I crossed my arms, feeling exhausted after our long journey. “Do you have any actual information?”
Varek clenched his jaw. “I was getting to that. I sent some of my people to join their cult to gather information. They say the Unseen have something planned, something big they want to show everyone.”
“What do you suspect?” Parin asked.
"I believe the Unseen are somehow stealing elemental powers, but I'm not sure how."
“That should be impossible,” I said, but then remembered what my mother had said. “Although you might be correct. We’ve had reports of missing elementals.”
“If they are stealing elemental powers, we need to stop them immediately,” Zain said.
“There’s an Unseen meeting at midnight tonight at the old warehouse that burned down at the northern end of Soulspire,” Varek said. “We can sneak in and learn more then.”
“I know the place,” Erroh said. “But can we trust a criminal?”
Carth crossed his arms. “I’m with Erroh, I’m not sure we should work with a man with his…connections.”
“My connections saved you once already,” Varek snapped. “While you’ve been off having sex in fancy temples, I’ve been investigating these cultists. You wouldn’t know anything about them if not for me.”
“Or maybe this is some kind of trap,” Zain said.
“Believe what you want.” Varek spread his hands. “I’ll be at the meeting. You can join me if you wish, or I can handle things on my own. Your choice.”
“We’ll be there,” I said, the words slipping out of my mouth immediately. My mates didn’t trust the man, and in many ways I didn’t either, but I believed he was helping us. I felt it in my gut.
Of course, I'd seen him do some seriously heinous things in my dreams. He couldn't explain away cold-blooded murder. I wouldn’t forget that either.
Parin cleared his throat. "We appreciate any accurate information you can give us."
"Come inside," I told my five mates. "We can speak more privately in our chambers."
"As you wish, princess,” Varek said, but his inflection had changed. The offensive pet name didn't have the same level of vinegar in it this time.
We headed inside the palace and got many looks from the guards as Varek walked with us to the other wing. Then we entered our communal dining room and sat down to a huge meal. I wanted to kiss the cooks for having food ready even though they didn’t know when we’d return. My parents were still gone, and the responsibility of dealing with the Unseen was firmly on our shoulders. I’d be able to form a plan for infiltrating the meeting a lot better with a full stomach, and hopefully my mates would be less grumpy about Varek’s presence too.
At least he was here in the palace. That was a start.
Varek didn’t stay long. During our meal we sketched out a rough strategy, and then he headed back into the city with plans to meet us at the warehouse after dark. He said he would procure us some masks too.
We were relying on him a lot for this mission. I hoped it wasn’t a mistake.
I borrowed a dress from a servant and donned my black cloak, before heading out. I was far too recognizable in Soulspire, but hopefully with a mask and my hair under a hood, I could avoid notice. My other mates were similarly dressed in plain clothes, including Carth, who had to borrow something from Erroh.
We split up into two groups to travel in different paths to the location. A woman with four men might be a little too obvious. Of course, my mates tried to talk me out of going, until we were standing outside the building that had once housed a large warehouse before a fire destroyed it years ago. A fire that was caused by elementals. The irony was not lost upon me.
As we moved down an alley toward the back entrance, a large man suddenly stepped out of the shadows directly in front of us. I jumped, along with Erroh and Parin at my back, all of us reaching for our weapons, but then I recognized Varek.
“Are you trying to get yourself stabbed?” Erroh asked.
“Put these on.” Varek held out three gray masks toward us. "The password to enter is ‘nameless.’ We’ll go in two at a time, or our number will draw suspicion."
“The others?” I asked. Zain and Carth had taken the shorter route to the warehouse.
“Already inside. The meeting is starting soon.”
I donned the mask with a nod, then pulled the hood up to cover my hair. Parin stayed back with Varek, while Erroh and I approached the metal door and knocked.
A slat opened at the top of it. Eyes peered out. Waiting. Watching.
“Nameless,” Erroh said.
