“The night you were born, his father was killed protecting an Elemental.” Camille dipped her head and looked through her lashes as she said the words. “Not just any Elemental, but the most powerful Elemental ever born. Kaden was only three.”
“Me?” Raine asked.
“You.”
CHAPTER 17
KADEN
Kaden counted the minutes that passed when Camille entered Raine’s room, and twenty minutes later, she still hadn’t emerged. Finally giving up, Kaden joined Eryk on the porch swing where they’d been for the better part of an hour.
Raine was upset when they returned from the spring and he knew why, but he felt helpless to fix it. His emotions where she was concerned were erratic.
Seeing her that morning in his shirt, he felt a sense of pride and it irritated him. She was so beautiful, he found it hard to keep his thoughts from straying to her the entire morning, so he kept his distance on the hike. Or so he thought.
When Donovan showed up, Kaden felt the overpowering need to protect her and the realization hit him like a brick in the face. She was his charge and it pissed him off. He kept her at arm’s length the rest of the way home, mostly so he could think, but all that accomplished was making her upset and him more confused.
Everything he believed to be true his entire life was turning out to be a lie.
Eryk and Camille maintained their position that his charge was still alive, that his mother deceived him, but he didn’t want to believe that his mother would have purposely lied to him for years.
Kaden knew his mother hated the Elementals and she actually supported the fact that Kaden worked for an unknown person to hunt them down. But would she purposely make him believe his Guardian duties no longer mattered so he would be prevented from fulfilling his duties? He wasn’t sure.
When Camille burst through the door almost an hour ago, she had fire in her eyes and venom in her words, flying unhindered from her bright red lips. It wasn’t until Eryk calmed her with a hand to her shoulder that she noticed Kaden’s resigned face. Without another word, Camille walked down the hall to Raine’s room and disappeared inside.
“Eryk, tell me about the night my father was killed,” Kaden said, finally ready to hear the answer. He needed to fully understand his role in Raine’s life. “I need to know the truth.”
Eryk wiped his large hand over his bald head and leaned forward. “I knew you would see the truth, Kaden. I never gave up hope that you would understand one day.”
“Eryk, don’t. I just . . . I need to know.”
Eryk nodded and stood. He walked to the railing and turned to face Kaden. His eyes glazed over as he seemed to get lost in the memory from that night.
“It was the night I came to give you your call as Guardian. Your charge had just been born and she was unwell, she needed help. I knew you couldn’t do anything to help her, you were only three, but she needed the protection of having a chosen Guardian, even if it was just the promise of Guardianship from your family.
“Your father was willing to take on the role as he prepared you growing up. He knew the importance of this young woman in the world, and the legacy of Guardianship was in your blood.” He paused for a moment as his faced twisted in pain.
“Aria died that night and emotions were high in your house. When your mother found me in your room, she was very distraught. She cursed me, and she cursed your father for accepting the charge on your behalf. She blamed the Elementals for a life of servitude to protect something she didn’t understand. She was actually relieved when Aria died. She told me that when I was there. She wanted nothing to do with Elementals any longer. She didn’t want you to be a Guardian, Kaden.”
Kaden squeezed his eyes shut as he listened. He vaguely remembered the flash of light that night. Being only three, he didn’t know exactly what it was, or why it happened, but he remembered.
“When your father refused to deny the call for you, Lizzy panicked, locking herself away in her room. Simon begged her to come out, but she wouldn’t.
“Hours later, Camille came to me with news that Raine was in grave danger. Elzar had found her and planned to kill her family. Simon left to fulfill the duty of Guardian in your stead, and that was the last time I ever saw him.” Eryk paused and when Kaden opened his eyes, he saw a tear roll down Eryk’s cheek.
“Your mother, she was different from that day forward. She turned against all Elementals and taught you to hate them as much as she did. To this day, I don’t know how your father died, but I refuse to believe that he died for nothing.”
Eryk finished and turned his back to Kaden as he looked out over the yard. He placed both hands on the railing and dropped his head. “I loved visiting your grandparents here. It’s such a lovely, peaceful place.”
Kaden sat in silence as he thought about what Eryk said. His words rang true in his heart, but one thing did not sit right with him.
“Why do you say you don’t know who killed my father? My mother has always told me the Elementals lured him there and killed him. But you say you don’t know. Why?”
Eryk exhaled loudly before he turned to face Kaden. He leaned up against the railing and crossed his arms over his massive chest.
“When I arrived, Stephan was already gone with his daughter. Paige lay in her hospital bed, lifeless. She’d been smothered. Simon was also there in the room. His body sprawled on the floor in front of the door. He’d been shot in the back.”
“I don’t understand,” Kaden said as he pictured the scene in his mind.
“An Elemental wouldn’t use modern weapons to kill someone,” Eryk stated. Kaden nodded his understanding. Something didn’t add up and as much as he understood his mother’s hate, he now had cause to wonder just how much was true.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Kaden asked.
“Would you have listened, my friend?” Eryk questioned. Kaden opened his mouth to answer, but shut it again as he heard footsteps approach. He sat forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and dropped his head into his hands.
