Successor

by Rae Miles

The sun has set and the celebration is well underway. People talk, laugh, sing, and eat, all with verve. Then there’s the dancing. All around the fire pit, people dance like they don’t have a care to hold them back, the children running through the crowd as they chase each other. Seems everyone is having a great time.

  “This is like a party back home,” I say.

  Leila gives me a tired smile. “They know how to have a good time.” She glances around. “Where’s Ren?”

  Contrary to what I expected, he hasn’t been glued to my side the entire time. In fact, I have no idea where he is at the moment, but I imagine he isn’t far.

  “Beats me. Maybe he’s patrolling the area or something.”

  “You two were being pretty chatty during the ceremony.” She arches a brow. “What happened to not encouraging a bad idea?”

  Don’t remind me. “He was telling me what everything meant.” I cock my head to one side. “Did you know they’re allowed one mate their entire lives?”

  Her eyes widen in a bewildered look. “Seriously? What happens if one of them dies in an accident or something?”

  “ ‘Until death and beyond,’ Ren said.”

  “Huh.” Leila watches Tavahni and Leksoi dancing together, then scoffs. “That would never fly back home.”

  The peoples’ happiness and enthusiasm fills my heart. I haven’t been here long, but I feel a connection to them—different from the Link, but just as important. I’m one of them, if only in part.

  The warm tide of contentment fills me, like so many times since my arrival. I didn’t know why at the time, but now I understand. The sights, the smells, the sounds—all familiar, calling to the Laraek in me. Maybe it’s an elemental thing, but in the end it doesn’t matter. This place, the people…it’s all a part of me. It always has been.

  Leaving it all behind isn’t going to be easy.

  The sudden realization that Ren is sitting next me makes me start. Beats me how long he’s been there, me being too distracted to notice.

  A sharp inhale. “There you go startling me again.”

  “I did not want to interrupt your thoughts.”

  I smile, but it comes out bleak. “Some thoughts need interrupting.” When I turn to check on Leila, she isn’t next to me. Alarm has me scanning the area but finding no sign of her. “Where’s Lei?”

  “She returned with Kais and Kirahl to rest for the night.”

  “I should check on her.”

  Ren’s hand lands on my arm when I rise. “She left some time ago. She may be asleep.”

  “Oh.” Was I really so out of it, I didn’t notice my best friend walk off? I sit back down, feeling like a terrible friend, and trap my hands between my knees.

  Ren picks a piece of fruit from a basket on the table and bites into it. He watches those around us with simple interest, his gaze flicking to the sentries and guards around the perimeter.

  It’s not long before I’m absorbed in the music, letting it sweep away my bad-friend woes. My knee starts following the beat, and soon the rest of me does, too, swaying in my seat.

  “Do you play?” Ren asks, catching me off-guard, his attention no longer on the perimeter. “You said you create music.”

  My nose scrunches up on one side. “I’m better on certain instruments than others. Terrible at the drums. I have a habit of making up my own beat, which messes up everyone else.”

  His lips twitch. “Another trait you inherited from your father?”

  “Maybe,” I say through a laugh. “It’s hard to know what’s from him, what’s from my mom, and what’s me in all my crazy glory.”

  He leans with his elbows on the table, his hands threaded together. “What makes you, as you say, crazy?”

  “Well.” A deep breath, and I peer up to the sky. “I talk to myself, but that’s usually because people can’t follow my train of thought.” My gaze shifts to his. “It also means I argue with myself most of the time.”

  “And how often do you lose those arguments?”

  My eyes narrow a little. “That’s not important.”

  The corners of his eyes crinkle with his smirk. He looks relaxed for once. It’s heartwarming to think it might be, in part, because of me.

  “What about you?” The new scabs covering my cuts and scrapes pull my skin tight as I prop my head on my hand. Bracing on my fist instead of my palm helps a little. “Any strange habits?” When he shakes his head, I scoff. “Now I know that’s a lie.”

  “How so?”

