“What is he planning to do?” Carmon asked, leaning forward. He seemed to get past his shock when Nathaniel said Manuel had an evil plan.
“You have been taught about the Mindolin?” Nathaniel asked.
“I think I want to rewind time, and go back to that easy witch job before this one,” Chris groaned, sliding down the wall he was leaning against. “No offense Nathaniel.”
“What’s the Mindolin?” Archer asked.
“A creature that is so evil and powerful, that if he is ever released from the prison the elementals put him in eons ago, it would mean the end of the world.” Nathaniel’s voice was a little too calm.
“Why would this Warlock want to release the Mindolin?” Archer wondered aloud.
“He thinks he can control it, but he cannot. The only ones who could come close to that were the elementals, and it was a struggle for them to imprison him the first time. I do not think they would be able to do it again,” Nathaniel answered.
“We have to stop him.” Carmon looked at Nathaniel.
Nathaniel nodded his head in agreement. “Yes.”
“How was my family a trap?” I asked, confused on how we fit into all of this craziness.
“No one has been able to figure out why the witches were attacking your family. Like I said earlier, there’s really no power difference between your family and another governor’s family. Why keep coming after you? A question we still don’t have an answer for, unless it was random and we’re not going to get an answer if that’s the case.” Carmon looked at me. “The number of witches they sent after us, the ones that drove us into the forest, were way more witches than was needed to take down your family, and the attacks on you got the council to send us to bring you in. The witches effectively had us assigned a mission that they orchestrated. They just did not count on us being willing to go into the forest. They probably thought we would stand and fight. We would be easy to beat with so many people to defend.”
“Where are the rest of those witches now?”
“Regrouping most likely,” Nathaniel proposed. “They will try something else soon since the demons did not kill him.”
We all knew who the “him” was. I laid my hand on Carmon’s arm, but he pulled away from me. I was confused, but maybe it was a reaction from his life of never needing support and love. I wanted to be there by his side when he needed me.
“Sylee, go with Archer and your father to your parent’s room,” Carmon ordered me. His voice was hard, and when he looked at me, his eyes were as cold and frozen as the pond in my parent’s yard in winter. I could not believe he was sending me away after I told him not to. Did I mean so little to him that he did not think he needed me?
“Cal,” I whispered, hoping the use of his nickname would soften him. It didn’t.
“Go. Now,” he growled at me. “Jonas, Archer, get her out of here.”
“No!” I climbed off the bed. How dare he! I was livid. I told him not to make me leave. He had said he understood. He lied to me!
“Sylee,” my father gestured me to go to him. I was no longer a child. My mate had even confirmed that.
“No, he is my mate. I should be here!” I turned to Carmon. “I am your family! Let me help!”
He was standing on the other side of the bed. His eyes were like stone, unfeeling and cold, and I could feel angry tears rolling down my face as my body shook with rage. That made me even more angry.
“Go.” Carmon’s voice was so cold, it was almost frigid.
I walked around the bed, and when I got in front of him, I did what I had wanted to do since I first met him. I slapped him. He did not even stop me this time, or flinch when my hand connected. Sadly, I did not have the pleasure I always thought I would. I realized my heart ached at what I had done, but it hurt worse at my mate’s betrayal. He was kicking me out when I needed to be with him the most, and he was doing it the most painful way possible. He was distancing himself and treating me as badly as he had in the forest. No, this time it was way worse. He knew I had fallen for him.
I could not take being in the same room with him any longer. I turned and left.
I walked, and walked. I didn’t know for how long. I heard my father calling to me as I walked past he and mom’s hotel room, but I didn’t turn or respond. I heard him tell Archer that I would be back when I was ready.
Finding myself outside, I wandered the main street of Cambria. I was numb. Then, I noticed all the shops around us, and the memories of the laughter and fun from our date came back, and the tears started again. I kept walking, but my feet started dragging. I was growing so tired. I needed to make my way back to the hotel, but what was the point? He didn’t want me anymore. I was exhausted now, so I found a bench and laid down on it. Sleep was a welcome friend.
******
I did not wake up on the bench. I did not wake up in a bed. I did not wake up with my family or mate around. I did, however, wake up on the ground. Stinking dirt bed again! Where had I walked off to now?
“Ah, you are awake. Very nice,” a creepy voice greeted me.
I turned my head toward it, and found I was surrounded by three men. They were wearing Harbor Witch robes like Nathaniel.
“How far do you think he will go to get her back?” Creepy smiled.
What had I done? If Carmon died now it would be all my fault. I rolled back over and let my guilt and shame wash over me. He had done so much to protect me. Each time he had suffered, and I got away without harm. This time, I hoped he would let me suffer the consequences, but I knew he wouldn’t. He had a job that needed doing, and I was a duty. He would find me.
Chapter Eleven
Carmon
I was dying. My soul was ripping itself to pieces. Why couldn’t she beat on me like she had in the forest when she had found out about the bond? I deserved that more than one single slap across the face. Not that I didn’t deserve that too. I would never come back from this. She would never trust me again, and it was all to protect her. Would she one day be able to see that? I would give up everything for her to be safe, even her.
