Hidden Embers

by Amanda Perry

  I send him a confused glance he either ignores or doesn’t want to respond to.

  Why would he want to steal me away for the rest of the day?

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “So, I spoke to Mark,” Leanne announces as we sit down with our sandwiches. “I explained everything to him, and he told me he has one more meeting he can’t get out of, but he would like to be here for the conversation if Riley wouldn’t mind waiting a few hours. He should be home around dinner time.”

  “I can wait,” I assure her. “I’d like for him to be a part of this.”

  “Perfect! I know he’ll be pleased you agreed to wait for him. What would you guys like to do until then?” She searches around the table for ideas.

  I open my mouth to suggest a movie or card game, but the only thing that comes out is a big yawn. I cover my mouth and blush as everyone chuckles. “Sorry.”

  “I think I’ll take Riley upstairs for a nap.” Caleb chuckles. “Mark will want to see her control of Water and Earth. Before using all that energy, she could use some rest.”

  “But, I slept really late,” I feebly protest as he takes my hand and leads me upstairs.

  “Babe, you may have slept late, but you used a lot of energy already today. First with the pool water, then with the apple tree… uh, tree house… apple tree house… root?” He pauses and mulls over what my pitiful plant should be called, then shakes his head. “Whatever it’s called, you used a lot of energy on it. Your Dad will want you to show him what you can do, so you need some rest. Please, come take a nap with me?”

  “Okay,” I relent easily. It’s nearly impossible to tell him no. “Are you tired, too?”

  “No, baby,” He grins. “I’ll lie there with you and read, though.”

  “If you have other things to do, you don’t have to stay.” I try to hide the sadness at the thought of him not being by my side, but he must hear the disappointment in my tone.

  “Nice try.” He smirks. “No way you’re getting rid of me that easy.”

  “I would never want to get rid of you,” I reassure him as we enter his room.

  “Good.” He sighs happily, pulling me in for a hug.

  If it was possible to stay right here in his arms forever, I would.

  All too soon, he lets me go and saunters over to his closet. He pulls out one of his shirts and grabs a pair of boxers from the drawer, handing them to me without a word.

  “Caleb, I can grab some comfy clothes from my closet,” I remind him, taking his clothes even as I offer to get my own. “It isn’t the middle of the night this time.”

  His brow scrunches together and hurt flashes in his eyes so quickly, I almost wonder if I imagined it. “Do you not want to wear my clothes?”

  “Of course, I do. They’re way more comfortable than mine, and they smell like you.” I slap my hand over my mouth at the last part. I hadn’t meant to say the words out loud.

  “Smell like me?” He raises an eyebrow.

  “Yeah, um… Well, you smell kind of like a campfire. Sort of musky and smoky and comforting.” I blush and turn my gaze down to my feet. “It kind of makes sense now because you have an affinity for fire.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed, baby.” He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my head, giving me no choice but to meet his perfect blue eyes. “I love that you think I smell comforting; it tells me I’m showering enough.” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down as he says the last part.

  Hysterical giggles bubble up at his antics. I love it when his playful side comes out like this.

  Turning from me, Caleb heads to the door. “I’ll be right back, babe. I’m just going to grab a book from the library while you change.”

  As soon as the door closes, I take my clothes off, throw his boxers on, and pull his shirt over my head, doing it in a rush so he doesn’t catch me naked. I take a moment to bring the collar up to my nose and inhale deeply. It really does smell like him, perfect.

  I’m startled out of my Caleb haze by the click of the bedroom door opening. I turn around to find him standing in the doorway. His eyes darken like they did outside earlier. I want to ask him why it keeps happening, but before I have the chance, he darts to the left side of the bed and sits down. He avoids eye contact with me.

  Did I do something wrong?

  “Caleb?” I ask hesitantly. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, baby,” His voice sounds deeper than normal. How strange, maybe he’s getting sick? “Come lie down and rest.”

