“I heard Isa explaining to the others that the ring works to help the true owner. If a threat is detected, it will drain the power and move on to the next one,” Autumn explained. “That’s how she was able to collect so many different powers and transfer them to whomever she wanted. The ring answered to her.”
Raine felt the effects of the day crash down on her and she moved to sit in the chair with her old bindings lying near the legs. Skye’s earlier words repeated in her head. Until Raine.
“They why didn’t it attack Kayla again?” Skye asked.
“She was unconscious,” Kaden supplied the answer. “I knocked her unconscious before Raine emerged from the falls.”
How are you the owner of this ring? Raine felt the question filter through her mind the moment she felt Kaden’s eyes on her. How are you connected?
I don’t know. Raine answered in her mind as she patted the pocket containing the ring. But it really scares me.
CHAPTER 31
KADEN
Kaden’s home in Newport was just as he left it hours ago. The sun, now lowering in the sky, gave off a pink hue as it descended behind the trees to the ocean. Kaden pulled into the long driveway and cut the engine. His eyes wandered to the fresh grave at the tree line of his property, the place Tech loved to be. A wave of anger washed over him and he hit the steering wheel with his fist.
Raine gently placed a hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze before she opened the door and let Autumn and Skye out of the car. She walked to the door and tried the handle. It turned without pause and she pushed the door open.
In hushed tones, she directed Skye and Autumn around the house, then went to sit on the porch swing while she waited for Kaden to exit the car. He made his way to the porch and turned at the railing to look out over the grassy area of his property.
“I’m sorry about Tech. I can’t excuse myself for not being here when he died,” Raine said after a few moments of silence. “I’m sorry about your mother, too.”
“My mother made her choice, years ago.” Kaden’s shoulders slumped just a bit and he knew Raine could feel the guilt in his thoughts.
“But she was your mother and I know you loved her.”
Kaden faced Raine, leaned back against the railing, crossed his arms, and let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I did.” His eye drifted to the pink sky as he spoke.
The screen door opened with a creak as Autumn and Skye stepped onto the porch. Autumn’s face was void of dirt, the strawberry hair around her face wet from a recent washing. She stepped around the swing as Raine scooted over to make room.
Skye stepped close to Kaden and thrust out his hand.
“We haven’t officially been introduced. My name is Skylar,” he said as he waited for Kaden to take his hand. “I’m sorry about Lizzy.”
Kaden took his hand and squeezed with a little more pressure than necessary, but Skye didn’t say a word until after he released his hand.
“Your mother was working with Elzar from the beginning. I don’t think you knew that.”
“I didn’t. I thought I was working for someone else,” Kaden explained. “But none of that matters anymore.”
“Why?” Autumn asked as she pushed her feet against the porch to set the swing in motion. “Why did you do it? Didn’t you know what they were doing to us?”
Kaden looked to Raine and felt the question filter through her head as she thought about what Autumn asked. Raine remembered the images of the scars on his back and Kaden flinched.
“I didn’t really know who I was working for,” Kaden offered. “And no, I didn’t know what they were doing. Not really.”
“You had no idea Lizzy was part of this?” Autumn’s voice was full of disbelief as her voice hitched at the end.
“No, I didn’t.”
Autumn opened her mouth to speak again but Raine grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. Autumn closed her mouth and looked to the ground.
“What is our plan now?” Skye asked after a few moments.
“We need to find out what Elzar had planned. He can’t be done, and if I know Kayla like I think I do,” Kaden said and instantly regretted his wording when jealously flashed through his mind, “she’ll be out for revenge.”
“Elzar wants a world like his home star, Maia. He often talked about it when he thought we weren’t listening,” Autumn said, her eyes still focused on the ground. “He said Elementals were to be revered and worshiped.”
“He lied,” Skye said. “To Lizzy. She believed him, but he lied about many things.”
“She made her choice.” The venom in Kaden’s voice was palpable and Skye dropped his gaze to the floor and cleared his throat.
“Elzar will be trying to regroup, to energize his army and find others willing to fight for him.” Skye stepped away from the railing, turned, and looked out over the darkening sky. “There are some willing to fight for him, for his cause, but there are others he forced into it.”
“What’s your story?” Kaden asked with a little more force than needed. He didn’t trust Skye just yet and he needed to know where he stood.
Skye took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He dropped his head and his shoulders slumped. “Elzar forced my hand.”
“I didn’t see any restraints on you.”
“True, he didn’t need restraints,” Skye said moments before he found his back slammed against a post on the porch with Kaden’s arm against his neck.
“Kaden,” Raine screamed as she rushed to Kaden’s back. “Stop.”
“Explain.” Kaden didn’t loosen his hold.
“They killed his fiancé.” Autumn’s voice cut through the night and instantly Kaden dropped his hands and stepped back. Skye pulled in a lungful of air and coughed it out as he doubled over. “Skye refused to help, at first. He was even willing to die to keep them from getting or using his powers. That’s when they tried to drain him, but there was a protection on him that kept the ring from working as it should.”
Autumn looked to Skye and Kaden noticed the look of grief that passed between them.
