by Larissa Ladd
CHAPTER 2
AIRA CAME BACK TO HERSELF slowly; she was aware of aches and pains in her body before she was fully aware of her mind. Her eyes remained closed, but gradually she picked up the sound of the wind blowing hard outside, the slight shuffling of two people moving around close to her, and the smells of fragrant herbs. She realized the mildly acidic, bittersweet flavor in her mouth had to be some kind of potion. As her awareness returned, in a flash everything that had preceded her long time in the dark came flooding back: the trial she had been given to determine Alex’s fate, the fight with Aiden, falling into Alex’s tempting arms, and finding herself poisoned. The memory of being put before the elders to render her verdict was slightly less clear but still present, and the command of the elders—that she would have to kill Alex herself to prove she could follow through on the decision she had made—hit the front of her mind with a shock, accompanied by the realization that she had no idea how long she had been out.
Aira opened her eyes to fing Dylan and Aiden hovering over her; Dylan with an oral syringe in his hand—he had clearly been using it to shoot whatever potion he had whipped up into her mouth slowly, rather than pouring the liquid and risking the possibility of accidentally choking her or having it spit out violently. Dylan looked tired but as his dark eyes widened and filled with the realization that she was awake and alert—for the moment at least—he looked satisfied.
Aira groaned, aware of the lingering ache in every joint of her body, the weakness in her limbs. She looked at Aiden as she reached up feebly to rub her face. Aiden did not look as well as Dylan; his face was covered in days-old stubble, his hair was highly unkempt in snarls and tufts around his head, and his eyes were bloodshot. “The hell is wrong with you?” Aira asked him gruffly, struggling to sit up. Every movement sent waves of pain through her body. Dylan snorted, putting the syringe aside and disappearing from Aira’s field of vision.
“I was making sure you didn’t die in your sleep, woman,” Aiden replied testily. Aira yawned and finally managed to pull herself up, looking at Aiden skeptically.
“How exactly were you preventing my death?” she asked him, feeling irritated in general and knowing that, whether or not he deserved it, Aiden made an excellent target for her bad mood.
“Oh, you know,” Dylan said from behind her, coming around to shoot her a grin as he took the spot on the couch vacated by her feet. “Staring at you, mostly. Though you didn’t die while I was trying to figure out how to help you, so maybe it helped.” There was amusement in Dylan’s eyes as he glanced at his older brother. Aira wondered if there was some subtext she wasn’t getting from the comment. Aira scrubbed at her face and hair with her hands, feeling as though she’d been asleep for a year—there was a sensation of grime against her skin, a greasiness to her hair that she didn’t like.
“How long have I been out?” she asked. She imagined she didn’t look much better than Aiden did.
“You mean since the elders decreed that you have to kill Alex?”
Aira nodded. Aiden glanced at his phone. “Three days. You’ve got another three days until you either kill him or you’re out of the running for elemental ruler.”
Aira took a deep breath and exhaled with a gusty sigh, closing her eyes a moment and rubbing them with her palms.
“Why does my mouth taste like flowers?” she asked Dylan testily.
Dylan chuckled. “It’s a potion I whipped up. I guess the lavender lingers.”
Aira made a face. “Well, if it’s going to make me better, I guess it’s not that bad.”
Dylan’s amused expression turned solemn and Aira raised an eyebrow at him.
“It’s not actually going to make you better. Not really.”
Aira glanced from Dylan to Aiden and back.
Dylan took a deep breath. “It’s strengthening, but the poison is still in your system, and we don’t know why. Until we can find out why, you’re going to be weak.” Aira ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back and cringing.