  I study him for a few seconds longer, but he continues to concentrate on his book. I sigh and climb onto the bed next to him. It should feel a bit strange to be sharing a bed with him like this, but it feels right somehow. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I settle in and close my eyes. I drift away instantly.

  “Sleep well, babe.” He presses a light kiss on my forehead and I can’t help but melt a little.

  ~

  “Shhh,” Caleb’s hushed voice breaks through my sleep fog. “She’s really tired after all the craziness of the last few days. I want to let her rest.”

  “Is she wearing your clothes?” my dad asks in a whisper.

  Does he sound grumpy?

  “Calm down, Mark.” I practically hear Caleb rolling his eyes. “I wanted her comfortable. Jeans aren’t comfortable.”

  “Uh, huh, and she couldn’t wear her own pajamas, because?” My dad is getting a bit protective of me, and it warms my heart.

  “Because she looks cuter in my clothes,” Caleb replies cheekily.

  “You are impossible, Montgomery.” I hear a bit of humor in my Dad’s voice. He must trust Caleb with me if he can find humor.

  I stretch my arms above my head and yawn. I don’t want them to think I’m listening in on their conversation. I blink my eyes open to see Caleb’s handsome face.

  “Hello,” I whisper up at him.

  “How did you sleep?” he asks like it’s a genuinely important question.

  I’m about to say fine, but a sudden thought stops me. I sit up quickly, my eyes darting around the room as if I’ll find my answers there.

  “You okay, kiddo?” Worry etches Dad’s and Caleb’s faces.

  “I didn’t dream,” I whisper.

  “Huh?” Caleb scrunches up his forehead. His handsome face is adorable all scrunched in confusion.

  “No nightmares,” I mutter, slightly distracted by Caleb’s cute face. “Actually, I didn’t dream last night either. I wonder why. That hasn’t happened since I was small.”

  Dad lets out a relieved breath before answering. “The only thing I can think of is Caleb, since he’s your Soulmate. It would make sense that being around him keeps you calm and makes you feel safe, even while you sleep.”

  I can’t figure out if he’s kidding or not, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. The fact that sleeping in the bed with Caleb takes my dreams away, makes me sad my room should be done soon. Leanne told me earlier today the people she hired to fix it up were a bit off schedule, but they assured her they would be done by noon tomorrow. I guess I have one more night with Caleb before I go back to my room. The thought puts me in a sour mood.

  “Alright, let’s get downstairs and see what you can do, kiddo,” Dad exclaims after a moment of silence. “We’ll tell you about the legends as well. Leanne mentioned to me they told you something about them. I assume you know that’ll be the topic of conversation tonight?”

  “Yep!” I say popping the “p”.

  “Perfect, well get dressed… Use Cassie’s room, not Caleb’s,” he orders raising an eyebrow at Caleb who snickers. “Your room has a lot of construction going on, making it hard to get into right now, but Leanne told me Cassie got you clothes from your closet and stuck them in hers. She mentioned some had to go to the cleaners because of the smoke smell, though, so not everything is here right now. I’ll see you two downstairs.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Riley, have a seat, and we’ll get on with the explanations,” Dad says as Caleb an
d I make our way down to the living room. “I really am grateful you waited until I could be here to help explain this. It means a lot to me.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Dad.” I take a seat on the couch opposite him.

  Caleb sits next to me and pulls me into his side. I don’t hesitate to curl into him. At least, now, I know what the butterflies and comforting feelings I get around him are all about. I still want some girl talk with Cassie about the whole Soulmate thing, but I guess it needs to wait a bit.

  There are more important things to talk about.

  “So, where to start?” Dad mumbles more to himself than me, as he sits down next to Leanne. “Well, I suppose I’ll start at the very beginning since you haven’t heard any of this before. For as long as any Elemental can remember, there’s been talk of The Chosen. According to the legends, one person is to be picked specifically by the gods and goddesses of the elements to lead all Elementals in a war. Mikaia is the goddess of Earth. Humans call her Mother Earth. Hakan is the god of Fire. Binda is the goddess of the Sea. She represents Water. Then, there is Niyol, god of the Winds. Of course, they all answer to Achak, but that’s an entirely different story.”

