Captive (Tainted Elements, Book 4)

by Linwood, Alycia

  “Honey!” A blonde woman broke through the row of agents, running toward me.

  “Paula, no! Stay back!” Lily yelled, her face going pale, but Paula didn’t listen. She treaded closer, and I had no clue what an unarmed woman was doing here. She was wearing light blue jeans and a white shirt, her long curly hair spilling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes were glistening with tears.

  “Honey, please, let the boy go,” she said. “Your dad and I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Please just... put the gun down and let’s talk. I promise no one will try to hurt you.”

  “My father is dead.” I couldn’t tell if I was more shocked by what she said or because she didn’t know that fact.

  “Your biological father, yes, but Ryan isn’t. Do you remember him? Do you remember me, your mom?” Her voice was filled with so much emotion that my hold on the gun faltered. What kind of a game were they all playing?

  “My mother is dead,” I bit out. Who was this woman to claim she was my mother? And how was I supposed to remember her if I’d never seen her before in my life? Besides, my mother wasn’t blonde. She’d been beautiful and her hair had been blacker than the night.

  “I know you don’t remember me, but please just let us explain,” Paula said, reaching for something in her pocket. I pointed the gun at her and she gasped, her eyes going wide.

  “Paula get back! Now!” Lily yelled, but the woman just stood there staring at me. It was unnerving.

  “I don’t have a weapon,” she said. “I just want to show you something, okay?”

  The agent started to fidget, so I pressed the gun against his temple again. They were all trying to confuse me and maybe get me to believe them. They couldn’t use real mind control on me, but they could sure as hell try to mess with my mind with words. All the agents had their weapons trained on Noah and me. A little distraction or faltering on my part, and the agents would try to shoot me or overpower me.

  Movement among the agents caught my attention, and I saw one of the agents whispering something into another agent’s ear. Would they use that electronic blast or whatever it was to block my elements? I couldn’t stay here a minute longer. I let my air slip out of me and go for the agent I was holding in front of me. But as I tried to dive into his mind, my element slammed into a barrier. Shit, he really was protected against me. Or maybe I’d lost some of my energy and the book hadn’t restored it fully.

  I tried to go for the woman’s mind, but it was too hard to focus, and I failed. Taking a deep breath, I quickly turned into air and shoved Noah so hard that he knocked the woman down. Gaining speed, I rushed in between the agents, hoping I was fast and strong enough not to get caught. Shots were fired at me, but I dodged them, slipping around the corner and flying down the street. Three shimmering clouds went after me, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake them off so easily. Still, I had to try.

  Chapter 10

  I flew through the unsuspecting crowd, slipped under cars and buses, climbed up and down, but no matter what I did, I could still spot the shimmering behind me. How were they tracking me? It was as if they could tell exactly where I was. And maybe they could. Shit. Were they using a satellite to track elemental energy?

  They knew which spike of energy was mine, and they didn’t have to worry that they were receiving a random signal. That would explain why I couldn’t lose them even after I flew through an apartment building full of people. My energy levels had to be much higher than anybody else’s around here. And I couldn’t just land somewhere while they could still see me.

  The sun was already starting to go down, but the agents persisted. I was getting tired, and I nearly slammed into a fence. Where could I go? Somewhere with people who were using elements, but where would that be? Maybe heightened energy levels would be enough. Hell, maybe a crowded place would be enough. Lily’s team couldn’t cause a scene with hundreds of witnesses. It was easy to track down and mind control a couple of passersby on the street, but a club full of people? That would be a bit difficult.

  The nearest club was not that far, and it was near the university, so I was sure many students would be there. And students were young, which meant they’d lose control of their emotions and elements much easier than older people would. If I were visible, I would have smiled. If agents wanted to follow me, they’d need to go change their clothes first. But most of the time, agents were pretty much obvious if they tried to infiltrate the drunk and happy crowd. I’d spot them a mile away. All I had to do was make sure Lily didn’t call one of the bartenders or bouncers so they would put something in my drink or stab me with a tranquilizer.

  I landed behind a tree, aware of the agents not far from me. But there were drunk students going to the club, and I joined them. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes hit me when I entered inside, but I ignored it and went straight for the bar. As I pushed through the crowd, I looked around for anyone suspicious, but no one seemed to pay any attention to me, and it was dark enough in here, so I looked like any other girl.

  I took a seat on one of the empty stools farthest from the bartender. There was an almost empty glass in front of me, and I hoped no one would notice me sitting there in the corner. My whole body ached from flying, and I wasn’t even sure I’d be ready for a fight if someone attacked. Maybe the agents would get tired and leave me alone. I wondered if Blake was worried about me and if he’d gone out to look for me.

  A dark-haired guy in a black leather jacket and blue jeans came to sit next to me, but he didn’t even glance my way, just ordered a drink. I leaned on the bar, letting my hair cover my face, but I was still watching the crowd.

  “Are you here on a mission, agent?” the guy next to me suddenly asked, and my whole body tensed. He finally turned his head toward me, and I was sure I’d seen those dark brown eyes somewhere before.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he one of Lily’s men? He didn’t look armed, and he wasn’t trying to attack me, so I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. My hand closed around the glass in front of me. If he made a move or anything, I’d smash the glass over his head.

