Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series

by F. R. Southerland

  “Just like a Morgan.” Avery scoffed.

  “Meet us where?” Loren asked.

  “The parking lot of the shopping center across from the municipal building.”

  “That’s awfully public.” Avery frowned.

  “Public, but smart. They won’t make a move in a public place.”

  “How can you be certain?” Loren asked. “How can we be certain of anything?”

  Callum shook his head. “As of right now, the only certainty is that disaster is soon to strike.”

  Avery nodded. “When will she be there?”

  “In an hour. We’ll have to go on foot. Once we get there, we’ll come up with some plan. We should leave soon.” Callum looked at Loren for a long moment before he turned. “I’m getting some fresh air.”

  When he left the small office, Loren let out breath. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She put her head in her hands. Avery placed a comforting hand on her back.

  “We’ll make it through.” His words weren’t reassuring.

  Loren stayed silent. What else could she say? Callum wasn’t off the mark when he said disaster was coming. “Avery… This is my fault.”

  “What? No.”

  “But it is. Everything is my fault. If it wasn’t for me, the stones wouldn’t be missing. They wouldn’t have them. We wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  He crouched down in front of her. “I don’t want to hear you say that. It’s not true.”

  “Avery… no.” She shook her head. “I know it is. I know.”

  He brought his hands up to cup her face. “Loren. Loren, look at me.”

  Her eyes met his.

  His thumbs moved lightly over her cheeks. “You are not to blame for this. We’re all in this together. Every one of us. You are not in this alone. We’re a team.”

  “Avery, I don’t think I can do this.”

  “You can, Loren. You’re strong. You can do this. We can do this.”

  “No, I can’t.” Her voice wavered.

  “Yes. Yes, you can.” He placed a soft kiss to her lips. He murmured against them. “You can.”

  She closed her eyes tightly when he kissed her again. She moved and her arms slipped around his neck as she returned the kiss. He kissed her slowly at first, but then with growing passion. His tongue traced over her lip and hers parted to welcome him.

  The heat of his mouth fueled her and a small moan slipped out before she could help it. This wasn’t the time or the place, but Loren couldn’t stop. She lingered in the kiss before Avery drew back.

  His forehead rested against hers. “We can do this,” he said softly. His breath was hot against her lips.

  “Okay.”

  His lips brushed across hers once again. “When this is all over, I promise you a real date.”

  “We had a real date.”

  “A real date. Movie and dinner. A nice, fancy dinner at some place you’ve never been. Wine. Cheesecake. Extra cheese.”

  Loren’s lips pulled into a smile. “Do you swear?”

  “I do. I swear it.”

  “You’re amazing.”

  “I’m glad someone sees it.”

  She exhaled a small breath and opened her eyes to look at him. “If I’m strong at all, it’s because of you.”

  “That’s really cheesy, you know.”

  “Maybe, but it’s true. You make me stronger.”

  “I think you get your strength from somewhere else. Inner strength.”

  “Now who’s being cheesy?”

  “Hey, you said you liked extra cheese.”

  She laughed. “Did I say you were amazing? I meant terrible.”

  Avery grinned at her. His thumb rubbed over her cheek again. His grin softened into a smile. “I didn’t say that to be cheesy, you know.”

  “Yeah. I know.”

  “I mean it. You have it. I can see it.”

  “You see a lot, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. I do.”

  Loren smiled. “Thank you.”

  The door to the office opened and Callum paused in the doorway. Loren drew back from Avery quickly as he stood. He ran a hand through his hair, throwing a glare toward his brother.

  Callum cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt.” His tone was flat. “We need to leave now.”

  It was now or never. Loren nodded and rose. She smoothed out her dress and kept her eyes cast down. “All right. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Loren felt exposed, waiting in the open for Eva to arrive. It was dark out. She guessed it was close to dawn. She shivered and folded her arms around herself. She rubbed her arms to keep warm.

  Avery offered his jacket to her. “Take it,” he said. “I’m naturally hot.”