“They found out Samantha was part of the Sylphs Fae and she was very powerful. When we met it was like magic.” Skye stood and looked into the darkness above. Twinkling lights shone through the black blanket of night and he sighed. “We fell in love and I vowed to protect her. I never knew she placed a protection on me that would keep me safe until after they captured and killed her,” Skye said as he turned and looked at Kaden. “She thought I betrayed her. That was the last thing she heard before she died, and she believed every word. I saw the pain in her eyes as the light faded from her body.”
Autumn stood and pulled Skye into an embrace. He buried his head in her hair and inhaled deeply. “I vowed to get revenge, so yes, I am on your side.” His words were muffled, but Kaden heard them clearly.
“What about you, Autumn? Is your family safe?” Raine asked.
Autumn pushed away from Skye and turned to face Raine. “I have no family,” she said matter-of-factly. “I bounced from home to home in the foster-care system until I was old enough to go out on my own. I have no one.”
“I’m sorry,” Raine said as Autumn turned away.
“We need to make a plan. Raine needs to learn how to wield the powers she has inherited from Donovan and those college boys.”
“Skye and I can help her,” Autumn offered and Skye shook his head.
“We really can’t help her. For us it comes naturally, like water comes naturally for Raine. She‘ll need training from people who understand how it works, from someone who can teach her to use these powers as if she was born to wield them.”
“But who do we know that can do that?” Raine asked.
“We can go to my people in Alaska. They’re hiding there to keep safe. When we realized Elementals were being hunted, they took refuge in Alaska to disappear. They can help us.” The confidence in Skye’s statement gave Raine hope. Kaden could feel her spirit lighten.
“They’ll help me?” Raine a
sked as she looked from Kaden to Skye.
Autumn took Raine by the hand to get her attention. “You need to know something, Raine.” The look in Autumn’s eyes was one of worry and Kaden felt a jolt of panic. “Elzar talked of a being that could control all elements, an Avatar of sorts, who would control all elements of earth. They were trying to create one with the ring.”
“An Avatar?” Kaden asked as he stepped near Raine, pulling her to his side. “What does he want with an Avatar? His army isn’t enough?”
“If someone can control all the elements, they can control everything. He wouldn’t need an army. Just, her,” Skye said as he turned back to the railing and looked up. “It all makes sense now. Everything makes sense now.”
“He’s always wanted you, Raine. You’ve always been his end game.” Autumn confirmed what Kaden had been thinking. “He knew you would be the one to control all the elements, though I don’t know how he seemed to know.”
“The witch,” Skye supplied. “It has to be her.”
“Then we need to get to Alaska as soon as possible. And we need to keep Raine as far from Elzar and Isa as we can.” Kaden squeezed Raine close to his side and felt the insecurity in her thoughts. “We’ll protect you,” he said to her and the others agreed.
With a sigh, Raine nodded her head and stepped away from Kaden. “Then we better get packed and ready to leave.”
Raine, we need to talk. Kaden sent the thoughts to Raine and she stopped with her hand on the door. She turned and nodded to Kaden as Skye and Autumn filtered through the door, leaving her alone on the porch with Kaden.
CHAPTER 32
RAINE
Raine stepped away from the door and made her way to the swing. She knew Kaden could feel her thoughts, read her mood, and understand her insecurities, so she was taken aback when he wanted to talk. He followed her over to the swing and sat beside her, pulling her close to him as he kicked the swing into motion.
“Raine, I know you don’t trust me, that I have a lot to prove,” he said as he took her hand in his and clasped their fingers. “But you need to know that my heart is true.”
“Is it? Is it really, Kaden?” Raine said without looking at him. “I know you’ll protect me, you are chosen to do so and you can’t break that. I see that now.”
“It’s more than that, Raine,” Kaden cut her off but Raine shook her head.
“How do you know?” She turned to face him, pulling her hand away from his and placing it on her lap. “In the last few days I’ve lost the only family I ever knew, I found out I was an Elemental that could control water, I found out the guy I crushed on in school is actually older than me by three years, not that it really matters but I did think you were the same age. You came here to hunt me down and you’re my chosen Guardian. To top it off, my eyes glow an eerie shade of blue at odd times.”
Raine stood and walked to the railing, putting distance between them. She ran two fingers over the raised skin on her wrist.
“How do I know that you actually care for me beyond the bond we have? How do I know that you didn’t just do that to get into my head?” She closed her eyes and felt his arms embrace her from behind. He dipped his head and nuzzled the side of her neck, eliciting a sigh from her lips.
“I admit my intentions were not honorable when I was first hired to find you. But that changed the moment we met. I changed the moment we met. You got under my skin and I didn’t understand why, and that was before I realized who you were to me.”
“But that’s just it, Kaden,” Raine said as she turned in his arms to face him. “What I am is your charge. You’re tasked with protecting me, not loving me. I just met you, barely know you, and yet I feel so attached to you my heart aches with anticipation. It can’t be real, this can’t be anything more than the bonding we share, the connection that makes us believe there is something more. What other explanation is there?”
