Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series

by F. R. Southerland

  “How fortunate for us they cannot.”

  “What’s going on? What do you want from me?”

  “As much as I love seeing you struggle to figure things out on your own, I don’t think we have the lifetime to wait.” Levi chuckled. “We’re holding you for ransom. Remember that shit I said about you not being important? That was a lie. Something to play on your insecurities. To fuck with you.” He lifted a hand in a vague gesture before he dropped it. “All a ruse. Bring you in a false sense of security.”

  “Just like you told everyone you were working on the security system at the manor?” Loren shot back.

  “I designed that system. I implemented it myself. There are no bugs in it. I honestly thought someone would’ve made a bigger argument about it. No one questions the magitech. I always know what I’m doing.”

  “Yeah. Looks like you really did.”

  “Oh, you’ve been around Avery too long. I swear you sound just like him.” Ruth cleared her throat and steered Levi back on topic. “You weren’t nothing, Loren. You’re everything.”

  Loren stared at him, confused.

  Levi smirked. “See, we kind of figured out who you were. Well, I did. Callum knew. He has that advantage, being the head of the household and all. His daddy and Castle told him everything. He knew. I figured it out. And Ruthie here knows too.”

  “Know what?”

  “That you’re some big deal. Heir to the kingdom, baby.”

  “What?” This made no sense at all.

  “Frederick Castle was your grandfather.” Ruth took over the explanation. Her dark eyes stayed on Loren. “Your mother was his daughter. She died when you were born. To protect you, he sent you to a foster family. You are his heir. The heir.”

  Loren’s breath caught. Ruth’s lips lifted in another, tight smile.

  “We sought you out and discovered a lead a week ago. One of my men found you. Unfortunately, he was dispatched before he could bring you to us.”

  Realization dawned. “The mugger. He worked for you.”

  “Wow, she finally got one right.” Levi chuckled.

  Ruth ignored him. “His methods were unsavory but would’ve proved effective. Once the Shadow made his involvement known, it was really a matter of waiting to achieve our goal. He led us right to you.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” Levi grinned. “Do you know what’s happening now? What all of this means?”

  She didn’t.

  “We’re ransoming you for the stones. You know, the ones that can open the portal to another world?” Levi looked pointedly at Loren. “I know the others will give the stones up in exchange to see you safely returned.”

  Ruth stepped forward and leaned down to look at her again. For some time, her gaze remained steadily intent on Loren’s face.

  “You’re our ticket, cousin. It means we’re going home.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  There was so much information all at once. Loren couldn’t sort through it fast enough.

  Ruth drew back, but the crazed smile remained on her face.

  “At the risk of sounding too much like a Bond villain, I think we’ll save the exposition for later.” Levi drew his legs up to the desk, sitting Indian-style. “Too many details. I don’t want to overload your teeny tiny brain.”

  Loren’s mouth snapped shut.

  “Have you figured any of it out yet? Or do you still need a few minutes? Or hours?”

  She bit down on her lip and drew her gaze away from him and Ruth. She focused on her feet. “I don’t understand.” She sounded so small. So pitiful. She hated it. She hated herself.

  “Ruth is your cousin. What does that mean? Come on, Loren, you can do it.” The sarcasm was heavy.

  Loren didn’t want to say anything. She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to wake up and find herself in bed with Avery, wrapped securely in his safe embrace. This wasn’t a dream, though. She was really awake. This was happening.

  “It means… she’s uh Mal’s uh…” she trailed off.

  “Daughter.” Ruth lifted her head proudly.

  “Daughter,” Loren echoed. Mal’s daughter. Her cousin. And she wanted to go home. “You were born in the other world?”

  “No. I was not. I was conceived and born here, on Earth.” She looked down at Loren. “But this is not my true home. Our true home. You are as much a part of that world as I am.”

  “No. No, I’m not.” Loren shook her head.

  “You’ll see reason soon enough.” Ruth’s attention shifted back to Levi. “When can we expect the stones?”

