EarthBorn (The Elemental Born Book 1)

by Reders, E. M

  I’d gotten up to find the place empty but for Grace singing happily in the kitchen. Everyone else had gone out to finish preparing for the ritual. They wouldn't be there for it, but there were still plenty of things that needed doing before I could leave for the Circle in a few hours. We wanted to get there early so we could go over the spell one last time before the men arrived. I was terrified, not wanting anything to do with what I knew had to happen tonight, but I was glad for the distraction.

  All night my dreams had been filled with images of Ethan. Of The past, the future we may have had if I had never been cursed with the powers I held. Because that's what they were… a curse.

  "Did you hear anything I just said?" Grace’s fingers snapped in front of my face as I sat staring into nothing at the breakfast bar.

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “I said, I think it would be best if you kept your head covered with your cloak while you do the spell tonight. I don't want everyone to see who you are, only your chosen protector and his family, pack or coven. They will need to know of the danger you are in too, and the importance of keeping you safe. I don't think any of those coming tonight would betray us, but I think it's best to stay on the side of caution… just in case.”

  “Okay.”

  How about we just didn't do it? Surely that would be the most cautious route to take.

  As if reading my mind, she sighed, turning to face me. “Kaia, this really is the best option we have. Finding your protector will give you the best chance of survival. You'll see. When you meet your match, everything will fall into place.”

  Somehow I doubted that. I had a feeling that tonight would be one of the worse nights of my life.

  ~

  Stepping out of the car, my heart began to pound in my chest as Grace and I made our way up the path to the Circle. Normally Grace would have brought us straight here by magic, but with all the extra protection spells that had been placed around here, even she wouldn't have been able to get us anywhere close enough.

  The lads had done a great job clearing the place, the path leading through the wood to the Circle was clear of brambles and now wide enough that no one would have to move in single file. As the path ended, we stepped out into the now wide open space. It looked so different. Before it had been a field of wildflowers, the top of the four rocks sticking up slightly above the tall flora, but now the whole space had been cleared and transformed into a rolling meadow with the element stones standing proudly in the centre. How many people were we expecting tonight? Surely they had gone a little overboard.

  “We have just two hours before the ritual, so I would say that gives us an hour before anyone shows up. So, let's get started.”

  One final time we went over the incantation and then we set the offerings before each of the four stones. It was customary before a ritual was performed at the Circle for offerings to be set before the four stones, one for each Elemental. “It's kind of strange placing an offering to myself.” I laughed as I arranged cut flowers and gemstones before the Earth stone.

  “Don't think as it as an offering to yourself. Think of it as an offering to those that have come before you, and prey that they guide you in the tests that are to come.”

  Nodding, I carried on, spending more time on the Earth alter than any of the others. When we were done, I had just a few more minutes to get ready before the first guests arrived. Stripping quickly, I passed my clothes to Grace, who folded them neatly, placing them in a small holdall I had packed earlier in the day to take with me after the ritual, wherever that may be. Handing me the long full-length robe, I fastened it around myself, shivering from the cool evening air as the sun began to sink over the horizon. By the time everyone would have arrived the Circle would be in complete darkness if not for the moon.

  “Underwear, Kaia,” Grace said, holding her hand out waiting for me to give her the one item of clothing I had yet to remove. Reluctantly I removed them, sliding them down my legs and kicking them up from the ground for her to catch. “Don’t give me that look,” she said when she caught the face I was pulling. This really was the worst experience of my life. “At least you have a cloak, that’s more than anyone else has ever gotten.”

  “I know, but even with it on I feel so exposed.”

  “You’ll be fine. Now let’s fix this hood and get your face concealed before anyone gets here.”

  Five minutes later my face was completely hidden by the hood and Grace had placed a concealment charm on it just to make sure that anyone whose eyes were especially good in darkness – the Were’s for example – wouldn’t be able to see my face either.

  Pulling me into a fierce hug, she asked, “You ready for this?”

  “Not especially,” I whispered, smiling weakly.

  “Well, I do believe our guests have begun to arrive.” Indicating behind me, I turned around to look back towards the path just as the males of the Eastern Coven arrived, all looking upbeat and happy to be there. “You better begin casting the Circle. You remember everything you have to do?”

  “Yeah.” Moving away from Grace, I left her to great and welcome the men. They looked so excited, as if they wanted nothing more than to be there and have a chance to be chosen. Did they realise how lucky they would be not to be?

  ~

  Ethan

  The day didn’t start out great and it was only getting worse. First my father’s Beta, Ryan, had woken me up at stupid o’clock in the morning to tell me my father demanded that I present myself in his office within the hour. Thinking that I would make it there in plenty of time I’d decided to take a quick shower, but I wasn’t so lucky. Living in a house of this size – with the mass amount of people in it that there was – hot water was not always available. So, of course, it would be just my luck that a bunch of the females with young had decided to get up early so that they could take baths before their day of diapers and bottles commenced. After my freezing cold shower, I’d discovered that I had forgotten to put my laundry out in the hall for collection for the second week running, meaning that it took me a good fifteen minutes to find anything decent to wear. Then it took another ten minutes to track down Jane, to beg her to take pity on me and sneak it into the laundry room without her mother noticing so I wouldn’t have to wait another week to get it there. Jane’s mother was the formidable female in charge of house laundry. If you didn’t stick to the rules and have your basket out in the hall for 7 pm on a Friday night, it did not get done. I’d finally headed in the direction of my father’s office with just five minutes to spare when Chelsea stepped out into the corridor and blocked my path, a look of anger on her face.

