Elemental Betrayal

by Elle Middaugh

  Even so, my time was running out.

  I needed to bust us out of there as fast as humanly possible, and considering I had zero elements to help, that was going to be almost impossible. Of course, if I could dig just a little way outside the anti-Elemental barrier then I might be able to get my powers back, and if that worked, I could blast a hole in the ground with a geyser or a giant ice spike, or I could suck the water from the dirt and cause it to crumble like sand.

  And best of all, if I could get Cade out of this cave and back into his element, he could hopefully start to heal.

  The sooner I did all that, the better.

  I rushed back to the mouth of the cave, set the torch down, and started digging. Most of the rocks and bricks that blocked the entrance were large and heavy, not possible for me to lift, but I was at least able to push and pull them until gravity took over and dragged them farther down. I clawed and scraped at the rubble until my bones ached and my fingernails bled. Cuts from sharp edges and bruises from getting smashed one too many times littered my hands, but I couldn’t afford to stop, not with Cade’s life on the line.

  Eventually, though not nearly as soon as I’d have liked, I started to feel my power stirring, a weak buzz of energy humming deep within my skin. I wasn’t yet able to tap into it so I knew I hadn’t gone quite far enough, but at least I knew I was almost there.

  Digging faster, I yanked even harder on the rocks, scrambling through the wreckage with shaking limbs. As I dug, I came up with a plan. Getting Cade back in touch with the Earth was the most important thing, because I needed him to heal. Once I carved out enough room for him, I’d have to start digging again somewhere else nearby. Obviously, I wouldn’t want to blast that first spot with Water or Fire with him so close and so vulnerable.

  My body ached at the thought of starting all over again, but my heart and mind were already set in stone. Cade first, deal with the aching in my bones later—much later, like after we were finally out of the cave later.

  When I finally had a small nook whittled into the rocks and I was able to access my powers once more, I hauled Cade over by the armpits and tucked him into the crack. Instantly, a bit of color burst into his cheeks and his lungs took a deep drag of oxygen. He was still unconscious, but the fact that he was alive was everything to me. Everything.

  I hugged him gently, careful not to damage his body even further, and cried tears of relief for…I don’t even know how long. It felt like ages. I kissed his cheeks, his forehead, the tip of his nose, his fingers. I stroked his hair and traced the features of his gorgeous face. I whispered to him how much I loved him, told him I was there and was going to get us out of there. Over and over I repeated those words, like a mantra, a prayer, a promise—just in case he could hear me.

  Then I checked his body for injuries, doing my best to cauterize the wounds in his arms so they could heal without bleeding and dripping some water into his mouth to combat the dehydration he’d no doubt suffered. I ran a soft mist of water across his face, arms, and bare upper torso, gently scrubbing away the dirt, grime, and hardened blood that had accumulated there.

  Only once I was satisfied that I’d taken care of him to the best of my limited buried-underground-in-a-cave ability did I allow myself to resume digging.

  I cried the whole time I mined, too, going through the motions in a numbing sort of disbelief as I tried to get my head back in the game.

  Nicholai had done this to him, had tortured the man I loved nearly to death, and he was going to pay for it with his life. I needed to embrace my inner darkness for that particular task, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t even be all that hard.

  It took much longer to burrow the second hole in the rocks, but eventually I made it. As soon as my power came back, the real work started. I syphoned as much water from the soil above my head as I could muster, breaking the bonds that held the little specks of dirt so tightly together. Sand trickled down in loose waterfalls, and I took a few healthy steps back.

  Time for the next phase.

  I aimed my hands at the crumbling dirt and blasted the ever-loving hell out of it with an intense gush of water. The sand was immediately caught up and displaced, rushing to the cave floor in a gritty wave much like you’d find at the beach. The result was a huge gouge in that section of the cave ceiling. The destruction gave me hope.

  I didn’t know for sure how far underground we were, but I didn’t think it was very far. After all, the cave had been level with the fortress floor before it crumbled. It would probably only take one more round of syphoning and blasting before we were out.