  “For one thing, I thought you were a statue when I first saw you at the lake. I’ve never met anyone who can be as still as you are sometimes.”

  His eyes turn thoughtful. “It was something I learned as a child. In the beginning it was a challenge, but over time I found a certain peace in it. Now it comes naturally.”

  The idea has me shaking my head. “I could never do it. I always feel like I have too much energy.”

  The corner of his mouth tugs. “Perhaps when I teach you to walk in silence, you can learn to be still, too. Both are useful here.”

  My stomach twists. There isn’t much of a point in learning when I don’t plan to stay. I shove the unpleasant thought aside. “So what’s something you like to do for yourself, just because you want to?”

  Still smiling, he glances at the table in front of me. “I travel to the lake often to find solitude.” He narrows his eyes in contemplation. “I find time spent there helps to organize my thoughts.” He looks at me, his smile growing a little. “A residual influence of your mother, I believe.”

  I smile. “Looks like she left her mark on everyone.”

  “She did.”

  A new song begins, and we watch as people organize themselves for the next dance.

  Ren stands and looks down at me. “I would like to teach you a traditional Laraek dance.”

  If my brows could go any higher, they’d be in my hair. “You want me to learn a dance?”

  He nods, and I look at the crowd.

  The people have formed several small circles, first moving one direction and then the other, swinging their arms and kicking their feet. At times they break into pairs, circling each other before reforming the group circle. The dance doesn’t look complicated, but it’s not my area of expertise.

  I look back to Ren, hesitant. “I don’t know—I’m not much of a dancer.”

  “Neither was your mother, if memory serves.” His gaze holds challenge, and he offers his hand. “Another inherited trait?”

  Resigned, I laugh and shake my head. “Okay.” I place my hand in his, my pulse quickening as his fingers close around mine, and he leads me out to join the others.

  We merge with a small group, the people grinning when they see me join in. I do my best to keep up and not trip anyone, occasionally kicking the wrong way or bumping into the others as I go. They all take my efforts in stride, and soon I’m laughing and having fun.

  We break off into partners, and I follow the movements of the other pairs. Ren holds up his hands with his palms toward me, and I do the same. We press them together and move in a circle, first one way before switching. The next thing I know, Ren grips my hand and swings our linked arms across our bodies, turning me in a half circle until my back is to him. He reverses the spin, and I laugh at the unexpectedness of it. The other pairs are all doing the same thing. I’m a little more prepared when he spins me in the opposite direction before the circle joins back together.

  We repeat the routine twice, and when it comes time for the final partner break, I have the rhythm down perfectly. I press my palms to Ren’s as we circle the first direction, smiling as I look up at him.

  Under his watchful gaze, time slows. Our steps turn unhurried, the smile leaving my face as his gaze holds mine. We reverse the rotation, just as gradual, until we reach the spin, and Ren turns me with ease. Our eye contact breaks and I remember to breathe. He turns me back, his focus more intense now. I initiate the second turn myself, unable to hold his gaze.

  Lower
ing my arm as the spin completes, I expect Ren to lift it again. Instead he threads his fingers through mine, locking me in place. The sudden change in momentum throws off my balance, and I lean back into him. My heart stutters as my back lands against his chest, skin to skin. I suck in a sharp breath, knowing I should pull away.

  I should. I need to.

  I don’t want to.

  Heat rolls off Ren in waves, almost scorching me where our skin touches. His scent surrounds me, a mixture of fresh air, earth, and something indiscernible that makes me a little dizzy. My pulse turns erratic, my breathing uneven as my awareness of his touch makes my skin prickle. The dance continues without us, no one seeming to notice or care that we’ve stopped moving. The roar of blood in my ears drowns out the music. Ren’s breath, warm and gentle, fans my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. My stomach flips, sending flutters through my chest, and my limbs start to tingle.

