It’s not like I was being picky, but Carmon had said he had a large bed for me to snuggle in. This was not exactly what I had been expecting. Not that the room had the space for a larger bed. It held an armoire, nightstand, and the bed. There wasn’t much space after that. The bathroom had a shower and sink. I’d been looking forward to a bath while Carmon was talking to the councilman.
Are you all right, Love? Carmon’s voice came into my mind.
I’m okay.
I’m done with my meeting with Borgman. What’s happening there?
Mom and Dad went with Adam, Chris, and Dalton into the city to do some shopping for more clothes. Isla went with them, too. Archer, Paul, Jeff, and Nathaniel are playing games on your gaming system, I answered.
And what are you doing?
Nothing, really. It was true. I just laid waiting on his bed. I was not in the mood to kill people on a gaming system. I had killed one too many people already.
Would you like to go to the library with me? I need your help. He worded that so nicely after making me leave the last time he needed me.
I would love to help you, Mate.
Good. I’m here. See you in a few seconds.
The door to the apartment opened, and the greetings from the gaming committee sounded in the next room over. Then there were boo’s and an order of, “Get to the library.” It appeared we were all taking a field trip. That was a little disappointing, but I had still been asked to go, so I wouldn’t complain.
Carmon walked into the room and saw me sitting on the bed. “I did something wrong, didn’t I?”
“I just missed you is all,” I replied, standing from the bed.
He remained in the doorway, and put his hands in his front pants pockets. “I’m sorry I left right away. Borgman needed to know we were back, and what was happening so he could tell the council. Are you sure I didn’t do something?”
“Yes, Cal,” I laughed at him. “I think I’m just a bit grumpy.”
“Would you prefer to stay here instead of going to the library?” he asked. I loved that his new goal in life was to make me happy. Mine was to make him happy as well.
“No, that’s okay. We can go,” I responded walking to him.
Carmon held out his hand for me to take. “Then let’s go.”
We left the apartment and walked hand in hand to the library. We were the recipients of many curious stares on our way. I could guess it had a lot to do with the fact Carmon could not stand women before he left on his last mission, and his less than desirable personality. People probably wondered what was wrong with the crazy girl holding his hand.
I mentioned it to Carmon, and he released my hand, which disappointed me, but then he wrapped his arm around my waist so we walked closer. My heart soared at the contact. I snaked my arm around him, and we finished our walk to the library that way.
The library at Mount Pickett was amazing. I stood gawking for a few minutes. How could one room hold so many books? Carmon smiled at me. I wiped my mouth to make sure I hadn’t drooled when my mouth was hanging open.
“I guess we have something else in common besides the job we want,” he told me.
“You like to read, too?” I asked, following him to a back corner of the room.
“Yeah. I like history. I probably don’t come off as the historian type.”
“No, Cal, you don’t.”
He was full of surprises. Reader, historian, and secret door opener. Yeah, that’s right. He opened a secret door in the library that led to another room with much older books. It smelled like old books too. In other words, it smelled amazing.
“Welcome to the Vault, Love,” Carmon said as I gazed dreamily around the room. “This room contains the oldest books the Light have in their possession. I am hoping we can find more answers in here. We have a couple of hours to look, and then Adam and Drew are going to replace us, so let’s get to work. Look for anything about all past Warlocks and the Mindolin.”
“On it, oh perfect Commander,” I saluted, and Carmon rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair. I had watched Chris often give Carmon this same reaction to an order, and thought I would tease my mate. It was wonderful teasing him. I liked it even more when he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him for a quick, passionate kiss.
“Don’t make that salute a permanent fixture in this relationship. I might have to start calling you Chris,” he teased me back.
“No, worries. I like my name better than his.”
I walked to the first shelf of books. “When did you realize you loved me?” I asked while reading titles of books. Some I had to pull off and look at the title page because the title was either not on the cover, or it was so worn down it couldn’t be read.
“That afternoon when I had my nightmare at Bard’s house is a disappointment to you, but it was a turning point for me. Even though I was back to my horrible self at the fire, the memory of your kindness after my nightmare stayed with me. It was the first time someone, besides my brothers, truly cared about me. Even if it was only for a few minutes. People have always kept their distance, and I liked it that way, or I thought I did. Anyway, when you were taken by Bard, I knew something in me had changed. The qualities I thought I couldn’t stand I found I missed, like how you challenge me, and make me do things that make me a better person, like talk to Archer or help Isla pull through her fear.
“When you were taken by the witches, I finally understood what I had been feeling from the time Bard took you until then. I knew I would trade my life for yours because I had to. My heart would not allow you to be hurt if there was something I could do about it.”
I was crying again. Yes, his nightmare at Bard’s was a disappointment to me, or it had been, but now I would be thankful for it. No matter how he had acted directly afterwards, it was a moment that helped bring us together. I walked over to my mate and gave him a hug and quick kiss, then I went back to work searching the shelves upon shelves of books.
Time passed faster than I had thought it would, and soon our replacements arrived. We had found a couple of pieces of information in the books, but nothing we did not already know. I did not want to give up the search, but Carmon led me from the Vault anyway.
