“Mate,” my voice cracked. I had to help her. I knew she heard and recognized my voice, but judging by her condition, had nothing left to give me. No words, no acknowledgments. She was easy to lift. Then again, she had been easy to lift before. I handed her to Drew and when she cried out in pain, I almost killed him, but I didn’t. He was lucky.
Now, I didn’t know how to help her besides give her water and food. Her ankle would be okay. Jeff was a distance from us, and it would take too much energy for him to heal her from his location. We would just have to move her closer to him.
Drew returned with two full water bottles. We’d both finished our water hours before.
We found her, I told my brothers. Jeff head toward the forest center. You do not have to come in. She is injured and will need your help. It’s an ankle.
I can handle an ankle just fine. I’ll meet you there, Jeff said back.
It’s not just the ankle, but hopefully we’ll have the dehydration worked out by the time we meet you.
Let me know if you need me to come farther to you. I don’t mind.
Thank you. I tried pouring some water into my mate’s mouth. She choked on it at first, but then started swallowing. I didn’t know when she had eaten or drank last, and I didn’t want to overdo it, so I only gave her a little.
“All right, let’s go,” I told Drew as I picked her up. Besides the injuries from her fall, she looked to be in good shape, but I cradled her gently in my arms.
“How are you?” Drew asked me before we left. I really had not fooled him pretending that I was doing okay.
“Now, I’m better.” I meant it. Something about having her back in my arms calmed me and it felt so right.
We stopped every twenty minutes to give my mate more water. By evening she looked a bit better. We stopped for the night before the forest center. Like before, I did not want to take my mate through there in the dark. Vampires and demons could see a lot better in the dark than I could. It was better to wait. I didn’t know if they would still hold true to our deal to let us pass through the forest unhindered since this was our second time through. If not, I wanted light.
I found a tree to rest against. I wouldn’t sleep. I couldn’t. Not when I needed to protect her. Drew fell asleep quickly. His main job was the protection of my mate and I during the day since I carried her. My power and I could protect her at night even with the limited range that I had. I continued to give her water. She rarely choked anymore. We had filled the water bottles once after we started out from the pit we found her in. I didn’t know when she would wake up, but I hoped it would be soon.
Luck was with me. A few hours after stopping, she stirred. I could see her eyes flutter open, but knew she would not see me.
“Carmon?” she asked weakly.
“It’s me, Love,” I responded. The affectionate name slipped out unintentionally. What to call my mate had been one of the items I had been focusing on during my search to keep my mind from shutting down from worry. Jonas called his wife Dear all the time. I had heard others call their spouses pet names, and I wondered what I could call the woman who had broken into my heart without my knowing it. I decided on naming her after my kindest aunt. The one who had tried to help me understand what a relationship with a mate could be like. I had ignored her then, and for so long.
“I thought it was a dream. Your voice,” she whispered. I doubted she had the strength to talk louder. “But it may still be a dream. The Carmon I know would never be so kind to me.”
My heart broke all over again and I squeezed my fists together as I held her. “I’m sorry,” I whispered against her hair. Her breathing slowed again. She was asleep, and she stayed that way the rest of the night.
The next day we made our way into the forest center. We hurried as best we could. It was easier with just the three of us. Even carrying my mate, we could move faster than we had with so many people. We lengthened her water breaks from twenty minutes to thirty to get us through the center just a little faster.
By the afternoon, we had traveled most of the way through. I was beginning to think we had managed to make it without a challenge, but I was wrong. I didn’t even remember his name once the challenge was over. It was easy. I was angry because my mate was weak, and she was being held in another man’s arms. Even if those arms belonged to my brother, I still hated it. She should have been in my arms.
The demon challenger threw her condition in my face, saying that if I was a good mate, she would be walking. I walked away uninjured, and he didn’t walk away at all. Drew released my mate back into my arms when I knew I was in control of myself. I couldn’t let her get hurt because I was so angry.
