Life and Water: The Elementals: Book One

by Melanie Gilbert

  Drew nodded. He knew vehicles inside and out. Whenever we needed a new one, which was more frequently than not because of incidents on the job, I always sent Drew to get them. Not to mention Drew could always get vehicles at the best price. He was very intimidating to those outside of our family. A wall of muscle that rarely smiled was the best way to describe him. We teased him about having a permanent glare. It was true, though. He did not have a good bedside manner to speak of, and it totally worked for him.

  “How’d the last mission go?” Dalton asked. “We only got ‘It’s done.’ from Chris.”

  “It was so easy they only needed to send one of us,” Chris remarked before I could. “If any of us were needed. They probably could have gotten away with having Cooper’s team take care of it.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” I started. Then asked, “Who’s turn is it to cook tonight?” We took turns cooking because none of us liked it and we were all terrible cooks.

  Everyone pointed to Drew who shook his head, “No. I’m already checking the vehicles. I’m not doing both.”

  “Okay, Drew. Dalton, would you help him out?” I asked. Dalton nodded. I could always count on him when Drew refused to do something. “Thank you. Let’s get going.”

  As we stood to leave, I remembered part of my conversation with Borgman. “Chris, since our mission was, as you said, ‘so easy,’ I’m going to need you to write up the report. Get it to Borgman before we leave.”

  “What?! No way!”

  “Christopher Zhaine Lanshay, you will remember who is in charge here,” I growled out. He was pushing buttons he knew not to. “I’m your commander first and your brother second. Get the report done. Then you can eat.”

  “Yes, Commander,” Chris replied with more humility than he had shown as of late. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  “Very well. I’m starving, and we have packing to finish. Upstairs.” I was now in a mood thanks to Chris. My team would need to tread lightly the rest of the evening if they wanted me calmer before we left. I held grudges, and my temper would only keep spiking now, but they were used to it.

  Adam, Jeff, Chris, Dalton and I went upstairs to our large apartment at Mount Pickett. Drew went to the parking garage. We used the apartment if we were only in town for a few hours, otherwise we would stay at our house outside of town. The apartment was close to the Council and my office. Mount Pickett was a large castle that once belonged to the King of Visca before he had another castle built thirty miles away. Mount Pickett was now used as a Light academy and base for Light teams like ours. As the best Commander the Light had, I got my own office there.

  We spent the evening preparing for our new mission and then went to bed early. No one was looking forward to the four, or so, days we would be stuck in a car together round-trip. The Hamilton’s had better be worth it.

  ******

  “Are we there yet?” Chris whined from the seat behind me. I was about to lose my patience with him. We’d been on the road for two days, traveling through the night. We stopped for gas and to change drivers when needed, and we were all bored. Chris, though, was the most overactive of us, and he was at his wits end. I had tried to be patient, but patience went out the window two hours after sunup. Yesterday. Luckily for my nerves, we would be to the Hamilton estate within the next half hour.

  Trying to distract myself from Chris’s continuous, bored movements, I brought back to memory the files I had read about the Hamilton’s. Borgman had sent a messenger to our apartment late the night before we left to deliver them. Like all missions, I appreciated knowing more about my target, or in this case, targets, before leaving the academy’s grounds. Sure, the Hamilton’s were not our targets for killing, but why change our lingo for one mission? I ground my teeth together. The Council had better only make this a one-time deal. Focusing my mind back on the files, I began reciting all the information I knew on the Hamilton’s.

  Governor and Mrs. Hamilton had been married for 23 years. Prior to his being made Governor, Jonas had been a very talented spy, and the son of a Governor himself. It was not surprising. Governors were not chosen based on the genetic line of the last governor, but on the power of the potential candidates. Still, many children of Governors received the position because they had inherited their parents’ power level.

  Ruby Hamilton always worked in the background, never in the field. Her most prominent job had been a secretary for a former councilman. When she started having children, she resigned her post to raise them, and support her husband who had accepted his new position as governor six months before their oldest child, Archer, was born.

  The file did not list much about the Hamilton children except to state that Archer, Sylee, and Paul were considered in the warrior category, while Isla was in the healer category. The younger girl would be our hardest challenge. Healers were not known for their bravery. They were not skilled fighters and were known to flee from any, and all, danger. This girl would be no different. Her siblings, while young, would put on brave faces and follow commands, which was the instinct given to them by their Light blood. Isla’s blood would tell her to hide.

  I was still going over the file in my head when we pulled up to the gated entrance. I showed my ID to the man in the booth, and we were quickly allowed onto the property. There was an excitement in the car as we slowly made our way up the long driveway, looking for any trouble. Chris and Jeff were leaning forward in their seats in anticipation of leaping out of the vehicle. They probably wanted to get away from me too. I had not gotten enough sleep the past few days, and it was showing in my attitude. I hoped the Hamilton’s were ready for our arrival because I was in a testy mood, and they did not want to see me tested any further than Chris had pushed me.

