“You have much to learn still, but I know all is not lost. You will make your father proud in this quest, but heartache will soon follow.”
Kaden placed his hands on Eryk’s shoulders in a warrior’s embrace.
“Sexa forte, permanecer fiel á súa herdanza.” Be strong, stay true to your heritage. Eryk squeezed his shoulder. “Vou atopalo.” I will find you.
Eryk turned and walked back to the house. He stopped long enough to hold Camille in an embrace and whisper something into her ear, and then he disappeared into the house and Kaden knew he was already gone.
Kaden slid into the front seat of his car and the engine roared to life. Camille slid into the passenger seat. Some of the fight from earlier had disappeared. She looked at him and he saw something he’d not noticed before. Fear.
Camille grabbed her seatbelt, clicked it into place, and turned to stare out the window as Kaden drove away.
CHAPTER 23
RAINE
A blast of heat hit Raine in the face and she blinked against the early morning light that filtered through the window in the room. As she looked around, she realized she was no longer alone. On the bed, positioned directly under the window, lay a girl with strawberry blonde hair. Her arms stretched over her head with shackles holding her firmly to the headboard. The iron chains around her wrists had caused the flesh beneath to become red and raw. Her clothes had rips at the knees, were covered in mud, and draped on her frame as she lay on the bed.
Raine’s vision blurred when another blast of heat hit her in the face and she blinked to clear the fog from her eyes. When she was finally able to focus on her companion again, Raine found a pair of light green eyes staring back at her. The light in her eyes made her look young, but her creamy skin sagged against her bones. She looked as if she had slowly starved.
“So, you’re the one.” The girl’s voice cracked on her words and she let out a loud gasp before she continued. “The one they say can save us all.”
Raine tried to speak, but her throat was so dry she couldn’t get any words past her lips. She tried to swallow, but her tongue felt like sandpaper. Another wave of heat rushed over her and she blinked with the intense feeling that overcame her. She fought against the urge to fall asleep and blinked her eyes furiously.
“They keep you heated and warm to drain you of your powers. They’re afraid of you,” the girl said. She shifted slightly and flinched when the chains pulled on her wrists.
“My name’s Autumn. I’m an Earth Elemental.”
Raine nodded her understanding and tried to form the words how long have you been here. She looked more like a fish out of water, but Autumn seemed to understand.
“They caught me yesterday.”
The shock in Raine’s eyes elicited a snort from Autumn.
“I must look horrible. They’ve drained some of my powers to keep me weak. They stopped when the witch said they were going to kill me. So they stuck me in here shackled me in these iron chains. Iron keeps our powers muted and burns our skin on contact.”
Raine looked to the wounds on Autumn’s wrists and cringed. The iron bracelet she wore that belonged to her mother never did that kind of damage on her own skin and Raine wondered why.
“Except you.” Autumn seemed to read her thoughts. “They are baffled by it, you know. Why iron doesn’t bother you like it does the rest of us.”
Autumn coughed when she heard footsteps down the hall. She gave a weak smile, closed her eyes, and turned her head to the wall just as the door opened and Ryker stepped inside.
“You’re awake,” he said. His voice held venom she’d never heard before. Ryker walked to the heater and switched it off before he made his way to the bed and poked Autumn in the back. She didn’t move. “But you’re not.”
Ryker then positioned himself in front of Raine. She had to crane her neck to look into his face so she stared at waist instead. He knelt down on his haunches and placed one hand on each of hers still tied to the chair.
“You’re surprised to see me.” The grin on his face sent a chill up her spine. “I’m sorry your father couldn’t make it, but he sends his best.”
At the mention of her father, Raine’s eyes instantly began to itch with tears her body was too parched to produce. She was too shocked by his callous remark to hide the surprise on her face and Ryker laughed. The sound grated her nerves, but she couldn’t look away.