  “Who was that in your car last night? I saw you bring Frankie home and then you ran back to your car, and I know there was someone in the passenger seat, I saw them. I asked Frankie but he was too pissed to make sense, just blabbered something about ‘an itch’ or something like that. So come on, tell me. Who was she?”

  “Who said it was a she? Could have been a guy.”

  “Yeah right.” She laughed bitterly. “I know it was a female and I'm going to find out who. She from another pack or something? Because I know none of our females would dare mess with my male.”

  Her male? My father was so right. I should have ended this thing with her years ago.

  I didn’t have time right now to deal with her. Looking down at my watch, I noticed that I was now five minutes late meeting my father.

  “Chelsea, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later,” I said as I moved past her and down the hall as quickly as I could before she tried to stop me.

  “No, we will talk now! Tell me who she is?” she screamed with rage.

  My hands clenching into fists, knuckles whitening as I tried to calm my wolf. I was a dominant male, a future Alpha. She really shouldn’t be raising her voice at me like that. If I hadn’t been late I would have turned around and put her in her place, made her submit. But I was late, and the Alpha was pissed.

  “You’re late,�
�� he snapped before I even reached the door.

  “Sorry, Alpha, I was held up.”

  “What could have been more important than a meeting with your Alpha, your father?” Ryan demanded.

  “It wasn’t more important, believe me. I just got held up.” Not liking my answer, my father sat back in his chair and waited, his calculating gaze never wavering. He wasn’t going to move on until I told him. “Chelsea cornered me on my way here. She wanted to know who I was with last night.”

  “And so, my son, do I. Ryan found Frankie passed out in the hallway in the early hours. He knew you had been with him and found that you were not here. After checking the CCTV, we saw that after you had dropped Frankie home, you and an unknown female drove off. You didn’t reappear till hours later. Do you really think that is appropriate behaviour for the future Alpha of the pack when we are attending a Wiccan ritual tonight?”

  “No, Alpha,” I said, keeping my eyes lowered to show my submission and respect. I was one of a few that was dominate enough to look my father in the eye, but when his wolf was pissed like he was now, to do so would be disrespectful.

  “So tell me, who was she?”

  There was no getting out of this. My father could smell a lie a mile away, but if I was careful, I might just get away with not telling them her name. “Just an old friend from school. Passed her in the car when we were on our way back and gave her a life home.”

  “Then why drop Frankie off first?”

  “I haven’t seen her in years. While we were talking I drove on autopilot. When we got close to her old house she realised my mistake and gave me the address of where she was staying now. So we dropped Frankie off and then I took her home.”

  As he contemplated me for a moment, I thought that he hadn’t brought it, that he saw through the holes in my story, but then, nodding in acceptance, he moved on. “Alright, I buy that, but you are to be punished along with Frankie for allowing him to get into that state. Oh, and Zak will also join you in your punishment. Inform him of that when he decides to remove him dick from its latest home and crawls back here.”

  “Yes, Alpha,” I said, fighting a smile at my father’s words.

  After a little more talk about preparations for the ritual, I was dismissed. Heading to the kitchen, I stopped get something for the headache I knew Frankie would have, then grabbed a quick bite to eat before making my way back upstairs to his room.

  It wasn’t a pretty sight. After Ryan had found him in the hallway passed out he had woken him, but Frankie had only stayed awake long enough to puke all down himself before passing out again, and, of course, no one had thought to get him cleaned up before tossing him onto his bed.

  Holding my breath so I wouldn’t be sick myself at the stench, I made my way through the room to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I went back into the hallway to grab the empty laundry basket and returned to the room to strip him of his sick covered clothes. Removing his shoes and socks was easy, the jeans were a little harder because Frankie had a thing for tight fitting jeans, but it was his top that was going to be the hardest. It was covered. Completely and utterly covered with sick. Deciding that I would rather deal with him pissed at me for destroying his favourite pulling t-shirt than having to try removing it properly, I allowed my wolf to rise to the surface a little and let my claws out, then as quick and carefully as I could, I slashed at his shirt, shredding it to pieces. He didn’t even stir. Now that he was free of his sick cover attire, left in just his boxers, I hoisted him over my shoulder and marched into the bathroom, steam rising for the showerhead over the tub and dumped him in it.

  Snapping awake as the water hit him, he began thrashing about, yelling. “Shit… Fuck….” Spotting me leaning back against the sink, a smirk on my face, he tried his best to climb out but only succeeded in sliding further into the tub, his legs kicking wildly in the air. “What the fuck man? I’m going to kill you,” he snarled.

  “You were covered in puke.”

