“Isn’t it a little cold for an early morning swim?” Ryker hovered over her, his body shaking with laughter.
Bleached-blonde hair shone in the morning light and from the angle Raine sat, she could see the golden highlights mixed throughout. Pale green eyes, outlined in a circle of silver around the edge, sparkled and danced with laughter. His square jaw and cleft chin gave his face a hard, almost intimidating look at first glance, but his features were soft now with his laughter.
“Ryker.” Raine slapped the water, which only made him laugh harder. “What the heck? I didn’t even hear you behind me.”
“I couldn’t wait to see you.” Ryker laughed as he reached his long, defined arm down to help her up. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her swiftly out of the water and into his arms. Raine was more than a little shocked at his play of affection. “We have a hot date tonight.”
Her skin crawled at his touch and she couldn’t decide if it was because a certain person with unforgettable deep green eyes and a drenched dog happened to be down the beach, or if it was a different reason altogether. Either way, she felt a need to get out of his grasp and wondered now if her date with him was such a good idea after all.
Ryker, however, was oblivious to her turmoil and he leaned in to drop a kiss on her head. When he pulled back, he left a slobber circle in the center of her forehead like a cyclops. She could feel the wet residue he left behind and she fought hard to keep from reaching up to wipe it off in disgust. He smiled.
“Uh, yeah. We do,” Raine said as she tried to push away from him as subtly as possible. “So what brings you here this morning?”
“Oh, I . . . just . . . wanted to see you, I guess,” Ryker said. His hold on her slackened a bit as she pushed away from his chest. “Sorry if I scared you. You were pretty preoccupied and I couldn’t pass it up.” He shrugged and looked deep into her eyes. Raine smile and pushed against his chest one more time. He finally released his hold and let her take a step back.
“Well, you scared me to death,” she said with a sigh. The moment Ryker’s hands dropped to his sides a wave of relief hit her. Strange.
Ryker studied her for a long minute as his eyes roamed the length of her body. He paused, and the expression on his face changed.
“You’re different today,” he whispered harshly.
“Uh . . . Am I?” Raine replied lamely. “How so?”
Ryker watched her in silence as she fidgeted with the cuff of her jacket, trying hard but failing in her effort not to steal glances at Kaden down the beach.
Raine watched as Ryker turned to find Kaden, a look of shock on his face when he met his stare. Rage replaced his shock before he schooled his features, but Raine saw the play of emotion.
She opened her mouth to speak but found her voice wouldn’t work properly so she closed it again. Dread filled her entire body and she couldn’t understand why. She only knew she wanted to explain who Kaden was, but realized it was too late when she heard his voice.
“Name’s Kaden. Just moved here.” Kaden thrust out his hand for Ryker to shake. The glower he gave was a vicious one. Ryker looked at Kaden’s open hand as if it was a snake ready to bite, then met Kaden’s stare with an icy glare of his own. “Do I know you from somewhere?” Kaden asked.
“Doubt it,” was Ryker’s curt reply.
Tech, who’d been intent on the waves and seagulls along the beach, now sat at Kaden’s side with his full attention on Ryker. The hair on the back of his neck had risen a full inch and the playful look he sported when she first met him was gone. Raine felt a chill run down her spine and she took a step away from the two men engrossed in a stare down.
“Nice dog.” Ryker said the words, but it was clear he didn’t think very highly of Tech.
Kaden nodded.
“You just moved here, huh? Where did you move from and what brings you here?” Ryker crossed his arms across his chest and planted his feet in a wide stance.
“I’ve been around.”
A small growl left Tech’s lips before Kaden signaled him with his hand to stop. Obediently, Tech closed his mouth and lay at Kaden’s feet, but his eyes never left Ryker.
Raine cleared her throat to get their attention, but neither guy balked. Raine sat on the ground and pulled her shoes on in the awkward silence before she stood.
“As fun as this has turned out to be, I have school to get to.” Three sets of eyes turned to her. “Kaden,” Raine said to him and then turned to Ryker. “Ryker, see you both at school.”
