Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series

by F. R. Southerland

  After what seemed like an eternity, the knob on the door turned. Loren rose from the bed and wiped her hands against her dress.

  Ruth entered. Black seemed to be the entirety of her wardrobe. She had changed her jeans and shirt for a blouse and skirt. Her heels clacked along the floor. Taller, she looked even more imposing. The inhibitor rested in her palm.

  Loren backed away. “Please don’t.”

  “It’s necessary. Pain is something no one in this world or any other can escape. Living is pain. It will pass. There are brighter days ahead.”

  Loren didn’t move. When Ruth came up beside her, she grabbed Loren’s arm. From the corner of her eye, she watched Ruth bring up the inhibitor device. Then she closed her eyes.

  She snapped her elbow back. She recalled Avery’s advice from their training sessions. The moment her elbow connected with Ruth’s face, there was a crunch and a cry of pain. She shoved her weight into the woman. The inhibitor clattered to the floor.

  Ruth stumbled back and brought a hand up to her face. Loren raced for the door and didn’t look back. Her skirt tangled around her legs, threatening to trip her. She grabbed a handful of fabric and held it up as she ran.

  The hallway was narrow, lined with doors. She raced for the end of it. Ruth shouted something, but Loren didn’t pause. She rounded a corner.

  Her path brought her into the large living room where Ruth had first brought her. Loren paused there as she tried to remember which door led to the stairwell. Spotting it, she ran again.

  Before she reached it, the door opened. Two men blocked her path and Loren edged back.

  “Look at the princess now,” one of them said. “Trying to run for it. I don’t think so, pretty.”

  “Seize her!” Ruth demanded, her voice muffled by her hand. Loren glanced back to see her. She saw blood dripping from Ruth’s hand. She hoped she’d broken her nose.

  Panic rose as she faced the men again. They started for her. Loren’s heart kicked against her ribs. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. She drew her arms up. She didn’t know if her powers were still gone, but she had to try.

  She exhaled and thrust her hand out. The powerful, sudden blast sent the two men sliding back. Loren almost laughed at her good fortune. The inhibitor had worn off. Her powers returned.

  Loren didn’t hold back. She threw another blast at the two men. One fell through the open door and stumbled into the stairwell. There wasn’t time to waste. She hitched up her skirt again, ran by the man on the floor, and out the door.

  The man in the stairwell blocked her path. Loren skidded to a stop and looked back to see her other masked assailant stand. Ruth wasn’t far behind him.

  She took in a breath and searched around for an exit. When she spied a light coming in from a high window, she lifted both hands. With another strong blast, the glass shattered.

  “Stop her!” Blood stained Ruth’s sneer. The men rushed ahead. Loren took a giant leap.

  She never came back down.

  Flying was difficult. There was always a few seconds where the fear of gravity struck her hard, but the air currents held her aloft. She’d never gotten the hang of it. She never practiced it. She was unsteady but aimed for the window. She hadn’t gained enough height and reached up to snag the windowsill.

  She struggled to hoist herself into it. Broken glass ground into her palms and she winced but kept her hold. Once in the window, she paused and looked back down. She caught a glimpse of Ruth’s hateful glare and the blood smeared on her nose and mouth before she turned back in the window.

  Four floors up. It was now or never. She had no choice. Loren closed her eyes tightly, eased toward the edge, and fell back.

  She plunged fast toward the ground. She had a limited time in which to concentrate and catch herself. Only seconds. She tightened her eyelids.

  She exhaled raggedly when her velocity slowed. The current enclosed around her and guided her. She swept down to the ground where she landed on her side.

  It was a rough landing. Pain jolted through her, but she bore it with clenched teeth.

  Loren scrambled to her feet. With one last look toward the window, she turned and ran barefoot over broken glass and headed through the alley. She ran toward the street without looking back.

  She was free.

