elemental 06 - the best man

by Larissa Ladd

  Dylan smirked to himself, remembering Aiden and Aira’s argument about the guest list from the other day, but his ruminations were interrupted by someone appearing at his elbow. He turned his head and saw a woman standing next to him, a look of amusement on her face. For just a moment, Dylan couldn’t help but stare. She was short, with red hair so bright it almost glowed in the low light of the reception hall. She wore it pulled back from a sharp-featured, almost elvish face, with big, bright green eyes. Dylan remembered that she had been with the delegation of earth elementals who had attended the wedding; in typical earth-aligned fashion, she was in a beautiful, probably hand-made gown, a deep green color; the gown hugged the curves of her ample bust and hips, obscuring her legs completely as it fell in rich folds almost to her feet. She glanced down to see that he was paying attention to her and blushed, smiling with just a hint of embarrassment. “I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, her smile stretching slightly wider. “You’re the best man, right?” Dylan nodded, firmly telling himself to stop staring and pay attention.

  “Yeah, I’m Aiden’s brother—seemed like the natural thing to accept the nomination.” The woman smiled again.

  “Then I assume you know both him and the bride quite well?” The woman’s voice had a faint accent—Irish, Dylan thought; there was also a rich, secretive amusement in her tone.

  “We’ve been through a lot together, that’s for sure.” Dylan couldn’t quite stop his gaze from traveling over the woman’s body. He clenched his teeth together and shook off the sense of familiarity, the sense of intense interest that was stirring up the tranquil waters of his mind. “I’m sorry; I don’t think I’ve had the chance to get your name.” He gestured to the empty seat next to him; the maid of honor, Aira’s best friend from her middle school years, had gone to wander around and socialize. The woman who had approached him sat down, shooting him a grateful smile.

  “It’s Leigh. I should tell you: I’m here as a spy.” There was a mixture of amusement and seriousness on the woman’s face, mischief dancing in her eyes even as her lips twisted in a wry smile.

  “Is that so? You’re spying on my brother and his wife? That’s not very friendly conduct.” Leigh shrugged in return.

  “I didn’t say I liked it. But my family pressed for an invitation because they wanted to see just what kind of couple Aiden and Aira made. Now that they’re fully official, of course, there are some…concerns among my fellow earth elementals.” Dylan licked his lips, remembering Alex and Dolores, reminding himself that he was just as apt to make a mistake as his brother had been. How much to reveal to the surprisingly candid spy?

  “There are some people in your alignment who think that our community would be best served if Aira were deposed.”

  Leigh shook her head.

  “That’s true enough; my family isn’t—mostly—part of the group that wants her kicked out. There are a few cousins who are extremists, but my parents had me invited just to see. Isn’t it exhausting being around them so much?” Leigh pointed to where Aiden and Aira were dancing—slowly, entirely absorbed in each other, the air around them practically crackling with the continual tension between them, ready to flare up into a blaze at a moment’s notice.

  “It definitely isn’t boring,” Dylan said, smiling broadly. “They bicker and fight but they also have this… this kind of magnetism between them.” He shook his head, clearing it. “And if you’re reporting back to your family, you should tell them that as long as they’re together, there’s no chance anyone could ever depose Aira. She’s powerful on her own, and together they’re nearly unstoppable.” Leigh turned her attention back onto him, and Dylan saw the seriousness in her eyes.

  “Your brother’s essence is to protect the people and things he loves; Aira’s a very lucky woman to have him. Especially given the attitudes of some of the people in my element—and in his.” Dylan heard the warning in her voice.

  “What side are you on?” Dylan asked, feeling his heart beating a little faster. It would be so easy to succumb to the woman’s charms, but he knew that in spite of what he had told her, Aira and Aiden were walking targets—and that the right attack would separate them, make them both vulnerable. Leigh shrugged.

  “I haven’t made up my mind yet. That’s why I was sent. They’re quite volatile, aren’t they?” Dylan shrugged.

  “They balance each other. They keep each other in check. I couldn’t imagine a better mate for either of them.” He watched as Aira buried her face against his brother’s neck, holding him closer. He wasn’t the only one watching the couple; the gesture brought up a few murmurs of envy and adoration—a few soft “aww” sounds scattered around the assembly.

