Magic of the Wood House

by Cassandra Gannon

  Most of them instantly disappeared. Too bad they hadn’t done that earlier.

  Alder and his parents kept standing there, strange expressions on their faces. “Sullivan?” Alder asked in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. “Where did you get that gun?”

  “I have no idea.” He glowered over at them, blaming all Cult members for his blackout. “I just woke up with it, about two weeks ago. It’s a souvenir from twelve hours of my life that I can’t remember.”

  “God, I knew you were going to be a pain in the ass.” Pele said grimly. “Alright, we’ll have to do this the hard way.” Before Sullivan could stop her, she reached over to seize hold of his arm…

  …And kidnapped him.

  Chapter Two

  She had made up her mind to be thoroughly disagreeable

  and she possessed the elements of success requisite for that purpose—

  a sharp tongue, a quick instinct and great presence of mind.

  F. Marion Crawford- “The Children of the King”

  Christmas Eve Morning

  “It wasn’t our fault.” Djinn passionately announced as Teja slammed into the dungeon.

  The words drove fear into Teja’s frozen heart. Whenever he said them she knew her family was absolutely at fault for all sorts of badness.

  “What have you done?” She shouted. “Where’s Sullivan?! If you’ve hurt him, I will…”

  “Sully’s fine…” Alder began.

  His father cut him off. “Your human is totally deranged, Tej! He tried to attack me and tie me up in plastic.” Djinn’s voice vibrated with outrage over that injustice. Elementals could manipulate the natural Elements, but manufactured products, like plastics, were beyond their control. Plastic could actually contain them. “He pulled out zip-ties and threatened to capture me, for God’s sake! The human was --like-- crazed or something. Out of his mind! You know their kind gets rabid, right? I think that’s what happened.”

  “That’s dogs, Dad.” Alder told him. That sentence got repeated a lot, because Djinn consistently mixed-up humans and canines.

  Aside from stealing curse words, watching slasher flicks, and visiting Disney World no one in the Fire House knew very much about humans. Alder was their resident “expert” and he only visited the human realm for fun, fighting in their endless wars.

  “Sullivan’s really okay, Tej.” He continued. “Really. He’s just a little --you know-- out cold, is all.”

  Pele leaned a shoulder against the far wall and shrugged. “He’s terrible at jumping. Face-planted into a wall. Completely not our fault.”

  “He’s mostly just a human, Mom.” Alder puffed out a sigh. “I think we should’ve been carefuler with him, maybe.”

  “I was carefuler.” Djinn insisted. “We all were. Real careful, real polite, real friendly… Pele even told him his scar was kickass.”

  Pele nodded. “Kickass scar.” She agreed casually.

  “Exactly!” Djinn made a “has the world gone mad?!” sort of hand gesture. “We were completely nice to that boy. We showed up to help him and he still tried to kill me.”

  “So, you kidnapped him?” Since the Fall, Teja hadn’t felt much of anything, just the echoes of emotions that somehow existed behind the block of ice in her chest. But, even if she could’ve still felt, total disbelief over her cousin’s idiocy would have driven out all other emotions. “You honest to fucking Gaia kidnapped my Match?”

  Fire Phases regularly abducted their own Matches, but they didn’t take kindly to other people trying it. Sullivan Pryce was off limits to anybody but Teja and everyone knew it.

  “We didn’t kidnap him!” Djinn snapped. “We took him into protective custody.”

  Pele shrugged. “It was for the boy’s own good. You told us to protect him, so we were protecting him. You think we would’ve carted him here if we had another choice?”

  “Explain it to me from the beginning, then.” Teja ran a hand through her hair, so the periwinkle streak at her temple slid between her fingers. Her family was a walking, talking encyclopedia of terrible ideas. “What happened? Was there an actual reason for this stupidity or were you all just drinking heavily?”

  Alder and Djinn exchanged a look.

  Pele became fascinated with one of the torches on the lava stone wall.

  “What happened?” Teja roared.

  “Alright, alright.” Alder cleared his throat. “You know how you hate hearing about the Tablets of Fate?”

  Teja swore in three languages.

