“I’m not, but I do understand why he’s done some of these things.” I didn’t want to tell anyone about Jaiden’s expiring elements, because they’d surely try to use that against him, and yes, it did sound incredibly selfish that he’d obeyed his father’s orders because he wanted to keep his elements, but things were rarely that simple. I wanted to give Jaiden a second chance, even if no one else did. But first I had to find him. I reached out and clapped Noah on the shoulder. “Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?”
“No, I...”
“Good. See you later.” I waved at him and hurried to the elevator.
After my mom and the doctors had run all the tests they could on me for almost a week, they confirmed everything looked normal. I’d practiced enough with my elements to regain my confidence, so I turned into air and flew out of the building, rising above the city.
Everything looked so calm and peaceful, the morning sunshine still too weak to warm me. The sky was so incredibly blue that I almost wanted to surge up as far as possible. I headed out to the sea, flying lower so I could breathe in the amazing salty scent of the waves. Going back to Roivenna seemed so unreal that for a moment I thought I was dreaming, but as I knocked on the door of the hideout, I knew that it wasn’t a dream.
“Moira!” Joy spread across Nick’s face when he opened the door and let me pass through. He immediately pulled me into a tight hug.
“Hey,” I said and saw Kenna standing behind him, chewing on her lip, her arms crossed. Her dark brown hair was even longer than it had been the last time I saw her, and her hazel eyes were wary.
“Are you sure she can help?” She gave her twin brother a skeptical look.
“I wouldn’t be here with you now if she hadn’t fixed the mind control,” he said. “You’re going to be okay. Moira knows what she’s doing.”
“I don’t know about this.” Kenna backed away from me. “I don’t want to stay in here any longer, but I don’t want to die either.” She pinned me with a cold stare. “What if your control falters? Will I convulse on the floor and die?”
“Kenna!” Nick said, aghast.
“Well, she’s a killer, Nick! Easy for you to say to trust her when she didn’t have that damn ability when she was in your mind!” she yelled.
Nick went over to her, putting his arms around her. “Nothing bad will happen. If Moira feels something is wrong, she’ll stop.” His eyes darted to mine as if he were urging me to say something.
“I know you don’t trust me, but I’ve been through every test possible, and I can assure you I’m fully in control of my elements.” I said.
Kenna’s eyes flitted from Nick to me. “Okay. I’ll do it. But promise me one thing, brother.” She gripped his shirt. “If she kills me, you’ll kill her for it.”
“Kenna!” Nick groaned.
“Promise me!” she screeched.
“It’s okay,” I said to Nick.
“Fine. I promise,” Nick said grudgingly. Kenna finally let go of him and stepped in front of me.
“Okay, let’s do this. I’m ready,” she said, shaking her shoulders.
I called to my air and gently guided it out. The shimmering thread reached for Kenna’s mind and she winced in pain, shutting her eyes. I could picture her brain signals, so I looked for the darkened ones and pushed my energy into them, reviving them. When everything looked fine, I carefully pulled back. Kenna opened her eyes and stared at me.
“Did it work?” she asked.
“I don’t know. You should try it out,” I said. She looked at Nick and turned into air, flying straight for the door.
“Thank you,” Nick said. “I should probably...”
“Yeah, sure. Go after her. I’m glad I could help.”
Flashing me a smile, Nick vanished through the door.
I stood in the empty room for a few moments, then headed toward Jaiden’s old room, hoping Kenna hadn’t destroyed everything in her rage. Maybe I’d find something in there that would help me find Jaiden. When I entered the room, I nearly stepped on a book. Kenna had pretty much taken out her anger and desperation on every item in the room, except for the computer, which was still on and recording the footage from the cameras outside.
As I picked up a few broken things, I wondered if there could actually be anything useful in here. I sat down on what was left of Jaiden’s bed, pushing away the ripped blankets. The drawer of the nightstand was closed, so I pulled it open, but all I could find inside was a gun. I tapped the drawer for any hidden compartments, but didn’t find anything.
Getting to my feet, I roamed around the room, but couldn’t find anything that would give me a clue as to where Jaiden might have gone. I supposed the only option I had left was to go back to the city and fly around until I finally spotted him. I didn’t even want to think that he’d left the city forever. Although I could never blame him for it. He would be safer in another country, on another continent... so far away from me. God, I missed him so damn much. Pushing away those thoughts, I turned into air and whizzed out of the hideout.
Chapter 24
Three months later
Tired of yet another day of uselessly patrolling the city for tainted elementals or any sign of Jaiden, I found the nearest bar and ordered myself a nice cocktail. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw people dancing and having fun. Lucky them. I took another gulp of the strong liquid that burned its way down my throat.
“Easy with that. People might mistake you for an alcoholic,” a voice said behind my back, and I spun around, my heart racing, my lips parting. Jaiden smiled at me, taking a seat at the bar next to me. He looked more handsome than ever, his dark brown eyes mischievous, his dark brown hair combed to the side. His black leather jacket tightened across his shoulders as he leaned his elbows on the bar.
I looked at my half-empty glass and then back at him. “Please tell me I’m not hallucinating.”
His hand covered mine. “Is this real enough for you?”