“He begged for you. It was really very sweet. He tried to convince me to let you go, but I can’t do that.” Ryker used two fingers to caress her cheek. She closed her eyes and turned her head, leaving his hand suspended mid-air. He flipped his hand over and backhanded her across the face before he stood. She tasted metallic blood in her mouth.
“Never turn away from me,” Ryker said as he stood and walked to the open door. He smacked the wall with three beats before he turned back to face Raine, watching as she smacked her lips together in an effort to swallow. “Bring some water. She’s bleeding all over herself.”
Ryker leaned back against the doorway and crossed one ankle over the other before he shoved his hands into the band of his board shorts. Raine heard the shuffle of footsteps as an old woman appeared in the doorway. Her skin was white and paper thin, so much so her veins were visible from a distance. She had straggly, thin, white hair that hung limply past her shoulders, and her eyes were pale blue from a film that seemed to cover her irises.
She walked with slow steps as she moved to stand before Raine. She wasn’t very tall so Raine didn’t have to crane much to look at her. She looked familiar somehow, but Raine couldn’t place her.
The old woman bent and lifted a small glass full of water to Raine’s mouth in a surprisingly gentle manner. As the cup tipped upward, Raine dropped her head back to take the cool liquid that flowed past her tongue and slipped down her throat.
“Not too much, Isa.” Ryker’s clipped voice made the old woman jump and water drizzled down Raine’s chin.
“You need to treat our gem a little better, my dear, or you will find her on the wrong side of agreeable,” Isa said as she wiped the dribble from Raine’s chin and stepped back.
Raine noticed the blue sapphire ring Isa wore as she cupped the glass in her hand and stepped back to Ryker.
“If you want her help, you will need to help her understand our purpose.” Isa leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “She is a beautiful creature and will do much for us.”
Ryker closed his eyes and Raine saw the look of disgust he gave Isa before he pushed away from the doorframe in a way that made Isa stumble to the side. The look in her eyes was intense, but Ryker missed it as he came forward and knelt in front of Raine again.
“Feel better, my dear?” he asked. He raised his hand again, running two fingers along her cheek and swollen lip.
Raine closed her eyes but didn’t pull away. She could feel the sip of water finding its way through her body and she felt slightly better. However, the heat she had blasting on her for hours had drained her more than she realized.
“That’s better. You and I will be best friends. I could feel it the moment I discovered who you were.” Ryker smiled and stood. “I’m sorry about all of this.” He waved his hands in the air to encompass the entire room before his eyes settled back on her.
“Why?” Raine was finally able to squeak out. Her voice sounded raw and painful. It was.
“It’s necessary until you understand just how much we need you,” Ryker said, misunderstanding her question. Raine shook her head and repeated her question.
“Why?”
“That’s not a simple question to answer.” He walked to the hallway and pounded his fist on the wall once again. “To do that, you must meet the others.”
Raine watched as three more people walked down the hall and stuffed themselves into the tiny room.
“Donovan, you surely know,” Ryker said as he pointed to the man she recognized from the woods and the van. She wasn’t exactly surprised to see him there. H
er eyes lingered on him when she realized he still wore the same dirty clothes he had on the day they met. Donovan never met her gaze. He just studied his dirty fingernails and ignored the rest of the room.
“This is Kayla.” Ryker draped one arm around a fiery redhead with hair the color of flames and eyes that seemed to glow yellow when she stepped in the room. Her lips, painted red to match her hair, lifted in a sneer that showed gleaming white teeth. Her skin was a creamy pale color, which stood out against her head to toe leather. She was tall in her stilettoes, standing almost as tall as Ryker, and she had a leather whip coiled at her hip.
“It’s smoldering in here,” Kayla said as she licked her lips in a seductive manner. Ryker followed her tongue with his eyes. “I love it.”
Ryker gave Kayla a smile, a wink, and a swift pat to her backside before he pointed to the man who knelt at the foot of the bed where Autumn lay. Isa stood off to the side with a glare directed at Kayla that everyone but Raine missed.