  “I’m working on it. This ransoming detail is delicate.” Levi toyed with his lip ring.

  Ruth gave him a distasteful look. She sighed. “Tedious. Very well.” Wordlessly, she held out a hand to him.

  He fished in his pocket for something and brought out the pen-like device. The inhibitor. He passed it to her.

  Long, bony fingers stroked the metal before Ruth slipped it into her pocket.

  “Four hours,” he told her. “Two down.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Ruth glanced toward Loren.

  “Don’t use that on me.”

  “It’s necessary, dear. I’m sure you understand. It’s a precaution.”

  Levi chuckled.

  A lump was stuck in Loren’s throat. Breathing was difficult. Her chest felt tight.

  The door opened, startling her. It was one of the masked men. He carried a bag. He approached Ruth and she took it with a nod. When the man left, she peered at the contents. “This will do nicely.” She glanced at Levi. “This treatment is entirely unneeded. Release her.”

  Levi looked up, alarmed. “What? Why?”

  “I don’t believe we will have much of a problem with Loren.” She turned to her. “As long as her abilities are kept under control, we can make her stay with us more accommodating.” Ruth forced a smile. “After all, we’re family.”

  “Yeah, but what if she tries to run?”

  “She won’t. Will you?” One slender eyebrow arched.

  Loren drew her lips together. Oh, she would run. She would escape. The first opportunity she saw, she would take it. “I won’t run.” Her fingers tightened into fists before she released them.

  “She’s lying.” Levi’s high-powered perception was hard at work again.

  “No. I’m not. I won’t run.”

  “You bite your lip when you’re nervous. When you lie, you’re very nervous.” He gestured toward her.

  Ruth broke in with a few sharp words in an unrecognized foreign language. Though Loren didn’t understand it, Levi apparently did. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Fine. Whatever.” He slid off the desk and stepped over to Loren.

  His fingers were nimble as he undid the knots of the rope. It eased off her, immediately giving her some relief. She was far from comfortable but at least she was no longer trapped. Levi stepped in front of her. The flick of the blade he drew from his pocket was so sudden Loren flinched.

  “Relax.” He cut the zip-ties that held her wrists together. Mobility restored to her, she rubbed at the red and raw marks on her wrists.

  Ruth took over. Her hand was cold when she touched Loren’s elbow, but her grip was firm. “Come. We have much to discuss.”

  Someone else had said something similar to her once. Callum. They had never entirely finished their talk. He hadn’t the chance to explain. She pieced some of it together, but details were lost. She wondered if some of those things tied in to what he knew about her supposed lineage. Whatever the case, she was apprehensive.

  She stood and Ruth led her from the room.

  Ruth took her through a small stairwell. They climbed two flights of stairs. When they reached the third level, she removed a key from her pocket and unlocked a metal door. She ushered Loren inside.

  It was an apartment. Loren hadn’t expected anything at all, but certainly not this. It was lavish—nearly as lavish as the manor. However, it lacked the open, welcoming feel. The carpet w
as a deep wine red and soft beneath her bare feet. The dark wood paneling made the room dark, giving it a closed-in feel. Loren didn’t like it.

  Ruth brought her to a small couch and Loren sat. She stayed on the edge of her seat, straight-backed. “Dress.” She held the bag out to her.

  She hesitantly took the bag and looked into. All she saw was a mass of white fabric. She chewed her lip.

  “And be quick about it.” Ruth crossed the room to a window. She peeled back the heavy dark curtain to peer down at the street. “Father will want to see you as soon as possible.”

  “Your father?” Loren’s eyes went wide.

  Mal.

  “Yes.”

  If her anxiety was ever at a high, now was the time. She opened her mouth, trying to find words, but she couldn’t. Her fingers tightened on the handle of the bag. “There’s uh no way I can get out of this, is there?”

  “I should think not. There’s a room there.” Ruth gestured toward a door. “Five minutes. I will wait here.”