  “Do you ever feel…strange, being single around them?” Leigh’s voice called Dylan back to himself and he looked at the beautiful earth elemental, shrugging while he forced a smile.

  “It’s a bit lonely while they’re in their room making lightning storms, but they don’t exclude me from the normal day-to-day.” Leigh peered at him closely before smiling slightly.

  “I would bet you’re an excellent dancer. Care to partner me? I don’t have a date.” Dylan hesitated for only a moment before he stood, offering Leigh his hand.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE SOUND OF HIS PHONE ringing woke Dylan out of a deep sleep; he groaned, pressing his face into the pillow and trying to deny the necessity of getting out of the bed. The reception for Aiden and Aira’s wedding had gone on long into the night, and Dylan had had his fair share of alcohol. Leigh, the mysterious earth elemental spy, had caught up to him again and again over the course of the evening, snagging the seat next to him at the table whenever it was vacant and convincing him to join her on the dance floor. The result of his revelry was a pounding headache, a stomach that felt as though it might give up its contents at the slightest provocation, and only a few hours of sleep that the phone call coming in interrupted.

  Dylan stumbled out of his bed and grabbed for his suit jacket, groping along the sleeves until he came to a pocket and plunged his hand into it. The phone was still ringing insistently, the tone cutting through his brain, sending a sensation like an ice pick drilling through his skull. Dylan had only foggy memories of the last few hours of the night before, but they started to creep into his pounding head in flashes as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and sat down in a convenient chair. He scrubbed at his face and peered down blearily at the screen of his phone, wondering whether or not he would have to yell at whoever it was. The screen showed that it was Aiden calling him; Dylan started, shaking his head. Why would Aiden be calling him? By all rights, he should still be making love to Aira. “What’s up?” Dylan asked, clearing his throat and sitting back.

  “Bro, there’s a problem.” Dylan’s eyes widened. He had to reason that Aiden wouldn’t be calling him if it wasn’t for a problem—and one that affected Aira and himself at that.

  “Did you light the hotel room on fire or something?” Dylan wanted three things: a glass of water, an aspirin, and the bed. “I’m sure we can get someone to smooth it over.” The Elders had been in attendance at the wedding and the reception, and it was exactly the sort of thing that they were prepared to take care of.

  “Our room is fine. The hotel all the air elementals were staying at was destroyed in a suspiciously localized earthquake about an hour ago. There was also a fire—way too big and sudden to be electrical.” Dylan let his head fall back until it came into contact with the wall. He groaned; he was not at all prepared for this kind of complication.

  “I’ll come to your room. We need to figure this out.” Dylan said and hung up. He looked around for his suitcase; this was not the occasion to show up in the bedraggled remains of his suit from the night before. Dylan stood unsteadily and stumbled to where his suitcase sat on the floor at the foot of his bed. He took a deep breath as he rummaged through it quickly, suppressing the rising feeling of nausea and closing his eyes a moment to do what he could to restore the balance of his element
al energies.

  He grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and went into the bathroom. As he washed his face and rinsed out his mouth, Dylan remembered the details of the night before—only hours earlier—a little more clearly. After several dances, he and Leigh had found a private alcove, off to the side of the reception room, away from prying eyes and ears. “You are too good at being a spy,” Dylan had told her, wagging his finger. “It’s not fair, you know.” Leigh had giggled, pressing her body close to his.

  “Why would anyone send a bad spy? You’re not so bad at your job protecting the royal couple.” Dylan had wrapped his arms around her body instinctively, feeling the soft, yielding-yet-solid presence of her body, the deep and satisfying sensation of her energy beginning to trickle into him from proximity.

  “I shouldn’t be here with you, alone,” Dylan had told her, shaking his alcohol-fuzzed head to try and clear it. “Someone might make an attempt on Aira and Aiden.” Leigh had arched up onto the balls of her feet, bringing her face only bare inches away from his.

  “No one is going to attack them at their wedding. Not with the Elders here, too. It’d be suicide—and not just their own.” Her lips had brushed against his, and for a moment, Dylan forgot all about his brother and Aira, all about his responsibility to look out for attacks on them. He had crushed Leigh’s body against his, kissing her hungrily, wanting more of the energy that flowed through her, the feeling of her pressed to him. She smelled like apples and honey, and her lips tasted of the wine she had drunk along with an underlying bittersweet taste that Dylan could easily let himself become addicted to. When he pulled back from the kiss, his head spinning slightly, he’d looked down at the diminutive woman, into her deep green eyes.