  After rolling my neck and shoulders, I suctioned the tiny beads of water from the earth once more and watched as sand yet again drizzled from the ceiling.

  One more blast, I assured myself.

  And sure enough, when the water was done pouring out of me, a glorious ray of sunshine filtered down diagonally into the cavern. It wasn’t bright as the clouds were still swirling violently above, but it was enough to make my spirit soar.

  We were almost out!

  And Nicholai was almost gone.

  34

  I rushed over to Cade and grimaced when I realized I’d have to lift him up and carry him. Not only was he solid muscle and therefore much heavier than me, he was also severely injured, and I didn’t want to make his wounds any worse.

  Unfortunately for us, we really didn’t have a choice.

  Or maybe we did?

  Cade was an Earth. He wasn’t negatively affected by it; he was replenished. I could probably drag him up my recently excavated tunnel. It’d be easier on me and probably safer for him too. The more contact he maintained with the Earth, the better.

  I grabbed him under the armpits and pulled, hauling him most of the way up the tunnel before pausing. The sounds of battle filtered back into my ears—shouts, strikes, destruction…death. I swallowed hard. I couldn’t tell if my heart was racing from the exertion of carrying Cade or from fear of what I’d find above.

  As soon as we showed our faces up there, we’d immediately become targets once more. Cade in particular would be extremely vulnerable. I’d need to get him to the forest, away from the battle as soon as possible so he could continue healing without the imminent threat of being murdered.

  I quickly erased our heat signatures and called on the stormy clouds above. Rain suddenly pelted down in a misty sheet of gray, obscuring most of the battlefield. Grabbing Cade, I shuffled as quickly as I could out of the tunnel and across the muddled terrain. There were chunks of rock, branches, and bricks all over the place. Worst of all, they were covered in splatters of blood and interspersed with fallen bodies, most of which were dead. It was horrendous.

  I tripped over someone’s lifeless leg and crashed to the ground.

  Don’t think about it, I ordered myself as I stood, avoiding making eye contact with the body, and hefted Cade up by the armpits once more.

  But before I could take another step, a scream tore through the air and a fist landed with a bone-shattering crunch on the side of my face. I went down like a sack of bricks.

  Black spots clouded my vision as I fought to remain conscious. Pain rattled through my head like a freight train, and my cheek seemed to already be swelling. When the dots finally cleared, I saw Loren dragging Cade away from me through the wreckage.

  Oh hell no.

  I hopped up and sprinted after them, but instead of busting my fingers on her face, I threw a fireball into her shoulder. She screeched and instantly dropped him, patting the flames on her shirt until they snuffed out. While she was distracted, I swooped in and pulled him back to my side.

  “You bitch!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. It wasn’t the first time in my life I truly wondered if she was a little psychotic. “He is mine! And you will never ever take him from me!”

  Loren latched onto Cade’s feet and pulled hard.

  “Are you kidding me?” I asked, astounded. “Cade is a person, Loren! He’s not some toy you can fight over
with me. You’re going to hurt him!”

  She snarled, and her eyes were alight with madness. “Now that he’s out of that godforsaken cave, he’ll heal. He’ll be fine, and once you’re out of the picture for good, he’ll fall back in love with me.”

  “He was never in love with you!”

  She shook her head and sneered at me. “We dated before, you know, during the years you weren’t around, and we were happy together. I know we can have that again.”

  I swallowed hard and remained silent. I hadn’t realized they’d dated, but it didn’t matter. Her words sounded exactly like Holden’s, and if Holden and I could date and fall apart, I knew it was possible for Cade and Loren to do the same. Cade had probably realized that, while he and Loren might’ve had fun together, the love factor was just…missing. And just like I knew I could never be with Holden again, I knew in my heart that Cade would never be happy with Loren.

  Besides, he’d already asked me to marry him, and I’d already said yes. Our connection was too strong to be broken, especially by our crazy exes.