We didn’t stop that night like we had the night before. We needed to leave the center. I couldn’t do another challenge. I would not let anyone hold my mate again until she had awoken. I was nervous that she hadn’t since the previous night. I hoped Jeff had answers.
We met Jeff the next morning. He fixed her ankle quickly and told me to be patient. She would wake up when she was ready. She did, too. Mid-morning brought the beautiful brown of my mate’s eyes into view.
“Hello, Beautiful.” I smiled at her.
“Who are you, and what have you done with my mate?” she croaked.
“Oh, Love, I’m so sorry.”
“Really. What happened to you?”
“I lost you, and for days I couldn’t find you. I found I missed you,” I admitted. “I’m not perfect by any definition, but I’m willing to try to become the man you need.”
She gave me a small smile and placed her hand on my chest. “Thank you for coming for me. I knew you would.”
“How? How did you know I would find you?” I asked in disbelief, eyebrows scrunching together.
“You would never let your mission fail.” I had told her so many times that she was only a mission to me. It had been true, but now that she meant more to me than anything or anyone else, she felt less.
“It was more than that, Love,” I told her as we walked along. I had slowed so I could talk to her and give her more of my attention. My brothers gave us space for privacy. I was grateful. I knew they could still hear, but they did what they could.
“My family? Where are they? Are they safe?”
“Yes, your family is well.” I had made sure that Adam told her family right away that she was found. I would need to update him on her condition soon. For now, I wanted my attention on her alone. “Are you thirsty, Sylee?”
“A little, but mostly hungry.”
I stopped, set her down by a tree, and grabbed a banana from her new bag. It had to have been given to her by Bard because the banana was still fresh. Only Bard could do that in this forest. I peeled it for her and held it as she took a bite and chewed. It took some time for her to finish the fruit, but I didn’t mind. She was safe, whole, and eating.
“Thank you,” she said after I’d given her more water.
“I have a lot to make up for, Love.” I ran my hand through her hair like I had wanted to do since the first time I had, the morning after the challenges. It was wonderful, just like before. If only I had given into the urge more often. Maybe she wouldn’t be hurt now. I hadn’t been ready for more than the one time. I hadn’t yet known what my life would be like without her, how much I would truly miss her.
“You’re off to a good start,” she smiled at me. “I’m going to go back to sleep now.”
“She’ll be okay,” Jeff said from behind me. I nodded. I couldn’t speak. My emotions were too close to the surface, and trying to push them down didn’t work. They needed a release, and soon I felt what my mate had after my challenges. The tears came and I couldn’t contain them. My shoulders shook violently and I buried my face in my hands. I hoped my brothers wouldn’t stay to witness me fall apart, but when Jeff wrapped his arms around me, I was thankful he hadn’t left. There was no judgement from him, just love. It was probably made easier by him being a Love elemental. He let me stay in his arms as long as
I needed, and I didn’t force the emotions away this time, but made sure to feel each one. Anger, fear, worry, relief, and unbelievable amounts of guilt.
When I had cried myself out, I felt lighter than I had in years. I thought I would feel judged by my brothers, but when I looked at them, there was nothing but concern. Even Drew, who was the most callous of my brothers, did not make fun of me for what I’d done.
“Are you ready to keep going?” Drew asked.
“Yeah,” I replied, wiping my eyes.
“We’re a half day from the edge of the forest. We won’t make it to Cambria before nightfall. We might as well rest at the forest’s edge and leave for Cambria in the morning,” Drew suggested. I nodded. After Adam, Drew was in charge if I couldn’t lead, and at the moment, I didn’t want to.
“Let’s do it.” I stood and bent to pick up my mate, but before I did, I pressed a light kiss to her forehead. It left me wanting more. Maybe she would let me kiss her lips soon? After they were back to being smooth and hydrated, though.
