The Elementals Collection

by L. B. Gilbert

  “I’ve been putting off the Denon Corporation recon for too long, but my nights are going to be full of this circle investigation for the near future. I need an in during the daytime. I’ve been thinking of arranging for a little sick leave for one of the head honcho’s secretaries. What do think would be a good way to go about that?”

  Logan was good at the more subtle and devious ways of getting things done. Gia and Serin weren’t nearly as talented at that sort of thing. They were a little too honorable and set in their ways. Logan, on the other hand, was a devilish mastermind.

  “Oh, I have an idea!” she said. “Okay here’s what you do. . .”

  Logan really was an evil genius.

  It’s a good thing she uses her powers for good, Diana reflected as she sat in the office of one of the senior VP’s.

  She had to wait until lunchtime to put her plan into effect, but once she had, infiltrating the upper echelons of the Denon headquarters was child’s play. She felt a little bad about slipping the stomach irritant into the secretary’s food, but not enough to find another way. It would only last a few hours, in any case. The woman would be fine tomorrow.

  If Diana needed to get into Denon again, she would find another way. She always did. In the meantime, her in was as a temp for the secretary. It wasn’t that hard. Her typing skills were good enough to pass muster, but she hated the clothes. The skirt of her wool suit was itchy, and the heels were killing her.

  Gritting her teeth, she carried on while the senior personnel director explained the computer and gave her an account with limited access to the company’s central server. In no time, she would soon expand that limited access using one of Gia’s computer tricks.

  Diana settled into her emergency temp position with ease. She had learned how to be a chameleon early on in her childhood while in foster care, although she had failed to fit in towards the end.

  “Miss Hope,” the incredibly officious voice of Keith McMillan came from behind her. “I’ll need you to type these up before three,” he said, dropping a pile of letters on her desk.

  Looking up at McMillan’s round pudgy face, Diana faked a smile. She had hated him on sight. And with good reason.

  Yup, this one is a definite suspect. Her instincts were all at attention. Unfortunately, her instincts weren’t enough to justify a fireball. Not even a little one.

  “No problem, Mister McMillan. Will you need any dictation for the meeting Missus Ford mentioned?”

  “No,” he said abruptly and walked straight back into his office.

  Okay. Maybe she should pay extra close attention to this meeting. It might be worth her while to plant a listening stone in the conference room. Like in a potted plant or something. Didn’t big corporations had those sitting around everywhere?

  A quick trip to the bathroom, conveniently located past the conference room, confirmed the sad lack of a potted plant. A quick crawl through the ventilation vents would have to do if they were large enough.

  It was too bad she couldn’t use her power the same way Logan could use air to position the stone. People would freak out if they smelled fire and the whole place would evacuate if she tried it.

  Disgruntled, she sighed over the limitations of her craft and went to go type the letters.

  A few minutes before the meeting started, Diana had stripped off her skirt and was crawling through the dusty air vents leading to the conference room. The spelled stone she carried in her hand would record all sound in the conference until it was retrieved. She just had to get it in place without alerting anyone to her presence.

  Ahead the vent got very narrow at the turn. Twisting like a pretzel, she shimmied past the constriction. Slipping the stone in place, she crawled back to the bathroom. After making sure no one was around, she dropped down into the stall where she’d hidden her skirt. Dusting off her tights she pulled on the hated piece of clothing once again.

  Skirt surreptitiously twisted back into place, she went back to her temporary desk, deciding to take advantage of the meeting to dig into the mainframe computer while all of the senior heads were busy. They had been joined by a small group of men who had flown specifically for the meeting. All were definitely cut from the same cloth as McMillan.

  And not a single secretary to take notes. She didn’t know much about corporate practices, so maybe that wasn’t atypical. The stone would make sure she didn’t miss anything. But it definitely wasn’t as satisfying as setting fire to the place. Sighing, Diana began her computer search of the archives.

  An hour later, she was ready to kick the computer into the wall. There was a ton of information, layers and layers of bureaucracy. Some of it might well be evidence, but the sheer volume was daunting.

  Maybe access from her terminal wasn’t what she needed. She was not very good at digging through piles of information. Maybe she could ask Gia to work up a little short cut. Something like a listening stone but for the computer mainframe. It would certainly make her job easier.

  Diana finished her day without making any serious inroads in the search. McMillan certainly kept his secretaries busy. Even the temps not trusted with full access were run ragged. But at least she managed to finish the workday without going thermonuclear on anyone.

  Feet aching from the heels she detested, Diana walked out of the elevator and into the lobby only to find Alec Brossard waiting for her.

  Damn it to hell. How does he do that?

  12

  “Hello sweetheart,” Alec said with a wide grin as he came up to give her a peck on the forehead, the part he could most easily reach given the difference in their heights.

  He winked at the receptionist, who was staring at him almost open-mouthed.

  For Pete’s sake. The woman was at least twenty years older than Alec appeared. Did she have to gawk that way?

  “I’ve made dinner reservations, darling,” Alec continued, playing the affectionate boyfriend to the hilt.