  For millennia, the Tablets of Fate had been an Elemental fairytale. No one had believed that they really existed, until they started popping up and causing problems. The Tablets were sealed into boxes, but even then they packed a wallop that could end the world. The Elemental Council was determined to find the boxes before anyone could use them to push all existence over the edge of oblivion.

  A lot of other people were after them, too

  And the last time anyone had seen the Happiness Tablet, Parson, of the Wood House had it in the human realm. Unfortunately, Parson died without telling anyone where exactly he left it. Which meant his grandson was a natural starting point for anyone who wanted to treasure hunt.

  “Sullivan doesn’t have that box.” Teja shook her head. “No way.”

  “Rumor going around says your Match is hiding it.” Djinn told her. “Saxon, of the Air House showed up looking for the damn thing. We had to kill some Air Phases to protect your boy, but that’s not going to slow down the rest of the realm’s mercenaries. Every would-be badass is going to see Sullivan as the Golden Ticket to unlimited power and candy.”

  “And then there’s the gun.” Pele interjected.

  Teja’s frozen heart lurched. “Sullivan’s shot?”

  “Nope. He did the shooting.” Alder tapped his forehead. “Ventilated Yasil’s skull.”

  “Jesus.” Teja breathed a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes. “Is that pussy Yasil whining about one little bullet hole…?”

  “That pussy Yasil’s dead.” Djinn interrupted. “The human shot him with that future gun that Job’s been looking for.”

  “Oh shit.” Teja’s mind raced. “Where did Sullivan get that damn thing?”

  “He says he doesn’t remember. He just woke up with it.”

  Teja blinked. “What?”

  “Humans get amnesia, all the time.” Alder put in. “Ask Tessie. We saw it on Days of Our Lives.”

  Pele shrugged. “The point is, we didn’t have much of a choice except to bring Sullivan here and keep him out of sight.”

  “And for laughs.” Djinn admitted. He handed Teja the gun. “Probably don’t want the kid armed when he wakes up, though. I betcha he’s gonna be moody. He seems moody.”

  There was a low groaning sound from inside Sullivan’s cell. The hinges were rusted open, so the door stood against the wall and the low sound carried. Djinn hadn’t been able to lock Sullivan in, which Teja guessed was something. At least, her felonious relatives hadn’t tossed their prisoner into an oubliette and lost the key… Again.

  Luckily, the dungeon in the Fire Castle wasn’t used for much more than Halloween pranks, anymore. Flickering torches and atmospheric cobwebs aside, it was basically just a storage room. No actual torture happened. No starving, dirty Phases were locked in any of the cells. Not like the good old days.

  Still, chances were, Sullivan Pryce was not going to think that the dungeon was a comfortable place to spend eternity. They had to get him back to his home. Or at least to someplace in the human realm. Teja didn’t care if he wound up in Florida or the Australian Outback, just so he was far away of the Fire Kingdom.

  And away from her.

  “‘Bout time lover boy opened his eyes.” Pele said lazily. She tilted her head and peered in at Sullivan. “It really is a kickass scar, isn’t it? It’s unfair that Elementals are so hard to damage. You’d look hot with a warrior’s mark like that, Djinn.” She winked at her Match.

  “I always look hot.” Djinn drawled
back.

  “Fine. Hotter, then.”

  Teja ignored their flirting. Djinn and Pele were one of the only Matches to have both survived the Fall. Both of them had been immune to the illness, as had all of their children. A lot of other Phases hated them just for that, jealous that the Fire House’s royal family managed to pull through the plague almost intact.

  But, it was that “almost” that still haunted Teja. They’d lost Oberon and that was something she’d never be able to forget.

  Teja shoved the gun into her waistband and reluctantly moved to stare into Sullivan’s darkened cell. Djinn, Pele, and Alder had dumped the guy on the only piece of furniture in the room: A stained cot with three legs and a horrible rodent-y smell. Sullivan was flat on his stomach, his feet angled so they hung off the edge. He really was very big for a human. His face was turned so she could see his damaged cheek in the dim light.

  Yeah, the scar was super attractive.

  Every bit of him was attractive, actually. Sullivan Pryce was really, really gorgeous.

