elemental 01 - whirlwind

by Larissa Ladd

  Dylan tried to reconcile the two of them, acting as a mediator when the three of them were together. “Guys…” He had said at one point, exasperation creeping into his voice. “We’re going to have to spend a lot of time together. You two need to sort out whatever is going on between you, because it’s only going to be worse without Miss Lorene around.”

  Aira had doubted things would be worse. If her grandmother hadn’t interfered, then she could have easily finished off Aiden’s ambition to prove himself better than her. She realized it was dangerous to battle with another elemental, particularly when her abilities weren’t fully formed and available to her, but the idea she was some kind of helpless damsel, being protected by men, galled her indeed. Dylan kept telling Aira when they were alone together his brother really wasn’t that bad; he had a temper, and a slight tendency to speak before he thought, but he was genuinely a good person beneath that. Aira had shrugged off the description, thinking Dylan thought his brother was a good person; they were related, they’d had their whole lives to get to know each other. How the two men—as unalike as any two men could possibly be, with one fire-aligned and the other water-oriented—got along so well was a mystery to Aira. One she thought she could happily unravel from a distance.

  ***

  “You can’t drive alone.” Aiden told her as they made their arrangements to leave. Aira felt anger beginning to rise at his authoritative tone. “Even if we’re following along behind you, there’s a possibility someone could knock your car off the road or something worse.” They sat at the kitchen table, the remains of dinner in front of them. While Aira’s grandmother was the best cook she had ever met, Aira was no slouch in the kitchen, and had been prevailed upon to make the meal. Her grandmother pleading fatigue after a long day spent with Dylan in the garden.

  “And what exactly would be helpful about having one of you in the car with me if I get knocked off the road? You’re just as likely to end up injured as I am.” Aiden shook his head.

  “There’s safety in numbers. One of us will ride with you; the other one will take the other car and stay behind. We’ll stop every couple of hours. Besides, we can switch off driving that way.”

  Aira set her jaw, trying to think of a way to argue against the plan.

  Dylan’s dark, soulful eyes locked on her. “Aira, it’ll give everyone a chance to rest and everyone a chance to drive. It’s a long way to your apartment from here. Plus, just in case we get separated, there will be someone with you.”

  Aira knew this was one decision her grandmother was content to let her make for herself. She finally gave in, not because she thought it was a particularly good idea, but because she knew her grandmother would prefer it that way and she was tired of discussing it.

  When they were finally taking their leave, Dylan packing away a few cuttings and plants her grandmother had insisted Aira take with her to grow on her balcony.

  Aira felt oddly sad to be leaving, in spite of her increasing frustration and sense of restlessness. “If you found a mate that suited you…” Her grandmother whispered in her ear as they hugged in the driveway. “You wouldn’t feel so restless and anxious all the time.”

  Aira bit back the irritated retort that rose to her lips, swallowing it down as if it were a pill.

  “I won’t remind you of it ever again, granddaughter, but I have to say one last thing; Aiden is an eligible choice for you. He’s come into his full abilities, after all.”

  Aira pulled back from her grandmother, shocked at the suggestion. She would sooner—if she had to pick between the two brothers—pair off with Dylan over Aiden, no matter what temptations were offered to the contrary.

  Her grandmother’s green eyes glinted with amusement at Aira’s revulsion to the idea of being paired with Aiden, and the older woman gave her one last hug before turning back toward the house, discreetly dismissing her disdain for him. Aira shook her head in amazement and got into the driver’s seat. Dylan was already settled on the passenger’s side. Aiden would follow her onto the highway and they would make their first stop after two hours, at which point the brothers would switch.

  ***

  By the time they arrived at Aira’s apartment complex, all three were thoroughly exhausted. Aira told both brothers tersely to leave the job of unpacking the two cars until the morning and led them up the stairs to her unit. She had reason to be proud of her living space. It had two floors, having been converted into a sort of inexpensive penthouse by the building management who had wanted to attract a higher caliber of tenant. She had a sprawling master bedroom up a flight of stairs with a small guest bedroom next to it and another bedroom on the first floor next to the kitchen. After giving her unwanted guests a brief tour of where everything was in the apartment, she told them to pick their rooms however they wanted; as long as they didn’t disturb her, she didn’t care.

  Aira hoped Dylan would pick the smaller bedroom next to hers. Although she wasn’t attracted to him exactly, she did find his presence restful, and she didn’t want to deal with the tension of being in close quarters with his Aiden any more than she had to. Instead of waiting to hear what the two men would decide, Aira went into her bedroom and made her way directly for the bathroom. She didn’t have her grandmother’s water alignment, but she had always found a good, hot bath to be a therapeutic way to relieve her tensions, no matter what they might be. She started the bath, adding in the essential oils her grandmother had prepared for her and trying to push the arguments she’d had with Aiden during the times he’d been in the car with her out of her mind.

