He smiled warmly and stroked my tear-soaked hair, uttering faint words of comfort.
“Hey Val, it’s okay. I’m okay, see? I’m a little…lightheaded…but I’m fine. Just lie here with me…until I wake up a bit.”
I squashed my fire, and the tears kept coming. They slowly morphed from tears of fear and happiness into tears of longing and inevitability. Pretty soon he was going to get enough oxygen back to his brain to remember I wasn’t just Valerie anymore. I was Valerie, Nicholai’s granddaughter, Marge’s niece, Jameson’s daughter, Holden’s…whatever. Cade wasn’t capable of caring for me anymore, and that crushed like a blunt object to the chest.
“Did my dad call?” he muttered, nuzzling his face into my neck.
I smiled despite myself. His deliriousness was nice.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Mm, damn. I thought we found Xavier, but I must’ve dreamt that.”
“Yeah, you must have.” I wiped at a tear that was drying on my cheek. “Is that how it goes? You follow Nicholai while Henrie searches for Xavier?”
“Mmhmm.” He rolled onto his side and rubbed an eye. “We need him. He’s the only Landston left who can beat that asshole.”
I ignored his comment and rolled over too so we were facing each other. A wistful smile crept onto my lips.
“This reminds me of that night at the willow,” I said.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed, grinning drowsily. “I miss those days.”
“Me too.”
I foolishly allowed myself to revel in his touch. It wouldn’t last, I knew, and the feeling would crush me like the weight of a thousand regrets. It just felt so good in that moment that I couldn’t bear to contemplate ‘later’.
Still smiling, he looked up at the concrete ceiling. “I wish I could go back, redo everything.”
“What would you change?”
He shook his head slowly.
“I never would have left you at that willow. I’d have broken every rule to be with you…”
Awareness suddenly buzzed around the foxhole. The tension became tight as a wire. Cade had just completely come back to, I could see it in his eyes. His own words had thrust him violently into reality. He cleared his throat and dropped my hand.
“But we can’t go back, so…” he said, backpedaling. “I better get you outta here. I’m sure you’ve had enough of enclosed spaces. I know I have.” The concrete slab slid away, and with a little effort, so did Cade. As devastating as it was to lose his touch, I was still pretty anxious to be out of that hole. I shakily pushed up onto my feet and pulled myself back into the storage room.
After Cade used his power to fill and cover the hole he’d made, he glanced at me. His movements had become a little jittery.
I wanted to ask if he was okay, but he beat me to it. When I nodded, relief softened his features just a touch.
“I have to go,” he said. “I don’t want to lose Nicholai’s trail…”
I took a deep breath. “I understand.”
He hesitated. “Don’t follow me.”
“Why?”
“It’s dangerous out there, doing what I’m doing. If I ever got caught… Nicholai can’t kill me, since we’re both Earths, but he’s powerful enough to—”
He stopped, and I mentally filled in the blank: torture the hell out of you. He probably would, too, if he ever found Cade spying.
“What I’m trying to say is,” he continued, drumming his fingers faster and faster. “You’re not an Earth. You may have two elements, but he is still strong enough to…overpower you.”
All I could do was stare. He wasn’t worried about being tormented, he was worried about my grandfather killing me. I couldn’t help it—hope ballooned in the pit of my stomach. He was fully conscious at that point; maybe he could forgive me for my family’s crimes, after all.
“Nicholai won’t kill me,” I said, trying to keep the optimism out of my tone. “He needs me for his campaign.”
“He wants you for the campaign, but he does not need you. He’s a man who’s used to getting his way, Valerie, and if he can’t have it, no one can. If you don’t join up soon, he’ll make sure you don’t join up anywhere. You know what I mean?”
I nodded. “I still don’t think he’ll kill me, and I shouldn’t align myself with him simply out of fear.”
Although, fear was a very powerful motivator. Fear of death, especially, had coaxed bad choices out of me in the past.