  Plus, he gave off sooooo much power. Teja could feel it as he pushed himself up on one elbow and gave his dark head a shake. The guy was more than just a human. He radiated dormant energy like a space heater and it had every molecule in her system jangling.

  “Son-of-a-bitch.” He muttered. Even his voice was attractive. Rich and deep, with a human accent that sounded completely foreign and beautiful. It echoed with latent power.

  Teja felt her body warming. Her pulse sped up, her energy tuning so it could try to brush against Sullivan’s.

  Damn.

  She took a step back from the open doorway. Emotions that she forgotten how to experience suddenly threatened to break free. It was always like that when she got close him. Over the past two years, she’d worked hard to freeze herself solid and not feel anything, at all. Around Sullivan, her heart started pounding beneath the ice in her chest. Every time she was near the human it became harder to stay cold. She’d stayed in this world because of her Match, but she couldn’t let him destroy her. She couldn’t start to feel, again.

  “Teja?” Djinn asked, taking in her pale face. “You okay?” Ever since the Fall, he’d been hovering, like she might try to kill herself at any second. It pissed Teja off to no end.

  “He can’t stay here.” She hissed, her attention locked on Sullivan.

  “But, he’s your Match.” Pele reminded her.

  “I know!”

  That was the whole problem. Teja didn’t want a Match. She didn’t want to open herself up to getting hurt again. Loving someone left you vulnerable. When they were gone, it was like a knife in your heart. She had all she could handle with Djinn and Hope and the others slipping passed her icy guards. A Match would destroy her. Everything frozen inside of her --everything that protected her from that kind of pain-- panicked at the very idea of getting attached to Sullivan Pryce. She’d protect her Match, but she didn’t want to be near him for more than two seconds at a time.

  The sound of voices brought Sullivan’s head around with a snap. He looked severely annoyed and slightly hung over. Jumping had probably screwed up his human equilibrium. Well, that and crashing into a stone wall. Sullivan was mostly human. A weak, helpless, very, very kidnapped human.

  She needed to remember that.

  But then Sullivan’s gaze slammed into Teja’s like a Mack truck and all thoughts about his human-ness vanished. Nothing but his eyes moved as he soaked in every inch of her. Teja could always read the desire on Sullivan’s face when he looked at her. “What the hell is going on?” incredulity mixed with “Oh my God” lust. He tried to hide it, but it was still there.

  “Hello, Teja.” He finally muttered. “I should’ve known you were behind this.”

  People told Teja she was beautiful. She’d heard it all her life. But, she’d never really believed it until Sullivan. He focused on her with his intent, Wood Phase brown stare and Teja felt it like a caress. Her breasts tightened. Her breathing got faster. Her energy sizzled the air wanting to connect with his.

  Damn, damn, damn. The guy was such a problem.

  Teja looked away and instantly missed the heat of Sullivan’s gaze. “I’m not behind anything.” She muttered. “This is all your fault.”

  “Right.” He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Because I asked your moronic family to take me hostage.”

  “Told ya.” Djinn grumbled. “Moody.”

  “We were guarding you, Sully.” Alder insisted. “Teja asked us to.”

  “Thanks for that.” Sullivan tilted his head, so the damaged side of his face was hidden from view. He did that a lot. The movement brought the lava rock walls into his direct line of sight. He finally seemed to process that he was in a stone prison cell. “Fucking Cult.” He let out a long sigh and glanced over at Djinn. “You’re so under arrest right now, dickweed.”

  “And you’re a little bit outta your jurisdiction.” Djinn shot back.

  “We just need to talk with you…” Alder began.

  Sullivan cut her off. “You can talk down at the police station.” He got to his feet. “I’m going home and you’re going to jail.”

  “Good luck with that.” Djinn said snidely. “It’s a long walk to the human realm from here.” He glanced over at Teja. “Can we take a vote on you keeping him? ‘Cause, I vote you toss this guy back. I mean a Wood Phase and a human…?” He rolled his eyes. “You can do way better.”

