The Essential Elements: Boxed Set

by Elle Middaugh

  “That’s dangerous, Val. I know he’s your grandfather and all, but he’s an epic badass. Cade is walking a treacherous line by tracking him. You don’t need to put yourself at risk, too.”

  “But I do,” I said with an emotional rise of my shoulders. “This is my family. These are my choices. If I choose wrong, there will be consequences for humans and Elementals alike.”

  She peeked at me from the corner of her eye. “You really think you’re that powerful? That you alone can tip the scales of fate?”

  There wasn’t derision in her tone, but there was definitely uncertainty.

  “Not me alone,” I said right away. “But I feel like…I don’t know. I’ve always felt like my decision on this matter was going to be an important one. I’ve been Gifted—there’s gotta be a reason for that.”

  “Yeah, genetics. It’s literally in your DNA,” she said, still unconvinced. “Every other generation gets two elements, remember? You’re not Gifted by some divine intervention, you’re Gifted because your dad fucked your mom. It’s your inheritance.”

  God, she was blunt, and I loved her even more because of it.

  “Yeah, but why me? What am I supposed to do with this Gift, anyway? I can’t help but feel like…if I’m not using it to do the right thing, the moral thing, the good thing, then I’m wasting it.”

  It was the first time I’d really put words to those particular emotions. It was all true though, even if I couldn’t explain exactly why I felt the way I did. It was a sensation swirling in the depths of my soul. Maybe it was part of my Elemental power stirring, awakening at my own realization of significance? Or maybe I’d grown up and realized there was a whole world outside my egocentric existence that could desperately use my help?

  Sienna eyed me carefully, like she was suddenly seeing me in a different light and the highlights were skewing my appearance.

  “The price of greatness is responsibility,” she quoted in a murmur.

  “Churchill,” I said at the same time she did, making me grin.

  She nodded as she mulled it over.

  “I think I get it. I still don’t understand how Cade fits into this at all, but…whatever.”

  I laughed, but it came out as more of a sigh. I was so relieved that she was still behind me, that she believed in my cause—even if I didn’t know exactly what it was myself.

  “Thank you, Sienna.”

  “You’re welcome, Val.”

  Her return smirk was soft and warm. She stood and plucked the Tequila Sunrise out of my hand, chugging half of it.

  “Now go,” she said with a laugh. “Find out what you need to know in order to save the world.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I can’t decide if you’re patronizing me or not.”

  She laughed again. “Only a bit, and I’m totally just messing. Honestly, I really do believe you. If you feel a calling like that, you need to listen to it.”

  I stood, too, with a smile and a nod.

  “Don’t forget to take your card,” she said, snatching it off the lounge table and fanning it at me. “Never know if you might need it.”

  I rolled my eyes but took it. “Thanks.”

  “No probs. See ya later, biotch.” Then she sauntered off, waving her hand above her head.

  I chuckled. “See ya.”

  I looked around. Despite all the talk about Cade, I’d really been leaning toward following Jay and Adira. I decided to trust my gut.

  There were people everywhere, and an intoxicating mixture of colognes and perfumes saturated the air. People talked and shared drinks, but mostly they danced. The slip of silky clothing and the slide of sweaty bodies made it easy to traverse the crowd.

  At the end of the room, I was met by two large and intimidating bouncers. Their bulging arms were crossed. Black sunglasses hid their eyes. An intentional, menacing air hovered around them.

  I took a deep breath. “I’m supposed to be meeting someone back there.” I aimed a nervous finger toward the hallway.

  One bouncer stared at me; the other glanced over his shoulder.

  “Left wing is VIP only,” he said.

  My lips spread into a relieved smile.

  “Oh, that’s not a problem! I am a VIP. See?”

  I held out the card a little too close to his face.

  He nodded and unlatched a rope while the other guy continued staring.