“So, I won’t be able to actually kill Alex the way they want me to,” she said, making a face as she looked down at her legs. “They didn’t actually say I couldn’t just shoot him,” she mused, half-joking. She knew shooting Alex wasn’t the solution. It was an elemental matter, she would have to execute him using her elemental abilities somehow. Aira heard the wind howling outside and tried to reach out with her mind to control it, to calm it to normal proportions. She found that, in spite of the potion Dylan had given her, she couldn’t—the wind was blowing through her, the energy coming from her, but her ability to actually control it, to bring it down, was weakened still. Aira clenched her teeth and focused with her mind, struggling against the weakness that flowed through her. She had been controlling the wind since she was a child, she should be able to do this, but the wind was out of her conscious control. Aira sighed and hoped that it wasn’t going to escalate to destructive speeds, hurt someone, or destroy their home while she tried to figure out how she was going to regain control of her abilities.
“We’ll figure it out,” Aiden said. “We’ve got three days. Dylan made up a metric ton of that potion. You’re going to have to keep taking it between now and then and now that you’re not in danger of actually dying, I can start investigating what the hell Alex was really up to.”
Aira nodded, thinking that before she tried to figure anything out, she wanted a bath… badly.
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath and exhaling firmly. “Here’s my thinking: first, I want to get clean, because the grunge look is not for me.” Aiden and Dylan both smiled faintly. “Next, we need to get information on what the hell Alex did to me with that poison, so we can find out how to counteract it. I think it’s going to take all three of us to get anything out of Alex.” Aiden started to protest, to interrupt her. “Shut up for a second. Yes, you’re a very formidable fire elemental, but Dylan and I took care of Alex on our own once—and Dolores too. Between the three of us, we should be able to get the information out of him.”
“She’s got a point,” Dylan said, glancing from Aira to his brother. “You can bring the pain as needed, I can do a few things to him, and Aira might be able to get together enough power to use her persuasive ability.”
Aira chewed on her bottom lip, if she couldn’t manage something as elementary to her elemental nature as controlling the wind, compelling a mind would be much more difficult. But she didn’t correct Dylan. She would have to see what they could do.
“And then we fix me, and then I kill that asshole and order the rest of his family killed after him. Then we’ll face whatever the elders decide to do to me next.”
Aiden and Dylan exchanged glances that Aira couldn’t quite read, but they both nodded slowly, agreeing to her proposal.
Aira wasn’t sure whether she was more pleased or disappointed that Aiden convinced Dylan to help her into the bath, rather than taking the job himself. “It’s not like he hasn’t seen me naked,” Aira grumbled slightly as Dylan helped her up the stairs to her bedroom. She hated feeling weak, being in pain from head to toe. Aira had only rarely been ill in the course of her life—whatever poison Alex had used on her was a wicked thing indeed if she’d been incapacitated by it for five days altogether. Dylan chuckled, opening the door for her and leading her through the bedroom and into the bathroom.
“He has seen you naked, I’ve seen you naked… but he’s the one who’s had sex with you.”
Aira rolled her eyes. “Is everyone always going to hold that against me?” she asked critically.
Dylan moved to start the water for a bath and Aira closed the cover on the toilet and sat down as Dylan adjusted the water temperature, fully aware that she was going to need as much of the potion as possible. On some level she was glad Dylan was in the bathroom with her instead of Aiden; there was a valid point in what he’d said. There was just too much temptation between her and the fire elemental, even if she knew it was a bad idea. Aira was in no state to want sex with
anyone—considering what she’d opened herself up to with her last tryst. She thought she might take a year of being abstinent as penance for her stupidity—but if she was naked around Aiden, there would be inevitable tension.
Aira unsteadily stood as Dylan backed away from the bathtub, letting it fill after determining the temperature was right. More than anything she wanted to sink into the water and let it pull the pain out of her body; soak in it for a good hour. But she didn’t have that kind of time to work with; in three days, she would have to execute a man, and she was barely capable of standing up. Dylan helped her out of the pajamas that someone had managed to put her in—Aira didn’t quite have the gumption to ask who it had been—and Aira staggered slightly as she stepped over the lip of the tub, plunging her foot into the warm water. She managed to climb into the tub and slide into the water, closing her eyes and sighing with relief. Dylan sat down nearby, watching her absently without staring. He turned off the water when the tub was full.
“So you may not know what the situation is for sure,” Aira said, reaching for her soap and a wash cloth. “But what do you suspect Alex did?”
