The Final Formula

by Becca Andre

  Rowan walked back into the room, a white envelope clutched in one hand. “The Grand Master’s invitation,” he said.

  I rose from my chair to accept it. With an unsteady hand, I pulled the invitation from the envelope, noting the expensive cardstock, gold foil, and Emil’s elaborate signature at the bottom. “We hope you’ll join us to witness magic’s evolution,” I read aloud.

  “He was going to announce that he’d found the Final Formula?” James asked.

  I didn’t know what else it could be. I studied the invitation and tried to get my mind around it.

  “That’s why the Alchemica was bombed,” Donovan said. “Someone wanted to destroy this formula.”

  That made sense. And suddenly the list of suspects grew. “No member of the magical community would want us to have that knowledge.”

  “Nor any of the human extremists,” James added.

  “Well, at least they weren’t targeting the Elements.” I passed the invitation back to Rowan.

  “Yes, there’s that,” Rowan whispered. He took the card back, and I noticed how his hand shook.

  “Rowan?” I looked up in time to see a drop of crimson fall from his upper lip. It landed on the chest of his gray robes beside another drop. He swayed on his feet, and I reached for him. James reflexes were better. He caught him before he hit the floor.

  Chapter

  13

  “You’re killing him,” Cora said.

  I looked up and found her standing in the library doorway, her blue eyes on me, not James who sat in the chair to my left. I hadn’t seen her since she and Era arrived. They’d been upstairs with Rowan. I learned that he was prone to nasty headaches from time to time, though for such a common ailment, his fellow Elements seemed pretty worked up about it.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “All this stress you’ve given him.”

  She blamed me for his headache? “I don’t—”

  “First the gun shop and now this.” She waved a hand at the folder that still lay on the table. “How often has he used fire in your presence?”

  I sat up a little straighter. “Many times. I haven’t kept count.”

  Cora huffed, turned on her heel and left.

  I caught James’s eye. “There’s more to this.”

  “I think so, yes.”

  “You up for some research?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  I sent him to talk to Era. Maybe it was unethical to send the pretty boy to scoop the mentally challenged girl, but I was getting concerned.

  James returned half an hour later, the expression on his face somber. He pulled the door closed and crossed to his chair. “According to my source, it’s not good. But how reliable she is—”

  “What did Era say?”

  “Rowan’s dying.”

  I straightened in my chair. “What? Now? From a headache? I thought he was immortal.”

  “Elements don’t age, but they can die. It’s not just a headache; it’s a cumulative condition. Since the magic came back, he’s been living on borrowed time.”

  “Because he’s an Element?”

  “A Fire Element. Apparently, they don’t live long. Rowan’s survived the longest. Remember the Japanese Fire Element that died a few years ago? He came in second. He lasted fifteen years.”

  “Oh God.” I leaned back, gripping my hands in my lap. Rowan pissed me off more often than not, but I didn’t want him to die. “Why don’t they survive?”

  “Something about the fire they create. The other Elements don’t have any trouble. None of them have died the world over—well, except the European Elements.” He grimaced.

  I thought about the other Elements. Earth, water, and air. Solid, liquid, and gas. The three states of matter until science added a fourth: plasma. It took something special to reach that state. Since meeting Rowan, I’d watched him use his gift many times—and most of that had been because of me. My stomach clenched. Cora was right. I’d brought this on him. I had to fix it. I got to my feet.

  “Where are you going?” James asked.

  “To see Rowan. Maybe talk to Donovan—I know Cora won’t listen. I might be able to find a solution.”

  “A potion.”

  “Of course.”

  He studied me with those intense green eyes and then gave me an odd little smile. “If this can be fixed, I bet you’ll find a way.”

  My heart swelled at the praise. I could never understand why he had such faith in me. “Thanks, Fido.” I hurried from the room.

  The door to the room where Rowan rested stood open a few inches. I brushed the varnished surface with my fingertips and the door swung inward without a sound. Pausing a few steps past the threshold, I let my eyes adjust to the dimly lit room. The heavy drapes had been drawn, blocking most of the morning sunshine.

  “I wondered how long it’d be before you snuck in.”

  I whirled to face the shadows near the door, smothering a scream. Donovan sat in an oversized chair a few yards away. He rose to his feet and towered over me. “I’m glad you’re here,” he continued. “You can sit with him for a few. I need another cup of coffee.”

  I glanced across the room at the daybed shoved against the far wall. Rowan lay atop the covers, a shadowed shape in the low light. I hurried after Donovan and caught up to him in the hall. “Donovan?”

  The big guy stopped and turned to face me.

  “Era told us what’s wrong. Is he…” I swallowed. “Is he going to die?”

  Donovan sobered. “No. Not yet. But it’s the worst I’ve seen him in a long time.”

  “This happens often?”

  “The headaches, but they rarely incapacitate him.”

  “It’s because he’s had to use his gift so much lately.”

  Donovan’s big hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I jumped in spite of myself. “It’s not your fault. It’s his nature to help people.” A hint of that fun-loving smile surfaced. “You’ve needed more help than most.”