  Loren nodded and stood. She went to the door. It was a small bathroom. She immediately searched for a window. There was one, above the sink, but it was too high and too small for her to make any use.

  Frowning, she drew out the clothing. It was a dress, simple and white. The fabric was soft.

  Her fingers trembled as she peeled off her t-shirt. She slipped the dress over her head. It was sleeveless and light, the skirt barely touched the floor. It fit perfectly. In any other situation, Loren would’ve loved to wear something this gorgeous. This only made her feel queasy and cold.

  She stepped out of the room to find Ruth close by. When she saw her, the woman clapped her hands together once. “Oh, you look a vision, dear. Absolutely lovely.”

  Loren flushed. Her fingers toyed with the fabric of the skirt. Her hands were sweaty, but she dared not wipe them on the pristine dress. “Thank you,” she muttered.

  “Come. He’s waiting.” Ruth took her elbow again. She brought Loren through a short hallway to the door at the end. She paused there and tapped her knuckles lightly against the door.

  A male voice answered curtly. “Enter.”

  Ruth steered her inside. Inwardly, Loren balked, but her feet brought her forward of their own volition. The small bedroom was a huge contrast to the excessiveness of the living area. Loren couldn’t focus on the meager furnishings, not when the tall white-haired man’s presence demanded her attention.

  In her mind, she had pictured Mal as a dark-haired man with sharp, hawk-like features and a perpetual scowl—nothing like the old, wizened man who stood before her.

  Callum had told her Mal was over a hundred years old, formerly immortal. He looked every bit his age. He was gaunt, a living skeleton. Skin stretched over bone, his features made sharper by his emaciated state. His eyes were dark and cold, and seemed far too big for his skull, bulging. His hair might’ve once been the dark color she envisioned, but it was stark white and thin. It barely covered his skull.

  She didn’t move another step, frozen in place.

  “Loren.” He had the same, strange accent as Ruth. He made no move to approach her but beckoned her to move forward.

  Ruth pulled her along. Loren almost resisted, but the woman was formidable and strong.

  “Let me see you.” He edged to her, leaning heavily on his cane. He peered down at her face. “You look like your mother.”

  She licked her lips and forced herself not to look away from him. “I uh I wouldn’t know. I don’t know anything.”

  She couldn’t discern the look on his face. He studied her so intently. He never blinked once. It made her uncomfortable. Her fingers itched, longing to rub against her leg to reduce the sweat. She refrained.

  “The eyes are wrong. Too light. Her eyes were dark.” He assessed the rest of her appearance but gave no other comment. He made a gesture. Immediately, Ruth was at his side. She took his arm and slowly helped him to his bed. He eased onto it with a groan.

  “Castle’s child,” he said. “Once removed, but the heir no less.” He let out a dry laugh.

  Loren recalled what Callum told her. Mal had once been an intimidating and powerful man. He held some level of intimidation, she couldn’t deny it, but he was an old man, weak. How much power could he have?

  She stood there, uncertain what to do or say.

  Once settled in his bed, Mal’s eyes focused on her again. “He kept you hidden from me, feared what I might do once I found you. He feared corruption.”

  Loren drew her lips together. “I don’t know anything.” Perhaps if she said it enough, someone would finally understand and explain things more thoroughly.

  No one stepped up to do so. Ruth sat with her father, pouring a glass of water from a pitcher on the table. He took it and drank slowly.

  “You’re still a child.” He sounded tired. “Of course, you don’t know. You don’t understand.”

  “I didn’t know I was his granddaughter. I didn’t know anything. I just learned about others with powers and alternate worlds and—”

  “It’s called Kahsh.”

  “Kahsh?”

  “Home.” He sighed.

  Loren brought her hands together. “Not my home.”

  “It will be your home. Once the stones are brought to me and the Akasha tablet is restored, we will return to our land.”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He glared at her, as did Ruth. “No?” Ruth’s slender eyebrow lifted and she rose from the bed.

  Loren wanted to take a step back, but she couldn’t. “I won’t go. I can’t.”