  It was impossible. The minute she sank into the hot water and closed her eyes, she heard his voice in her head. “It’s no wonder your grandma is worried about you doing something stupid!” He had said when she had wandered away from the two protectors at a rest stop, interested in a cup of coffee and a few minutes of privacy. “Look, you might be a grown-ass woman, but there’s a lot of shit you don’t know about, and until you know, you should stop acting like such a fucking idiot.” At another point in the drive, when they had been closer to their destination, they had fought once more about, of all things, who was going to pay for gas. “Jesus, woman, just let me pay. Your grandmother gave me money to help pay for the trip home, and that’s what I’m going to use it for.” At that point, Aira had been so tired and so irritated with the constant presence of the two men for the six hour drive she had accidentally let her powers get away from her, the wind rising in the vicinity as she bickered with Aiden at the pump. “What kind of fool turns down someone paying for them?” Aira had growled at Aiden, utterly livid without being sure of exactly why. “I can pay for my own damned gas, and I can take care of my own damned self. Go buy yourself some coffee or something. Christ! Leave me alone for FIVE MINUTES.” She had told him.

  Dylan had, predictably, been appeasing by bringing out a cup of coffee for Aira without being prompted or even asking if she wanted it. Somehow he had caught on to how she liked her caffeine, with just enough milk and sugar to make it palatable. While Aiden stormed inside, Dylan was soothing her jangled nerves, mostly by agreeing with her that his brother was an asshole. “He does have good intentions.” Dylan had said mildly, giving Aira a slight smile. “Most of the time, anyway. He just really, really sucks at expressing himself without pissing people off.” Aira had won the argument; she had paid for her own gas and instead of Aiden in the passenger seat, she had Dylan, who had been more than happy to listen to whatever music she played. Aiden had—predictably, Aira thought—scoffed at her desire to listen to country classics. “God, this makes me want to kill myself.” He had groaned as Aira pressed play on the second album—more to spite him than because she wanted to listen to any more. She had barely restrained herself from suggesting it would solve both of their problems if he did.

  Aira grumbled to herself as the bath failed to fully relax her. She sat up in the tub, scrubbing herself thoroughly and washing her hair until the dirty, grimy sense she had felt from driving all day
was gone. She climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel, using another to rub at her hair as she stepped into her bedroom. She was going to have to live with the two men, she told herself firmly. If she wanted to shorten the duration of their time living in her house and monitoring her every movement, the best idea would be to work on finding a mate. She felt as though she’d been maneuvered into that decision by her grandmother, and she resented that fact. If she really could find someone she wanted to be with, then it would be a double win.

  Aira rummaged through her drawers until she found a pair of comfortable pajamas, then managed to work a comb through her hair, slowly untangling the snarls until she had calmed down as much as she was going to.

  There was a knock at her door and Aira took a deep breath, reminding herself to be patient no matter what the situation was and no matter who was knocking. She walked the few steps to her door and marshaled all the patience she had at her disposal before opening it. Aiden stood there, looking carefully neutral in a tight fitted polo. Aira raised an eyebrow in silent question.

  “Dylan and I flipped a coin to decide who was going to sleep in the room next to yours,” he said. Clenching his teeth briefly. “I ended up getting the room. I am no happier about it than you are.”

  Aira sighed, thinking to herself the day was a complete wash at that point. She stepped back from the door slightly, allowing Aiden to enter if he so chose; he came in and sat at her vanity.

  “Do you need extra towels?” Aira asked politely, knowing in spite of the fact the two men were somewhat unwelcome, they were guests—and she had been brought up too properly not to ask, no matter how little she liked it. Aira looked at Aiden for a moment as she pondered what more he could possibly have to say. When he wasn’t actively being an asshole, she thought, he wasn’t bad to look at. His eyes were a bright, clear blue, and his jawline was sharp but not too firm unless he clenched his teeth. His cheeks had light brown stubble across them, which lent itself to a slightly rugged look Aira was not immune to.

  “We need to go over your schedule, so Dylan and I can cover you properly,” he said.

  Aira sat down on the edge of her bed and then thought better of it, her grandmother’s suggestion about Aiden’s eligibility as a mate ringing through her mind. She stood quickly, glancing around her room until her eyes fell on the wingback chair she had moved into a corner months before and almost forgot about. She couldn’t remember why she had gone to the trouble of hauling it up the stairs to her room. The thought that she might need additional seating in her bedroom never crossed her mine.

  She sat down, considering the question. She didn’t really have a set schedule as such. She had loose hours, part of the reason she had been so enthusiastic about freelancing. Aira remembered she had left her purse downstairs, with her phone still in it. She hadn’t even really considered when she would get back to work formally, so even the need for her alarm had failed to occur to her. She thought back to the arrangements she had been working on when the trip to her grandmother’s house had come up. There were a few clients she would need to speak to or meet with, to get information for her assignments.

  Aira told Aiden the few details she could remember, the potential meetings she would need to travel to the next day. It occurred to her that she would have to bring one or the other of the brothers with her for the meetings, and Aira’s dissatisfaction with the situation grew.

  “We can talk about it in the morning if you’ll have a better idea of things then.” Aiden suggested, surprisingly patient. “We’re all tired.”

  Aira shrugged, thrown off-balance by the less antagonistic demeanor Aiden had adopted. She wanted to be angry with him, particularly after the bath spent in remembering their arguments. But the man sitting at her vanity, facing her, was difficult to be angry with. He was paying attention, being respectful, and not cutting her off mid-sentence with an insult or a dig at her intelligence or common sense. Aira was suspicious. He stood, finally, yawning and turning to leave.