  If that was meant as a joke, no one laughed. The jacket was warm and smelled of him. She slipped into its comfort.

  Callum paced the pavement and stared out at the road. They must’ve made a strange sight to the passersby at this hour. Loren couldn’t concern herself with that. There was too much weighing on her mind.

  A vehicle pulled into the parking lot. Loren didn’t recognize the car, but it looked fancy and expensive. It had to be a Morgan vehicle. It came to a stop next to them and Callum stepped over. He got into the passenger seat while Avery and Loren climbed into the back. Loren was grateful for the heater. She rubbed her hands together.

  “Do we have a plan?” Eva asked. She glanced in the rearview mirror as she started out of the lot.

  “No.” Callum looked at Eva.

  “What do we know?”

  “Ruth and Mal have the stones,” Avery answered.

  “Have they put them together?”

  Callum rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I imagine, if they had, the portal would’ve opened and they’d be in the other world by now. We’d have no way of knowing for certain.”

  “Yes, we do,” Loren said.

  Eva lifted an eyebrow.

  Loren licked her lips and continued. “They haven’t put the stones together. They wouldn’t do that without me.” She looked down at her hands. “They want me to go with them into the other world. To Kahsh. Mal said I’m the figurehead.”

  “He wants to kill her,” Callum finished. “In a public display to secure his control.”

  Avery squeezed her hand.

  “He wouldn’t put the stones together to open the portal unless I was a factor.”

  Eva pursed her lips. “That’s troubling.”

  “Even so, this doesn’t mean he hasn’t put the tablet together. We don’t know the mystical properties. Once the stones are together, does the portal open immediately, or does it need to be activated? We don’t know.” Callum looked to his sister.

  “Let’s focus on what we do know,” Eva suggested.

  Loren fell silent and sank down in her seat. The others talked among themselves, formulating a plan of action. She didn’t listen. Her thoughts were too heavy. She gnawed on her lip as she thought.

  If they could destroy the stones before the tablet was together, it would prevent chaos. Even if they couldn’t destroy the stones, they could get their hands on one. Without the tablet restored, Mal and Ruth would be at a loss—until they hunted them down for the missing stone.

  Loren didn’t like their options.

  She came out of her thoughts when Avery squeezed her hand again. “Hey, are you all right?” he asked quietly.

  She didn’t even try to lie. “No. I’m not.”

  “We have a plan now.”

  “What uh what is the plan?”

  Callum looked back at her. “They’ll come after you,” he began. “Putting you out there is a dangerous move, but it’s the quickest way for them to find you and lead us to them. Once we get there, we follow through like before. With force. Now that Eva is with us, physical strength will be doubled.”

  “Or tripled.” She gave a tight-lipped smile. “I’m not one to brag.”

  “Unless the inhibitor is used,” Avery included.
/>   “That’s another factor.”

  They wanted to use her as bait. Loren drew her lips together tightly. Something turned in her mind, a half-baked idea that didn’t quite click yet. She tried to think through it as she chewed her lip.

  She stared out the window, watching the buildings pass. She remained in her thoughts as she sought to piece together her idea. She leaned against Avery. His arm draped over her shoulder.

  He said she was strong. She had inner strength. She was important. Her brow furrowed slightly. Then it came to her. The solution to all of this. The one thing she knew she could do.

  She knew how to stop the portal from opening. It was so simple. But there was no way she could explain it to the others. They wouldn’t understand.

  Loren leaned up as she pulled Avery in for a kiss. His lips pressed to hers. It was a brief before she drew back and smiled gently. “We can do this.”

  She could do this.

  “Are you ready?” Eva asked softly, glancing at Loren through the rearview mirror.

  She lifted her head. “I’m ready.”

  ~~*~~

  “How easy is it for you to lie?” The question had been in the back of her mind for some time. She drew Avery’s jacket closer around her, once again grateful for the loan.