  I quickly slipped through, wobbling a bit as I fought to maintain balance in my very narrow heels. I felt like a white-trash floozy, but at least I looked like a damn demigod. The sparkly, royal green dress I wore was three-quarter sleeved, one-quarter length—ha! Not really, but it was seriously sexy. With my pale blue eyes lined in smoky gray and my straight hair loose for once, I looked every inch the stereotypical VIP.

  The hallway was covered in thin red carpeting, and the walls were lined in an elegant Victorian pattern. Inset lighting emitted a warm glow from above, and doors were situated on each side, marked available or occupied.

  A rush of heat swam up to my neck and cheeks. I suddenly felt a little out of place—or a lot. I couldn’t hear anything revealing, but I was pretty sure I understood exactly what the rooms were for.

  And Adira had taken Jay back there.

  I passed by six doors, four of them occupied. My heart hammered as I worked up the nerve to test the first door. I gripped the bronze knob, but it was locked—obviously. After a deep breath, I continued on. The next time I found a locked door, I put my ear up to it.

  Creaking. Panting. Moaning.

  My cheeks flushed, hot and pink. Yep, I was right—sex rooms.

  Surely Jay wasn’t in any of them, and if he wasn’t, then he had to be somewhere else farther up ahead…right? Right.

  The hallway turned to the right at the end. The lights were spaced farther apart back there, creating little nooks for shadows to creep in. More doors lined the smaller hallway, but they were metal and had chipping paint. I assumed they were simply for storage.

  Only the last door had writing: management only. My insides buzzed. This was it. This was why I’d come here.

  Quietly, I pushed through the door and was immediately met with…brooms. Also mops, buckets, and other cleaning supplies. Bleach and mildew scented the air. It was literally a damn utility closet. I closed the door and tried to bury my disappointment.

  There were still two doors left.

  I opened the next door and stark darkness overwhelmed me. My heart hammered. My palms were sweaty. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed a bit of light coming from what must’ve been another door a few feet ahead.

  I inched closer. The sound of muffled voices met my ears. Was it Jay and Adira?

  “Shhh,” a voice said on my left.

  I turned and barely made out Cade’s profile in the dark. He stepped closer to the dim light and put a finger to his lips. Desire burned in his otherwise calm eyes as they roved over my body like a steamroller.

  Clearly, he approved of my club look.

  I approved of his look as well, though it was more thief than club. Dark denim jeans sat snugly on his hips and he wore a black assassin jacket, complete with a side zipper and multilayered lapel. Black boots and tousled dirty blond hair topped off the look.

  Apparently we were trying to give each other heart attacks.

  He pointed to the door. “Nicholai’s in there,” he whispered.

  My brows squeezed together. “But…” Jay was supposed to be in there.

  That left two possibilities, one of them slightly terrifying. One, I was wrong, and Jay and Adira were actually in one of the sex rooms, or two, I was right, and Jay and Adira were meeting up with Nicholai. If the latter was the case, though, that would mean Jay was an inside player, just like Chase supposedly was.

  My thoughts cycloned back to three months ago, when Elise and I had first arrived at the old safe house. Chase and Jay had followed us. Elise had been paranoid. A Fire and a Water, exactly what I needed to help gain control—too uncanny.

  Mayb
e she was right…

  Or maybe I was just letting Elise get to me.

  “But what?” Cade asked. His words were so quiet he practically lipped them.

  I shook my head. “Never mind.”

  It wasn’t that I wanted to keep it from him, I just didn’t know how to go about starting that conversation, especially given our location and situation.

  I listened extra hard at the door. Now more than ever I needed to be able to decipher the voices. There were a shit-ton of consequences riding on the verdict of who was in there.

  “Everything’s in place?” That was Nicholai.

  The person must’ve nodded, because I heard no reply.

  “And no power was used?” There was a pause, and Nicholai continued. “Good. Next item.” Papers shuffled. “We found the other boy. He finally came close enough for me to sense his signature in the Earth. Henrie and the Traditionalists will back down immediately when they realize his life’s at stake.”

  I glanced at Cade. His eyes were hard, his mouth in a tight line.

