Tall, Dark and Furry (The Elementals Book 1)

by Meredith Allen Conner

  “Yeah. It looks familiar but I can’t place it. The four circles are distinctive yet intertwined. Almost like a circle with four sides.”

  “Damn, your description sucks. How am I supposed to track down a circle with four sides? If it has four sides, then it wouldn’t be a circle, would it?”

  Mac ignored Cam’s grouching. He could bring Sela over to meet Cam and show him the mark but he didn’t think that would go over well with her. She liked her secrets. Something he was willing to tolerate for now. He also wasn’t willing to wait that long. Besides he had faith in his Wolven.

  “Ah, here it is,” Cam said. A long minute passed while he read. When he spoke again he didn’t sound happy. “Now, isn’t that interesting?”

  “What’s interesting?” Interesting, when applied to his mate, did not sit well with him.

  “Apparently your mate does control the power of water. What’s more she should have three sisters who control the other Elements. The reason the mark seems familiar to you is that you’ve seen it.”

  “What do you mean?” Mac asked. How could Cam know if Mac had seen the mark before or not?

  “It’s the same mark as the one in the back of our book of history.”

  No wonder Mac didn’t immediately recognize it. He hadn’t looked at a textbook since he was a pup. But why would that particular mark be a part of a book of their clan’s history?

  “Hell, Mac. We used to protect the women who carried the mark of the Elements.”

  Chapter Seven

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Maybe the stress of being the Wolven was becoming too much for Cam.

  “I’m saying that over five hundred years ago we were the official guards of the Elements, four women. The four elements were carried in the bodies of these women. Always sisters. And we protected them.”

  None of this made any sense. If they were the guardians of the Elements why were they just learning about it now?

  “The Elements went missing and we essentially lost our jobs about the same time this “Order of the Elements” came into play.” Cam said thoughtfully.

  “Why in hell don’t we know about this?” Mac yelled.

  “I don’t know, but I sure as hell intend to find out.” Cam sounded pissed. He should be. As King he was supposed to know everything about their clan. He couldn’t protect them if he didn’t have all the information necessary to do his job.

  “I’m going to go see old Tom. He lives closer than the other elders. He’ll know something.”

  Most of the oldest clan members had been killed in a vicious battle with vampires five centuries ago, including Cam and Mac’s own parents. Only a handful of elders remained.

  Mac glanced over at the clock on the wall. “It’s after three in the morning.”

  “He’ll answer my questions,” Cam stated grimly.

  Yes he would. No one denied the Wolven. Not for long.

  “Mac, I’ll need to question your mate as well,” Cam said. “We need all the information we can get.”

  “I know,” Mac answered. “I was willing to give her some time at first, but you’re right. We need information. I can’t protect her without it.” Mac glanced up at the ceiling. In his mind he saw her sleeping soundly, tucked in his bed.

  “She’s sleeping right now. I don’t want to wake her up just yet. She’s completely exhausted. How about we meet up tomorrow, or rather later this morning? Say in five or six hours?”

  “The sooner the better,” Cam urged impatiently.

  “I understand, but she needs some sleep.” Mac wouldn’t be budged. His duty to his mate came even before his duty to the clan.

  “All right,” Cam growled. “We’ll need Roc too.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Mac said. “See you in a few hours.”

  The phone clicked in Mac’s ear. Cam didn’t like goodbyes either.

  Mac slowly lowered the receiver onto the stand. His mind raced. What the fuck? His world had just exploded in the past three hours. Mac didn’t like it. Life was complicated enough for the members of his clan. They didn’t need some unknown crap from the past popping up out of the blue as well.

  Especially not when it could affect the safety of his mate.

  The receiver crumbled into small pieces of plastic and wiring. Mac opened his fist and shook off the remaining bits, grumbling under his breath.

  Damn good thing he was rich. A person could earn a lot of money when they lived for centuries.