  My eyes drifted downward to where my engagement ring sat perched on her finger.

  That unimaginable bitch…

  Heat boiled inside of me and my Fire roared, dying to be set free. It wanted to scorch and ruin her, leave her in a pile of ashes at my feet, never to inflict her personal brand of crazy on anyone ever again—but I held it back.

  “Give me my ring,” I demanded calmly, dangerously.

  She smirked. “Oh, this?”

  She tugged it off her finger and held it in the palm of her hand. I knew what was coming next. Just as she’d done with my fire opal necklace and bracelet, with my aquamarine crystal bracelet, she was planning on crushing it into dust.

  I lashed out with my flaming blue fire whip, wrapping it around her wrist and up her forearm. Her fingers tensed and she screamed in pain, but instead of demolishing my precious ring, she accidentally dropped it.

  Quickly, I scooped it up and slid it back on my finger, immediately feeling whole once again. I glared at her, a hardened mixture of emotions swirling in my chest as I watched the flames crawl up to her neck.

  “I love him,” I told her honestly. “And he loves me. And you will never pull something like this ever again…or next time, you’ll be dead.”

  I extinguished the flames with a slow exhale. I couldn’t kill her, no matter how much I knew I should, but if I wanted to keep Cade safe, I needed to eliminate her. She was a psychotic kidnapper, and I had a feeling she’d never stop trying to take him. Was I being dumb for letting her go? For giving her another chance? Was I essentially putting Cade’s life on the line yet again?

  God, I hoped not. I’d rather mercy and karma just sort of figure it out on their own without any help from me.

  I grabbed Cade once more and started dragging him toward the woods. Even more color had returned to his face and cheeks, and I couldn’t help but smile. He was going to be okay. We were going to make it through this.

  But Loren had other plans. She let out a battle cry and charged at us, a rainbow-colored Surge Protector glittering in her grasp.

  How the fuck?

  I glanced down at my belt and realized my Protector was gone.

  “If I can’t have him, no one can!” she shrieked, raising her arm high in the air, the strange blade hovering mere feet above Cade’s chest.

  If she pierced his skin with that thing, it would all be over. There were no longer any other options. I had to act immediately, and I had to take her out permanently.

  In a flurry, I grabbed a set of daggers from my belt, lit them on fire, and threw them at her as fast as I could. They each sank into a different part of her chest, but I wasn’t sure if it was enough. I grabbed two more, flamed them up, and threw those too.

  She staggered backward, staring at the burning front of her body in awe and horror as the blood started pouring out. Since she still hadn’t gone down yet, I panicked and sent two more flaming daggers sailing through the air. One landed in her shoulder, the other slicing into her neck.

  Finally, she crumpled to the ground in an awkward heap of bleeding, burning flesh.

  My heart was racing. I’d killed people before, but this was probably the most gruesome death I’d ever caused. My head was light and buzzing, and I had a bad feeling I might faint.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loren’s parents charging at me.

  Oh shit. If I blacked out now, I was as good as dead.

  I reached around behind me and pulled a handgun from my belt, aiming it rather unsteadily between the two of them. My muscles were exhausted from all the cave-digging, fiancé-hauling, and bitch-fighting, and my mind was hazy from nearly fainting. I had no idea how I was going to keep this shit up long enough to end Nicholai’s pathetic life.

  I fired a shot and luckily nicked Erion’s side, but it didn’t stop him or slow him down. I fired again, this time missing Chelsea completely.

  Son of a bitch!

  I pulled the trigger again and finally hit her in the hip, but it still wasn’t enough to stop them. They were almost on me. Gritting my teeth, I charged up my elements and prepared for impact.

  Then Amelia showed up from out of nowhere and blindsided them, tackling them both to the ground from the side.

  I frowned and stood there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open.

  Had she just…protected me?

  Erion tried to punch her, but she simply lit him on fire. The blaze was white hot and he barely even had time to scream before he disintegrated into ash.