Raine turned immediately for home and took off running across the beach.
“See you tonight,” Ryker yelled, and Raine groaned as she waved to them over her shoulder.
CHAPTER 6
KADEN
Kaden opened the door to his small apartment above the jewelry shop he rented when he moved to Seaside. It was old and small, but the best he could do at the time. The owners were in the market to sell, but they had some fixing up to do before that happened. Kaden hired on to help renovate in exchange for rent. It was a good cover to help him get back into high school for a few months before he moved on to his next job.
Tech bolted through the door and came to a halt, his tail wagging furiously. The smell of wheatgrass and eggs assaulted Kaden’s nostrils and he shook his head at the pungent smell. With a swift kick to the door, it slammed shut behind him, and Kaden took a step around the small entry wall to peer inside his apartment.
“Come on in. Help yourself,” Kaden said in his most sarcastic tone. “How did you find me?” he asked the figure sitting at the metal table in the center of his dull green and yellow linoleum floored kitchen. Tech ran forward, leaned against the man in the chair, and waited for a friendly rubdown. Eryk laughed.
The table balanced precariously on three legs and was covered with the morning newspaper. A matching metal chair creaked under his visitor’s weight as he dropped part of the paper onto the outdated flower design that covered the expanse of the kitchen, and reached to give his furry friend a good scratch behind his ear.
“You are easy to find, my friend,” Eryk said as he casually sipped on a horrid green smoothie. Fay were disgusting creatures, Kaden decided. Eating only natural food, they would give any vegan a run for their money in the food department. Kaden was an all meat and potatoes kind of man so the smell made his stomach lurch. He was grateful he skipped breakfast that morning.
“That stuff smells like old gym socks and football turf,” Kaden grumbled. Eryk grinned and downed another swig.
Eryk and Kaden had once been friends. There was a time when he looked up to Eryk, but that was long ago. Long before Kaden learned how his father died and the cloud of grief settled on his family, or what was left of it. Kaden grew up with a mother who was always on the verge of depression and could barely function. She lost her husband and unborn baby on the same day and never recovered.
Growing up, Eryk would visit often, but his mother always hated it when he came. Eryk would stay as long as she would let him, telling Kaden many stories of Simon, his father, and Alwen, his grandfather. Kaden loved hearing those stories and waited excitedly for Eryk to come.
One day during a particularly bad depression spell, his mother snapped and told Kaden the truth of how his father really died, and that was when he knew Eryk lied to him every day of his life. The anger in him still burned.
Now, Kaden made a living out of hunting the Elemental beings Eryk worked hard to protect. Kaden vowed he would hunt every last Elemental so no other family would be torn apart as his was.
“You found someone. Camille told me,” Eryk said from behind his paper as if they were the old friends they’d once been.
“Camille needs to mind her own business.”
The whirring sound from the ancient yellow refrigerator drowned out the tap of Tech’s paws as he padded through the kitchen to reach his water bowl. Kaden casually sat down on the torn, brown striped couch and heard the groan of the worn wood complain under his weight. He glare
d at the paper Eryk held in front of him.
After a few moments of silence, Eryk let the paper drop to the table and smiled. His white teeth looked florescent against his dark skin and his bald head gleamed under the one hanging light above the table. He hadn’t aged one bit since Kaden first met him.
“Get out of my house,” Kaden said with conviction and more than a little venom.
“My friend, I am here for you as much I am here for her,” Eryk explained with a deep sigh.
“I’m not your friend,” Kaden bit back. “You stopped being my friend years ago, Eryk.” Eryk lifted his eyebrow at the hostile tone and nodded his understanding. A sad expression turned the corners of his mouth down as he placed the now empty glass on the table.
Eryk was tall and built like a boxer with arms the size of small tree trunks. He was only wearing sleeping pants that hung low on his hips so Kaden received a full view of his muscular body, which belied his age. He had markings on his chest that were surprisingly easy to see against his dark skin and he had new piercings, Kaden noticed. Three small studs glittered from his ear in the only light in the room.