  “Good.” He downed his drink and waved at the bartender for another.

  “Who are you?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. If this guy wasn’t Lily’s agent, then maybe one of the agents had mind-controlled him to come find me.

  “My name is Jaiden,” he said, his eyes meeting mine.

  A frown creased my brow, my hold on the glass tightening. “And what do you want from me, Jaiden?”

  “Nothing at all, I guess.” He turned back to his drink, reaching for something in his pocket. I readied myself for an attack, but he pulled out a phone. Did he know who I was? Would he call Lily? He was watching something intently on his phone, shielding it from my view.

  “Hey, can I borrow your phone? I left mine at home and I really need...” I gave him my sweetest look, smiling at him. If he had nothing to hide, then he’d give me his phone.

  “Not now.” He barely spared me a glance, his attention solely on the phone.

  “Fine.” I got to my feet and bumped into him, nearly shoving him off the chair. The distraction was enough for me to snatch the phone out of his hand and disappear into the crowd. I looked down at the phone and nearly had a heart attack. A photo of the guy and me covered the whole screen. We were both smiling, and it looked like we were lying in a bed. I stopped dead in my tracks, ignoring the people who were dancing around me.

  Was this some kind of a montage? It didn’t look like it. I went through the files, checking the date. The photo had been taken a few months ago, but that didn’t make any sense. I found the video folder and clicked on the first one. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest, warmth spreading through my body. It was a video of me in a hallway. I was destroying everything around me with my elements and sending guards flying to the ground. Two of them were dead, and it looked like I’d killed them.

  I flipped through some photos, and saw im
ages of a building. The title of the images said Elemontera, and I had a feeling this was what the building had looked like before it was destroyed. Had I been the one who destroyed it? And how did this guy fit into all of this? If someone had staged the video, it was one hell of a job, because it showed me looking straight at the camera and then smashing it. But why didn’t I remember any of it?

  I had to go back to Jaiden and ask him about this. I didn’t even care who he worked for. Some of the files on the phone mentioned Elemontera, and they contained some strange codes. Wait, Jaiden was the name of Jack Maiers’ son; that dangerous criminal Lily and the others were looking for. Could it be the same guy? I headed back to the bar, glad that Jaiden was still sitting where I’d left him. His lips pulled into a smile when he saw me approaching.

  “Did you call whoever you wanted to call?” he asked as I slid onto the stool next to him.

  “What’s this?” I put the phone in front of him, the video of me still playing on the screen. He quickly looked around and covered the phone with his hand.

  “Don’t you remember anything at all?” he asked.

  “No, I...” I leaned forward so no one could overhear me. “Who exactly are you?”

  “I told you, I’m Jaiden. You and I used to work for Elemontera.”

  “What?” I gaped at him. “No. I would never...”

  “You didn’t have a choice.”

  “What do you mean?” I hissed.

  “If you don’t remember anything, then I don’t think I can help you. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.” He started to get up, and I placed my hand on his arm.

  “Where are you going? We aren’t done talking.”

  “If you want to talk, you’ll have to find a better place. Lily’s agents are about to come here.” He glanced at some kind of a tiny round device that was flashing red. “Unless you’re still working for them and looking for me, in which case I’ll have to leave you right here.”

  “What? I’m not...” I let go of him, hopping to my feet. “Lily’s men are after me, too.”

  “Then I suggest we leave before they surround us.”

  “Why are they after you?” If he was really Maiers’ son, then I knew why they were after him, but I wondered what he’d say. I’d never seen a photo of Jaiden Maiers. For all I knew, this guy was an undercover agent pretending to be Jaiden. I had to be careful around him.

  “I’ve done some terrible things.” He flashed me a smile. “Are you coming or not?”

  “Do you have a plan to get out of here?”

  “Sure.”

  “Then I’m coming with you.” Even if he was working with Lily, he was just one guy. I could take care of him. I just had to make sure he wouldn’t take me straight to Lily’s agents.

  As we emerged through the back door, Jaiden swore. I peered above his shoulder and noticed two agents in the parking lot. Jaiden turned to me, his voice hushed. “You blast the one to the left and I’ll do the same with the one to the right. Then run like hell toward that motorcycle, okay?” He pointed at a black motorcycle across the parking lot. I nodded, and we sent our elements at the men, throwing them back. And then I ran as fast as I could.

  “Hop on,” Jaiden yelled, and I got on the motorcycle and held tightly onto him. He brought the engine to life, and we sped off down the street, the agents unsuccessfully trying to follow us. I breathed out a sigh of relief when we couldn’t see them anymore and I looked up at the sky to check for any shimmering. Jaiden weaved through the cars, taking turns so fast that I thought we’d crash, but we didn’t. He drove straight into an underground parking lot.

  “Are you okay?” he asked after we got off the motorcycle.

