“It’s all right,” I said, grinning. “I’ll win him over eventually.”
He grabbed my hand and kissed my wrist. “One day he’ll realize how serious I am about you, even if I have to make a rock and put it on your finger before he finally gets it.”
I blinked and my heart completely stopped. Was he talking about…an engagement?
“Okay,” Dad nearly shouted, standing up and peering into the oven. “Are we ready to finish dinner or what? I’m starving and Valerie needs to be getting to her aunt’s.”
I swallowed hard as Cade released my hand, that dark and determined look still dancing in his emerald gaze.
My god, he was serious. He was apparently playing for keeps, and he wouldn’t be taking my protection—or my possession—lightly. The scariest part was, I knew if he asked me, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. We might’ve only been eighteen, but we’d been through enough shit in our young lives to know exactly what we wanted: the end of the Elemental war, and each other.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and opened the front door.
“I love you guys,” I said to anyone who was listening.
All five of them shouted back. “Love you too!”
It’s an odd dynamic, I thought with a grin as I shut the door behind me. But it totally works for us.
Chapter Four
As Aunt Marge’s house came into view, I stood in the woods and closed my eyes, feeling around for any heat signatures nearby.
The infrared silhouette of a person showed up inside the house. It appeared to be sitting down in the kitchen, drinking something, probably tea. No other signatures appeared. I blinked and the image faded away.
Pulling out my cell, I quickly texted Cade to let him know I’d made it.
Then I crossed the yard and knocked on the door. Marge was there in an instant.
“Come in, come in!” she said, ushering me inside. “I hope you’re hungry because I just finished cooking.”
“I am, actually,” I said with a smile as I inhaled the decadent aroma. “I skipped pizza night to get here on time, but this smells delicious. What did you make?”
Marge scurried over to the cupboard and added another plate and fork to the table.
“Mediterranean baked sweet potatoes with garlic herb sauce.”
My stomach rumbled at the thought.
“Before I forget,” I said, reaching up into the side of my black tank top, “this book is for you. Should I put it in the study?”
She took it and read the title aloud. “Religions of Nature.” Then she eyed me curiously. “What were you hoping we’d find in here?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, something about the original Elemental gods? Why they may have Gifted more than one Elemental?”
“Ah, now I suppose that does make sense.”
She wandered into the study to deposit the book while I sat down at the little three-seater kitchen table.
Marge’s house had always been small and cozy with just enough organized clutter to appear homey rather than overwhelming. It was odd being there knowing I wouldn’t be sleeping in her spare bedroom anymore.
It was also weird knowing I was so close to my potential future father-in-law. The Landstons used to live on the other side of the West Woods by the lake. Now Henrie—Cade and Xavier’s father—was the only one left.
Marge returned carrying what appeared to be an old pink journal that had long ago turned a silvery brown. She handed it to me, and I carefully flipped through the pages as she filled our plates with food.
“What is this?” I asked, eventually abandoning the book in favor of my fork.
“My mother’s diary,” she said with a hint of mystique in her voice.
I knew immediately it must be important. Taking a bite of sweet potato, I chewed as I pieced things together. Then it clicked. I swallowed just before my mouth fell open.
“This is the useful piece of information you were telling me about? Alana’s diary?”
She nodded, pale green eyes slowly filling with excitement. “In one of the entries, she mentions a dream in which she speaks to Ida herself.”
I pursed my lips and rested my chin on my hands. “We’re not seriously going to put our faith in a hundreds-of-years-old dream, are we?”
Marge plonked a bite of sweet potato into her mouth almost matter-of-factly. “I don’t believe it’s a matter of faith, nor do I feel it’s necessary to put all our eggs in this one basket. I’m simply saying it’s possible she came in contact with the Fire goddess, and if she did, maybe you can.”
That got the wheels in my head spinning once more.
“Because we were both Gifted,” I said in a rush. “And if so, maybe I can personally ask her what the heck is going on.”
“Exactly.”
I picked the journal back up and studied it.
“So, how’d she do it? Take a potion? Perform a ritual? Eat a magic mushroom?”
Marge shrugged. “It doesn’t say.”
My shoulders slumped, and what little hope I had drained out of me. “Then how am I supposed to try this out?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Perhaps the book you brought this evening will come in handy after all.”
I sighed and took another bite of dinner. “Let’s hope so, because we’re running out of time to stop Nicholai and the Elitists.”
“Speaking of,” Marge began slowly, “have you reconsidered the Shadow Sect’s offer?”
“You mean their order, the one where I play puppet for the Traditionalists and we let the Modernists and Elitists eliminate each other? No. That ship has sailed and sunk. I’m pretty sure they’re after me now, for noncompliance or something.”
Marge winced but shook her head. “I don’t know. I feel like, if they were after you, they’d have caught you by now. They must be waiting on something.”
“Well I hope they hold their breath while they wait. They’ll be doing everyone a favor.”
Marge grinned but dropped the subject.