  ~~*~~

  Loren hadn’t dared to stop, not until she was certain she was far enough away. It was dusk before she did. She had to rest. She hadn’t realized how big Westacre was, not until she was lost in the underbelly of the slums.

  She had to get back to Fairhaven. She had to get in contact with Avery and the others. She caught her breath, leaning against the cold brick of an alley. Her feet ached and stung.

  Loren frowned and balanced to lift a foot. She wasn’t surprised to see the blood, but there was a large amount of it. She hadn’t much choice to run barefoot, but it had gotten her out of there.

  Now that most of her adrenaline had worn off, walking became more difficult. She winced with her next few steps but she had to keep moving. Mal and Ruth would no doubt send more goons after her. She had to muscle through it.

  Biting back the pain, Loren limped as fast as she could. Several feet away, she could see the opening of the alley. If she found a well-lit, populated place, she could borrow a phone and call Avery. There had to be something on the busy street.

  A sudden crash made her spin. Her eyes went wide and she brought her hands up instinctively. She readied herself for a blast.

  Golden eyes flashed in the semi-darkness before the cat meowed. It jumped off the trashcan, knocking it over before it skittered away.

  Loren lowered her arms and exhaled in relief. “Stupid cat,” she muttered. She ran a shaky hand through her hair and faced the street again.

  A hooded figure blocked her path. Loren gasped and stumbled back. Without thinking, she threw her arm and sent out a wave of air. It blew the figure back. He landed a few feet away to roll. Loren backed away and prepared to run.

  The man groaned. “Loren! It’s me!”

  “Oh God. Avery?”

  He pulled himself off the ground, rubbing his arm where it had made impact against the unforgiving concrete. When he righted himself, Loren didn’t hesitate. She threw herself into his arms.

  Avery barely had a moment to steady himself from the sudden weight of her, but he embraced her tightly as he staggered back. “I thought I lost you.”

  She could’ve sobbed. She tightened her arms around his neck, threatening to cling forever. Given the chance, she probably never would let go.

  Avery broke the embrace to look at her. “Jesus, Loren. What did they do to you?”

  She was certain she looked a mess, but she didn’t care. His question would have to wait. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “The flames. I saw you in them. After they took you, the first thing I did was look into them. They’ve never steered me wrong before.”

  “We have to get back to the manor. We have to find Callum and Eva and stop them from getting the stones for the ransom.”

  Avery shook his head and looked beyond her.

  “It’s too late for that.”

  She was surprised to hear Callum. She turned in the direction of his voice as he jumped down from the bottom rung of the closest fire escape.

  He was dressed similarly to Avery, his face obscured by the same black hood. Cradled in the crook of his elbow was a wooden box. He stepped closer.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Her eyes narrowed into a glare. “No, I’m not.” She pulled away from Avery. She fought back a wince of pain. Her feet throbbed as she stepped boldly toward Callum. “I just found out my entire life was a lie. My parents weren’t my real parents. My grandfather was Castle. I’m his heir. How do you think I am right now?” Loren couldn’t remember ever being this angry. “You knew who I was, what I was. You knew and you didn’t tell me!”

  Callum stood his ground. His face was emotionless as he looked d
own at her. “Yes, I knew. And I would’ve told you.”

  “But you didn’t!”

  “You weren’t ready to know.”

  Loren seethed, unable to form a response. Instead, she pushed against his chest. The force of the physical blow, accompanied by her ability sent Callum sliding back a few feet across the pavement. “You knew they wanted me. You knew what they wanted me for.”

  “Yes.”

  Avery placed a hand on her shoulder and she tensed. Loren couldn’t help it. She was so frustrated she could cry. She kept her glare fixed on Callum. “Tell me you won’t let them do it. Tell me you won’t let them open the portal and return to their world. Tell me you won’t let them kill me!”

  Callum said nothing. In the growing darkness of the alley, Loren thought she saw a frown.

  “Tell me!”

  “Loren…” Avery’s voice was quiet. He gripped her shoulder tighter.