  Deciding to avoid a scene, Diana let him sweep out the door and toward a luxury car where a burly driver was waiting. She almost waved to the servant when closer examination revealed it wasn’t Daniel, but a look-alike. The original must still be taking care of Pedro.

  She paused short of the car, prepared to dig in her heels. She wasn’t prepared to answer any questions about her other investigation. Knowing Alec, he’d volunteer to help with that, too.

  “Oh, come on,” he coaxed when she didn’t get into the waiting car, “You’ve got to eat. And I wanted to give you an update on Pedro.”

  She wanted to ask him how he had tracked her down but didn’t want to let on that he’d surprised her. And she would eat with him, but only because she was hungry. . .

  Sitting down at the Ten Tables near Harvard Square, Diana fidgeted in her seat. Being driven by a private chauffeur to an exclusive restaurant was a surreal experience. She didn’t really go out to eat in restaurants. None of the nice ones anyway. She was a diner kind of girl.

  A well-dressed waiter handed her a menu before slipping away to get the wine Alec requested. From the waiter’s impressed reaction, he’d ordered an excellent vintage of something pricy.

  “So, what has the Denon Corporation done to attract the wrath of an Elemental?” he asked without preamble.

  “The wrath of the Mother,” Diana corrected. “I am merely her servant.”

  Alec paused, and he gave her a little smile that she found unnerving. “Oh, I think a little of your wrath is mixed in there a little bit,” he said. “I’m sorry for surprising you. I saw you going inside at lunchtime and got curious.”

  Diana’s internal sensor buzzed a high alert. “I know you’re lying. How did you track me?” she asked bluntly, wondering if she would have to shift to a secondary safe house.

  If Alec had found out where she’d been staying, she would have to. Even if she didn’t find him to be much of a threat, she simply couldn’t afford to leave her sisters exposed.

  “I got lucky,” he insisted. “I went to check on P
edro earlier and was thinking of you and the situation. Then I saw you in town while I was running an errand.”

  Mostly true. But Diana could tell he was still holding something back. She pursed her lips, trying to decide exactly how upset she should be.

  “I didn’t realize your kind targeted corporations for reprisal, but it makes perfect sense,” he continued, interrupting her train of thought. “They certainly have a lot of power these days with little accountability. But they don’t have a lot of magic to strip, I’m guessing. Do you simply kill the wrongdoers?” he asked while pouring her a generous amount of wine.

  “No,” she said without elaborating.

  The waiter returned to take their orders. Picking the first things that caught her eye, she asked for the veal meatball entree and the pasta special while Alec ordered the vegetarian option. Diana looked at him pointedly as the waiter went away, her left eyebrow at attention.

  “I’m not a vegetarian. I’ve already eaten, but it would look odd if I didn’t order anything,” he said with a pointed look.

  “Sorry I asked,” Diana murmured under her breath.

  And she really meant it—she definitely didn’t want to think about what he had eaten. There were several minutes of silence where Alec just stared at her. But Diana refused to make small talk and eventually the waiter returned with their appetizers.

  Well, it beats Chef Boyardee, she thought, looking down at the tempting dish. Maybe she should treat herself to a restaurant meal every once in a while. Some nicer places must let you take-away.

  “With the whole infiltration of Denon, you must have something big planned. You’re not about to claim that you have a day job, right?” he asked in a pleasant and inviting tone. When she didn’t reply, he continued undaunted, “It’s some type of set-up or exposure scenario. Maybe I could help. Are you gathering evidence? Or setting someone up for a fall? I employ excellent hackers. Alternatively, I could pose as a potential investor. I’ve already got a few aliases set up that would be appropriate.”

  Diana paused with the fork halfway to her mouth. “Do you now?”

  Alec shrugged. “It’s standard operating procedure for our kind. When one does business in the human world and one doesn’t age, it’s best to have a few possible identities in your back pocket for whatever comes up.”

  That could be useful. Diana always made sure she had no identity. No way to trace her real name back to when she was in the system. Not that she had to worry about still being in the social services records. Gia had seen to that. And no one was better at that sort of thing than the Earth Elemental. When the computer age arrived, Gia had jumped in with both feet. Of course, her talent was computer friendly. Gia could make those infuriating little boxes of metal and glass sing for her.

  “How do you know it’s not my day job?” Diana asked, giving Alec her full attention.

  “Because the Mother has rewarded you for your service, you and your forebears. That is common to many of the legends about your kind among many different cultures. You must be free to do her will. It would be counterproductive if you had to earn a living as well,” he said.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Exactly how much time have you devoted to studying us?”

  He paused for a sip before answering. “A lot over the years, but it’s only one of the many legends I’ve studied.”

  Diana considered his offer seriously for a few seconds before shaking her head. Something Gia whipped up would be more effective.

  “No thanks. I have a plan and would not be pleased if you interfered,” she lied smoothly. She would have her plan in place once Gia created the new toy she needed. “What about Pedro? How is he? Does he remember anything else?”

  She intended to drop by on him later, but hadn’t wanted to jump all over the poor man right away. He had to get past the initial blow that the memory spell had delayed. The first few days would be painful; the realization that his son had been taken from him would hit him hard once his memory returned.

