The Essential Elements: Boxed Set

by Elle Middaugh

  “The gods can read minds,” Cade said, thinking aloud to himself and to all of us. “And I have a feeling they can see the future, at least glimpses of it. If they were smart—and they most definitely are—they probably chose champions we’d naturally come across on our journey.”

  I wasn’t convinced Nik and Meg would make things that easy on us, but Eve and Taj probably would.

  “What’s your point?” I asked him.

  “I don’t know. I just have a feeling if we go to Wellsfield to stop Nicholai, we’ll stumble across the other Gifteds along the way.”

  Cade was a smart guy. He was a lot like Jay in the sense that he, too, seemed wise beyond his years. When he came up with something like that, I was inclined to believe him, and if that wasn’t enough, I caught Jay nodding out of the corner of my eye. Both of the wise guys were in agreement, so I nodded too.

  “Okay. Then let’s just gather the Revolutionists and head to Wellsfield. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

  “When are we leaving?” Sienna asked, finishing off her coffee and standing up. “I can be ready in an hour if need be.”

  I shook my head and veered toward the fridge to get milk for my tea. “No, let’s not rush this. We’ll leave tomorrow morning to make sure we’re as prepared as possible. Besides, I’d like to chat with Aunt Marge one more time before we go.”

  “Can I come with you this time?” Cade asked.

  I froze, palm halfway to the fridge handle.

  It was a simple enough question, but there were others hiding behind it: Can you trust me? Are we still a team? Are we completely exposed to each other with nothing to hide?

  “Yes.” Then I finished making my tea.

  I hadn’t been lying when I said I didn’t want any more secrets between us—not that I was planning on discussing anything earth-shattering with Marge, anyway. I mostly just wanted to fill her in on what was going on and let her know my meeting with her colleague in Northland would need to be canceled.

  But still.

  Cade stared intently as I returned the milk and took a sip from my cup. His gaze held the same intensity it had the last time he mentioned putting a rock on my finger. My thoughts instantly drifted to simple things like love, marriage, and kids…a big house in the West Woods, surrounded by friends and family…simple things. Those things would have once encompassed an entire lifetime but now only seemed like a peaceful dream, the farthest thing from the bone-crushing reality of our true fates. It was almost laughable.

  Then again, I was pretty sure Leo had called Ida his wife. If the Elemental gods could be married, surely we demies could manage it too?

  Dad cleared his throat, and as heat crawled up my neck, I realized Cade and I had been in a bit of a stare-off.

  I bit my lip and turned away, but I couldn’t deny the thrill fluttering in my chest. No matter what was going on around us, Cade still had the ability to captivate me.

  “What do you want us to do while you go to Marge’s?” Sienna asked, setting her empty cup in the sink.

  I took a deep breath, finally feeling the weight of this mission in all its overbearing glory. This was it. We were really doing it. We were about to meet Nicholai head on and hopefully come out on top.

  “Gather everyone up,” I said, thankfully sounding surer than I felt. “Tell them what’s going on. Pack up as many weapons as we have—just in case. Bring food, clothes, and tents so the Earths don’t waste precious energy creating them, and rest up, but get in the zone. I need everyone fresh and focused. This is what we’ve trained for all these months. We need to be ready.”

  Sienna nodded and rushed off to get started.

  I glanced at Xavier, Kale, and Jay. “Why don’t you guys help her spread the word? There’s a lot of stuff to do and not a lot of time to do it in.”

  They agreed and quickly followed her out the door.

  All that was left now was me, Cade, and Dad.

  Dad sighed. “I guess I’ll take Kendrick into work with me. I need to talk to Holden and give him my official resignation. When I come back, I’d like to help you guys get more organized. If I can set up a central base where new Revolutionist recruits can sign up and train, I can keep shipping in reinforcements for you.”

  I took a deep gulp of my tea and nodded. “That sounds perfect, thanks Dad.”

  He smiled. “It’s what I do best, sweetheart.”