  Except, very few Matches did better than a Wood Phase. They all knew that. The Wood House bred some of the greatest warriors in the realm. They didn’t cheat, or lie, or half-ass their way through life. Everything they did, they did with their whole heart and fanatical dedication. They were honorable and selfless. Wonderful parents. Caring Matches. Fearless soldiers. They’d die to protect the people they loved. Gladly. Having a Wood Phase as a Match was something girls prayed for.

  Shit.

  It just got worse and worse.

  “Teja, you can’t let him just leave.” Pele insisted, in her “I’m the smart one” tone. Pele always thought that she was the smart one. Utterly self-assured about all aspects of life, Pele would never understand the fear eating at Teja’s insides when she thought about having a Match. “He needs us. He needs you. The boy picked a fight with the Air Phases. Kinda shows you how bright he is.”

  “I didn’t pick that fight. I was standing on the beach and they attacked me.”

  Pele didn’t give any indication that she’d heard Sullivan’s objection. She had a habit of tuning out unimportant things, such as everyone else’s opinions. “You know how many scumbags will be trying to kill your handsome human?” She didn’t bother to wait for an answer. “All of them. And he seems really easy to kill.”

  Sullivan shot her a glare. “I’m leaving.” He announced. “Anybody who tries to stop me is gonna have to kill me.” He stalked out of his cell, looking around the maze of stone corridors with a disparaging roll of his eyes. “Perfect. Tell me we’re in your parents’ basement, now.”

  “You’re in the dungeon of the Fire Fortress, human.” Djinn informed him with a demonic smile. “A place nobody escapes from.”

  “The Fire Fortress? Jesus, you people seriously need to get a life outside of Super Mario Brothers.” Sullivan headed for the stone steps leading upstairs, studiously avoiding Teja’s gaze as he passed.

  Teja watched Sullivan go and felt a moment of alarm. No matter how frozen her emotions were, she was still an Elemental. For centuries she’d imagined this man and the life they could have. Just the idea of him had been enough for her to pull back from the edge of the roof after the Fall. Rationally, Teja knew that it was a gift to find your other half. Not everyone got a chance at it. Especially not these days.

  But, her frozen emotions told her that getting close to Sullivan would be waaaaay too dangerous. Caring meant pain. She’d been avoiding Sullivan for weeks, because she couldn’t let this human get under her skin. Distance would be best. Lots and lots of distance. Ex
cept whenever she saw him, all she felt was a punch-in-the-gut desire to be as close to him as possible.

  …And now he was just leaving.

  “Wait.” Teja ordered, trying to think.

  “No.” Sullivan snapped and kept going.

  Teja blinked. No Elemental would have done that. Even one as attractive as Sullivan would listen to his Match. Granted, Sullivan might have picked up on the fact that Teja was feeling… conflicted. She had jumped out of his living room the only time they’d kissed and she hadn’t spoken to him since. But still, Sullivan should want her to accept him. He should care about this Match. Instead, he was just walking away.

  That was kind of insulting.

  Teja stomped after him. “I said, wait. You have no clue where you’re even going.”

  Sullivan flashed her a scowl over his shoulder as he marched up the steps. “I’m going away from here.” He reached the top of the stone steps and pushed open the massive Gothic door. “Perfect. More Harry Potter crap.” He made a sound halfway between a laugh and groan. “God, I’ve had it with your Cult. Sword fights and beheadings. Women following me around. Mohawked lunatics attacking me. You guys locking me in your sci-fi clubhouse on Christmas Eve is just the last straw. I don’t care what Melanie says. You’re all getting kicked out of my town.”

  “Christmas Eve?” Pele looked over at Alder. “Again? Satour told me that was in March.” She sighed in annoyance. “Damn it, Hope’s going to make us celebrate for the millionth time, isn’t she?”

  Teja ignored them. The reminder that so many attractive, warm-blooded, Elemental females were in Mayport Beach hoping to Phaze with Sullivan set her teeth on edge. No wonder he was so eager to get back home and leave her high and dry. Sullivan was used to being the belle of the Elemental Ball.

  “Oh yeah, it must be hell having to wade through crowds of women, while they throw themselves at you.” She sneered. “Poor human.”