“Yeah, I thought so.” Her words were quiet. Not liking the sudden tension, she sought to change the topic. “Spain, huh? Was that your first time there?”
“No,” he answered curtly.
Loren frowned and picked up her mug again. The awkwardness grew as Callum sorted and sifted through papers and documents. He didn’t speak to her or acknowledge her in any way. It was as if she was no long present in the room.
It hurt. Loren hated that it did. She didn’t even know why it hurt. Her eyes burned. When her vision went blurry, she quickly blinked back her tears. It was time to leave.
Loren swallowed and put her cup down. “Thank you for the tea.” Her voice was uneven and quiet. She stood slowly. “And I’m glad you’re back. Glad you had a safe trip.”
Callum appeared not to hear her, but she saw his temple throb. She frowned slightly and turned to leave.
“Loren?”
She faced him. “Yes?”
“Tomorrow. We’ll start your training then.”
She managed a small smile. “Okay. Sounds good.”
Callum didn’t return the smile. His cool gaze met hers before dropping back to his papers.
Her smile faded. Gnawing on her lip, she started to the door. Just as she reached it, it opened. Levi stepped in.
“Hey,” he said when he saw Loren. He looked at Callum. “Cal. How’s it going?” he greeted but there was no response. Levi arched a curious eyebrow. “Okay then.” His attention shifted back to Loren. “I’ve been looking for you. I have everything set up to put you into the system. You’ll have your backstage pass to all things awesome in just a few short minutes.”
“Oh, okay.” Loren looked back at Cal, but he was absorbed in his work. She wanted to say something more. Words failed her. “Um okay, Levi. Let’s do that. No time like the present.”
“Cool.” Levi grinned and held the door open for her, gesturing to the hall. She went out first and Levi trailed behind.
They walked in silence, following the familiar path to the training room. When they reached the secret panel, Levi pressed the button on the sconce. The red-lit panel popped out and he pressed his hand against it.
“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
Levi’s piercing look was answer enough. He said nothing as he entered the room and stepped over to the terminal. Seating himself in the rolling chair, he gestured to one of the other chairs nearby. Loren sank into it and rolled it closer to the screen.
“It’s simple,” he began, “but I don’t have to give you an explanation. I don’t think you’d understand it anyway.”
“Okay.” She watched Levi’s long fingers stroke the keys, but her attention shifted to the screen. She tried to follow what he was doing, but her only computer experience came from her hours spent lurking on Facebook. She remained clueless but was reluctant to give Levi the satisfaction of knowing her ineptitude. She kept her face neutral as she watched.
From the way Levi smirked at her, it was clear he knew she had no idea what he was doing. He said nothing as he grabbed a small handheld device. It looked similar to the panel outside the door. “Press your right hand here and hold it until it flashes.”
“Okay.” Loren wiped her hands on her jeans before she brought out her right hand. She pressed it against the panel and found it warm. She waited. When it flashed, she withdrew her hand. It hadn’t hurt at all.
Levi put the device aside and pressed a few more keys. He grinned. “And that’s done.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing.” Levi shrugged and rolled his chair back a few inches. He looked her over. “You really don’t know anything about tech, do you?”
“Uh no.”
He gave a sudden laugh. “No shit?”
Her face burned, but Loren nodded.
Observing her a few more moments, Levi scooted his chair forward. “I’ll show you a few things—some useful things. It might come in handy.”
“Okay.” Loren didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t particularly like him, but she didn’t want to turn down the offer, especially if it was something she could use later.
“Did anyone explain to you how the com systems work?” he asked.
“Uh yeah, the first night I was here. Avery told me.”
“That’s something. He probably gave you the quick rundown, but it’s more complicated than a few buttons. I wired the intercoms with to the security system I’ve implemented throughout the manor. The red button—no one wants to ever push the red button—is for emergencies only.”
“Yeah, he told me.”
“Did he tell you what happens if you press it?” Levi lifted an eyebrow.
“I… can’t remember,” Loren admitted.
“It signals a defense system around the manor. It shuts down the automatic locking doors—which are all of them. Windows too. No one can get in or get out. It sends out an alarm, which notifies the authorities. Not the police,” he emphasized heavily. “It’s a private security firm Old Man Morgan hired years ago. Trained ex-SWAT people, or ex-Marines.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Ass-kickers, whatever they used to be. Anyway, they hear that alarm and they send out a small unit to check out the disturbance.”
Loren looked at the terminal screen. “Does that happen a lot?”
“Only once or twice.” He chewed on his lip ring.
“Was it anything bad?”
Levi looked thoughtful. “The night Mrs. Morgan died. And the night Old Man Morgan bit the dust. Those are the only times I remember hearing about.”
“Oh. What happened?” She paused. “No, never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“Do you?”
“No. It’s not my business and death is just… a topic I don’t like.”
“No one likes it, unless they’re making money off of it.”
She detected a note of sarcasm, but she didn’t say anything else. As Levi studied her, she grew more uncomfortable. She fidgeted.
“Your parents died, didn’t they? At the same time?” he finally asked.