  “Kendrick had some nightmares last night,” Cade told Dad. “You’ll probably have to wake him up if you want to get to work on time.”

  “Poor little guy,” Dad said with a sad smile. “Maybe we’ll stop and get some ice cream on the way or something.”

  I grinned. The effortless way we’d all slipped into this strange, extended-family dynamic made me so freaking happy. It was nice to have the people you loved around all the time.

  “I’m sure he’ll love that,” I said. Then I abandoned my cup and grabbed Cade’s hand. “Come on, Mr. Landston. Let’s get this trip to the West Woods over with.”

  He chuckled and wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked out the door. “Whatever you say, Miss Moore. I’d like to stop in and talk with my dad before we go, too, if you don’t mind.”

  I snuggled in closer to him. “I don’t mind at all. He’s your dad. We can definitely stop.”

  Cade kissed the top of my head and smiled.

  We went to Cade’s old house first, pulling into the driveway of the most elaborate house on the street. Granted, “street” was a generous term. It was really just a dirt and gravel road that led through the woods to a rich community of Traditionalists living by a lake. Trees covered the area on one side, and water took up the other; there was only a single line of houses in between.

  But, to my surprise, we didn’t go to his house. I mean, yeah, we parked in his driveway, but when we got out of his black truck, he grabbed my hand and led me through the woods instead.

  My brows furrowed. It wasn’t the first time we’d been back there, but it was an odd time to go to the willow. He’d created it himself, quite a few years ago, as a sort of sanctuary from his oppressive life. I was honored he’d share such a special place with me, and even now, I still felt that same awe and pride filtering through my bloodstream at the thought.

  “What are we doing?” I asked.

  He squeezed my hand lightly. “Going to the willow.”

  I chuckled. “Well, yeah, I figured as much. That’s why I didn’t ask where we’re going. I asked what we’re doing.”

  He was silent for a long moment as we made our way through the leafy trees. The chirps of birds and squirrels pleasantly filled the silence. Finally, he sighed.

  “I wanted to be us, and only us, one last time before…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

  I didn’t like the way he’d said “last.” A knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

  “Cade? Is everything all right?”

  Again, he sighed. His hand felt clammy in my palm.

  “Tomorrow we’re leaving to face Nicholai,” he explained, seemingly tackling the conversation from a different angle. “And as much as I believe we can win, it’s still going to be dangerous. People will get hurt. They may even die. I just want one last moment of peace and perfection with you before shit hits the fan, you know?”

  Finally, I could breathe again. That, I could handle; the thought of him breaking up with me or something, I couldn’t. Honestly, I had no idea why my mind had gone there. I usually never doubted him. It was just something about his tone. He was acting weird, strange…off.

  When the willow came into view, he pulled me over to sit at its roots. He leaned against the bark, and I settled in with my back to his chest, his chin resting on my shoulder.

  “I love you, Val,” he whispered, catching me completely off guard.

  It wasn’t that I’d never heard the words from his mouth before; it was just the finality of the way he said them, the seriousness and the strangeness.

  “Cade…” I said hesitantly, hear
t pounding a mile a minute. “You’re scaring me. Are you sure everything is all right?”

  “Fuck, I’m sorry.” He chuckled, but it was shaky, like he was nervous. “I’m going to just cut to the chase so I don’t seriously mess this up. Valerie…”

  He took my hand and gently traced my fingers, placing something small and warm in my palm. I stared at it, unable to breathe, let alone speak. It was a ring with a big diamond in the middle surrounded by a halo of gems. One half of the circle was tiny aquamarine crystals, the other half little orbs of fire opals. A leafy vine was engraved into the white gold band, circling the whole way around.

  “Will you marry me? Not now, but if we survive the Elitists…someday?”

  I still couldn’t freaking breathe. My mind was blissfully numb. I’d never been so overwhelmingly happy. I hadn’t known a rock could actually have such an effect on a person.

  After what felt like an eternity, I managed to nod, over and over as the tears started to fall—my element apparently didn’t feel the need to contain them.