  Loren shook her head. “I don’t believe this.” She weakened at the realization. “You were.”

  Callum took a few steps closer. “No. I wasn’t. I brought the stones as a failsafe, in case we couldn’t save you otherwise. I would never risk you. Ever. Yes, I knew who you were. When Avery said he’d found you, when he brought you here, I took one look at you and I knew.”

  Her bottom lip trembled.

  “We all knew. You weren’t ready.” Callum stopped. “You have to believe me.”

  Avery drew Loren back and she sank against him. Her eyes closed.

  “We didn’t know how to tell you.” Avery’s voice was barely a whisper. “This is my fault. I had the chance to tell you, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t time.”

  She tightened her eyes. “No.” Not Avery too. She wanted to pull away, but she didn’t.

  “So many years have been lost,” Callum said. “Castle only wanted to protect you, to keep you and his lineage safe. He would’ve brought you here. He died before he could tell us your whereabouts. You fell off the map. Your parents—your foster parents—they moved you. They had your best interests in mind. My father searched. It was as if you’d vanished. The heir was gone. Our fourth was gone.

  “It should’ve been for the best. Without you, without that, Mal had no chance of going home. If he were to return to his world, to regain his full strength…” He sighed. “If he possessed the tablet, he could travel back here. He could take over his world and ours. Do you think one world is enough for a tyrant? He’d destroy them both.

  “I thought it was a safer bet, not having our fourth. It meant we were less powerful, less protected, but it meant he couldn’t succeed.” Callum stopped. “Loren, please look at me.”

  She refused to open her eyes.

  “Loren.” Avery’s voice was soft. “Please.”

  She exhaled and finally opened her eyes. She stepped away from both brothers. “All my life, I felt like I didn’t matter. I was unimportant. Rejected. A freak. Was that to protect me too? Was that something to keep me from realizing what I was?” It seemed ridiculous but Loren couldn’t help but ask.

  “I don’t know,” Avery answered. “What I do know is that you are very important.”

  “Because my death would ensure Mal succeeds?” She spat the words out of her mouth. “I wanted to be important, Avery.” She glanced at Cal. “I wanted to be important. But not like this. Not for all the wrong reasons. I don’t want to be the one who helps end the world.”

  “You won’t be,” Callum said. “Not if we have anything to do about it.”

  “That’s why we’re here, Loren. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  “No, apparently I’m stupid.” It was hard to see reason through her anger.

  “You’re not stupid.” Callum frowned.

  “We’re here to help you, Loren. Why do you think there are four of us?” Avery took her arm. “We all work together. We’re here to help you, to protect you. And vice versa. We’re a team. We’re meant to work together.”

  “Castle had all of our powers to himself. He divided them up. He knew that one day we would all be together. The best way to stop Mal and keep him from destroying both worlds is by working together.” Callum fixed his gaze on Loren. “Heiress or not.”

  She stepped back from Avery’s touch. A lot of it made sense. She could see that, but she was still mad. She flexed her fingers before she forced herself relax them.

  “So we’re saving the world?” she asked quietly.

  “Worlds,” Callum corrected.

  Avery’s mouth turned up in a half smirk. “I told you we needed you to save the world.”

  Loren shook her head. “I don’t think I can save myself, much less the world. Or worlds.” She looked at Callum. “I’m still angry at you.” She faced Avery. “Both of you.”

  “Understandable. While your anger may not be entirely misplaced, I think it advisable to put our emotions aside for the time being and focus on defeating Mal. Levi betrayed us and left us vulnerable. Now Mal knows where to find Loren. We have to make sure she stays protected this time.”

  “Levi.” Avery tensed. His hands became fists at his sides and the air heated around him. “I knew that prick was up to no good.”

  Callum lifted his head. “We all had our suspicions.” Beneath the hood, his brow furrowed. “We still have to take into consideration the ramifications of Levi’s betrayal.” He paused. “Exposure.”

