The Essential Elements: Boxed Set

by Elle Middaugh

  “Vibrations in the air,” he said. “Maybe something that smells like asphalt or tar.”

  She blinked slowly. “Okay…”

  She closed her eyes, concentrating hard, while we waited…and waited. She must’ve sifted through each room and hallway with a fine-tooth comb. Finally—and in all reality, maybe about three minutes later—she opened her eyes. Beads of sweat licked her hairline.

  “That was one of the most exhausting things I’ve ever done,” she said. Her breath was short, and she sounded physically tired.

  “Did you find the bombs?” Cade asked, ignoring her fatigue.

  “Maybe? There was a slight vibration in the air near the center of the basement. I have no idea if it was actually a bomb, though.”

  She started to lean and I grabbed her quickly. “You okay?

  Her head shook dazedly. “I don’t know…I feel really weak.”

  I knew that feeling quite well thanks to Elise, Chase, and Jay. The best way to restore Elemental power? Immersion in the element itself.

  I glanced at Xavier. “She needs ventilation. Can you take her outside into the open air? That’s probably her best option for rapid recovery.”

  Xavier nodded, but looked at me with curiosity. “Have you been studying Healing?”

  It was my turn to look curious. “No. I thought that was, like, an Earth thing?”

  “Earths don’t know how to fix power depletions.”

  “Well, apparently spy-assassins do,” I said. “My cousin taught me that trick.”

  “Hmm,” Xavier said, frowning.

  He came over and lifted Sienna into his arms like she was light as a feather.

  “When she’s better, we’ll catch back up. If we don’t, meet us outside by the car when you’re done.” He glanced at Cade. “And for God’s sake, bro, don’t blow the damn building apart. I know you fancy yourself a skillful vigilante, but these are bombs we’re dealing with, okay? Be careful.”

  “Of course I will,” Cade said assuredly.

  Xavier glared at him. “What color wire do you cut?”

  “The one going to the detonator.”

  Xavier’s glare deepened, but he didn’t correct him, so I assumed Cade had been right. I wondered if he ever had reason to doubt himself.

  After Xavier and Sienna left, Cade sighed and shook his head.

  “We finally have some alone time and what do we get to do? Find and dismantle a damn bomb.”

  I smiled, but it was fake. I had no experience with bombs whatsoever. The thought of having to disconnect the proper wire was enough to send me into a frenzied panic.

  Only…my elements weren’t reacting.

  I glanced at my bracelet; it was glowing a soft blue. Maybe that meant it was actively working? I pulled the necklace out from inside my sparkly green dress. I’d almost forgotten about my attire; it was so out of place in a situation like this. My necklace was glowing, too—a hazy shade of orange.

  Interesting. I’d never noticed before.

  How awful would my powers be if I somehow lost contact with either of those stones?

  “All right Val,” Cade said with a sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”

  My heart pounded harder. I hated the sensation of being enclosed. Cautiously, I lit a blue flame in the palm of my hand. We passed through a long hallway, then into a room that seemed to be located just about center. Everything was shrouded in darkness and earthy-smelling down there, so quiet I could hear my ears ringing. I wondered if it’d be hard to smell the tar, or to hear the faint electrical buzzing.

  I shined my light and we looked all around, but there was nothing to be found.

  “This has to be it,” Cade said, searching.

  “Well, they called it a secret room, didn’t they?”

  Cade’s lips twisted. “This is subbasement level, I figured that was secret enough.”

  I wasn’t so sure. Nicholai was a sneaky little shit.

  “I think we need to be looking for levers and trapdoors, as stupid as that sounds.”

  Cade shrugged. “If you say so.” He then began feeling around and pulling items off shelves that might trigger a door to spring open.

  The first thing I did was lift a nasty dust-covered rug that was slightly askew, and voila! Trapdoor. It seemed so cliché, I could hardly take it seriously.

  “Cade,” I said, amused. “Look at this.”