Loren chewed her lip and looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Some terrible accident or tragedy or something. When you were really young.”
“I’m not talking about this with you.”
“Fair enough.” Levi smirked and his attention went back to the terminal. He dropped it too easily. “Back to the com system. Any other time you use it, you direct it yourself. There are different settings for different rooms. You push in the code to reach a particular room. For example, you know Cal is in his study, right? You press in the number and the com message goes directly there. Or the kitchens. Any room, really.”
Loren tried to listen, but her thoughts wandered to trying to figure out a way to leave this conversation. She’d had enough of Levi’s company for one day.
She pushed her chair back and prepared to stand, to give her excuse to leave. She missed her footing and the toe of her shoe caught on one of the wheels. The chair tipped over. Loren barely managed to save herself from falling, gripping the edge of the terminal.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.”
Levi snorted out a laugh. Loren’s face burned as she picked up the chair. “Okay, well that was less than graceful.”
“I’ll say.”
Loren brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m uh going to go. Thanks for the all access pass and uh everything.”
“Yeah, sure.” Levi waved a hand at her indifferently and Loren made a quick retreat to the door. She let out a small breath.
There was no doubt about it now. She disliked that guy.
Chapter Twelve
What was she supposed to wear on this date? Avery said nothing fancy. Loren didn’t have any fancy clothes, so that was easily done—or not done, as was the case. Still, she wanted to look nice.
As evening neared, her nervousness grew. In the end, Loren settled on a clean pair of black jeans and a white sweater. It was warm, pretty, and soft. She pulled her
hair back from her face, pinning it behind her head in what she hoped looked like an elegant bun. It was nothing like Eva’s perfectly coiffed style but it didn’t look terrible.
Having never been great with make-up, Loren brushed some light colors over her lids and used some gloss for her lips. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled. Her gray eyes lit up and looked nearly blue. She thought she looked pretty.
She hoped Avery thought so too.
She spoke with him earlier that day. The terrace was where they were to meet at eight. Glancing at the clock, Loren made sure to give herself enough time to make her way there—with a few minutes to spare in case she got lost.
Avery stood up from his seat when she entered. His hair was tied back, as usual, and he was dressed in a casual suit—white shirt, blue suit jacket, and slacks. What she noticed the most though was his easy smile.
Loren smiled back. As difficult as it was to look away from him, she did. She’d been on the terrace once, but it had looked nothing like this. There were flowers everywhere. Beautiful and fragrant white blooms seemed to have grown overnight. With Eva’s power, it was entirely possible. She would have to thank her. Twinkling lights strung up around the ceiling, draping down to create a canopy of artificial stars.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.”
“I was hoping you’d like it.” He placed a hand on her arm, leading her to the table. It was set for dinner. There was even an unlit candle as the centerpiece. Loren sat and unfolded a cloth napkin in her lap.
“It’s not really much of a date,” he began. “But a nice semi-romantic dinner for two.”
“No, it’s wonderful.” She hadn’t a lot of experience in dating, but this was by far the best one. She pushed it from her mind as she smiled at Avery again.
“Would you like some wine?” He brought up the bottle from beside the table.
“Oh, uh, just one glass. I’m not much of a drinker.”
“I’m not either. Contrary to what you might’ve heard.” He poured two glasses.
“Really?” She lifted her glass, smelling it before she took a small sip. It was sweet.
“Yeah. All those times you read about me getting drunk and making an ass of myself? They weren’t common incidents. But, the media makes it out to be.” He shrugged as he took a drink.
“For the record, I never paid much attention to it. I mean, reading about celebrities doing crazy stuff isn’t really my thing. I’m not big on the tabloids or the magazines. Yeah, I look at the headlines when I’m in the check-out at the store, and maybe flip through a few times but—” She cut herself off, making an apologetic face. “I’m rambling again. Sorry.”
Avery chuckled lightly. “No, the rambling’s good. I like it. It’s refreshing. Take into consideration everyone I’m close to has a tendency to be reserved and closed off. It’s… nice when someone isn’t so rigid.”
“I ramble a lot so… that’s good. Good.” She took another drink of wine before putting her glass down. She took note of the candle. “I think you forgot something.”
“What’s that?”
“The candle. It’s not lit.”
“Ah, I did that deliberately.”
Loren looked at him curiously. “Why? A lit candle is more romantic than an unlit one.”
Avery gave her a sheepish grin. “Yeah, you’re not wrong. I was kind of hoping to impress you with my powers. First date, first impressions.”
She laughed lightly. “Okay, uh, well, I’ve already seen your powers and I have my first impressions of you.”
“Yes, but it’s not a first date impression.”
“Okay, that’s fair.” She gestured to the candle. “All right then, impress me.”
Avery shook his head and leaned back in his seat. He crossed his arms, adopting an indignant look. “Now I don’t think I want to.”
“Aww.” Her lower lip jutted out slightly. “Please? We need candlelight for things to be semi-romantic and I don’t have a lighter or matches. I need you to impress me with this.”