  “Where are we keeping him?” the other person asked. The voice was deeper, so I was fairly certain it was a guy, but I couldn’t tell who it was.

  “We have him just south of Black Walnut State Park. They’ll never look for him there.”

  Cade backed away, fists clenched. “The fuck we won’t,” he whispered. Then he was gone, sprinting down the hall and disappearing around the corner.

  I had a split second to decide what to do.

  Wait, and finally find out who Nicholai was meeting up with.

  Or go, and try to help Cade rescue his brother.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When my second of deliberation was up, I found myself rounding the corner and chasing Cade down the hall. He was ridiculously fast, fueled by vengeance and adrenaline, but I kept up simply because I had to.

  He burst through an exit door, and I slipped through before it could close again. We raced up a set of old stone stairs and into the light of the midday sun. After being in the dark, it was nearly blinding, and my ears rang as my eyes adjusted. When I blinked, Cade was crossing the threshold of the forest. Quickly, I kicked off my high heels and sprinted after him.

  Tree branches scratched and whipped at my face. I ducked to avoid them, but I still got stung dozens of times. My footing was sure on the gracious snow, but when we got deeper into the woods where the snow was sparser, I found myself sinking and slipping on rotting leaves. Almost unconsciously, my water element took over, and an icy path spread out ahead of me. Behind, it disappeared nearly as quickly.

  My breaths were deep but even. Thank God Elise had trained me so hard. I couldn’t remember exactly where Black Walnut State Park was, but I figured it was at least twenty miles south. We’d be traveling quite a ways.

  Cade pushed harder. I kept up.

  Eventually, we broke free from the woods and scampered down the side of a little town nestled in a valley. Given that it was south of Northland and a little west of Center Allegheny, I guessed it was Berwindale, though I’d never actually been there.

  Cade darted toward a U-shaped group of buildings. In the middle of the U was a big but mostly empty parking lot; it must’ve been an old mall. His black truck was parked all by itself near the far edge.

  When we reached it, he finally acknowledged my presence, though, as an Earth, I knew he must’ve sensed me the whole time. His eyes met mine over the hood.

  “Getting in?” he asked.

  I smiled and nodded, still trying to catch my breath.

  “Okay,” he said, tone slightly unsure.

  Before I knew it, we were speeding down the winding roads of the Appalachian Mountains. They were mostly clear, but thanks to the plows, there were patches of packed snow that had turned almost icy. I used my influence over the water to keep the tires from slipping, and it didn’t go unappreciated.

  “Thanks,” Cade said, voice a little hoarse, probably from the harsh, cold breaths we’d been forced to take while sprinting.

  “You’re welcome.”

  I wasn’t sure what else to say. Tension hovered around us, thick like fog. If he was thinking what I was thinking, we were both wondering just how in the hell we were going to break Xavier out of an Elitist stronghold. It was a heavy worry, made heavier by the fact that we were probably going to be making up the rescue mission as we went along.

  “Thirsty?” I asked, breaking the strain.

  Realization dawned on his face. “You’re a Water,” he said. “Yes, I’m parched.”

  “Think you could make us a cup?”

  “Absolutely.” One hand remained on the wheel while the other formed a wisp that morphed into a bundle of tiny sticks. He wiggled his fingers softly, and the sticks spiraled until they formed a rustic-looking mug. When he held it out to me, I simply touched it, watching as water quickly filled the bottom and rose up the wooden sides.

  I let him have the first go. It made me feel good to be useful; it was nice to actually do something. He handed me the empty cup, and I refilled it on the way to my mouth.

  I wanted to ask him if he thought Xavier was okay, if he knew anything about where we were headed, if he was nervous. I didn’t want to fan the flames of apprehension, however, so I kept my mouth shut.

  Instead, I texted Sienna.

  Hey. On my way to save a small piece of the world. Don’t wait on me at the club.

  Her response came quicker than I’d thought it would.

  Which piece of the world? Where are you?

  I sighed. I didn’t want to risk her and Jay tagging along, but I didn’t want to lie either.