  The question surprised him. Avery rubbed the back of his neck. “Pretty easy, I guess.”

  She rephrased the question. “Is it easy for you to lie to me?”

  There was a chill in the air. She stood close to him for warmth. Soon, he’d have to step away and leave her on her own. In the meantime, she wanted to be as near to him as possible.

  “No. No, it’s not.”

  “When you said you knew I was special, when you saw me in the flames, did you know I was the heiress?”

  Avery sighed. “Loren, we don’t need to go over this again.”

  “I want to know. I need to know.”

  He hesitated. “I wasn’t sure. I had my suspicions. I never see anything in the flames that’s not important in some way. There was a connection. I could feel it.”

  The sun had risen over the horizon. The sky was pink and purple, chasing away the night. She looked toward the sunrise. “But it’s complicated.”

  “Hey, you’re catching on.” His fingertips brushed across her neck and swept back strands of her hair. Slowly, she looked away from the horizon to study him.

  “My feelings are usually never wrong,” he told her. “And right now, I’m feeling something very strongly. Something big is about to happen. Our lives are about to change.”

  “This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done. The most terrifying. This whole week has been one wild, terrifying experience. And I’m glad it happened.” She attempted a smile. “I am glad you found me. Glad you brought me back to the manor. I never would’ve met you otherwise.”

  “I think we would’ve met. Maybe under different circumstances.”

  “We can do this.”

  “We will do this,” he assured her. His gaze drew away from the horizon. “It’s time.” He stepped back.

  “Wait.” She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him. Her fingers tangled in his t-shirt, holding him there. He kissed her back. The contact was too brief.

  “We’ll come for you soon,” he said. He held her for a moment more before he released her and walked backward a few steps. His gaze stayed on her.

  She didn’t say anything. She didn’t want him to hear her voice tremble. She nodded.

  She couldn’t watch him walk away. Loren inhaled sharply and looked to the street. People were waking up, beginning their day. It was just another average morning.

  But it wasn’t.

  Loren stepped forward. The others followed in the car. It was the best plan they had. She would walk directly into the lion’s den. Avery, Callum, and Eva would storm in and save the day. She was to be the distraction that allowed them entrance.

  But Loren wouldn’t be the distraction. She hadn’t told others. They wouldn’t like the change in the plan. She only hoped after it was all over, that they would understand and forgive her.

  She saw the building looming tall before her. She cut into the alley. The window was still broken, three stories up. She sidestepped the shards of glass at her feet and returned her focus to the main door.

  One of the masked men opened it. He took one look at her before he grabbed her arm and jerked her inside the building. He kept the tight grip on her arm as he dragged her through the hallway, up the stairwell, and into the living quarters.

  Ruth’s eyes narrowed in annoyance at the intrusion. The second she saw Loren, they widened in surprise. “You found her.”

  Levi looked up from his laptop to glare suspiciously at Loren.

  “She came willingly. She knocked on the door.” The masked man pushed her forward. Loren nearly stumbled but caught herself. She straightened and lifted her head. Ruth sported a swollen and bruised nose. Loren hadn’t broken it, but she was satisfied she’d done some damage.

  “It’s a fucking trick.” Levi set his laptop aside. “She would never come willingly, not unless she found out a couple more of the Morgan’s deep dark secrets. So many skeletons in that closet, you could fill a crypt. But even then, I don’t think so.”

  “It’s not a trick.” Loren’s voice sounded small. She didn’t look at Levi and instead kept her eyes on Ruth. “I uh I did some thinking. I realized something.”

  Ruth stepped toward her slowly, cautiously. “And what was it you realized?”

  “I don’t belong here. I’ve never belonged here.” She moistened her lips. “I’ve always felt it. I could never figure out why. Now, I know. I belong there. I belong in Kahsh. I can feel it.” She lowered her gaze. “And I know I’m the heiress, but I’m not meant to rule. I could never rule. I don’t have it in me. And even though—” Her voice caught there. She had to pause and breathe deeply. “And even though I am meant to die for Mal to take over, it’s how it has to be. It’s a sacrifice that has to be made. I understand it now.”