The slat shut, and then the door opened. We stepped into a dark hallway with stale air, the walls blackened and charred in places. A large man grunted and gestured for us to move forward.
The hallway opened up to a big room filled with people, most of them wearing gray masks, though some didn’t bother. A large wooden stage had been set up on one end, and more masked people waited there, along with something big and boxy that was covered by a black cloth. A large crate maybe?
I gazed around the room, sizing up the audience. So many people, a lot more than I expected, all crowded together and eager for this meeting to start. My mates were among them somewhere, but I couldn’t pick them out with the masks on. At least I had Erroh at my side.
The masked people on stage suddenly clapped their hands three times, making the room go quiet as everyone realized the meeting was starting. One of them stepped forward, wearing a black mask.
“We are the Unseen, but we will not be ignored any longer,” the person said in a booming voice, repeating a phrase I’d heard at the rally. The voice sounded vaguely feminine, but I recognized she was trying hard to deepen and alter her tone. Probably for anonymity. “We applaud your bravery for meeting us here tonight, for recognizing the inequality humans face every single day, and for being willing to put an end to it through whatever means necessary. It’s time to put humans first again.”
My stomach twisted as people in the crowd raised their fists and chanted, “Humans first, humans first, humans first!”
The leader raised her hands and flames burst forth from them, causing the audience to settle down again. “For years, we’ve been powerless against the elementals and the Dragons, but no longer. We’ve discovered a way to gain magic ourselves, and tonight we will demonstrate for you. Soon, we will be equal to the elementals…and then the Dragons themselves!”
The crowd surged forward in anticipation and I was shuffled along too, anxious to see whatever they were about to do to gain magic. As I watched, the leader nodded at some of the other masked figures, who yanked off the cloth. Underneath it was four cages, and inside them were elementals—one of each type. They were in bad shape too, the fire elemental’s flames dim, the water elemental’s body too thin, the earth elemental’s rock body partly smashed, and the air elemental little more than a wisp. I couldn’t help but gasp in horror at the sight, and quickly covered my mouth. Something terrible was about to happen. I needed to stop it, but I had to know what they were doing too.
“Do we have a volunteer?” the leader asked.
Dozens of people raised their hands, and she chose a young woman with red hair who wasn’t wearing a mask, then asked her, “What type of magic would you like? Earth, air, fire, or water?”
The redhead glanced between the elementals with excitement in her eyes. “I think… air. Yes, air.”
“A fine choice.” The leader stepped toward the cage with the air elemental, who floated backward as she approached, but there was nowhere to go. "Step forward, initiate."
The redhead moved closer, and the leader took her hand, before reaching toward the elemental with her other one. Dark tendrils lashed out from her fingertips and sank into the air elemental’s chest, causing it to scream, a sound like a whirling tornado. It struggled and fought, but the iron cage kept it contained and unable to use its magic.
“No!” I yelled, rushing forward.
A
strong hand clamped down on my arm, holding me back. I glanced over my shoulder and saw black hair. Varek.
"Don't do anything stupid," he hissed.
"I have to stop this!" It was my duty to protect those elementals from the humans, and vice versa. I couldn’t stand back and do nothing as they hurt it.
As I struggled to get closer, the leader’s dark tendrils yanked out something from inside the elemental, a swirling vortex of glowing yellow air, and shoved it into the redhead’s chest. The air elemental immediately dissipated, vanishing before our eyes as it passed away. A yellow glow surrounded the redhead for a brief second, before fading.
“You now have the powers of an air elemental,” the leader said. “Try them.”
The redhead looked uncertain, but she waved her hand and a breeze went through the room. The crowd erupted into a loud cheer, stomping and hollering, and the woman cracked a huge smile.
The leader gave her a nod. “You are one of us now. We will train you in how to use your new magic to defend humankind and take back the world.”
“Thank you,” the woman said, and another masked member led her away.
The leader gazed back at the crowd. “I need another volunteer.”