“And this is Skye.” Skye didn’t flinch, blink, or move when his he was introduced. He just stared blankly at Raine as if he was waiting for something. “He is still yet to be convinced, but I think we almost have him.”
Skye continue to stare at Raine as she looked into his deep brown eyes. His dirty blonde windblown hair swept across his crinkled forehead. His hands twitched between his knees where he draped them. His skin, tanned from the sun, made him look like he could be related to Ryker—the resemblance was uncanny. He wore light colored jeans and a white button up shirt that strained against the muscles of his shoulders.
A cool breeze filtered over Raine’s body that instantly made her relax. The heat had been horrible for her to bear and the cool air was a refreshing contrast. She looked around the room in surprise but no one seemed to notice the change in temperature. When Raine glanced back at Skye, he winked at her, but otherwise didn’t move.
“These are the others who are here to help us usher in a new age for Elementals,” Ryker said as he dropped his arm from Kayla and stepped away.
“What about her?” Raine asked as she jerked her chin at the bed where Autumn lay. Autumn stiffened at the mention of her, but made no other obvious movements.
“She,” Kayla sneered as she pulled her whip from her side and flicked it at the bare flesh exposed on Autumn’s side, “refuses to corporate with us.”
The sound of leather meeting flesh echoed in the room. Skye lowered his head and closed his eyes, Donovan looked up from his nails, Ryker smiled, Isa frowned, but Autumn never twitched. Raine flinched when she saw the blood ooze from the new open wound.
“Leave her be,” Isa said. “I need her strong for the next round.”
Kayla coiled her whip and attached it to her hip before she sauntered over and dropped to the bed next to Autumn’s feet.
“What have you done to her?” Raine asked, her voice gaining strength but still weak from lack of water. The concern in her eyes wasn’t missed on Ryker and he cocked an eyebrow.
“My dear, what you must understand is we’re trying to create a world where we can be free to be ourselves. To rule the elements and live as Elementals were meant to live. We have such amazing gifts that we should have the world at our fingertips.
“Skye controls the wind with a swoop of his hands, Donovan can move mountains, though not very well.” Ryker waved his hands in Donovan’s direction. Donovan never looked up from his nails. “And Kayla, she is particularly talented with all things fire.”
“You?” Raine asked. Ryker sneered at her question as all eyes, even Donovan’s, lifted and stared at him.
“I, my dear, can do it all,” he said with malice in his voice.
“You mean, you steal it all,” Donovan whispered under his breath, but Ryker heard him just the same.
“Yes, well,” Ryker said with a tight smile, “when Elementals refuse to use their talents we must take matters into our own hands.”
“You mean the witch.” Donovan pointed to Isa who stood off to the side of the room, quiet as a mouse. She twisted the sapphire ring on her finger as she watched the exchange between the two. “You’re nothing without her,” Donovan said. He stepped back when Ryker inched toward him with a raised hand.
Ryker dropped his hand and turned his back on Donovan, the fury on his face still present in the red staining his cheeks.
“What do you say, Raine? Will you join us?” Ryker asked again.
“I still don’t understand what you want from me,” Raine answered honestly.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ryker smiled. Raine shook her head.
“You will help us rid the world of humankind,” Kayla said from the bed in a nonchalant way.
“Seriously? You’re crazy,” Raine croaked through her dry throat. Skye snickered but caught himself and schooled his features. Kayla’s face turned bright red in anger.
“Humans deserve no less for the way they have treated us,” Kayla said through clenched teeth.
“What do you mean?” Raine questioned with a slight shake to her head.
“My dear, over the years Elementals have become a hunted species by those who don’t understand us. They have sought to kill us and, as Kayla says, they deserve nothing less.” Ryker was clearly annoyed.
“Not all humans know about us so how could they want to kill us? I’ve lived as a human my whole life and never knew about any of you until a few days ago. I don’t believe—”
“Enough,” Isa screamed, her frail frame leaned forward with intense conviction. “Elzar, finish this. Time is short.”