  The only warning I have is the sudden, shivery lift of every hair on my body standing on end. The ball vibrates hard against my hip, and my torso constricts for a painful instant before the pressure discharges with the violence of a storm. A wave bursts from me, like living fog, moving almost too fast to see. The force of it knocks people off balance as it rolls through them. Sound explodes from the instruments in a chaos of discord, the noise absorbed and carried to a swelling volume across the center. The gazebo buckles, splintering on impact as the wave hits the tree line and dissipates with a reverberating echo into the dark forest. The crackling of the fire is the only sound remaining.

  I freeze, my heart stopping and the blood draining from my face. Ren stands several yards away. Whether he was pushed there or moved back on his own, I don’t know. He stares at me with wide eyes, the rest of the clan looking confused, and a child’s wail breaks through the deafening silence.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Evan!”

  Of course he followed me. I knew he would, but he’s closer than expected. I keep walking. “Just leave me alone.” I wish the ground would open up and swallow me. Where’s one of those hidden pits when I need one?

  “You cannot wander alone.” His voice is closer now, insistent. “Evan, please.”

  The plea in his tone makes me slow to a stop. Blowing out a deep breath does little to calm the roiling in my stomach or the burn spreading through my chest. I lift my hand to my mouth, taking a moment to steel my nerves. When I can’t put it off any longer, I force myself to turn around.

  Ren stands several yards away, eyeing me with uncertainty and making no attempt to bridge the gap between us. “Why did you run?”

  I shake my head, determined not to cry. Crying will make it worse.

  My fingers press to my lips, and I drag them away. “I have no control.” His brows pull up and in, and it’s impossible to stand still, so I start pacing the path. “How can I prepare for the redirection if I can’t control my reactions? If it succeeds by some miracle, I’ll be a danger to everyone. The Link isn’t in my head yet, and I’m already destroying things.”

  Being an elemental is all about control—over oneself, over the chosen element. If I can’t manage the one, there’s no chance I’ll handle the other.

  I continue pacing, getting more discouraged with each step. Ren’s voice breaks into my thoughts.

  “Bonders train their entire lives for their assimilations. Most struggle with the transition before they establish a firm grasp of how an elemental functions.”

  Dejection fills me. “Except for my own mother. She was ready in a matter of days. There’s no way I’ll manage that.”

  “No one expects the same of you. Your heritage is new to you, and we all understand how trying this must be. Unintentional reactions are normal for all elementals—especially when strong emotions are involved.”

  My pacing grinds to a halt, and my head whips toward him. We stare at each other in silence, waiting for the other to say something. Tension builds, the air becoming charged, and I snatch the bag away from my side as the ball starts vibrating.

  My breath bursts out in a huff. “It’s a bad idea.” The words are nothing more than a whisper from my tight throat.

  His expression turns guarded. “What is?”

  “This.” A gesture between us. “You, me…” I bite my lip, wanting to look away but can’t. My shoulders give a helpless rise. “I’m not staying. As soon as the redirection happens, I’m taking Leila home. She can’t stay here.”

  His gaze holds mine, boring into me. “Do you want to leave?”

  “I don’t have a choice, Ren. If I stay, she dies.”

  “Would you not consider returning?”

  My hands lift at my sides. “We’ll be lucky if I can get us home in the first place.”

  “The Link will guide you,” he says with certainty. “You will have no issue reaching your destination.”

  His gaze makes me fidgety, so I start pacing again. If I don’t look at him, I can think better. “It’s more than being able to rift. I have responsibilities back home, like my dad. I’m all he has. He already lost my mom, and I can’t—”

  Ren closes the distance between us and grips my shoulders, halting my rambling and forcing me to still. I refuse to look at him, and his hands lift to my face, holding both sides until I do.

  His gaze searches mine, his fingertips pressing into my jaw. “Do you want to leave?”

  My heart thunders against my ribcage, and I’m certain he can feel its pulse in my skin. I’m terrified, and he’s leaving me no choice but to face him. He knows the answer—I can see it in his eyes. He’s just asking me to admit it.

  With a shallow breath, I swallow my denial and answer honestly. For both of us. “No. I don’t want to leave.”