Dylan shrugged. “I think there’s something to the poison he gave you that’s making it linger.” He licked his lips, glancing away from Aira and then meeting her gaze. “It’s also possible that the lingering water energy in you, from your grandmother, is helping your body retain the earth energy.”
Aira lathered the soap and started slowly rubbing the washcloth all over her upper body. It felt good to get clean; she would have preferred a shower, but she would have to wait until she could actually stand on her own. For now, the bath was safer.
“How does that work?” She asked, wrinkling her brow as she slid back down into the water to rinse the suds from her chest and arms.
Dylan made a face, twisting his lips and looking at her with sympathy in his eyes. “Earth and water energies combine well. Water dissolves earth from a magical perspective, so there’s a possibility the poison was meant to kill you outright and your grandmother’s energy diluted it, but water also holds onto earth, absorbs it.”
Aira considered that explanation. It made sense; she brought her feet up out of the water and scrubbed them, moving up to her legs meditatively. She hated having to do everything so slowly—she wished she could move with her usual brisk pace, but she also knew she would exhaust herself if she did.
“So we need to get the water energy out of me,” she said.
Dylan nodded slowly. “I think so. I just don’t know how we do that.” Aira sighed and submerged her face and head in the water fully, closing her eyes. She came up and Dylan handed her the shampoo bottle from the other side of the bath.
“I don’t have any control over my abilities, Dylan. I don’t know how we’re going to do everything we need to do in the next three days.”
Dylan gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’ve been through difficult things before. You’ll get through this. We’ll figure out what’s going on, and we’ll get you well again.” Aira began to lather her hair, trying not to wonder what Aiden was doing with his time. He had said he was going to finally get a shower, since she was in decent enough shape and under supervision.
The weakness from the poison was easily noticeably and barely held at bay, the awareness of it brought Aira’s tired mind to settle on Alex with anger. What had he been thinking? She dunked herself back under the water to rinse her hair, her resentment growing with every moment she thought about what he had done to her. She was determined that no matter what else happened, she was going to make sure he died.
Aira finished her bath and Dylan helped her out of the water, wrapping a towel around her and guiding her into her bedroom. She managed to dry off and pull on some clothes before sitting down at her desk while she slowly pulled a comb through her hair. Aira sighed, feeling the fatigue deep in her bones, a lethargy worse than any illness she’d ever experienced. Her anger at Alex was simmering in her blood, keeping her alert in a way that Dylan’s potion couldn’t manage.
“You should eat something, and drink some more potion,” Dylan said, watching her closely.
Aira nodded. “I feel like we need to hurry up and get to the place they’re keeping Alex at and beat the crap out of him until he tells us everything.”
Dylan chuckled. “Well, that makes two votes for beating the crap out of him.”
Aira stood slowly, putting the comb down and twisting her hair into a bun that she confined to the base of her skull with an elastic. She raised an eyebrow. “Who’s the other?” she asked.
Dylan smiled slightly. “If you don’t kill Alex, Aiden will. He might not even give you a chance to, in fact.”
Aira rolled her eyes. “He’d ruin his life if he did that. As much as I’m sure Aiden is angry, I can’t imagine him being so lost to his own self-interest to do that.”
Dylan gave her a long, steady look. “I think you underestimate just how much Aiden is professionally and personally offended by what Alex did.” Aira would have asked him to clarify the remark, but Dylan stood quickly, offering her his arm. “Let’s get some food in you,” he said cheerfully, leading her out of her bedroom.
Aiden was sitting at the kitchen bar, his hair wild from being tousled dry, and Aira noticed he had taken time to shave too. There was something strange about him; Aira shook the half-formed thought off and moved to sit down as Dylan went to the fridge.
“What do you feel like eating?” he asked her, looking over his shoulder.
Aira shrugged.
“I know that I should eat but I don’t really feel hungry,” Aira replied, trying not to look at Aiden again. Something about his energy, about his presence, was so attractive to her—more than it had been since they had slept together. Aira took a deep breath as covertly as possible, trying to get rid of the feeling. She had to stay focused.