He scoffed.
“There’s no good choice for you, anyway. Joining him would be genocide; not joining him would be suicide.” He sighed and ran his hands through his dirty blond hair. “I gotta go, Val.”
He backed away slowly, our eyes fighting the growing distance like magnetic poles. It felt like acid had flooded my stomach and was creeping up my throat. I hated to watch him go, but there was nothing I could do.
“Don’t get killed,” I called out just before he reached the end of the room.
He put his hand on the doorframe and stared at it.
“You either.”
With that, he disappeared around the corner, leaving me to wonder if we would ever see each other again.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of coffee and burnt toast.
It was sunrise, just before eight according to my cellphone, but I felt rested. I hadn’t been out late the night before. In fact, right after Cade had left, I’d found Sienna and Jay and conned them into taking me home. I’d said I was sick, which wasn’t exactly a lie, since my stomach felt as if it’d been braided into tons of tiny knots.
I was pretty sure they’d decided to continue clubbing after dropping me off, but I didn’t mind. I just wanted to curl up and wallow in self-pity until sleep mercifully claimed me, which was pretty much exactly what happened.
I put together an easy outfit—denim skinny jeans, a white Center Allegheny High School hoodie, and shimmery gold flats—and made my way downstairs.
The local news was playing on a small flat-screen in the kitchen, and the air was hazy despite an open window above the sink—a failed attempt at ventilating the smoke from breakfast, I guessed. Dad sat at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal—apparently the toast had been burnt beyond edibility—eyes glued to the TV as he shoveled the spoon into his mouth.
“Hey sweetie,” he said through a mouthful, never glancing away from the screen.
“Hey,” I replied, grabbing a bowl and spoon of my own then plopping down into the chair across from him. I gestured to the TV. “Is this the story on Billy’s?”
He nodded and spooned another heap of cereal into his mouth.
“They’re calling it an accident, probably to keep the peace, but it was no accident. I was there.” He finished chewing and swallowed, finally looking at me instead of the TV. “I saw the word ‘traitor’ spray-painted on the burning walls, but I wasn’t supposed to. The firefighters refused to let me help, and they took their time making sure every last trace of the word was burned up before putting the flames out.” He handed me the cereal box, a look of worry on his face.
I took a deep breath and poured my cereal and milk. If the fire had been intentional, then things were worse than we thought.
Head news anchor Cherie Matthews appeared on screen after they’d finished showing footage of the smoldering remains.
“Local Elemental leader Curwen Michaels insists the incident was an accident,” she said, “maintaining there is still no bad blood between humans and Elementals.”
The feed cut to footage of Holden standing at a small podium with a charismatic grin on his face. My mouth fell open—it was a good thing there hadn’t been any food in it yet.
Cherie continued, “In a press conference held early this morning at the courthouse, Curwen’s assistant and son, Holden Michaels, was present to answer questions and ease the concerns of the public, both human and Elemental alike.”
“Next question,” Holden said, pointing to the left. “
Yes?”
“In light of what happened at Billy’s Bar & Burgers last night, many Elementals are concerned that the relations between our two species are dangerously strained, not disagreeing that it was, in fact, an accident, but nonetheless worrying about what the future might actually hold. What exactly is Curwen doing to ensure the peaceful incorporation of Elementals into society?” the reporter asked.
Holden smiled radiantly, like a teacher about to impart some glorious lesson. “That, right there, is the reason there is strain at all. We are not two different species. We are, essentially, all human beings, some of us just have abilities that others don’t have. Like being extremely smart, musically gifted, or athletically talented, these abilities don’t alter our humanity. Rather, they enhance our ability to contribute to society in a unique way.”
Damn, he was good.
“My father, Curwen, has been working with Mayor Daniel Pitt of Center Allegheny and a team of amazing individuals including Dr. Mirabella Lopez, an expert anthropologist, and Dr. Lira O’Connor, an expert sociologist, and together they’ve spent countless hours every day to ensure the success of the Elemental incorporation project.