The front door opened and Raine stepped onto the porch, the diary in her hand and Camille right behind her.
“Bonding session is over, boys.” Camille’s pixie-like voice cut through the tension on the porch. “Raine believes.”
All eyes turned to Raine and waited for her tentative nod. Kaden regarded her from his spot on the swing through his lashes. She was afraid to look at him and kept her eyes focused on anything and everything but him. He couldn’t blame her, not after the way he’d treated her, but the itch to take away her fears and uncertainty gnawed at him. It was hard to deny that she was his charge and he no longer felt the need to try.
“She has also found something interesting in the back of Kaesen’s diary.” Camille reached for the diary that Raine freely gave her. She unwrapped the leather strap and flipped the book to the back where new images in blue ink jumped off the page. Camille settled back against the railing next to Eryk and flipped through the pages.
“These are instructions on how to control water,” Eryk said reverently as he leaned close to Camille and turned page after page. “How did you find this?” he asked Raine.
“I . . . well, I had a dream last night.”
Kaden continued to watch Raine from under his lashes and noticed when she glanced his way. Something stirred in his blood and he suddenly stood and stepped forward until he was a breath away from her.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he took her hand in his.
Kaden was vaguely aware of the hasty retreat Camille and Eryk made into the house, leaving him alone with Raine. He waited for her to say something but Raine stood silently, her head down, as she looked at their clasped hands.
“Camille told me of your grandparents, and your parents. I’m sorry, Kaden. I’m sorry that happened to your family and that you lost your father so young. I’m sorry you hate me,” she said and Kaden felt a tear splash against his hand.
His heart ached. He gently plac
ed his finger and thumb under her chin and coaxed her head up so he could look into her eyes.
“I don’t hate you. I tried, I really did, but the truth is, I never could hate you. I didn’t know why until today and I’m sorry I’ve acted so harshly.” Kaden let go of her hand and walked to the railing as he looked out over the property that once belonged to his grandparents with new eyes. “Can we start over?” he asked.
“I don’t want to be afraid of you,” Raine stated from behind him. Kaden flinched, but didn’t turn around. “I would like to start over, to work together to understand what my role in all of this means.”
Kaden nodded and felt her step up beside him. “It is beautiful here. Have I told you that?” Raine’s voice was a little breathless. “It’s like a place right out of my dreams.”
Kaden turned his head and found her looking at him. His stomach clenched with the sudden closeness of her next to him and his chest constricted with new emotion. Pushing away from the railing, he took her by the hand and led her to the door.
“Let’s go make dinner,” he said lamely, hoping that she didn’t see just how much she affected him. He may be willing to admit he didn’t hate her, but he wasn’t willing to admit to anything more—not yet, anyway.
CHAPTER 18
RAINE
Dinner was a strange event for Raine. Kaden made amends and tried to set her mind at ease, but she couldn’t help that nagging feeling in the back of her head telling her she needed to be careful where he was concerned. Yet at the same time, she felt the overwhelming urge to lay her trust at his feet completely. The conflicting emotions made her head spin. She volunteered to make dinner to keep her mind occupied. All it did, however, was make her acutely aware of Kaden, who sat quietly at the table next to Eryk, openly watching her every move.
Eryk opened Kaesen’s diary open to the images in the back. In a notebook, he took notes from the writings under each picture while he whispered to himself.
Camille explained that most of the moves documented were an ancient form of Tai Chi. These fluid movements would help connect her body and spirit to the elements around her as she learned to feel the element she was to control. Raine took Tai Chi as part of her life sports program her junior year, so she remembered how much concentration it took just to get the moves right. She wondered how long it would take her to master the skills she needed to wield the water.
Raine let out a deep sigh and turned back to her dough in the bowl.
“Where did you learn to make homemade tortillas?” Camille asked as she cut and washed the lettuce for their salad. “I honestly didn’t know you could cook.”
“I make stuff all the time,” Raine said with a smile.
Camille shook her head. “You bake things all the time. That is totally different than actually cooking something.”
“True. You win that one.” Raine absentmindedly mashed her hands through the dough in front of her, ripping off several small balls of dough and placing them on the floured countertop surface.
When she turned to the rice cooking on the stove, Camille nudged her with her shoulder and smiled.
“What’s going on in your head today?” Camille whispered loud enough for only Raine to hear.
“You never answered her question.” Kaden’s voice broke through the silence in the kitchen. Raine turned her head in his direction and looked at him from under her lashes as she stirred the rice and added the flavoring she wanted.
“Yeah, how did you learn to make these?” Camille asked as she flipped the excess water from the lettuce before she started chopping.
“Dad and I took a vacation to Seattle last summer. We went to this awesome American/Mexican style fast food place that I loved instantly. They made the most amazing flour tortillas right in front of you while you ordered. We ate there as much as my dad could stomach it.” Raine smiled at the memory. “Apparently, it’s a pretty popular place and the lines usually reach around the corner for lunch and dinner. Kind of like VooDoo Donuts in Portland, except VooDoo’s lines are always long, aren’t they?”
“Ahh, I love that place,” Camille said as she dumped the cut lettuce into a bowl and wiped her hands.
