Douglas waved his hand, forestalling further argument. “That’s not what I’m doing. I’m trying to explain. I would have warned you, but I didn’t think this through. It was my mistake. I should have prepared you for the possibility when you left, but my primary concern was your missing wolf.”
Connell leaned against the back of the couch. He crossed his arms. “What are you trying to say?”
Douglas opened and closed his mouth.
This was getting weird. His father was the chief. He was the most confident man Connell knew. He ruled the coalition pack with an iron hand, his quiet authority as solid and as deep as the mountains around them.
“Dad?”
“A true alpha always tries to claim the most powerful female as his mate. It’s instinctive, but false. What you’re feeling is merely an artifact of what she is,” he said.
Ah. Understanding warmed his gut. “This is why you didn’t mention knowing the other Elemental—why you didn’t send me to find Gia in the first place. She rejected you.”
His father bristled. “You assume much—including that I’ll allow such disrespect from my second simply because you’re my son,” he said sharply. He waited a moment before continuing more softly. “However, in time, you’ll see I’m right. This business will conclude, one way or another, and the Air Elemental will leave. You’ll forget this temporary attraction, and your bond with Riley will reassert itself. After Gia left, things went back to normal for me.”
Connell raised his hands. “I don’t have a bond with Riley. I have one with Logan, and she feels it too.”
His father gave him a look tinged with pity. “Maybe she feels a little something. I think Gia did too, although she never said as much. Most women would be attracted to males like us. But Gia had a mate.”
Unnecessary apprehension tightened Connell’s chest, thoughts of his mother filling his head. It’s all right. It doesn’t matter. He met mom—after—and they loved each other. He remembered that last part well from his childhood.
His mother had been bright and funny, a vibrant soul. She had balanced out his father’s gravity and made them a real family. And his father had adored her. Ellen Maitland hadn’t been second best to an Elemental. The parallels between the past and present ended there.
“My situation is different,” Connell asserted when he remembered himself. “Logan does have a mate, but it’s me.”
His father clenched his jaw, his frustration evident. “Once she’s gone, you’re going to be fine—in a few weeks. Maybe a few months. You and Riley—”
He held up a hand. “I’m glad Mom was still out there somewhere waiting for you. She was the best. But Riley is not Mom.”
His father started to interrupt, but Connell shook his head. “The second my wolf was gone, Riley went after Malcolm. She seduced him, but he felt like shit about it, and he confessed it to me. That’s why he wasn’t around that much while I was away. He was feeling guilty.” One corner of his mouth twisted up. “You should know by now that Riley’s not the kind to jeopardize her position in the pack by risking being tied to a Were who can’t shift.”
Silence. Then his father grimaced. “But as your mate, she wouldn’t—”
“I told you, Riley’s not my mate. I never claimed her. I never even slept with her.”
Douglas’ eyes widened slightly. “But I thought you two were…”
Connell exhaled, a sound tinged with relief. “No. I guess my instincts were warning me not to tie myself to someone so inherently power hungry,” he said with a shrug. “Now I think Malcolm did me a favor, although I didn’t feel that way at the time.”
His father scowled. “Riley made a huge scene earlier, right before Logan got here—about not trusting the Elemental. At the time, I thought it was justified jealousy,” he said in a tone that revealed his distaste for the emotional display.
“It wasn’t justified,” he said. “Just more of the bullshit I’m glad I don’t have to deal with anymore.”
His father shrugged. “So your mate isn’t Riley. That doesn’t mean the Elemental is. There will be another candidate. Maybe even a compatible human.”
Man, his father must be grasping at straws to even suggest he take a human mate.
“Dad, I can’t explain, mostly because I don’t want to, but Logan and I are supposed to be together. I know you may not like hearing that because it means some things might change. I may not be around all the time. But I’ll be here when it counts.”
“Son, I know your attraction to Logan is strong—”
“It’s not mine alone. This isn’t a one-sided thing only in my head,” he repeated.
Exasperated, his father glared at him, and Connell reluctantly decided to share more than anyone would have wanted a parent to know.
“Look…I didn’t want to get into this with you, but Logan and I—we’ve already happened. I just need to get my wolf back to make it official.”
The blank look on his father’s face spoke volumes. “What do you mean by that?”
Connell wrinkled his nose. “You’re not going to make me spell it out, are you?”
“Oh.” Douglas coughed. “I see.”
It’s about time. He stepped closer and put his hands on his father’s shoulders. He hadn’t realized that he was taller than he was until this moment.
When did that happen?
“I suppose you could say that she might be playing with me,” Connell said, voicing an unacknowledged fear. “All I can say is it doesn’t feel that way. Whatever happens, I’m going to try and make this work.”
Douglas considered that, stroking his beard with the length of his index finger. “Even if this does go your way, and I’m not convinced it will, you still have to consider your duties here. You’re responsible for the safety of the pack. I depend on you, as does everyone else around here. That Logan girl is not the type to be tied down to one place. And that’s not just because she’s an Elemental.”