  After exiting our vehicles, I led the way to the front door of the Hamilton mansion. It was opened by a plump little maid who stepped aside for us to enter. The last of us had just crossed the threshold when Jonas’s Chief of Security entered the foyer from a back room.

  “Commander.” He smiled like we were best friends and held his hand out for me to shake, which I did not. His smile faltered before he drove it back into place and continued his sentence. “The Governor and his family will be ready momentarily. If you, or your team, would like a refreshment, I’m sure Miss Green,” he indicated the plump maid, “would be happy to bring you something.”

  “What I would like,” I growled at the man, “is for the Hamilton’s to be in the vehicles that are waiting outside within the next five minutes.”

  “Um, y-yes Sir,” the Chief stuttered out his reply. How did this man still remain Chief of Security after his charges were repeatedly attacked and almost kidnapped? Did the Governor owe the man, or something to that nature? The file on Jonas did not make him seem incompetent, but this decision to keep the man did.

  My team and I stood around awkwardly as we waited for our charges to come down from upstairs, the direction the Chief had gone to retrieve them. Most of my brothers wandered around slowly, pretending to look at the items in the room, mirrors, furniture, flowers in vases, but I knew their whole purpose was just to stretch their legs. Like me, they did not want to show the Hamilton household any weakness, so they put on a show.

  Our attention perked at the sound of voices coming down a hall upstairs to our left, and soon the Mr. and Mrs. appeared, followed by Paul and Archer. The Chief crossed to the opposite side of the house. I assumed he was going to retrieve the female Hamilton children.

  Jonas and his wife descended the stairs before their children and made their way over to me. Jonas first set down the bag in his right hand before extending it to shake mine. This time I did shake hands. I needed to at least start out on good terms with this man.

  “Commander Lanshay, I presume,” the Governor addressed me. I nodded my head to confirm my identity to him and he continued, “this is my wife, Ruby, and my sons, Archer and Paul,” he indicated each as he introduced them. I recognized each from their picture in the files I’d been given.


  When we heard footsteps descending the stairs, everyone looked, expecting to see the two females we waited on. Instead, the Chief was walking solo. I could see him biting his lower lip and tensing his fisted hands. He was nervous to tell me something, and I was not going to make it easy on him. It was his fault my team was here, since he couldn’t do his job.

  “Where are they?” I growled at him. Jonas took a step back from me. His eyes held surprise at my tone. Obviously, he did not expect the commander who was saving his family to be, well, like me.

  “They are not ready yet, Sir,” the Chief said, unable to meet my eyes.

  “Why not?” I said through clenched teeth. I knew why before he even answered. The younger daughter.

  “They wouldn’t open the door, so I’m unsure. Sylee just said they weren’t ready.”

  “Governor,” I said, turning back to the head of the house, “please take your wife and Paul, and follow Drew, Adam, and Dalton to the first vehicle outside. You will wait there quietly. The rest of us will not be far behind.”

  “Yes, Commander,” Jonas said with a nod of his head. Turning to his family, he said, “Ruby, Paul, let’s go. Archer, you behave and do whatever these men tell you to do.”

  Archer did not look pleased with his father’s commands, but did as he was told. It seemed the governor’s children were very strong in power and authority like him. At least, the older two. Paul would probably grow into it. Isla would not, but she was a healer, and healers were respected for their abilities.

  “Commander,” the Chief started. I was pretty certain about what he was going to say, so before he could finish, I answered his unspoken question.

  “No, you may not accompany us. You may go back to stuffing your gut and ignoring the dangers presented to your boss and his family. Now, get out of my sight, and do not let me see you again before I leave.” Thankfully, he rushed to do as I had commanded.

  After Drew’s carload had left the house, I ascended the stairs two at a time, followed by Chris, to retrieve the missing children. We needed to hurry this job along. I was as anxious as the next brother to have it done, and forgotten.

  At the top of the stairs we turned and headed down the hall, listening at doors as we went. We knew we had the correct room when sniffling sounds met our ears. I barely contained my groan, and huffed out a small laugh when Chris didn’t. I’d found the perfect revenge for my difficult riding companion.

  Since we were in a hurry, and the girls had been warned it was time to leave, I immediately grabbed the handle, but it was locked and wouldn’t twist.

  “Ladies, my name is Commander Carmon Lanshay, you have thirty seconds to open this door before I break it down,” I said after knocking loudly.

  “Give us a minute,” a feminine voice commanded from the other side of the door.

  “Twenty seconds,” I called to her.

  “Really, you jerk? You’re actually counting?” came the same voice.

  “Ten seconds.” My words were barely words as my blood boiled in reaction to her attitude toward me.

  “Fine,” the word was yelled, but I still counted.

  “Five seconds,” I barked to her as I heard whimpering, and footsteps came toward the door.

  The door was flung open one second before I would have forced my way in.

  “Nice timing,” Chris quipped. “You almost lost your door.”

  The older of the two women in the room looked at me with a scowl while her eyes narrowed slightly. She was dressed in blue jeans and a lavender fitted top, had long dark hair, not as dark as mine, and pale skin. I had to admit her brown eyes had a slight appeal. If only they weren’t challenging me. The younger woman was shorter than her sister, but had the same dark hair and eyes, though her eyes were red and blotchy from crying.