  “So what, you thought you would drown me? Come on, dude. So not cool.”

  “No, what’s not cool is being dragged up at the crack of dawn and yelled at because Ryan found you passed out cold in the hallway.”

  A look of confusion passed over his face before his eyes widened, the night before rushing back to him. “Shit, sorry man. But hey, you’re still alive, so no worries, right?”

  “Dream on, mate, this is my father we are talking about.” Finally taking pity on him as he continued to struggle to get out of the bath, I helped him up, grasping his hand and helping him to his feet. “We’ve got to help Isaac sort out the mess in the vault. Apparently a couple of the guys complained about getting lost and not being able to find anything down there yesterday, so now my father wants it organized… and we have just been signed up to help.”

  “Fucking hell,” he groaned, stumbling to the toilet to take a piss. “Any idea who else is helping us? And please don’t say Chelsea. That girl seems to follow you everywhere. She collared me last night asking questions like the raging bitch she is.”

  “No, she will not be there. But I can’t promise she’ll not try to volunteer once she hears that I'm going to be down there. But apart from me and you, so far the only other person being forced into slavery is Zak.”

  “Ha! Serves him right for stealing my woman,” he shouted, punching his fist in the air as he completely missed his aim for the toilet. Leaving him to it, I went back into the bedroom and stripped his bed, bundling the sheets into the hamper and placing it back outside and sending a quick text to Jane.

  I don’t care what anyone says, that stuff was being collected and washed, today.

  The rest of the day was no better. Zak finally turned up around midday and was met at the door by Ryan, who ordered him straight upstairs to wash off as he put it, ‘the smell of human slut.’ Chelsea had gone off with some of the females for the day but I still couldn’t escape her, my phone seemed to be constantly beeping with texts and then voicemails every time she called and I ignored it. At one point I was tempted to reply to one of her texts and just tell her it was over, but that was a coward’s way out and I was no coward. I’d talk to her when she got back if I didn’t have that stupid ritual to attend, but they weren’t going to be back until after we left, so that was out of the question.

  As the sun began to set, all the young, unmated males of the pack gathered in the main hall to wait for the Alpha and Beta.

  Right on time my father entered with Ryan a step behind him, the noise instantly ceasing. “Tonight you are representing our pack before many of the supernatural world. I expect the best from you. Tonight one of you may find your mate, may be chosen to become the protector of a witch. If this ritual does select one of our own, then I expect every single one of you to respect her as if she has always been a member of the pack, and keep any nasty comments to yourselves. Understand?”

  “Yes, Alpha,” the whole group said as one.

  “Then let’s go.”

  Stepping out into the night air we all stripped off our clothes so as not to shred them during our shift. As soon as I was naked, I crouched down and let the wolf out, my bones cracking, body twisting until the shift was complete. The shift could be a little painful, but to be honest, most of the time, I found it a pleasurable pain. Nothing felt better than releasing my wolf after a bad day.

  Snatching up my jeans in my jaws, I took off into the woods, Frankie and Zak flanking me on either side. The forest was alive with the sounds of paws hitting the ground, howls rising in the air as everyone let go of all the tension that had been building since the announcement of the ritual had been made and let their beasts out. Allowing my wolf to take full control for just this short moment of time, I was surprised by how desperate he was to get there. Unlike everyone else he didn’t care to chase game like he normally did, he just wanted to rush ahead and get to what was his as soon as possible.

  His?

  What was with him tonight? Pulling back a little of his control I
slowed him down before he could speed past the Alpha and piss him off even more than we already had. Just as we neared the tree line, my father stopped and shifted back. Following his lead, I did the same, quickly pulling on my jeans and waiting silently as the others did too. When everyone was covered – at least, their bottom halves – we exited the forest and came out into a clearing slowly filling with males, all gathered around a circle of four very large stones.

  So this was the Wiccan Circle. I had heard about it over the years but had never seen it. It didn’t really look like much, at least not with a whole hoard of males trampling all over it, but I could feel the power of the place. The Were are magical after all, in the sense that we share our souls with an animal and can transform into that animal at will. We can also sense certain types of magic, and this place was humming with it.

  Moving forward, we took our place in the field surrounding the stones. In the centre stood a young woman with long dark hair, but when she turned to greet us I realised she wasn’t young at all. Her eyes were ancient, had seen more than her physical appearance at first led you to believe. She must be the Crone, I decided just as she moved towards my father.

  “Alpha Edwards, it's been a long time." She greeted him with a smile.

  “Yes, it has, Madam Grace. I hope you are well?”

  “Never better. Now, as you are not one of the prospects I will take you over to the other leaders.”

  “About that, why am I here? It's not normal for the Alpha to have to come to these things when he is already mated, even with my mate deceased.”

  “If one of your pack is selected then all will be revealed, otherwise, you just get a nice evening out with your pack and a chance to talk to some old friends. This way,” she said, indicating for him to follow and off she went.

  Turning towards Ryan, he said, "Keep an eye out. Something strange is happening here. I've never felt this much magic in the place before, and I've been here a time or two when there were a lot more witches present.”