The Elementals Collection

by L. B. Gilbert

  “I don’t see it. Yes, he was a skilled practitioner, but this doesn’t mesh with his interests. You know the only spells he cared about were benign. It was all beatification and astral projection and whatever else sounded like fun to him. His interests weren’t dark.”

  “Maybe not then. But you have a point. He was skilled, but not this skilled. Not in my opinion. It takes a singular mind to combine toxins and spells with human artillery. We need more information.”

  “Romero had a file with him. Perhaps there is something else of use in it or on the phone his colleagues still have.”

  “He gave me the report. There was enough there to make out the basics of the toxin, but it was incomplete. Perhaps I can do more with the device than the tech geeks, as Romero refers to them.”

  Wait. What her sister had said about Daniel belatedly registered in her sluggish mind. “Is… By the Mother, is Romero here on T’Kaieri?”

  “Yes.”

  Holy shit. “You brought him here?”

  Gia sat on the bed, her ascetic face unreadable, but Serin could see the glint in her eyes. “He is your mate. It was his right. Not that he gave me much of a choice. He was holding you so tightly I had to take you both.”

  Serin laughed aloud, immediately regretting it as her damaged body shook. They both knew Gia could have knocked Romero flat on his ass with a flick of her little pinky finger. There had been no reason for her to bring him, too. Except for the fact he was Serin’s mate…

  All the air left her lungs. “Do Dalasini and Caimen know about him?”

  One corner of Gia’s mouth turned up. “Serin, he wouldn’t leave you. He’s been staying here at your parents’ house.”

  Oh, by the Mother. “And they know what he is?” Her mind didn’t seem to want to accept it.

  “That he’s human or that he’s your mate?” Gia snickered.

  Serin weakly smacked Gia on the arm. Logan’s snarkiness was rubbing off on their older sister. “Either…both.”

  “Well, as for being human, they knew right away, of course. I believe Caimen knows all, but Dalasini hasn’t seen past the obvious to process the rest. I had to listen to the council lecture me for hours for bringing him here. They finally agreed your recovery was the priority. As for the other thing…I believe Daniel Romero made his claim on you clear, whether he realizes it or not.”

  “And?” How were her parents taking it?

  Her new mate—the real one—was human. Her parents came from a long line of practitioners. There had been Elementals in their lineage since the dawn of time. One of the reasons for that was to ensure all the children on the island were as gifted as possible. They did that by finding the most talented male practitioners they could. Matches were made. Power was concentrated. The line lived on.

  The island elders didn’t call it a selective breeding program. They used gentle euphemisms like ‘tradition’ and ‘matchmaking,’ though pretty words didn’t change what it was.

  Serin’s arranged marriage had been inevitable, but her parents had pushed it on her decades too early. She had resented them for it…maybe even hated them a little because of it. Her job had been everything to her. Jordan had been a constant reminder that it would soon end.

  Poor Jordan. She’d done her best by him. But that hadn’t been enough.

  Her bonded had been handsome, talented, and romantic. Jordan was always planning extravagant weekend getaways and dinners. He was constantly buying or making her gifts. And he’d traveled all over the globe, trailing her on her cases, waiting for her at the end of every mission.

  Jordan had been everything she could have ever asked for. Who wouldn’t love such a man?

  Her unhappiness hadn’t been his fault. He’d been a devoted partner. In that respect, her parents had done everything they could for her. They had chosen a man who loved her. God knew love wasn’t a requirement in these types of arrangements. But being bonded to a man whose love she couldn’t return had torn little pieces of her soul.

  Serin had thought something was wrong with her. She’d felt like a failure. Over time, she’d convinced herself she was the defective one. And Romero had been out there all that time…

  She hadn’t been waiting for him. And now that they’d met…

  “I don’t get to keep Daniel. It’s too soon.”

  Gia’s immediately turned down. “I admit the timing is a little suspect for a few reasons. One being you are still in mourning for Jordan.”

