Her breath caught at the abrupt change in subject.
“My relationship with Aleron is none of your business,” she managed, her tone daring him to continue.
“I smell his energy signatures all over you.”
Shit. She’d forgotten Kazumi’s warning.
“I’m not breaking things off with him.”
“Then he’s as good as dead.”
She turned, folding her arms and priming her elements. “You will not harm him.”
“Relax,” he chuffed, like she was showboating. “I won’t have to kill him. There are numerous powerful families around the world who will do whatever it takes to get a Nexus, and who knows to what end? The possibilities are limitless, but I’ve not considered them, as there hasn’t been a recorded Nexus in over three hundred years. Taking out a problematic bodyguard is easy. Aleron can hold off ten, probably fifteen Duals, but he wouldn’t survive a gang of twenty or more, and you’re not strong enough yet to fight them off yourself. But keep him around if you want a bull’s-eye on his back.” The swirls of blue in his eyes turned tornadic. “You need me, Elspeth, whether you want to admit it or not.”
“I’ll get more guards.” Accepting his help would be stepping a toe on the dark side.
The rumors she’d heard off and on were true. The ones he’d outright denied.
“You’re a ticking nuclear bomb to which no one knows the codes. Until you rein in and hone that hemorrhaging energy, you’re a liability to Aleron and our family. When word gets out your powers are real, the war that’s been brewing will start.” Seanair went over to the bar and poured his usual whisky. “Graham will handle the politics. I had no idea when I called him home for the gala that this was in our immediate future, but now he’ll not delay ascending to my position. I can no longer wait until my death is imminent to pass the Fire and continent president torches. No,” he said, as if talking to himself, “he’ll need me to walk in tandem with him as he learns dangerous ropes.”
Shit. No wonder her usually teetotalling brother had drunk a bar’s worth of liquor that night. But why start training Graham now? Naturas lived to be well over a hundred. Seanair probably had another thirty years left to rule.
“Have you told Kerr about Graham?” she asked. “He thinks he’s getting both jobs.”
Her asshole Fire cousin might be the one to burn down Manhattan, especially since Graham wanted nothing to do with Natura politics.
“Kerr’s working on something for me and doesn’t need the distraction of disappointment.”
“He’s considered the job his since boarding school.”
“Kerr thinks the world was created for him. His talents lie elsewhere.” He tossed back a solid hit of his drink. “You have your first issue to handle tomorrow as Judex.”
“That’s fine.” A finger of worry scratched at her. “But I won’t give up Aleron. We’ll keep the relationship discreet for now.”
“There are no secrets in our world.”
Her elements stirred at the veiled threat in his tone. “Then I’d better work on gaining strength. I’ll kill anyone who tries to harm him.”
She struggled to stay on task, but the cyclone of her grandfather’s revelations and the idea of danger to Aleron wouldn’t settle.
“Since I’ll be Judex, you need to appoint an emissary for the Fire cuff. You need to make the move soon. Kazumi is the rightful bearer for Water. If you want to hold on to your continent leadership position, doing the right thing now may save you later.”
Zum had never liked her grandfather, and yet Elspeth still yearned for a man who was nothing of his former self. Her Grandie was dead, along with the last ember of hope she could somehow resurrect him. Seanair had better watch out, or someday Zum might challenge his continent rule—with Elspeth as her wingwoman.
“I’m the sole reason North America enjoys peace.” Seanair eyed her with disdain.
He wasn’t used to his grandchildren talking back to him, most especially her.
Well, too damned bad.
“All I’ve ever done is try to please you, to show you that although I was powerless, I was still worth something.” Her eyes welled. Screw it. He could deal with her angry tears.
A crush of Air and a blast of Fire cut through the room. Her energy rose, deflected, shoved it away like he was nothing more than a human.
“You think I’m such a terrible grandfather?” he seethed. “I raised you like you were mine when those vile witches killed your parents, and now I know why they were so determined. Somehow, they knew a Nexus was coming, and they didn’t want whoever it was to live. You were lucky your Mathair kept you, Graham, and Lach home that day, or you’d have been in that car.”
