“Promise you won’t get sappy on me again?” I asked, taking the pen and paper from him.
“Sure.”
“I mean it,” I insisted. “I don’t know what you did with your monster, but you better bring him back.”
“I thought you hated my monster?”
“What I think is irrelevant.” I signed the first of many pages and handed it to him. “All that matters is what your people think. Do you honestly believe they’ll follow a touchy-feely vampire?”
A muffled cough from the front seat drew my attention from my stack of papers.
“It’s not funny, Gordon,” I snapped. “He’s gone all soft.”
Braden growled next to me, and I glanced at him. A trickle of fear raced up my spine at the sight of his blood red eyes inches from my face. I swallowed hard and leaned against the door behind me. He followed my movement, bracing one hand against the window and trapping me in place.
“I am not soft, little mage,” he whispered barely loud enough for me to hear.
“Good,” I breathed. “I prefer you this way.”
His eyebrows rose and the blue overtook the red in his eyes. “This is the first time your emotions are silent,” he said.
“Fear has a way of pushing everything else aside,” I muttered.
He backed away from me with a pained expression. I’d hurt his feelings, something I shouldn’t have to worry about with him. Would he even be able to participate in my part of the oath now that he could feel my emotions?
“I don’t want you to fear me,” he whispered.
“I have to if you want Jack to believe there is nothing between us.”
He looked away from me, a frown spreading across his handsome face.
“The same applies to my oath,” I said. He winced, but I didn’t let his frustration stop me. “We should stay away from each other until this is over. I’m not good at hiding my emotions.”
He chuckled, the irritating one that I needed to hear. “No, you wear them openly. Even without this thing, I knew how you felt.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t do all these things for me and then expect me to convince anyone that I hate you.” I waved a piece of paper at him, but he still didn’t look at me.
“The house is still yours,” he said. “When this is over, you will need a place to go. No one knows it’s here except us three.” He moved to the opposite side of the seat, as close to the door as he could get.
I took a deep breath and rearranged the pages in my lap, pushing his resentment away from me before the other emotions snuck in with it. Was he trying to tell me the mages would abandon me when this was done? Had Gordon seen that too? If so, he was awfully busy with that little talent. I glanced at the rearview mirror and caught his deep brown eyes watching me. He knew something, probably a lot of somethings.
I sighed and started signing again. It didn’t take as long as I thought or hoped. We were forty minutes into our drive when I noticed the bluish haze peeking between the trees as we sped by. I stuffed the packet back into its manila folder and pressed my hands against the glass. Was that the ocean? A wider break in the trees answered my question. I gasped and rolled down my window as the trees gave way to a sheer cliff revealing the Pacific Ocean and all its vastness.
Warm, salty air brushed my face and tugged at the scarf around my neck. “I need to get out,” I said.
“Not yet,” Braden stated. “We’re almost there.”
His cold voice startled me. He hadn’t spoken since my outburst earlier, and already I missed his attitude; the flippant one, sappy one, even the lusty one. But I’d asked for his vampire, and he gave it to me.
The ocean disappeared as we entered a gated community. Rows of beautiful sprawling homes lined each side of the street, and I couldn’t believe Braden was giving me one of them. And he was giving it. Only one page in that pile of nonsense mentioned money and that was the fees for the title company which were already paid. Even if he changed his mind and quit paying the taxes, I could always sell it. Yeah right. Who was I kidding? I’d just give it back.
The car slowed and pulled into the driveway of a sand-colored home with a red-tiled roof. Dark brown shutters lined the windows, a deep red door centered between them.
Braden opened his door and got out without saying a word. Gordon glanced back at me and smiled.
“It’ll all work out,” he whispered.
My door opened before I could I respond and Braden extended his hand to me. I took it, letting him pull me from the car. He didn’t let go as we walked to the front door, deftly unlocking it with the keys in one hand.
“You could show me how you get past my locks,” I suggested.
A sliver of amusement drifted towards me, but he didn’t respond. He also didn’t let go of my hand as he dragged me through the magnificent entryway and into the living room. Glass covered the back wall, providing an unhindered view of the ocean.
“Oh my God,” I breathed, stepping towards the windows and placing my hand against the cool glass.
Braden finally released me and opened the sliding door. The ocean breeze, cool and salty, took my breath away and the water called to me. I stepped onto the open balcony, not stopping until I reached the railing.
I barely noticed the vampire beside me, my eyes fixed on the waves crashing against the cliffs below me. Each one whispered my name, begging me to join them.
“I remember the pull of the ocean,” Braden said. “Being able to experience it through you is a precious gift.” His fingers wrapped around the balustrade, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white. My gaze lifted to his face and I wished it hadn’t. His hardened stare didn’t match the sorrow radiating from him.
“I’m sorry they took it from you.”
“So am I, but the longer I’m with you, the more I understand why they did it.” He turned to me, and his expression softened for a moment. “I don’t have the memories of the war we fought, but I have to assume it wasn’t much different than this.”