Each shoulder had a different circular tattoo that covered the expanse of his muscle. On one shoulder, intertwined vines twisted in a crossing pattern like a compass and came to eight sharp points before their last crossover. Between each space was a looped arrow that pointed outward. Eryk once explained the tattoo meant he would always find his way and keep true to his roots as he fought for Mother Earth.
On his opposite shoulder, a Celtic knot in the middle of a blazing sun with sharp pointed flames that spread outward helped him keep his focus and always look to the Sun Star.
The length of his back was covered in an ancient looking dragon with outstretched wings that extended to the upper back half of his arms. Not a modern day dragon, but an old Celtic looking depiction of a dragon in flight with its mouth open, ready to strike.
Kaden always loved Eryk’s markings and the stories behind each. Even now with the hatred he felt for Elementals, and Eryk, he still had a certain respect for him. It never ceased to amaze him how powerful and deadly Eryk could be when needed. Despite his physic and grandeur, he was stealthy as a cat and moved with graceful strides. His dark chest heaved with anticipation as he ran his large hand over his smooth head.
“I cannot let you do this. I will not let this happen again,” Eryk stated, Kaden narrowed his eyes. The drained look on Eryk’s face mirrored Kaden’s thoughts. He was tired of feeling the hurt and regret that followed him everywhere he went, but that was who he was, who he’d become, and there was no changing it. Ingrained in him from the time he was little, Kaden felt he had little choice over what he was: a hired thug for unknown clients who hated Elementals. He had a job to do.
Tech sauntered out of the kitchen and stopped to eat something out of his dish before he padded through the green shag carpet and climbed on the couch next to his master. Subconciously, Kaden shoved his hand into Tech’s soft chocolate fur and scratched behind his ears. Tech lay his head on his lap and promptly fell asleep. Eryk’s stance never wavered as he waited for Kaden to acknowledge his statement, but he remained silent in thought.
“Kaden?” Eryk prompted when he remained quiet. “There is something special about this one. I feel it in my very being, and Camille feels it, too. You’ve got to let this vendetta go.”
Kaden raised his intense stare to Eryk. Neither one flinched.
“I don’t have to change anything,” he finally said with a hesitation in his voice that sounded foreign to his ears.
“Why? We can always change if we have the will. Elementals are not the enemy.”
“No?” he challenged, his voice tight even as thoughts of Raine accosted him, and he felt his resolve crack a little more. Tech stirred beneath his touch as every muscle in Kaden’s body tensed. With a sigh, Eryk grabbed a chair from the kitchen and placed his huge form directly in front of the couch. “Elementals killed my father. They are responsible for this crap I call a life.”
“No,” Eryk said softly. “They are not, but you’re too blind to see it.”
Kaden’s thoughts turned to Raine and he tried to picture her as the monster his mother raised him to believe Elementals were. The image didn’t fit.
“I feel a change in you, Kaden.” Eryk was thoughtful as he stood over him and spoke. “Is she . . . could she be . . . your charge? The one Elemental you were tasked with protecting?” Eryk questioned.
“She isn’t. My charge died many years ago, setting me free of this Guardian nonsense. Nothing has changed, so why are you here?”
“Have you forgotten everything I taught you?” Eryk tensed. “I am a warrior of Mother Earth and we have waited for centuries for this particular Elemental to come. She is the one, Kaden. I can feel it. She is the one that will help us win this war—a war that’s been raging for years. You, you, were a part of that once.”
Kaden shot from the couch and got within an inch of Eryk’s face as he cut him off with his next words.
“You filled my head with lies,” Kaden seethed. “Elementals are not to be trusted . . . You are not to be trusted . . .” Kaden’s voice trailed off and he took a deep cleansing breath. “She’s no different.”
“You are a chosen Guardian. It’s your duty,” Eryk countered, equally as passionate.