“Did witches really kill my parents?” She hadn’t believed his assertion long ago.
“I can’t prove it, but I’ve questioned several I believed to be involved, and they eventually caved.”
He’d killed them. Tortured them. Her hands shook as the brutal truth of her grandfather’s role became perfectly, viciously clear.
“You’re not the same. When Mathair died, you and every shred of love you had for me died too.” The froth of her anger whipped power, heavy and thick, inside her, drying the last tear she’d ever shed in front of him.
“I won’t give up the cuff.”
“Then I predict someone will take it from you.” She stared at the flames in the fireplace, pleading with her Fire to calm.
They faced each other. He seemed older, tired, yet his power pushed against hers like it was thrilled to meet someone worthy.
“The cuff is all I have left of her. Several months after her death, she spoke to me for the first time as the cuff’s Oracle and told me I had to keep it. That the rightful owner would reveal themselves, but that she wasn’t allowed to tell me who it was.” Her grandfather looked at the floor, his gaze long. “I don’t expect you to understand. You’ve never been in love. The cuff’s the only way I can hear her, and I’ll go to my grave listening to her lovely voice. Graham will begin training for the continent presidency, but he’ll not get the Fire cuff until my death.”
“Graham’s not the rightful bearer. There’s supposed to be a mark, a sign.” She thought of the pronounced blue of Kazumi’s veins.
“Lennoxes are born to lead. We’ve ruled for two hundred years, and with you and Graham in power, that won’t change.” His expression shifted to one she’d seen the night of her twelfth birthday, when she’d become a nothing to him and all the power-reveal party guests. “There’s nothing more to discuss but your first job as Judex. You’re going out to Montauk tomorrow. Elite One has informed me Rob Costa’s at the end. Take Aleron and monitor the death. Rob’s last wish is to die on the beach. Build a bonfire so you have something to point to if a human calls the police to report smoke or flames.”
“I’m not going to watch a man die.” Her gut twisted into knots.
The deep blue of his eyes lightened, and she realized he was actually Air dominant.
“You’re likely going to assist the process when he resists. The will to live fights the rising elements. Elite One monitors all tripowereds and often handles the deaths. As Judex, you will likely have to order a Natura’s death before the disease gets out of hand. If you can’t accept that responsibility now, then you’d better find somewhere to hide. Maybe Isidora would let you join her on an ice floe in Antarctica.” Seanair scoffed like he was dealing with a petulant toddler. “Otherwise, man up and do your duty. Aleron knows what to do, and you need to see the end so you’ll know what you’re dealing with. Lach doesn’t have much time.”
“How long before…” She couldn’t get out the rest of the words.
“Unless he takes a sudden turn, I estimate six months. He thinks cryogenic therapy along with Goddess knows what else Isidora’s doing down there is going to delay the inevitable, but it won’t. She says his Water’s rising.”
No. No. There had to be something her power could do. How could she gain four elements
and still not be able to save him?
“One last thing.” His expression went ice cold, obliterating any last trace of her grandfather. “You’re not going to break centuries of tradition by marrying beneath you. Power breeds power, which is what we need if we’re to undo the humans’ environmental mess. If you want war among the families, choose Aleron Foussé. My best advice?” He went to his desk, opened a drawer, and returned with a black business card, shoving it into her hand. “Text that number and get a Beta tender to service that Earth and Water.”
Aleron peered out the guest room doorway, listening to make sure Elspeth was still in the shower. The whoosh from the water pipes in the wall had stopped. No clanging or other kitchen noises. Certain she must still be in her bedroom, he grabbed the candles he’d used to commune from the bureau and gathered up others he found, hurrying into the living room and lining them up along the coffee table’s edge and across the mantel. Checking the seals on her apartment for the millionth time, he closed the blinds on the sliding glass door and turned off the lamp on the side table.
Irritation zinged along his nerves as he surveyed the room. He’d wanted to do that ambience thing. Her first regen should be special. She deserved so much more, but instead of fancy, he’d managed dollar-store cheap.
“What are you doing?”