I couldn’t move after she left. My breathing was labored, and I wished I could stop breathing entirely. My brothers and Nathaniel all remained silent and watched me warily. I knew they were all expecting me to destroy another table and chair set, but I was not angry. I had treated her like I was angry, but I wasn’t. I was in so much pain, but it was not the type that Jeff could heal. This pain would never go away. It would fade over time, but it would never pass. I would carry it forever. I was a monster, and I deserved pain.
“We need to stop the Warlock,” I finally pulled myself together enough to say.
We spent hours putting a plan together that would most likely fail, but we had to try to stop him. I had not wanted my mate here for this. I knew she wanted to be an extractor, and one day would have to face gruesome things like we were planning, but this plan was set to fail. If she were here, she would insist on coming, and I would not have her anywhere near when the plan went south. Plus, it was better if people thought I did not want her. They would be less likely to hurt her to get to me.
Dalton had joined us, and Nathaniel had put a house arrest spell on the Hamilton’s room to keep them all inside and protected.
The sun was setting when we finished our plans, and we were about to head out. That was when I felt the pull. Not now, I thought. The pull happened before an elemental pulled you into a vision to have a discussion. Your body remained in the same position it was left in, and your eyes glazed over. You looked dazed, and if you were lucky to be with your brothers, they would know what was happening to you.
I got out the word, “Pull”, before I was home, well, the place I spent the first few years of my life. It was the home of all elementals. Standing before me was Life.
“You know about the Mindolin?” I asked her, getting down to business. That was why she was there, right?
“That is no longer your first concern, Carmon,” Life replied, her exp
ression was grim.
“What? Why? Shouldn’t it be our only concern?”
“Your mate is in danger, Nephew. She is not in the hotel room with her family. You must find her, or the Warlock will use her against you. He will kill her if she reaches him, and you will need her.”
“How do I find her?” I could not lose her again. I was failing as a mate. She deserved better.
“Listen to the bond,” was her reply before I found myself back in my body. I sagged to the floor, gasping for air from the news and the effects of the pull. My mate was taken because of me. I would bring her back. I had to. Then I would take care of the Warlock. Did I have enough time for both? I could not take all my brothers. The rest of the Hamilton’s needed our protection.
Nathaniel stood over me. “Carmon?”
“Sylee is in trouble. It’s my fault. I thought I was protecting her by making her leave, but I pushed her into more trouble. I have to go save her.” I peered up at the men surrounding me. I hoped they understood, but I was uncertain what they would decide on. Would they come with me? Their fates hung in the balance too, and I could not make this decision for them. If they wanted to come with me, it needed to be by their choice alone.
“Carmon, we know she means the world to you,” Adam stated matter of factly. “Let’s go get her.”
Chris grinned. “You know, Cal, she means a lot to us too. She’s a great little sister.”
“Thank you.” I stood from the floor. My heart swelled with gratitude that they were willing to help me.
“I’m going to stay behind with Dalton,” Adam told me. “You take the others. Come back when you find her. We need to get the Hamilton’s to Mount Pickett. That should have been our first order of business, but we were too focused on our bigger problems. Now, we need to clean up the mistake we all made.”
I looked to Nathaniel, “Do we have time for all this?”
“Yes, I believe so, and since Life told you to rescue her, we do not have a choice. Our only trouble will be keeping you safe.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can keep myself safe. Everyone else just needs to focus on my mate, and her family. If anything happens to them, it will kill her.”
“Let’s be going then,” Nathaniel said, leading the way out of the room.
“Where are we going, anyway?” Chris asked as we left the hotel.
I turned to Nathaniel. “Where is the Warlock located?”
“Northeast. Though, like I told you in our planning session, no one, but Harbor Witches knows the exact location.”
“Well, for now we head northeast then.” I headed toward a car rental I had observed when we first entered the city. I was not walking to her this time. Not if I could drive. My gut told me she was in the mountains north of the city, and it was a two-hour drive to them from Cambria. When we got to the mountains we would have to walk again, but until then, I would drive.
Procuring a rental car went quickly after letting Drew talk to the manager. I almost thought there was an earthquake with how much the man was shaking. It would have been comical if I was the same man as before meeting Sylee and wasn’t desperately trying to find my mate.
Nathaniel insisted on driving. He said I was too emotional to do it, so I sat in the front next to him. I had to hand it to Nathaniel, he had a lot of patience with me. My leg bounced the entire trip, and the dashboard and door took a beating.
“They won’t hurt her. They want you dead, not your mate. They will keep her unharmed until they have you,” Nathaniel tried reassuring me, but it only helped a little. It was still the longest two hours of my life where I could do nothing but sit.
Jeff had attempted to put me to sleep at the beginning of the drive, but when I felt him start, I almost took his head off. I needed to locate her part of the bond. Aunt Mercy had told me I should be able to sense the bond, but I could not. We hadn’t completed the bonding act yet, so I was sure Aunt Mercy must be confused. If we had, I would know exactly where she was by now. Maybe when I was closer I would feel it. Though, distance had not helped me in the forest when she was lost.