  “Would he do that?” Loren asked. “Wait, no one answer that. Of course he would.”

  “He would. He will. It’s only a matter of time.” Callum drew the box of stones closer against his side. “All of our lives are about to change, and perhaps not for the best. We need to keep that in mind.”

  “Always do.” Avery set his jaw.

  Loren edged closer to him. He drew his arm around her. She rested next to his chest, knowing the embrace couldn’t last for long but she enjoyed it while she can. Anger took much of her energy.

  A scowl briefly crossed Callum’s face before he glanced away from them. “We need to focus.”

  Avery drew back. “What’s your problem?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” He stared steadily at his brother for a while before he stepped back to the fire escape. “Let’s get somewhere safe and have your wounds mended. We have to figure out our next course of action.”

  Callum jumped and gripped the bottom rung of the ladder. With one arm, he pulled himself up. Loren watched as he ascended the fire escape with ease.

  “Do you need a boost?” Avery asked.

  “No, thanks. I’ve got this.”

  It only took a second to concentration before she lifted off the ground on waves of air. She grabbed the bottom rung and began to climb.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Hand me the bowl of water.” Callum removed the leather jacket. He smoothed back his mussed hair with his palm. Loren sat and said nothing.

  Avery did as his brother ordered before he crouched next to Loren.

  “It doesn’t hurt,” Callum explained. He placed the bowl at her feet. “Dip your heel in. Slowly.”

  She did as he said. The water was warm, but her wounds still stung. She sucked in a breath.

  The office was dark. None of them wanted to chance turning on any lights. As Callum told her when they’d entered through a rear entrance, this store was Morgan property, even if they weren’t managing it. It wasn’t technically breaking and entering.

  He gave a quick call to his sister once they arrived, to notify her Loren was with them. Eva had stayed behind, to monitor the manor should someone choose to make a move there. It seemed unlikely. What they sought wasn’t on the premises.

  The store was safe. Mal and Ruth wouldn’t resort to searching for them here yet. As secure as it was, Loren agreed when Avery said it wouldn’t be a good idea to stay for long.

  Callum cupped a handful of water and ran it over the gash in Loren’s heel. It didn’t hurt at all. The wound slowly knitted itself with each washing. The pain ebbed and she could almost relax.

&
nbsp; She didn’t. Her gaze flickered to the door.

  “It’s okay, Loren. I have my eye on it,” Avery told her.

  She nodded stiffly and stayed quiet. She didn’t want to talk to either of them. She was still upset about them withholding important information from her.

  Loren tried to push aside her anger. They had other things to do and being mad at the brothers would set them back. She eyed the box on the table.

  The stones were in there. Callum assured her they were secure in separate compartments. He was unsure how the tablet might form together and instead of accidentally having the stones touch, he made it so they couldn’t.

  Loren was incredibly uneasy. Those four stones were now in one place. It would be easy for Mal, Ruth, or anyone aware of the stones mystical properties to steal the box. She didn’t want to let it out of her sight.

  She had so many questions, but one struck her as the most relevant. “It you weren’t going to give in to the ransom, why did you bring them?” She didn’t understand.

  Callum grabbed a towel to dry her now healed foot. He looked up at her. “A ruse.”

  Avery stood and stepped over to the door. He paced in front of it, arms folded across his broad chest.

  “They’re fake?” she asked.

  “They’re real. They would’ve known if they were fake.” Callum gently took her other foot and placed it in the water. Loren brought her lips together in discomfort. He continued. “When they took you, we all figured a ransom would come. We began to discuss it.” He glanced at Avery. “At least, Eva and I did.”

  Avery kept his back to them, head bowed as he walked.

  He cupped more water and allowed it to drip through his fingers over the cuts on Loren’s foot. “I immediately got in contact with a few associates. They delivered the stones. The plan was Avery and I would bring the stones. Eva would stay at the manor. We would meet at the designated spot to make the exchange. Once we had you and knew you were safe, Avery and I planned an attack.”