Hunted (Tainted Elements, #5)

by Linwood, Alycia

  “I’m not a doctor,” my mom said, “but his vitals aren’t looking too good. The levels of his elemental energy are almost nonexistent.”

  “Shit.” I put my fist into my mouth and bit down. He had really drained his elements.

  “I’m not sure if this is normal.” A frown creased my mom’s brow. “I know he used a lot of energy to keep that shield up, but someone with his power and abilities shouldn’t have such low levels...” She looked up at me. “Has this ever happened to any tainted elemental? Or does this have something to do with his condition? Because of what you mentioned about him not being born with his elements?”

  “I...” I took a deep breath. There was no point in keeping it a secret anymore. “Jaiden’s elements aren’t exactly permanent.”

  “What do you mean?” Her head jerked back.

  “He has to take a serum so he can keep his elements.”

  “A serum?” She let go of Jaiden’s arm and came toward me. “What kind of serum? Does that mean anyone could get a second element if they took...?”

  “No, the serum works only on Jaiden. His father is the only one who knows how to make it, and if Jaiden doesn’t take it... I guess his elements start to fade when he uses them a lot. And since his father is on the run... Jaiden hasn’t taken the serum. He gave it to me so I could go after Blake.”

  She tilted her head. “You gave me something to analyze to try and recreate... Was that...?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Yeah. It was the serum, but you said you couldn’t do it, so...” The beginning of a headache was starting to form behind my eyes.

  “It was unique. I’ve never seen anything like it.” She glanced at Jaiden over her shoulder. “So what happens to him if he doesn’t take the serum? Will he lose his second element? Or both?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think he’s ever gone so long without the serum when his elemental energy was low. I don’t even know what can happen.” Jaiden looked so weak and barely alive. If he was losing one or both of his elements, wouldn’t he at least be conscious?

  “I only have experience with element preservers and regular elementals, but losing elements can cause this kind of reaction... but his case is different because his element or maybe both were affected by whatever his father did to him.” For the first time, my mom’s eyes softened as she looked back at Jaiden.

  I ran my hand across my face and let out a loud sigh. “Is there anything you can do or anyone you could call for help?”

  My mom shook her head. “I’d call Lily, but she can’t send any help right now when everyone’s watching her, and the others... I doubt they have experience with tainted elementals or would even want to help someone who is a murder suspect.”

  “Right.” I couldn’t just sit here and wait. As I lowered my hand, my fingers brushed against the pocket with the flash drive. “Is there a computer somewhere in here?”

  “Yeah, just down the hallway.”

  “I’m going to see what’s on this.” I took out the drive and waved with it. “If something changes or if he wakes up, let me know immediately.”

  My mom nodded. “Go. I’ll take care of him.”

  “Thanks.” I offered her a weak smile and headed out. The hallway was empty, its gray floor slightly slippery, but not even its light blue walls could calm me. When I reached the door at the end, I peeked inside and saw my father sitting on one of the sofas. The old-looking computer was on the table, half covered with a blue blanket.

  “How is he?” my dad asked, the lines around his blue eyes more prominent.

  “I don’t know.” My voice was shaky and my dad got to his feet and came toward me, placing his arms around me. I fought the urge to burst into tears as he ran circles across my back.

  “Oh, honey, he’ll be fine. You’ll see,” he said.

  I only nodded, then squeezed the drive in my hand and pulled away. “We need to see what’s on this.” We had all risked way too much to get the damn thing. There better be something useful on it.

  I started the computer, and a soft fuzzy noise came out of it. Pulling a nearby chair closer, I took a seat in front of the screen and waited at least five minutes for the damn thing to start. After sliding the drive into the slot, I put my hand over the mouse and clicked multiple times to get the files to open.

  There didn’t seem to be much information, and one file contained Lily’s apology for not being able to recover much because whoever Sophia had hired had done one hell of a good job. My dad leaned over my shoulder, squinting at the screen.

  “Looks like Sophia is her real name, or at least she had it legally changed at some point,” I said in surprise. “She’s twenty-six, came to town for college, and one day just stopped going to classes. Huh.”

  There was no information about where she could’ve come from or what she’d been studying, but it was a start. We could track her down in the college’s records. Hopefully. I scrolled down and saw Sophia’s name was in Elemontera’s system, but there was no way to recover the files that would explain why she was mentioned. Great, so Jaiden’s father had something to do with it and our theory that Sophia was working with him could be right.

  “Wait, we went through all that trouble to get this?” My dad scowled at the screen, taking the mouse from me and trying to scroll farther, but there was nothing except blank pages. “Seriously, Lily? That was all you got?”

  “It’s enough, actually.” I pushed myself to my feet. “There has to be something about her in the records that couldn’t be deleted. And now we know how old she is, so narrowing it down won’t be so hard.” At least I hoped it wouldn’t. Surely we’d have heard if someone had broken into the college’s building and stolen some papers.

  “I’m surprised no one recognized her. If she went to college...”