Finally, we arrived at a parking lot at the head of a hiking trail. There was a black SUV parked in a corner of the lot. The car radiated magic, and when we climbed out of the vehicle, I finally felt it, the bond. It was a distance away, but I would find her, and those who took her would pay the price for angering me, and taking what was mine.
“Commander,” Nathaniel said sternly when I headed toward the trail. I looked over at him. At the same time I released a growl, showing my impatience. Nathaniel held up both hands in a surrendering motion to placate me. “Let me lead the way. I recognize all but one of these magic strains. One is the witch who tampered with your element back at the hotel when the demons attacked. I do not doubt he will try to do it again.”
My eyebrows rose in an unasked question. Nathaniel knew the answer. “Yes, the demons had help from my kind. How else could they have tricked you?”
I let Nathaniel lead the way. I didn’t know why I was putting so much trust in a man I didn’t know at all, and who had tried to kill me years ago. I had not put this much faith in my mate, and that thought hurt me more. I would find her. I would save her. Then I would tell her how I felt. I had finally figured it out myself.
We walked for hours, and when the sun came up we were still walking, but so was she. The bond was moving, and we were not gaining any footing. We weren’t losing any, though, so that was a slight consolation. We did not stop walking all day. The stops my mate made were minimal, and I knew she wasn’t walking herself. She could not keep this pace for so long without a longer rest. I worried for her, but kept Nathaniel’s words in my mind. They wouldn’t hurt her until they had me, and if I needed to trade my life for hers, I would do it.
As darkness fell, the bond slowed its pace. They were stopping for the night again. We came to a fork in the road. Nathaniel glanced at me, and I indicated the left track. He followed my direction without question.
We were two miles from my mate when Nathaniel stopped us, “We need a plan now, or at least a general overview. I know you boys are good at making things up on the spot, but I have not done this with you before, and I do not have the mental link you share. I do not want to be in your way, but I also need to be present.”
“I’m going to hand myself over to them.” It seemed the safest option for my mate. I could not control the amount of power flooding out of me. There was too much to contain it. When we drew closer, they would know where we were. It was why Chris had to flood his power when we went after the last Harbor Witch. Mostly, it was my Life element. It was never designed to be hidden, but revered.
“I think these guys are too smart to fall for our power flooding trick.” Chris’s thoughts mirrored my own. “They are all AA witches, and their power feels old, very old.”
Nathaniel affirmed Chris’s statement. “They won’t fall for it, and Cal, you are not turning yourself in. I’m going to give you to them in exchange for your mate.”
“That will work?” I couldn’t believe it would.
“I do not take jobs against humans anymore because of my experience with you boys, but I do not mind doing jobs that involve other races, even my own at times. However, a man like myself still needs blood to be powerful. Your mate’s blood is not only a nice power level for me, but she is young, so it’s sweet as well. They will not blink an eye at me.” Nathaniel’s smirk was confident and sinister.
I shrugged. “Okay, then. My brothers can come in when you are in possession of my mate. Do not,” I turned to my brothers, “come early. I will let you know when she is safe, if I can.”
Their agreement came through our links.
“I am going to put a magical restraint on you, Cal. It will not feel nice,” Nathaniel warned.
“Do what you need,” The words had no more than left my lips when I collapsed. Nathaniel was strong, and his restraint was almost strong enough for me not to be able to break it at full power, but he ha
d drained my strength as well. He was good, and for some reason I was still trusting him.
“You will be little help to us out there, Cal, but to pull this off I need you weakened,” Nathaniel said. I could not talk to respond. The restraint had also gagged me.
My body lifted off the ground via magic. I kept my eyes closed, and relaxed. I would need my strength later.
Nathiel walked a long time, with me close beside him, before I heard, “Hold up.”
“Bruce, it’s nice to see you again,” Nathaniel called to the voice. By his tone, I knew this meeting was anything but nice.
“Turnclaw, what are you doing here?” Bruce asked with an air of annoyance.
“As you can see, I have some business to conduct.”
“How did you capture him?” Bruce asked in shock.
“None of your business,” Nathaniel snapped, putting the curious witch in his place. “Now, I am assuming Kade is here. You do still work for him, do you not?”
“He’s here. Follow me.”
We walked farther. This time, Nathaniel was not as careful with guiding me as before. I hit several large rocks, and was even dragged on the ground for a short distance. I released a few grunts when my body would hit a hindrance, and each time Nathaniel told me to “shut up.”
A crackling fire reached my ears before we entered their campsite. I could tell there were three men around the fire from the different magics around me. I opened my eyes. My mate sat next to a pile of rocks, away from the fire. She was awake, and her eyes were wide with fear. It was not fear for herself, but for me.
“Nathaniel Turnclaw. How are you, old friend?” a feral voice asked.
“Kade, friend, I am very well, thank you.” Nathaniel’s response was cordial when greeting the other witch.
“How did you get him?”
Nathaniel pointed at my mate. “He was on his way here, for her.”
“That was my plan. I am glad it worked, but I am not happy it worked so well for you, too,” Kade said in a fake pleasant tone.
Life and Water: The Elementals: Book One Page 17