  “What is wrong with you?” the older of the two, Sylee, shouted at me.

  “What is wrong with me?” I stepped the short distance toward her and let my larger frame dwarf her smaller one. It was an intimidation tactic I hoped would pull her from her high and mighty throne. At first, I thought it worked. She took a step back quickly from me with nerves showing in her eyes, but then she squared her shoulders and stepped back into my space.

  “Yes, Commander,” she spit my rank out like it contained a disease, “what in the world is wrong with you, threatening to take a door down when my sister is already scared?”

  “Ms. Hamilton, your sister is scared of the witches, correct?” Chris asked from behind me, trying to calm the situation.

  “Yes,” was the nicer reply he received.

  “Then I suggest you bring her downstairs so we can leave before any witches decide to drop by,” Chris replied just as calmly. “The sooner she arrives at Mount Pickett, the sooner she will be safe.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t get your name,” Sylee spoke to Chris.

  “His name is Chris. He’s a Captain, and he’s happy to meet you both,” I answered quickly for Chris. Sylee scowled at me, but before she could lay down the law with me again, which I was not putting up with, I spun her around by her shoulders and placed my hand tightly over her mouth and my other arm snaked around her middle to pull her closer to me. I then spoke in her ear, “Ms. Hamilton it is time to leave. I’ve lost my patience with you. Chris take Isla downstairs to the car please while her sister and I grab their bags.”

  Chris moved to the younger girl who was sobbing. “You and your family are safe with us, Isla, but we have to leave.” He took her arm at the elbow and quickly escorted her from the room. She glanced at her older sister as they passed and I felt Sylee try to give her an encouraging nod, but my hold on her was too tight for her to accomplish it.

  When the other two had left, I released my hold on the girl’s mouth and body. She spun around to me, but before she could say anything, I stepped into her space again and I knew my eyes, which she stared at, looked as cold as a winter blizzard, and were just as icy.

  “Ms. Hamilton.”

  “Sylee, please.” The please was added when my gaze grew even darker.

  “Fine. Sylee. I am not the type of man to hit a woman, but you are pushing me to my limits,” I growled quietly in a barely contained voice. Her eyes widened at my tone and the words coming from my mouth.

  “I just want you to respect my sister and her feelings.”

  “I understand her feelings just fine. You need to respect my position and understand that it is my duty to be here helping your family

  “Isla’s bag is on the bed. I’m not done packing mine,” she stated, stepping toward her open bag.

  “Yes, you are. It’s time to leave,” I stepped up to her bag and zipped it closed.

  “I’m not done!” she cried at me.

  “We’re leaving. Next time, pack your bags before helping your sister,” I grabbed both bags with one hand, and reached for Sylee with the other. She backed out of my reach, and I saw her jaw ground together.

  “If I have to come get you, you will not like it,” I warned her. My patience was completely gone. There was not a speck of it left. Still she stood there, crossing her arms.

  Before she could react, I had my hand wrapped around her upper arm and was dragging her from the room and down the stairs.

  “Load up!” I yelled at those who were still waiting in the house.

  “Let go, you animal!” Sylee tried to dig her feet into the pavement of the driveway. It didn’t slow me down at all. She’d probably have bruises, but I counted her lucky that I hadn’t yet snapped enough to hurt her more. If she were one of my brothers, he would be laying on the floor, knocked out by my fist by now.

  “You’re hurting her,” Archer addressed me, hurrying after his sister to help her in some way.

  “Get in. Both of you,” Chris ordered from behind our group, bringing Isla with him.

  They both listened to the order and crawled into the seats Jeff assigned. I realized as I leaned against the car to get my breathing under control that Chris had prob
ably saved Archer from a bruised face. He wasn’t a girl. He was free game for my fists.

  I closed my eyes and sent my power out to search for witches. Nothing. Nothing in the ten-mile radius around us. The same had been true the entire ride to the Hamilton’s. Usually I felt some stray magic from a witch or two. I’d never felt such complete nothingness before and for so long. It made me wonder what they had planned. They wouldn’t abandon the Governor’s family so easily. Would they? I didn’t have an answer as I climbed in the driver’s seat.

  ******

  The first day in the car was going smoothly. The Hamilton children in my car didn’t say much. When they did, it was in whispers only meant for each other. That was just fine. I didn’t want to know what they said. It would annoy me worse than the mission already was. The layover to procure the Hamilton’s had not been a long enough time out of the car for Chris, and his fidgeting was going to make me tie him to the roof soon.

  I was so thankful when I felt magic hit my power. It was a blessed reprieve from my annoyances.

  Gentlemen, we have a very tiny problem. One Harbor Witch. Ten miles south of here. Right where we need to go, I sent all of my brothers. One witch was a piece of cake. I was about to start issuing orders when more magic crashed into my power, stunning me. Drew, pull over. Adam, Chris, and Drew meet me outside between the cars.