“The most recent item we’ve undertaken is to push the curfew back by a few hours. That might not seem like much, but it does provide humans and Elementals an opportunity to physically be in the same place at the same time. Natural, gradual, unforced interaction is the key here. Given the proper amount of time, the success of the project is imminent.” Holden smiled and scanned the crowd. “Next question.”
Another reporter asked, “What are Curwen and the administration doing to ensure that humans are safe from an Elemental takeover? Elementals clearly have the means to out-power an average person, and humans are not blind to the fact that there are certain Elemental factions that do desire control.”
Holden nodded and gripped the podium.
“The faction in question is referred to as Elitists, and they’re led by Nicholai Prett, a very…influential Elemental. I can assure you we’re sparing no effort to ensure he does not come to power. At the moment, he has a very small following, and we don’t expect that number to increase much over time. The vast majority of Elementals are simply seeking acceptance, not tyranny, so a ‘takeover’ is truly nothing to worry about.” Holden smiled. “Next question.”
The next reporter righted his glasses and read off a sheet of paper. “Billy’s Bar & Burgers, coupled with the recently opened Billy’s Bass Box, was the only establishment bold enough to cater to both humans and Elementals. Now that it’s destroyed, are there plans for rebuilding the structure? Or, perhaps, launching other venues of the same caliber?”
“Good question,” Holden said. “Owner and manager, Billy Davis, has released a statement confirming that he will, in fact, not be reopening the facility. While that does deeply sadden the community as a whole, my father and Mayor Pitt most definitely have plans for opening other venues where humans and Elementals can peacefully intermingle. The first of which, Sol and Lune, is due to celebrate its grand opening later this week. I would encourage as many individuals as possible to come out and support these efforts of re-harmonizing our community.”
He looked so at ease, so unbelievably handsome with that encouraging smile and those charismatic eyes, that I was certain there would at least be a plethora of females lined up to attend the opening.
“Next question, please.”
The footage cut off at that point, refocusing on news anchor Cherie as she blushed, shuffling and rearranging her papers. Another Holden fan, I assumed.
“The conference spanned the timeframe of about an hour,” she said, “and was considered an overwhelming success for Elementals. In a poll conducted on our website, nearly seventy-two percent of humans admitted to feeling more comfortable with the idea of Elementals in general, with nearly twenty-seven percent of those expressing an interest in physically being in the same space as them.”
I poked the power button on the remote and rubbed my temples, immediately relaxing as the black screen slowly drained of life and electricity.
Dad glanced at me, the defiant look in his eyes bordering on glare status. He clicked the TV back on and refilled his cereal bowl.
“This stuff is important, Valerie. We need to make sure we’re up to date at all times.”
I sighed. “It’s giving me a headache, and there’s nothing more to know at this point, anyway. The fire at Billy’s was an accident. A new, unsegregated restaurant is opening up in its place. Modernists are currently winning the campaign. The end.”
“And how do you think your dear old grandfather is handling the news?” He eyed me pointedly and took another bite of cereal. “Nicholai isn’t gonna be happy, and if he’s not happy, he’s gonna make sure we’re all unhappy. Your boyfriend is wrong—Nicholai and the Elitists are most definitely a threat. I expect him to amp up his operation now, and if that’s the case, I’m almost positive that’s gonna mean more human casualties.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I muttered, as if that was the most important item to start with. I rolled my eyes at my own idiocy. “Why will there be human casualties?”
“Because Nicholai doesn’t want humans and Elementals forming an alliance. He wants us at each other’s throats. How might he achieve that, now that relations are getting friendly? Make them unfriendly. Hurt people, kill people, and frame his own kind for it. Make humans hate us. Make them wage war against us. Then convince Elementals that humans are inherently evil and need to be suppressed.” Dad shook his head. “The worst part is that he’s got a serious shot at winning if he plays these next few hands right. Then what will we do?”