We took our time walking. We weren’t in a rush anymore. Talking made time pass faster. Neither mentioned my breakdown earlier, for which I was grateful. The others agreed that Bard had something to do with my mate’s disappearance, but none of us thought he had anything to do with the vampire trap. We spent time speculating on how the Harbor Witch from the forest knew us. That was a short conversation because we were all just as lost as the next brother.
Sylee woke more often, but didn’t stay awake long. Our conversations were short, and most of her time was spent drinking and eating. I helped her each time and found I enjoyed it. Her color was improving as well. She didn’t trust me yet. The way she talked, I felt she was preparing for me to growl at her again, but it wouldn’t happen. She would never feel my wrath like that again. Others would, but never her. I vowed to spend the rest of my life earning her trust, but hoped it wouldn’t take that long.
We reached the forest’s edge at dusk. Chris met us after finding the perfect spot for us to stay the night. His lightning was a good fire starter when we didn’t have Adam around.
Sylee still slept and I pulled her onto my lap. Jeff helped me cover her with a blanket, and I leaned back against a tree to rest. My intention was to stay awake and keep watch with my power, but when I grew warm, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was holding my world, and she was safe. My eyes closed after a few minutes and they didn’t reopen for a long time.
I slept peacefully all night. When I awoke the next morning, the sun was rising. I looked down at my mate and found my shirt grasped in her hand. I couldn’t stop myself from placing a kiss on the top of her head. She stirred and her hand let go of my shirt. Not what I had hoped for, but her hand didn’t move from my chest and its warmth penetrated my shirt making me feel emotions I was still unaccustomed to. She quieted and remained asleep.
“You two ready to go?” Chris asked me a little while later. I had spent the time studying my beautiful mate. If we were to have children, our daughters would be lucky if they had half the beauty their mother had. How could I not let myself see it before?
“We’re ready. When she wakes, I’ll help her eat again, but I don’t want to wake her up before she’s ready.”
We headed out of the forest and into the fields that lay between Bard’s Forest and Cambria. We made it to the city just after noon. Sylee had woken just before we reached the city and insisted she could walk. She didn’t want to appear weak anymore. I thought she was anything but weak after what she had gone through, but she didn’t believe me when I told her.
My stubborn mate didn’t make it far without help. She did not object when I put my arm around her waist to lend her support. We walked a lot slower after that, but I wasn’t in a hurry. If my brothers were impatient, they hid it well. Eventually, we did make it into the city and to the hotel Adam said they were staying at. I had kept Adam up to date on our progress, but had him withhold the information from the Hamilton’s so they wouldn’t insist on meeting us in the lobby.
We found the rooms Adam had reserved for us on the second floor. He had booked two more rooms that morning when he knew we would make it into Cambria today. After Chris knocked on the door Adam said belonged to the Governor and Ruby, we waited. Governor Hamilton opened it less than a minute later. Ruby was directly behind him.
“Sylee!” Ruby pushed past her husband and wrapped her oldest daughter in a hug. I backed up as Jonas moved to put his arms around both women. When they pulled back, all three had tears in their eyes.
“What happened?” Jonas asked Sylee with concern.
“Let’s go into the room and she can explain it to everyone. We haven’t heard the story yet either,” I advised. They followed my directions, and Sylee was pulled away from me and deposited in front of her siblings so they could say their hello’s as well. I missed her presence immediately. Sylee hugged all her siblings. “Let her sit, please. She needs rest.”
Ruby helped Sylee sit at the head of one of the beds with pillows tucked around her. My little mate put up a fuss, but followed every direction her mother gave. When Ruby was done, Sylee looked up at me. With everyone around, I didn’t know how comfortable I was showing affection. I wanted it, but I frowned when I remembered I didn’t deserve it. If I were Jonas, I wouldn’t want me near her after the way I had treated her. She gave me a small, shy smile and patted the space next to her. I took a sharp breath in. I couldn’t believe she wanted me there beside her when she could have any member of her family fill that spot.