  “Come back to my room with me,” He had said, the words leaving him in a torrent, a gush as impetuous as a flooding river. “I know you’re a spy and you shouldn’t be on my side and I shouldn’t let you get so close, but I have to have you.” Leigh had licked her lips, her eyes darkening for a moment before she shook her head.

  “I can’t. I’m not the only spy here. Someone will sell me out, and my parents will punish me for getting too close to you.” Dylan had kissed her again, letting his energy flow through her, letting her feel the depths of his desire—his need—to be with her, alone, in bed together. Leigh reeled against him from the weight of that need before gently pushing him away, shaking her head with a rueful smile. “No. We can’t do this. I’m just supposed to report on Aiden and Aira. If I—if we do this—I’ve just come into my inheritance, Dylan. I can’t let you have me. I can’t risk it.” She had trembled in his arms. Dylan, his mind fully open to her, could feel the way she was fighting back the rising lust she felt. She was terrified of what would happen if they slept together. Dylan had taken a deep breath and let her go, taking a deep breath to try and still the raging torrent of energy flowing through him.

  “Okay.” Dylan had licked his lips and took another deep breath. “I won’t pressure you.” Leigh had looked up into his eyes, pressing her lips together, swallowing.

  “Call me. When this is all over and everything gets back to normal, call me.” She had taken his phone out of his pocket and added her number, showing it to him before she slipped away.

  Dylan finished getting dressed and knocked back a couple of aspirin before he took his key card and left the hotel room, walking as quickly as his hangover would allow to the elevator. Leigh’s words chilled him, though he couldn’t be sure she’d known anything about the attack. “When everything gets back to normal, call me.” It could have been nothing—it could have just meant when the fuss and disruption of the wedding had subsided, she wanted to get to know him better. But what if she had known what her kin had had in mind? It was obvious from the attack that it had been earth elementals and fire elementals who had been behind it. Had Leigh known? Had she had some part in it? Dylan shook his head. He couldn’t believe it. It was stupid, and he chided himself for his foolishness, but he couldn’t believe that someone as sweet and open as Leigh could have participated in an attack like that.

  Dylan knocked on the door to the room that Aiden and Aira had taken; they were supposed to go on to their honeymoon later in the day, but they hadn’t wanted to make the long trek right after the wedding and reception. The door opened in an instant, Aiden pulling it wide to let Dylan in. Aira was seated on the edge of the bed, her face in her hands. “This is… I can’t even imagine it,” Aira said, her voice breaking.

  “Casualties?” Dylan asked his brother. Aiden grimaced.

  “Five dead, twenty wounded. A few are in critical condition.” Dylan sat down heavily, taking a deep breath.

  “So they’re not just content to come up against Aira anymore—this is the start of a war.” Aiden nodded slowly, sitting down next to Aira on the bed and taking one of her hands.

  “We’ll have to find out who was behind it, get them in custody…they’re going to have to be put to death for this. It’s too much. The Elders are working hard to take care of the evidence.” Aira sniffed, scrubbing at her face with her free hand.

  “They killed five people and injured twenty just to get to me,” she said, shaking her head. “Whoever was involved in this, they are a danger to us all. They’re willing to expose us to the rest of the world just to try and depose me.” Aira looked at Dylan, and Dylan could see the sadness in her eyes. She hated to condemn anyone—but she would do it, if it was required. All Dylan could think of was that Leigh might have been involved. Leigh might end up on the list of people who would have to be put to death.

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  OTHER SERIES BY LARISSA LADD

  An Elemental Series

  Cavern of Light Series

  The Witch’s Love Spell Series

  A Psychic Romance Series

  Eye of the Coven Series

  Oakshade Manor Series

  ABOUT LARISSA LADD

  Larissa Ladd is a dreamer with insights fresh as the frost newly formed on the twig whose snap echoes through the moonlit forest. Since as a child she discovered the storybook world of ghouls and goblins, she's been a devotee of the eerie, the supernatural, and all that raises the hairs on the back of the neck. Her spine still shivers with delight when she huddles fearfully in a darkling corner, enthralled in suspenseful tales from her favorite authors Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and John Saul. Feast your eyes on the scintillating flashes of garish color dabbed forth from her pen.