“No. I was a chosen Guardian. My charge died years ago and I owe nothing to them. Elementals ruined my life. They took everything from me and I will not die to protect one like my father did.”
The sound of Kaden’s voice bounced off the walls until silence replaced the fury. Tech raised his head when Kaden’s voice rose and now two sets of eyes watched his every move. Kaden took deep, labored breaths, but didn’t speak.
“Have you learned nothing?” Eryk’s voice was eerily soft when he spoke. “Your father pledged his life to the protection of Elementals, to the cause. Your own grandparents were the first generation of Guardians on this earth. It’s in your blood, Kaden.” The look of disbelief on Eryk’s face and the truth of his words hit Kaden hard. “Your father was my best friend. I lost something that day, too, but I have not forgotten. The hate in your heart is not your own and until you can see past it, the truth will never come to light.”
Kaden opened his mouth to defend his only family, but Eryk stayed him with an outstretched hand before he continued.
“I never lied to you.”
Emotions played across Eryk’s face. Deep rooted sadness creased his eyes, the only telltale sign that he had aged at all.
“Do you even know what happens to those elementals you find? Do you?” Eryk whispered.
Kaden suspected and his heart twisted as images of his last job filtered through his head. A young teenage girl, she’d been an Air Elemental, one of the more powerful ones he’d seen to date. When the news showed the body of a missing person, he only recognized her from the clothes. Her body had been aged and shriveled so badly they used dental records to identify her. Kaden didn’t know how she became so aged, but he knew his employer was responsible.
Part of him felt the sting of turning his back on all he’d been taught. His grandmother told him story after story of his heritage and the responsibility placed on him as a chosen guardian. She told him so many times what an honor it was to be chosen as a Guardian at such a young age. But his grandmother didn’t realize how utterly broken his mother was, or how violently she hated Elementals.
“I’m grateful Simon doesn’t have to see you now.” Eryk’s voice was calm, almost resigned as he turned to walk down the hallway of Kaden’s little apartment. “I have failed with you, but I will not fail with her.”
Kaden watched his retreating form before he closed his eyes against the headache he felt coming. He had a job to do and nothing should stand in his way.
He pulled Raine’s bracelet from his pocket and examined the feminine swirls that made up the plain black band. Now that Raine no longer hid behind her iron to mask her powers, he could fe
el the pull to her gaining in strength, and for the first time he wondered if his charge was indeed dead.
Kaden laid the bracelet on his lap and pulled his cell phone from the side table to type a message.
Found one. Talk soon.
His fingers traced the bracelet in his lap and images of Raine filled his mind. Before he hit the send button, Kaden deleted the text and threw the phone across the room. It hit with a thud and landed in Tech’s water dish. Thankfully, the waterproof case remained intact.
Kaden pushed his hands through his hair.
“Raine.” He scowled at the bracelet, then picked it up and made his way to the jewelry shop below.
CHAPTER 7
RAINE
“Raine!” Stephan’s voice penetrated her bedroom door as she pulled on her shirt. “You’re going to be late, baby. What’s taking you so long this morning?”
Raine opened the door and yelled down the stairs, “Sorry, Dad, I’m coming.” With one last look in the mirror, she adjusted her hair, grabbed her school bag and an extra set of clothes, and ran down to the kitchen. She felt naked without her bracelet and panicked when she returned from running and couldn’t find it, but she couldn’t take time to look anymore now. She was already running late. Raine only hoped her dad wouldn’t notice it was gone before she found it.
The smell of bacon greeted her the moment she stepped into their small modern kitchen. Black cabinets with granite countertops and upgraded stainless steel appliances gave the open space a gourmet kitchen feel. Raine loved it.
Stephan stood at the stovetop, singing to the country music on the radio, wearing his “Kiss the Cook” apron. Raine giggled as he flipped a pancake in the air and almost missed the pan when he tried to catch it.
“I thought you’d never come down,” Stephan said as he shoved a stack of fresh French toast in her direction without taking his eyes off the stove. “The pancakes are almost done.”
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