Instead of walking back to the apartment like I thought we would, I recognized some of the building’s features from earlier in the day and discovered we were heading to the parking garage.
“Where are we going? Aren’t you supposed to stay here where it’s safe?” I asked Carmon before we left the castle.
“I talked it over with Nathaniel and he will be riding along with us. Then he will pop himself back to our apartment here when we are safely where we need to be.”
“And where do we need to be?” I asked him as we entered the parking structure that had been added to Mount Pickett when it was made into an academy.
“Patience, Love,” Carmon said with a wink.
We walked until I saw Nathaniel. He was standing by the flashiest sports car known to mankind. I had no doubt it belonged to my mate. Sure enough, Carmon pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and the taillights flashed when the car was unlocked. The car was red and sleek, and I loved it, but could only ever dream of owning something like it.
“Would you like to drive?” Carmon held the keys out to me.
“Um, maybe next time. I don’t want to break it the first time I sit in it,” I said, still in awe of the sleek machine.
Carmon laughed and opened the passenger door for me. I got in and was completely impressed with the vehicle. Not only had I gotten a devilishly handsome mate, I’d gotten a top of the line sports car. How had I, Plain Jane, gotten so lucky? Okay, the devilishly handsome mate had taken a lot of work to change from devil to almost angel. He had a bit of work left still, but he was now a keeper.
Nathaniel crawled into the back from the driver’s side. Then Carmon climbed in and started the engine. I thought Drew and Carmon had driven fast on the road to Mount Pickett when we left Cambria. That was no
thing to the speed at which Carmon drove his car, and did it bother me? Not the tiniest bit. I trusted him completely.
We drove out of the city of Rusolo where Mount Pickett was located, and followed the highway for a few minutes. Then we slowed down to take some back roads. They were paved, thankfully, for Carmon’s car’s sake, and I had a distinct feeling he paid to have it done because where we were driving, these roads should not have been paved. There was nothing, and no one, out here. After taking a few more twists and turns on back roads, we pulled into a dirt driveway. Carmon slowed more and pulled up to a beautiful, white farmhouse. It sported a wraparound porch from the front door to the left side of the home. I wondered if it continued along the back as well. Carmon shut the engine off and the headlights blinked out, so my observations stopped as well. I wished the sun had not set so I could continue my observation of the beautiful house.
My mate exited the car, helping Nathaniel exit as well, before coming to assist me from the car. I wondered who had taught him to open the door for me. It was probably my father. He always opened doors for Mom. It wasn’t like she could not do it herself, but my father wanted to, so she let him. He liked doing little things like that for her. Nathaniel said goodbye to us and popped back to Mount Pickett.
I wondered what we were doing at a house in the middle of nowhere. Carmon took my hand and led me to the front porch. There was a window to the left of the door, and Carmon pulled something from behind the shutter beside the window. It was a key. He unlocked the door, flipped a light switch just inside, and led me into the house.
We walked into a dining room. Beyond the dining room was a modern kitchen. To the right of the dining room was the living room. A fireplace sat in the middle of all three rooms with glass panels on all four sides so it could be enjoyed from each room. Too bad it was summer and the nights were still warm. Except in the forest. Nights had been cool there, but I did not want to think of the forest for a long time.
Carmon led me through the living room toward a door in the back corner of the room. It led into a bedroom with a king-sized bed, dresser, and desk. There was a walk-in closet to the left of the door, next to a large bathroom that had a jet tub as well as a shower. There were two sinks set into a long counter top. It was a beautiful bathroom, and the bed was perfect for the both of us. Carmon was a pretty large guy after all.
“Wow, this is really nice,” I told him.
“I’m glad you like it. This is my home.”
I looked at him in shock. He lived here? What about the apartment? As if sensing all my questions, he started talking.
“When we are not going to be in town for more than a few hours, we stay at the apartment. It saves us travel time out here, and my office is there. I’ll show that to you when we go back if you want.”
“I would like to see it,” I told him.
“Okay, I’ll make sure you do then. When we were about ten, our mother bought this house for us. The rule then, and still is, that whoever married first gets the house. I think she knew then it would be me. I’m the only one with a private bath. The others all share.”
I was surprised they had such a rule. “How do your brothers feel about losing the house? Don’t they want to live here still?”
“Do you want them to live here with us?” Carmon gave me a smirk.
“Not really, but isn’t this their home too, and they have no say about being kicked out?” I just didn’t feel good about it.
“They all knew the rule, Love. They have had time to find a woman if they wanted the house. They chose not to look for a mate. Don’t worry too much. The six of us already talked about it, and they want you to have the house. They even got you a wardrobe with your mother’s help. You will find you now have a majority of the space in the closet. They love you too, Sylee. They are now your family, and they want you to be happy with that fact after what you have been through with them.” Carmon showed me the closet while he talked, and yes, I had a huge selection of clothes to choose from. Carmon’s side was mostly mission clothing. I could tell because it was all black.
“What about your room at the apartment?” I wondered.