This time just about everyone’s hand raised. It made me sick. Did no one care that this was murder?
I wasn’t going to stand around and let this happen. It was time to end this meeting and free these elementals. I shrugged Varek’s hand off my arm and used my air magic to lift me up toward the ceiling, then used my newest elemental magic to spray water down on everyone, drenching the crowd. People screamed and looked up.
I yanked off my mask as I hovered over them. “What you’re doing is murder and I won’t let this continue! Free the elementals now!”
“It’s the Dragon spawn!” the leader yelled. “They’re here to stop us from gaining the power that should be ours, but we will not be stopped!”
She launched fire at me, and I stopped it with a blast of water magic. Erroh flew up next to me, while my other mates surged through the crowd toward the remaining cages. They knew what to do—freeing the elementals was our number one priority.
Most of the crowd screamed and fled in a panic, but many of the people on stage started fighting us back with their elemental magic. There was not enough space for Erroh or Carth to become dragons with so many people running around, so Erroh and I fought from the air, while my other three mates climbed the stage. Zain and Varek used fire and death magic to stop some of the cultists, while Carth ran to the first cage and freed the elementals.
It was total chaos in the warehouse. I didn’t want to hurt anyone in the crowd who wasn’t attacking us, but it was hard to know who had magic and who didn’t. I tried to go after the leader, but she’d vanished into the crowd at some point.
Soon the warehouse was empty except for the five of us, a few cultists we’d knocked out, and the freed elementals, who I immediately began healing as best I could. The Silver Guard showed up, hearing the commotion, but by then it was over. The leader and most of the cultists had fled, but at least the other three elementals were safe.
And now we knew why they were going missing.
Chapter Thirteen
The elementals were escorted back to the palace by the Silver Guard, where our staff began taking care of them immediately. The few cultists we captured were dragged off for interrogation, but I doubted they’d give us much information. Varek left to try and track down the Unseen’s leader, while the rest of us returned to our quarters in the palace.
As we entered our communal area, I slumped down on the sofa, feeling defeated. Yes, we’d rescued three of the elementals, but we’d failed to save the fourth, and everything I’d seen and heard tonight had left me shaken.
“I need to contact my parents and tell them we know why the elementals are going missing,” I said.
“I can’t believe the Unseen would go to these lengths,” Parin said, shaking his head. “It’s barbaric.”
Zain sat on the sofa beside me, moving stiffly. “People will do many things to gain power. Especially when they feel they have none.”
“Are you all right?” I asked, noting the way he held his side.
“I’m fine.”
“Let me see,” I demanded. “If you’re injured, I can heal you.”
He moved his hand, and it came away bloody, but he shrugged. “One of the Unseen had a large knife.”
Carth rolled his eyes. “That’s why you use your magic to keep them away.”
“I was trying not to burn the entire place down a second time,” Zain said. “Fire is different from air or water or even earth. You need precise control. You can’t just throw it around and hope for the best.”
“He does have a point,” Erroh said.
“Nice to see you’ve learned something in your training sessions,” Parin muttered.
I rose to my feet. “Let’s go into my quarters. The rest of you, get me some cloths and a bowl of water.”
Zain stood and winced, and I took his hand and practically dragged him onto the bed, after setting down a towel underneath him.
"Off with your shirt,” I ordered.
Zain leaned back on my pillows. "You're bossy when someone is injured.”
When he unlaced his shirt too slowly, I grew impatient and reached over to help. Even though I was worried about him, I couldn't help but enjoy the sight as I bared his chest. He was exquisite, his body toned from being a guard at the Fire Temple.
As soon as I saw the cut on his side, my focus went entirely to it. He winced as I prodded it, but didn't make a peep. "It's long and deep. I bet it hurts a lot.”
"I've had more enjoyable nights, it’s true," Zain said in a clenched tone.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“It was more important for you to heal the elementals.”