Chest tight, he nodded. “I know that. I’ll figure something out when the time comes.”
If it comes.
He could feel the weight of his father’s disappointment, but Douglas simply nodded. “I suppose that is all I can ask,” he said before walking away.
Well, if that wasn’t enough to make him feel like shit, nothing was. Connell waited for a beat, and then started for the stairs. He wanted to see where Logan was sleeping tonight.
She would want to stay close while the cub was still at risk. Of course, that didn’t mean he would be able to talk her into sleeping in his room tonight. But at least he could make sure she was comfortable in the bed next to Sammy.
He paused outside the bedroom, surprised to hear Logan talking. After a moment, it became evident that she wasn’t speaking to Sammy. The other voice was his sister’s, and they were trading war stories.
“You were a UN peacekeeper?” he heard Logan ask with some surprise.
“Yeah,” Mara replied. “I volunteered with an all-female unit.”
“Human or shifter?”
“All the others were human. Pack females aren’t encouraged to fight or become soldiers.”
There was a small sound like an approving humph. He thought it came from Logan.
“Did you see any combat?”
“Not that my father knows about. Officially, my squad didn’t see any action, but I couldn’t sit on my hands during some of those situations. I would sneak out at night after everyone had bunked down for the night and go hunting. It was fun.”
Connell smiled to himself. He knew all about Mara’s covert AWOL action, but he was pretty sure he was the only one she’d told. Until now.
Glad that his sister was getting along with Logan, he decided to check back later after a hot shower. He walked to his room at the end of the hall and threw open the door. Riley was sitting on the bed.
Not now. He made a production of shoving the door open wider and gesturing for her to get out.
Riley stood and offered him her neck, a wo
lf’s sign of submission and deepest regret.
He didn’t move. “Get the fuck out of my room.”
“Connell, I’m trying to show you how sorry I am.”
“Seriously, five seconds, or I will show you out—the window,” he added flatly.
Riley’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Why won’t you talk to me? I know I made a huge mistake, but after everything we’ve been to each other, I think I deserve a little conversation.”
He sighed and leaned against the doorjamb. “That’s just it. I don’t think we ever meant all that much to each other. Otherwise, we would have sealed the deal ages ago.”
Riley’s face tightened. “That’s not my fault! You’re the one who wanted to wait.”
He shrugged. “We only dated a few months,” he said dismissively.
“It was almost a year.”
“Really?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
“Yes,” she said pointedly.
He stared at the woman he’d expected to marry. When had he stopped feeling anything for her? He couldn’t even summon up any anger. All he felt now was a sort of exhausted frustration that he still had to deal with her.
“Look, sorry things didn’t work out. But this is over. In fact, it never started, and I think that’s for the best,” he said.
He didn’t feel generous enough to suggest she and Malcolm make a go of it—not when her happiness would come at the expense of his sister’s.
Like Mara is ever going to be happy now…
He got a little lost thinking about how few wolves there were out there who could handle someone like his sister. He’d hoped Malcolm would be man enough, but given recent events, it was becoming clear the other wolf preferred someone more submissive.
“Connell, are you even listening to me?”
He snapped to attention. “No,” he grumbled. “Why are you still here?”
“God, Connell, is this about her—that child?”
He crossed his arms. “You know Logan’s hearing is as good as ours, and she won’t appreciate being called a child.”
“She is a child, one with too much power for her own good.”
His mouth compressed. “You know, green is not your color.”
Riley threw up her hands. “I can’t believe you’re even considering being with that thing.”
He growled low in his throat, and Riley gathered her hands to her chest and leaned back. “That’s your first warning,” he said.
Riley narrowed her eyes. “You can’t handle someone that powerful,” she hissed spitefully. “You’ll regret giving me up when she leaves your ass in the dust.”
She stalked past him and slammed the door behind her.
Good riddance.
“Did you bring me up or did she?”
Connell spun around to see Logan standing next to his open window.
God, it was good to see her—especially in his bedroom. “I don’t suppose you’re here to ask if you can spend the night?” he asked, waggling his brows with a significant nod at his California King.
Logan’s death stare was much better than Riley’s. “Who brought me up?”
He sighed. “She did. Why?”
“Because I don’t need you throwing me in your ex’s face to help you end your relationship. Clean up your own mess.”
He stepped up to her, a little surprised when she let him put his hands on her shoulders. “Logan, my relationship is over.”
“Sure it is,” she said, her mouth turned down. She walked to the window. “Don’t forget. Leave me out of your bullshit, or I’ll remove your testicles.”
With that unforgettable exit line, she flashed out the window. Following her, he stuck his head outside into the night air.
“Don’t do anything rash. You would miss those eventually…” he called after her.
Leaving the window open, he stripped down to take a shower. After being constantly on the go for the last few months, it felt good to be home.