  “War against who?” I don’t mean to interrupt, but I don’t like the idea of anyone fighting in some war.

  “The Fallen,” Jaxon spits with such disdain, and I shrink away from him. He appears to notice my discomfort because he gives me an apologetic pat before sitting on the edge of the couch next to me and explaining. “The Fallen are a group of Elementals who’ve turned to the dark side, to put it simply. When Elementals use their affinity for evil, the gods and goddesses can and will take it away. After their affinity has been stripped from them, they become a part of The Fallen. Nukpana, the fallen god of evil, takes their soul, and in return, he gives them special powers. The catch is, they have to do his bidding. They’re evil people to begin with. They don’t usually have a problem following through on his demands. It’s the job of Elementals to protect each other and humans from the Fallen.”

  “How do you stop them?” I ask with wide eyes.

  “Kill them.” Cassie drops down into her seat. “They aren’t people anymore. They literally have no soul. When you kill The Fallen, they turn to dust, like you see in some vampire shows and movies.”

  A small snort escapes me at Cassie’s comparison. Shaking my head, I push us back on topic. “What are their special powers?”

  “Depends on the mood Nakpana is in when he gives them their power, I suppose, or maybe it has to do with whatever job he needs done at the time. Some of them can read minds, some can alter a person’s thoughts, some move things with their minds, some can even possess another person’s body for a period of time. That’s why it’s really difficult for us to kill them. They may not be able to control the elements, but they have their own secret weapons. Usually, we’re faster and stronger, but things like reading our minds and knowing our next move put us at a disadvantage,” Jaxon ends on a frustrated sigh.

  “Back to the topic we were discussing,” Dad says after giving me a moment to absorb everything. “The Chosen is meant to lead all Elementals in a war against the Fallen. It’s said there will be a group of The Fallen who will plan a vicious attack on us, and unless The Chosen is prepared and ready, we’ll lose. If we lose that battle, it will mean the end of us. The Fallen will have the means to take over, and there will be no more Elementals. No one has ever believed this story. It was always thought to be a scary tale. Everyone but the council that is. They’ve always assured us the legends are true. The council is the closest link to the gods and goddesses we have. They’re marked by the gods and goddesses to become council members. The council knows a heck of a lot more than any of us do. That’s why we need to tell them about your abilities.”

  “I’m confused.” I scrunch my eyebrows together and turn to Caleb. “What do my abilities have to do with this legend?”

  “Baby girl, the legend says The Chosen will come from an unexpected place and have an affinity for all four elements.” Caleb’s lips purse with worry, which scares me.

  Then, his words click into place.

  “Wait a second!” I jump to my feet, startling everyone in the room. “You think this Chosen person is me?”

  “No one has ever shown an affinity for more than one element before, Riley,” Leanne explains softly, as if afraid her words will send me running.

  “So, I have to lead the Elementals in a war when I just learned that I have these powers? I can’t even grow a plant the right way!” My eyes well with tears, and my heart races. I’m close to a breakdown, but at this point, I don’t care. They must be insane if they believe I’m capable of leading anyone with anything.

  “Baby.” Caleb stands and puts his hands on my cheeks, forcing me to meet his eyes. “We don’t know for certain what this means. We just know the legends, and we know your abilities exceed the norm of an Elemental. If this means you’re supposed to be a leader in some war, then, I promise you I’ll protect you no matter what. You’re not doing this alone, baby.”

  He gently kisses my forehead, and it sends a tingling sensation all the way to my toes. It distracts me from the topic at hand for a moment as I close my eyes to savor his soft lips against my skin. I don’t realize I’ve already wrapped my arms around his waist until he pulls back. More than one pair of eyes on us twinkle with mirth, and it causes my face to heat all the way to the tips of my ears.