  Cade slipped his creation onto my finger and tested the fit. “Perfect.”

  I stared at my hand in wonder as the ocean blue, burnt orange, and translucent white jewels glittered, even in the shade of the willow.

  Without warning, I spun around and latched onto him like my life depended on it.

  “I love you too, Cade,” I whispered through the tears and emotions.

  I’d never been the type of girl to daydream about getting married and starting a family, had never imagined my perfect wedding, but the thought of being tied to Cade in such a way was absolutely enthralling. It sent ecstasy swimming through my veins, and it both surprised the hell out of me and scared me. There was a part of my brain whispering things like, You’re too young. Are you really ready for such a serious commitment? What will people think and say? But my love for Cade, the happiness and certainty of it squashed those fears like the rotten fruit they were.

  Age didn’t matter, circumstances didn’t matter, and other peoples’ opinions damn well didn’t matter either. Love mattered. The happiness I felt mattered. He mattered.

  Cade took my face in his hands and kissed me, the most radiant smile burning across his lips. It made me melt. Seeing him so happy about being with me made me fall for him even harder. It was like my heart had liquified and was now pumping pure love and raw emotion through my veins.

  I couldn’t help myself—I kissed him harder and with more hunger than ever before. Our innocent happiness quickly turned into heated passion as our tongues tangled and our fingers roamed.

  “No one’s here to stop us this time,” I whispered into his lips.

  He groaned and ripped the shirt from his back, and as he stood there, breathless, all I could do was stare. Every rigid line of muscle was extra pronounced as he panted, and the tattoos on his torso—I thought they were the fountain of youth and the tree of life—called to me, begging me to touch them. I traced the black lines with a delicate finger while he slowly slid my shirt off. He traced my tattoo, too, a henna-style phoenix that ran from my upper back down across my side and over to the front of my hip. Then he unhooked my bra and shivers raced across my skin.

  When we were both completely topless, I grabbed his jeans and pulled him into another heated kiss. Fumbling with his button and zipper, I knew we couldn’t prolong this moment any longer. We’d been interrupted so many times over the months, and I was afraid I might combust if I couldn’t finally take it further. He was already inside my heart and soul, and now I wanted him inside my body.

  After removing the rest of our clothes in a rush, Cade smoothed out the earthen landscape beneath our feet and covered it in flowers with petals soft as silk. Then he lowered us down and hovered above me, staring at me like I was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, like I was the only woman left in the entire universe.

  “I love you, Val,” he said. It came out as a whisper, one so full of emotion I could practically feel it wrapping around my heart.

  I stared deep into the emerald depths of his eyes, trying to show him in a single gaze just how much he meant to me. “I love you too, Cade. I always have, and I always will.”

  And then we were together, wrapped in each other’s arms as our bodies became one, and it was absolutely perfect. We moved, we kissed, we touched, and the pressure built until pure ecstasy completely overwhelmed me. Burning stars danced across my vision, and when I finally came down from my high, I saw snowflakes gently floating to the ground, glittering in the summer sunshine. Apparently, even my elements were blissfully sated.

  “I’ll never forget this day,” Cade muttered, nuzzling my neck with his lips. “Even if I live forever.”

  I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt, and tears of happiness streamed down, tickling my skin. “Me either. This was absolutely perfect. You’re perfect.”

  He kissed me again and we reluctantly decided to get dressed. “Who do you want to tell first?”

  “That we finally had sex?” I teased as I hiked my jeans up.

  He laughed out loud, and the sound was deep and rich. “About the engagement, you brat. You knew what I meant.”

  I giggled and slipped my shirt back over my head. “I don’t know…probably Sienna or Aunt Marge.”

  “Not your dad?”

  I bit my lip. “I don’t know what my dad will think.”

  My answer didn’t even come close to wiping the grin off his face.