  An entirely new world. A world where she ruled? It was all too much.

  “I’m sorry. I am. But I’m not who you think I am. I can’t be this person. You have to be mistaken. I’m nobody. I’m nothing.”

  “Who filled your head with these lies?” Mal demanded.

  Loren stammered. “No—no one in particular. It’s h-h-how people have perceived me. It’s how I’ve always been.” Tears began to form in her eyes. Her vision blurred, but she could make out Mal’s dubious expression.

  She wanted to go home. She wanted to go back to the manor. She wanted Avery. She wanted Callum. She wanted someone to get her out of here. She blinked back her tears.

  “You really are a child.”

  “A blubbering child.” Ruth grabbed tissues from the table and thrust them in Loren’s direction.

  Loren took one and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m sorry.” The apology was automatic.

  “She truly doesn’t know. I thought, perhaps, it was a ruse.” Mal eased back against pillows. They appeared to swallow him up, making him seem much smaller.

  “You don’t realize your importance,” Ruth told her. “It is imperative you come with us. There is no question. You will be a beacon to the people of Kahsh. My father has told me of the ways. The people need a figurehead. They need a ruler.”

  “I can’t rule.”

  Mal began to chuckle before a cough racked his chest. Ruth offered the tissues to him. It was several minutes before he finished. When he inhaled, Loren could hear it rattle his chest. “No, sweet child, you will not rule.”

  “But if I’m heir like you said—”

  “You are, but you will not rule.”

  She blinked in confusion. “Then why? Why do you need me to go?”

  “In Kahsh, people can agree on one point: Power. If you have power, you will be feared. You will be adored. To assert a new regime, certain sacrifices have to be made. Certain demonstrations performed.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  Mal hoisted himself up with some effort. Sitting up, he stared at her more intently. “You are the heir. You are the figurehead. When they see me kill you in a public execution, the direct line of power ceases and I become heir.” His lips pulled into a tight, terrible grimace that might’ve been an attempt at a smile.

  “No, Loren. You will not come to Kahsh to rule. You will come to Kahsh to die.”

  Chapter Twentyr />
  Loren’s incarceration was more comfortable than her time tied to the chair, but not by much. Her room was small, barely larger than a prison cell. There was a bed with an adjacent bathroom. There were no windows.

  There was one door and Loren didn’t know how to pick a lock. Thanks to Ruth using the inhibitor on her again, there was no chance of using her powers to blow it open either.

  Loren paced the floor. The skirt of her long dress fluttered around her legs with each step. Everything was a knot of secrets, betrayal, and danger. Her mind spiraled.

  She always wanted to be important, but not like this. Never like this.

  Her hands swiped at her sides, no longer mindful of the unspoiled condition of her dress. It didn’t matter anymore. She was going to die.

  Levi contacted the others with ransom demands. Her safe return for the stones. But she wouldn’t be returned. That was a bluff. They needed her. In Kahsh. They needed her to die there, as an example so Mal could gain power and rule.

  The others didn’t know that. They would bring the stones to get her back and that would lead to something terrible. It was a trap.

  Loren couldn’t think that far ahead. She needed to focus on getting out of here. If she could, maybe she could figure out a way to stop all this madness.

  She bit down on her raw lip again as she once more surveyed the room. There was no way to get out of here. It was secure. She had to think of a plan.

  Should she wait until Ruth came to the door again? The inhibitor wore off after a few hours. Ruth would come back to give her another injection. Even if she put force into it, utilize the little training she had, Loren doubted she could overpower the woman. She could use the opportunity to make a break for it, at the very least.

  It was a long shot.

  She wasn’t strong. She wasn’t particularly smart. She wasn’t confident. And she had limited control and knowledge of her powers. What did she have going for her? Loren frowned as she sat on the edge of the bed.

  There had to be something.

  There was no way for her to measure time. There wasn’t a clock anywhere in the room. The waiting was interminable. An hour might’ve gone by. Maybe two. Each passing second made Loren more edgy and anxious. But she waited.