  A faint crease appears between his brows, stretching his scar. “Yet you do not plan to return.”

  If the accusation is out of anger, disappointment, or a combination of the two, I can’t tell. Tears of frustration burn the backs of my eyes. I didn’t expect this to be so difficult.

  “I’m needed back home.”

  “You are needed here.”

  “I know.” I sigh. “The Laraek need their elemental.”

  His hands fall away. “Yes, the Laraek need you.” The frown vanishes and his features soften. “But not as much as I do.”

  Electricity shoots into my stomach, the burning in my chest taking on a simmering edge. I try swallowing, but my mouth has gone dry. For the first time since I met him, he looks vulnerable. It cuts me to the core.

  “You barely know me.” The words come out a low, cracked whisper.

  Deliberation fills his expression. He seems to be weighing my words against an internal struggle that shows in his eyes and the set of his mouth. His focus drops to the ground, and he turns, taking a few slow steps away. Standing silent for a time, he lifts his head and speaks, his voice just loud enough for me to hear.

  “I felt your presence when you arrived.” He turns toward me, a hand anchored to his quiver strap. “That is why the scouts and I were at the lake.”

  “Wait—you knew I was there?” He doesn’t answer, and I stare at him, confused. “Then why did you ask who I was?”

  “I did not know who you were. I followed the compulsion without knowing the reason behind it.” He takes a few steps toward me and stops. “I was pulled there because of you.”

  “Because I’m a bonder?”

  “Yes and no.” His mouth opens and closes a few times. “I did not realize where the pull came from until I saw you. It did not occur to me you were a bonder until Zaeza suggested it.” He shakes his head again with a look of disbelief. “I never expected it to be you.”

  “Believe me, I didn’t either.” We regard each other with uncertainty, me shifting on my feet, and Ren twisting his hand around that damn strap. “So you were compelled to find and protect me. That’s your duty. It’s not surprising.”

  Maybe it’s something innate in him as the defense commander, nothing more. My heart falls at the thought, and I
know my resolve not to complicate things has been broken. It was stupid to think it wouldn’t be. All I can do now is put it back together.

  “Surprising, no. Expected, perhaps.” His expression shifts, darkening in a way that sends a shiver up my spine. “Unexpected? The compulsion has not abated. Instead, it has intensified.” He steps toward me and reaches out, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind my ear with gentle fingers. “I am still drawn to you.”

  My pulse leaps at his touch, my resolve taking another hit. I hold my bag away from my side, stepping back from him. “That’s only because you’re trying to protect me.”

  His hand returns to the quiver strap. “I thought the same, at first. But when I spoke of it with the elders after your arrival, they reminded me of the echoes.”

  A weight pulls my heart toward my stomach. Kirahl’s words come back to me.

  The mates do not choose an echo—they are drawn to each other on instinct, even some who have never met before. It is said the connection can be quite intense.

  All this time I thought my willpower was going to hell, but it turns out I’ve been fighting the inevitable. So was Ren, it seems. He was drawn to me like a magnet before we met, and it didn’t take long for me to follow. The more we’re around each other, the stronger the pull gets. Kirahl said those affected by an echo still have a choice in the end, but it sure as hell doesn’t feel like it.

  He takes another step toward me, forcing me to back away. My heart is racing, my breathing shallow. I’m like retreating prey, and Ren the advancing predator. I’m not sure if I’m scared, exhilarated, or both.

  Damn, stupid chemicals.

  “And you just accept that?” I need to stay strong on this, but Ren knows I’m on unsteady ground. I can see it in his eyes.

  “It is not an uncommon occurrence. Unions between defense commanders and elementals are ideal for the protection of the clans they serve.”

  “So that’s your angle?” Backing away doesn’t help, since he keeps taking slow steps toward me. “You want me to stay and become your mate so we can protect the clan together?” A scoff comes out, and I shake my head, narrowing my eyes at him. “Sorry, but it isn’t exactly appealing that you want me for a mate just because I’m a bonder.”