  Serin leaned back on the pillows. “A little suspect? First Diana, then Logan. Now Romero turns up. We both know it’s not normal.”

  She met her sister’s eyes, reading the deep disquiet there. “Something is happening with Her.”

  Gia took a bracing breath. “We’ve known that for a while. The Mother is falling asleep. It’s happened before. Things will be uncertain, and there will be more upheaval. Hate and destruction will have a stronger grip on the world. But She will awaken again. We just have to be patient.”

  “Her slumber shouldn’t change anything about us or how we work. She’s slept for long periods before, but none of our predecessors met their mates in clusters then.”

  “There’s no reason to panic,” Gia said. “If anything, we should be rejoicing. It warms my heart that all of my sisters will know the joy of a true mate. I still treasure the memories of my own.”

  Tears stung Serin’s eyes. “Meeting our mates typically signals the end of our careers. She wouldn’t do that right before a period of slumber. That’s too much upheaval and strife. Something else is going on.”

  Gia sighed, turning to study the sea beyond the window. “I know…but whatever it is may not necessarily be bad. Our Mother cares for us.”

  Swiveling back, Gia took her hand. “We both know things are going to get much worse than this. We’ll be beset on all sides—the humans, the Supes, and the ones in between like your Agent Romero. It could be as simple as the Mother wanting to make us happy, or to reward us for our service given the difficult road ahead.”

  “I hope so. But it doesn’t mean Romero and I will be able to make this work. Even if I wasn’t in mourning, he doesn’t fit in our world. He’s a law enforcement officer. He would classify what we do as vigilantism.”

  Gia’s smile was gentle. “I wouldn’t discount the agent so quickly. I’ve spoken to him, answered some of his questions. He has an agile and flexible mind. I could feel the core of his integrity. He’s strong, capable, loyal… Men of his caliber aren’t thick on the ground in any species. We’ve both been around long enough to know that.”

  Serin’s answering smile was brittle. “I don’t understand how you do it. With all that we see and do, how do you hold onto that optimism?”

  “I don’t always. It depends on what I’m looking at. And right now, all I’m seeing is you. I have good reason to believe our future is in capable hands.”

  “But I’m at the end of my tenure,” Serin whispered. “My century is almost up.”

  The Earth Elemental rose to her feet. “It’s over when you say it’s over,” she said firmly.

  “Gia, you know it doesn’t work like that here.”

  Her sister’s hand swept out. “Here is only a place. We are the ones She chose. Fate is ours to make.”

  Except for thousands of centuries of tradition standing in my way. “Right.”

  “I’m going to go see if your agent needs rescuing.”

  “He’s staying with my parents. Of course he needs rescuing.”

  Daniel paced around the living room, hopping over the stream running through the middle of the living room. This place was fucking amazing. The delicate rounded walls and tropical light were unreal, like something out of a magazine. But despite the warm sun, there was a distinct chill in the air. It was as if the heart of this place was ice.

  He stopped in front of yet another seascape, checking out Dalasini from the corner of his eye. Like her daughter, she was stunning, ethereal and elegant. But unlike Serin, the older woman was a b
it frigid. Caimen was less brittle than his wife, but he also had the same air of rigid control.

  These people must have been a barrel of laughs to grow up with. It explained why Serin rarely smiled.

  She smiles at you. Sometimes.

  “Did you paint all of these?” he asked, wishing Caimen were still here, but Serin’s father had been called away on council business.

  Dalasini nodded curtly, saying nothing. As usual.

  “You’re very talented.”

  “I’m glad you like them,” she said tightly.

  “I didn’t say I liked them.”

  Dalasini’s tone dropped to arctic levels. “I see.”

  “Nothing personal.” He waved at the paintings. “It’s just that are a lot of them. All the sea. So many pictures of the sea…”

  And not a single family portrait. No pictures of her or her husband. None of Serin. Not even a baby picture.

  When he turned back, Dalasini was staring daggers at him. That was all right, though. There would be no pretenses between them. He’d gotten the picture the moment they’d met. A human wasn’t good enough for her daughter.