  “One last thing,” he said, the tension returning to him. Aira steeled herself for him to say something insulting or stupid—or both. “I want to apologize for being an asshole today. When I ended up getting the room next to yours, Dylan pointed out what a jerk I had been all day, and I realized he was right.”

  Aira shrugged. “Neither of us was at our best.” She suggested charitably. The apology surprised her somewhat, though Aiden’s admission that Dylan had prompted it did not. Aira wondered why they hadn’t just agreed Dylan would share the room closest to Aira, since she got along better with that brother. She supposed they had their reasons for determining it with a coin toss. “I accept the apology. I’m sorry I was acting like an asshole, too.”

  Aiden smiled slightly and turned away, leaving her room and closing the door behind him. Aira suddenly felt every bit of the fatigue she had earned over the course of the day, and no amount of frustration kept her from turning off the lights in her room and gratefully climbing into her own bed, curling up and falling asleep in a matter of moments.

  Chapter 6

  Aiden woke to the aroma of coffee and something delicious smelling cooking. He dragged himself out of bed, feeling as if he had only slept three out of the last eight hours, but telling himself that he was on the clock. It was to be expected he’d sleep lightly. He pulled a tee shirt on and left the guest bedroom he had taken, scrubbing at his face with his palms before he navigated the stairs to the main area of the apartment. The smell of mouthwatering food intensified as he made his way, and when he reached the ground floor of the unit, he saw Aira busily cooking and Dylan sitting at a bar stool watching as she did something at the stove. Music played quietly from a speaker set off to the other side of the open kitchen. For once something he liked: alternative rock.

  Aiden sat down next to his brother in silence. The two nodded to each other in greeting, and Aiden glanced at Aira. She was dancing slightly, oblivious to anyone else, focused on the task at hand. In the morning light that poured through the high windows, Aiden had to admit she wasn’t difficult to look at.

  “My dear brother has joined us.” Dylan said, projecting his voice just above the music. Aira looked up from her work at the stove sharply, her features briefly wary and disappointed before she replaced the expression with a more neutral, polite one. She turned away from the work of cooking scrambled eggs and Aiden watched her retrieve a mug from a cabinet, filling it with coffee wordlessly and depositing it in front of him, gesturing to the milk and sugar. Aiden doctored his coffee and watched with amusement as Aira ignored him completely, diving back into her cooking and her enjoyment of the music. She was moving her hips, singing softly along, closing her eyes occasionally and nodding her head in time.

  After a few minutes she served up eggs alongside bacon and French toast on three plates. She deposited each in front of him and Dylan. Aiden was impressed. He was generally useless to the world until after he’d had a cup or two of coffee and, although he knew Aira had excellent manners, he hadn’t reckoned on such a spread for her unwelcome guests.

  He accepted a fork and knife from her and started in on breakfast, wondering what motivated such a change in demeanor. Likely, he thought with a twinge of envy, his brother had been at work softening the stubborn woman. Aiden had spent most of the time he was awake thinking of the variety of things he knew about Aira’s situation and the importance of her attaining her full abilities—things Aira did not know. Her grandmother had told him certain things privately, outlining why it was so important Aira be protected until she allied with another elemental. Aiden was glad he and his family had very little to do with the politics of the elemental world. The stress of “wild” elementals had made things precarious for even the oldest families. Lorene’s instructions to him were to prevent Aira from being forced into an alliance with another family, as well as to keep her from being killed. Considering some of the rivals Aira’s family had, it could prove to be a challenge, even if he and his brother kept a watch on her twe
nty-four hours a day.

  Dylan had made it clear to Aiden that it would be much easier to protect and defend Aira if he wasn’t constantly offending her and picking fights. The fact that Aiden was barred from telling Aira specifically what they were protecting her from made it difficult to bear when she insisted she was fine and could take care of herself. Aira had been sheltered from the darker aspects of the elemental community, even as she had been trained for her place among the elite. She had only been formally introduced to the families Aira’s grandmother trusted. Even in college, her grandmother had worked to keep as many bad influences away from her granddaughter as possible, though she had told Aiden sadly she hadn’t been able to temper the girl’s wild spirit before she had become a woman.

  “So.” Dylan said, pushing his plate aside when he finished eating. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  Aira glanced at her phone, taking a sip of her coffee. “I have a meeting at eleven with a client who wants to introduce me someone who needs a translation from Russian into Bulgarian,” she said. “After that I am working at home all afternoon on translation work I’ve already lined up.”

  Aiden glanced at his brother. One of them would have to go with her to the meeting. It would be better for both of them to go, but it would be much less conspicuous for Aira to have one additional persona as opposed to two. If one of them remained at the apartment, it would also allow them to guard against anyone sneaking in while she was away. Aira leaned against a counter and Aiden knew she was waiting for them to weigh in.

  “One of us should go with you,” Aiden said. “I’d say both of us, but that would be too obvious. Anyone watching you would figure out you’re being guarded.”

  Dylan nodded his agreement.