  “No way…”

  He came over and yanked the little square door up and open. It was pitch black down there. I had no idea how deep it was, so I asked.

  Cade reached out with his earthly powers. A moment later he said, “It’s shallow, only about five feet deep. We’ll have to duck our heads.” With that, he hopped down into the little oblivion.

  I stumbled back against the wall and slumped to the floor, suddenly overwhelmed with dread. My heart pounded like a jackhammer. What the hell was wrong with me? Where had this debilitating fear of enclosed spaces come from? Subbasement level had been bad enough, let alone random pit in subbasement level.

  Cade popped his head back up through the hole. When he saw me, he smiled warmly.

  “Come here, you.”

  I shook my head fervently.

  “I control the earth, remember? I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Like last time,” I said, shaking, “when I nearly killed you?”

  “You have the aquamarine crystals now.”

  He was right. The bracelet would help keep my water in check, but that didn’t account for my paralyzing anxiety about dropping into that hole.

  “I’m sorry, Cade,” I said. “But…”

  But what? You’re going to have to dismantle the bomb by yourself? What the hell kind of coward was I?

  Tossing my flame near the void, I swallowed hard and dragged myself onto my hands and knees. Slowly, I inched my way closer. Dirt packed tightly under my nails. My arms and legs shook violently the whole way. I felt like crying, but I couldn’t.

  When I got close enough, he scooped me up and plunged us into the pit.

  “Damn it, Cade!” I cried, burrowing tighter into his chest.

  “Val,” he said solemnly. “Look at me.”

  After a moment, I lit a new fire in my palm and peeked up at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black cube-like structure in the center of the room. It had to be the bomb.

  “I’m no power expert,” he said. “But I have a feeling Nicholai did this to you.”

  The statement temporarily distracted me from the creepiness of being so close to something that could kill us.

  “Did what to me?

  “The claustrophobia, as a sort of curse.”

  I was astounded. “Is something like that even possible?”

  Cade shrugged. “I don’t know exactly, but you said you were never claustrophobic before. Now you’re terrified of enclosed spaces. You’re not afraid of being surrounded by air, because, yeah. You’re not afraid of being surrounded by fire or water, because they’re your elements. That only leaves earth that you could fear, and guess who’s extremely powerful and controls earth?”

  “Nicholai,” I muttered. Then I looked up at him. “You think you can coax the earth to remove this…curse?”

  He smiled, hesitation lurking behind his eyes. “I think so.”

  I frowned. “What’s the catch? Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

  “The catch,” he said before heaving a huge sigh, “is that I have no idea how much power it’s going to take to reverse this—if I even can. I didn’t mention it sooner because I didn’t think about it being a curse until just now.”

  As his words sank in, I nodded. I’d been familiar with anxiety for a while. I should’ve just learned to deal with the phobia, too. The paralyzing horror, though…it felt like nothing to mess around with. I had to ask, even if it did feel selfish.

  “Can you try?”

  He checked the time on his cell, then nodded somberly and took a step away from me. He shook out his limbs and cr
acked his neck. After another deep breath, he sank to the floor. Eyes closed, he dug his fingers into the ground.

  Nothing happened at first, at least not that I could see. He must’ve been speaking to the earth in silence. I had no idea what to expect, and that was probably the most terrifying part. Would it hurt? How long would it take? Would he convulse, or froth at the mouth, or start speaking in ancient tongues? What was I supposed to do if it came to that?

  The overanalyzing was short-lived, though. I didn’t know what Cade had done, but damn it, I knew the exact moment when that burden was lifted from my chest. All at once, I felt lighter and more relaxed, like I could breathe again. The tension in my muscles had dissolved. My mind had quit racing. I sank to the floor, so relieved my body had practically melted.

  The claustrophobia was gone.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I whispered on repeat.

  “You’re welcome,” he croaked, nodding slowly.

  Oh my god. He sounded awful. Joy morphed into guilt and fear in the pit of my stomach.