  Alec frowned and poured himself more of the wine. “Not much yet. He’s only now realizing that his son is gone. But it’s coming back in bits and pieces. The memory spell really did a number on him. But the fact that it was cast in the first place means Pedro must know something about the circle.”

  Diana sighed. It wouldn’t kill her to throw him the occasional bone and discuss the case with him.

  “Or they just think he does,” she volunteered. “Or maybe they just wanted to do it to see if they could remove his memory. It could have easily been the act of a new practitioner flexing his muscles.”

  She had seen that kind of thing before.

  “What if they’ve been cast out of one the families instead?” he asked, perking up.

  “The families know it’s their responsibility to keep watch on their banished ones, and most of them have had run-ins with one of us at one time or another. Enough to know what is expected. And banishment doesn’t extend to the next generation. Offspring are brought back into the fold so they can learn the craft. We keep track of some outcasts ourselves. Those that need watching. A surprising number don’t.”

  “Why not?” Alec asked with a little frown. “Aren’t most of the cast-offs dangerous?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not usually magical misuse that leads to banishment, but normal family drama. And the real asshole to watch isn’t usually the banished one in those cases,” she said, looking around the restaurant abstractedly.

  “Fiona told me you need to see the owner of Whore,” he said, wincing slightly. “I, uh, called her after I saw you last night. She answered this time, assuming the worst is over.”

  “You didn’t see her in person?” Diana asked with a little smile, knowing full well he would be staying far away from the two women for a long time.

  “No,” he answered shortly with a betraying little hand gesture. “I wondered if you wanted an introduction to the club owner. You know, if you wanted a. . .softer approach. You’re welcome to crash the club, of course. It’s effective. But I imagine the rumors and storm of gossip your appearance at the coven house caused is making the rounds and the ones involved in the circle are underground now. J is probably hiding out somewhere out of town.”

  Diana ignored the implied criticism. Going in soft wasn’t usually an option for her. “Do you know him?”

  She wouldn’t have pegged him for a frequenter of Underlife clubs.

  “No. I think he’s a shaman of some kind. He wasn’t around before I left, but to be frank, the Broussards know everyone. Even people we’ve never met know us. That’s simply the way it is,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  Diana leaned back in her chair. Getting someone to give up the shaman might not be necessary. Tracking was central to an Elemental’s ability. Like some witches, her kind had the ability to track from an object, provided it was something of value to the person in question. It was a rare gift, even among the witches. If this J person had left something personal behind, she could find him, even if she’d never met him. But Diana didn’t feel comfortable sharing that with Alec.

  Alec took another sip of his wine. “I don’t expect him to be at the club, but someone there should know where he is. Someone will talk—especially if they think they can gain favor with the Broussard house.”

  “Ah, to be rich and influential,” Diana said with a smile, but Alec didn’t exactly look pleased by the status quo. More like resigned. “Fine. I’ll go with you,” she said abruptly, surprising herself a little.

  It wouldn’t hurt to go in a little quieter after the entrance she had made at the coven house. Bringing Alec along would make the other Supernaturals more talkative. It would save her the trouble of having to chase them down. And really, was there anything she hated more?

  Alec looked more surprised than Diana felt. “That’s great. We should go tonight. You don’t have Denon strongholds to pillage tonight, do you?”

  Despite her effort to stay aloof, Diana let a tiny smile play on
her lips, but she dropped it right away when he grinned back.

  “Storming the castle can wait,” she said deadpan, before returning to her meal.

  In fact, it had to wait. She wanted to give Gia time to cook something up that would speed her search of the Denon database.

  Normal spells didn’t usually work on such intricate human technology but Gia’s ability was able to defy that usual limitation of witchcraft. Logan, the only other Elemental with an aptitude for computers, wasn’t as skilled, but she also might have some useful tips. Serin, like Diana, didn’t have a talent compatible with computers—quite the contrary—which was why neither owned one.

  Diana enjoyed the rest of her dinner. She was surprised to find Alec a good conversationalist. Especially since she didn’t contribute much. But he didn’t seem to let that bother him. Instead, he launched into anecdote after anecdote, occasionally asking her a question in an effort to draw her into a conversation. Efforts she mostly ignored.

  Alec was well read and seemed to be up on current events, something atypical for a vampire his age. He also didn’t bother to hide his interest in her and her kind. Despite how comfortable she was getting with him, Diana didn’t like his enthusiasm for what she was. It didn’t feel like a strictly academic interest, despite his attempt to play it off as one. He was simply too earnest.

  “Dessert?” he asked when Diana had finished her meal.

  He’d eaten only a small fraction of his meal, but it was more than she would have guessed. She’d never thought much about a vampire’s basic biology.

  Was he going to have to run to the little vampire’s room before they left? She didn’t think it was polite to ask after such a nice meal.

  “No, thanks,” she replied. “There’s something I want to do before tonight, so why don’t we meet at the club after midnight.”

  Most Underlife clubs didn’t get busy till one AM at the earliest.