  It’s like ‘Who’s Coming to Dinner,’ magic edition.

  “These are not pictures of the sea,” Dalasini corrected. “Water talent has run in our bloodline for countless generations. All the pictures in this room are of Serin in her other form.”

  Daniel spun on his heel to study the paintings again before focusing back on the woman. “They are?”

  His potential mother-in-law—magic-in-law?—widened her eyes as if it should have been obvious. “My daughter is Water. Of all the candidates, she was chosen, anointed by the Mother herself. These pictures are merely snapshots of Serin’s other aspect. But this is not something I expect a mere human to understand.”

  Stifling a laugh, he resumed pacing the room. “Oh, I think I understand a little. Gia was kind enough to explain some of how this works. But forgive me for saying I don’t really think you captured Serin’s essence,” he added, waving a hand toward the monotonous pictures.

  “As I said, I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” She pointed to the nearest seascape. “This is my daughter’s true face.”

  Daniel rocked back on his heels. “It looks like the ocean because it is the ocean. It’s not a picture of your daughter.”

  Serin had a nose and ears and much cooler hair.

  “Yes, it is,” Dalasini said from behind gritted teeth.

  “Does she know that?”

  The woman appeared momentarily taken aback. “Obviously.”

  A little snort escaped. She wasn’t sure anymore. He could tell. “Something tells me you shouldn’t put money on that,” he said, continuing his circuit.

  Another step and he plowed into Gia, who’d popped up out of nowhere. Daniel rebounded, catching himself before he fell over.

  “Damn, woman. It’s like running into a boulder.”

  “That’s the idea,” the Earth Elemental said with that deceptively benign expression. “Serin is awake now.”

  “Good,” he said, sighing in relief.

  He started for Serin’s room when Gia caught his arm. “I think Dalasini should see her first.”

  “Oh, yeah, of course.” Daniel nodded agreeably even though he wanted to protest, watching the woman sweep out the room.

  How could a mother be so… What was the word he was searching for? Clueless? Disconnected?

  Gia was amused. “You don’t have to be concerned. Dalasini is a caring mother.”

  He glanced at the endlessly empty seascapes. “Yeah,” he said, drawing out the single word into two. “Of course she is…”

  26

  “You’re recovering faster now. The healers say it was the Mother, intervening on your behalf.”

  Despite the traces of satisfaction in her tone, Serin could tell Dalasini was rattled.

  It’s Daniel. Serin would have bet anything. Romero certainly had a way about him.

  Serin studied her mother out of the corner of her eye. “I hope our houseguest isn’t giving you too much trouble.”

  Dalasini’s mouth tightened. “That…man…seems to think he has a claim on you. It’s ridiculous. I don’t understand what possessed Gia to bring him here.”

  “He does have a claim. I love him. Unfortunately…for his sake.”

  It was the truth, one she couldn’t hide from her mother and father. Daniel, on the other hand, would stay in the dark until she was damn good and ready to say otherwise.

  Her mother gasped. “How can you say that? Jordan was your mate. You’re still in mourning for him.”

  Serin turned to the window, her eyes fixed on the sea. “I do mourn him. He was everything I could have asked for, and certainly more than most of my predecessors had. But he wasn’t the one the Mother intended for me. She had someone far different in mind.”

  Dalasini shook her head. “I don’t believe that. You are wrong. The Mother is silent. You don’t know what She intended.”

  “My other sisters knew when they’d met their mates. It may have taken Diana a bit longer to recognize Alec for what he was, but she came around just as I have.” But again, knowing what Daniel was meant nothing. Fated mates didn’t equal happily ever after, not in their world.

  “That simply isn’t possible.” Dalasini was shaken, but adamant.

  “I’m afraid it is.”

  “But Jordan—”

  Serin held up her hand. “Jordan was…an obligation. A burden. Now that he’s gone, I’m free.” She hated to put it so bluntly, but she had to make her mother understand.