  “Maybe she looked different, or she wasn’t one of the memorable faces and didn’t hang out with people. The college is full of students, so it’s impossible to know everyone. Maybe some of them are working for her or she found another way to ensure they keep their mouths shut.” I disconnected the flash drive and put it back into my pocket. It wasn’t much information, but I didn’t want to leave it here for just anyone to find.

  “So you’re going to dig through a bunch of papers at the college and hope you find out more about her?” He pursed his lips.

  “No, I’m going to send someone to take care of that.” I was already getting a hold of my phone so I could text Noah.

  “Smart. Giving boring tasks to your buddies.” A slow grin spread across my father’s lips, then his face became serious again. “Wait, then what are you going to do? Stay here with Jaiden?”

  “No, I’m going to find his father.”

  “What?” He gaped at me. “How? Why?”

  “I don’t know yet how, but I have plenty of reasons to find him. He has something that can help Jaiden, and Sophia was in Elemontera’s system, so Jack has to know her.” There was no way she was in the system without his knowledge. I wanted to know what her role was. She was too old to be a tainted elemental, but she could have been a researcher or a regular agent.

  “If you say so... but Jack has been on the run for a while. It won’t be easy to track him down.”

  I chewed on the insides of my cheek, aware that my father was right.

  “Honey!” My mom’s voice pierced the air. I turned into air without thinking and flashed myself right next to her. She gasped, flinching back, but then she relaxed when I fully materialized. Jaiden’s eyes cracked open, and he was moving his arms. I nearly fell over from relief.

  “Jaiden? Are you okay?” I rushed to his side, taking his shaky hand into mine and placing a soft kiss on his knuckles.

  “Hey.” He flashed me a weak smile. “Is everyone safe?”

  “Yeah, we managed to get away.” I sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “Terrible.” He grimaced. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re okay.”

  “I’ll be right outside,
” my mom said, inclining her head toward us, and scooted out of the room. As the door closed, Jaiden coughed.

  “I checked the files about Sophia. There isn’t much, but she’s somehow connected to Elemontera. We just don’t know how,” I said.

  “Figures.” He pressed his lips into a tight line. “Who else would be behind everything if not my father?”

  “I’m going after him.”

  Jaiden’s head snapped toward me, his eyes widening. “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am. You need the serum and we need the info he has about Sophia.”

  “No. I won’t let you go.” He lifted his chin, his gaze alert. “So what if Sophia was in Elemontera’s system? She wasn’t anyone important or I’d know about her. Anything he could tell you won’t matter. We need to figure out her next move and act before she ruins everything.”

  “I know, but you’re not in the condition to...”

  “I told you not to worry about me.” He gave me a hard look. “I meant it. No matter what happens to me, don’t go after my father.”

  “But if he’s helping her... or if they’re working together... then by finding him, I might find her. Believe me, that’s the best shot we’ve got.”

  “By now he could’ve reorganized the men who used to work for him. He might have too many people protecting him, and if they catch you... You don’t know him like I do. If he wants to rebuild Elemontera, he’ll be ruthless.”

  “All we know is that he took that recovery file for Elemontera, but that doesn’t mean he could’ve reorganized already. I’ll be careful. I promise.”

  “Moira, no!” He raised his voice, trying to push himself up, but he fell back against the pillows.

  “I’m going to get that serum for you.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you no? I don’t want it, okay? I don’t want anything from my father anymore. We’ll figure this out. I can live without my elements... I can...” He blinked, licking his dry and cracked lips. He wasn’t getting any better. I didn’t need to be a doctor to notice that. He was trying to be strong for me because he thought he could protect me, but I wasn’t about to change my mind.

  “It’s my choice. Please,” he finally said, his eyes boring into mine.

  I averted my gaze, biting down on my lower lip. When I looked up at him, my voice was steady and calm. “And it’s my choice to go after your father.”

  “Fine.” He clenched his jaw, resting his head on the pillows and staring at the wall. “But I won’t help you find him.”

  “Okay.” I swallowed hard. My phone vibrated and I realized it was Noah texting me back, promising he was going to check the college’s records. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against Jaiden’s, then turned myself into air, ready to find his father no matter what. Jack Maiers was somewhere out there and I would do anything to get him.

  Chapter 8

  When I returned to the lab some ten hours later, I nearly fell off my feet from exhaustion. After a quick check-up on Jaiden and finding him asleep, I tiptoed out of the room and went down the hallway. My parents were seated around the computer, their faces grim.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, and they both jumped.

  “Oh God, honey, I didn’t know you were back,” my mom said. As she moved her head, I could see two small windows on the screen. On one, I recognized Noah’s face.

  “Moira, are you there?” He waved his hand. “I can hear you, but that stupid computer of yours doesn’t have a camera so I can’t see you.”

  “Yeah, I’m here,” I said, coming closer. “Did you find anything?”

  “Well, sort of.” His face fell, then he bobbed his head to the left. “Oh wait, I’m not sure if the other window is on the right or left. Shit. Just look at it.”