“Make her some scrambled eggs and toast,” Aiden suggested. He glanced at Aira. “Trust me, you’ll enjoy this.” Aira glanced from Aiden to Dylan, confused. She realized that Dylan had never made her scrambled eggs in the entire time she’d known him.
“You’re still going on about that?” Dylan said with pretend exasperation. He retrieved eggs from the fridge and moved to the stove.
Aiden snickered.
“Okay, so what am I missing here?” Aira asked, looking at both men.
Dylan sighed though he was still smiling.
“When we were teenagers, we were trying to make breakfast for our mom, and it…well, it was interesting,” Dylan explained.
“Dylan nearly burned the eggs,” Aiden added.
“But I didn’t burn them. They were still perfectly edible.”
Aira found herself smiling in spite of her fatigue and weakness.
“Remember, bro: milk in the eggs before you put them in the pan.”
Dylan made a growling sound and moved to the fridge, opening the door and reaching for the carton of milk. Aiden laughed.
“Dylan tried to pour the milk into the eggs when they were already cooking because he’d forgotten it.”
“Shut up.” Dylan tried to sound mad though Aira saw his shoulders shaking with laughter. Soon the kitchen was full of the aroma of eggs and toast cooking and moments later Aira had a huge plate of breakfast in front of her. She realized abruptly that she had no idea what time of day it even was.
“I probably should have asked this before but, what time is it?” she asked.
Dylan, digging a fork into his own eggs, smiled.
“It’s about noon. There’s plenty of time left in the day to get to where the elders are holding Alex and drag the information out of him.”
Aira nodded and began to eat.
CHAPTER 3
TENSION FILLED EVERY SPACE IN the car as they made their way to the location where Alex was being held. Aiden was full of rage and Aira’s energy was volatile, barely reined in by her will and an extra dose of Dylan’s potion. Dylan could feel the car shuddering, barely kept on track by Aiden
’s efforts as the wind battered it while they drove along the Interstate. Dylan wasn’t sure whether he should try to relax the tension in the vehicle or let it stand as it was.
“What do we know, if anything?” Aira asked abruptly, turning her attention from the scenery outside to Dylan.
He shrugged. “We know the poison Alex used had to have come from someone else—someone who could tolerate earth-aligned materials. He couldn’t have made it; it would have poisoned him in the process.” Dylan had been giving the situation more thought. Their initial focus had been on taking care of Aira, trying to rouse her from the grip of whatever Alex had given her. She had rattled off some of the ingredients—the ones Alex had told her about—before succumbing to the poison, but the combination used, on its own, didn’t explain why it was lingering in her system.
Aiden and Dylan had differing theories as to why that was the case. Aiden thought there had to have been magic incorporated in the potion—that it likely had a delay on its effects or a magical element that changed the potency. But that didn’t make sense to Dylan; why would Alex want Aira incapacitated but not dead? She couldn’t possibly save his life if she were taken out of contention, and poisoning her had brought about his downfall. Dylan was convinced that there was more at play in the poison but that its lingering effects were brought about by the secondary energy Aira had taken on from her grandmother.
He considered the strange incident of when he had come home from getting the items he had needed to make the counter-potion. Aiden had been fast asleep, pressed against Aira on the couch. Something about that contact had done something for Aira, starting the process of bringing her out of the depths of the poison, something the two doses of his potion had managed to improve upon. Even at that, Dylan wasn’t sure how much longer Aira would be able to keep going. The strengthening brew wasn’t a specific cure for the poison in her system. Full of air-aligned ingredients, combined in such a way to balance the unstable nature of air energy, the potion could improve Aira’s strength and her energy, but it couldn’t expel the poison itself, as evidenced by the fact that she was still weak in spite of its influence. Dylan considered the fact that Aira was so unstable, so powerful, and yet not able to fully control herself when it came to her elemental alignment; he thought of the strong flow of energy between her and his brother—things he knew about both of them that he wasn’t sure either of them knew about themselves or each other.