Kaden cupped her face in his hands and bent his head so he could look into her eyes. She knew he saw the insecurity, the uncertainty, and the fear she felt.
“Do you believe that two people can be led to each other, be destined to find each other, against all odds?” he asked with intense feeling.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Well, I do. I know we were meant to find each other. Destiny brings us together. The fates knew when they tasked me as your Guardian that we’re supposed to be together. I knew the moment I saw you and I fought it. I fought hard, but it was no use.”
Kaden kissed her nose as Raine closed her eyes.
“I feel like I’ve known you your entire life and maybe I have. You’ve been in my heart from your very first breath.”
“Kaden,” Raine said as she placed her hands on top of his and pulled them away from her face. “That makes no sense.”
“Search your heart, Raine.” Kaden stepped back and put his hands gently on her arms. “You felt something the moment we met. There’s a reason for that.”
“Because you’re my Guardian. You can read my thoughts, for crying out loud.” Raine tried to turn away, but Kaden held her with enough pressure to stop her halfhearted attempt to leave.
“It’s more than that. What can I do to prove to you my heart has changed? That my heart is true to you?” Kaden asked. Raine could hear the desperation in his words.
“You sold me out to your mother.” Raine’s shoulders slumped and she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. “You used Kayla, you used me.”
“No,” Kaden said and Raine’s eyes snapped to his. “None of that is true. I didn’t give you up to my mother.”
“Come on, I saw your phone.” Raine tried to turn away again to hide the tears she was ashamed of as they started to fall, but Kaden pulled her back into his arms and she didn’t fight him.
“Okay, yes. When I first met you, I was confused. My mother always told me you were dead, that my charge was dead, and when I came to find you, you were a job, nothing more.” Raine’s eyes grew large with his words and he gently put his hands on her cheeks and made her look into his eyes. “But from the moment I received my call as your Guardian, I felt a connection to something, someone, which I never understood. I always felt there was something missing in my life, until you. It all clicked into place the moment we met and I fought it so hard because I suspected you were an Elemental. I tried not to let my heart rule me, but I couldn’t help myself. Deep in my heart, I’ve always known there was something about you. By the time I discovered you were my charge, I was already gone.”
Kaden placed a kiss on her head and gently pulled her to his chest, snaking his arms around her back as he pressed her to him.
“What you saw on my phone was my attempt to buy time, time to get away. But she was already here and I didn’t know it. You’ve got to believe me.”
Raine could hear his heartbeat as it erratically thumped in his chest. She exhaled as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You’ve done something to me and the thought of losing you almost killed me. When I saw you fall unconscious and then watched the van drive away, I ran like crazy to get to you, but I wasn’t fast enough.” Kaden placed a kiss on top of her head and laid his cheek against her hair. “This is more than just guardianship for me.”
“I want to believe you,” Raine said as she ran her fingers along the muscles of his back. “But I have to know for sure.”
“What can I do?”
Raine blew out her breath and thought the words at the same time she spoke them. “Stay out of my head.”
Kaden frowned. “Raine, I . . . I don’t know if I can do that. I need to protect you.”
Raine pushed against his chest and stepped back.
“If I’m going to know this is real, I need to know it isn’t because of our bond. I need to know it’s because you know who I am, without the help of listening to my constant thoughts.”
Kaden stood silent for a few moments as his thoughts filtered through Raine’s head. She shook her head when she
felt he was about to protest and then she felt a wall come between them and her head went silent.
Kaden pulled her back into his arms and looked deep into her eyes. She had to crane her neck to see him as he watched her with a hooded expression.
“If this will prove to you that what I say is true, then I’ll do it. But,” he said with force. “if for any reason I feel your safety is at risk, I’ll break the wall down again. I won’t risk losing you.”
Raine nodded as he brought his mouth close to hers.
“Kaden,” Raine said before their lips met. “This is the last time we can kiss. At least . . . for a while.”
Kaden froze, his lips hovering a breath away as he exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes and held her breath for his argument. His response surprised her.
“Then I better make it count.”
Kaden gently touched his lips to hers and kissed her reverently. His arms fit around her waist and he pulled her close to his body, giving her hands no place to rest other than his neck. She shoved her fingers through his hair and pulled herself up to get closer before he lifted her up to where she was standing on her tiptoes.
Kaden deepened the kiss as he slanted his mouth over hers, his hands firmly pressed against her back. Raine melted into him and almost changed her mind about kissing him again, but knew she couldn’t. Not yet. She needed to know that what she felt wasn’t a trick of the markings, the bonding they now shared. She needed to know her heart.
Kaden released his hold and steadied her on her feet before he looked into her eyes and kissed the tip of her nose.
“I’ll prove to you my feeling are true.” Kaden dropped his hands to his sides. “Somehow, you’ll see,” he said before he turned and walked into the house.
Chapter 33
ELZAR
Wind whipped from all directions as Elzar’s feet hit solid earth. The fog around him popped and zinged with energy as dense white surrounded him, cutting off his vision of anything beyond his hand. Humidity weighed heavy in the air and he could feel the change in temperature from where they’d just arrived.
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