  Chelsea’s face was slathered in terror. “How could you do this?! Why would you betray us after all these years?”

  Amelia’s face was hard and emotionless. “Because this is nothing more than a game of power. You strategize and do what you must to survive, but as soon as you get a chance to make a move, you take it.”

  Chelsea sneered as tears streaked down her dirtied face. “So that’s it? You just want more power than your dear old dad? Good luck with that. He’s going to kill you for what you’ve done.”

  Amelia smirked. “No doubt he will, but I don’t want his stupid power. I just want to keep my daughter safe. It’s what I’ve always wanted. It’s why I’ve played this godforsaken game so long and so diligently, and it’s why I’m going to kill you now.”

  As promised, she lit Chelsea on fire and quickly cremated her into a pile of ash beside her husband. As their power flowed into her, I swore I saw her skin swell and glow.

  She stumbled and dropped to one knee as if the power were physically heavy. Shaking her head, she glanced up at me and forced a pained smile, tears welling in her eyes.

  “Valerie, my sweet girl. I love you so much. Everything I’ve ever done has been to keep you and your father safe, I swear it, but you must end this. This is the last chance we have before all is lost forever.”

  I nodded, numb and in complete shock. Amelia…my mother…had been good all this time? She was just playing a part so she could protect me? And Dad?

  “I honestly thought your father was a normal human,” she said, out of the blue. “When we brought you into this world, I thought your life would be simple and pure and safe, but when I finally realized he was a Water and you were an Elemental, too, I knew I needed to run. Nicholai believed in the Gifted prophesy, so I knew he would kill you and take your power, just as he had with my mother. I hoped if I abandoned you and moved on with a new husband, child, and life, he’d think you were nothing to me…nothing at all. I hoped that would be enough to keep you safe, at least until you grew up and came into your full power.” She shook her head and a couple tears dripped onto the ground at her feet. “But it’s still not enough. You need more power if you hope to defeat him. He’s killed so many…”

  Then she gritted her teeth and staggered up to a standing position, holding out her arms.

  “I’m sorry, Valerie. I’ve done terrible things for far too long, and I’d do them all again in a heartbeat if it meant ke
eping you safe and alive, but please, let me make it up to you. Let me be your mother again.”

  Tears filled my eyes. The strained rope holding my heart together snapped, and emotions flooded everywhere. I don’t know what came over me, but I rushed to her and hugged her tightly, allowing the tears to pour down my cheeks in scalding hot waves.

  She caressed my hair and pulled me even closer.

  “I love you, baby girl,” she whimpered, and her voice sounded absolutely devastated. “I’m so sorry, but this was the only way.”

  What the hell was that supposed to mean?

  Terrified, I backed away, stunned to find the hilt of a dagger in my hand. Blood poured from a wound at her ribs…a wound I had apparently caused. I dropped the knife in dread, staring at the bright red blood coating my fingers.

  “What…?” It was a stupid thing to say, but it was the only thing that would come out.

  “You needed more power,” she said again. “As your mother, I’d give anything to protect you…even my own life…even my own power.” The light in her eyes dimmed and she swayed where she stood. “I love you, Valerie.”

  Then she crashed to the ground as her power surged into me.

  35

  “No!” I cried as I dropped to my knees and threw my arms around her body.

  But she was already gone; I wouldn’t have received her power if she were still in there.

  Sobbing, I hurried away from her and back over to Cade. We couldn’t linger, no matter how much I felt like sinking into a pool of mourning and despair.

  Get Cade to safety, I told myself in a quivering mental voice. Then kill Nicholai. Nothing else matters right now.

  Still, I cried the whole time as I hauled him to the forest’s edge. We were almost past the first line of trees when Elise suddenly materialized out of nowhere. I was too damn grief-stricken to be startled.

  “Brad’s gone,” she announced. She was breathless but proud; I could hear it in her tone and knew she must’ve killed him herself.