  “I’ll fix this, Donovan.”

  His smile softened. “Don’t torture yourself. You’re not to blame.”

  “You don’t think I can? Look at me.” I spread my arms. “I’m forty-two years old. This is the power of alchemy. I can do this.”

  He studied me, his hazel eyes glinting in the sunlight streaming through a window to my right. “If it’s possible, I believe you will.”

  “Impossible is not in my vocabulary.”

  A final smile, and he turned and continued toward the stairs.

  Not sure what to make of the big guy, I returned to the darkened room. The heavy drapes on the window closest to the bed let in a thin band of light that fell across the foot rail. Rowan lay on his side, facing me. He’d removed his robe and shoes, and I could see that, like James and me, he wore the same clothes he’d worn to the club. His face looked peaceful in sleep, but even in the dim light, his pallor showed. A day’s worth of stubble covered his cheeks, and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d never seen His Grace look anything less than immaculate.

  I carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. When he didn’t stir, I laid a hand on his forehead. The warmth of his skin surprised me. A basin of water sat on the nightstand, a damp washcloth draped over the side. I wet it and rung out the excess before touching it to Rowan’s forehead and temples.

  “Cor?” Rowan rasped. His voice startled me.

  “No.”

  He rolled back and turned his face toward me. My breath caught as I glimpsed the faint orange ring around his pupils. His eyes weren’t the lamps James’s were in the dimness, but they did give off a faint glow.

  “Addie?”

  “You sound like you could use a drink.” I returned the washcloth to the bowl, picked up the empty glass, and walked to the bathroom to get cold water from the tap.

>   While I stood at the sink filling the glass, I glanced down and noticed the tissues in the wastebasket. Judging by the shape of the bloodstains, I’d guess them the remnants of his earlier nosebleed. An idea forming, I took one of the tissues and tucked it into my pocket before I carried the glass back into the bedroom.

  Rowan had left the bed for a nearby chair. He’d tried to pull on his shoes, and currently had one on and one off. At the moment, his head rested against the back of the chair and his eyes were closed. Foolish man. I walked over and he opened his eyes. I sighed in relief that the orange glow had vanished.

  “Here you go.” I handed him the glass. He drained it in nearly one swallow.

  “You didn’t need to get up.” I took back the glass and returned it to the nightstand.

  “Cora will be back shortly with my medicine and then we’ll be going.”

  “The blue stuff in the vial?”

  Rowan frowned and I hurried on. “I was…trying to find the trunk release and came across them. Apothecary?”

  He sighed. “Yes.”

  “Give me the info, and I’ll blow his skills out of the water.”

  He chuckled and amusement finally won out over the pain in his eyes. “You have got to be the cockiest—”

  “Me? Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

  Head resting against the back of his chair, he smirked up at me, but the pain was returning to his eyes. Before I realized what I was doing, I reached out to touch those faint laugh lines. His expression sobered, and I forced myself not to jerk my hand away. I’d rather he didn’t know how much my own reaction had unsettled me.

  “You don’t trust me to help you?” I asked.

  “It has nothing to do with my trust in you.”

  I moved my fingers to his temple and began to gently massage. When he closed his eyes, my other hand moved to the opposite temple. “Then what is it?”

  “Any knowledge I give you could be forcibly taken from you.”

  I worked my fingers back into his soft auburn hair and carefully massaged his scalp. He tipped his head forward, letting me work my way up over his crown. I stood between his knees now, my fingers having worked their way to the base of his skull.

  “I won’t betray you,” I said.

  “If it was only me, I wouldn’t hesitate.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead against my stomach. For an instant, I froze. It was an oddly vulnerable position on his part. Maybe he did trust me. My skin warmed at the thought.

  I massaged my way down the back of his neck and slid my hands inside the open collar of his shirt to work on his shoulders. I bit my lip. He had great shoulders.

  “Harder,” he muttered and then groaned when I complied. The sound tightened the muscles below my navel, and I bit my lip harder. It’s just a massage, I reminded myself. He’s hurting and I’m relieving the pain. It makes him feel better. Donovan could be doing this and he’d still groan.

  I revised my opinion when Rowan’s arms came around me. His over-warm hands found the bare skin of my back. With a sigh, he pressed his cheek to my stomach. “Don’t stop,” he whispered when I hesitated.

  “A soak in a hot bath might help.”

  “Want to join me?”

  “Rowan.”

  “To continue the massage, of course.”

  The mental image almost stilled my hands. “Of course.” I hoped I sounded more annoyed than intrigued.

  “Rowan?” Cora asked from the doorway.

  I jerked my hands out from beneath his shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Her heels tapped out a staccato beat on the hardwood floor as she crossed the space between us.

  “Did you get it?” Rowan released me and leaned back in his chair.

  Cora glared at me, but she handed Rowan the familiar vial of blue liquid. He drank it without hesitation.

  “I can do better,” I said. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I can tweak the apothecary’s mixture. Let me try?”