“Have you heard from Elise since that day?” I asked.
She shook her head and quickly took a bite, probably so she didn’t have to speak.
I nodded. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
I hadn’t heard from her either, but I had no doubt she was alive. She was smart and resourceful, and she’d been one of the Sect’s agents for a while now. Surely my disobedience wouldn’t result in her being harmed, right?
Worry suddenly crept into my gut and snaked its icy tendrils through my body.
The aquamarine crystals on my bracelet hummed with life and energy as they fought to contain any frosty outbursts from my Water element.
Between the bracelet and my fire opal necklace, I hadn’t faced any Elemental power surges in months. It was amazing how much freer I felt just knowing I didn’t have to worry about losing control or accidentally killing people at random.
After we ate, we just sort of sat there, awkwardly staring at one another.
Eventually Marge sighed. “You have some time?”
I glanced up at the clock. It was only seven.
“Yeah, about an hour or so.”
She nodded. “Screw it. Let’s look through that book and see what we can find, shall we?”
I grinned. “Let’s do it.”
She led the way into the study and we both sank into her old green sofa.
After a few long and silent minutes of scanning pages, Marge and I realized two things. One, there was absolutely zero info about Gifted Elementals within these pages, and two, we’d been wrong about the number of Elementals present in the world.
When Marge had explained things to me months ago, she’d said producing Elemental children required both parents to be Elemental, and that they would only have two children—one with the mother’s Elemental power, one with the father’s. I’d never really stopped to think about that logistically, but apparently the assumption had been wrong. Elementals could breed with humans, and sometimes the resulting
child could have Elemental powers, just much weaker than a full-blood’s powers would be.
Apparently, the lie was just something Elementals had made up to keep the two kinds from interbreeding. Up until a few hundred years ago, that sort of thing had been frowned upon. It made sense to me, but apparently not to Marge.
“How can that be?” she asked in bewilderment. Her fingers brushed her lips in disbelief. “How was this not common knowledge?”
I snorted. “I’ve wondered that about most Elemental things I’ve learned.”
Marge turned to me, shock still forcing her eyes wide open. “If something like this is possible, surely it’s possible there are more Gifteds than you?”
I nodded. “I’m telling you, I’d bet money Cade is.”
“So would I, if I’m being honest. There really is no other explanation for it.”
I bit my lip. “I still wish we could find some definitive proof. I’m hesitant to tell him something like that without being sure beyond a doubt.”
She nodded, closed the book, and slid it into an empty space on a shelf.
“Let’s keep searching, then. If we don’t find the answer soon, we’ll at least divulge our suspicions. The poor boy ought to know something like that.”
It wasn’t like it would change anything. His power wouldn’t suddenly become difficult to control. It wouldn’t change who he was or what we were doing, but still—I’d want to know if I were him.
“Okay,” I agreed, nodding back. “If we don’t find the answer in the next month, we’ll tell him.”
Marge flopped back onto the sofa and rubbed her temples. “I think there’s another bookstore we could try, an old place in Northland.”
I almost choked on my tongue. “Northland? Elitist-city?”
She grimaced. “There’s a reason I’ve kept that one for last. I didn’t want to bring it up unless we had exhausted all other resources first.”
“So, there are no other places to look?”
“Oh, I’m sure there are hundreds all over the country, but I don’t know of them. This is the last local place I know to check. After that, our search expands drastically. I honestly don’t know if you have time for quests like that.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I contemplated. “I don’t either.”
And I really didn’t. I had the war to think about.
We’d been training Revolutionists for a couple months now, and we were almost to the point where we were strong enough to attack the Elitists head on. They’d been gathering recruits and prepping to attack the larger cities, last I heard. No such attacks had happened yet, thank god, but I knew they’d be starting soon. We needed to be ready by then—ready to not only fight the Elitists and take them down, but also to protect the innocent humans caught in the middle of our Elemental war. They didn’t have powers, but that didn’t mean they deserved to be our slaves.
I stood and cracked my back, mentally checking my schedule for a time that would be good to head into enemy territory. The answer was never, really. Plus, I wanted to meet up with that fortune teller as soon as possible, but I didn’t want anyone to know about that, not even Marge. None of my friends or family members would willingly support me doing something dark, not even if it had a positive outcome.
I sighed.
“Get me the details of this bookstore in Northland, and I’ll check it out in a few days.”
She nodded. “You got it, dear girl.”
I smiled and gave her a quick hug. “I gotta go now, Aunt Marge. I have that meeting with Holden.”
She pursed her lips but didn’t argue. “Love you, Valerie.”
“I love you too. I’ll see you in a few days.”
Then I was off, sprinting back into the woods that would lead me to Berwindale.
Chapter Five
When I broke out of the forest and strolled across the parking lot, I was surprised to see so many smiling faces. The lack of smiles had never even caught my attention until now, compared to the alternative.