I didn’t know what to say. Everything that popped into my mind felt like pity, something neither of us needed. Braden released the balustrade and ran his fingers through his hair.
“I know Mr. Universe said he wouldn’t repeat what he did to me and my brothers, but he is. Only this time he’s making me do it.”
“What do you mean?”
“He and the queen will force me to make you a vampire,” he said. “I will destroy your soul.”
I smiled and reached towards his face. He leaned into my palm. “Dusha promised I would not lose my soul if you are forced to turn me.”
“And you believe him?” Braden asked, wrapping his hand around mine.
“Yes, I do,” I replied. “I have to or I might give up.”
“Giving up is not an option.”
“Being nice to me isn’t an option either.”
He smiled. “After today, I won’t be, but for now, let me show you the house.”
I shook my head. “We really don’t have time.”
“We’ll make time,” he insisted. “There is one room you have to see.” He winked at me and pulled me from the balcony.
“Braden, seriously.” I tried to pull away, but it was useless. When I wasn’t moving as fast as he wanted, he spun around and tossed me over his shoulder. “Put me down,” I growled.
He ignored me and all I saw was the hardwood floors flying by. When we finally stopped, he lowered me to the ground in front of a large door. He pulled it open and motioned for me to go in. I rolled my eyes and crossed the threshold. A set of stone steps descended into the darkness below and the smell of salt water drifted towards me. Could he really have a direct line to the beach?
“Are you going to stand there or go in?” he asked, closing the door behind us. “I thought you were in a hurry.”
“Don’t get pushy,” I snapped, making my way down the steps. “I don’t want to fall and break my neck.”
He huffed and picked me up again. “You’re too s
low.”
“Don’t you dare throw me over your shoulder,” I warned.
He did, and I pounded on his back with my fists, which accomplished nothing. Anger simmered through me as Braden followed the winding steps further down into the rock.
“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled. “Put me down. You’re bruising my ribs on your bony shoulder.”
“Liar.”
“Bastard. And don’t tell me we’ve already had that discussion.”
“Fine.”
“Put me down or I’ll start ripping your clothes,” I threatened, grabbing hold of his shirt at the waist.
“I’ll just buy another shirt,” he countered, but stopped and set me on my feet. “Turn around.”
I tossed a glare at him and slowly turned. No less than fifty feet of empty space spread out in front of me. Water trickled from the rock into several shallow channels on the floor, leading to the far side of the cavern. A soft wind howled through the open room, bringing with it the salty ocean air. If not for my see-in-the-dark gift from Braden, none of it would be visible.
“Does it open onto the beach?” I asked.
“No,” he replied. “There are crevices in the rock that allow the air to blow through, but there isn’t an opening large enough for anyone to get in.”
I crossed to the middle of the room and turned around. I could practice my magic here easily. No one would see or hear me and my elementals.
“This is perfect,” I said. “For all kinds of things.”
“Yes it is.” He closed the space between us before I could blink but didn’t touch me. “Meet me here when this is over. We can be us without judgment.”
“Don’t you mean I can fulfill my oath without an audience?” I reached up and touched the edge of his ear and his glamour fell away.
“Exactly,” he replied. “Don’t touch.”
I laughed softly and pulled my hand away. “You had it coming.”
“I suppose I did.” He smiled, but it faded quickly. “As much as I don’t like it, you’re right. I need to treat you with contempt and disinterest. If I don’t, Jack will notice immediately.”
“I’ll be sure to add an extra dash of ‘pain in the ass’ just for you,” I teased. “Just don’t let him kill you.”
“I intend to avoid him until the last moment,” Braden said. “But he will seek me out when the fighting starts.”
“I’m sure I can find a way to distract him.”
“Don’t.”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He wrapped his arms around my waist and crushed his lips against mine. Like an idiot, I responded immediately, allowing his tongue to tangle with mine. I ran my fingers through his hair and traced the edges of his ears.
“I said don’t touch,” he mumbled, pulling away and trailing kisses along my jaw.
“Whatever,” I quipped. “You bite me even though I asked you not to.”
He growled at me and I laughed. He growled again and sunk his teeth into my neck.
“You bastard,” I hissed.
“No, I’m a vampire,” he purred, licking my neck and releasing me. “Now go to your partner before I refuse to let you go.”
“I can’t do that realm-jump-thing,” I said, putting more space between us.
“Yes, you can,” he insisted. “Where do you want to be right now?”
I couldn’t admit I wanted to stay right here. In this place, I felt like I could hide from all the demands and just be me. He seemed to know what I was thinking anyway.
“You will always be able to come back here,” he said. “Use this as your grounding, the place you call home. Everything else should be easy because you are no longer undecided.”
“How did you know?” I asked.
“You think you’re the first one to struggle with it?”
“No, I suppose not,” I conceded. “Thank you. And don’t tell me that my gratitude is unnecessary.”
“Then stop telling me how I should feel about you,” he said.
I drank in his blue eyes and flawless face. “Deal.”
“Good, now go.”