  He walked over to me, fully clothed, and took my hips in his broad hands. “Do you care if he doesn’t approve?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  And it was true. I realized it with sudden clarity. I wanted this, and I wasn’t asking for anyone’s permission or approval.

  “How about you?” I asked.

  “I’m telling my dad first, and I don’t give a damn if he approves or not. I’m proud to be with you, and I want him to know how serious I am.”

  I smiled. “You’re amazing, Cade Landston.”

  “No, you are Valerie Moore.” He then leaned in and caressed my ear with his breath. “I can’t wait until my last name is yours.”

  Valerie Landston. Valerie Moore-Landston. It had a nice ring to it. I had a feeling love would make any cracked bell sing, but that was part of the beauty of it.

  “Come on,” he said, tugging me away from the willow. “Let’s go see my dad.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Henrie Landston was off to the side of the house, filling an old logging truck with trees he was creating out of thin air. In other words, he was keeping up appearances. Of course, humanity already knew about us—and for the most part, totally hated us—so I wasn’t sure who he was trying to fool.

  As an Earth, he no doubt sensed our approach in the soil, but he ignored us anyway, focusing on his task with a furrowed brow.

  “Hey, Dad,” Cade said with a grin, completely unaffected by his father’s indifference.

  I tried to pull my hand away, wanting to give Cade some space to talk to his dad alone, but he simply gripped my fingers tighter. It wasn’t beyond me that the ring he’d placed on my finger was on full display. One wrong shaft of light through the trees and it could probably blind someone.

  Henrie sighed and turned around, crossing his arms as his eyes homed in on the sparkling jewels.

  Shit. This felt like another war about to happen.

  He pursed his lips. “I see congratulations are in order.”

  Cade’s smile twisted into a dark and sexy smirk. “Thank you.”

  “Is that why you’re here?” Henrie asked, staring firmly at his son.

  “No, it’s not. I came to say goodbye.”

  “Goodbye?” He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably and adjusted his stance. “You just got here. Let’s go inside and have a drink, at least.”

  Cade nodded. “We have time for a quick drink then we’re going over to Marge Prett’s to say goodbye to her as well, so we can’t stay very long.”

 
Henrie remained silent as he led us inside the cabin-mansion and into the expansive kitchen. It looked even bigger than usual now that it was just him occupying it. The stainless-steel appliances that had once seemed chic and modern against the granite and wood backdrop now looked cold and almost institutional. It made me feel…sorry for him. He’d lost his wife and then, essentially, both of his sons. He must’ve been so lonely.

  To my surprise, he skipped making an all-natural batch of fresh lemonade or some other juice and went straight for the hard stuff. He set three glasses on the island bar, filled them with ice, and flooded them with scotch. I didn’t particularly care for the stuff, but since he’d at least acknowledged my presence by pouring me a glass, I figured I ought to drink it.

  Henrie lifted his cup and studied it contemplatively. “To the engagement.”

  Somehow, I knew just from his tone that he was being bitter and a little sarcastic. Still, I raised my glass and drank to his half-assed toast.

  The amber liquid burned as it skated down my throat, but my Fire element quickly snuffed out the flames. Huh. I took a bigger gulp and sensed no burning at all. I could get used to that…

  “Now, what did you come here to tell me?” he asked as he refilled our glasses. “I’m assuming there’s some sort of a story before the goodbye.”

  Cade toyed with the glass in his hand and took a sip. “I’m a demigod.”

  Ever one for eloquence. I almost laughed.

  Henrie blinked. “A what?”

  “A demigod.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but you’re not. You were born from your mother and me, not a god.”

  Cade shook his head and brushed his dad’s comment away with his free hand. “No, like, I’ve been given godlike powers.”

  Henrie sighed. “All Elementals have, son. You’re not a special snowflake.”

  “He is, actually,” I said, speaking up for the first time since we arrived. “We’ve been to Euphoria, the land of the gods, and spoke with the original Elemental gods themselves.”

  Henrie’s gaze reluctantly fell on me. “I suppose you’re a special snowflake, too?”