  “Cade?” I scrambled over to him. “Are you okay?”

  He shook his head. “I’m fine. I just need to absorb some energy back.”

  Thankfully, we were underground. I wasn’t sure how much energy he’d lost by undoing the curse, but we were definitely in the best place he could be for restoration.

  I helped him to lie down and calmly ran my fingers through his hair. While he lay there, eyes shut, I thought quietly to myself.

  If I’d had any lingering doubts about his feelings for me, they had vanished. He’d just put himself completely on the line and risked an unknown amount of power to heal me. That was a seriously big deal.

  The only thing to do now was convince him of my own feelings. I just wasn’t sure how to go about doing that.

  We stayed there for a few more minutes before he finally opened his eyes.

  I smiled. “Feel better?”

  “Much.” He sat up and scrubbed his hands across his face. “I guess we still have a bomb to dismantle.”

  He dragged himself onto his hands and knees and knelt in front of the explosive. After taking a deep breath, he shook his head.

  “Val, I think we’re in trouble.”

  My heart dropped to my feet like an anchor.

  “What do you mean…trouble?”

  “I mean, there are extra wires,” he said nervously. “And they’re all the same color.”

  My eyes fell shut.

  Son of a bitch.

  Chapter Twenty

  I didn’t know much about bombs, but this situation seemed absolutely terrifying.

  Cade picked through the multitude of yellow wires, trying to trace them back to the proper source. It seemed like none of them actually went to the detonator.

  I moved closer, crouching beside him. I couldn’t feel electric currents in the air—I wasn’t a Wind, after all—but there was something there that I could feel, very faintly: heat signatures. The fake dead-end wires didn’t hold any heat. The live wires held just enough to give us an edge.

  With a strange certainty, I reached for one.

  Cade grabbed my wrist. “Val, let’s just get your dad. He’ll know what to do.”

  I shook my head. “He was never an EOD tech.”

  “Okay…” he said slowly. The term was clearly unfamiliar.

  “An explosive ordinance disposal technician—navy stuff,” I said, half-assed clarifying.

  Then I pulled my hand away and brushed my fingers over every wire. For some reason, I felt more confident in my Elemental abilities than I ever had before. I knew I could do this. There was no fear of failure.

  It must have been what Cade felt that made him so confident.

  “I can tell which ones are dead, Cade,” I said. “There’s no heat in them.”

  He eyed me very carefully. Before he could stop me, I pulled the first one. Nothing happened, except Cade nearly having a heart attack. Then I pulled the next, and the next. This happened seven times, until only three wires were left, and they each had heat in them.

  Nicholai’s bomb specialist was obviously a real asshole.

  Sweat beaded on Cade’s forehead.

  “Well, that definitely narrows it down.” He glanced at me. “I didn’t know I was dating a bomb tech.”

  “Me either,” I said, referring to him.

  He shook his head and grinned.

  With just three wires to work with, it seemed much easier for him to locate the detonator—he didn’t even have to debate. He grabbed the middle one and tugged. The lights on the timer immediately kicked off.

  I put my palm on top of the device and concentrated. I could still feel warmth coming from it, but not actively. It was cooling down.

  Cade and I high-fived.

  “We did it!” I squealed excitedly.

  He let out a big shaky breath. “Yes, we did.”

  We looked at each other. For a moment, time stood still. Then before I knew it, we were a mess of tangling limbs, kissing hard on that dirty bomb-room floor.

  My nerve endings were on fire as his hands roved up my legs. My fingers tightened in his hair. It was our first kiss that wasn’t provoked by some forbidden desire. Nothing was off limits anymore. He was mine to explore, to memorize by heart, and I was his.

  His hand moved higher up my thigh, making my heart race.

  I slid my hands beneath his jacket. The muscles there were hard and strong. The feel of his skin against mine was all I could think about. We were breathless and reckless.

  Then out of nowhere, Cade groaned and pulled away from me.

  I was so shocked, I was dizzy. The world spun, wobbly around me.