  Tears welled in her mother’s eyes. “But…but I thought you were happy. It’s the only thing we wanted.”

  Serin shook her head. “That isn’t why.”

  “What?”

  “I said that wasn’t why you wanted to bond me to Jordan. Not really.” She studied her mother’s face, saw the similarities to herself there.

  Serin chose her next words with care. “I used to believe you were determined to make sure I had a child, so that our bloodline would continue and we would again be chosen to serve Her. It used to hurt me. You see, I believed you had no faith in me to survive—that you thought I would be one of those Elementals who died early in service. You and Father both. I thought you were nervous I wouldn’t reproduce. I often asked myself why you didn’t have another child.”

  She cocked her head, reading the truth in her mother’s shuttered expression. “I’m close, but there’s more, isn’t there?”

  Dalasini’s jaw clenched. Tears glowed like diamonds in her eyes. She pointed at the door, in the direction of the living room. “That human had the gall to imply that I don’t know you—that I don’t truly love you. But I never dreamed you would believe the same thing.”

  “Of course you love me.” Serin released a breath. “I didn’t mean that you didn’t. But why did you show it this way—why insist on bonding me off before the century mark of my service was even over? I never understood what your hurry was.”

  Dalasini’s hands shook as she brushed a stray hair back from her face. When she spoke, her words were halting and strained. “I was honored when you were chosen. But I was terrified, too, and not just because of the danger you would face.” Discreetly, her mother wiped under her eye.

  Serin was too tired for evasion. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  There was a long silence. “Marina,” Dalasini whispered. “I never told you about Marina.”

  Serin’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Who is Marina?”

  “She was my sister. And she was chosen, too.” The tears were coursing unchecked down Dalasini’s cheeks now.

  “And she died before I was born?” Serin had been told her mother was an only child. Marina wasn’t recorded in the archives.

  Unless the records are hidden. But if that was true, Gia must have known. Why hadn’t she told her?

  “Marina served before you were born and only very briefly.” Her mother’s expressio
n was remote, desolate. “She was older than I—stronger, brighter. Truly gifted among a community full of blessed people. We knew she would be chosen long before she was of age. It was inevitable. Marina was everything I wanted to be. I worshipped her and resented her a little, too, the way younger siblings do sometimes.”

  Serin reached for her mother’s hand, feeling the pain coming from the other woman.

  “She didn’t die in battle.” Their fallen were honored. Everyone knew their names. An Elemental who died in battle was revered.

  “No. She…lasted a little over a year.”

  “I don’t understand.” Marina hadn’t gotten sick and died. That didn’t happen to an Elemental in service.

  “She…returned to the sea,” her mother said in a choked whisper.

  Oh. Of course.

  There was a saying on the island. The people of T’Kaieri were of the sea. When someone returned to the sea, it meant they had died. But to say that about a Water Elemental was meant in a literal way.

  “My sister heard the siren’s call of the ocean,” Dalasini continued. “She tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t. It ended up consuming her. When you were chosen, I wanted to stop it. But I couldn’t. After all, it was a great honor. Plus, you chose to serve of your own free will. But I worried each day that you would give yourself up to the ocean and never return. When we suggested you bond with Jordan, it was to give you an anchor, something to hold onto. I wanted to make sure you had a reason to return to the world every day.”

  Her mother covered her face with her hands.

  Serin sighed, but she couldn’t soften this. Her mother had to know the truth. “You do realize it had the opposite effect, right?”

  Dalasini sobbed. “I didn’t until now.”

  Serin pulled her mother’s hands away from her face, keeping hold of one and rubbing the back of it soothingly, but she still didn’t understand, not all of it. “I served more than eighty years without incident. Why pressure me to bond with Jordan after all that time?”

  “The elders never speak of the Water Elementals who gave up, but our history is long. My sister went early in her service, but the call of the sea gets louder over time. Often those Waters who choose the sea do it after their century of service.”