  I’m with Cade. Heading south. We think we might be close to finding Xavier.

  I could almost hear her freaking out.

  What!?

  I cringed, scrunching my nose.

  Sienna…you told me you understood that I needed to make my own decisions about all of this, even if they are stupid or dangerous.

  My phone vibrated with her reply.

  We never used the words stupid or dangerous in that conversation, Valerie, but now that I know you’re doing something stupid and dangerous, I’m scared shitless about you!

  I sighed. Guilt moved in.

  I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. In fact, the reason I texted was to keep you from worrying when you couldn’t find me at the club.

  She replied quickly.

  Well that backfired, didn’t it? lol but thanks for trying. I obviously can’t stop you, so you better be careful…

  I relaxed a bit.

  Thank you. I will.

  I put my phone down and looked over at Cade. He seemed to have thrown as much concentration as he could muster into watching the road. Once I was done texting, he glanced at me.

  “I was talking to Sienna,” I said, figuring he assumed I was talking to Holden.

  His shoulders loosened slightly as some tension released. “Okay.”

  I sighed. “You look like you want to say something.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “Not anymore.”

  I took a deep breath, working up the strength and nerve to say what I wanted to say. “Cade…if we manage to get Xavier out—”

  “When we get Xavier out,” he corrected.

  I took another big inhale and steeled my resolve. “When we get Xavier out, what will you do? Will you stop hunting my grandfather?”

  His grip tightened almost unnoticeably on the wheel. “Why do you ask?”

  I swallowed. My nerves were stinging me. I lifted my palm and fluttered my fingers, feeling the calm wash over me as sparkling frost formed and jumped from tip to tip. “Because, with following Nicholai consuming your every waking moment, you don’t have time for much…else, and I thought that maybe once Xavier was back, you’d…reprioritize.”

  “Reprioritize…” He said it like it’d never occurred to him before, and also like it was a ludicrous suggestion.

  “Never mind.” I squelched the frost in a fist and sent it
back inside.

  He immediately reached over and put his hand on my knee. The skin-to-skin contact sent a shiver up my spine, and I tightened my fist.

  “Valerie, listen, my attraction to you has somehow miraculously surpassed my loathing of your family. I want to be with you more than you know.” His eyes found mine, and torture passed between us. He moved his hand back to the wheel. “But there is nothing on God’s green earth that’s going to keep me from exacting my revenge on your grandfather. I’m sorry. Until that happens…I can’t be focused on us.”

  I swallowed and closed my eyes. “What if there is no us after you murder him?”

  “God, Val, murder is such a horrible word for it. It’d be justified. I can’t personally do it, anyway, remember? We’re both Earths.”

  I opened my eyes and raised a brow. “What if Xavier refuses?”

  He shook his head. “Then I’ll find someone else.”

  “Someone who’s willing to go up against one of the strongest, oldest, and most fearful Elementals alive. What if you can’t find anyone so stupid?”

  He growled quietly. “Valerie…”

  “Seriously.” I turned my body so I was facing him. “What if you can’t? Then what?”

  “There is no can’t!” he shouted. “There is no then what. There is only searching, come hell or high water, until I find someone willing and able to do it.”

  His words pained me to hear, but I understood them. It was like I could see through him, into his soul, and it was burning red. He was so angry, so hurt, broken, vengeful, and determined.

  Ordinarily, I would have let that break my heart. I would have watched the pieces fall to the floor and shatter into dust, but because I knew pain was the root of his problem, my heart remained intact—strengthened, even. My desire to be with him shifted slightly into a need to restore him, to heal him, put him back together, and calm his ireful spirit.

  I had no idea how to achieve that, of course. It seemed no matter what I said or did, I ended up making it worse, so I simply stayed silent.

  Before long, we abandoned the truck. He’d chosen a random service road, unpaved, not even graveled. I hoped no one would notice it there. If they did, maybe they’d just assume we were hunting or something; it was about that time of year.