  Levi scoffed and Ruth silenced him with a sharp, foreign word before she addressed Loren. “Do you now?”

  Loren nodded and brought her head up. She held it high and stared straight into Ruth’s cold, dark eyes. “Yes. I’m ready to go home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Levi gestured toward Loren. “Any idiot with half a fucking brain can see she’s lying through her teeth.”

  Ruth regarded Loren carefully. She didn’t blink as she studied the younger woman. “No. She’s not lying. She’s telling the truth.” Her head canted to one side. “At least, in part. You are frightened, aren’t you dear?”

  Loren wasn’t lying. She wanted to go to Kahsh if for nothing more than to destroy the stone from the other side and prevent Mal from returning. She was making a sacrifice, but she was doing something important with it. It wouldn’t be in vain. The others would have to see that.

  And Ruth was right. She was terrified. She nodded.

  “Oh, I can’t believe this.” Levi threw his hands above his head.

  “Be quiet.” Ruth sent a glare in his direction. Levi scowled and crossed his arms, but he remained silent. Her attention returned to Loren.

  Beneath her assessing stare, Loren fidgeted. Her hands came to her sides, rubbing down her dress. Ruth lifted her head. “Tell me the truth, Loren. Why are you here?”

  If she balked now, it was all over. Loren took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. “I told you the truth.”

  “And the others? Do they know of your change of heart?”

  “No, they uh they don’t. They know I’m here.” She tucked hair back behind her ear. “They had a plan. To get back the stones. They sent me. I’m the distraction.”

  “Wait a minute.” Levi pointed at her. “You’re the betrayer now? Yeah. This is definitely a lie. You would never betray your precious Avery. Or Callum.” Levi aimed a self-satisfied smirk in her direction. “Yeah, I know about the little crush.”

  No on
e knew just how complex everything was, not even Levi, not even herself. She briefly thought of Callum’s confession. She pushed her thoughts away and focused solely on Levi. “You don’t know anything.”

  “Please.” He rolled his eyes. “I know everything.”

  “Quiet,” Ruth demanded again. “So the others sent you here?” She lifted an eyebrow at Loren.

  “Yeah.”

  “And where are they now?”

  She gnawed briefly on the inside of her lip. “There’s a car, two streets over. They’re waiting.”

  Ruth gave a small flick of her head toward the door. Two of her masked goons stepped out.

  “We’ll see if you’re right about that. Until then…” Ruth took hold of Loren’s arm. Her grip was tight and cold. Her free hand drew the inhibitor device from her pocket. With a quick movement and a slight pinprick of pain, she injected Loren. “Come with me.”

  Loren didn’t protest or resist. Levi glared at her as she passed.

  “Do you think this will work?” he asked.

  She was risking so much. Betraying the others. Sacrificing herself. It had to work. She said nothing.

  “You’ll die, you know.”

  “I’m nothing, right?” She glanced back at him as they reached the door. “It doesn’t matter if I live or die.”

  And whether that was the truth or a lie, Loren couldn’t be sure, but saying it felt right. It silenced Levi and left him chewing on his lip ring, puzzled for once.

  Her focus turned ahead of her as Ruth led her from the room and down a hallway. Instead of the room she’d occupied before, Ruth paused at another door and brought out a key from her pocket. Swiftly, she unlocked it and ushered Loren inside.

  The room was dark, morning light blocked by thick, heavy curtains. The meager lighting came from a few lamps on an ornate table strewn with books. The box of stones rested before an open book. Seated at the table, in a high-backed chair, was Mal.

  Ruth drew her closer. As they neared, Loren immediately noticed the change. While still appearing frail and sickly, Mal had become more robust. His fingers were thin, but less bony now as they ran along a line of text in his page. His hair remained white, but now thicker, and his once gaunt face was fuller.