  “Yeah.” I nodded, but the truth was, I wasn’t anywhere near okay. Apparently, I was missing an important piece of my life and I couldn’t figure out how that had happened. I’d always trusted myself, but now I was no longer sure I could do that. It looked as if someone had messed with my mind, but who? I’d always been able to see when someone’s element was trying to reach for my mind, so how could someone have sneaked in?

  “They won’t find us here. Come,” Jaiden said. “Unless you have someplace better to be.”

  I followed him through an opening in the wall and up the stairs. We found ourselves in what looked like a hotel, and Jaiden led me to one of the doors without a number. He unlocked the door with a keycard and let me inside. It looked like a small apartment actually, and I dropped onto the sofa, letting out a loud sigh.

  “What do you know about me?” I asked. I didn’t quite trust him, but I had to start somewhere.

  “That would be a really long story.” He shrugged out of his jacket and went through the open door that led to the kitchen. He returned with two wine glasses, and set one on the black table in front of me. “The question is, what do you know about yourself, Moira?”

  I shot him a glare and sniffed at the wine, wondering if he’d put something in it.

  “Look, I know you’re confused, but if I just tell you things, I don’t think you’ll believe me. You don’t have any reason to trust me.” He took a sip of his wine and settled himself in the chair opposite from me.

  He was right. If someone was powerful enough to mind control someone like me without me noticing it, then I was afraid to think how many people that person could have mind-controlled. Was it someone trying to get to the Sacred Book or complete the ritual instead of Blake, the Strong, and me? What if this was the Strong’s doing?

  Then there was Lily, who could have hired some powerful tainted elemental from another city or continent, and now she was trying to convince me that I was someone else so I’d agree to work for her or God knows what. Even Jaiden seemed to have assumed I was already working for her. I let my element seep out of me and try to sneak up to Jaiden. Maybe I could enter his mind. It was worth a shot.

  “Really?” He rolled his eyes, swatting my air away with his, but he didn’t move. “You really think I’d be able to stay in the city with Lily’s men around if I were weak?”

  “Why did you stay? You could have gone somewhere far from here.”

  “I have my reasons.” His eyes met mine.

  “Looks like you don’t trust me either. Great!” I tapped my foot against the floor.

  “Hey, you’re the one with huge memory gaps here. How do I know Lily didn’t send you after me?” he asked. “And don’t try to say anything, because really, why would I believe you?”

  “That photo of us... Did we... sleep together?” I chewed on my lip.

  “I’m sorry it wasn’t memorable enough for you.” Hurt flashed through his eyes.

  “When?”

  “A few months ago.”

  I leaned back in the sofa, taking a deep breath. Had I cheated on Blake? Had he discovered it and somehow mind-controlled me to forget it all? Maybe I’d let him do it so he’d forgive me. Except the whole story about me working for Elemontera didn’t fit with that story, and I sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone into my mind.

  Blake and Raven had never mentioned anything about Elemontera, but what if we’d all been mind-controlled? I looked at Jaiden, and wondered how he was feeling about all of this. I wouldn’t have slept with him for no reason. Did he love me? Did I love him? God! I ran my hand through my hair. Someone was making me lose my mind, but I didn’t know who, and I didn’t know how much of my life had been changed. It would take a lot of power and time to recreate someone’s life completely.

  “You’ll figure everything out. You’ll see,” Jaiden said confidently.

  “Will I?”

  “There’s a person in your life who’s lying to you about everything. All you have to do is find out who that is.”

  Yeah, as if that were so simple. I had to find the Strong and complete the ritual, not waste my time worrying about how my life was falling apart. I chewed on my fingernails, and looked up at Jaiden. He seemed like a strong elemental. What if he was the one I was looking for? I felt for the book under my jacket an
d traced my fingers over it, feeling its power coat my fingers. I got to my feet. “I have to go. Thanks for your help.” I awkwardly extended my hand to him, and as our fingers touched, a current of power shot from me to him. He pulled his hand back, his eyes wide. I could still feel the tingling in my fingers.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “What?” I cocked my head at him.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head, confusion filling his eyes.

  “I have one more question for you. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” I offered him a shy smile. “I have an ability to kill with my mind.” I eyed him for a reaction, but his expression was unchanged, which meant he knew about this ability. “What about you?” Lily’s team was looking for him not only because he’d helped his father escape justice, but also because he’d killed some people.

  “We share that ability.” He averted his gaze. A shiver ran down my spine. If he’d reacted to the book and he could kill with his mind... that meant he was another Murderer. He was the one who could replace me.

  “Cool,” I said. “Do you know there’s a prophecy about someone called the Murderer?”

  “I don’t believe in any of that. Do you?” He tilted his head, a small smile tugging on his lips.

  “Of course not.” I couldn’t tell if he was lying to me, but I hoped he wasn’t. I didn’t want anyone to try to take my place in the ritual. “See you around.”

  He just nodded, and I turned into air and left.

  Chapter 11

  Blake and Raven were waiting for me at one of our emergency meeting spots outside the city. Neither Blake nor Raven made any move in my direction when I landed near them, my body turning visible again.

  “It’s all clear,” a voice behind my back said, and I glanced above my shoulder to see Ulry standing there. Blake nodded at him, and Ulry immediately went away.