Chapter 18
Braden was right. The strange winds didn’t try to pull me apart as I rocketed through the space between the realms. I wasn’t even sure what it meant because Cedric had never explained the realms during our secret lessons. But I still hit Kellen’s training room hard, rolling ass-over-teacup several times. When I finally stopped, a wave of fire—and Aviur’s spicy warmth—rushed over me.
The elemental’s laugh echoed against the stone, but Kellen’s agonized scream covered it.
“No!” he yelled.
His strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me to his chest. I inhaled his brown sugar and cinnamon, not realizing how much I’d missed it.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled into his shirt, “but your elemental won’t be when I’m done with him.”
Aviur laughed and appeared behind Kellen, heat rolling off his fiery form. “I have no guilt over my actions,” he said.
Kellen rose, pulling me to my feet. “How did you not get burned?”
“He was supposed to explain all that,” I replied, pointing at Aviur. “Instead, he spends all his time torturing me.”
Kellen turned to his elemental, pulling me close to his side. I stifled a snort, not wanting to hurt his feelings. I didn’t need protection, but he felt like I did. Letting him have this one thing was the least I could do.
“You know there are things we cannot share,” the elemental said, shifting slightly.
“That’s always your excuse,” I snapped. “Have you even told him your name?”
Aviur glanced from me to Kellen, then back again.
“Seriously? This man is totally dedicated to you and you won’t even tell him what to call you.” My anger and indignation surfaced within seconds. “You arrogant bastards,” I hissed. “And you say the fae consider everyone beneath them. How are you any better?”
The elemental laughed again, pissing me off even more. The familiar red haze crept around the edge of my vision and I squeezed my eyes shut. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
“AJ?” Kellen’s voice wavered with my name.
I ran my tongue along my pointed teeth. “Shit,” I mumbled and opened my eyes. Kellen stared down at me, his mouth hanging open.
“Um, your eyes are glowing,” he said, snapping his mouth closed and stepping back. “And you have fangs and little points on your ears.”
I didn’t know my eyes glowed. Braden could’ve told me that. Damn vampire. I held out my hands and flexed my clawed fingers. Damn. This wasn’t how I wanted him to find out.
“How much do you know about the fae?” I asked. “Specifically, about the darkness that consumes some of them?”
“Not much,” he replied. “Is that what this is?”
I nodded and sat down, digging my claws in the cool earth beneath me.
“It surfaced after Cedric activated my magic, along with several other things,” I answered, drawing in another deep breath. “They were supposed to tell you and Logan.”
Kellen sat down in front of me and offered his hands. My anger faded with his acceptance, and I pulled my fingers from the dirt, holding them out in front of me. The claws retracted with my exhale, my fangs following close behind.
“I’m not very good at controlling it,” I mumbled, placing my hands in his.
He squeezed them gently, but I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“I don’t know how you’re dealing with any of this,” Kellen said. “I can’t even get past you being fae.”
I wasn’t really dealing with it, but complaining to him about it wouldn’t help either. After circling us, the fire elemental sat down next to me. My anger surfaced again at his impertinence. Did he really think I wanted him there right now?
“Aviur, you need to leave,” I hissed. “I’m not sure I can get over my anger with you, and Kellen doesn’t need to be subjected to my monster.”
“Yes he does,” the e
lemental purred. “It is who you are.”
The red haze I’d managed to beat back crept forward again, and I pulled my hands away from my partner. Anger flooded me with the realization he was no longer my partner.
“Get out!” I yelled. “I don’t want to see any of you right now!”
Aviur laughed and disappeared. I pulled deep breaths through my nose, then pushed them past my lips, but the damn darkness would not recede. I refused to admit to myself that I needed Braden to contain this. I was supposed to be balanced, dammit.
“What can I do to help?” Kellen asked.
“Nothing,” I growled, standing quickly. “I need to release this shitty little beast, but I can’t.”
“You need to fight someone?”
“Yeah, or something.” My thoughts went back to Braden. I would not go running to him already.
You have everything you need right here, Göksu’s voice echoed in my mind.
Keep Aviur away from me before I drown him, I shot back.
I might enjoy that. My elemental chuckled and I smiled, some of my anxiety slipping away.
I sucked in another deep breath and closed my eyes. “Please don’t touch me,” I said, hoping Kellen would listen.
First, I reached for the earth. It made sense to ground myself before anything else. The weight of the earth pulled me to my knees, and I let it. Fire surged in next and I flinched, only relaxing when I realized it wasn’t Aviur’s lusty heat. A calming warmth washed over me quickly followed by a cool breeze.
I stretched my arms out to my sides and raised my palms. Water’s healing touch surrounded me and my heartrate slowed, matching the steady rhythm of the earth. I sighed and took another deep breath, then opened my eyes. Strands of magic whirled around me in blue, green, brown, and red, like an exotic dance of colors. I felt good, really good.
“You can use all four,” Kellen whispered, drawing my attention. He stood a few feet away, his wide eyes following the undulating strands as they wrapped around my outstretched fingers.
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