I couldn’t refuse her request, so I kicked off my shoes and crawled on the bed with her. I could see the shock on most of her family member’s faces. Before Sylee began her story, she asked the room at large, “Does anyone have any chocolate?”
“Where’s my bag?” I asked Adam. I had left it with him when I went in search of Sylee. I hadn’t thought I would be gone as long as I was. Thankfully, we’d had Drew’s bag with us. Chris, Adam, and Dalton all wore shocked expressions, and it took Adam a moment to move. When he did, he got the requested bag and brought it to me on the bed. Drew and Jeff knew the changes I’d been going through the past few days, so they were not shocked one bit when I pulled my beloved chocolate bar from my bag, opened it, and gave it to my mate.
Sylee took a bite, and after chewing, gave a moan of pleasure from the chocolate flavor on her tongue. There was a bit of melted chocolate at the corner of her mouth and I wanted so badly to help her remove it with my mouth. Instead, I settled for my thumb. She blushed when I ran my thumb over her lips, then she hid her face in my shoulder.
“What is wrong with her?” Archer asked in disbelief. I couldn’t blame him for his reaction. It was understandable. I still didn’t like the guy, but I would try to be more patient with him for his sister’s sake. I knew he wanted to protect her, but she was now safe from me, the old me.
“There’s nothing wrong with me, Archer.” Sylee pulled away from my shoulder. “Please, I’m tired. I just want to tell the story and then go to sleep.” She relaxed into me and my arm went around her so she could snuggle closer if she wanted to. She did and my heart thrilled.
When she started her tale, she looked into my eyes. “I didn’t mean to leave. It wasn’t my choice.”
“Bard.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it was him. He somehow took me back to his house. I had only said in my mind that I wished he was around to talk to. After learning about your job, I was terribly confused about us, and I needed an ear that understood you to listen. I didn’t expect to be kidnapped. He fed me dinner and sent me to bed. He gave me no helpful information about you, so I thought it was a waste. The next morning, I found a note that said he had to leave and I should start heading back to you guys on my own.
“I walked for a couple of days, and I wasn’t paying as close of attention as I should have and fell in that vampire trap. I knew you would find me. I just hoped I’d still be alive when you did. When those vampires showed up, I should have been scared, but I
wasn’t. I was too out of it, and I didn’t want to die slowly like I was. Then I heard your voice, and I knew I was safe.”
Tears had started down her cheeks near the end of her short story, and as she finished, I pulled her onto my lap where she cried harder. I rubbed her back and kept telling her she was safe. I hoped it would help her feel better. A few minutes later, she pushed away from me and her eyes looked into mine.
“How did you find me?”
“Drew and I ran into a fairy and her gnome boyfriend in the forest center. They had found you sometime after you fell, and were searching for help.”
“You don’t happen to have more chocolate, do you?” she asked me.
“No, Love, I don’t. I can go get you some, though.”
“Maybe later. For now, I just want to sleep.” She leaned against me again. In seconds, she was asleep with her hand again on my chest. My overinflated ego wanted to purr.
“What did you call her?” Archer asked with irritation. I ignored him like I normally did.
“Your room is just down the hall,” Adam said. After reaching into a pocket he gave me a small envelope. “These are the keys. I’ll go get her more chocolate so you can rest as well. If I were you, I’d take a few minutes to clean up. You look terrible.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I probably did look terrible, and in truth, I felt like I had been tromping through a forest for months instead of days.
“Here,” Jeff said, holding his hand out. “Let me take the key and open the door for you. Your hands are going to be full.”
“You’re going to let him be alone with her?” Archer stepped in Jeff’s way.
“Yes, Archer. She is his mate. They can be in a room alone together,” Jeff replied calmly.
“I know that, but you’re still going to let him after he has been so rude to her?” Archer stood his ground.
Life and Water: The Elementals: Book One Page 12