“We’ll still have that for the same reasons as before. For safety reasons, I do not want to look for a new apartment at the academy right now. The house and land here are protected by the elementals. Mom said it always would be as long as the Lanshay family line owned it. We are safe here.”
“When we go stop the Warlock, can my family stay here?” I asked. I knew he would notice that I said “we”, but I was going with him. I couldn’t not go, and I knew he would argue with me.
“Yes, Sylee, they can. It would be the safest option for them,” was not the reply I was expecting.
“You mean, I can go with you to stop the Warlock?” I asked, just to make sure.
“You are not leaving my side, Love. If I left you behind, you would follow me, and I want to make sure you are safe and not wandering around looking for trouble. You find it too easily when you are not looking for it,” he teased me. I pretended to pout at his comment, which earned me a thorough kissing that left me breathless and very aware of our location in his room.
“Now,” he continued when he was positive I could remain on my feet, “I am going to make dinner. Keep in mind I’m not a very good cook, but I’ll do my best. You go take a bath. I saw you eyeing the tub earlier. Relax, and I will let you know when dinner is almost ready.”
“Thank you, Carmon.” I smiled at him. He still acted so differently from a few weeks ago. I was sure it was going to amaze me for a while.
It took me no time at all to hop in the bath. My muscles loved the jets, and I sighed in pleasure at the warmth and happiness it brought me. This was what I had missed at the apartment, and every day since I left my parent’s house. It seemed weird that my old home was no longer my home. On top of gaining a mate and a car, I now owned a lovely house, and Carmon had mentioned land. I wondered how much they had. Not that it mattered to me. I was happy with what we already had. Well everything he had brought to our relationship. So far, I had only brought myself. Lucky him.
Love? What’s wrong? You were so happy. What changed?
How do you know how I’m feeling? You knew when I was feeling down at Mount Pickett too, I asked him.
I can feel it through our link. It’s a little nosey, so I won’t always do it, but I wanted to check on you and make sure you were still doing well. You can try it with me, but I am not sure how much you will receive. I have spent my whole life trying to block my brothers from my emotions. Blocking is nearly impossible, but we have also learned not to pry. Anyway, what’s wrong?
Nothing, Cal. I really am happy. I just had a thought pass through that I was not the fondest of, but we can talk about it later. Currently, I am trying not to fall asleep and drown in the bath.
Please don’t fall asleep, Love, he pleaded.
No fear. I will be getting out soon.
Then I fell asleep, and I woke up under the water. Breathing under the water. My eyes bugged out, and I bolted upright. I could hear Carmon coming to me quickly as both the bedroom and bathroom doors almost came off their hinges. No doubt he had felt my panic moments before.
“Sylee! Are you okay?” He knelt next to the tub.
“I, um, I,” I stuttered and could not seem to find the words that I needed to say. I was in complete shock.
“Shhh..” He ran his hand over my hair. “It’s okay. You are safe. Just breathe.”
“I can breathe underwater,” I told him after a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart and still my shaking limbs. His hand froze on my hair, and his mouth popped open. “I accidently fell asleep. I woke up under the water, and I could breathe like I am now. I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time that I panicked, but now I do.”
After a few seconds, he came out of his own shock. “Can you do it again?”
I didn’t really want to do it again, but it seemed weak of me not to when he asked, so I lay back
in the water. I let the air out of my lungs, and almost panicked when I had to breathe in, but I shouldn’t have. I could breathe just fine. I looked up at my mate and gave him a thumbs up.
How is this possible? I asked him via the link.
I’m not sure, except I am a water elemental. Maybe you got some power when you became my mate, he surmised.
Do you think I gained it before or after the link was completed?
I’m not sure. We didn’t know to check before now.
That was true. No one even dreamed of checking to see if I could breathe underwater. It was actually pretty cool. I could not wait to go swimming.
Can you do this too? I asked him.
No, I can’t. Water makes me stronger and gives me more energy. I can manipulate it for whatever purpose I need, but I have never been able to breathe like that. Trust me, I checked, multiple times. I am happy you can. It is one less way for you to be hurt, but let’s keep it between you, me, and my brothers. They are elementals, they need to know. I do not want your family to be in more danger now by knowing.
I understand. We can tell them later, after this is all over, I agreed.
Dinner is almost ready. Come on out when you are done playing mermaid, he joked.
I love you.
I love you, Mrs. Lanshay.
That was the first time he had ever called me that, and I loved it! Sure, I still thought seventeen was too young to be called Mrs., but I loved my life at this moment.
I dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved light green top. I had noticed Carmon wore jeans and a dark blue top. He needed to get out of the dark colors. We would have to go shopping sometime so I could fix his clothing choices. Shopping was not my favorite activity, but he needed some help.
I entered the dining room to find Carmon had made lasagna. It looked and smelled delicious. He had said he wasn’t a good cook, but this contradicted that statement. He was grabbing glasses from a cabinet in the kitchen when I walked in, and he gave me a smile when he turned around.
Life and Water: The Elementals: Book One Page 19