I intertwined my fingers with his, squeezing lightly. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.” He let go of me and turned to the bartender, ordering a drink. I pinched myself just in case. Nope, he hadn’t disappeared.
“So where have you been?” I asked. He’d been eluding detection for three months.
“Here and there.” He took a sip of his drink.
“Everyone is looking for you,” I said, watching his face. “Because you helped your father escape, and because... they think you left me to die on the floor of that cell.”
“I know. I didn’t want to leave you there like that, but I knew they’d take care of you,” he said, lowering his head. “It was better that I stayed away.”
“And now? Don’t you think I might try to arrest you?” I gave him a look from under my eyelashes. “I’m kind of working for Lily now. Maybe you shouldn’t have come.”
He gave me a lazy smile, tipping his glass toward me. “I figured I could take a risk in such a crowded place. If someone tried anything here, these people would be in for a nice surprise. I doubt Lily or anyone would want that.”
I lifted my arm, pulling down the sleeve of my light blue shirt to show my scar. “So, should I thank you or punch you for leaving me with this?”
He grimaced, biting his lip. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t know another way. There was no time to look for an antidote, and if those men came near you... The cut had to be deep enough so you’d lose consciousness and shut down your elements. Your energy was trying to keep you alive, so your elements had to be pulled back. Now, if you still want to punch me, I’ll let you.”
“Thank you for doing that. If I’d hurt anyone else...” I ran my hand through my hair and took a gulp of my drink. “Or if I’d hurt you...”
“You didn’t,” he said, his warm eyes framed by thick eyelashes.
“I assume you know where your father is,” I said. “Lily is afraid he’ll create a new Elemontera somewhere or
continue his experiments. Please tell me you’re considering turning him in and that you know where he is at all times.”
He averted his gaze. “Don’t worry about my father. I know everyone’s looking for him, but I can’t turn him in.”
“Jaiden... I know he’s your father despite everything he’s done to you, but if you saved him only because of that serum... Maybe you should consider giving him up in exchange for your freedom. We could try to convince Lily to let you off the hook. At least then she wouldn’t have an excuse to send a kill squad after you.” Lily was always open to a good deal.
“I’m not ready to part with my elements. I’m sorry. Don’t ask that of me. As long as my father is the only one who can make the serum, I have to protect him.” An emotion flashed through his eyes. “That day Elemontera was attacked... I went to the office to find him, and there was a man pointing a gun at his head. That guy they supposedly sent to negotiate was actually there to kill him. Lily’s men never intended to deal with Elemontera peacefully. And I just... I couldn’t let that man kill my father, so I took him out. And it didn’t feel like a wrong thing to do at all. But I do hate one thing about it, and that is that it never even occurred to me to just knock him out. I don’t want my first instinct to be to kill people. Maybe Lily is right. Maybe I am a monster that should be stopped.” He stared down into his glass.
“It’s not too late to change things,” I said. “You’ve helped elementals before. You could do it again. You could go somewhere far from here and start over. I’m sure there are organizations like Elemontera in other parts of the country, too. I think part of you did like it when you were taking care of everyone on Roivenna, and I know you didn’t really want to go back to Elemontera, even when your elements were growing weaker.”
He looked up at me, a sad smile on his face. “Your faith in me... it’s a dangerous thing.”
I shrugged. “Everyone should have someone who believes in them.”
“Even when they don’t deserve it?”
“Don’t give me that ‘I don’t deserve it’ crap,” I said. “I really don’t want to argue with you tonight.”
A laugh escaped his lips. “Then what do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. Something that we haven’t done in, like, forever.” I looked toward the dance floor. “I want to have fun. Forget that the rest of the world exists. Forget about our past.” I lifted my glass toward him and then drained it in one swallow. He gulped down his drink too, and extended his hand toward me.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, and I took his hand, hopping to my feet.
“I think my answer is quite obvious.” I pulled him toward the dance floor, a smile creeping up my face. Tonight I no longer wanted to think about all the bad things that had happened since I discovered I had another element. For once, I could finally relax and not wonder if in the next second we’d get caught by some evil organization or by someone who intended to hurt those I loved. I prayed to God of Magic that nothing would ruin this night.
Pushing our way through the sweaty and drunk crowd, I swayed to the rhythm of the music, lifting my hands in the air and finally wrapping my arms around Jaiden’s neck. His lips were so close to mine, and I looked into his eyes. Winding my fingers into his hair, I pulled him against me, our lips crushing together. When I broke away from him, we were totally breathless.
Closing my eyes, I let myself get lost in the music and twirled around, nearly bumping into some girl. Jaiden grabbed me from behind, his arms wrapping around me, his hot body pressing against me, his lips on my neck. Tilting my head, I covered his hands with mine, moving my hips against his. He let out a small groan and nibbled on my earlobe.
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to stop,” he breathed into my ear, and I pressed myself even closer to him, biting my lip. It was cute that he thought I’d want him to stop. But as I opened my eyes, I could see people glancing our way, and I tensed. Someone here could be a spy or tell Lily about this. Why did I ever think Jaiden and I would be able to have a calm night for ourselves?