  I focused on the video that was playing next to Noah’s. A group of people in black were blasted back by a shield of air... “Someone filmed the attack on us?” I looked at my mom and dad.

  “Sophia’s men did,” she said, her face sour.

  “You’re not going to like this,” Noah said.

  “What did she do now? Accuse us of attacking her people even though they attacked first?” I clenched my jaw.

  “Not exactly. She broadcast another video in which she’s taking full responsibility of the attack on Jaiden and you.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “Just watch,” Noah said, and my mom restarted the video. Sophia’s face flashed across the screen for a moment, and then the video of Jaiden and me meeting with my parents came up.

  “The cops are having trouble locating and hunting down these two murderers,” Sophia said. “But it seems like they’re not trying hard enough. Our government isn’t competent enough to deal with this. As you can see, my small team of untrained elements almost captured the fugitives. If we all work together, we’ll get them.”

  I swore under my breath. So that was what Sophia had been planning: to capture Jaiden and me and take all the credit for it, maybe even get people’s support because of it. Wonderful.

  “I’ve heard some of you out there sympathize with these people, but let me tell you something. If they were good people, they’d turn over those two criminals and not protect them. Good people of this city, come to the square and let’s show the government and those elementals that we’re not afraid and that together we can handle this. The nightmares that haunt this city can be defeated! Moira and Jaiden, I’m talking to you now. If you want to show everyone that your kind is not as bloodthirsty as they seem, come to the main square in five hours and turn yourselves in. We want to hear your side of the story, too. We’re not monsters.” The screen went black.

  “Perfect. Just fucking perfect.” I didn’t know if Sophia would truly appear at the square, but I was sure she’d come accompanied by her men, who wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Hell, the angry mob that would come out just to see her or to complain about something would be there to protect her too. “If Jaiden and I don’t appear there, she’ll say we’re hiding because we have reasons to do it, and I’m sure some people will agree with her.”

  “You’re not actually considering going there,” Noah said.

  “No, it’s a trap. She wants to provoke us and get us to attack her, and if we do that, people won’t care that she started it first. Whatever we do, she wins.” I gritted my teeth. “I don’t like this at all.”

  “Yeah, me neither. So what are we going to do? If she really appears, it’s an opportunity to track her down and try to capture her, but I’m sure she’ll take all the necessary precautions,” Noah said.

  “I doubt she’ll let anyone near her. Those people who attacked us will make sure of it, if she doesn’t have more elsewhere. No, we definitely can’t make a move, but we can monitor her.” I scratched my chin.

  Noah cocked his head to the side. “Monitor her how?”

  “Send Marissa, Sam, and Ashley to the square to join the people and see what Sophia says. Make sure they don’t reveal themselves as tainteds to anyone.”

  “What?” Noah gasped. “Are you crazy? I can’t send them into an angry crowd!”

  “It’s unlikely someone will recognize them if they don’t use their elements. Tell them to change their appearance a bit just in case.” Sophia wouldn’t attack random people because she suspected they were elementals. No, she had to have a bigger plan. She wanted us to attack first or make it seem like we did so she could blame all of us for being evil and bloodthirsty.

  “No, I’ll go myself,” Noah said. “Maybe take Nick with me.”

  “You can’t. You were both in Elemontera’s system as their agents, and if Sophia is really working with Jaiden’s father, then she probably has access to that file. She and her men could be looking for familiar faces from Elemontera or have some other means of detecting Elemontera’s ex agents. You mustn’t go there.”

  “Shit.” Noah chewed on his lower lip. “What do you think her end game is? She’s mostly focusing on Jaiden and you.”


  “I wish I knew. Maybe she’s planning to run for mayor.” She was really trying to make it look like she cared about the city and its people. That didn’t sound very different from political campaigns.

  “Couldn’t she have just bribed someone for that when she has so many connections?”

  “Probably, but that wouldn’t be real enough for her, I guess. Hopefully Jaiden’s father will tell me more.”

  “You don’t know where he is, do you?”

  “No, I’ve been looking all over for him, but no luck.” I studied Noah’s face. “Did my mom tell you Jaiden might be dying?”

  “What?” Noah’s composure broke for a moment, but he quickly masked it.

  “He’s losing his elements. They’re not like ours. His father did something to him so he’d have them, but he needs a serum to keep them or else... I don’t know.”

  “Losing his elements? But why would he die because of that?” Noah’s brow furrowed, and I knew he still cared about Jaiden, even though he was still hurt by Jaiden’s betrayal.

  “Maybe he won’t, but... if you want to come talk to him... you might want to do it soon.” I had absolutely no intention of letting Jaiden die, but if he and Noah could patch things up or at least if Noah could let go of his anger at Jaiden a little bit... it might be a good thing for them both.

  “Okay.” He nodded gravely. “Talk to you later.”

  I inclined my head and the window went black.

  “I’m going to check up on Jaiden,” I said to my parents and started down the hallway. When I entered his room, his eyes were still closed, so I settled at the edge of the bed and bent down to place a feather-like kiss on his cheek. His eyelids fluttered and he looked up at me.