Avery wasn’t able to play pretend for much longer because a smile finally cracked through the façade. He leaned forward. “If you insist.”
His fingertip touched the wick of the candle. A flame ignited and soft yellow light filtered across the table.
Loren grinned. “That’s still cool.”
Avery shrugged, but she could tell he looked pleased with himself. He drank from his glass. “What would you like for dinner? I have the chef on call. She can make anything you want.”
“Oh, um… I hadn’t thought about it.” She sucked on her lip for a second. “What sounds good to you?”
“Mm, Italian.”
“In that case… lasagna. With extra cheese. If it doesn’t have extra cheese, I may knock points off for this date.”
Avery laughed a little. “You’re keeping score?”
“Maybe.” It came out flirty and Loren found her own smirk.
“Then I will make sure there’s extra cheese. I’d hate to lose the few points I have. Do you want a salad?” Loren nodded as Avery stood up and made his way to the com. He pressed a few buttons and the kitchen staff answered. “Lasagna please, with extra extra cheese. And salad.” He glanced back to Loren. “Dessert?”
“Cheesecake?”
“And a cheesecake.” The staff took the order and Avery returned to the table. “It may be a while before the food gets here.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “That gives us time to talk. If you wanted to talk, that is.”
“I’d love to talk.”
Loren smiled and picked up her glass of wine. This date was going well so far.
She hoped it would last.
~~*~~
“There’s one bite left,” Avery said, looking down at the piece of cheesecake they split. “Do you want it?”
She was dizzy from the wine again. One glass had somehow turned into three. That was okay. It made everything feel warm and nice. Loren was full, but she couldn’t pass it up. “Uh let’s share it.”
“Good deal.” He cut off half of the bite with his fork, then offered her the other part. She scooped it up.
“Mm, it’s so good.”
“We have Maria to thank for that. Her cheesecake is award winning.”
“Really?”
“Well, in my book anyway.” Avery sat back in his seat and finished off the last of his wine. He picked up the bottle. It was nearly empty. “There’s enough for one more glass. Should we split it?”
“No. I’ve had more than enough.” Loren rested her arms on the table, watching him. They’d talked about normal things. Everyday life, likes and dislikes. There was no mention of powers, or danger, or rough family life. It was probably the most in depth conversation she’d had in a long time that didn’t leave her feeling anxious and nervous afterward.
The food was great. The wine was better. And Avery was incredible.
Loren let out a lengthy sigh, resting her chin in her hand. Her breath blew out the candle. “Oh, oops.” She giggled. “Sorry.”
“Hey, I can fix that.” Avery relit the candle with his powers. “There we go.”
Loren grinned. “Awesome.”
“So, how’s the score?” Avery took a drink of his wine.
“Hmm?”
“You were keeping score. What is it?”
“Oh, uh…” She racked her brain for something, anything and came up with the first number she could think of. “Ten.”
“I’m a ten?”
“Yeah. Ten. Good job.”
Avery laughed and shook his head. Loren’s face warmed considerably more with the wine in her system. She took a sip from her water instead, nodding.
“I’m glad I’m not a one then.”
“One’s a good number too.”
“How exactly does your scoring system work?”
Loren was at a loss. She tilted her head slightly as she considered it but eventually only shook her head, grinning. “I have no idea.”
Avery fell into silence, smiling at her. Loren chewed on her lip and brushed a piece of hair from her face, aware of his gaze on her. She doubted she could blush any more.
“Do you dance?”
The question caught her off guard. “What? Dance? Oh, I don’t dance. I never have.”
“Never danced? Ever?”
“By myself, when no one’s watching. I was a wallflower in high school.” Loren quickly drank down some water, wishing she’d taken him up on the offer to share the last of the wine.
“That doesn’t count. Have you ever danced with someone?”
“Ah, no. I haven’t. I’m not a graceful person.”
“I think that’s yet to be seen. You can’t know until you’ve tried.” Avery stood up from the table. His chair scraped back across the stone floor.
The wine made it difficult to think clearly.
When Avery stopped next to her chair, Loren stared at his outstretched hand. Before she knew it, her hand was in his. He led her out to open floor space.
His hand rested on her waist. His touch was hot. Would he notice if her hand sweated? She brought it up to rest on his upper arm instead.
“Oh, muscles.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” She looked up at him. “Um, we can’t dance without music.”
“I’ve got it covered.”
“How?”
Avery smiled. He removed his hand from her waist and took a small remote from his pocket. He pressed a button and soft classical music filled the room.
Loren bit her lip. “Yeah, that’ll do it.”
He smiled softly and began to move with her. “Just relax and follow my lead. That’s all you have to do.”
“Okay.”
They began to move to the music, slowly. Loren was aware how close they were, bodies near to touching. He moved her hand, bringing it to rest on his shoulder. Both of his hands rested at her waist.
Avery spun with her. Loren’s eyes strayed to his face for a few moments before she looked down, staring at a button on his shirt. This was nice. Nicer than she could’ve ever expected.
“You’re a natural,” he said softly.
Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series Page 9