  Speaking of which, he needed to call Kevin before he called Roc. Sela should be out for quite a while. He’d make arrangements to pay for Kevin’s newest remodel. Hmm, better place a call to have his bedroom floor repaired as well. Having a mate who controlled the element of water could get pricey.

  Damn good thing he was extremely rich.

  Mac grinned. He would cheerfully pay for any disasters left in her wake. He had his mate in his bed where she belonged.

  ****

  They’d taken her clothes again. Just like last time. The icy cold metal floor of the cage burned her skin. She wrapped her arms tightly around her frozen flesh. Every exhale a vaporous fog. So fucking cold. She hated the cold. Any minute now the door would open and the real torture would begin. The doorknob turned . . .

  Sela woke with a start. She bolted upright, fighting with the covers, frantically looking around for the MIBs. She kicked and twisted and finally managed to untangle herself from the snakelike grip of the top sheet. She flung herself backwards. She crouched, naked, back pressed tight against the headboard.

  She wasn’t in a cage, just another nightmare.

  Chest heaving, she searched every corner of the room.

  No one.

  Sela closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. She opened her eyes. Inhale. Exhale. She looked around the room again, slowly. She peered twice at every shadow.

  Still no one.

  She relaxed, slumping back. She scrubbed her hands over her face. Her hands shook. Inhale. Exhale. The trembling stopped. It was a trick she’d learned from a self-help book when the nightmares started. She knew well enough that if she didn’t regain her control now, she’d go a little crazy.

  Like spray painting a few bad words on the side of a building. Getting drunk in a park. Setting off the sprinkler system in a store.

  The self-help book claimed she was just acting-out her anxiety.

  The police used other terms, like defacing public property, public intoxication and being a public nuisance.

  Sela grinned. It all just seemed like a good idea at the time.

  She glanced around the room once again. Still no MIBs and no Mac either. Where was he? The last thing she remembered before falling asleep . . . furious heat bloomed in her cheeks. That explained her lack of clothing.

  Wow. Her first orgasm. Her entire body heated up. His fingers were amazing. Then again so was his mouth. And his smell . . . Sela picked up a pillow and breathed in. Oh yeah, his scent summed him up. Earthy, musky and all intoxicating male.

  She shivered.

  Maybe she should go find him and see about having a second orgasm. To compare it to the first. After all, with every good experiment, multiple trial periods were needed.

  Oh, Holy Hannah. Multiple.

  Sela jumped out of bed and gasped. Loudly.

  She sat gingerly down on the edge of the bed. And those had just been his fingers. Maybe the experimentation should wait. For a very long time.

  Sela shifted slightly. Okay, maybe the ache wasn’t quite that bad. Now that she knew what to expect, she could handle it. The shock of feeling tenderness in that area had thrown her for a moment.

  Which was a good thing. She needed something to shake her out of the crazy post coital aftermath. What the hell was her problem? She’d thought a little sleep would cure the odd thoughts and feelings. She’d had her stolen hours. It was time to move on. Keep on the move. Stay alive.

  The very idea made her entire body ache. She was so damn tired of runnin
g. So tired of constantly moving. What would it be like to wake up in the same bed every morning?

  Wake up with Mac?

  And there went her brain again. Maybe she hadn’t slept enough. She had trouble sleeping. Always cautious and alert for danger, she rarely relaxed enough to get more than a couple hours sleep at a time.

  Her watch on the bedside table caught her eye. Mac must have put it there after she’d fallen asleep. Sela smiled. Sweet man . . .

  Holy Hannah! She’d been asleep for almost three hours! Shit. A new unit of the MIBs could be here by now.

  She strapped her watch on. She didn’t have time to reminisce, no matter how delicious those memories might be. She had to leave. Immediately. She would not risk Mac.

  She needed to find her clothes, find an exit and use it. She spotted her clothes piled on a chair. She should go get them, put them on, find the exit . . . She slumped backwards, the desire to be with Mac floored her. For the first time in her life she seriously wanted to stay and let the cards fall where they may. To become involved with Mac, as in an actual relationship.