He jerked at her voice.
Elspeth stood in the archway, a short dress accentuating her luscious curves. Super short. Black on top. Green on the bottom. She came toward him, her nipples peeking through the lace, the skirt skimming the tops of her thighs and teasing him with what hid just out of sight. Something revved inside him, already turned on. Heart, lungs, dick. Pumping, breathing, hardening. She chewed her lip and fidgeted like she thought she’d chosen the wrong thing.
“That dress is amazing,” came out of his mouth. Wait. Gown would have been better. Tiny gown? Sexy gown?
“It’s a chemise.”
She turned around slowly, letting him see, his eyes catching something white hanging beneath her arm.
A tag.
He forced down a smile at her sweet naiveté. “Is it new?”
“I’ve had it for years. I’ve never worn it, or…” She looked to her feet, back to him. “I’ve never had anyone I wanted to wear it for.” She tugged the bust. “Zum made me buy it. It’s a little tight.”
He made a mental note to let Half Gallon know he owed her a big-ass favor.
“No, it’s not.” Noooo. In fact, a size smaller would be perfect so those amazing breasts would stretch the lace even more.
“We need to commune and regen. Can those happen at the same time?” She took in the candles, the combined light from the dozen wicks dancing in her eyes.
“They’re typically separate. I normally commune alone.” Well, if twice a year could be normal.
She was so innocent of their ways. They’d had sex, which easily scored as first place in the best-ever category. His pulse raced, because this wasn’t about being her lover. He could do sex with Betas. That was an easy exchange of power, but his spiritual check-ins with the Goddess happened rarely, and he wasn’t sure how to respectfully introduce someone into the sacred side of their element. And then there’d been his first regen, consisting of fifteen minutes in an Elite One dorm.
Damn it, she deserved so much more.
He’d never understand how the most powerful Natura in the world, an elemental virgin, had ended up with a man like him.
“I’ve got to be straight with you. I don’t know what I’m doing.” He took in the lovely fall of her hair, the vibrant green of her eyes.
“I think you’ve done just fine.” Her eyebrow lifted in a saucy arch.
He stepped in and kissed that perfect brow, then shook his head. “No, sweets. I’m serious.”
“Is it because I’ve never regenned before?” A red flush climbed her neck.
“Yes, but not for the reasons you think.” He kissed her other brow, berating himself for embarrassing her.
Goddess, he should tell her the truth. She could decide if she’d lower herself to refuel in his shoddy version of a sacred place.
“In a proper regen, you’re surrounded by your element. There are private apartments in the city we could rent that are designed to help us experience the best of each element. In our case, my case, we’d breathe smoke. We’d bathe in flames. Every atom surrounding us would be in service to Air and Fire. This is the cheap version.” He gestured toward the candles and the fire in the fireplace.
“There’s nothing cheap about this.” She turned, taking in the room. “This is—this is priceless.”
She didn’t understand, and he should have taken the money out of his savings. Found a way to get her to a safe room. It wasn’t like he couldn’t spare the cash. He didn’t like spending blood money, so he’d shoved nearly every dime he’d made into a mutual fund, vowing it would go to a good cause upon his demise.
She perused her apartment again, her expression brightening. “I don’t need fancy. This is private and perfect.”
“It’s not about fancy. It’s about letting our elements have free rein. Regens charge our power. Communing strengthens our faith so we don’t lose our way. If I could, I’d take you to a cave for both.” He recalled the one he and his brothers had played in as kids at home, its true purpose revealed in his advanced Fire classes. “The best ones are underground. Primitive, but it’s the closest we’ve got to First Fire, the moment of creation when the original spark ignited inside us.”
“Come here.” She tugged him close and stepped into him, her arms wrapping tight around him, her body pressed against his as if he was the only thing she wanted in her world. “I just need you. That’s all.”
He knew how to fuck, understood how to submit to the primal part of himself and take a woman the way he’d had her the first time. He’d taken her several times, the break inside him widening a little more with every release. It wasn’t the mechanics of ejaculation. It was the hole she’d made in him, a gap in the fortress around his heart, the fissure she’d used to sneak inside. He didn’t want this to be a regular regen, a basic function, some furious, empty action that would be over in minutes.