  Clearing my throat, I step back and meet my dad’s eyes. “What happens now?”

  “Now”—he gets to his feet—“we head outside. You can show me what you can do. We’ll prepare and practice for the rest of the week. Then, we’ll continue as planned with our trip to the council. No one is to know about Riley until we speak with the council. We’re not even going to tell them until we can do it in person. I don’t want to risk this information being heard by the wrong people.”

  We all nod our agreement before heading out back. My dad struts over to my twisted mess of a tree root and stares at it for a long time, his hands resting on his hips.

  “That’s my girl.” He grins, finally turning to face me. “You’re a natural at this, kiddo.”

  My cheeks heat under his praise. “Thank you, but it’s not exactly spectacular.”

  “Let’s start out with Earth,” he suggests, calling Leanne and Jaxon outside. “These two will know what to do with that.”

  “Let’s get to growing.” Leanne claps excitedly, pulling Jaxon and me over to her garden. “We can start with something simple today. Jaxon and I will take turns growing a vegetable or flower, you copy us.”

  It sounds uncomplicated enough, but locating all the components to grow the things they want me to grow is harder than I thought. At first, it’s a fun challenge, but after an hour, I’m getting tired of trying to grow things. Another hour into my lesson, I only have a small sprout to show for my effort.

  “Go take a break for a few minutes. I’ll have your dad help you with wind next,” Leanne ushers me inside the house. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, honey, but the small sprout you grew is really impressive.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” I grump.

  Once I’ve gotten a drink of water and taken a bathroom break, I head back out.

  Dad waits for me in the middle of the yard.

  “Hey, kiddo,” he exclaims gleefully. “We’re going to work on controlling the breeze.”

  “The breeze?” I peer around the yard. “There is no breeze.”

  “Exactly!” He claps his hands and rubs them together. “We’re going to make one. It’s easy to feel for the air, it’s not as easy to control it.”

  By the end of the night, I’ve only managed to get in some training for Earth and Air. Even after only practicing two elements, Caleb ends up carrying me to his room for bed because I’m dead on my feet.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The next two days Dad goes to work, and the rest of us go outside for more practicin
g. According to Cassie, I’m more than ready for the test, and my progress has been spectacular. Especially for only training my abilities for such a short amount of time. We don’t know how long I’ve actually been using any of them, like with the fire back in Washington. Cassie mentioned a burst pipe in the Mexican restaurant a few months back. She thinks it was my affinity for water coming out through my fear of Jaxon’s anger.

  Everyone keeps praising me for how well I’m doing. My opinions on my progress differ. I wish I could advance faster, but there’s only so many hours in the day for practice.

  In a few sessions, my control on breezes improves a lot.

  It doesn’t take me a more than a minute to find what I need to grow sprouts in the garden, now. Although I can’t get them to grow beyond sprouts.

  Even my fire and water abilities improved. Cassie’s main focus was to push and pull water at will. Having to pull a small amount of water out of a large pool was the hardest thing for me to master, but practicing for countless hours helped.

  My fire abilities have stayed limited to starting and stopping tiny flames. It’s harder for me to control the size and heat like Caleb.

  The construction crew finished my room on Wednesday. I end up sleeping in my own room so I don’t impose on Caleb anymore. I’m sure he’s ecstatic to have his bed back to himself.

  As tired as I am, my mind won’t stop running. My racing thoughts have me tossing and turning all night. It’s going to be awful tomorrow because there’s more practicing to get in before we head out early. I don’t know if my body can handle it without sleep.

  My biggest issue with getting to sleep is Caleb. Even though it was only a few nights, I’m now used to sleeping beside him. I don’t want to ask him if he minds me staying with him again in case he wants his space. I’m already enough of a burden on them all. They spend the majority of their time helping me learn to control and manipulate the elements. When we aren’t practicing, they’re teaching me defensive fighting skills, which I’m terrible at.