  “What the hell?”

  “They’re back,” he said, grumbling.

  Damn it to hell!

  We stood quickly. I smoothed my dress and finger-combed my hair. Cade adjusted his jeans and straightened his assassin jacket.

  Just in time.

  Xavier ran in first, gaping down at us and the bomb. “Oh my god, you actually did it!”

  “I wish,” Cade muttered.

  I couldn’t help but giggle; my nerves were still fried.

  Sienna glanced down at us, waggling her brows. “Did you, now?” she asked suggestively.

  “I see you’re back to your usual self,” Cade said.

  “Yes, I’m feeling much better, thanks for asking.”

  Xavier ignored all the banter. “Now that the bomb’s taken care of…people are lining up outside. If we want to eat soon, we gotta go.”

  “Is food all you think about?” I asked, shaking my head up at him.

  “Not all I think about,” he said, blushing and turning away.

  Cade closed his eyes. “Dear Jesus…”

  I took his hand and grinned. “We may as well go. Your poor brother’s hungry.”

  Back at the hotel, Sienna stopped and turned around. “Did you pick out a dress for tonight?” she asked me.

  My eyes went wide. Of course I hadn’t—there hadn’t been enough time.

  “I figured as much,” she said, smiling. “I bought us these dresses a few days ago, just in case.” Then she passed us each a bag from her purse, which was more like a black beach tote. Her attention moved to Cade. “Xavier and I grabbed these suits from a bridal shop down the road. They might not fit perfectly—since we obviously didn’t have time for him to try them on—but at least you’ll be dressed for the occasion.”

  I opened the bag and pulled out my new dress. It was a shimmering red number, reaching down to my knee on one side and almost up to my butt cheek on the other. The sleeves were similar in design: one was long and semitransparent, the other completely sleeveless, leaving most of my upper body bare. The red high heels I found at the bottom of the bag were so heavily polished, their shine could have practically blinded someone. I loved them.

  After using the rooms to get dressed, we met in the hotel hallway.

  Sienna’s attire was a lot like mine, only plu
m, and somehow even more revealing.

  The guys wore simple tuxes—Cade’s a little tighter than Xavier’s—but on the Landston brothers, anything looked hot as hell. Cade’s disheveled blond hair was gelled, giving an almost deliberate feel to the usual untidiness. The urge to rake my nails through it made my skin crawl.

  The sun was between the trees when we finally stepped out into the cold evening air. The sky was a cotton candy purple, and it was a beautiful night for a party.

  Just as Xavier had warned, a long line of people stretched out about three blocks past our hotel.

  We all glanced at each other.

  Sienna shook her head. “Nope. No way.”

  She led us past the line of impatient onlookers and straight to the two bouncers at the front. One was reading names off of a long list while the other was clipping and unclipping the entryway chain.

  The first one, a thin guy with a goatee, lowered his sunglasses and shot us an incredulous glance. “End of the line’s that way, lady.”

  “And this is the line’s other end,” she said smartly. “Check your list. We’re VIPs.”

  The man removed his sunglasses entirely and flipped to the beginning of the clipboard. “Name?”

  “Sienna Aeris, Curwen Michaels’ niece.”

  The man nearly choked. “Yes, of course! So sorry Miss Sienna! And your date?”

  “Xavier Landston.”

  “Perfect! Wonderful! If you would please step right through here…”

  She didn’t step through, though. She waited on me.

  Goatee guy glanced my way. “Name, please?”

  “Valerie Moore…” I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to claim to be Holden’s date or what, and if I did, where would that leave Cade?

  “Oh yes, Chief Moore’s daughter. I’m terribly sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner, Miss Valerie! May I please have your date’s name?

  “Cade Landston.”

  Apparently he’d get to be my date, after all.

  Hopefully Holden didn’t flip too much shit.

  “Please,” Mr. Goatee said sweetly. “Step right through here, and the four of you will be well taken care of.”