He pulled her to the hearth, his instincts begging him to do more for her. “I don’t know how to do sweet or fancy or romantic. I don’t have the right words, but I swear I want this to be special for you. Your first regen should be…everything.”
Like she was.
To him.
“The fact you care enough to want more for me is enough.” She leaned in and traced his collarbone with the tip of her nose, and the tender touch nearly undid him. “We’ll have our cave someday.” Her gaze shifted, taking a quick zip around the room, her green eyes locking with his. “You see me and accept all of me. The good. The not so good. Like I see all of you and want more.”
He looked in the mirror above the mantel. Checked his eyes. Still brown. For the space of a second, part of him admitted he’d love to see his eyes go green, the signal she was fertile. A breath later, he cursed a silent streak. The thought of his child in her belly was a dream, but it would be a nightmare to her if she knew the things he’d done.
His old friend anger rose. Tomorrow, she’d walk into the most dangerous situation he’d ever experienced, her power nowhere near strong enough to withstand the wrath of a tripowered meltdown. Time to get his head in the game and take care of her, not daydream like a man with a secure future.
“I need you ready for tomorrow.” He could give her a shot of massive strength. A spill of words idled inside him, promises he longed to make but couldn’t keep, but he had to give her a truth she needed. “Here’s something important you have to heed. If you’re with an Alpha to regen, always use your Air to detect their intent. There are those who wouldn’t hesitate to steal your power.”
“Is this the Alpha version of ‘the talk’?”
He gave her the scowl that garnered Natura attention. “I’m serious. I know someone who’s been power
-raped, and they’ve never fully recouped their energy.”
“I hear you. Kazumi’s warned me too. There’s only one Alpha I’m regenning with, and I trust him.” She gently poked him. “Have a little faith in me, okay? I’ll be fine tomorrow because you’ll be there. I never worry about my safety when I’m with you. I don’t worry about anything, actually.”
His worst fears tumbled up and out of him.
“I worry about losing you. All the time. My nightmare is something happening, and either I’m not there, or there’s too many of them, and I can’t fight them off.”
Her soft expression sobered. “What can I do to make you not worry so much?”
“Kick my ass.” Power was the one thing he did exceedingly well. “When you can level me, and I can’t get up, I’ll feel somewhat better.”
Only when she was strong enough, when his Fire submitted to hers, would he attempt to relax. He scoffed at himself. Who was he kidding? He’d never not worry about her.
A laugh bubbled up, the sound vibrating through their clasped fingers. “Sounds like a Natura smackdown. I’ll need a cool stage name.”
Great. “I’m not joking.”
She had to understand so she wouldn’t learn the hard way.
“Hey.” She pulled away and tapped his chin. “When it comes to regenning, I have no idea what I’m doing. You’re set to give me a feast of energy, and I might give you a cornflake in return.”
“I like cornflakes.” Oh, yeah. Cereal sexy talk. One more sex foul, and she’d toss his ass out of the game.
She toyed with the chain that held his father’s rings.
“The only worrying I want is your skin sliding slick against me, your mouth learning mine, and you straining and driving inside me so I can give you something I don’t want to give anyone else.”
The words wouldn’t come, not sweet ones, but he could give her his dream of a true regeneration, a new ultimate fantasy he’d had to craft with candles and an apartment-sized fireplace.
“There’s a slab of stone in a cave I know.” He slipped his arms around her, his hands low on her back, his chin resting softly in her hair. “The surface is smooth, buffed to a gentle curve by centuries of use. Branches and sticks and leaves litter the floor, with a narrow path to the altar. I would lead you there.” He leaned away, bending so their eyes met. “I’d lay you down and light the kindling around us. We’d breathe smoke and stir the flames to rise and lick over us, burn and whip the world around us, and join our elemental bodies until you needed no more. I would feed you all that I have and give you all that I am.”
The Call of Fire: A Natura Elementals Novel Page 25