He took his time drying off. By the time he was ready for bed, Logan was passed out in the guest room, curled up in the middle of the bed across from Sammy’s. He quietly let himself in and slipped in next to her.
Damn, he thought these things were longer. He used to fit better when he slept here as a cub with his friends. Pulling his legs up closer to Logan, he got comfortable—as comfortable as he was going to get as a man anyway. He would fit in this bed much better if he still had his wolf.
I’ll get it back, he assured himself. And when I do…
He hoped Logan wasn’t allergic to fur.
21
Gia arose from the depths on the beach of T’Kaieri and blinked as the last rays of the sun hit her eyes. She had made it to the island in record time, but not quickly enough to act while the sun was still up. However, that didn’t matter. The archives housing their records and artifacts were always pitch black. Torches lit by Elemental fire illuminated the space, even in daylight.
The island was known by many names, but Gia still called it by the one she had learned in her youth. T’Kaieri had been the ancestral home of the Water Elementals since well before Columbus. Her sister Serin was the latest Water to be born there. She had been preceded by Lanai and before that, Kara, who each gave up the mantle voluntarily in accordance with island tradition. It was an unbroken line that stretched back close to a millennia.
Stretching, Gia savored the salt-scented breeze and squinted at the columned streets of the city. The delicate spired buildings rose high above the beach, culminating in a rocky peak known as Siba. The summit housed a temple dedicated to Atabey, which was what the locals called the Mother.
If it weren’t for the sunshine and warm, balmy breezes, this place would bear a strong resemblance to a much larger Mont Saint Michel, France, at least from a distance. Up close, the delicate architecture of the spiral turreted buildings and arched colonnades always reminded her of seashells nested in the lush vegetation.
Though the city was divided into districts of concentric rings, there were four major thoroughfares along the cardinal directions. Smaller walking paths could be found equidistant between them, cutting the city into a pie with eight pieces. The path she was waiting at ran all the way up to the Mother’s temple on Mount Siba at the center of the island. It continued down the other side, clear across the island. A similar path ran east to west, with an arch at each end marking each entrance.
Gia had always thought the graceful homes and public buildings were too frail to survive the periodic hurricanes this part of the Caribbean was known for. But the Mother never dished out more than the island could take.
Unlike so many other spots in the world, this hidden enclave still felt alive. It was one of those rare places where she could still feel the Mother’s embrace—and for a visiting Elemental, that was literal.
The air was full of perfume of either day or night-blooming flowers, depending on when Gia arrived. It was also the ideal temperature. If she were too hot, the breeze cooled her down. If she were cold, the air around her heated until she was warm. It was a small show of favor to one of Her chosen.
The location was classified, but over the centuries, little clues had escaped the tight wall of secrecy surrounding the island—enough to fuel rumors of Atlantis in this part of the world. However, there was no volcanic threat buried in the heart of this place—only layers of ritual and mystery that had the isle locked up tighter than a drum.
Gia felt the welcoming caress of the tropical air, but she didn’t relax. Her arrival had been sensed by the wardens, which meant that at this moment, a formal welcoming committee was being assembled in honor of her visit.
She didn’t have time for it, but over the years, Gia had learned she had to go through the first few steps before she could reasonably excuse herself. Any attempt to skip the preliminaries either gave offense or generated panic about a possible apocalypse among the populace.
Suppressing a sigh, she squinted at the slow procession assembling on the path above the
northern arch, mentally willing them to go faster. Holding her hands behind her back, she counted the number of robes in the party. In her experience, the length of the greeting ceremony was directly proportional to the number of people in modern dress. More robes meant more delay.
She used to think the prolonged meet and greets were a way of keeping her from getting too comfortable here. Gia was Earth, and this was the ancestral home of Water. She imagined it would be jarring for the elders who governed T’Kaieri if another kind of Elemental decided to make their home here. Despite the fact that some outsiders had found a home here over the years, all members of the assembly were related to a Water Elemental by blood. It had seemed only natural that they might feel threatened when she came around.
Much later, Gia had come to realize that the ceremonies and rituals were prolonged especially for her. Diana and Logan both had similar greetings, but in a much abbreviated form. But she was the eldest. Therefore, they were showing her the greatest respect by dragging their oldest inhabitants down to the beach to formally welcome her.
Don’t forget, it’s an honor, she told herself as the motley crew came into view along the beach.
It got a little easier to remember when she spotted John, Serin’s uncle, in the crowd alongside the assembly. The title was honorific. He was technically only Jordan’s uncle, but most people called him by the title. John was one of the few white men who called T’Kaieri home. He had found the island nearly a century ago and ingratiated himself to the elders. Instead of erasing his memory and sending him on his way, they allowed him to stay. He had eventually married and become a valued member of the community. Years later, he had brought his nephew Jordan here to live with the elder’s blessing. A decade ago, the latter had been bonded with Serin.
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