“Elzar?” Raine questioned as she looked around the room. Ryker came to kneel in front of her, the smile on his face a portrait of pure evil.
“Yes, my dear. Have you not guessed already who I am?”
Raine squinted to look Ryker in the face as she examined the scar that spanned the length of his face to disappear under his shirt before she looked him straight in the eyes and understanding dawned.
“But, how?” He looked nothing like the descriptions Aria left in her book.
“The ring,” Donovan supplied the answer and Isa smiled when Raine looked to the sapphire she continued to play with on her finger. “It’s how he steals the life from Elementals.”
“That’s what you did to her?” Raine gasped as she pointed her head in Autumn’s direction.
“That’s right, my dear. And you will help us, one way or another.” Raine didn’t miss the implication of that statement.
CHAPTER 24
KADEN
Kaden crept through the woods near his old family cabin. Nestled away from the main byway that took tourists through the dense forest to each new waterfall, the cabin was a perfect place to hide. It had been in Kaden’s family from the time he was little and he remembered many vacations with his grandparents. That was before his mother decided she no longer wanted him around them.
The cabin was made of round wooden trees patched together like an old farmhouse. The wood was old and worn smooth to the touch, but in surprisingly good shape with the sealant his mother put on after she inherited the place. The front porch looked out into the green foliage of the rainforest and faced away from the side of the mountain it butted. Moss grew on the roof, snaking down around the eaves and draping toward the soggy earth.
A large sign that read “Lizzy’s B&B” stood near the turnoff that brought tourists from the main byway up to the bed and breakfast his mother now ran. Lizzy had always wanted to run a bed and breakfast. It was the dream she said was stolen from her when Kaden’s father was killed, and Kaden had thought she was content in her new adventure. His grandparents had gifted her the cabin in their will and Kaden thought she’d finally moved forward with her life. He knew how much she hated Elementals, but he never imagined just how deep that hatred went until yesterday when she was part of kidnapping Raine.
The occupancy sign read no vacancy and the driveway, packed with cars, confirmed what the sign said. An old white, rusted, windowless passenger van sat ne
xt to his mother’s red sedan, confirming they were in the right place.
Kaden had driven by the cabin earlier that morning and dropped Camille off on the side of the road before he made his way to the Bridal Veil Falls parking lot to leave his car.
As daylight filtered through the forest trees, Kaden made his way to Camille who hid herself in the foliage near the house. Camille put her finger to her lips to keep him from speaking as Lizzy closed the door of her car and made her way back into the house.
With hand gestures, Camille motioned for Kaden to follow him and they made their way to the back wall of the house where Kaden knew Raine would be.
Curtainless windows faced the side of the mountain to give the occupants an unhindered look at the beautiful rain forest all around them. It also made sneaking up more difficult.
As they approached, they could hear muffled voices from inside the room. Kaden pressed his back against the wall and slowly moved his head to chance a peek through the clear glass. Camille used the foliage around her to conceal her from view. From the inside, it looked like another shrub outside the window.
Raine was tied to a chair in the center of the room, the skin around her wrists chaffed and raw. She looked tired and weak as she tried to keep her head upright to look into the eyes of her captors. Her hair was plastered to her scalp and her clothes were torn and hung off her shoulders. She turned her head to the side when the bleached blonde man began talking to her, and Kaden noticed the swollen cheek and split lip. His blood boiled.
Kaden wanted to connect with Raine, wanted to let her know he was here, but he didn’t dare try, knowing her marking would glow and give away their surprise. Instead, he held his temper in check and tried to listen to the conversation through the thin glass as he took stock of the other occupants in the room.
Kayla he recognized and wasn’t as surprised as he should have been to see her. Kayla had also been a job of his and from the looks of it, she fared well. The hate in her eyes wasn’t hard to see.
Raine (Elemental Series Book 2) Page 17