“Let them stare,” Jaiden said. “Or are you afraid everyone will know you are betraying your new boss? Kissing a wanted man? And enjoying the hell out of it?”
A shot of warmth spread through my body at his words. I tried to turn around to look at him, but his hands were firm on my waist, so I lifted my face toward his. “I don’t care what they think, but if word of this gets to Lily...”
“Then let’s make them forget we were ever here and find a better place.” He dipped his head and planted a featherlike kiss on my collarbone. “No one will ever know you were with me.”
“Okay.” I found my air inside of me and let it out. Jaiden trailed a path of kisses down my neck, his hand slipping under my shirt, gliding over my stomach and raising goosebumps on my skin. Our elements roamed through the room, everything around us shimmering. We touched the minds of every person in the room, making them forget they’d ever seen us. That was so wrong, and yet it felt so right.
“Come on,” Jaiden said. “I know a place where no one will bother us.” I let him take my hand and we both turned into air, zooming through the air until the fresh night air hit us. We flew across the city, slipping through crevices fast enough so that no one could catch us.
Chapter 25
We materialized in the hallway of a five-star hotel, and I raised an eyebrow at Jaiden, who put his hands on my face and shoved me against the wall, his kiss almost bruising. Turning us both invisible, he took us into one of the rooms so fast that my head spun. When I was sure I wouldn’t topple over, I gripped the collar of his jacket and pulled him closer until his mouth was on mine again.
He shrugged out of his jacket, then yanked my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, almost ripping it off him. We kissed again as I fumbled with the zipper of his jeans, my shoulder colliding with the wall, but I didn’t care about what I knew would be my newest scrape. When all the clothes were on the floor, I broke away from him and took a good, slow look.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” I said, biting my lower lip. Placing my hand on his strong chest, I let my fingers dance across his perfectly shaped abs.
He laughed, running his thumb over my lips. “And you’re fucking perfect.”
I opened my mouth, giving him a look through my eyelashes as I rolled my tongue around his finger. He stared at me, his lips parting slightly.
Only a second later, he turned us into air again. I found myself, visible again, on a big double bed covered with crimson satin sheets. Jaiden materialized on top of me, lowering his head so he could leave a trail of kisses down my stomach. A soft moan escaped my lips as a gentle breeze caressed my skin, making me shiver.
Jaiden’s hot mouth closed over my breast, his hand caressing my inner thigh. I arched my back as he moved down my body, his tongue leaving a wet trail across my stomach, his element shimmering around me and slipping into all the right places. Nudging my legs apart, he looked up at me, his dark eyes filled with desire. When he placed his lips on me, I cried out, small hot shocks running down my body as his element and fingers teased me.
“Jaiden,” I said, my voice husky. “Kiss me.”
He moved up my body, his hands stroking and exploring. I wrapped my arms around him and slid my fingers through his hair, tugging at the soft strands. His tongue intertwined with mine, and the only thing I could focus on was the feel of his strong body. Calling to my air, I used it to flip Jaiden onto his back, and I rolled on top of him, pinning his wrists above his head. His dark eyes sparkled with surprise for a moment, but then he laughed, lifting his head to nip at my chin. I lowered myself down his body, flicking my tongue over his nipples. He let out a muffled groan, reaching out for me.
“Don’t move,” I ordered, intent on tasting every inch of his body. I loved the way his muscles flexed as he tried not to move his hips off the bed when I took him into my mouth.
“Moira.” His eyes flutter
ed back in his head, my name a whisper on his lips. His body started to shimmer and his air spread over me, turning us both invisible and rolling me over so I was under him again. I gasped as we both materialized slowly, and I felt him and his element move deep inside of me.
The pressure inside of me kept building and building as he slammed his hips into mine, until a wave of warmth overwhelmed me, shattering me in pieces. My hands glided down his back, and I dug my nails into his ass as we both cried out in ecstasy.
I pulled him so close to me that I thought our bodies would melt. As I held him and caressed his hair, I knew that I didn’t want to let go of him. Ever.
Chapter 26
I was in a room so bright that I could barely see the things around me. A silhouette of a man came into view, and I ran toward it.
“Hey!” I yelled, but the silhouette kept getting away from me. “Wait!”
My element shot out of me, reaching for the silhouette and forcing it to stop. When I came closer, I saw a face of an unfamiliar man, his dark eyes wide and empty.
“Who are you?” I asked. “What is this place?”
He lifted his arm and pointed a finger at me. “Murderer!” he cried, his face going blue as he convulsed at my feet. I turned around in panic and saw two more silhouettes coming toward me.
“What do you want?” I yelled, backing away, but suddenly there were at least a dozen people staring at me, reaching out for me.
The whispers of “murderer, murderer” resonated in my mind, and I covered my ears with my hands in a vain attempt to stop hearing them. This couldn’t be real. No, it couldn’t be. I was dreaming, wasn’t I? But why couldn’t I wake up then? The people were so close to me now, their pointed fingers brushing my clothes. I recognized the face of one of the men I’d killed in that alley when Elemontera had been investigating the rogue elementals’ hideout. He stared at me, accusation plain in his eyes.
Monster (Tainted Elements Book 3) Page 15