Pressing my hand to the wound, I sent healing life energy into it. While I did, Parin and Erroh returned with some cloths, while Carth brought me a bowl of water. I sent them away after that so I could concentrate.
Under my care, the injury slowly disappeared. When I was finished, I grabbed the cloth and carefully cleaned the blood off of Zain. "Here," I held out my hand. "Sit up, let's get this shirt off to be cleaned. It’s covered in your blood.”
"I can do it now.” Zain sat up without difficulty and shrugged the torn shirt off his shoulders. "But the shirt is ruined."
"I can't heal it as easily as I did you," I told him with a smile.
“Thank you.” Zain leaned forward and took the cloth from me, throwing it into the basin. He put his hands on my shoulders. His lips neared mine, and I couldn't slow the race of my heart.
My healing must've been effective because he pulled me close and rolled us, so I was suddenly on my back on the bed, with him looming over me. His mouth came down on mine hard and his tongue tangled with mine. When he pulled back, I was breathless and hot with desire. The evidence of his arousal was pressed into my core too. He pushed it harder against me, and I moaned and arched up against him.
"We can't do this until we get to the temple," I whispered.
He flexed his hips and his hard length rubbed against me, pressing into my little nub that was so eager for his attention. My moan turned breathy and I spread my legs, giving him more access to grind against me, even as I said, "This can't go any further. We don't know if the Gods would be angered."
"The Gods have deserted us, have they not?" he replied, then to my shock and delight, sank his teeth into my neck just enough to harden my nipples pressed against his chest.
I was seconds from giving in when the door was flung open. Carth bounded into the room. "Break it up, you two. No naughty business until we get to the Fire Temple."
The others followed him inside, and Zain and I reluctantly broke apart. My mates all draped themselves on my bed like they belonged there, except Parin, who stood apart with his arms crossed. He still didn’t feel like one of us.
�
�We need to talk about your actions earlier,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, sitting up and trying to ignore the wetness between my legs.
“You were pretty reckless at the meeting,” Erroh said.
“I had to stop them from killing another elemental!” I glanced between them. “Do you not agree?”
“Of course we do,” Carth said. “They had to be stopped. But we were split up from you and couldn’t protect you.”
Zain took my chin in his hand. "If you ever do something like that again without a second thought to your own well-being again, I'll..."
I arched one eyebrow. "You'll what?"
“Yeah, what will you do?” Carth asked with a grin. “Turn her over your knee and give her a spanking?”
Erroh doubled over laughing. “No, she might enjoy that too much.”
I rolled my eyes, even as heat flared between my thighs. Welcome to life with four mates. “I appreciate your desire to protect me, but don’t forget I’ve spent my entire life training for this role under the current Dragons. I can handle myself in combat.”
Parin cleared his throat and shifted like he was uncomfortable. “We need to figure out a plan for dealing with the Unseen.”
“Varek is trying to get more information for us,” I said. “He proved to be trustworthy tonight, so we have to believe he will continue helping us. I will send a message to my mother about the kidnapped elementals too.”
“We should continue to the Fire Temple,” Zain said, and gave me a heated look. “It’s more important than ever for us to be at our full strength now.”
I nodded, and swallowed my desire before it overwhelmed me. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”
Chapter Fourteen
In the morning, we set off for the Fire Temple.
Parin stayed behind to see what he could learn about the Unseen, to oversee the protection of the kidnapped elementals, and to fill in my parents if they returned before we did.
Carth and Erroh both stayed in dragon form for the entire trip, except for when we stopped to eat or take a break. The journey took most of the day, although the Fire Temple was the shortest distance from Soulspire, at least when flying. Zain and I alternated riding the two dragons, giving the other one time to practice flying maneuvers. We could have had a dragon each to ride, but out of an unspoken agreement we decided to sit together. I liked having his arms around me and his hard chest against my back. I also liked when his hands spread down to cup my breasts or idly stroke my thighs.
Embrace The Dark (Her Elemental Dragons Book 5) Page 8