Ariana squeezed her eyes shut at the rush of emotion that went through her. She’d met Mira only a handful of times and was reminded of a bright, pixie-like child with an insatiable curiosity and passion for life. The thought of not being able to prevent that precious light from extinguishing was more than she could bear.
The elevator shot downward and she gripped the handrail tightly, worry for the young girl nearly overwhelming her. Desperate for a distraction, she opened her eyes to find Alec’s alluring blue eyes watching her. The depth of unspoken emotion and concern spoke volumes about how much he cared for a little girl he barely knew. It made her respect and admire him even more. He’d always cared so much, but rarely let anyone see his true feelings.
He had always fascinated her own curious nature and made her want to learn more about him. She’d had a hard time keeping her distance from the moment she’d met him. But everything had changed since then, and she needed to remember some things happened for a reason.
“I’m sorry for brushing you off,” she murmured, casting her gaze downward and not wanting to reveal too much of her own feelings. “Did you need me for something?”
“Don’t ever apologize for something like that, Ari,” he said gently, reaching over to touch her hand. A gentle caress of comforting air energy washed over her, stirring her own energy to the surface. “You’re trying to save a life. What I wanted to talk to you about can wait.”
She bit her lip, lifting her gaze to stare at the descending numbers on the panel. It was moving rapidly, but not fast enough. “Please distract me, Alec. Otherwise I’m just going to worry about things I can’t control. Once I’m in the medical ward, everything will change and I can focus on what needs to be done.”
Alec searched her expression for a long moment, indecision clearly warring on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, “I… I was hoping you might consider talking to Kayla again about training.”
Ariana blinked up at him, surprised by the request. She had the feeling that wasn’t what he intended to ask, but she wouldn’t intrude by prying. Besides, her energy needed to be reserved for the little girl who desperately needed her help. “I thought Kayla had been training over the past few months. She hasn’t?”
Alec hesitated. “Somewhat, but she’s been distracted with the construction and river excavation. I know she respects you, especially after you healed her former camp leader. She’s been working with me and her mother on her air and earth talents, but she needs to make training more of a priority. If you mention it to her again, I’m sure she’ll listen to you.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out into the medical ward. It was too quiet on the floor and the surrounding energy threads were moderately stabilized, so Mira must not have arrived yet. Turning back to Alec, she nodded. “Of course, I’ll be happy to speak with her.”
“I’d appreciate it.” Alec paused, studying her for a long moment. As his eyes roamed over her face, her stomach did a neat little somersault at the intensity in his gaze. He took a step toward her and said, “Ari, I know this isn’t the best time, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to have dinn—”
Voices and commotion exploded from the far side of the corridor as the medical team emerged from the service elevator with a stretcher. Even over the din of noise, she could hear the soft whimpers of a child in pain.
“I’m sorry, Alec, I have to go,” Ariana called over her shoulder, running down the hall and toward the little girl who desperately needed her. She only hoped her healing gifts would be enough this time.
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About the Author
Jamie A. Waters is an award-winning science fiction and paranormal romance author. Her first novel, Beneath the Fallen City (previously titled as The Two Towers), was a winner of the Readers’ Favorite Award in Science-Fiction Romance and the CIPA EVVY Award in Science-Fiction.
Jamie currently resides in Florida with her two neurotic dogs who enjoy stealing socks and chasing lizards. When she’s not pursuing her passion of writing, she’s usually trying to learn new and interesting random things (like how to pick locks or use the self-cleaning feature of the oven without setting off the fire alarm). In her downtime, she enjoys reading, playing computer games, painting, or acting as a referee between the dragons and fairies currently at war inside her closet.
You can learn more by visiting: www.jamieawaters.com
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