  “What?” Cora snapped. “No way in hell will I let you—”

  “Cora.” Donovan’s deep voice carried from the door and I jumped in surprise. I hadn’t noticed him, but I had been a bit distracted.

  I ignored Cora and met Rowan’s eyes. “Let me try?” I repeated.

  He studied me for one long moment. “Drive her to the clinic, Donovan.”

  “Rowan!” Cora protested.

  He ignored her and pulled on his other shoe. A deep breath and he pushed himself up out of his chair.

  “Damn it, Rowan.” This time Cora’s tone was one of alarm. She pressed her hands to his chest to steady him, but he just smiled and cupped her cheek.

  “It’s okay, sis,” he told her, his tone soft and understanding. “Help me with my robes?”

  Donovan came forward, Rowan’s robes in his hands. “Right here, my brother.”

  I left them to get ready and went to collect James. I found him in the library with Era. Of all the crazy things, she had a camera, and at the moment, he was her subject.

  James looked up. “Era’s a photographer, Ad. Those photos in the sun room are hers.”

  “Really? Cool.” I gave her a smile. “We’re leaving. You two ready?”

  Era grabbed James by the hand and pulled him toward the door. “It’s so great that you guys get to spend the night again. We can watch movies.” She looked up at James. “Do you like horror movies?”

  “Sure.” He gave me a grin. “But I bet Addie will be afraid.”

  “You can sit by me,” Era told me solemnly. “We can have popcorn.”

  I thanked her and then herded them out into the hall in time to meet the other three Elements.

  “Roe!” Era threw her arms around Rowan’s waist and hugged him fiercely. “You’re okay,” she whispered against his robes.

  “Yes.” He ran a hand over her short blonde hair. “Pull up your hood, honey. We’re going home.”

  Like Rowan, they all wore the same dark gray robes. Only the black symbols stitched around the hem varied. I found it amusing that they’d chosen alchemical symbols to represent their elements.

  Era hurried to comply, and the six of us headed down the hall toward the lobby. We’d almost reached it when I heard the sound of voices.

  “I don’t care if he’s in or not, I’m here to see her,” a male voice said.

  I knew that voice. I ran the rest of the way to the lobby. Emil stood at the receptionist’s desk, scowling at the woman, but he looked up when I ran into the room. The frown became a wide smile. “Amelia!”

  I didn’t slow; instead I launched myself at him and threw my arms around his neck. “Emil!” I hugged him tight, so relieved to see him. “How did you find me?”

  “The news. The footage of you leaving the PIA offices is on every channel. Turns out that a live Alchemica alchemist is big news.”

  I leaned back to look up at him. “Oh. That can’t be good.”

  “Sure it is. It helped me find you.” He grinned and then leaned down to cover my mouth with his.

  Chapter

  14

  I froze, too stunned to respond when Emil pressed his lips to mine. My vague memories of him didn’t include anything like this. Though, it could be nothing more than a chaste kiss of greeting. I decided not to make a scene—then his wet tongue slid between my lips.

  I pulled away. “Nice to see you, too.” I tried to keep my tone light, but my smile failed.

  Emil caught my face between his hands, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. His look of puzzlement shifted to understanding. “You really have forgotten.”

  My heart beat faster at the implications. “Forgotten what?” I met his blue eyes. They were the only feature that still resembled the man I thought I remembered. “Please tell me we’re not married,” I whispered.

  “Would that disappoint you?�
� He caressed one cheek with his thumb while he kept my face trapped between his palms.

  “I—”

  He laughed. “Fear not.” He leaned closer, his mouth to my ear. “We’re lovers.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Release her,” Rowan said from behind us.

  Emil whirled to face him, a hand slipping behind his back. Before I could stop him, he shattered a glass vial against the floor at Rowan’s feet. A cloud of yellow gas filled the air at an alarming rate.

  James snarled and grabbed Era by the arm, pulling her back into the hallway before the gas obscured my view.

  Suddenly the very air ignited in a roar of heat and flames—and in the next instant, vanished completely. Rowan had burned away the gas. His eyes blazed orange within the shadow of his hood, and like the flames, abruptly winked out. Donovan caught him as he collapsed.

  A choking noise drew my attention back to Emil. He’d doubled over and had a white-knuckled grip on his knees.

  “Are you aware that the human body is mostly water?” Cora asked, stopping in front of him. “Next time you try something that stupid, I’ll rip every liquid from your body. Do you understand?”

  Emil made another choking noise, but Cora wasn’t listening. She watched over her shoulder as Donovan grunted beneath Rowan’s weight, pulling him back toward the hall. James stepped forward and with a soft word to Donovan, lifted Rowan in his arms. Bizarre that the lean teenager could lift what the much larger man had struggled with.

  Once Rowan was gone, Cora must have released Emil because he gasped and stumbled back to drop into one of the high-backed leather chairs arranged in pairs around the room.

  I rounded on Emil. “What were you thinking?” I clutched my hands to keep from smacking him upside the head. It had been a minor fire of short duration, but Rowan shouldn’t be lighting a match right now.