”

  “Loving you,” I growled.

  “This…” he said, thrusting ever harder, “ this is magical. This is something else altogether. This is incredible. I can’t get enough. I need…” But he had no words to explain.

  Theo panted on each roll of his hips, on every deep thrust of his arousal as it seated itself inside. “Thisavros!” he growled, loud enough, I was sure, for everyone on Table Mountain to hear. Possibly loud enough for those down in devastated Cape Town to hear, as well. “I claim you!”

  And then he bit.

  I cried out in ecstasy as I came again, the orgasm washing through me, then lifting up on Fire’s flames. Another followed behind, this one soothing my sensitive skin like shifting waters. I shuddered as he rocked into me, again and again, and again. His teeth held on; keeping us connected. His Pyrkagia tangled with mine; creating a firestorm of sensations. Nero rose, ensuring the inferno didn’t set us alight, soothing, dancing. Tantalising us all over again.

  He groaned as he lost control; his movements feverish, frantic. Beautiful. Hard thrusts. Firm rolls of his hips. A long glide of his erection inside. I arched my back, panting and moaning, orgasms assailing me faster than the flickering of bright lights in front of my closed eyes. I took everything he offered and gave everything of myself in return.

  He accepted it all greedily.

  “Casey!” Theo roared as he finally came; warmth and light and so much wonderful sensations wrapping around me, filling me up, and making me cry out as a last climax washed deliciously through my frame. “Casey,” he murmured, slowing his movements, his body shaking uncontrollably, his eyes closed, his forehead against mine, sweat mingling between our bodies. “Oh, sweet, sweet, Casey,” he whispered, lowering his lips to mine.

  Theo kissed me for an eternity, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. How could it be, when I am with my Thisavros? Eternity would never be enough.

  As the moon rose and the wind continued to howl outside, I fell asleep in my Thisavros’ arms; safe and well loved.

  And woke up surrounded by the angry sea in my grandfather’s old dinghy…with Gramps nowhere in sight.

  Chapter Twenty

  And The Empty Resonance Of Utter Silence

  “Gramps!” I yelled into the dream visit. But it wasn’t a visit, just a dream. My grandfather’s boat rocked gingerly on the metre high waves, as gulls swooped across an incongruous clear blue sky overhead. It was a dream, but one of my grandfather’s making. I didn’t recognise the coastline just off in the distance. But the dinghy was his. It was the one we’d thought he’d been lost on at sea, and had died and gone down with.

  “Gramps!” I called again; thinking, surely he’d materialise. But only the gulls screeched, and the boat rocked, and nausea swelled up inside.

  Where was he? Was he safe?

  Was he even still alive?

  Maybe he’d set up these visits before I even became who I was. Maybe they were running on automatic pilot, activating when I slept after an Awakening, pulling him in no matter where he was.

  If he was still alive.

  I sat down heavily on the wet seat in the dingh
y and wrapped my arms around my body. The sea raged. The sky in comparison was clear and bright. The birds swooped and glided.

  I wanted to wake up. I wanted to leave this empty dream that made me feel too much. I wanted Theo to tell me this didn’t mean what I thought it meant. That Gramps was just being held in an Alchemist containment field that wouldn’t allow him out.

  I wanted to go directly to CERN and rescue him.

  “Gramps,” I whispered, my shaking hand reaching out to hold onto the swaying side of the dinghy to steady myself. I stared at the water, lost. Then something slithered beneath the surface, catching my eye, something big and dark and fast.

  Like Pisces.

  But Pisces was back at Table Mountain, and this was an Alchemist powered dream. Nero couldn’t visit here.

  I shivered, the wind picking up, even though there were no clouds in the sky. The boat rocked. Stomach acids surged up my throat threatening to make me vomit. A thin layer of perspiration coated my skin. I was sure I’d appear green all over if I looked in a mirror.

  I glanced up toward the horizon; don’t they tell you to do that when you’re sick at sea? But the coastline had disappeared, and a fog was approaching. Rolling across the waves, skeletal-like fingers of mist reaching out to grab me.

  I sat up straighter, narrowed my eyes at the approaching threat. Because it was a threat. I could feel it. Malevolence and hunger moved toward me. Hidden in the fog. But still, I could feel it there.

  I looked around the dinghy for oars, but Gramps hadn’t thought to place them in the dream visit. I contemplated calling out to him again, but a primal fear had me remaining silent. Calling attention to myself right now didn’t seem like a good idea.

  The fog rolled closer and closer. A chill invaded my body. The waves suddenly disappeared, and I was left sitting in an old dinghy on calm waters as mist started to wrap around the sides. White enveloped my senses. But this white seemed dark somehow. I couldn’t hear the gulls anymore. And whatever had been swimming beneath me had swum out of sight.

  A tendril of mist reached up and slid over the side of the dinghy, floating inside. I stared at it, my heart in my throat, my lips parted, small puffs of cold air coming out. It crept closer. I couldn’t move. But I did not want it to touch me. I knew it would soon, though. I stared at it, frozen in place with fear. Then stared at the sea.