  Damn the MIBs to hell and back. And then back again to the deepest, darkest, fiery pits.

  They were ruthless, determined and relentless. They would not leave her alone and they didn’t care who they hurt in the process.

  Sela swiped her eyes. One orgasm and she was turning into a pansy.

  Toughen up Chickie. Life is what it is. You know the routine.

  Plus there was the question of her humanity.

  Damn it all.

  Sela frowned at the bedroom door. What was that sound? She cocked her head, straining to hear the noise again. There it was. Some sort of muffled thud.

  Sela shot to her feet. She padded quickly to the door, the wood floor cool beneath her bare feet. Quietly, cautiously, she twisted the knob and eased the door open, just enough so she could see out.

  An empty hallway.

  Sela pushed gently on the door. She held her breath then thanked the well-oiled-door-hinge gods, when the door opened silently.

  She peeked through the crack between the door and the doorframe. Nothing. She peered into the part of the hall she could see easily. Still nothing. She crept into the hall, to the edge of the open door. Gripping the doorknob with one hand for balance, she twisted around the door, punching out with her clenched fist as she did so.

  She didn’t hit anyone’s chin. Good thing too, it hurt like the dickens when she punched someone.

  Sela glanced up at the ceiling. No one.

  Some naïve people might call her paranoid, but she hadn’t made it this far in her life by being unprepared. Besides, anyone who had ever seen “Mission Impossible” knew to check the ceiling.

  The hallway was truly empty.

  Another thud and male voices.

  Oh, shit. Mac.

  Sela raced towards the voices. She skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs. The stairs were open on both sides affording anyone at the top a clear view of a large portion of the first floor.

  Sela crouched, scanning the area. A flash of movement to the right caught her eye. She thrust her arms out, palms outward.

  Funny how natural that is already.

  Mac lay on his back. Sela readied herself to drench the person attacking him. A large male body landed on top of Mac.

  Her mark began to glow. Sela focused on the power within her.

  Mac and his attacker began to blur.

  Sela shook her head and blinked a few times. Not quite awake yet.

  She opened her eyes as wide as she could until she felt her eyeballs beginning to dry. She refocused on the fight below.

  Holy Hannah. That is just weird.

  Mac and the man fighting him still blurred. Because they were moving so fast. Faster than her eyes could see. Faster than humanly possible.

  Her arms and jaw both dropped.

  Faster than humanly possible? What. The. Hell?

  Mac laughed. Her muscles immediately relaxed. Sela scowled down at her hands. A man she hadn’t known for a full day laughs and she instantly drops her guard and relaxes? Suddenly at ease and happy to know he was happy?

  “I think that one is a draw.” She couldn’t see Mac now, but his voice reached her easily.

  “A draw, my ass. You pulled my shoulder out of socket again.” That sounded like Mac’s friend from the bar. What was his name? Boulder? Stone? Ah, Roc.

  She heard a slap, a strange pop and a grunt. “There, good as new.”

  “Not bad. You up for another round?” Roc again.

  “What’s up? I’ve never known you to be so eager to fight.” A slight hint of concern vibrated in Mac’s voice now. And how did she even know him well enough to know that?

  Sela crouched slightly lower and twisted her head, but she still couldn’t see them. Their fight had taken them behind a wall.

  “I’m happy for you Mac. You know that, but. . .”

  But what? Why was he happy for Mac?

  “Yeah. Damn it to hell. But there’s still hope, especially now . . .”

  “Yeah.”

  Hope for what? Why couldn’t men communicate?

  “Come on. Best two out of three.”

  Thuds and grunts filled the air. A sharp crack signaled the demise of a piece of furniture. If these two were such good friends, why were they fighting?

  A whoop of pure joy rang out.

  Honest to the powers that be, she would never understand men. These two were enjoying beating the hell out of each other. Men did not come from Mars. They came from another planet in a completely different universe all together.

  And she was desperately going to miss this one.