“You’re a ‘bacon maple donut’ gal, aren’t you?” Kaden asked with a smirk. Eryk stifled his snicker under his hand, but Camille lowered her eyes and frowned.
“Careful, Kaden. Vegetarians pack a punch,” Eryk said as he flipped the page, winked at Camille, then went back to his notebook.
“I’m not a true vegetarian. I like meat, but not very often, thank you,” Camille explained more for Raine’s sake as she took the spoon from her hand and continued stirring the rice. “So, what’s this place called?”
“Café Rio. It’s amazing.”
“I’ve never heard of it before,” Camille replied.
“They don’t have one in Oregon, though I don’t really know why. They have one in Washington, California, Idaho, all around us, but not in Oregon,” Raine said thoughtfully as she resumed her attention on the dough in front of her. She took one, floured the counter, and rolled out a thin, circular disc.
“When we came home from vacation, I had withdrawals so bad, it was a joke. So, I decided I needed to make my own.” Raine took the flattened disc and placed it on the cast iron griddle laid over the stove, leaving it to cook while she flattened the next one.
“Poor Dad,” she giggled. “Do you know how many hard tortillas I made him eat before I got the recipe right?” Raine smiled and looked up from the counter. Kaden smiled when their eyes met and she felt her face flush. “He was such a good sport. He always said I would be the death of him.”
Raine froze as soon as the words left her mouth. All eyes turned to her, the smile on Kaden’s face replaced with a look of sympathy. She hadn’t meant to bring up her father, not at all. It was just a memory that slipped out of her mouth before her heart caught up with her mind. Had it really only been a day? Slowly, she flipped the tortilla on the griddle, placed the second one down, and stood frozen to her spot.
A small tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped the moisture away with the back of her hand.
“Camille, can you . . .” Raine’s voice cracked and she choked back a sob. Camille, already nodding, stepped forward with open arms, but Raine held her hand up and backed away. She turned and made her way down the hall to the bathroom, softly clicking the door shut behind her.
She dropped her head to the smooth wood and let her tears flow. She missed her dad. Her heart ached with the loss.
A soft knock startled her, even though she instinctively knew Kaden was on the other side. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did.
“Raine, are you okay?” Kaden asked through the door.
Raine opened the door and found Kaden standing inches from her, both hands braced on either side of the doorframe, eyes full of concern, his normally hard face now soft with worry. She took a step back and grabbed the towel from the counter to pat the tears from her face.
“I’m okay. I just didn’t realize how fresh it still is. I haven’t had time to mourn.”
Kaden stepped inside the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He reached for Raine, pulling her tenderly to his chest.
“Of course it’s still fresh. It happened yesterday. Everything changed yesterday.” Kaden’s voice lowered to a whisper as he spoke. He tucked her head under his chin and tightened his hold. Raine melted into him as she wrapped her arms around his waist and inhaled his scent: sandalwood, musk, and leather.
All the tension and sorrow disappeared as she stood in Kaden’s welcomed embrace. She felt his strong hands on her lower back as he crushed her closer and buried his nose in her hair. It was almost as if he couldn’t get close enough. Raine found it hard to breathe, but she couldn’t find the will to push him away.
Silent tears leaked from her eyes and drenched the front of his shirt, but still Kaden held her close. Raine felt the dampness and knew Kaden felt it, too, but he didn’t push her away until her tears
ceased.
“Thank you,” she said once she could find her voice. She lifted her head to find smoldering green fire staring back. Her knees weakened and she fisted her hands in Kaden’s shirt to keep from falling.
Kaden cupped Raine’s face in his hands and dropped his forehead to hers. He was so close, so intimate. Raine could feel his breath mingle with hers and she closed her eyes.
“Deste día en diante me comprométome a servir, honrar e protexer-te todos os días da miña vida,” Kaden whispered. He was so close Raine could almost taste him. Then, she felt the softness of his lips touch hers in a brief, tender kiss that ended much too soon. She opened her eyes slowly.
“What did that mean?” she whispered.
“It means, ‘From this day forward I pledge to serve, honor, and protect you all the days of my life.’ It’s Galacian. Those are the same words my grandfather spoke to my grandmother when he accepted his charge as her Guardian and pledged his life to protect her.” Kaden looked deep into her eyes, pulling her as close as he could possibly get. They stood so intimately pieced together that she could feel every corded muscle of his thighs, his chest, and his fingers that held her face so tenderly. “Everything changed yesterday. Everything. I didn’t understand that until now, and I can’t turn my back on it. I can’t let it go. I don’t want to let it go. ”
Kaden again dropped his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply and slowly let his breath out. Raine watched as the burden he carried seemed to melt away with his breath.
“Do you accept me? Do you trust me enough to accept me as your Guardian?”
Raine pulled her hands from his shirt and placed them over each of his that tenderly held her face. There was fear in his eyes, fear she’d never seen before, and it softened her just a bit. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
Slowly, Raine moved her hands up Kaden’s forearms, past his biceps, and over his shoulders until her hands rested gently on either side of his face. She nodded her head.
Raine (Elemental Series Book 2) Page 13