I cracked my neck to alleviate some of the tension there. This shit was finally starting to feel real. It seemed as though I was going to have to choose a side, and soon, or risk getting killed in the crossfire.
“So you do agree with part of what Holden said? That Nicholai is still an Elitist seeking domination over humanity?”
Dad forced a soft smile and put his spoon down. “I know you want to think the best of your mother’s father. I’d like to do the same, myself, but I just can’t. I don’t know what he’s told you to sway your judgment, but from what I’ve seen of his actions…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Yes, I believe he’s still an Elitist, and I believe if he manages to win, he’s gonna end up lighting the fabric of this world on fire.”
My brows furrowed, and I searched my heart and mind for words to express my conflicted emotions.
“But…he helped me. When the Elementals were literally trying to burn me at the stake, he came and calmed the storm. He saved countless Elementals that night.”
“Elementals,” Dad stressed softly. “Not humans.”
“Okay…but, there has to be some good in him if he saved me.”
“Yes, he saved the most important Elemental alive right now. I’m sure some of it might’ve been due to familial pride, but I wouldn’t rush to call it goodness. More than anything, I’m afraid his actions were merely to gain your allegiance to his cause.”
I shook my head. His words felt true and clear as the sky, but I didn’t want to believe them, not until I’d seen proof of my grandfather’s ill intentions. I certainly didn’t believe the part about me being the most important Elemental alive—I was more likely to screw up so epically that I unintentionally brought on the apocalypse.
Head still shaking, I said, “I’m gonna take a walk.”
“Okay.” Dad picked his spoon back up and aimed it at the TV. “I’ll be here, keeping tabs on the news. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Sure. Thanks. Love you.”
“Love you too, kiddo. Be careful. The curfew is still in place, remember?”
Shit. No, I hadn’t remembered. Annoyance puffed out as I sighed.
“I guess I’ll stick to the woods then. Maybe I’ll find Elise and see if she’s unearthed anything useful.”
“Nice pun.”
“
Thanks.” I grinned and headed outside.
The moment the cold hit my face, I paused on the porch and looked around. The wind whistled and the river ice crackled, but those were the only sounds. It felt like such a ghost town. All that was missing were the tumbleweeds, and I supposed, the ghosts.
What was the best way to go about avoiding the curfew? Obviously, I didn’t want to be seen, but I wasn’t even sure if humans lived on this side of town; I was so behind in Human-Elemental Relations 101. This close to the river, that would probably be the easiest route to take, but what would a human think if they saw me wade into the water and simply disappear?
After a few moments, I realized I didn’t really have any other options. If I freaked people out for a short time, then so be it; at least I wouldn’t be caught blatantly breaking the rules by strolling down the street.
Sprinting and diving seemed like the best idea—getting it over with quickly. I stole one last peek all around me, and when I was sure it was clear, I started running. There was snow and ice all over the back yard, but it did nothing to slip me up. If anything, it gave me better grip than the earth ever did. I launched from the edge and dove in headfirst. The surface was frozen over, but the ice broke away as if I’d plunged through a layer of feathers. Water met me, cold as the Arctic, though it felt a comfortable lukewarm.
As soon as my momentum slowed, I kicked frantically to the surface and sucked in a deep breath of air. As a Water Elemental, I had acquired the ability to breathe underwater, but it hadn’t yet become second nature. There was something about the long-held notion of drowning that didn’t sit well with me for some reason, even though I knew it was physically impossible; the water would never betray me in that way.
I blew out a quick breath and forced myself to inhale underneath. Once I got over the shock of intentionally breathing in water, it was generally pretty easy to be submerged. The slippery molecules that used to cling to my skin and hinder my motions now bowed gracefully out of my way, allowing me to cut through the river faster than if I’d been wearing flippers.
The Essential Elements: Boxed Set Page 37