  Sela paused. Was that an animal growling? It reminded her of the sounds she heard in the bar before the MIBs disappeared, right before they shot, and missed, Mac and his friends standing directly in front of them.

  Not quite human.

  Sela got to her feet and stumbled back. She tiptoed down the hall although she doubted Mac and Roc would hear her amidst their ruckus downstairs.

  The hallway blurred and she swiped angrily at her eyes.

  This sucks. I’m turning into a total pansy. My mark is finally active. I’ll never escape the MIBs. I’m probably not human. I’ve finally met the man to spark my power and he’s probably not human.

  Sela thrust her fingers into her hair and yanked. Ouch! The complicated and tumultuous thoughts quit swirling around and around.

  No time for a therapist, she needed a plan. She had stayed too long already. With the MIBs closer than they had been for years she had to keep moving or risk capture.

  I need to find clothes and then a window with a convenient tree nearby.

  Sela pushed her shoulders back. She had a focus and a plan. Not much of one. In fact, it could barely be called a plan. But it gave her something to focus on. Something familiar.

  Stomping down on the chaotic swirl of emotions, Sela cleared her thoughts and did what she had been taught all her life. Focus on survival and run like hell.

  Chapter Eight

  Mac pulled his fist out of the wall. Chunks of drywall and dust coated his hand. Blood gleamed wetly on several knuckles. A long, thick splinter protruded from between his ring and middle fingers.

  Mac yanked out the splinter.

  “Fuck,” he roared. How long had she been gone?

  Footsteps thudded on the stairs. A second later Roc burst through the bedroom door. Mac ignored him. He stalked over to his open bedroom window. The window with a large, shade tree nearby. One large branch nearly touched his window.

  Droplets of water clung to the window sill and the branch. Had she known the water would dilute her scent?

  “Your mate left? I take it you haven’t bonded yet?” Roc peered over his shoulder at the tree.

  Mac scowled at him.

  “You know, when I said get a room, I meant use it too.”

  “Just wait until you find your mate,” Mac swung a leg through the window and grabbed the
branch. “It’s not like it used to be. Hell, I don’t even know if she truly understands she is my mate.”

  Mac swung his body away from the house and jumped the two stories down to the ground. Two seconds later Roc joined him.

  “She doesn’t know?”

  Mac grunted. He leaned down, touched a small impression in the ground. She’d headed south. He took off, tracking the small signs. A broken branch, bent grass, some crumbled leaves. She hadn’t been gone long. He relaxed slightly. Damn it to hell, why had she run?

  “She isn’t part of our clan,” Mac growled at Roc. “I haven’t even told her what I am yet. Hell, I just met her” Mac checked his watch, “less than nine hours ago. I couldn’t just take her to bed . . .” Mac trailed off.

  He didn’t owe Roc any explanations. This was his mate. His.

  Mac whirled and punched a tree. The tree cracked. Bark and splinters sprayed outward. The leaves shook, rustling the air. The trunk toppled over. Its resounding thunk echoed briefly in the forest as it hit the ground.

  He should have taken her straight to bed. She responded to his touch. Hell, she burned in his hands. He should have taken advantage of that. He should have cemented their bond right away.

  When he got his hands on her again he was taking her straight to bed. He’d deal with her fears afterward. After all these years, to have found his mate just to lose her within hours . . . Mac tilted his head back and howled.

  “Take it easy man,” Roc said. “She can’t have gone far. We’ll find her soon enough. The moon’s full tonight.” Mac heard the warning.

  He looked at his hands. Sure enough, his claws were showing. He ran his tongue over his slightly extended fangs. He took a deep breath and grappled with his emotions. He stood still, breathing deeply for several moments before his claws and fangs finally retreated.

  He’d terrify Sela completely if he caught her without being in complete control. He needed to bond with her first before he told her the full truth. She might have power over water, but in her world his beast was just a mythological creature.

  Mac nodded to Roc, letting him know he’d regained his control. He lifted his head and scented the air. The sweet, ripe scent of figs teased his nostrils. He took off again.