Cade met me with a look of relief that slowly morphed into a heated gaze as he slid his hands around my waist.
“You made it.”
“Of course I did,” I teased, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I told you I can do these things on my own.”
“Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
I grinned and kissed him, a gentle touch of the lips that somehow lit my entire body on fire—hopefully not literally. I pulled back quickly to make sure there were no actual flames licking my skin, and I exhaled a shaky breath when I found there were none.
Being an Elemental was sometimes a really tricky business.
Cade stared at my lips for a few more seconds before opening the passenger door to his shiny black truck and gesturing for me to hop inside. I knew he wanted to resume the kiss, but just like every single time before, there was always something more pressing that had to come first. After all these months, we’d still never had sex. It was starting to drive me crazy, all the hot and cold. For once, I wanted it to go from hot to steamy. We were definitely ready for that stage of the relationship. Definitely.
Sighing, I did as he silently asked, hopping up into the truck. Everyone else did the same, piling into whatever vehicles they had, excitedly awaiting their first night out in months. Cade shifted into drive and led the way to Center Allegheny with at least fifteen other vehicles trailing closely behind.
///
The Riverfront Festival was in full swing by the time we arrived at the edge of town.
Food carts lined the sidewalks, filling the air with the warm scent of sugar and grease, and game stands provided a backdrop of dinging bells and carefree laughter. Music took up the remaining airspace, charging each step with bass-heavy beats that made more than a few people dance in the streets.
I smiled as the melody hit my bloodstream, and I led the group from our parked cars to the streets. The closer we got, though, the quieter it became. It was like a scene from the Wild West, or maybe West Side Story, two rival gangs uneasily converging on the same turf. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited to see what would happen.
I walked forward, cautiously meeting their staring eyes with a timid smile. Cade followed my lead, then came Sienna, Xavier, and Kale. The farther we went, the more the tension slowly slackened. People eventually turned their heads and went about their business, the carnival games resumed, and the rest of our group dispersed seamlessly into the crowd.
Glancing at Cade, I heaved a sigh of relief. I hadn’t contemplated the possibility of hostility from the Modernists. I was glad it hadn’t come to that.
Sienna gave me a cheeky grin. “Shit just about went down.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. Her rebellious energy was practically palpable.
“Almost,” I agreed.
“Too bad,” she tsked. “I’ve been jonesing to put my new fighting skills to the test.”
I shook my head. “Let’s save that for the Elitists, okay?”
She sighed heavily. “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to find something else to do…or someone. There’s a sexy stranger at twelve o’clock giving me the eye.” She waggled her brows.
My heart sank. Her love life was her business, but as her best friend, I felt I at least had a right to vocalize my concerns.
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” I glanced at Xavier. He wasn’t standing with us, but he wasn’t exactly out of earshot either. “I can think of a hotter guy who actually cares about you and would love to show you a good time…”
Her eyelids dropped closed. “Don’t, Val. Not tonight.”
I nodded, looking to the ground. “Sorry.”
“It’s cool. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Keep an eye on the wind,” Cade reminded her.
“Both eyes,” she agreed and then carefully sauntered off.
Cade gave me a sympathetic smile then grabbed my hand and pulled me into a walk.
“Where
are you meeting him?” he asked as we meandered through the streets.
I gestured up ahead. “State Street Bridge.”
It was decorated with strands of white lights that reflected peacefully on the waters below. More festival activities flourished on the other side of the river. Everyone seemed completely relaxed and enjoying themselves to the fullest.
It would’ve been the perfect night for an Elitist attack.
My training kicked in, and I immediately scanned the area, wondering if Holden had assigned guards to monitor the perimeter. Surely he wouldn’t have been foolish enough to forgo the added security.
Noticing my sudden tension, Cade raised a brow. “You think I’d have set foot in this damned town if I hadn’t personally checked the earth for anything out of line?”
His smug smile instantly calmed me. It was impossible to not feel safe around him. He was powerful enough to sense even the smallest of vibrations in the ground—he’d even tracked Nicholai last winter—and he was always on top of his game, never missing a beat. He was proficient and reliable, and I found that sexy as hell.
Not that the black tee and cargo shorts he wore didn’t add to the effect. He’d even gelled his dirty blond hair into a feathery hot mess and worn my favorite of his striped sneakers. The man was a definite keeper.
If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have thought we were just an ordinary couple on a date. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It never had been.
I forced a smile and sighed. “Stay close?”
“As close as I can without being seen,” he promised. Then he kissed my fingers and disappeared into the crowd.
Alone, I squared my shoulders and continued onward to where the riverbank met the crook of the bridge. The picnic tables and benches there had been decorated with flowered vines and strings of lights. It gave the whole town a delicate glow that reminded me of candlelight and fireflies.
Holden stood with his back to me, facing the river. He pulled off preppy-casual to a T. Hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts, he wore a pale blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. His dark hair was styled perfectly, as usual.
The Essential Elements: Boxed Set Page 61
